Yuki hadn't even opened his eyes yet when Ayame burst through his door and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of his bed before he could protest. He was about to punch Ayame in the head and go back to sleep, but before he could lift his hand, he ran into the door frame. Lying there on the floor, he contemplated just staying there and going back to sleep, but Ayame tugged him up before he could drift back to dreamland. He stumbled along sleepily, barely making it down the hallway without hitting every object in sight. Yuki was vaguely aware that Ayame was speaking (more to himself than to Yuki), but he was too tired to concentrate and listen to Ayame's babbling.
"What do you want?" Yuki finally muttered.
"The news I have yet to tell you is too extraordinary to be revealed out here! You absolutely must follow me to somewhere private!" Ayame urged.
"What are you going to do? Rape me?"
"Your accusations hurt me dearly Yuki…Trust is the key to every situation!" Ayame exclaimed with his usual overconfidence.
"Fine… I'll go… whatever… but if this is something stupid, I won't regret killing you…" Yuki mumbled.
"Right this way!" Ayame sang as he danced down the carpeted hallway.
Yuki was slowly dragged along, though he refused to skip and prance around like Ayame was. First of all, he was too tired to do anything that required that much energy, and secondly, it just looked plain stupid, not to mention that his head hurt. Yuki watched Ayame for a minute, amused at first, but that feeling quickly changed to disgrace. He shook his head, unable to keep looking at this fully grown man act like a toddler. Yuki smirked slightly, praying that Ayame would trip and fall, but to his disappointment, Ayame didn't even falter.
"Time will not last forever! Hurry up Yuki!" Ayame ushered as he increased his speed.
Yuki rolled his barely opened eyes with great effort, a little curious now to see what Ayame had to say or show him, whichever it was. He had already forgotten the exact reason why he was following his idiotic brother. If this was some sort of joke, there was no telling what he'd do –after a nap that is. At some point, Ayame had abandoned Yuki out of impatience and was now standing at his door, tapping his foot impatiently. Yuki closed his eyes, trying not to fall asleep as he continued to walk over. Ayame yanked Yuki inside the moment he was within reach and closed the doors.
"You know, I was kidding about the rape thing. I'm not into guys… or brothers for that matter," Yuki said in a flat voice, staring at Ayame incredulously.
Ayame didn't respond. Instead, he took both of Yuki's shoulders and turned him around, breathing, "Look…"
In front of him stood a wood mannequin with a soft pink kimono draped over it. Yuki's sleepy eyes and brain couldn't recognize the purple orchids embroidered along the fabric. The only thing he knew was that it was a girl's outfit and Ayame had roused him out of bed to look at it. It didn't make sense to him. The only conclusion his half-conscious mind could conjure up was that Ayame had a new hobby of cross-dressing, and he was going to make him be his model. He grimaced and lifted his hand, pointing at it and wrinkling his nose in disgust, "You're not going to make me wear that, are you?"
"Take a closer look…" Ayame told him, giving him a slight shove.
Yuki sighed and reluctantly walked across the room. He was going to say something about how stupid this little journey was, but when he was just a couple of feet away from the mannequin, his words stopped in his throat. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what stood before him. The gentle pink silk with the delicate violet orchid print dotting the frame of the kimono, there was no doubt in his mind that this was the fabric he had bought a few days ago. A perfectly matched purple cloth ran across the middle, sealed with a loose bow in the back. Unbelievable, he had never admired Ayame for his tailoring skills before, but he did now. Gingerly, he touched it with great caution. It was perfect. Tohru would look stunning in this.
"What do you think?" Ayame asked, popping up next to him.
"It's beautiful," Yuki complimented honestly.
His fingers traced the largest amethyst orchid near the middle of the kimono with the tips of his fingers. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the garment. It was gorgeous, almost as pretty as he thought Tohru was. Nothing could compare to how beautiful Tohru was to him. She was the most beautiful thing in the world in his eyes even though she didn't think so. Didn't she realize how attractive she was? Sometimes he wished she could see herself through his eyes. Surely then, she wouldn't keep denying it when he told her how adorable and lovely she was.
"Take it… Give it to her… It'll fit no other better…"
"How do you know-?"
"I am your brother and a tailor. Of course, I'd be the one who made the wedding dress Tohru-kun would have worn when…" Ayame trailed off.
Yuki tilted his head to the side, gazing at Ayame with interest. The past didn't anger and upset him as much as it used to. It was more interesting to him now than anything else, and he was eager to hear more about it in attempt to resurface his own memories, but nobody would agree to tell him more about his and Tohru's past. He had the general story down in his head but without details. No matter how hard he tried, nothing would come back to him. All he ever got was a headache in return, and he didn't exactly enjoy having a throbbing head. By the look of Ayame's face, Yuki could tell that he wouldn't elaborate.
"It's okay… The past doesn't bother me anymore… But thank you… Thank you Nissan… I don't know how to repay you…"
"Payment is not something you should trouble yourself with. I just wanted it to be done in time for your birthday," Ayame replied.
"My birthday?"
Yuki stood there, signs of shock plastered all over his face. It only occurred to him that his birthday was around the corner now. It was hardly two weeks away. He was going to turn eighteen, an adult, but that didn't mean he'd be treated as one. He wouldn't be able to move out of this stupid, confining palace or do anything different from last year. All that'd happen was that he'd receive clothes he'd never wear and other things he'd never use. His closet was full of old, useless birthday gifts that his mother refused to let him toss out. Maybe that's why he didn't really look forward to –or even remember- his birthdays like a normal teenager. Besides, he couldn't recollect much about his numerous birthdays anyways, probably because he used to spend them with Tohru, and he couldn't remember her.
Ayame carefully took the kimono off the mannequin, folding it neatly. He handed it to Yuki who grasped onto it delicately.
"Yuki, I'm aware that you want to spend as much time as you can with Tohru-kun, but you must attend your birthday ball. Mother will be terribly upset if you don't attend your own birthday party."
"… I don't want to attend a stupid dance… I don't really care that it's my birthday or about the presents and party… I'm not going…"
"Why not? You used to love going to the dance with Tohru-kun…"
Ayame froze, hesitantly watching Yuki for any signs of a break down, but he saw nothing. Yuki lifted his eyebrows nonchalantly, hoping to hear more, but Ayame didn't tell him anything else. Ayame peered at Yuki for a moment curiously before he finally understood what the silence was for. He shook his head at Yuki and pretended to zip his mouth shut and tossed out the imaginary key. Yuki frowned and rolled his eyes at Ayame's childish gesture. Yuki could see no point in Ayame trying to do what he was supposed to have done and keep Yuki's past from him after he had told him about it already.
"Well that's nice… But apparently our families are enemies now, and no one knows about my relationship with Tohru… So that doesn't really convince me to not skip the dance since she can't come…"
"Ah… But that's where you are wrong. Tohru-kun and her family are invited along with every other royal family mother is acquainted with."
Yuki's eyes lit up temporarily until he realized there would be some sort of catch, some flaw, in what Ayame had pointed out. Nothing was that easy for him. Every time he wanted to see her, he had to sneak out; he had to plan for hours sometimes to be sure that nobody ever caught him. There was no way it would be this simple. It sounded too easy to him. Just giving her this kimono and waiting for her didn't sound complicated enough. God didn't like him enough to make seeing her that easy. Maybe he was going crazy, but his mind raced around, searching for that problem that would make seeing her at his birthday party painstakingly difficult. He almost found himself smiling when he found it, a difficulty.
Yuki groaned, "There'll be thousands of people there. By the time I find Tohru, the dance will be over since this is going to be a masquerade ball, isn't it?"
"Well yes… Mother is quite fond of masks and dancing… I'm surprised you remember seeing as you hardly attend any of her dances anymore, but that is why I felt a need to finish this before the dance," Ayame gestured to the kimono, "If Tohru wears this, you'll be able to find her right away!"
Yuki felt a light shade of pink spread across his face, not sure what to say. He couldn't believe what a perfect opportunity this was. It didn't matter that it seemed too easy to him anymore. He was too delighted to think about the faults with this plan. He could only focus on the positive aspects. With a mask across Tohru's face, no one would know who he was talking to. A mask wouldn't help conceal his identity since his hair was rather unique. Besides, he wasn't one who enjoyed having something clinging to his face. Nonetheless, no one would know who the Prince of Kaze was talking to at least.
"Why is Tohru invited though? I thought out families hated each other…"
"Wondrous question though I myself am not sure of the answer. I believe it would be because of tradition, seeing as Tohru-kun has always been invited, or your birthday was seen as an opportunity to brag and show off," Ayame guessed.
"Bragging and showing off sound more like things you'd do."
"Ah-ha… What a humor you possess Yuki… But bragging and showing off are hobbies of mother. She desires to make Tohru-kun's family as jealous as she can of this castle…" Ayame nodded.
Yuki's head lowered in disgrace. How predictable of his parents, never doing a thing that wouldn't benefit themselves in some way. He hated them. This theory of Ayame's made Yuki feel more ashamed to be their son than he usually was. How could two people be so conceited and selfish? He shuddered slightly at the thought of them. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure that he wanted Tohru to come to his party anymore. If she came to his house that meant she'd have to meet his parents, or at least hear how rude they were from his mother's opening speech. She'd surely want nothing to do with someone who had parents who were as inconsiderate as his were.
"But it's still the perfect opportunity! With a little effort, you can make it seem like it's their fault that you fell in love with another…" Ayame continued mischievously.
"How so?" Yuki asked curiously.
"Well… This is basically a matchmaking ball, is it not? Nobody is supposed to know who's who… So why not make it seem like you met each other on that day and felt a sudden spark?! Whose fault could it be except for the planners of this dance?"
Yuki thought through Ayame's newest plan for a moment. It didn't seem entirely impossible to him, improbable, but not impossible. Maybe there was a slither of a chance that it'd work. If it did, Tohru and he could be together without sneaking out every other night… But what if nobody believed them? Everything could be ruined then. It was worth a shot though. Everybody would find out sooner or later anyways. What's the worst that could happen? They'd be torn apart, and he'd be locked up for the rest of his life? That'd probably happen sooner or later anyways.
"That just may work Niisan…" Yuki smiled faintly.
"But of course! Now go hide that kimono somewhere safe before anyone sees it and remembers it! My duty now will be to complete your outfit and to construct her the most beautiful mask that will conceal her identity from all eyes perfectly!" Ayame exclaimed excitedly.
Yuki gave Ayame one more look of gratitude before he left and ran out the door and over to his room. He was eager to discuss this over with Tohru. She would be just as happy as he was –if that was even possible- if they could be together formally, right? Gracefully he had made it inside without drawing anybody's attention. Yuki frowned, resisting the urge to call Tohru right away, and glanced around his room, looking for a secure place to store the kimono. No spot in his room looked safe from the maids. It looked like he'd have to give it to Tohru as soon as he could. Letting the dress unfold on his bed, Yuki couldn't help but grin.
She'd be ecstatic to get this. He could already imagine the look on her face. She'd look like an angel. He took another look around his room before settling on a spot to hide it. Carefully, he wrapped the kimono in one of his clean shirts to keep it from getting dirty. He tied the bundle and dropped it inside a tall vase. Yuki decided he'd just break the vase when the time came. He grinned to himself as he dug out his phone from the back of his drawer and dialed Tohru's phone number, only to be greeted by her cheerful voice mail. The smile left as quickly as it had come.
---
"A birthday, masquerade dance? How exciting!" Tohru cried cheerfully.
"Yep, and we're invited according to this letter," Haru added.
Tohru and Kisa were standing behind Haru, trying to read the letter over his shoulder – from under his shoulder in Kisa's case. Growing impatient with the little progress she was having at reading the letter, Tohru leaned over and snatched the letter from Haru with an excited smile. She stole across the room before either of them could take it from her. She felt giddy at just seeing the oddly familiar invitation. Tohru wasn't even sure why she was this excited over a dance. She had gone to many dances before, but this one filled her to the brim with joy for some reason.
"This is your first time attending a dance, right Kisa?" Haru turned towards his other sister, deciding to give Tohru time to discover it was a dance for Yuki on her own.
Kisa nodded vigorously, "Oubasan said I was too young before! But Onee-chan has been going to dances since she was younger than me…"
"Well that's because she had Yu-" Haru stopped in the middle of his sentence.
Tohru was too focused on the letter before her to hear them. She had the invitation gripped tightly in her hands and was currently skimming over the fancy calligraphy from a chair across the room from them. Haru and Kisa watched her read intently for a moment before letting out breaths of relief. She hadn't heard Haru almost say Yuki's name, but she did hear their relieved sighs.
"What?" Tohru asked, blinking a few times at them.
"Nothing… Um… Who's the birthday party for?" Kisa asked, changing the topic nervously to distract Tohru.
Tohru's eyes lit up as she rescanned the letter for the person the party was for. She froze when she saw Yuki's name written at the top. Yuki. This party was for her Yuki. She was going to go to Yuki's party with her family. Her jaw dropped as the letter slipped out of her hands. Tohru didn't know which emotion was overpowering the other, her joy that she had an easy opportunity to see Yuki right in her hands, or her anxiety over the fact that her family would be there too. She was stuck in that position for a short moment, in complete shock before she scrambled out of her seat and grabbed the letter, pressing it to her chest frantically.
"Umm… The party is for… Prince Yuki Sohma of Kaze…" Tohru stuttered nervously in a shaky voice. Her body trembled, and she could feel her heart race, trying to jump up her throat and out of her mouth. Her stomach squeezed itself together, leaving her nauseous as her lungs ceased to work. No breaths left her mouth as she stared at Haru and Kisa, waiting for their reaction. The seconds crawled on tediously to the point when she was beginning to feel like she had been standing there for a century. Finally, she saw movement. The corner of Haru's mouth twitched, fighting a smile.
"Oh right… He always has some sort of dance as a party," Haru mused.
Her stomach gently eased itself out of its twisted posture, her lungs sputtered back to life, and her heart slowed down to normal rate. The worst part was over now. At least, she could see that Haru and Kisa didn't really hate Yuki or at least they didn't outright curse and yell when they heard that this party was for him. That was enough to reassure her. Tohru forced a smile onto her face as Kisa began to happily talk about the dance, but Tohru wasn't listening. Her mind was elsewhere completely, thinking about Yuki and his birthday in general more so than the party.
---
A week later, she was still flustered about the dance. She was too scared to check her cell phone for any messages from Yuki in case he wanted to tell her that the invitation was an accident and that she wasn't really invited. It was his birthday party. She was going to go to his home. She was excited and worried at the same time. What was she going to do? Did he even know she was coming? What was she even going to get him? She couldn't come up with a single thing that a prince didn't have, and yet, she wanted it to be a gift he would love and keep forever. Before she found a single answer to her questions, Kisa darted into her room.
"Onee-chan! Someone is here to see you!" she announced, standing by the doorway.
"Eh? Who is it?"
Tohru glanced at Kisa with a somewhat dazed look, the same look she had worn across her face for the past week. She hadn't been able to focus on anything but Yuki and his birthday since she had seen the invitation. Tohru wasn't even completely sure why she was reacting this way over a silly party. It was just a party. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he really didn't want her to go. Just because he never told her about it didn't mean he didn't love her. It could have slipped his mind. Besides, Yuki didn't seem like a person who enjoyed parties and social gatherings focused around him. Still, she couldn't convince herself that everything would be alright, nor could she get herself to call him and confirm or disprove her worries.
"I don't know… Somebody just told me to get you…"
Tohru nodded and followed Kisa out the door and down the stairs. Her eyes fluttered around the lobby of the castle in search for her guest, someone who would hopefully distract her from Yuki's party, but she didn't see anyone. Every single chair in the lobby was empty, and there was no one standing around. Tohru remained by the entranceway, staring at the unoccupied room for a moment. She looked down at Kisa with a slight frown, determined to find this person in hopes to get her mind off of Yuki's party. She knew she was making no progress by constantly dwelling on his birthday.
"He didn't wait inside?"
Kisa shook her head saying, "He refused to come inside."
"That's strange…"
Tohru smiled a bit now. At least there really was someone here to see her. She needed the distraction before she went crazy over Yuki's party. But what if her guest was Akito? She tensed up instantly at that thought. She'd rather worry than see him, but she knew better than to worry about him being her guest. He had no problem with coming inside and acting like he lived here. He couldn't be her guest… unless he was planning to kidnap her. Tohru shuddered, forcing herself out of her suspicions before she hyperventilated out of terror. Before she completely snapped out of her trancelike state, she was in front of the gates.
"Tohru-hime," greeted the two guards.
She jumped back out of shock before she walked into the iron bars. Snapping her head to either side in a confused manner, she looked around until she remembered what she was out here for. She turned back to the guards and smiled at them faintly. She peered around uneasily for her mysterious guest, but she couldn't find him out here either. One of the guards nudged her shoulder back towards the exit as the other raised the gates slowly. So by refusing to come inside, Kisa was referring to the castle grounds in general, not just the palace as Tohru had earlier assumed. Suddenly she wasn't so sure about seeing this guest. Why wouldn't someone want to come inside unless they were a criminal? She swallowed nervously.
"Would you like us to accompany you? The man seemed very suspicious. We couldn't see his face at all. He kept it hidden yet he claimed to be an acquaintance of yours…" a guard told her.
"I'll be fine…" Tohru reassured them in a hushed voice.
"Just scream if he hurts you, and we'll get him… Be careful…" warned the two guards, stepping aside to let her through.
With all the courage she could muster, Tohru took a deep breath and bravely stepped off the palace grounds. She glanced around for her visitor, but nobody was to be seen. Cautiously, she stepped out of the eyeshot of the guards and into the forest. Tohru continued down the path, pausing in a small clearing. She whirled around, searching for the person who was supposed to be waiting for her. She didn't see anything out here but trees and greenery. Tohru turned her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. There was still no sight of anyone around. Too focused on scanning the area before her for her guest, Tohru didn't hear the footsteps coming toward her from behind. She did, however, notice when the person brushed her hair back behind her ear and spoke.
"Why don't you pick up your phone anymore?" a low voice growled in her ear.
Tohru squeaked and jumped up, lurching forward. She scrambled a few feet forward out of fright before she turned around and stared at the tall man dressed in black. She stared at him, clutching her hands over her chest in terror. The color drained from her face as her eyes doubled in size. The guards weren't exaggerating when they had described him. She couldn't catch her breath long enough to do as she was instructed and call out for the guards.
"Tohru, you don't even recognize me? I thought you loved me…"
It took her a minute, but Tohru's mouth soon slid open in realization. She darted back over to him and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly in her arms as an attempt at an apology for not greeting him right away. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair with a smile across his face. She only clung to him for a brief moment before she took a step back, bringing her hands to the hood that hung over his head and pushed it back, letting his silver hair and handsome face show. Tohru beamed, a part of her not believing he was here while her other half wondered why he was here.
"Wha-what are you doing here, Yuki-kun?" Tohru breathed.
"Because you absolutely refuse to answer your phone, and I was starting to go crazy… Being away from you is hardly bearable, and now you're not even letting me hear your voice? Are you angry at me?"
She shook her head instantly. He raised his eyebrows at her out of curiosity. If she wasn't mad at him, -and he highly doubted that she took pleasure in driving him insane- then why wouldn't she answer his calls or reply to his messages? Yuki couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation so he stood there, waiting for her to explain. She looked down at her feet, an embarrassed blush streaking across her face.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm not mad at you… I… I ju-just… I mean… Your birthday… You didn't tell me, and I got an in-invitation…. And I didn't know if… if you didn't tell me because you don't want me there… or if you didn't mean to send me one… or…" Tohru whispered.
Yuki gave her a perplexed expression. He shook his head to the sides with an amused grin playing across his face. He paused, lifting his downcast face slightly to look her in the eyes. He continued to smile as he placed a hand on her either of her shoulders. With that simple smile, Tohru suddenly forgot what she had been fretting over for the past week. All her mind could concentrate on now was breathing, or his close proximity might cause her to suffocate herself by forgetting to take a breath. She raised her eyes to meet his, abruptly wondering why he was looking at her like she had lost her mind.
"Tohru, you're being ridiculous. Of course I want you to come. Nobody else matters. Just you. To be blunt, I didn't even know my birthday was coming up until a few days ago, and after I realized, you stopped answering my calls."
He gazed down at her with a teasingly stern and frustrated face, but Tohru looked up at him with a bright smile lighting up her face. So she had been worrying about nothing again. She laughed softly at her own foolishness. Tohru faced the ground with a humiliated blush sweeping across her face. She was too relieved to fall for his teasing today and start apologizing, but that didn't bother him since she blushed anyways. He chuckled to himself, raising his hand to her cheek and resting his fingertips just before her ear.
"So you'll come, right?"
"Yes..."
"Perfect. Then I have something for you…" Yuki told her.
He lifted up a white box she hadn't noticed before and held it out to her. Tohru's eyes widened at the sight of the gift. It had a lacy ribbon tied around with a bouncy bow in the middle. Her hands reached out to take the alluring box, but she quickly snapped her arms back down to her sides, trying to ignore the fact that the pretty gift was practically screaming out her name. She wanted that box, regardless of what was inside. It was from Yuki, it had to be something extraordinary, but the scene was backwards to her. She was supposed to be the one wielding a gift, and he was supposed to be the one taking it. After all, his birthday was the one a week from now, hers was in May.
"Oh no… I couldn't! It's your birthday! I'm supposed to get you a gift!" Tohru exclaimed.
Tohru shook her head sideways frantically and waved her hands repeatedly at him in a halfhearted refusal. Yuki sighed and tucked the gift under his arm before he used his hands to grab her wrists to stop the erratic movements. As soon as her eyes popped open and her movements hindered out of surprise, he placed the box in her hands and took three steps away from her to discourage her from shoving the box back at him. Tohru stared down at the box with a guilty expression across her face. How could she take something from him when she hadn't even begun looking for a present to give him on his birthday?
"Open it… please?" Yuki begged her.
"I… I can't… It's not right… You're supposed to get a gift… not me… You shouldn't be giving me something…"
"Tohru, please? It's practically a gift to myself… If you like it, you'll be happy, right? And if you're happy, I'm happy," he grinned at her.
Tohru frowned but gave in. She could tell that no matter what she said to him, she'd still end up walking away with the present in her arms. Carefully, she untied the bow and pulled off the lid. Yuki took these two things from her so she could find his gift buried between the tissue paper. She slowly located the article of clothing and pulled it out. Tohru extended her arms straight out in front of her, staring at the extravagant gown before her. She gasped at the beauty of the kimono. Joyfully she held it against her body, twirling around with a wide grin. As much as she hated the fact that he wasted money on her, she couldn't deny how much she adored this.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful! I love it, Yuki-kun! Thank you!" she sang, jumping back into his arms.
He dropped the lid and the ribbon, catching her by her waist and lifting her up into the air effortlessly. It was like her emotions were directly wired to his. Yuki found his face reflecting her wide grin effortlessly. He felt just as giddy as she did but most likely for a different reason. Of course he was happy to see her elated, but part of his joy was due to the fact that she actually liked his gift, and to make things even better, she was even going to go to his party. She giggled, clutching the pink kimono dearly.
"So you'll wear it to the ball… For me?"
"Of course! It'll be my honor!" Tohru exclaimed.
"I'm glad…" he murmured, lowering her back onto her feet.
"Thank you so much!" she repeated, giving him a tight hug.
She gave him a quick peck on his lips before pulling away. He raised his eyebrows at her before giving her a disapproving look. Tohru's mouth slid open, about to let an apology out, but his mouth covered hers before she could say 'sorry'. She felt her eyes jolt open wider and her head spin as he gave her a deeper kiss. She couldn't catch her breath. Tohru felt herself start falling backwards, her lips losing contact with his. He caught her with a laugh and brought her back into his arms, holding her until she wasn't dizzy anymore. She felt like a drug addict who had just gotten out of rehab and was taking drugs all over again. Her drug, he tasted pretty good, but she'd need a moment to readjust to the high level of ecstasy she felt when he kissed her.
"You'd better get back… Those guards are very careful… I had to talk to them for almost an hour before your brother made your sister go get you…" Yuki whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair out of her face.
Tohru's lips curved downwards after he released her and gave her a brisk kiss. She gripped the kimono in her hands as she said goodbye and whirled around to head back home.
"Oh wait…" Yuki called her, grabbing her shoulder before she was a foot away from him.
Tohru froze, looking back at him with her large chocolate eyes. He pulled out a smaller package, which matched the box her kimono had come in, from his pocket and handed it to her. Tohru stared at it, horrorstruck. He rolled his eyes and sighed again, pressing it into her hands. Great, another gift. It was probably going to be something else that was crazily expensive that would make her feel even more ashamed for not getting him a gift yet. She frowned at it. Why did he have to be so generous?
"It's a masquerade ball, is it not? You'll need your mask," Yuki quickly explained.
Tohru cringed, "But more? I don't have anything for you… yet…"
"Just come to the party and save a dance for two for me… That'll be more than enough…"
Tohru blushed embarrassedly and looked away from him. That's right. At a dance, they'd surly be dancing. Luckily, she had been taking dance lessons since she was a child, but even with all those years of practice, she still couldn't keep her balance on the dance floor for very long. She could vividly remember the last lesson she had a couple of days ago. Somehow, her left ankle had got caught around her right leg, and as she started to make a spin, her dress got entangled in the mess, and she fell over, taking her dance instructor down with her. Why did she have the feeling that he'd be an exceptionally smooth, wondrous dancer? Just another thing to make him even more superior to her than he already was.
"Princess?" the guards yelled worriedly.
"Ah… Coming!" she shouted back to them.
"Just tell them you found these packages on the floor with this note… I was never here, okay?" he instructed her, slipping a sheet of parchment into her hands.
She nodded, and he was out of there in a flash, leaving no traces behind him. Tohru glanced at the castle with a frown. Why did she have to go back there when all she wanted to do was run after Yuki and spend more time with him? She had only spent about ten minutes with him in over a week. She felt stupid now for not answering her phone. She had put to waste seven days that she could have spent with Yuki. She should have known there was nothing to worry about, but it really was hard for her to believe that he, the gorgeous, perfect prince he was, loved her. Tohru unfolded the letter, reading it as she headed back to the castle.
To: Princess Tohru Honda
From: an anonymous benefactor
Wear it to the ball. It'll look amazing on you.
Tohru blushed again at the simple words written on the piece of paper. There wasn't any poetry spewing forth from the letter or even more than two sentences, but it was enough to make her embarrassed. Actually anything he did, said, or wrote could bring a blush to her face. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of the extra blood before she made her way through the gates. Before she even set foot on the castle grounds, Kisa, Haru, and the two guards attacked her with questions.
"Did you see him?"
"Who was he?"
"What did he want?"
"Are you okay?"
Haru and Kisa knew the answers to most of these questions, but they asked anyways to keep her from getting suspicious of them. They were pretty sure that her mysterious acquaintance was Yuki, and that was the only reason Haru actually let her go meet her visitor. Seeing what Tohru was holding in her arms and spotting no injuries on her confirmed their assumptions.
"I'm fine… But no one was there… Just these… And this note!" she lied, holding up her stuff.
They all eyed her incredulously. She lifted the items higher to partially hide her face away from them. She was sure if they kept looking at her like that, they'd see that she wasn't telling them the truth but was doing what Yuki had asked her to. Tohru fidgeted uncomfortably before the four pairs of eyes. None of them spoke for a few minutes, making her more anxious by the second. She had no back up plan if they didn't believe what Yuki told her to say. Tohru regretted not asking him for more advice since she knew perfectly well how bad of a liar she was.
'That's a pretty outfit…" Kisa complimented truthfully, noticing how tense Tohru had grown.
Tohru's head bobbed up and down in agreement. She couldn't keep the glimmer of happiness off of her face even though she could see they thought she was a little crazy for liking an outfit, someone she supposedly didn't know randomly left her, that much.
"But why would anyone just hand out something like that? It looks handmade," the taller guard pointed out.
Tohru shrugged, not meeting their gaze, but what the guard had said caught her attention. The kimono had no tag or indication of a designer or maker on it. This was sewn by hand. The kimono had to have cost a fortune. Yuki would have had to buy the silk, ribbons, thread, and then hire someone to sew it together for him. She cringed slightly, deciding she didn't want to think about how much these two gifts had to have cost him anymore.
"What's the note say?" Haru asked.
Tohru unfolded the paper and gave it to Haru who read it out loud. Nobody said a thing. Tohru's face was a dark shade of red though. She hadn't expected him to say what Yuki had written to everyone. It was even more embarrassing to hear him say it.
Kisa shyly decided to break the silence, "So are you going to wear it?"
"I'm not sure… But it'd be such a waste if I didn't," Tohru sighed.
She had lied again. She was positive that she was going to wear it, but she knew better than to say that right away. It would sound odd for her to want to wear something she had received from a stranger so desperately. Haru saw straight through her but decided he would make this easier for her and just play along. He placed his hand under his chin, acting like he was thinking through what she had told him. He was a better actor than he had previously thought –or Tohru was just too gullible for her own safety. Tohru looked genuinely worried about what he'd say about her wearing the kimono.
"I suppose I don't see any harm in that. Now we only need to buy a dress for Kisa," Haru added.
Tohru beamed. She couldn't be any luckier. A whole night with Yuki -without having to sneak out- in the outfit he had given to her. Thankfully she hadn't gone shopping for a dress with Kisa yet. She'd rather wear the kimono than the most expensive gown available simply because he had given it to her. To her, anything he touched became one of the most valuable things in the world. Tohru already had a miniature collection of things she had received from Yuki, the blue fabric, the ribbon, the bag the ribbon had come in… She did sound like a drug addict, but her drug would never harm her in any way.
"It's about to snow… You three better get inside," the guards advised, taking a look up at the sky.
The three of them nodded and went inside together. Tohru headed to her room immediately, setting the kimono on her bed. She kneeled down on the floor and pulled out the mask from its wrapping. It was pure white, covered in small hand sewn white sequins and small cloudy feathers dotted the two ends. It was as exquisite as the kimono. She stroked the velvety feathers with a small smile across her face. As much as she hated how much he must have spent to get her these things, she was grateful for the gifts. She'd keep them forever, even if she outgrew them. She just hoped he'd like whatever she'd get him as much as she loved his gifts.
"So lovely…" Tohru muttered as she set the mask atop the pink sheets of her bed.
Tohru's eyes flickered over to her dresser as she suddenly remembered the first thing Yuki had said to her back at the forest. He had made a comment about her not picking up her phone and not replying to his messages. She frowned and walked over to her dresser and pulled out her phone, eager to listen to the messages he had left her. Flipping the small device open, the first thing she saw almost made her drop her phone from shock.
She had forty four new messages.
What Yuki said in those 44 messages we shall never know because I can't even think of one, but let's say Yuki is officially crazy to have left that many. Don't ask why 44. I just like the number. Tohru is crazy too, m'kay? That's why she was acting stupid and stuff over his birthday party. And I know Yuki's birthday is in September and not December, but it's in December for this story. Tohru's birthday really is in May though ♥
