Chapter Ten: Breakfast and Intrigue

Tohru yawned and stretched before sliding out from under her bed covers. Today was going to be a good day, she decided as she moved to her closet to find some clothes. With luck, Ciel would be conscious again and they could show them the city. It was her turn to play hostess, after all. And after Shigure's reassurances last night, she felt sure that Kyo would return soon, under his own power.

Dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she started pulling out pots and pans to make breakfast, humming to herself as she worked.

"Good morning."

She turned around swiftly, one hand to her heart. "Oh! Sebastian! I didn't see you there. I forgot how quiet you can be." She turned back to the pot she was filling with water to make porridge. "How's Ciel today?"

Sebastian watched her work from the doorway. He had to mentally remind himself that this was not the Manor and that he did not have to move in and take over on the cooking. Tohru was not Bard. "I believe he is doing better," he answered her as he moved into the kitchen. "Is there anything I might do to assist you?"

Tohru turned the stove on, holding the knob until the gas lit, then set the temperature. "Oh, no! It's fine! I do pretty much all the cooking here. It's part of my job. I do the household chores in exchange for my room and board, you see. I wouldn't be earning my keep if I didn't."

"Ah." The butler moved further into the room, watching as she sliced up a daikon radish. "I take it you are not of an influential family then." He'd rather thought as much. And the information he'd recently received about her made for a very interesting picture.

She turned to face him a little hesitantly. "You're not mad, are you? I mean, I didn't mean to deceive you. I never did say I came from a wealthy family, but oh! Did I give that impression! If so, I apologize! I never meant-!"

Sebastian held up a hand. "There is no need for you to apologize to me, Miss Tohru. Not all who are rich are of nobility, and not all who are nobility are rich. I believe it goes along with the saying, "all that is gold does not glitter". You have the heart of a noble woman, and as such, I shall treat you as one. I am sure Master Ciel would say the same thing."

Tohru sighed in relief. "I'm glad. I mean, after mom's accident, I didn't know what I'd do. It's been over a year, you know. And I was trying to live on my own, but it didn't work out well. I was really very lucky that Shigure and the others said I could live here. I'm probably the luckiest person in the whole world."

Sebastian couldn't help but smile at that. She definitely behaved as one of noble heart. And her heart was as pure as ever, he noted, tasting the air. "I'm glad to see that you suffered no lasting ill effects from your visit to the master's manor."

Tohru stirred something in a bowl. "I'm fit as a fiddle!" She thumped herself in the chest with her bowl. "Once Kyo found me, everything was wonderful. And I'm glad for it. I wouldn't forget any of it for a minute, or trade it for anything in the world."

The butler began to idly inspect the kitchen, memorizing where everything was being kept. He moved over to a cupboard and peered inside. "Has master Kyo treated you well?"

She turned to check on her porridge. "You bet! I mean, sometimes he loses his temper, but he's always so nice to me. And he's quick to apologize if he's hurt my feelings, even if it was by accident."

Sebastian nodded. "Good." He would not forget the promise he'd made to his master, about making sure those two were all right, and that Kyo never hurt her, at least not intentionally. All seemed well there. "I wondered if, perhaps, later, when my master is awake, if you would be so good as to show us around the area. I believe it would be wise for him to acquire some clothes that would be more suitable to the time period."

Tohru looked up from her stirring. "Oh, right. Sure. I'd be happy to do that! If it's not too much trouble, that is. I mean, I pretty much go everywhere by walking. Do you think he'll be up to that?"

The butler smiled. "Don't worry. If he becomes overly tired, I can either carry him, or we can hire a carriage."

Tohru laughed. "Well, I don't know about a carriage, but we might be able to find a cab." Her face fell slightly. "Though I don't really have the money to pay for one."

Sebastian shook his head slightly. "Money won't be a problem," he assured her as he pulled out his money pouch. He'd managed to exchange a fourth of their original assets into the current currency. "I hope fifty-thousand dollars will be sufficient." He removed a folded stack of bills to show her.

Her eyes about popped out of her head. "Fif…fifty-thousand?" She leaned a bit weakly against the counter.

He glanced at her questioningly. "Miss Tohru, are you unwell? You seem to be a bit pale." He absently replaced the money in his wallet and slipped it back into his inner pocket while walking over to her side.

Tohru tried to get a hold of herself. "Fifty thousand dollars is… a lot of money," she managed to say after a moment's silence. "Most people don't even make that much in a year, let alone carry it around in their pockets. It just took me by surprise, is all."

"Ah." Understanding filled Sebastian's mind. "I suppose that would seem rather a great sum of money to handle all at once. I shall be careful not to advertise it to those around us."

She nodded. It probably wouldn't be a problem while at Shigure's house, but there were plenty of people out in the city who wouldn't mind trying to steal it, though she didn't think they'd get too far before the butler caught them, if they got along far enough for it to even matter.

Sebastian glanced around thoughtfully, noting the dishes she'd made. "It is also possible that we may pick up some clue as to the whereabouts of Kyo while we are out and about."

Her eyes shone with excitement. "Oh! Do you really think so! That would be wonderful!"

"Yes," he mused. "And perhaps we can also find the person we came searching for. After all, this trip is not strictly for pleasure."

Tohru snapped to attention. "Oh, that's right! You mentioned something about that yesterday, didn't you? I'd forgotten all about it! I hope that what happened doesn't get in the way of your investigation!"

Even though the butler was used to doing things in a quick and efficient manner, he was a little hard pressed to keep up with Tohru's excitement and changing moods. Even the Lady Elizabeth was not prone to such quick changes in temperament. "That should not pose a problem," he finally replied, after a second's hesitation to be sure he'd heard correctly.

"What's this about a problem?" Shigure strode into the kitchen, pushing the slight curtain in the doorway aside.

Both Sebastian and Tohru looked up at the sudden intrusion. "There's no problem," the butler said smoothly. "As I was saying to Miss Tohru, the arrangements we have made to go into town later should not pose a problem."

Shigure raised his brows a bit but nodded in comprehension. "Ah. Yes. That might be a good idea. Get out of the house, find some fresh air…"

"And stop blocking the doorway," Yuki's voice came from behind the writer.

Shigure twisted to see his younger disgruntled cousin glaring at him. "My, but don't you look scary this morning. Maybe you should go out with them. Or go back to bed. I'm not sure which would be better."

Yuki just rolled his eyes as he pushed past his cousin and entered the kitchen. "I wanted to offer my help to Miss Honda," he said, turning a more gentle expression towards Tohru.

Tohru had just taken the pan off the stove. "Oh, that's okay, Yuki. Thank you for the offer, but I think breakfast is just about ready. But if you really want to help, would you be willing to set the table?"

He smiled at her and went to get the dishes. "Sure." He gave Shigure a scowl as he passed him on his way out to the dining room, following after her.

Sebastian watched the exchange with amusement in his eyes. He had not missed the young man's glances at Tohru and wondered if Kyo had some competition on that end.

Shigure heaved a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing Tohru was done cooking," he commented after she'd left the kitchen, carrying a tray. "If she wasn't, I would have had to step in. While Kyo would actually be useful in the kitchen, everything Yuki touches tends to turn into charcoal." He laughed lightly at his little joke.

Sebastian raised his brows at the comment. "Ah. I believe our two households hold something in common then. Our cook has a tendency to overdo things as well." He thought about Bard's usual attempts to create some culinary masterpiece, which usually required the use of a flamethrower, and ended up with the need for a new kitchen, or at least new furnishings and tableware.

Shigure blinked in surprise and confusion. "Ah, well then. It looks like Tohru's ready for us. Shall we go in?" He turned and headed towards the dining room in quick order, leaving a bemused butler behind him.

Hana didn't know why she felt like walking by the school at this rather unlikely time in the morning, and on a day off from school as well. But she had learned that it was often a good idea to listen to what the electrical waves told her, and so she found herself in front of the high school building, waiting, watching. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but knew she'd know it when she saw it.

Up ahead, no more than a block away, she saw someone walking towards her. Unusual electrical waves were coming from this person, and she was sure she'd felt them before, though she couldn't place a name to their owner. Whoever this person was, they were not a Sohma, even though the waves were rather peculiar in a slightly similar way.

She pursed her lips. "This does not bode well," she said as she watched the girl come closer, close enough for her to distinguish features and to know that she was acting more than a little oddly. Something had to be done about this. She walked towards her.

"Good morning," she greeted. "Aren't you the new transfer? Tessa Harbinger, wasn't it?" Hana held out a hand to the brunette girl who blinked in surprise. "I'm Saki Hanajima."

Tessa took the offered hand and shook it. "That's right. What are you doing here?" She looked a bit confused. For whatever reason, she couldn't get a read off of this black haired classmate and it unnerved her a bit. She was usually very good at being able to at least get a basic read on everyone, feeding lightly off of their residual energies.

Hana planted her feet in a non-threatening manner. "I might ask you the same question. We don't have school today. What could our new transfer student possibly need at school on a day when we don't need to be here?"

Tessa laughed lightly, and brushed her hair to one side with an errant hand. "I was only trying to familiarize myself more with the grounds. I mean, come on. You have to admit, they're pretty big."

Hana raised her eyebrows. "I see. Perhaps you did not know this then, the grounds are closed on days we don't have school. Unless there is a special session for making up tests, or some other pre-arranged activity, we are not allowed to enter on off days." This wasn't, strictly speaking, the truth, but she somehow found that she didn't like Tessa being there, like she could almost sense the girl's intent, but not quite. This one was fairly good at shielding herself.

Tessa shrugged. "No matter. Guess I'll just try and get a better idea about the lay of the land instead. You know, see where the shops are and all that." She gave a bit of a wink and sauntered off. Mentally, she was scowling. What was with that girl? She'd have to wait until she'd gone before breaking into the school records.

Hana watched her go. She felt rather uneasy about her. There was something not quite right about everything. "Hmmm." She pulled out a book she'd brought with her and settled down onto the sidewalk in front of the building, intent on waiting to see what Tessa might try to do. It was obvious that she wanted into the building, though Hana didn't know why.