I was very pleased to find that I've been added to some people's favorite author/story list. I honestly didn't think that would happen since I'm a first timer in the Furuba department, but that makes me so happy! Thank you so much! Also, again thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate everyone that takes the time to critique and compliment! Your replies keep me motivated to do my very best. So for you, I present Chapter 7.

GONE…?

Chapter 7- Ties Between Friends (and Foes)

Koga walked into the kitchen to a very strange sight. Ame was out cold on the kitchen floor and Kameko along with four men he had never seen before were trying to revive her. Hiranaka-san was nowhere in sight. "What's going on? Is she all right? Who are these people?" he asked, firing the questions at his younger sister.

"All will be explained in a minute, let's take care of Tohru-kun first," said the tallest of the group. His dark hair shadowed one side of his face, and his piercing eye left Koga feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Tohru…?" he asked, suddenly realizing that the man was talking about his Ame. Regaining his senses somewhat, he walked over and picked the girl up off the floor with the ease of one picking up a feather. The others followed him into the living room where he placed this cherished maiden on the sofa with the utmost care.

"I suppose we gave her a bit of a nasty shock hmm?" Shigure said with a slight smile.

"Is she all right, Hatori?" Yuki asked tentatively.

The doctor was kneeling by the girl checking her vitals. "Yes, she's fine Yuki. I hope that she still retains her memories when she wakes up again. Sometimes with situations like this one never knows what to expect. If she hit her head in the wrong area, she may never know her past memories again, but at least she recognized you boys. That's a good sign."

"You're a doctor?" Kameko asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry about our rudeness. We didn't even introduce ourselves. I'm Dr. Hatori Sohma."

Each in turn introduced themselves, some more stiffly then others. Kyo looked his new opponent up and down with his fierce glittering eyes wondering just how strong this farm boy was. In the end he was satisfied that he could kick Koga into next week if he wanted to. So they all sat in stony silence waiting for the one connection between the families to recover.

It was about fifteen minutes later when they heard a soft groan escape Tohru's lips. As her vision cleared she saw several people leaning over her. "Oh no. Did I oversleep?" she asked puzzled, trying desperately to crawl out from under the blanket. Several pairs of hands immediately reached out to push her, gently but firmly back down.

"No Tohru-kun, you just fainted. If you pass my test then you can get up," Hatori said. "First of all, do you recognize all the people in this room?"

She looked around meeting each apprehensive eye with a curious expression. Then she gave a satisfied smile. "Yes."

"Name them please."

"Eh?" she cocked her head in bewilderment.

"You can, can't you?" he asked in an almost mocking sort of way, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. Um, let's see. Kyo-kun… um, Yuki-kun… Shigure-san? Uh… Kameko-san, and Koga-san."

"And who am I?" he asked.

"Hatori-san."

"Very good. Now do you want to tell us why you ran away?"

"Ran away?" she asked blankly.

"Why didn't you come back to Shigure's that night?"

"You told me that you were going to meet Uo-san and Hana-san and you didn't come back," Yuki prompted.

She screwed up her face into a look of deep concentration. "Hmm… Let's see, when was that…" A vacant expression filled her eyes as she tried to remember. "Yuki-kun, I'm going to meet Uo-chan and Hana-chan today, I'll be back in time to make dinner"… "Have fun"… "Is someone there?"… "Who are you? Kyo-kun? Haru-kun? Is that you?"… "NO!"… The memory was fading but it hit her like a blow to the face and she gasped on the impact. "Someone was chasing me. I didn't see who it was. I was cornered and then I sort of fell backwards and into the river," she ended sheepishly.

Hatori thought mutely of the river that he had seen with Momiji in their desperate search for Tohru and was now ashamed that he had not thought of the possibility of her whereabouts sooner.

Kyo's fists curled angrily as he listened. Nobody messed with Tohru unless they wanted a serious ass whooping. "Who was it?" he growled.

"I don't remember. I don't think I knew them. It seems like it was so long ago…"

He sighed in frustration. Oh well, he thought to himself. Maybe I can take out my anger on that damn rat later or that yahoo farm boy.

"Well, um, I suppose the best thing to do now is to… um, ask Hatori what we should do now!" Shigure said after a brief pause.

"Tohru, I want you to get up and move around a little, make sure that you can still use all of your muscles and that no other harm has come from your fall."

Naturally, she did as she was told, stretching out and moving from side to side as he instructed her. He seemed satisfied that she was all right and excluding her wrist and those cuts and scrapes, in perfect physical condition.

Morning was drawing to a close as the sun rose higher in the sky. The slam of the kitchen door alerted the others that Hiranaka-san had returned from the barn. After excusing themselves, Hatori and Shigure left the living room so as to better acquaint themselves with Hiranaka-san. In their wake, they left a prolonged silence. "So…" Kameko said, for lack of something better to say. "Tohru… why don't you tell us about yourself now that you know who you are?"

"Who me? Oh, um, I don't really know what to say. Um, my name is Tohru Honda. I'm seventeen years old. I go to Kaibara Public School and I live with the Sohma family."

"Why?" Koga asked bluntly.

"Eh?"

"Why do you live with them? Are you related to them?"

"Well, no, but… um, that is to say, er…"

"It's a long story," Yuki finished for her as politely as possible.

Koga seemed frustrated by this response, but a gentle hand on his shoulder steadied him and left a gentle reminder that these people were guests.

Thus the conversation remained light and rather strained. Finally the adults returned. Hiranaka-san was smiling so the younger members of the household assumed that all was well. "I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on," he was saying to Hatori and Shigure. "Me'n the kids have some chores to do, so you can stay here and chat. We'll get you lunch before you leave."

"That's very kind of you," Hatori said softly.

"We'd be happy to join you," Shigure said, thinking about how he hadn't had a home cooked meal since Tohru had disappeared. Yuki hadn't trusted him anywhere near the kitchen since he had decided to try pickles in the curry.

The Hiranaka family got up and headed towards the front of the house, Koga glancing sharply at the men as though daring them to do anything to upset Tohru.

When the door closed behind them, Kyo grumbled, "What the hell is his problem?"

Yuki had to agree with his cousin on that point. "He doesn't seem too fond of strangers."

"Oh, please don't think poorly of him! He's been so kind to me. I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm!" Tohru begged of them.

"I'm sure he's a very nice young man, Tohru-kun," Shigure said with a smile, a bit like a doting uncle.

Unexpectedly, Tohru's eyes began to fill with tears. Try as she might to stem the flow, they just kept coming. Kyo seemed rather unnerved by this. "Wh-what's wrong!" he demanded. He hated it when Tohru cried. It made him feel guilty and helpless, which were two feelings that he couldn't handle.

"I'm s-sorry," she sobbed. "It's just that… I'm so happy to be with all of you again!"

The Sohma men felt compelled to reassure her that everything was all right, but they weren't sure how. Hugging was strictly off limits, especially in a stranger's house. Shigure patted her head. Hatori said, "Momiji misses you. He and everyone else is worried sick about you."

"We missed you," Yuki added.

"Yes, you should have seen these two. It was worse than when you left for your grandfather's house!" Shigure said with a laugh.

"It's not like you weren't depressed at all. He was like a poor puppy that had lost his bone," Kyo said, jerking his thumb at Shigure.

"Alas, I cannot deny it."

Tohru gave them a watery smile. "But… wait a minute, how did you know I was here?"

At this question all arguments ceased. Each Sohma glanced nervously at the other, unsure whether they should tell her the truth. Finally, everyone stared at Hatori for the last verdict. He nodded. "She has the right to know. Tohru, I overheard Akito say that you were staying here in Rokanawa Village."

"How did he know?" she asked quietly.

"That's what I'd like to know. Akito told Kureno about your fall too. There's something very strange going on here. Whatever you do Tohru-kun, stay clear of Akito."

I know, short chapter. Sorry. But now you all know that as of this point all the characters are relatively unharmed and they've all been reunited. Hurray! However, this is not the end, so I cannot guarantee their continued safety as the story goes on (dramatic music plays in the background). Anywho, more reviews means a quicker update so let me know what you think!

Love Always,

LinaStar