Winter Illusion

Chapter One

Despite their protests, Tohru persuaded them to leave. The house was a mess—this was the excuse that she used for not going with them for Christmas. Plus, she had a load of homework to do and couldn't get work off for an entire two weeks. Of course, that was a lie, and the only truth to her excuses proved the house to be incredibly messy.

Tohru waved good-bye at the retreating car before going inside. Forcing herself to ignore the mess, she retreated to her room to get ready for bed. The work would have to wait for another night—sleep couldn't be put off for much longer.

How did the house get to be this way after her only being gone a week? Tohru sunk into her bedroom in her tidy room, smiling at how no one invaded her personal space and made a mess of things. Oh, how they loved her! The trust between them was incredible and steady, which helped Tohru to feel really at home. The atmosphere of the Shigure's home really helped everyone to not take life so seriously—to be able to look at it from an outsider's point of view and see things for what they really were.

Tohru fell asleep amid checking off assignments on her mental checklist, drifting into a deep sleep, filled with dreams for her future. Outside, someone watched as her light flickered off before driving away. Tomorrow…

Akito walked into the doctor's office, where the owner looked up from the paper work he was working on. A shiver stilled him from getting up as Akito walked over.

"Have you thought about my proposition, Hatori?" Akito's sickly voice asked. The doctor kept his eyes locked on Akito, not moving an inch. Akito smiled a wan smile before walking past where Hatori sat. "I knew you would. Be ready to leave by noon."

Tohru woke up early the next morning to the sun just barely coming up right outside of her window. Since she didn't have any classes to attend that day, she decided to take her time to stretch and go for a jog.

After putting her hair up in a French braid and dressing in a pair of blue running shorts and a white tee shirt, she took the trail through the woods to where the secret base was. The garden wasn't up to par anymore, with Yuki and her in college lately. They had eaten the last of the leeks and strawberries the week before she had left for her trip to Tokyo for her Psychology class, so there was really no garden left.

After deciding to return after she had cleaned up the house, she jogged a little further down the path deeper into the forest. There, she found a spot and stretched a bit before turning to head back. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the same tree that she had fallen onto when she was searching for Kyo. Akito had came and criticized her as she cried…

Tohru sighed before running back to the house, determined to do her job and clean the house at least by noon. Then, she would shower.

Anyone outside of the house would have thought a whirlwind had taken place inside of the Sohma house; dust was everywhere one moment, and the next would be filled trash bags full of who-knows-what.

She was done by 11:00 am, an hour or so before her goal. Now, it was up to the bathroom for a long, relaxing shower.

As she was singing in the shower, someone slid into the main room and sat, waiting patiently for their host to entertain them.

Clad in her blue robe and damp hair, Tohru went to check on the laundry. Of course, she was startled when she saw none other than Akito sitting at the table with Hatori, who watched her with various expressions.

Without a choice in the matter, she stuttered something about accidentally leaving the shower on and excused herself—thus going to her room and trying to catch a breath before even changing into anything. Why were they here? Was Hatori…Akito wouldn't erase her memory after all this time of her keeping their secret, would he?

It was hard, and very tempting to find a way to escape this whole mess—but she put a hold on her emotions and walked downstairs, anyway. There was no getting out of this one—but what had she done to deserve this treatment? She had kept their secret, she had kept her promises to everyone. Why not just let her be?

"Well, mom…" She thought to herself. "Here goes."

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. We certainly do need more Hatohru stories, now don't we?

Thanks for your feedback!

K.V.