Plus, my uncle accidentally cut the internet cable while installing our in-ground sprinklers! That's why I've been gone so long! After all,I had this ready Thursday morning!
Also, for those of you who don't know, "Isuzu-san" is Rin. Apparently, Isuzu Sohma goes by Rin. She's the Horse of the Zodiac, and Hatsuharu's ex-girlfriend. She dumped him after Akito found out about their relationship and "gave her the ol' black and blue treatment", as Shigure put it.
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Chapter 10: Group Picture
Tohru didn't get a chance to talk to Momiji alone until the next morning, when they arrived at the house in time for breakfast. Shigure had warned her that she might want to make enough food for two more people, but she hadn't understood why until the Ox and the Rabbit walked through the door. Hurriedly, she placed out settings and food for them, then sat down to eat with everyone. After breakfast was over, Tohru took the dishes into the kitchen to clean them, with Momiji's help. After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she asked Momiji about what he had told her.
"Momiji-kun... Yesterday, I think you might have made a mistake." She looked at the dishes as she washed them, too embarrassed to look up at the bunny.
"A mistake? I did?" Momiji looked worried. "What? What'd I do? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Tohru glanced at him and saw the worry on his face, and immediately shook her head, her soapy hands coming up to wave.
"No no no, nothing bad! Just.. When you said Haru-kun liked me.." She blushed again, and Momiji relaxed, starting to smile again. "I mean, there are so many smarter, prettier people out there besides me, and compared to Isuzu-san, I'm so plain, I know it's not possible." She went back to washing her dishes, not noticing Momiji's look.
"But Tohru's very pretty!" He said, smiling brightly at her. "And very nice, too! Tohru's the best!" He rubbed his cheek against her shoulder, hoping to reassure her that she wasn't as plain as she thought.
"Yes she is." A voice broke in, causing both dish-washers to turn and look at the person who had apparently been listening to their conversation.
"Haru-kun!" Tohru's face turned a bright red again, and she couldn't help but ask. "How long have you been there?" Hatsuharu merely gave her a small smile.
"Shigure wanted me to tell you that we need to hurry if we're going to get to school on time. He said he'll finish the dishes for you, if you're not done." Tohru, still blushing madly, nodded to him and hurried out of the kitchen to her room, gathering her bag and trying to convince her face to return to normal. Momiji watched Haru, and skipped over to him.
"Haru, you never answered her. How long were you standing there?" Haru's smile was gone, since Tohru was no longer there, but he didn't look angry, just bored.
"Long enough to know what you told her yesterday." Momiji's eyes widened as he realized that Haru had heard their entire conversation. Then he remembered what Haru had said earlier. Not about Shigure, but about Tohru.
"She is the best, isn't she?" Momiji saw that smile appear on Haru's face before he went to get his own things for school.
"Yeah."
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Usually when Tohru walked to school, it was with just Yuki and Kyo, one on each side of her. But now that Haru had informed them that, for some reason, Hatori would be dropping them off every day for school, they all had to decide on a new way to walk. After all, Momiji wanted to be next to Tohru, but both Kyo and Yuki wanted to walk by her too, though neither would admit it. Finally, Yuki allowed Momiji to squeeze between them, reassuring himself that with the study sessions they had (though sometimes Momiji would join them), and their visits to the secret base, he could still spend time with her.
Haru, however, chose to walk behind her, watching as she interacted with the others. It was just a wonderful sight to see to him. Akito had spent a lot of time and energy insisting that they would never be able to have normal people as friends, that normal people wouldn't even want to go near them. Yet here was Tohru, who chose to stay with them, even knowing that they were cursed. In fact, sometimes she hugged Momiji on purpose. And she had already stated she liked his transformed self. Plus, she wasn't afraid of him when he went black. Even that time when he tore apart the classroom. She had stayed by him, and treated him like nothing had changed.
He did feel a little guilty for wanting to ask her out, though. Yuki had been his first love, after all, and now Yuki loved her, and here he was, trying to get her to like him instead of Yuki. The Rat would no doubt be sad and hurt, but Haru hoped that with all the girls who constantly flocked around him at school, he'd be able to find someone whom he could care about. Yuki was the type of person that it was hard not to like. Even Kyo couldn't bring himself to want to kill Yuki every day. That may have been Tohru's influence, though.
When they arrived at school, it was the usual process. Yuki and Momiji and even Kyo were surrounded by people, leaving Tohru and Haru alone. He walked over to her and rested his hand on her lower back.
"Might as well go ahead and change our shoes. They'll be busy for a little while, but once Prince Yuki says for them to stop, they'll stop. C'mon, we don't to be late." He smiled at her, and she blushed again, allowing him to steer her into the building while the two elder Sohma cousins stared in shock and a little jealousy.
Finally, they were able to get free from the crowd as the first bell rang, giving them just enough time to change shoes and get to class, where Tohru was talking to her two friends about something, pausing to wave and say hello to them before answering one of the questions asked of her.
Both boys wanted to ask what she and Haru had talked about while they were gone, but neither wanted to appear to be the jealous one, no matter that they both were. After all, they were in school, and the last thing they needed was to swamp Tohru with questions that would no doubt embarrass her, and cause the other girls in the class to look at Tohru in a bad light. Both boys cared about her too much. No, the best chance they had in figuring out what had happened would be through Momiji. If they knew their little cousin, he would no doubt beg for the information from Haru, and they could pry it out of him. Of course, neither Yuki nor Kyo would be caught asking about it by the other.
Luckily for them, class finally began, and they had to wait until they got home after school to hopefully find out what had been said. They both secretly hoped that Tohru would be somehow preoccupied at some point in the evening.
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Elsewhere, in another classroom, a certain hyperactive, blonde Sohma turned to his cousin and nudged him.
"Haru!" Momiji whispered, "You have to tell me what happened between you and Tohru this morning! Please?"
Haru merely nodded, not looking up from his paper. He knew that the Rabbit would understand.
"Ah! Danke scheon!" A bright smile was sent the Ox's way before Momiji turned to try and pay attention to the teacher.
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I hope this makes everyone happy! Next time, I'll tell what happened! lol! And this is sad.. I have no friends on my MSN messenger.. I have no life...