1Author's Intro:

I got a bunch of "Poor Tohru!" notes from one of my reviewers. Actually, a lot of reviewers. Either that, or they basically said "It's so sad!". Yes, yes. It's supposed to be sad. "Angst", people! But don't worry, it's not the end yet!

Now, for Chapter 21:

Momiji Sohma thought about what he should do. He needed to help, but how?

An idea suddenly struck him, making the boy light up.

Momiji, at that very moment, decided to head over to Kazuma's house. To talk to Kyo.

"Yes, yes. I will tell Kyo," Kazuma whispered on the phone to Shigure. "Of course. I'll tell him that also. Thank you. Goodbye."

The Dog heard the phone go dead. At least he didn't have to talk to Kyo. The poor boy would of exploded.

"Uh...Kyo?" Shishou yelled.

"Yeah, Shishou?" Kyo called, walking into the room.

"There's something I need to tell you..."

By the look on his face and the tone of his voice, Kyo could tell that what the man had to tell him wasn't good news.

"W-what is it?"

"Well...I don't know how to tell you this...but...Tohru-kun, it seems, went to the Main House early. And she hasn't come back. Shigure said that it seemed that something had happened involving maybe you or one of her friends, and she just packed up and left. Didn't really say goodbye at all."

"WHAT?" Kyo yelled, his red eyes becoming wide. "Why would she just do that? I don't know what could of happened..."

And then he stopped, midsentence.

"She had been summoned to the Main House a couple of times this week," Kyo continued, looking off into space. "D-do you suppose that Akito told her something? He made me stay away from her and everyone else...Shishou, do you think that he made her believe a lie somehow?"

Kazuma looked back a Kyo, pausing. He had to do something for the boy. He loved him like a son.

"There's only one way to find out."

They were interrupted, though, by a knock on the door. The pair looked at each other, and then Kazuma whispered, "I'll get it."

He slowly opened the door. What he saw in front of him was surprising. It was Momiji.

"C-come in."

Sitting at the table, Momiji talked to Kyo.

"I'm going to visit Tohru. I don't care what it takes to get in. I don't think that it's safe for you to go, but I can deliver a message to her for you. Please, Kyo."

The orange haired boy paused for a minute. He wasn't supposed to be associating with the Rabbit, but this was such an opportunity. He would break the rules once more for her.

"Okay. Let me write her a letter. Just give it to her. Don't read it yet. And before you give it to her, tell her that I really, really miss her," Kyo sighed, writing on a piece of paper.

Handing it to the Rabbit, Kyo wished him luck. Momiji nodded, and quietly left.

About an hour later, Momiji lay on his bed, his violin next to him. He missed Tohru. How could he get to her? Would he really be able to give the note to her? The Rabbit was afraid…but he knew that he had to do something.

He remembered Kyo's words. He had sounded so lonely, so desperate. That gave Momiji motivation to go on.

Climbing out of bed, he looked up to the stars.

'I need to go and see her. For everyone's sake.'

The Rabbit ran through the bushes and trees, spotting the room where Akito slept. She had to be somewhere near there. But there was only one way to be sure. Har'i had to know.

"It's late. Shigure, this better not be you," Hatori muttered, hearing somebody knocking on his door. He had been in his office, working on a few things, but had fallen asleep.

"Har'i," Momiji whispered, walking into the room. "I need to go see Tohru."

"What? Why?"

"Just tell me where she is."

The Rabbit of the Juunishi was being more determined and serious than usual. This was something that Hatori could not ignore.

"Fine. But if Akito finds out…" he warned Momiji, trailing off.

"I know. But I need to see her."

The Dragon led Momiji through the hallways, until he came to a dark, mostly empty one. It had a dark, gloomy feeling to it. The Rabbit shivered.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Hatori asked once more before he revealed the room that Tohru was in. Momiji nodded firmly. "Okay."

The doctor led him to the end of a hall. He slowly turned a key, opening it, revealing a lightless room.

"I'll come and get you in about twenty minutes," Hatori sighed, starting to shut the door.

"Har'i?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't you just let Tohru go?" Momiji asked, puzzled. That's what he would do.

"Because Tohru-kun might not want it. She made a promise, and wants to keep it. Also, it would not be happy."

"I have a feeling that someday Tohru will break the curse. Or help to break it," Momiji whispered. "I hope that the feeling is true."

And with that, the door to Tohru's room was closed, Momiji inside.

The usually energetic Rabbit was now quiet. He knew that he could not be loud around Tohru, especially here.

Looking around, Momiji Sohma noticed how small the room was. But beyond that, he noticed the pictures and their frames scattered about, as well as a yellow ribbon and a small hat. They all looked ruined.

Then the boy realized that there was a mat against the wall, which had something—no, someone—on it.

And that someone could only be…

Tohru.

Momiji quietly slipped over to the "bed", and sat down next to it. Tohru looked different than she had before she came here.

'She looks hurt and burdened.'

Her broken nose, the dirty yukata, and her bandaged torso were things that he picked out right away. And he knew who had done all of this.

But he also knew that she couldn't blame Akito.

"Tohru…" Momiji whispered, gently touching her shoulder. "Tohru…it's Momiji…"

The girl slowly opened her eyes.

"M-momiji-kun..? Is that…really y-you?" she breathed, rubbing her eyes. "B-but it's so late…and you—you! You shouldn't be here!"

She sat up suddenly, but clutched her stomach painfully, and lay back down.

"I asked Har'i to lead me here," Momiji explained, stroking her hair. "Everyone misses you. Especially Kyo."

"What?" Tohru turned towards him. "But…he…h-he hates me."

Momiji paused.

"What are talking about, Tohru?"

"That's why he wasn't talking to me."

"Who told you this?"

"Akito."

"He was lying. Kyo really misses you. He had me give you this note." Momiji reached into his pocket, and pulled out the piece of paper. He gave it to Tohru.

"H-he gave me a n-note?" Tohru asked, blushing a bit.

"Yep!"

"O-okay…"

She opened it, and started to read:

Tohru—

I'm going to come and see you soon. I'll find away around that bastard, Akito. And most everything he tells you is a lie. You said something about everything being your fault.

Well, it's not. And I'm not just saying that. Don't listen to him.

And I'm sorry about everything that's been happening. But I want to know why you left.

Give Momiji back a letter to send to me.

I'll talk to you more then, okay?

--Kyo

Tohru stared. And stared. She had believed Akito all that time…..and ended up hurting people.

She had left too soon.

And yet, the Cat could not blame any of it on Akito. She still blamed herself. And expressed that blaming.

"It's all my fault….it's all my fault….." Tohru paced around her room, making Momiji dizzy.

"Tohru's talkin' crazy!" he cried, bewildered.

"Momiji-kun, when is Kyo coming here?"

"I think he said tomorrow."

"But he can't come here. Akito-sama will catch him! Oh, no…it's still all my fault…" she continued. "And it's my fault that I left. And that I believed that he hated me."

"Momiji!" a voice rang out, and a hand slammed open the door. The Cat and Rabbit both jumped in utter fear of the visitor being Akito.

It was Hatori.

But the usually calm and collected doctor looked frantic.

"You have to leave, and NOW!" The Dragon yelled at Momiji. "He's coming!"

"Bye, Tohru!" The blonde haired boy called to Tohru, before the door slammed shut again.

'Oh no! I didn't get to write back to Kyo-kun!' she thought, panicking. But the thought was interrupted; there were new footsteps outside of her door.

Tohru leaped for her mat, and lay on it, eyes closed, waiting for Akito to enter. But he never did.

The footfalls eventually just faded away.

Author's Closing:

How's this?

Sorry I haven't updated….we've been really busy. In fact, I'm cramming this in and posting it about ten minutes before I have to leave.

Laterzzz.

E.

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