Okay, I'm back again! We've been having some problems here at home, but I finally got a chance to sit and write. Just a warning, though, I'm in a bad mood today, so I think it'll be easier for me to get into Rin's character. Wish me luck!

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Chapter 15 - Confrontational Picture

Rin let go of Tohru's dress and crossed her arms over her chest, giving the other girl a glare. Of course, the young housekeeper was beyond being nervous and had started to become frantic with worry. After all, Hatsuharu's ex-girlfriend had come to talk to her, and there was only one real reason Tohru could think of.

"I don't feel like staying here long, so don't talk unless I tell you to, got it!" Tohru merely nodded, already getting into the habit of staying silent. "Fine. You know who I am, so I'm guessing someone told you. Probably Momiji, he can't keep his mouth shut. That's why I'm here. I heard that you and Haru are starting to get close enough to each other to be sucking up the other's air. I wanna make it clear that I don't give a damn how much everyone else likes you, if you're playing him, then I'll kill you. Understood?"

Tohru merely nodded again, her eyes wide in fear.

"Good. You don't seem like a complete idiot, so I'm gonna ask you some questions, and I want an honest answer. Each time you lie to me, I'm gonna break one of your fingers. Got it?" The other girl merely nodded again, fighting the urge to curl her hands into fists for the simple reason that the Horse wouldn't be able to get to her fingers. But it didn't really matter, Tohru didn't like lying and knew better than to try against this person.

"Fine. Question one. What do you think of Kyo?" This hadn't been expected, really. But that had been Rin's point. The more off-guard a person is caught, the more honest the answer.

"Kyo-kun's my friend. He may seem angry all the time, but I know he has this sweet smile hidden inside him. He's a really good person." Tohru mentally crossed her fingers, hoping her answer would be accepted. Rin's expression didn't change though, she just kept glaring angrily as she asked the next one.

"Question two. What do you think of Yuki?"

"Yuki-kun was my first friend besides Uo-chan and Hana-chan, and has been so very kind to me! He acts just like a prince, and he's always been very supportive of me." As these words were delivered, she had begun to fiddle with the hem of her dress, looking down at it in order to try and avoid the Horse's angry gaze.

One by one, Tohru was asked about her feelings for each Zodiac member, even Akito, where she tried her best to explain her feelings. The only people Rin didn't ask about was herself and Haru. Of course, Rin had no intention of asking the girl how she felt about her. She didn't really give a damn what the stupid little idiot thought about her. But she seemed the type to like everyone, and to find the good in people. Even she had to admit that she could see why her ex would be interested in the timid girl.

"Now tell me about Haru."

Tohru looked up at the Horse, a small blush appearing on her face. Immediately, Rin took notice and tapped her fingertips on her arm, waiting to hear the answer.

"Haru-kun has always been very kind to me, and he's helped me out so much! He always seems to know just what I'm thinking, and is very polite. He works hard to make sure everyone's happy, even when it inconveniences him. Without hesitation, he just decides to do things, and he does them. Oh! but you might think that's a bad thing. I suppose I mean that he's the type who's determined, even though it's hard to notice it sometimes." Tohru smiled up at the other girl brightly, hoping that she hadn't been too confusing, especially when there was no response.

"And Black Haru?"

"Black Haru-kun is nice, though sometimes I don't understand what he means when he says things that tend to make Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun angry. He's never hurt me, though, and he's even stood up for Momiji and I before. Sometimes I get a little nervous around him, but he's been nothing but kind to me!" The girl was still smiling, and honestly, it was really starting to get on Rin's nerves.

'Damn, she's just so HAPPY all the time!' The Horse thought over the answers, trying to figure out if Tohru held the Ox in any higher position than the rest of the Sohmas. She didn't care if the idiot was staring at her now, she needed to figure this out before she did anything else. The fact that mentioning Haru had caused a blush and a smile made Rin wonder, and she focused her dark eyes on her prey again.

"So, you're telling me you LIKE Haru, right? You wanna be his girlfriend?" Among the Sohmas, there were only a few of them that were this blunt, and Rin was one of them.

"Ah!" Tohru's blush deepened as her eyes widened to what seemed like impossible proportions. Immediately, her hands starting waving in the air as she spoke very rapidly. "Ah! I never thought of that! I know Haru-kun could do so much better and would never want to be stuck with me! There's many girls out there who are prettier and smarter and nicer and I know he could have any one of them! I'm nothing compared to you, let alone to the rest of the girls in the world, and I would never dare to dream that I could be good enough for him!"

Rin's frown lessened, though by no means did it go away entirely.

"I didn't say 'Will you be his girlfriend', I asked if you WANT to. It's a yes or no answer!" Tohru blinked, not sure what to say. After all, how does one respond to a question like that from a person like this? If you say yes, then you run the risk of making them angry for possibly stepping into territory that they believe is theirs. However, if you say no, then it could cause some unknown complications.

"I..." Rin sighed in frustration and annoyance.

"Dammit! Just answer me! I don't care if you do or don't! I've moved on in my life! I just want an honest answer, yes or no!" Her prey seemed to shrink back in fear, which did nothing to calm the already annoyed girl. Here she was, staying out late, to talk to this idiot, and she can't even answer a stupid question!

"I... um..." Tohru blushed as she tried to think. She really needed her mother's advice at a time like this. After all, she had never really analyzed her feelings for any of the Sohma's beyond being friends. She didn't know if she wanted to be Hatsuharu's girlfriend. Frantically, she began to scour her mind for something, anything, that her mother could have said to help her in this situation.

"Tohru," her mother's voice rang inside her mind, "sometimes, people lie to make others feel better. They call those 'white lies'. But a lie is still a lie. And all lies do is cause problems. If we tell one lie, no matter how small, we find ourselves having to build more lies to support it, until we forget about being honest, and lose ourselves in it. A person might also lie because it's easy. Being honest can be very hard, especially when it involves being honest with yourself. No matter what, the best way out is not the easiest. Be a better person than those who lie, Tohru. Be an honest person, and grow stronger because of it."

Tohru took a shaky breath and held it in for a second before releasing it, trying to come to terms with her own feelings. She was always happy to see the Ox, and was delighted when he would walk her home and stay for dinner. Of course, she was always happy about the others, but it just felt a little different with him. Like someone had tickled her too much and she couldn't stop smiling. He wasn't the best at things, but he put his heart into them and tried hard. He was always kind to her, no matter how he felt, and she found herself wishing that, yes, they could be closer.

Rin raised an eyebrow when the girl in front of her stopped trembling and gave her a slightly nervous, but determined look.

"I... I DO like Haru-kun... I'm not sure I'd want to be his girlfriend yet, but I do want to be closer to him..."

"'Yet'?" Tohru's eyes widened and her face flushed red again.

"Ah... well... um... You see... I'd like to become closer to Haru-kun before I start considering that..." The Horse uncrossed her arms, one hand moving to rest on her hip as she grabbed Tohru's chin in the other, pulling her face closer and forcing her to look into the other's eyes.

"Now you listen to me. I've said it before, and I'm saying it again. If you hurt him, I'll personally kill you. Haru likes you, and I'm glad he's finally getting over me, because I sure as hell don't plan on taking him back. So if you're gonna end up falling in love with him, then you'd better be serious about it! Do you understand me!"

"Y-yes, Isuzu-san." Tohru merely looked back at the girl, deciding it would be better not to struggle. When her chin was released, she continued to watch the Horse's eyes.

"Good. Don't tell anyone what we talked about, got it!" At Tohru's nod, Rin snorted in annoyance and turned on her heel, walking back towards the road. Once she was out of sight, a smile crept onto the housekeeper's face.

'Isuzu-san... she's a lot like Kyo-kun. They both act angry, but deep inside, they do care about others. Kyo-kun cares for Shishou-san, and Isuzu-san cares for Haru-kun. I hope... someday... that I get to know her better.' The sound of voices calling her name brought her out of her musings, and she hurried towards the house, hoping that no one had been too worried about her.

"Tohru!" Momiji, of course, was the first to see her and run towards her, practically leaping into her arms and causing himself to transform. Haru was walking calmly behind him, his face as blank as usual except for the concern in his eyes.

"We were about to send Yuki and Kyo out to find you. For some reason, they didn't want me to go..." Tohru looked at him closely, and focused on the sound of his voice and how she felt when he was standing in front of her, talking to her, worried about her.

"Don't worry," she replied happily, smiling brightly at him with the yellow bunny in her arms. "Everything's okay."

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There you go! No cliffhanger this time! I hope I got everyone's character's pretty well... I'm kinda out of it right now.