Spend all your time waiting

For that second chance

For a break that would make it okay

- Sarah Mclaughlan -

"Angel"

-/-

Without You

By Ricchan

-/-

- Chapter 2 -

The woman standing in front of him, her eyes looking into his, was Tohru, without a doubt.

Yuki's heart fluttered like crazy inside his chest, but the words she spoke just moments later made his stomach drop like a lead weight.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" she asked.

Yuki was silent for a moment, maybe a bit horrified.

"Don't...don't you remember?" he said. Tohru knit her eyebrows and thought.
"Oh, wait!" she said, realising something. "Yuki! Sohma Yuki, right? We went to high school together, now I remember!"

"Er...yes..." Yuki replied, absolutely perplexed.

"Wow, it's been a while, huh?" Tohru asked him, as if she had completely forgotten how close they used to be. Forgotten...

Yuki's eyes widened when he came to that startling suggestion.

"Sohma-san, are you okay?" Tohru asked him.
"Y-yes...I'm okay," he said, reclaiming his composure. "Goodness, don't quite know what came over me. Well, Honda-san, is that really you?"
She nodded.
"How long has it been, six years?" she said. "I haven't seen you in ages."

Yuki nodded. "Indeed. Are you busy this afternoon?"

"No, I just have to meet with someone this afternoon, a friend of mine," she replied. "Why?"
"Well...would you like to have lunch with me?" Yuki proposed. "I'm not up to anything this afternoon, and I'm already finished with work. Perhaps we could catch up with each other."

Tohru laughed.
"Goodness, Sohma-san, I've never known you to be so friendly to me, but then again, I don't suppose we knew each other very well, didn't we?" Tohru said, and Yuki's stomach sank once again. "I guess I'd like that."

Yuki smiled at her, but it was just a mask for his disbelief; seeing Tohru again was one thing, but what was wrong with her? The possibility of her memory being altered was prevalent in his mind, but something inside him desperately didn't want to believe it.
"Great," he said. "I know a nice coffeehouse just down the street, would you like that?"

Tohru smiled; that, at least, hadn't changed.
"I'd love that."

After Yuki put his milk back (if he was going out to lunch, he didn't want to spoil it) and Tohru paid for her package of cookies, they headed down the street, Tohru slinging her big bag behind her. Yuki noticed she had a slight limp as she went along; at first, he thought it was the bag, but it looked too light to be that large a burden.
"Honda-san, is there something the matter with your leg?" he asked her as they neared the cafe.

"Oh! No, it's my back, actually," she said. "I fell down the stairs when I was 18."

"...really, now?" Yuki said thoughtfully, his mind drifting to the day that Akito had practically snapped. "I think that I remember you being out of school for a while, so that's what happened to you?"

"Yes, it wasn't so bad when I was recovering, but it seems to have gotten a bit worse as of late," she explained. "Is this the place?"

"Yes," Yuki replied. "If you don't mind, I'll pay the bill today."
Tohru blushed as Yuki put their name in, and they were seated. Tohru took off her bag and set it neatly next to her chair, balancing the box of cookies on top of it.
"You're awfully generous, Sohma-san," she smiled.

Yuki laughed a little, folding his hands neatly on the table.
"It's because I haven't seen you in so long, Honda-san," he smiled. "So, what have you been up to? Where have you been?"

"Kyoto, actually," Tohru replied, her hair slipping onto her shoulder. "I'm a housekeeper! Or a maid, they're just about the same."

"Really!" Yuki exclaimed. "Freelance?"
"Yes, I'd just place an ad in the newspaper, get an answer, and then go out and clean their houses," she replied. "Of course, I had an apartment too."
"I see," Yuki said. "What brings you here, though? When did you arrive?"
"Just this morning, actually. A friend of mine's getting married at the end of the month," she smiled. "I'll be staying at her house for a while. And if I find a job here, then I guess I may stay longer."
"I see, I see," said Yuki, and the waitress came by the table asking what they'd like to order. As Tohru ordered, he watched her, the strange pain in his heart constantly reminding him that she had forgotten him, but he still wasn't sure.
"What'll you have, sir?" the waitress asked.

"Oh! Um...chai tea, please," he said.
"Sure thing," the waitress replied, marking it on her pad and walking away.

"Ahem, well!" Yuki said, adjusting his shoulders. "I'm rather curious, Honda-san, what's that scar on your cheek from?"

"Oh!" Tohru exclaimed, blushing and covering the barely visible marks with her hand. "I thought that these weren't noticable..."
"Oh no, not at all!" he replied. "I just have an eye for these sorts of things, you know."
"Ah, I see," she said, laughing a little. "My grandfather's cat scratched me, actually."
"A cat?" Yuki said, observing her eyes.
"Yes." she replied, without a note of untruthfulness in her voice; in her mind, she had never even heard of anyone named Akito Sohma.
"I see..." said Yuki. "Oh, that's right! Your mother died, May of our 1st year, right? And you had to live with your grandfather."

"Yes! Gosh, I'm suprised you even remember that!" Tohru said, laughing a little. "That's right, I had to live with my grandfather, and I moved out once school was over."
"Are you sure?" Yuki asked. Tohru looked at him confusedly.
"What do you mean, 'are you sure'?" she said.
"It's just, umm...well, that-" he began, but was thankfully interrupted by the waitress coming by with their orders.

"Here you go...White Hot Chocolate?" she said, picking up one of the cups on her tray.
"Oh! That's me," Tohru said, taking it. "Thank you!"
"Mhmm. And chai tea?" she said.

"Me," Yuki said, and received it. "Thank you."
"Sure thing!" said the waitress, and went off.

"So, umm...what were we talking about?" Tohu asked, and laughed.

"I suppose we could talk about what sort of things we've been up to lately, current events, just general chitchat," Yuki said.

"No, no, I mean...what were we talking about?" Tohru asked.
"Umm...your grandfather? I think?" said Yuki, feigning confusion.

"Oh, nevermind," Tohru laughed, and took a sip of her drink. "Mm...that's delicious. Well, enough about me, Sohma-san...what have you been doing since high school?"
"Oh, me?" said Yuki, dipping his spoon into his tea and thoughtfully stirring it around. "I went to college, studied biology, mostly in botany."
"Oh wow, you went to college? That's so awesome!" Tohru said, smiling. "But...what in the world is botany?"
"The study of plants," Yuki laughed. "I run a flower shop."

"Wow! That's...that's so amazing, Sohma-san! You're a florist?" Tohru said.

Yuki began to laugh, holding his hand near his mouth.
"What's going on?" she asked, confused at him being so amused.
"I'm sorry, you're just so funny, Honda-san," he chuckled. "Being a florist is nothing to be proud of, I think."
"No, I really do admire that!" Tohru said. "Flowers are just so wonderful, and they all smell so nice! You must love your job!"
"I guess I do, gardening is a passion of mine," Yuki said, smiling and taking a sip of his coffee. "You're really such an enthusiastic person, Honda-san, even now."

Tohru laughed. "'Even now'? You sound like you're some old aquaintance of mine."

"I suppose so..." Yuki said thoughtfully, his fingers poised at the edge of the cup. "I suppose so..."

Tohru laughed and took a long sip from her hot chocolate.
"I guess you're as mysterious as ever," she said, smiling. "That's all I really remember about you, Sohma-san; you asking me to coffee was, well, rather unexpected. You never talked to me, really."

"...people can change, often for the good, don't you think?" Yuki said, looking at his faint reflection on the surface of his tea.

"Yes, they do! I've known that just about my entire life!" Tohru said cheerily, and finished her hot chocolate. "Though, what does that have to do with anything, Sohma-san?"

"Nothing at all, it just seemed like a good thing to say," Yuki said, and laughed.

"You're truly something else, Sohma-san," Tohru said. "I'm still rather curious as to why you wished to have a coffee with me."
"I told you before; I think...we deserved to catch up with each other. I guess...being as I was in high school...was hampering for the both of us," Yuki said, smiling at her. "I really would like to get to know you better, Honda-san, if you wouldn't mind."
Tohru blushed and laughed.
"I don't mind at all, Sohma-san," she laughed.
"So, um...do you remember my cousins?" Yuki asked, striking up a conversation. "A few of them went to school with us."

"Cousins...wasn't Kyo-kun one of them?" Tohru said, and began to laugh again.. "Oh goodness, I remember him! Orange hair, and he was very outspoken, right?"

"Yes, that's him," Yuki smiled. "Kyo, and there were two others. Do you remember Hatsuharu and Momiji?"

"Momi...the blonde boy? Who wore the girl's uniform?" Tohru said. "Yes, I remember him, too! Hatsuharu...the name's not ringing any bells, though. What did he look like?"

"His hair was white, but black roots. He wore a lot of jewelry and things, I don't think he would be hard to miss," said Yuki.
"Ah, him!" Tohru said, clapping her hands together. "Haru-san! Yes, I remember him, now! He and Momiji-san were a year younger than us, right?"
"That's correct," said Yuki. "What exactly do you remember about them?"

Tohru began laughing.
"What's so funny, now?" Yuki asked.
"You're asking so many questions! Sohma-san, I don't remember very much, to tell the truth," she said. "Kyo-kun...I remember him because we were in the school play together, and the people in class seemed to get along with him. He didn't talk to me, though. I really don't remember him. As for Hatsuharu-san and Momiji-san...I can't say I knew them at all, really. I think I saw them in the halls, occasionally, but not else."

"...so that's how it is," said Yuki thoughtfully.

"Huh?" said Tohru.
"Nothing, nothing..." Yuki replied. "Sorry, I guess my memory's not as good as I thought it was."

Tohru cocked her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "You're...confusing me."

"It's nothing. Really," Yuki said, a faux smile on his face, trying to distract her a little. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

Tohru looked at him with a bemused half-smile on her face, then laughed and glanced at her watch.

"Oh, I think I have to go now," she said, reaching for her bag. "I really enjoyed our time together, I did!"

Yuki nodded weakly, his heart sinking a little.
"Yes, I did too."

He expected her just to say "Goodbye" and be gone again from him once more, but...

"I'd really like to go to lunch with you, if it's not much trouble," she said, smiling at him. "Should I give you my cell phone number, so you can get a hold of me? I'm not so sure if you could contact me where I'm staying..."
Yuki's heart soared, and he gave her a genuine, sunny smile. Was there hope?

"I'd love that, Honda-san," he said. "Do you need a pen?"

"Yes, actually," she replied, taking her napkin from under her saucer. Yuki took a small pen out of his pocket and slid it across the table to her. She wrote some numbers on the napkin and slid it to him, the pen resting on top of it. Yuki unfolded the napkin and tore off half of it, then began to write on it.
"What are you doing?" Tohru asked, curious.
"Giving you my number, of course," he replied gently, giving it to her. "That way, you can contact me as well."

"Oh! That's a good idea!" Tohru said, and accepted the torn napkin with Yuki's phone number, folding it gently and placing it in her skirt pocket. "I'll see you later, then?"
Yuki nodded.
"Of course, but next time...just call me Yuki. Sohma-san sounds much too formal," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Just Yuki?" Tohru said. "You're so bold!"

She laughed.
"All right, Yuki, until then."

Tohru smiled, picked up her bag, and left with a cheerful wave. Yuki passively watched her leave, paid for their drinks, and walked out of the cafe.

Calmly, he strolled down the road, until he came to the avenue that led to the Sohma Main House.

Then, he ran.

He wrenched open the main gate, then ran like a mad dog to Hatori's office and slammed open the sliding door.
"HATORI!" he shouted angrily.
Hatori was working at his desk, writing on a sheet of paper. He did not look up, but spoke nonetheless.
"Yuki, what is this shouting about?" he said calmly, placing the paper in a tray and capping his pen. "Something wrong?"

Yuki was silent for a moment, catching his breath as he braced his arms against the doorway.
"Hatori..." he panted. "Did you...did you erase Honda-san's memories!"

Hatori was silent, and did not look up.