The Fleeting Truth

Chapter 4 – A Strike at the Match

An – First off, sorry about the slow update. I moved out of my mom's house last week and I've been a little distracted. So I apologize for that, guys. However this is a long chapter, and things are starting to heat up...

Day 5

A distant beat marked the cadence of the dark. Her eyes wouldn't open, couldn't open. It felt as though trails of liquid slipped greedily over her skin, slowly, consuming. Her chest felt tight as emptiness dipped her heart into a dreary gloom. Then, a red light, like the heart of a machine, lingered softly, ominously, before her. It grew, painfully slow, yet constant and steady. She watched it, fear nudging her heart lightly like a disregarded toy, staring at her, watching her, helplessly longing her. It stung, it was cold. Metal, so cruel and sudden that her heart exploded. Someone was screaming, images flashed by her, blurred and distorted as though she were falling through history itself. She tried to scream, and she tried to reach out. But there was no one near to touch, and no voice to answer her desire. Only that scream, so high pitched and weak, what was it? What did it want? Suddenly she stopped, now lying upon a cold, white table. Her legs were wide, like a ditch, and she looked straight into a single, frigid eye. Staring, crying, glaring, hating. That scream was still there; she covered her ears begging for it to stop, but it didn't ease. Then, she realized, it came from deep within, so wretched and weak the feathering squeal, so quiet and, fading. Fading...fading...then, nothing. No sound, no feeling, no light from a gentle pain, no sight to grant her freedom. There was naught but silence, and death.

Tohru screamed and snapped up in her bed. Her heart pounded painfully against her heaving chest, and her eyes leapt about, searching, but seeing nothing besides the empty walls of her room. Her hands clenched the sheets tightly, fighting to regain control. Oh god... She hadn't had a nightmare like that before. She didn't even know what happened, but just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. It hurt so much, it was like that dream had been a desperate cry from a deep sector of her heart. She would never have imagined something so twisted and vague ever interrupting her sleep. That almost frightened her more then the dream itself.

A soft rap on the doorframe brought her back to the present, and a gentle voice followed.

"Tohru, is something wrong?"

She sighed to herself, happy that Shigure would provide a distraction.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I just had a bad dream, is all."

"Do you mind if I come in?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Not at all."

Shigure opened the door carefully and slipped inside, watching Tohru with gentle eyes. Beads of sweat glistened along her cheek. He knew the answer, but still asked.

"Are you alright?"

She laughed tiredly and nodded, rubbing her head with a hand.

"Y-yes...I'm sorry for worrying you...oh, I didn't wake you, did I?"

She glanced towards the alarm clock by her bed and saw that it read 3:24. Guilt washed over her, and she turned her head back to Shigure, about to apologize. Shigure just laughed softly and waved his hand at her.

"Not at all, I was just up working on my manuscript."

Her mouth wrinkled in dismay, and she covered her face in shame. Shigure's brows furrowed, a great darkness suddenly cloaking his heart from eye's view. He stepped in further, forcing a gentle voice to the surface.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Tohru whimpered softly and brushed aside the tears. She didn't want to think about it. He watched her for a few moments more then eased forward until he reached the bed. He sat down tenderly as she started to sob. It hurt him to see her like this, but at the same time, it fueled him. It gave him a power, a hint of justice, and...pleasure...

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't be acting like this..."

Shigure smiled coolly and pat the covers.

"Not at all. It really bothered you didn't it?"

She nodded meekly, and Shigure couldn't hide the dark grin that replaced his smile. His voice sang so gently now, natural yet manipulatively sweet.

"What happened?"

She winced at the question and buried her face further into her palms.

"I don't even know..."

She fought to contain her pain, but it was more than obvious to the perceptive man sitting on her bed.

"Try. For me?"

She looked up and saw the suggestion dancing in his smiling eyes. His expression made her blush.

"Um, well..."

She sighed, regaining control over her thoughts in an effort to understand.

"Well, first it was dark, and...there was a red light, but it was really dim. I couldn't tell what it was really."

Shigure nodded lightly.

"Hm, and?"

"I watched it for a while, and then something touched me. It felt like cold steel was pulled over my skin or something."

Shigure couldn't help but smile at the image in his head. Tohru continued.

"Then everything exploded, and I couldn't see anything, and it was really scary. Next thing I knew I was laying on a hospital bed or something, and someone was standing over me, watching me."

Her eyes scrunched at the thought, and she buried her face in her hands again. Shigure nodded thoughtfully. He honestly hadn't cared what the dream was about, but when he heard about the hospital bed, his attention had been thoroughly captured. A hospital bed, she could have actually meant a medical table. That would be...interesting. A muffled sob brought him back from darkly amused thoughts to the present. He reached out and touched her shoulder, and when she looked up at him again, he smiled warmly.

"It could be something your subconscious is trying to tell you. Dreams mean more then what they appear. You can't just ignore the things your mind creates, even if you were sleeping. Here."

He reached into his kimono and pulled out a small notebook.

"I've used a couple pages, but you can tear them out. Write everything you remember from your dreams in here. That way you don't forget, and when you're awake, you can look over them again. You might learn something about yourself."

He held it out to her, and she received it timidly. She nodded again.

"Thank you, Shigure. How can I repay you?"

Shigure smiled and brushed stray tears from her cheek. The action surprised her and she looked up at him. His eyes slipped straight through any guise or façade. He saw straight to the heart, and maybe that was why this was so easy for him.

"Just get some sleep, alright?"

She nodded and buried herself within the sheets, quickly falling into a somber slumber. He watched her for a while, silent and unmoving. His eyes traced dark lines over her still form, and no amount of soft phrase or loving share could hide the cruel glint the moon granted his gaze. Wistful thoughts wandered towards life, and the life that was no longer. He closed his eyes, listlessly caging the deep tears, and pushed himself up. He idly pulled the covers over Tohru's neck and turned to leave the blissful child to rest.

Day 6

Yuki leaned against the stone wall outside of the estate. He had just come back from visiting Tohru, and he couldn't get a nagging feeling out of his head. He felt painfully uneasy that she was still living with Shigure, and he wanted to kick him around the yard a few times for bringing her back. Yet, however much he looked down on what Shigure was doing, and however much disgust he felt when contemplating why, he would never be able to hate him. No matter what he did or said or thought, Yuki would never hate him. That man, as annoying and frustrating as he was, had given him something that not even his mother could offer. Freedom. Shigure had given him a chance to be someone. He knew, deep down, that Shigure had some unspoken, twisted reason for taking him in, but in the darkest pits of that small, cold heart, he couldn't let himself believe it. He had to think that he wasn't just a tool to Shigure too...

The breeze played with his hair and gently cooled his aching mind. He was so happy to see her again, but it hurt. He fought to push her away, but wanted nothing more then to pull her closer. He remembered the day Hatori bluntly approached him, and told him with an icy tongue that he could never spend time with Tohru again. That eye sliced through his heart and made him feel utterly alone. He hated him for saying that she was better off without the Sohma. He hated him for what he did to her. But most of all, he hated Hatori for taking her away from him.

Yuki closed his eyes for a moment, and then calmly looked to the ground. No, he couldn't hate Hatori. He was the only person who had given him hope while he stayed in the main house. He was the only one Yuki looked forward to seeing, and he was the one person who told Shigure of his situation. Hatori had been his one saving grace. What kind of heartless person could hate him now? For saving Tohru? Hatori had made the sole effort to protect her, and he was the only one given blame for the zodiacs' loneliness.

But he still hated him.

"Yuki!"

The aloof squeal didn't pass his ears, but he didn't twitch impulsively at the sound. He knew that voice. He threw a smile in the general direction and nodded.

"Hello Hatsuharu. How have you been?"

Yuki did it again. Hatsuharu. He had called him that at the dojo too, and the fact didn't pass Haru's notice. Haru quickly slunk over and stood closely next to Yuki. He had missed him.

"Doing alright I guess, yourself?"

Yuki sighed, mildly irritated by the proximity but dismissed it.

"I'm good."

Haru saw through the small lie and leaned down, just a touch, to see Yuki's face better. He knew better than to attack one of Yuki's lies head on. He had to slink around it and trap him.

"So where did you go? On a date or something?"

Yuki pulled a shy façade, and he nodded as he rubbed his head idly.

"Mmhm. You got me there."

Haru caught that and narrowed his eyes. Yuki only rubbed his head when he was trying to slide around a topic, and though he hated chasing topics to the ground, he had a feeling that this was related to recent events. Haru knew that something was wrong with him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it through pleasant eyes, he was suffering. He easily recalled that day. Yuki loved Tohru so deeply that any distance would cripple him. Haru knew that better then most people, and he wasn't about to let Yuki agonize alone.

"You know Yuki, I was worried about you. It feels like we haven't hung out for a long time."

Yuki smiled and nodded softly.

"Yes, it has been a while. We should do it sometime."

Haru stared at him blankly.

"We are now, aren't we?"

"Oh…yeah…."

He laughed lightly, coldly, under Haru's gentle, knowing eyes, and Haru joined his slightly awkward laughter.

"So this girl, do I know her?"

Yuki abruptly cut off his mild chuckles, catching the sharper sound to Haru's voice, but looked innocently at his friend.

"I don't think so. She's not really my type."

"What's her name?"

Yuki cringed inwardly at Haru's tone. It was so uncharacteristically sharp, especially for this type of a topic. A twinge of paranoia nicked his heart when he realized something. Haru had caught wind of the situation, and that meant he would find every way possible to figure it out. Yuki diverted his gaze, unable to think of a proper lie at this point, and quietly watched the dust swirl delicately about his feet. Haru sat down and leaned in slightly.

"Yuki, what's bothering you? You're not still upset about Tohru are you?"

Yuki winced at hearing her name, and Haru keyed in on it immediately.

"You are, aren't you?"

Yuki slowly released a sigh and closed his eyes tightly. Haru took Yuki's face and forced him to look into his eyes. It was a move meant solely to show Yuki that he wasn't going to let the topic die.

"Yuki, don't let it bother you. She's better off not remembering us."

Yuki bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from snapping at him. That line tore at his heart more then any line had before. He took a moment to ease his anger and sighed heavily.

"I know, it's not that."

"Then what is it? Did you talk to her at school?"

Yuki nervously looked as far away from Haru as he could. He lightly released his face, and Yuki instantly pulled away. Haru watched him, worry creasing his face now, and his voice softened as he spoke.

"Please tell me Yuki. If something's bothering you, I don't want you to deal with it alone."

Yuki mused over it for a moment, giving the idea only mild consideration.

"No, really. It's nothing."

"Yuki, you can tell me. Whatever it is."

Yuki sighed. It wasn't like he wanted to be the only one who knew something like this. At least then, if Hatori ever found out, he wouldn't be the only person who hid such a secret from him. That, and he trusted Haru to do the right thing, no matter what circumstances or biased opinions existed. He looked at the ground and narrowed his eyes.

"Well...um, yeah. I did talk to her the other day."

Haru raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect Yuki to go out of his way to talk to her.

"Really? What for?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed in pain and frustration.

"Well, I stopped by Shigure's, just to visit."

Haru waited expectantly for the rest of the story when Yuki looked up at him silently. Haru's eyes widened when a thought came to mind.

"What do you mean?"

Yuki sent a weak glare to the ground.

"She was there."

He pulled away from Yuki and leaned back on his hands in thought. It wasn't that it was a surprise. He and Kyo had overheard Yuki's conversation with Kazuma, but now he was given a chance to do what he wanted to do since Yuki stopped by the dojo.

"Let's go see her."

Yuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"You're joking. What if she remembers something?"

Haru shrugged offhandedly.

"Yeah, but Hatori can't get angry at us. We go to school with her, right? So why shouldn't we be able to hang out with her? Not like it's gonna be the end of the world or anything."

Yuki grimaced slightly. He didn't like the idea, but he knew that Haru was a hard person to convince once he set his mind to something. Of course, the second Haru noticed Yuki's faltering conviction, he grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. He tugged at Yuki's arm and pulled him down the street towards Shigure's house. It had been a while since Haru had seen either of them, but he was more interested in seeing Tohru.

Tohru stirred the contents of a large pot while wearing a pleasant smile on her face. Shigure had gone to visit Hatori and he told her that he would be late getting back. Instead of making a full-blown meal, she had decided to make a stew so that he could heat it up whenever he got home. It seemed lonely in the old house for some reason, and she tried, rather clumsily, to keep it from distracting her. She felt like there should be someone else here, but she didn't really understand why. Maybe she missed Yuki, yet that didn't make any sense either. It wasn't like she knew him very well, but there was something about his presence that made her heart warm immediately. But, of course, she didn't understand why, and it only confused her more.

She pressed the lid on carefully and set the spoon aside. As she wiped her hands on a dry towel, she turned and left the kitchen to continue sweeping the porch. She didn't seem to have all that much to do, and there was this constant feeling like something was out of place. What she would give to have something to distract her thoughts. It would certainly make her stay here more pleasant. She paused by the door and stared at it despondently. She still couldn't remember where she previously lived or who she had been staying with, and it was starting to frustrate her.

"Hatori doesn't like that you're staying here."

"Oh? I'm sorry, am I doing something wrong?"

A distant chuckle tickled her ears.

"Not at all, but I think I may have to find you another place to stay soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Hatori doesn't trust me with young girls."

His eyes watched her expression keenly.

"I'll make sure to find you a pleasant apartment complex. One that doesn't allow animals, as Hatori wishes."

An omniscient smile ended the conversation.

Shigure had a horrible tendency of saying strange things, but as time slowly passed, she was beginning to realize that those slips of awkward word choice were more then simple slips. She could see it in his eyes whenever he spoke. The way he shifted his hand, and the way his lips quirked, ever slightly, at key points in a conversation. Then again, it felt strange that she would pick up on something like that so quickly. It was as though small glimmers of past dreams whispered small truths to her throughout her waking hours, as though her heart knew something she didn't. She had always believed in trusting her heart over her head, but this was something she had never felt before. Maybe it...gah, she couldn't take all of these conflicting thoughts. With a quick, harsh thrust, she snatched onto the door handle and pushed the door open.

"Oh, Ms. Honda."

She gasped and recoiled from surprise. Right in front of her stood Yuki and an older man. No, wait, his hair wasn't naturally white, and he was young. Very young, and handsome to boot. She remembered seeing him at school occasionally, but she couldn't recall his name. She squeaked and bowed instantly. Haru stared at her for a moment before bowing in return.

"Um, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you two were standing out here. Did you wait long?"

Yuki shook his head and shot a glance to Haru.

"Not at all, we just decided to stop by for a visit."

Tohru smiled at Yuki and nodded happily.

"I'm so happy you did, but who is this?"

Yuki blinked out of surprise at the question, but he remembered and smiled.

"Right, this is Hatsuharu. He's a year younger then us."

"You can call me Haru, if you'd like. I've heard a lot about you Tohru. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He bowed again, and Tohru mimicked him.

"Oh no, no, the pleasure is all mine! Please, come inside!"

The two boys obeyed and set their shoes aside. Haru wandered inside and peeked around the wall into the living room.

"Is Sensei here?"

Tohru blinked.

"Uh, your sensei?"

Yuki sighed rubbing his forehead, and he turned to Tohru.

"He means Shigure."

She gasped, eyes wider then they really should have been.

"Shigure is your sensei? For what?"

Haru grinned at her reaction and looked elsewhere.

"Eh, I donno. I just call him sensei. Anyway, is he here?"

Tohru shook her head gently.

"No, he went to visit Hatori. He said he wouldn't be back until later. Did you need to talk to him?"

Haru smiled to brush away any further questions.

"Nah, just wondered."

Yuki shot a mildly skeptic look towards Haru, but he decided to drop it and glanced towards Tohru.

"Are you making supper?"

"No, I'm sorry. Since Shigure was going to be out I was just making some stew. I didn't think you'd come by today. What would you like?"

Yuki couldn't cover the small lift of his lips while listening to her. He closed his eyes.

"No, please. Don't go out of your way for us. We won't be staying for long, but some snacks would be nice."

Tohru smiled and chirped at him lightly.

"No problem! Snack tray, coming right up!"

With that she ran to the kitchen and started fixing a multitude of small treats. Haru and Yuki watched her until she was out of sight and then looked at each other.

"She's just like she used to be, huh?"

Yuki's face fell slightly at the comment and looked towards the kitchen door.

"I guess. Can I ask you something?"

Haru wandered towards the couch and plopped down heavily.

"Yeah?"

Yuki followed him towards the living room but leaned against the door frame.

"Why did you want to see her so badly?"

Haru looked forward and solemnly narrowed his eyes.

"I missed her."

Yuki couldn't tell if that was a lie, but he chose to trust him. Haru wasn't one to toss around lies lightly. He sighed and looked back to the kitchen once more.

"It is nice seeing her again."

"You know, Hatori's gonna be so pissed if he finds out."

Yuki narrowed his eyes.

"You mean when he finds out. I doubt Shigure will be able to keep something like this a secret for much longer, especially if she remembers anything."

Haru smiled and waved at him.

"You know, I bet we could tell her about the curse and she still wouldn't remember. Hatori takes his job seriously."

"He's a doctor, right?"

Both Haru and Yuki looked to see Tohru standing behind Yuki. She stepped past him and glanced back at him happily. The two boys looked at each other before Yuki decided to answer.

"Yes he is."

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, he came by to visit Shigure the other day. It was so nice seeing him again."

Yuki and Haru cough out of surprise and stared at her disbelieving. They glanced towards one another when she stepped forward and set the plate on the table. Yuki took the cue to change the subject.

"These look amazing."

He tactfully stepped forward and picked up a rice cake, earning a cheery smile from Tohru. He quickly took a bite and smiled at her.

"It's delicious. Thank you."

She smiled and invited Yuki to sit down. They spoke for a while, discussing nothing in particular over light topics. It didn't take long for the treats to disappear. Haru, of course, was the first to notice.

"Aw, no more food."

Yuki looked at the empty tray and nodded.

"I'll get some more."

Tohru jumped to her feet.

"Oh no, please let me!"

Yuki smiled at her and picked up the plate.

"Please, Ms. Honda, let me."

She accepted defeat quietly and sat down as Yuki disappeared through the doorway. The two were quiet for a moment until Haru leaned forward on his knees and watched Tohru carefully.

"Hey, Tohru. You should go thank him."

She blinked absently.

"Um, what?"

Haru smiled and nodded towards the door.

"You should go surprise him with a hug."

She blushed immediately at the thought.

"What? No, I don't know him that well, I would feel funny doing something like that..."

Haru shook his head lightly.

"Nah, he acts like he doesn't like any kind of contact but he actually really likes it. It's sorta like a, 'Hey! I'm you're friend!' kind of thing to him."

She covered her cheeks with her hands and watched Haru curiously now. She contemplated over it for a moment and looked back at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he'd want you to. Trust me on this. Me and him have been friends since we were little."

She looked down and nodded meekly. Tohru couldn't help but feel uneasy about this, but Haru seemed like a trustworthy person. She quickly stood and snuck towards the kitchen, and when she got there, she slipped inside as quickly as she had stood. However, just at that moment, Yuki was about to step through the doorway himself. Within moments smoke filled the air and left Tohru standing in a complete daze. The tray clanked loudly as it hit the floor, and the rice balls flopped onto the ground. Right in the middle sat a very bewildered rat.

Tohru stared blankly for a moment at where a human once stood, and Yuki felt panic slash through his heart the moment he realized what had just happened. By this point, Haru had gotten off the couch and stood behind Tohru watching the scene carefully. Tohru gasped and squeaked, dropping to her knees instantly.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, um, what just..."

The girl's voice died instantly. Her hands grasped at her chest, tearing at the cloth fighting for breath. Her peaceful eyes were now frigid with terror. A single voice, small, timid, spoke through the clouds of consciousness.

You don't have to love everything...