Disclaimer: I don't own the splendid Yuki and cast…
Tohru quickly ran inside the castle before anyone noticed her. She dodged everyone, making her way back to her room safely. The brunette leaned against her door to rest for only a brief moment before she got to work. In a matter of minutes she took a quick shower, fixed her hair and changed into a more formal dress without a second of a break. She didn't have the time to spare, she was already late, and it turned out that it was harder than it looked to make herself appear as if she hadn't just been out all morning and was in her room the whole time instead.
Carefully she grabbed the earrings from her cloak pocket and wrapped them in tissue paper. Rummaging around her room for something suitable to place the gift in, she found a small box she had received a bracelet in. That would be fine for the earrings, she was thankful she hadn't tossed the box out. As delicately as she could manage she placed them in a small box, covering it with the lid she tied a red ribbon around it. With a satisfied smile she held onto the box admiring her work.
She swiftly ran down the stairs to the grand hall, where the party was going to be held. After a deep breath, Tohru nervously pushed open the large doors. The one time she had wanted to enter silently the doors had to creak loudly and interrupt the party. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. No one except for her family had suspected that she, Kisa's own sister, wasn't at the party. It wasn't until now did they realize she hadn't been there before. The maids and servants there turned to her and bowed respectfully. Tohru smiled and nodded to them. Kisa's eyes lit up when she saw Tohru.
"Onee-chan!" Kisa cried running over to Tohru.
Kisa gave Tohru a tight hug. Tohru grinned and embraced the small girl happily until she saw Oubasan approach her with an icy look. That one look made her lips curve down and the color diminish from her face. She released the small girl and lowered her head to Oubasan and Hakufu who was behind her. Kisa felt shivers crawl across her back as she hesitantly moved to Tohru's side. Her sister stood there with her head hanging low knowing she was in for a lecture at the least.
"Tohru, where were you? Why are you late? A princess should NEVER be late to any event! What was so important that you felt compelled to have to leave?" Oubasan asked in a harsh cold voice, boiling with anger.
"I'm sorry… I was umm…" Tohru stuttered embarrassedly not sure how to answer. She only had two reasons for not being there and neither of them could she tell to her aunt or uncle. One was getting her gift for Kisa; she couldn't say that and ruin her annual tradition. The second one was more personal, her reluctance to leave Yuki. Either way she'd still be in trouble for sneaking out.
Tohru backed away, a little frightened by her furious tone. No matter how many times she received the lectures from her aunt and uncle they never seemed to get less scary. Kisa was already partially hiding behind Tohru. Being the older sister Tohru found Kisa's hand and gave it a light squeeze trying to calm down the orange haired girl. It wasn't exactly working since she was scared herself. Haru spotted the two of them and walked over.
"Oubasan, don't ruin Kisa's party by yelling," Haru calmly advised her. He had always been the calm one, never intimidated by anything. Well there were those rare occasions when he blew up with held in fury and went into a destructive rage. Those didn't happen often no matter how many scolds he received. Only special incidents got his blood to boil that much. Because of this laid back nature of his, he was the person to save his sisters from these types of scenes.
"Hmph!"
"We'll talk about this later young lady," Hakufu told her.
"Yes Hakufu, Oubasan," Tohru breathed.
They eyed her a second longer before turning their attention back to greeting the guests and chatting amongst others. Haru was right about one thing, they couldn't destroy their reputations by yelling at her in front of everyone. They had worked extremely hard to surpass the high standards left by the former rulers. To have it all thrown out the window was not an option. Tohru let out a sigh of relief, and wiped the sweat droplets from her brow. Kisa peered up at her, slightly confused at why she was so nervous and late.
"Thank you Nii-san!" Tohru whispered to Haru.
"No problem. But what took you so long?"
"I lost track of time…" Tohru mumbled, which was true. The other half she didn't even have the courage to tell them, the two people closest to her. Haru's forehead creased as if he had discovered something in what Tohru said. She didn't notice this change and beamed faintly. He didn't comment on what he saw but in her eyes it was evident that something happened to her when she went out to get Kisa's gift. As of now he couldn't tell what happened exactly, but by looking at her face he could see it wasn't anything bad. In fact it was the complete opposite; her face seemed to be glowing and bursting with joy.
"Be more careful next time," Haru smiled patting her head gently.
"Yes… I will!"
Kisa watched them murmur to each other wondering what they were saying and why they weren't including her. She hated being the youngest especially since they would exclude her like this every so often. Haru and Tohru had almost seemed to forget that she was there for a moment. The small orange hair girl cocked her head to the side observing them before asking, "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing… Tohru, why don't you go put your gift for Kisa on the present's table?" Haru suggested.
Tohru nodded, grateful that Haru had gotten Kisa's attention away from their conversation. She went over to the large table which was nearly covered and stacked up with various presents. Boxes of all different sizes and colors were the focus of the party, besides the food. Kisa followed Tohru anxiously and watched her set the small box on the corner of the table. Her eyes seemed to memorize its location and what the gift looked like.
"What did you get me?" Kisa asked curiously.
"You'll see when you open it!" Tohru replied.
Kisa frowned ever so slightly which made Tohru laugh. She wanted open it now to see what it was. In many ways she was still a child, even though she was a year older as of now. Kisa still had the impatience of a kid, but she didn't try to argue to get the gift because first of all she knew she'd get in trouble, and secondly she knew that Tohru wanted it to be a surprise. Tohru seemed happy that Kisa was willing to wait and stroked the top of her hair gently.
"Do you want to go get food then?" Kisa offered.
"Sure… But don't you want to hang out with your friends?"
Kisa looked down at her feet, a little embarrassed. Tohru gazed at the top of her head, not quite understanding why she was so bashful. She knew they were really close siblings, but she didn't think Kisa would only want to stay around her. There seemed to be plenty of children around about her age. They got to hang out practically everyday so she didn't want to keep Kisa from spending time with kids her age that she didn't get to see very often.
"Oubasan only invited her friends and their children. They… aren't so interesting… All they were talking about was the weather… I was bored……." Kisa answered with a half shrug of her shoulders.
"She didn't let you invite anyone?"
Tohru looked at bit awestruck which helped a smile return to Kisa's face. She always seemed to put everyone else's worries ahead of hers. Kisa beamed brightly now; she didn't need anyone else here besides Tohru anyways. Tohru was her best friend, she knew her best, and cared about her most. She was the one Kisa went to with all her problems, and she was the one who solved them all. Kisa didn't even have any secrets from Tohru, but she wasn't aware of the secret Tohru had.
"No… She asked but I don't have many friends… We aren't allowed to leave the palace anymore… You're my only friend Onee-chan," Kisa muttered.
"That makes me very happy that you consider me your friend!" Tohru exclaimed with a bright beaming smile.
Kisa looked up at Tohru admirably and walked with her to the food booth. Tohru and Kisa stood in line and filled their plates with a few dishes. The line was long, but it helped that Kisa was the birthday girl. A few people stepped aside for her and Tohru so they could get their food first. These people seemed to recognize them since it was Kisa's birthday, but neither Kisa no Tohru knew any of them. It didn't sound like much of a party when the birthday girl knew less than half of the people in the room.
"Where would you like to sit?" Tohru asked after they had gotten what they wanted to eat.
"Uh… Oubasan said we had to go sit with her and Hakufu at the head table… We have no choice… I'm sorry," Kisa informed her softly.
"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it! It's not that bad! Come on," Tohru added optimistically.
Kisa smiled weakly as they walked over to the raised platform where the table rested. Haru was already seated with a half empty plate in front of him. Tohru and Kisa sat beside him. Oubasan and Hakufu sat at across from each other at the ends of the table. The last three seats were occupied by three people who were unfamiliar to Tohru. They had serious expressions on their pale faces. With their jet black hair, it felt like they were in a black and white movie. Tohru and Kisa smiled politely at them bowing their heads in greeting.
"Yes… Tohru, Kisa… These are good friends of ours. The duke, duchess and their son Houka," Oubasan briefly introduced them.
"Hello Kisa hime, Tohru hime. How have you two been?" the young boy who seemed about Kisa's age asked them.
"I've been very well… Thank you," Kisa responded with a light smile.
"It's your birthday. You're turning fourteen, correct?" the older looking woman beside him questioned.
"Yes… I am…"
Kisa was always shy in front of strangers. There weren't too many people out there that she was comfortable talking to. Basically there was Tohru and Haru and that was it. She would be awfully quiet to anyone else. Some people considered it rude, but Kisa never meant to be rude. She was just timid by nature and didn't like to speak very often. Kisa smiled half way to keep them from thinking she was mean or something like that.
"Tohru, you just turned sixteen not too long ago as well, right?" the duke asked her.
"Yes…"
"About time you got married," The duchess commented dully.
"EH?" Tohru gasped.
Her chopsticks fell out of her hands; she almost choked when she heard that. The pair of chopsticks landed on the edge of her plate with a loud clank which made everyone in the room look her way. Tohru peered back at them for only a second before her face burned with embarrassment. Oubasan's eyes showed fury at her improper act in front of her guests. Tohru picked up her chopsticks and looked down at her lap.
"Hush Tohru! That's very un-lady like! Sit up straight too! Don't disgrace us!" scolded Oubasan.
Tohru snapped up in her seat. Quietly she straightened out her dress and fixed her plate arrangement. Kisa did the same, not wanting to get yelled at either. Haru continued to slouch in his seat. Oubasan turned a blind eye to this only due to the fact that he was male. Haru always seemed to be testing her limits. He didn't seem too happy that they wanted to marry Tohru off like that. He wouldn't let them do that to Tohru without a fight.
"We were discussing that already. We are currently searching for a suitable prince for her. Only the best for Tohru," Hakufu announced with a smirk.
"How thoughtful, you must truly care for her. A soon as out daughter turned fifteen we married her off to the first man we saw. Daughters are really useless," the duke mumbled with a cruel glint in his eyes.
"Can't live with them, can't live without them!" joked Hakufu.
They all laughed. But secretly underneath their grins Tohru and Kisa cringed. The meal was filled with more hurtful remarks thrown at Tohru and Kisa. Their pain went on unnoticed or ignored, maybe a bit of both. Haru symphonized with them but knew he wouldn't be able to do anything to help them yet. They barely got through it but soon enough it was time to open the presents. Kisa headed over to the table, grabbing Tohru's gift first. She untied the bow, removing the lid rapidly.
"They are so beautiful!" Kisa cried, holding the earrings up in her hands.
"I'm glad you like them!" Tohru smiled.
"Thank you!" Kisa exclaimed, giving Tohru a sweet embrace.
"You're welcome."
The rest of her gifts were a variety of dresses and jewelry yet none of them could compare to Tohru's present. The lovely gold heart shaped earrings with the diamond in the center had to be her favorite. There was a small dance afterwards but neither of the girls felt up to dancing with any of the guys. Secretly, Tohru wished Yuki was here to ask her to dance with him, but when she realized what she had just wished she felt her cheeks darken. She tried to refrain from thinking about a man she'd most likely never see again. Shortly after the dance the party came to a close. Tiredly Tohru collapsed onto her bed; her head was spinning with thoughts.
"I wonder what Yuki is doing? I want to see him again… He seems like such a nice person… But... Why wasn't he surprised by the palace? Does he like me at all? Right now I shouldn't be thinking about him… Hakufu is looking for a husband for me… I don't know what to think anymore…"
Tohru fell asleep her mind going back to Yuki. His face clouded her dreams. Tohru was confounded at how she couldn't seem to get him off of her mind when she had only known him for a day. Sure he was a gorgeous guy, but she felt conceited for liking him for something like looks. What other reason could she like him for? She didn't know a thing about him besides he was nice for driving her home. She shook her head, staring at the clock. It was only seven in the morning and she couldn't sleep. No matter what she did Yuki was on her mind.
"I need some fresh air…" Tohru murmured as she jumped out of bed.
She cracked open the window. Without a look back she climbed out the window quickly. Tohru scampered down the wall and out of the castle grounds. She wandered down the path, with no real direction or goal. All she wanted to do was clear her mind and let life go back to normal. But then again... Would life ever be normal again? She was going to be a wife? No, life would surly never be the same again. If she got married, she'd leave home and never see her brother and sister again. Even worse she'd have to start a family with a man she didn't love.
Tohru hadn't even realized that her feet had taken her to the center of town. She glanced around, slightly taken aback by her surroundings. Was it fate that drew her to the spot where she had met Yuki? When she wasn't looking she felt someone bump into her. Tohru lost her balance, falling backwards only to be caught by a pair of strong arms. She stared blankly ahead trying to piece together what had happened.
"Hey, don't you think you should apologize?" she heard a familiar voice demand.
The person who caught her was a man. And that was all she could pick up from his voice. His voice was delicate and soft but from the low tone there was no doubt that it was male. What bothered her wasn't the gender of this person but why his voice sounded so familiar. He still held her up as she was too stunned to try and get back to her feet. Tohru scanned the crowd that was forming around them in hopes that she'd see Yuki but she didn't see him. She held back a sigh of disappointment. She was slowly growing to hate large amounts of people in one area. Something about them just seemed to scare her, if anyone told Oubasan or Hakufu… She'd be in serious trouble.
"Whaddya mean you PUNK?" she heard the man who had bumped into her holler.
"I mean you bumped into someone… Isn't that something to apologize for?"
Her eyes widened as she saw the large muscular man turn around to face the man behind her. That man looked like he was strong enough to beat up practically anyone he wanted to, and that scared her. She didn't want whoever helped her to die because he was trying to assist her! He seemed to glare for a moment like he was ready to kill, but the anger switched to fear as he choked out, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"
Tohru's brows scrunched up in confusion. What just happened? Where did the tough murderous guy go? She had to know who this guy who was holding her up was. He had to be pretty remarkable to make a large man like that cower in fear. She glanced up at who caught her for the first time, her jaw dropped and her eyes doubled in size. It couldn't be…
"Yuki?"
"Hmm?"
Tohru's lips curved into a wide grin, it was him. He looked down at her and nearly dropped her. She stared up at his surprised grey eyes. Was this a coincidence or the fault of fate? Whatever it was she was grateful for it. Yuki stared at her in disbelief; he hadn't expected to find her here again. Why here of all places? He didn't mind where he saw her again but a public place like this was just asking for trouble. Anyone could recognize them here and worse, she had just said his name out loud. All he could do was mimic her and say her name back.
"Tohru…"
