I promise everything in this chapter is rated T (No, it contains no lemons/limes, get your head out of the gutter :O)
Fingering the thin gold bracelet in her hands, Tohru found her lips curved up in a smile. Seeing the piece of jewelry from Yuki never ceased to send an odd sensation through her. It was almost like a chill a person felt when getting out of bed during the cold winter months but a lot more pleasant and twice as forceful, but the joy she felt from the lustrous bracelet could hardly compare to the bliss she encountered when she was with Yuki. The bracelet was a pitiful substitute for Yuki. She could contemplate and compare her fondness for the bracelet to her complete and enduring love towards Yuki all day long, but of course, there was some place she had to be tonight.
"Onee-chan! Are you ready?" Kisa asked, popping her head into the doorway.
"I'll be down there in a minute…" Tohru replied quickly as she hooked the bracelet around her wrist.
She hurriedly wound her hair up and pinned it back with a white clip that matched the white flowers on the lilac colored kimono she was currently wearing. Tohru stole another quick glance in the mirror before trailing after Kisa. She doubted Yuki would care if she wore ripped sweat pants and a stained shirt, he'd probably still tell her how beautiful he thought she was, but she'd rather not test that theory. Tohru bounced down the stairs and out the door, unable to contain her excitement.
She hopped over to where her brother and sister stood and smiled at them, hoping she hadn't made them wait too long. Even if she had made them stand out here for a while and even if they were annoyed at her, she wouldn't be able to stop grinning. She was too delighted to do that.
Tohru was always ecstatic whenever she got to see Yuki, but tonight she was extra cheerful because she wouldn't have to sneak out to see him this time, not that she minded sneaking out for him, it was just easier this way. The problem with being this jubilant was that she hadn't considered any consequences yet. It hadn't fully crossed her mind that since Haru and Kisa were going to be in the same place she and Yuki would be, it'd be a lot easier for them to learn of her relationship with Yuki. Her brain couldn't bring itself to dwell upon the negative side of tonight. How could she think of bad things when she was standing under a full moon centered among a glowing veil of stars? Not only was it the epitome of pure beauty, but pretty soon, she'd be sharing the sight with Yuki.
"Ready?" Haru asked.
Kisa and Tohru nodded anxiously. Haru chuckled, shaking his head as he opened the gates for them. He really didn't understand why they were so excited for this. What was so fun about going to a festival and trying to catch a fish with a paper net or something like that? Well he understood Tohru's happiness since she'd be seeing Yuki, at least that was his assumption, but what in the world was getting Kisa so worked up? There wasn't going to be any food that tasted better than the food they were served at the palace, the games they had were impossible to win, and Tohru wouldn't even be with them for longer than a minute as soon as they got there.
It didn't take them long to get to town, maybe because they were walking quicker than usual or maybe because the lights that adorned the trees surrounding the path made it seem like they were at the festival sooner.
The whole town was surrounded with strings of dangling paper lanterns that lit up the place with their small flames. Stands were set up with various games and food assortments. Everyone here was dressed in variously colored kimonos, dashing here and there excitedly. As soon as Tohru stepped through the overly decorated entrance, she was already unintentionally scanning the crowds for a bob of silver hair, but she couldn't find her beloved anywhere. She had probably made her supposedly subtle search a bit too obvious because Haru immediately suggested they split up.
"How about we split up and meet back here in an hour or two?"
"Okay!"
Tohru hadn't meant to answer so quickly and eagerly, but she did anyways. It was too late when she caught her mistake. The words had already gotten out and reached her siblings ears before they even registered in her head. Her mind went blank as she attempted to think of some way to explain her excited outburst. As far as they knew, she had no one she was going to meet. As far as they knew, she was going to be wandering around all by her lonesome. As far as they knew, she had no reason to want to wander around by herself…
Luckily for her, Kisa responded in the same excited manner before Tohru hurt her brain attempting to explain her reply.
By the time Tohru recovered from her shock due to the fact that neither Kisa nor Haru had questioned her, her two siblings were already several yards away from her. Tohru was about to chase after them but remembered Yuki before she took a step forward. Hoping not to run into Haru or Kisa with Yuki, she whirled around and started her search in the direction opposite of where Haru and Kisa were going. Little to her knowledge, where she headed wouldn't have affected whether she would run into Haru and Kisa or not, for as soon as she had her back turned, Haru and Kisa spun around and followed after her. Tohru was too absorbed in her task of finding Yuki to notice the soft pitter-pattering behind her.
Tohru peered around eagerly, looking for Yuki while taking a little time to admire all the decorations around her. There were so many people dressed in lovely kimonos around, but not one of them was the one she was looking for. Yuki was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had made a mistake in going in this direction, or maybe he had forgotten. She frowned, a bit saddened by this assumption but disregarded the thought of him not remembering tonight before her heart constricted itself and cracked.
Partially due to her quick walking, somewhat because the crowds were thick, and mostly because she had slipped on the hem of her kimono and fell down, unintentionally getting consumed by the crowds, Haru and Kisa eventually lost her. They determinedly searched for her, in part, because by herself, Tohru would probably let herself get kidnapped, but they really just wanted to see her with Yuki. Tohru remained oblivious, continuing merrily down the road, still searching for Yuki. Little did she know, Yuki was looking for her as well, just at the other end of town.
She paused in her spot, her hand drifting to her lips. Tohru chewed on the edges of her nails, a habit she had recently acquired. She just had to bite her fingernails when she was anxious now. Tohru frowned, about to change her direction when a hand closed around her shoulders. She bounced up slightly before turning around with a wide grin, but who she saw standing before her wasn't who she had expected.
"Yu-"
She froze in mid sentence. This person wasn't Yuki. He was the dark haired man Yuki had warned her about a week ago. More than just disappointment washed over her. Suddenly, she was drowning in terror, and she wasn't quite sure why. For some reason other than Yuki's warning, she wanted to flee from this man. Her subconscious was warning her of something she just couldn't put her finger on. Regardless, her legs wouldn't budge. Tohru stood there, completely still and helpless. No voice could be heard coming out of her mouth even though her jaw hung open. Tohru clamped her mouth shut, gawking at him with wide eyes.
"Who were you expecting, Miss Tohru? Yuki, the prince of Kaze?" he guessed.
Her eyes just continued to stare at him in disbelief. Any trace of reasonable thinking had all but vanished from her head. The demands her brain was making of her body were all blending together. She couldn't understand any of it so her body still refused to move. Her head just spun around, leaving her befuddled and dizzy. He didn't seem bothered by her discomfort, he almost appeared pleased.
He clasped his hand over her mouth tightly, "Well your precious Yuki isn't here this time…"
Her soundless scream rang through her head as he dragged her along. He kept his hand over her mouth and the other around her waist as he pulled her along. She couldn't break out of his hold, and nobody noticed her. The festival was too crowded and noisy, and combined with his quick actions, it would have been hard for the most observant person to see her abduction. Just as she made another attempt to yank herself away from him, he released her, causing her to crash into the wall of the alley he had brought her to.
A small whimper left her lips, echoing across the narrow alleyway. She brought her hands to the back of her head and rubbed the small bump that was forming. Feeling tears spewing forth from her eyes, Tohru quickly dabbed at them, not wanting to seem as frightened and feeble as she was. Despite the throbbing of her head, Tohru took a deep breath and tried to feign resilience and strength though all she managed to do was make her pain more obvious. The expression projected didn't come close to anything relatively tough looking. She just got herself to look even more vulnerable than before.
He laughed bitterly at her actions. Even his laugh, a sound she used to think was completely harmless, sounded malicious. She swallowed nervously and took a step back towards the wall, the end of the alleyway. Tohru bit her lip, pressing herself against the bricks. She was more terrified now that she knew there was no escape. There was no way she could climb over the wall, and he was blocking her exit. Apparently, moving away from him was the wrong move to make.
Abruptly, his fingers wrapped themselves around her hair, ruining the careful arrangement and sending the clip crashing to the ground where it cracked in half. She fell towards him, wincing at the force. Her knees were bent towards the ground, her feet hardly supporting her weight. The grip he had around her hair was the only thing keeping her off the ground, and it hurt. He yanked harder on her brown locks, tilting her head upwards until she was facing him. He glowered at her for what seemed like eternity before he spoke in the most vicious tone she had ever heard.
"I'll teach you to forget who I am…" he snarled malevolently.
Tohru couldn't respond. Without warning, his hand liberated itself from her tangled hair, and she fell to the ground, ripping the bottom of her outfit and scraping her knees. Her shaky fingers slowly crept up to the scalding part of her head where several hairs had been ripped out. Her tears were falling freely now. She wouldn't have been able to restrain herself from crying if she wanted to.
He chuckled again and kneeled down before her. His hand rose rapidly, and he slapped her across the face. Tohru flinched but made no other movement. Though she kept her eyes glued to the ground, she could still see his lips curve up into a smile. His bony fingers molded themselves under her chin, turning her teary face to meet his dark eyes. He was smirking condescendingly now, suppressing laughter though not bothering to hide his sadistic expression. He tapped the tip of her nose with a pale finger, acting patronizingly gentle.
"Did I hurt you? If so, I am ever so sorry, my little slut…" He cooed in a mockingly concerned voice.
She jerked out of his hold and turned her face down, trying to avoid his eyes, but her efforts went to waste. He simply moved closer to her until his knees were pressing against her thighs, too close for comfort. Tohru wanted to move away so that his body wasn't making any contact with hers whatsoever, but with her back against the wall, there wasn't anywhere she could retreat to. His eyes ran over her, scrutinizing her several times, before he leaned forward and kissed her jaw. Tohru gasped and shuddered away from him. His arm shot out, palm locked against the wall before her face. He missed punching her face by a hair. Now she was really trapped. On her right was his arm, and on her left was his face which was gradually getting closer to hers. Tohru squeezed her eyes shut and twisted her neck so that she was facing the wall rather than him.
"My name is Akito. Do you remember me now, Tohru, my prostitute of a fiancée," he cooed into her ear, "Don't you know that when you're engaged, you aren't supposed to be seeing other men?"
Tohru's eyes dilated and her mouth slid open due to her shock. Her head slid back to its previous position so she could get another look of him. That's right. The face before her was the same one that had haunted her dreams a couple of months ago. It was dark, and it was difficult to make out many details, but there was no mistake. There was only one face that alarmed her this much. Questions started to flood her head, a million at time. Her frozen mind could only process a couple of them. Since when had those nightmares ceased to disturb her? More importantly, when had her subconscious erased him from her head?
He took her open mouth as an invitation to kiss her. His mouth covered hers before she could even figure out what was going to happen. If it was possible, her eyes widened further. She shrieked, but because he was still forcibly kissing her, her scream came out muffled and softly. What a perfect time for her vocal cords to start functioning again. She squirmed around and tried with all her might to break the kiss, but his hands held her in place. Her hands positioned themselves on his chest, and she shoved with every ounce of strength she had. It was like pushing against a mountain. She was making no progress.
Her heart beat started to speed up, and a feeling of suffocation was starting to overwhelm her. She pushed harder against him, desperate for air, and eager to terminate this repulsive kiss. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one lacking oxygen, but she didn't feel a bit better after his lips were no longer touching hers. She felt sick inside, ready to throw up. Her mouth tasted foul, and her lips ached. His kisses weren't anything like Yuki's warm and gentle ones. They were cold and harsh, but most of all unwanted. Akito left her feeling dirty and deeply ashamed.
How could she betray Yuki like that?
Tohru covered her face with both of her hands, unable to contain a single tear now. The fact that someone she didn't like was kissing her without her consent bothered her, but it wasn't what troubled her the most. She could only imagine what Yuki would say to her or do if he found out, and the pictures in her mind weren't pretty. She didn't deserve him. She knew that already. He was beyond perfect, and she wasn't. Tohru didn't need anything more like this to increase that gap between them. It wouldn't be long before he noticed that wide valley between them and found someone better.
His frigid fingers roughly tore her hands from her face and broke into her train of thoughts, "What's wrong my little whore? Do I not kiss as well as your precious prince of Kaze?"
This time, Tohru saw him start to lean towards her, ready to steal another kiss. She jerked her head to the side, barely dodging his face. He froze right before he smacked his nose against the brick wall. His smile slid down into a hostile frown. Akito made no attempt to conceal his fury towards her evasive maneuver. Tohru shut her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to find out what his face looked like now. She could practically feel the petulance emanating off of his body, and it was smoldering her skin.
"I was trying to be nice to my unfaithful fiancée and this is the thanks I get?" he growled.
"S-stop please…" Tohru whispered in a hoarse voice due to her sobbing.
"And why would I do that?" Akito cooed in a gentle voice.
Tohru huddled against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew what she should do. She should be screaming and kicking this man away from her, but her throat was dry and raspy, and he had her legs pinned down. Regardless, trying an attack would most likely do her more harm than him. Her athletic skills were limited even with her defensive training. There was only so much she could do to try and keep him from getting another kiss from her. She did what she could only think of and pressed her lips firmly together and readied herself for another slap. She heard the attack but felt no pain. Starting to believe she was going crazy or was simply numb already, she opened one eye.
Before her, she caught a glimpse of silver hair and instantly shut her eye again. Tohru choked back tears. This couldn't be happening to her. For the first time, she didn't want to see him. Why did he always have to catch her at her worst moments? She tried her hardest to disappear, but it turned out she had no teleporting skills. Tohru knew she was still here by the sounds around her. She heard another crash, Haru's voice, and rapid steps followed by complete silence. Worrying about Yuki and Haru's safety, she quickly stole a glance up. Yuki's back was turned to her, but Haru and Akito were nowhere in sight. Seeing Yuki start to turn around, she rapidly turned her head downwards.
Tohru scooted as far as she could against the corner, desperately begging for a hole to appear underneath her so she could drop down and vanish. God wasn't feeling merciful today, for the ground didn't crack open and swallow her. She settled with bringing her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and hiding her face on top. She didn't want Yuki to see her like this. He wasn't going to be happy with her, and the last thing she wanted to happen was for him to break up with her now that he could see just how weak she was. He was going to yell at her and storm off and… She held her breath, awaiting the voice that would soon tear her heart into a million microscopic pieces.
"Tohru, are you okay?" she heard a soft voice whisper.
She sniffled but didn't respond, still anticipating the wrath. Tohru bit her lip and braced herself for his anger, but nothing close to what she had predicted happened. His fingers brushed against her cheek gingerly, but that was enough to make her flinch. He immediately pulled his hand away, believing that he was scaring her though she had recoiled more so because of shock rather than fear. Tohru hesitantly lifted her head, eyeing him uneasily. Though her vision was blurred due to her tears, she could only see fret splattered across his face.
Yuki noticed her tear stained face with a pained expression. Any fury he had previous felt towards the dark haired man perished as his eyes examined her face. He could only feel worry and guilty. Why couldn't he ever rescue her in time? He winced, as if the hurt she was feeling affected him as well. His arms slid under hers, and he drew her into his arms before she could protest. He held her tightly against his chest, hating the terrified expression she wore. Yuki stroked her back slowly. Still frightened and a bit bewildered, Tohru stiffened in his arms.
"He's gone now… Don't cry… I won't let him touch you again… I promise… I'm sorry…" he breathed into her ear.
He had saved her, protected her, and was comforting her now, yet he was apologizing? How could there be so much perfection in one person? This wasn't his fault, there was no reason for him to take the blame, but he was. He wasn't even angry at her. This just made her cry harder. She burrowed her face in his chest and squeezed him with all the strength she had left. Yuki simply embraced the trembling brunette without complaint, occasionally murmuring comforting words to her.
---
Tohru lay in bed, hiding under numerous covers and pillows. She faced the wall, refusing to speak or look at anyone. She was in a state of half conscious, only vaguely aware of a maid coming inside to take away the lunch she hadn't touched yet again. Tohru couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. It was probably before the New Year's festival. She had grown frighteningly thin and hardly said a word. All she did was cower in bed now. Truthfully, she hadn't even gotten out of bed since New Year's.
She had lost all will to do anything else. Tohru curled into a ball, flipping open her cell phone for the twentieth time in the past hour. It displayed the same screen, announcing no new messages or calls. Tohru pushed down the lump in her throat, fighting the tears as she blindly dialed Yuki's phone number. She bit her lip as she listened to the phone ring and ring only to have the voice mail pick up. Tohru gripped the phone tightly, about to shut it but decided to leave another message. The last time she had seen him or heard from him was on New Years. It was almost five days later, and he hadn't responded to a single of her hundred of calls.
"Y-Yuki… I'm s-sorry… Pl-please talk to me again… I'm sorry… I di-didn't mean to l-let that happen… Please call me back… P-please…" she trailed off as she shut the phone.
She closed her eyes, letting a tear roll down her cheek and land on her already tear drenched pillow. It wasn't long before she was dragged back down to dreamland –or better known as nightmare land, seeing as all her subconscious could summon while she slept were illusions of Akito harassing her or Yuki leaving her. The latter of the two was what kept the tears cascading down her face even after she was fast asleep.
---
Yuki eyed the ringing device. He knew he wouldn't be able to refrain from answering Tohru's call if he stayed in the room. Stiffly, he sucked in a deep breath and forced himself away from the phone and stepped through the doorway, slamming the door behind him. He dropped down to the floor outside of his room and ran his fingers through his silver strands. Yuki held his breath until he heard the click of his cell phone, signaling the end of her message. He shut his eyes and banged the back of his head against the wooden door a few times before sighing
"Your highness, you have a visitor…" he heard a quiet voice announce.
He reluctantly opened his eyes and glanced up, seeing Haru standing behind a short maid. Yuki blinked a couple of times before nodding and waving away the maid. She bowed to him before scurrying down the hall. After she was out of sight, Haru took the three steps over to Yuki and yanked him up by the collar of his shirt with a deadly look. Yuki eyed the white haired teen wearily. He was positive that Haru was here about Tohru. Haru's actions and expression had made that perfectly clear.
"Where the hell have you been the past week?" Haru snapped.
Yuki sighed again and shrugged his shoulders, "Here. Where else?"
"Maybe I should rephrase. Why haven't you gone to see Tohru?"
"Because-"
"Why the hell haven't you even picked up a single one of her frickin' calls?" Haru demanded.
Haru had more than a lot to say, but he kept his mouth shut, wanting to hear what Yuki had to say before he added anything else. He slowly wrestled his fingers loose and released Yuki's shirt. Yuki landed on his feet with ease. He straightened the front of his shirt before lifting his face to meet Haru's. Despite Haru's negative outlook on Yuki's complete withdrawal from Tohru, Yuki's hardened silver eyes showed nothing but pure grief, like he was fighting just to stay here. Even now, Yuki's toes were pointed towards the door, ready to bolt out and escape to Tohru. His hands were even wrapped around a gold necklace with an arbutus charm that matched one Haru had seen Tohru wear before. Haru's assumptions and Yuki's attitude now simply didn't coincide.
"Have you ever thought that maybe her life would be easier if she had never met me? Happier even? That… That guy…" Yuki could hardly bring himself to speak of the vile man, "That guy wouldn't have tried to rape Tohru if she wasn't interested in me…"
Haru stared at Yuki for a moment and shut his eyes. He let out a deep breath before reopening them. His expression was calmer now, more composed but still as deadly. He raised his hand, like he was going to punch Yuki in the face, and flicked out a finger, jabbing Yuki in the chest three times before muttering something unintelligible in an exasperated voice. He partly rolled his eyes before responding, "You're wrong."
Yuki's face shot up to Haru's, completely caught off guard. That wasn't what he had anticipated to hear. Not even close. He had prepared himself for more yelling and possibly violence but nothing remotely close to what had come out of Haru's mouth. It was too tranquil to be coming from someone who had yanked him off the ground by the collar of his shirt just moments ago. Not only did his tone baffle him, but so did the words. What could he possibly mean by that? Yuki was speechless. Seeing no reason to try to put something coherent together, he kept silent and waited for Haru to explain.
"You got your thinking all backwards. Do you really think that if Tohru didn't know you, it'd make that rapist a better person? If you didn't know her… If you hadn't gotten there in time… He really would have violated her…"
Yuki shook his head slowly, "He wouldn't have had a reason to… She could have loved him instead of me…"
"Save this crap for another day. If you're going to stop seeing her, why don't you choose a better time? Do you have to give her another reason to cry when she's already crying nonstop? And here I thought you were the same Yuki as before! The same person who always had Tohru's needs and wants before his own!" Haru snapped ferociously.
"I am thinking about her wants and needs." Yuki struggled to keep his voice under control which was turning out to be an unbelievably difficult task, seeing as he just learned that he was making Tohru cry. He loathed anyone and anything that caused Tohru anguish, and now he was the source of her agony. How was he supposed to react to that? He gritted his teeth together and fought to stay in place. It had been nearly impossible to stay away from Tohru before he knew of this. Of course, he had his suspicions of her misery, but now that someone had confirmed his beliefs, he could no longer lie to himself and make himself believe that she was happier without him intruding in on her life.
"Then why can't you see that she needs you? You're the thing she needs and wants most right now. Why aren't you thinking about that? You can stay here and pretend that she's okay, that she's getting better, but I have to go home and see a girl slowly killing herself… Did you know that she's practically androphobic now? He may have her frightened half to death, but you're the one who makes her cry!" Haru yelled at him.
Yuki kept silent. His face gave none of his thoughts away. Outside, he seemed cool, collected, like the words Haru had said had no effect on him at all, but that was the complete opposite of what he really felt. Inside, he was being smothered in a chaotic mess of various emotions. He wasn't sure which overpowered the rest, his anger at himself for making Tohru cry, his denial of how much Tohru was suffering now, his regret for even trying to avoid Tohru at a time like this, or his plain disbelief at her reaction. Haru gauged Yuki's face for a minute before tossing his arms up in frustration.
"Forget it. Stay here and do nothing. But don't you dare change your mind. Don't you ever come near my sister again. She doesn't need any more of this shit," he snarled as he tossed something at Yuki.
Yuki caught the object easily.
"Keep that. It's bad luck."
Yuki didn't open his fist until Haru was already at the stairs, but by the texture, he could tell what it was. His fingers slowly peeled themselves back, revealing the shiny ornament. In the middle of his palm sat the gold bracelet he had given to Tohru on his birthday. Yuki's fingers closed around the accessory instantly. He shut his eyes and cursed under his breath. His hand tightened around the adornment, letting the fury he held towards himself out on the bracelet. Quickly, his fist flew open before he crushed his present for Tohru. He pocketed the bracelet and the necklace Tohru had given to him before either of them broke. No need to give her more reasons to be upset with him.
"How could I be so stupid…" he muttered to himself.
He slammed his fist against the door once before darting inside his room. Yuki grasped his cell phone in his hand and quickly dialed Tohru's number, but she didn't pick up. He swore again before tossing the cell phone aside, not bothering to check to see where it had landed. He tore open the window and hopped out swiftly. He landed silently on his feet before continuing across the long stretch of grass, hidden amongst thick greenery and the dark. He dashed through the forest as fast as he could, ignoring the burning sensation that was devouring his lungs and the complaints he received from his legs.
Yuki gripped the bracelet tightly within his hand. Bad luck or not, that was for her to decide though he wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to see it or him anymore. He already regretted his decision to give her space or whatever it was he was trying to do before. What was he trying to do again? He couldn't even remember what excuses his mind had conjured up to convince him to avoid her. He wasn't even sure why he even tried when he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away for very long even if it'd do her good. He wasn't that selfless, and he wanted her.
He only slowed down when he arrived at the walls surrounding the castle.
It didn't take him long to traverse the castle wall and break in through Tohru's window. He wasn't exactly sure how he knew it was Tohru's room, probably some memory his body had from the past, but it surely was Tohru's room, seeing as Tohru was asleep on the bed in the corner. Her back was turned towards him, but he could recognize those brown locks anywhere, even in the state they were in now, dull and dry due to malnutrition. As he took a few steps closer to her, he cringed, starting to see how drastic his stupid efforts to make her lifebetter had been. How thin she was before was nothing compared to now. He swore he could wrap his hand around one of her legs, and the tips of his fingers would meet each other.
Her slow breaths were the only signs of life he received from her. She was pale enough to pass as a corpse, and that scared him more than anything ever had before. He crept over silently, partially dreading waking her. He didn't want to wake his angel, but if what Haru had said was true, he wanted to fix this before Tohru got any worse. His fingers extended towards her, determined to rouse her out of her slumber, but it took ten more tries before they ever made contact with her frigid skin.
As soon as his fingers grazed her arm, her eyes shot open. He jumped back, not expecting the abrupt movement. Her eyes followed him and widened. She stared for a moment, saying nothing before tears erupted out of her large brown eyes. Tohru hurled her blanket off of her and hopped out of bed. She leapt up at him, tossing her arms around him and locking them around his neck. She squeezed him tightly. Her grasp was practically choking him, but he didn't care. He deserved to be choked to death or worse for what he had done to someone he supposedly loved. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing. By the sound of her cries, he couldn't tell whether they were out of joy or grief.
"Yuki! Yuki… Oh… Yuki-kun…" she wept, unable to say anything but his name for some minutes.
He stood there wordlessly. Yuki kept his arms locked around her waist firmly, for they were the only things keeping her upright. Her feet made no contact with the ground, and he was sure that even if they were, they wouldn't have enough strength to hold her frail body up. In fact, he was shocked that she was able to leap out of bed like that and cling to him. Yuki despised himself even more as his hands ran up her spine which stuck out more than it should. He could barely feel any flesh on her body, and the worst part was that he caused this.
"I- I love you… I'm s-sorry Yuki-kun… I re-really do love y-you! I d-didn't mean to let that ha-happen… Pl-please don't b-be mad…" Tohru choked out between her sniffles and hiccups.
As soon as he heard her words, his forehead creased with confusion. Why was she apologizing to him? Did she honestly believe she was at fault here? He instantly pulled back, unable to let her continue sputtering out apologies and taking the blame. Yuki placed his hands over her cheeks. His thumbs slid under her eyes, wiping the tears away. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead delicately, careful not to scare her. He rested his forehead against hers. Yuki could tell how baffled she was. He could see the bewilderment behind the glistening tears in her eyes. He blew out his breath before starting. Not overly eager to see her reaction to his words, he embraced her again, obscuring his face from her view.
"First… Please stop apologizing to me. You did nothing wrong… I don't deserve your apologies… I'm the one who should be saying sorry… I'm the stupid one…" he muttered into the nape of her neck, "I should be on my knees begging for your forgiveness…"
After a brief moment of silence, his eyes flashed up to her shocked ones. He had been too impatient to wait for a response from her, and she didn't look like she was going to speak anytime soon. All her reaction seemed to be was a magnification of her previous disorientation and shock. She seemed to doubt his words. His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to think of a way to convince her that any anger he had was directed at himself, not at her. Maybe he should show her how serious he was. His eyes scanned her dangerously thin legs and frowned. He tightened his hold on her and carried her over to her bed. He set her down gently –still doubting her ability to stand on her own- before he took a step back and dropped down to his knees, bending over until his forehead touched the ground.
"I have no right to request your forgiveness, but I'm truly sorry for ignoring you the past week… If it's not too much to ask, please understand that I did it with your benefit in mind, not because I don't love you…"
"Y-Yuki…" she stuttered, not quite sure what to make of this.
He lifted his head at her, gazing at her intently. Her face still had her surprise painted all over it, but it looked like most of the skepticism was gone. Tohru frowned slightly, seeing no reason for him to be begging forher forgiveness. She wanted to apologize to him. After all, he wasn't the one who was kissed by someone else. If she could get her legs to move, she would have waltzed over to him and apologized, but her body wasn't listening to her pleas to move, and he didn't look like he'd let her say sorry. She lifted her arms up slightly, gesturing for him to come back towards her. Yuki smiled faintly before moving over to her. He dropped his head down on her lap after he encircled her waist with his arms.
"Please say you'll forgive me…" he murmured.
Tohru peered at his form as a small smile graced her features, comprehension finally reaching her head. So he wasn't angry at her. That's all she needed to hear besides that he still loved her and wanted to see her. She plopped her head on top of his back as her arms slithered under to wrap around his midriff. Tohru snuggled against his warm back, grinning so wide that the edges of her mouth started to sting.
"I was never mad at you… I just thought you didn't like me anymore…" Tohru breathed.
"Not possible… I can never not like you… I can't stop loving you…" he responded.
"I love you…"
Two voices merged as one. Those three words spoken truly by two people entranced with love need not two voices, just one. True love was tacit yet clearly evident, for love is not a verbal concept, nor just physically expressed but a mutual feeling shared by two people. And the bond between Yuki and Tohru was clearly the pure essence of true love.
Sorry about the long wait D: Hope it wasn't too rushed. Review and correct the million mistakes in here, despite my hours of editing, please.
