Author's Note: Hey guys! I want to take this time to thank all of you who are reading this and to especially thank everyone who has reviewed this story. I give a special shout out to all of you who have reviewed more than once, you know who you are. I love you guys. To EboniJDonahue and MissMargikarp, I want to say thank you. I can't respond to either of you through PM, but I wanted to give you a personal message.

I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter.

Chapter 6

"I can see it's hurting you/I can feel your pain"—Count On Me.

Saki Hanajima wore red. Yuki almost didn't recognize his dark-haired former classmate as she stepped off the train. She wore flared jeans and a short-sleeved red blouse, and her waist-length black hair was pulled into a French braid. What happened to the black and the veils and the floor length skirts and dresses?

"Miss Hanajima?" Yuki asked, because perhaps he was mistaken.

"Yuki Sohma." The elegant dark haired woman moved in his direction, a single duffle bag was slung over one shoulder while she pulled a rolling suitcase behind her. Yuki shook his head and rushed forward to take her luggage.

"Wow, you look-very nice, very different," Yuki said.

"And you still look very much the same, but older," Hanajima said, her voice was still a cool wind. She passed her luggage off to Yuki as if she expected him to take her bags. "How are you enjoying your success? I've heard much about you from Tohru. She dotes on you as if you are her child." Hanajima's dark eyes were serene.

"Oh?" Yuki felt his cheeks warm. He wondered if his own mother spoke about him as warmly and with as much pride as Tohru did. He doubted she did, and it didn't bother him as it would have years ago, a time before he'd known Tohru. He didn't need Mother's approval.

"She never had anything to say about herself unless it pertained to her bakery," Hanajima continued. "I should have realized something was wrong, but it's hard to sense waves from such a distance. I should have come for a visit."

Yuki led Hanajima to Kyo's car, which he'd been using as if it were his own. Kyo had given him the keys and told him not to wreck it. "I should have come for a visit," Yuki said.

"So, the question is: 'Why didn't we?'" Hanajima said. She allowed Yuki to open the passenger side door for her and she got into the car.

Yuki sighed. "I was too caught up in my own life. I was building a reputation for myself at work and I'm in a serious relationship. Tohru always sounded so happy. Who would ever think anything was wrong?"

"I still think about high school, when she was living in tent for a month and no one knew," Hanajima said, shaking her head. "How are things there, Yuki? You are, after all, the only person I've spoken to. She didn't want to call herself, did she?"

Yuki shook his head. "She didn't know what to say. Kyo called me. I don't know how he handled things so well by himself for so long. Things at the house are… it's strange, but nice. We do a lot of things together, like go out walking and to the movies, and Tohru cooks something new for breakfast and lunch and we always go out to a new place for dinner."

"So…she's pretty active. I'm sorry; I just keep getting these images of Tohru lying in a bed beckoning people to come closer," Hanajima said. "Like a bad movie. When does Arisa get here?"

Yuki put the car in drive and pulled out onto the street. "She and Kureno are driving; they should be here this evening."

"Oh, she's bringing him then? Well, I suppose I will be sleeping on the couch."

"Um." Actually, the plan was for the girls to share and Kureno to take the couch.

"I certainly don't want anyone walking in on those two in compromising positions," Hanajima said easily as Yuki flushed furiously.

No, no one wanted to see that. "Yes, the couch bed is yours. We've bought new linens and everything."

"Hana-chan!"

Yuki stood back as Tohru and Hanajima hugged. Hanajima ran her hands through Tohru's short cap of hair and said in a soft voice, "Tohru, your hair."

"You don't like my bob? I was thinking of getting a pixie cut, but Kyo-chan doesn't like those," Tohru said, pulling back from Hanajima. She smiled, though her eyes were damp. Hanajima dabbed at her own eyes.

"I like it, Tohru. You're beautiful; I just haven't seen you with your hair so short."

The smell of hot cinnamon and melting butter migrated from the kitchen. Kyo and Tohru had been making homemade sticky buns before Yuki had left. It smelled like they were ready. Yuki shrugged out of his light jacket, draping it over one arm, and went into the kitchen. Kyo was sitting on the kitchen island. The oven light was on and he watched the rising buns on the rack.

"Not ready yet?" Yuki asked.

Kyo didn't start or turn at his arrival. "This is a new batch. Tohru had me take the others to the neighbors as a 'thank you' for all the food we've got to give away."

Yuki shook his head. Kyo and Tohru had such lucky neighbors. Yuki wished he had a couple that delivered him baked goods at random and on Wednesdays. Yuki laid his jacket over a chair and came to stand by Kyo. His cousin was pale and his eyes were shadowed.

"How are you feeling?" Yuki asked.

"Hm?" Kyo frowned at Yuki. "I'm fine. Is Hanajima okay?"

Yuki nodded. "I think so. She looks different. She's got on a red shirt and jeans."

Kyo laughed. "Seriously? She's wearing colors? The jeans aren't new, though. Last time I saw her, she was wearing denim, black denim, but it was still really casual."

"I didn't ask what was going on in her life. Is she with someone? Working?" Yuki asked. He looked at the island and the small space beside Kyo. There was enough room for him, too. Yuki tapped Kyo's knee and gestured for him to move over a bit. Kyo lifted an eyebrow but obliged and Yuki boosted himself onto the wooden surface.

"Ever watch that show Ghost Hunters International?" Kyo asked.

"Um… not really, but that's the show where crazy people go around to places that are supposedly haunted, right?" Yuki asked, wondering where Kyo was headed with this line of conversation.

"They did some episodes in Japan, and ol' Hanajima was part of the crew. She's a Ghost Hunter now, and she's been seeing this guy from Scotland," Kyo said.

Saki Hanajima on a television program? Yuki knew he was being silly, but he hadn't been sure the girl could actually be photographed. She'd always unnerved him a bit in school. "So, the show isn't a total hoax?" Yuki asked.

Kyo shrugged. "Who knows? She ain't saying. She just gives those weird answers that don't really answer anything and says creepy stuff about waves. She and that Scottish guy, though, Tohru thinks they might be getting pretty serious. The guy's either coming to visit Hanajima or she's flying to see him. They do that Skype computer chatting stuff all the time. It's… why it was so easy to… let Tohru's condition get by her. If it had been a few years ago, we couldn't have pulled it off."

At least Hanajima had an international affair to use as an excuse.

"What happened to that thing Hanajima used to have for Master Kazuma?" Yuki asked, his tone teasing. He felt more than saw Kyo shudder.

"Don't talk about that Rat; you'll make me lose my appetite."

Yuki certainly didn't want to do that. Kyo didn't have enough appetite to lose.

A small yellow timer shaped like an egg began to cluck; the egg opened, shell peeling back to reveal a tiny yellow chick flapping its little wings. "Cluck, cluck, cluck!"

Yuki chuckled as Kyo ducked his head in shame and slid off the counter to silence the chick. Yuki noticed that Kyo still did not wear an apron, but he'd donned large blue and yellow knitted oven mitts covered with baby chicks and bunnies.

Kyo opened the oven and pulled out the oven rack to remove a cookie sheet full of fat, gooey cinnamon buns dribbling butter and glistening with brown sugar. Yuki's mouth watered and his stomach grumbled. He'd only had a cup of coffee and a banana before running out to pick up Hanajima. Kyo set the cookie sheet on the stove.

"Hey, close the oven and turn it off for me," Kyo called over his shoulder. He moved to a covered bowl of cream cheese frosting and removed the wrapping.

Yuki carefully shut the oven door and whirled the dial from 350 to "off".

"Yankee texted after you left. She and Kureno are about 2 hours from here. Tohru wants to take them all out to lunch," Kyo said as he slapped thick globs of icing onto the center of each bun. The icing began to melt, covering the face of each pastry and spilling over the sides.

"All right," Yuki said, eyes only for the pastries.

Kyo sighed and Yuki tore his eyes from the buns to his cousin. His entire composure was slumped. "Can you take them? The temple called, they want to go over some details later today."

The temple? The temple for the funeral? "Kyo, I'll go. You go to lunch," Yuki said quickly. "Just… just tell me what all needs to be done."

A glob of icing hit the floor by Kyo's foot. "I don't know what all needs to be done. I'm going so they can tell me. There's ceremony and procedure and things that have to be done right, if she's—gonna die at home. I know she wants her ashes to be buried next to Miss Kyoko, and she wants to build her own shrine, next to Miss Kyoko's, in the living room."

Kyo looked down at the icing he'd dropped as if it were a foreign substance. He turned for a paper towel but Yuki beat him to it.

"I got it, Kyo. You can sit down; I'll put the icing on those." Yuki touched Kyo's rigid shoulders and eased the small white spatula from his fingers. Kyo's bangs fell into his eyes as he rolled his head forward.

"Okay." Kyo moved like a zombie back to the kitchen island and boosted himself atop it again. Yuki watched him a moment, then stuck the spatula into the thick icing and scooped out a sample. He tried to do it as Kyo had, and placed a dollop of it onto a hot bun. It was messy and misshapen, dribbling over only one side instead of all over as it had with Kyo's. Damn. Why couldn't he ever get anything in the kitchen right?

Kyo snorted. "You didn't get enough on there."

Yuki scooped more out and put it on the bun. This time the icing didn't melt at all; it sat obstinately atop the already melted icing. Yuki growled and Kyo laughed. "Not on the same one, Rat. Just spread the icing around and try again on a new bun."

Yuki smacked the spatula down on the icing blob to flatten it and spread it over the pastry. He eyed the ones Kyo had done, noting that his stuck out like a sore thumb. He tried again on another bun, this time dolling a generous helping of icing on the bun. The mound dribbled and oozed over the pastry and created a creamy moat around it. This one would stick to the cookie sheet when it cooled.

Kyo continued to laugh. "Third time's the charm."

"Oh, watch this one fall on the floor," Yuki grunted, but couldn't keep back a smile at Kyo's laughter. He scooped out another helping of icing and dropped it in the center of a bun. The cream cheese melted evenly, spreading over the center of the pastry and folding neatly over the sides. Perfect. "Kyo, did you see?" Yuki looked over at his cousin to find the ex-Cat staring out of the bay window. The blinds were up and the curtains were open. It was partly cloudy outside, a nice day for a walk or to have a meal on an outdoor patio. A few people were out jogging. The man with his miniature Akita crossed the street.

"None of that's going to stop next month. She'll be gone, and after a few days, it'll be like nothing happened for the rest of them. I'll look out this window, and Noriko and Kano will be out jogging and Mr. Todo will be walking his dog. It's kind of funny how something that means the end of the world for you can mean nothing to somebody else." Kyo popped his knuckles.

Yuki turned away from Kyo, going back to icing buns. What could he say to that? How could he make Kyo feel better, when he knew that what he'd said was right? When Tohru died, Yuki would stay for a week, maybe two or three, but then he'd have to go home. At home, there was Machi and his career, and a future wedding to plan and a house to buy. His world would not end, but he wasn't going to make a speech about moving on when the time was right. If he was in Kyo's position he'd probably punch someone who tried to tell him that.

"So." Kyo's voice was very loud to Yuki as he concentrated on getting just the right amount of icing on the last two buns. "Will you take them to lunch while I go to the temple?"

"Do you really want to go by yourself?" Yuki asked.

"Someone needs to be with Tohru at lunch. I don't want Hanajima or that Yankee asking her hard questions without someone to protect her. You can do that."

"Who's going to protect you?" Yuki hadn't meant to ask that aloud. He stilled, listening for Kyo's reaction. He heard fabric shifting, but not the sound of feet hitting the floor.

"I told Tohru I had to run over to the dojo to do something this afternoon. She doesn't know where I'm really going, and we're keeping it that way. I'm gonna need to borrow my car from you. You guys take Kureno and Uotani's car to lunch."

The last bun was iced and Yuki stood back to admire his work, ignoring the first two he'd done. He patted his pocket for Kyo's keys and held them out to his cousin.

Kyo slid off the counter, snagging his keys from Yuki's fist. "Thanks." His eyes and tone said the "thanks" was for more than just the keys.

"Next time you do something big, I come with you," Yuki said firmly, staring hard into Kyo's eyes, daring him to say anything negative.

Kyo blinked and nodded once. "Y—yeah." He patted Yuki's shoulder awkwardly and strode out of the kitchen into the living room. "Yo, Hanajima," Yuki heard him say, sounding so normal and inviting.

He sighed and touched a finger to a sticky bun. The warm icing covered his fingertip and he pulled it away to suck on it. The confection coated his tongue, tasting of sweetened cream, butter and vanilla with a taint of cinnamon, delicious. He lifted the hot bun he'd touched, placing it in the palm of one hand. The soft pastry burned his palm, but the pain was welcome, distracting.

Slowly, he made his way back into the living room and sat, listening to Kyo lie about the budget meeting he was going to that afternoon at the dojo as Hanajima and Tohru nodded along.

"Yuki, you look good." Kureno gave Yuki a superficial hug that lasted all of a second. Yuki nodded at his older cousin. He hardly knew Kureno; Akito had kept him away from everyone during the days of the curse, and after the curse had ended, Kureno had run off with Uotani. Yuki felt awkward standing there, exchanging pleasantries the way he would with a stranger with someone who supposed to be family.

"Uh, you look good, too," Yuki said. Kureno smiled at him. He was nearly a head taller than Yuki, and was good-looking as all Sohmas were. His dark red hair was neat and orderly and his clothes were tidy and well matched. Uotani was his perfect opposite. She came to lean against Kureno dressed in a tank top, blue jean jacket and low rise jeans that showed a strip of flesh below her navel. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a high, spiky ponytail and her ears glistened with silver studded earrings.

"Yo, Prince. You grew some more since I last saw ya." She reached out to shake Yuki's hand like a Westerner. Her grip was strong and her hand was rough. "Hana and Orangery inside?"

"Hello, Miss Uotani."

"Ah, stop it with that Miss Uotani crap. Me and Kureno here are gonna tie the knot someday. Call me Arisa." Her brown eyes were steady and clear as they looked him over. "Orangey's been taking care of Tohru okay?"

Yuki blinked at her. She was still the hard-edged girl from high school, one who was fiercely protective of Tohru and ready to fight her enemies, but there was something new in those eyes as well, something tortured.

"Yes, of course he has," Yuki said, surprised at his tone. He hadn't meant that to come out so harshly, but he didn't like Uotani accusing Kyo of not being good to Tohru.

Uotani blinked and quirked a bitter smile. "Yeah, I figured he was. That guy's head over heels." Uotani bit her lip, eyes closing, her expression becoming an angry scowl. "It ain't far. She's the best of any of us and she never catches a break. Her dad, then Miss Kyoko, her family was shitty to her, and now this."

Kureno wrapped his arms around Uotani's waist and pulled her against his body. He didn't say anything, just held her. Uotani's expression smoothed and her eyes opened, once again clear and steady. "How's she look?"

"Good, she looks good," Yuki said. He didn't want to describe her short hair or her skinny arms and thin face. "She's in the kitchen making tea. There are cinnamon rolls and cookies, and we'll go out for lunch later."

Uotani snorted. "It's just like her, you know, smothering problems with food and taking care of other people." Uotani marched toward the house without waiting for Yuki to lead her in or looking behind her to see if Yuki or Kureno were following her.

Yuki looked to see Kureno popping the trunk of the Honda Civic sedan he'd parked in the driveway and removing two rolling suitcases. Yuki took one and Kureno closed the trunk.

"How is Kyo?" Kureno asked as he released the latch to let the black handle to a suitcase out. Yuki mimicked his actions, also letting out the handle on the suitcase he'd taken.

"He's… trying to do a lot of things on his own," Yuki said. He and Kureno pulled the suitcases toward the open back door. Yuki heard the voices of the three women inside drifting from the kitchen. Uotani's tone was teasing and Tohru was laughing. Hanajima's voice was haunting as usual, but there was an amused undertone to it.

"He's not letting you help any?" Kureno asked.

Yuki sighed. "He is and he isn't, but I guess he's doing a lot better than I would be."

"I can't even begin to imagine."

They crossed the threshold with the bags. Yuki removed his shoes at the door, wrinkling his nose to see that Uotani hadn't done the same. She still wore her black tennis shoes. Yuki closed the door behind Kureno.

"Yo, Kureno, we get a guestroom to ourselves. Ain't this the Ritz?" Uotani laughed. She had her arms around Tohru and Yuki smiled at the girls. He saw a flash of them in high school, huddled together for a picture on the class trip to Kyoto. That had been so much fun.

"I'll put your suitcases in the room. Go sit down, have some tea or a cookie, I know you're probably tired from your drive," Yuki said to Kureno. He and Uotani had driven non-stop from Sendai and Kureno had bags under his eyes.

Kureno stretched and smiled at Yuki. He approached Uotani and Tohru and bowed slightly. "Hello Miss Tohru."

"Hello Mr. Kureno," Tohru said. She tried to step away from Uotani so that she could bow back to Kureno, but Uotani held her, tickling her stomach.

"Tohru! He's gonna be my husband, you can't call him mister! That makes him sound old, and people will think I have a sugar daddy or something. Hell, you're married to Orangey; Kureno here's family on both sides to you."

Tohru blushed and sputtered as Uotani tossed her head back and laughed. Hanajima shook her head and finished off a cinnamon roll. Yuki wondered how many she was planning to eat, that had probably been her 6th. Though Yuki could not talk, he'd eaten 8. Tohru had stretched out more dough to make more for them.

Yuki was going to have to have his clothes let out. Machi might not recognize him next time she saw him.

"Where's Orangey?" Uotani's voice boomed throughout the house as Yuki wheeled both suitcases to the second guest room. He clicked on the light and smiled at the new red comforter on the queen-sized Western bed and the matching red curtains they'd helped Tohru pick out that weekend. The lamps on the two bedside tables had silver brass poles and red shams that glowed like lit candles when the bulbs beneath them were turned on. A handmade card sat in the center of the bed next to a single rose.

Greetings Friends, it read.

That annoying sting came to his eye again as he blinked rapidly. Tohru really was the best of them. He set the suitcases inside the walk-in closet, leaving the door open so that Uotani and Kureno would be able to see them when they entered.

Yuki heard the party move into the living room. Uotani was doing most of the talking. She seemed to be telling a rousing story that earned some embarrassed grunts and groans from Kureno. Yuki entered the room just as she was finishing and the girls erupted into pearls of laughter. Uotani held a mug of tea in one hand and a large flower-shaped snicker doodle in the other. Tohru sat next to her with Hanajima on the other side. Kureno sat in an armchair, smiling through heavy-lidded eyes. He looked be falling asleep. A cup of tea sat on a coaster on the coffee table in front of him and he nibbled a bee-shaped snicker doodle.

Yuki came to sit on the small divan across from the couch Tohru, Uotani and Hanajima occupied. The girls all looked at him, and Yuki gulped. Uotani was beaming at him, Tohru wore her soft smile, and Hanajima's eyes were piercing.

"Uh…" Yuki stammered.

"So, Yuki, when are we gonna to hear wedding bells you for and that Machi girl from high school? Rumor tree says you all are shacking up," Uotani said, leaning forward.

Yuki choked. Shacking up? Who said things like that? "I… We don't live together, but…"

"I bet she's got a key to your place and lets herself in, in the middle of the night," Uotani continued. "Tohru, I thought you taught him better manners than that!"

Tohru giggled. "Yuki-kun is a perfect gentleman, Uo-chan."

Yuki wanted to melt into the upholstery. Were they really talking about this, and in front of Kureno? The soft snores from his right told him that he didn't really need to worry about Kureno so much, after all.

"So what if Machi comes over when she wants. She is my fiancé and what we do is none of your business… Arisa." Yuki gave her a stern look.

Uotani grinned. "You really did grow up, Prince. So, you guys have a date in mind?"

Yuki shook his head. "I don't want to announce anything or my brother will be all over me trying to make plans and build dresses."

"Build?" Hanajima asked.

"You guys remember my brother? He gets a little…overzealous." An understatement if he'd ever heard one.

Uotani laughed. "Oh yeah, I remember Cinderella. Hana, I still can't believe you agreed to be Cinderella."

Hanajima smiled. "The experience was memorable. I love sharing stories like that with Gavin. Thank you for sending me that video of the performance, Uo-chan. Without it he wouldn't have believed me."

"The best character was Prince Un-Charming, though. I can't believe Orangey bailed before I got here to rag on him." Uotani dunked her cookie in her tea. She bit off a big chunk of it and her eyes went wide. "Damn, this is a good cookie. Great job Tohru!"

Tohru grinned. "Kyo-chan made those."

"No shit? Orangey bakes cookies?" Uotani crowed like the rooster Kureno used to be.

"And bread and sticky buns, and cakes," Yuki added as Uotani laughed.

"Does he wear a frilly apron like Tohru?"

"No, Kyo-chan won't wear an apron," Tohru said. "He would rather do two-times the laundry. I told him there are aprons without ruffles or pictures, but he just grunts and goes on about his day."

Uotani snickered and finished her cookie. "He's such a man. Kureno wears an apron when he cooks."

"Gavin wears one, too," Hanajima said. "He's an okay cook, but the best things he makes are…."

"Reservations," Uotani finished. "Gavin is a nice guy. You two thinking about tying the knot?"

Hanajima shrugged, smiling to herself. "He has to ask first."

"Oh Hana-chan!" Tohru clapped her hands. "You'll be so beautiful. You should let Ayame-kun and Miss Mine make your dress. You loved your Cinderella dress. They would have so much fun."

"Hm… that's a thought. That dress was nice. I wonder how they'd dress my bridesmaids. Tohru, black wouldn't suit you…" Hanajima trailed off, eyes going wide as she looked away from Tohru. She sipped her tea.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"No, black really isn't my color," Tohru said softly. "But you don't wear so much black anymore, do you? Maybe your dress could be red?"

Hanajima blinked a few times and cleared her throat. "Uh…yes, yes it could be red. Gavin likes red."

Uotani frowned. "Look, just look… Tohru, you don't look like you're…you're dying. What other options did the docs give you? I read up online about all sorts of cancer hospitals that take people with Stage 4 cancer and get them in remission in weeks! They do all sorts of experimental stuff and people waltz right outta the hospital to live 30 more years and have a bunch of kids. We should be taking you to Switzerland or somewhere. Dammit, you have the money!"

"Uo-chan, we—we tried everything. There's nothing else, but experimental treatment. But—but they told us about all the bad things that could happen. They didn't lie to us. There is a very good chance that none of it would work, and it would make me very sick, and very weak. I don't want to live in the hospital, and I don't want my husband, or you, or anyone else to remember me like that. I want to have fun and cook, and see places."

"But you can do all that when you get better! What if you're passing up a chance to get better just because you're afraid it won't work? You have to fight, Tohru!" Uotani set her tea down hard, the dark liquid spilled onto the coffee table. She took Tohru's shoulders. "I don't want to sit and drink tea and talk about Hana's wedding like you aren't gonna be there. You're gonna be there. You'll be there for my wedding, and Prince's wedding, too. We just—we just have to get you cured."

"Uo-chan, Kyo and I… we—we were like you, too. We thought we were going to beat

it, but we just didn't win. We lost, Uo-chan. We've already shouted and cried and now, we're living. Please, I want you here; I want to have fun with you and to laugh and talk about things we used to do. But you can't talk like that—not where Kyo-chan can hear you. We've come too far to be set back."

"I can't believe Orangey's just giving up, just letting you give up!" Uotani was on her feet, her eyes bright. "How many opinions have you had, huh?"

"Multiple," said Tohru. "We've been to so many doctors, specialists. The hospital called in specialists." Tears coursed down Tohru's cheeks and Yuki felt anger building inside him. Uotani was upset, of course she was; she had every right to be. She wasn't to the level of acceptance Tohru and Kyo had reached; none of them were because Tohru and Kyo had dealt with this for months, whereas the rest of them had only had days. But that was no reason for her to yell at Tohru, or make Tohru cry.

Yuki rose to his feet and stopped Uotani's pacing by taking her hand. "Arisa, maybe you should lie down. You're tired from your trip."

"I don't want to lie down." Uotani slapped his hand away and glared at him. " You're okay with this, Prince? You're cool just sitting here playing house when time is ticking away, time that a real doctor could look at Tohru and say, "Oh hey, we haven't tried this…" and get her better is slipping right by us?"

Yuki's insides turned. Uotani could be right. There were break-through's every day in cancer treatment. He'd read about the miracles online. Tohru was such a good person; she deserved a miracle—but a miracle wasn't what she wanted right now. She wanted peace. Yuki had promised to respect her wishes.

"Arisa, Tohru told you what she wanted. Please stop disrespecting her in her home," Yuki said. He gazed over at Kureno. How was his cousin sleeping through this?

"I'm disrespecting her? I seem to be the only person here who wants her to live!"

Yuki jumped back as Hanajima suddenly appeared beside him. She slapped Uotani and glared at her, her own eyes bright.

"Don't you ever say that again," Hanajima said, her voice shaky and threatening to crack. Yuki blinked, never having heard such emotion from Hanajima. "You are not the only person who loves Tohru. She is in pain and has suffered so much. You can't feel her like I do."

"Oh Hana-chan." Tohru sounded devastated. Her small hands were over her mouth and her eyes were red. "Oh Hana-chan, I didn't think about that. I'm so sorry."

"No." Hanajima sat down beside Tohru again, putting her arms around the smaller woman and holding her. "Don't be sorry Tohru. I'm here for this, to share your feelings."

Tohru sobbed and Hanajima stroked her hair.

Uotani watched them both, her expression stricken. Yuki remained in place, ready to pounce on Uotani if she started in on Tohru again. Uotani's eyes were steel. She stalked out of the room, heading for the front door. She let herself out. Yuki could see her through the large picture window, walking through the front yard. She pulled a small package from her pocket and extracted something from it. When he saw the flicker of a flame, he realized it was a cigarette.

He wasn't surprised Uotani smoked, but he had never seen her do it before. He watched her a moment longer, then looked back at the young women on the couch, one holding the other. Yuki pulled Tohru's afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over her. Hanajima looked up at him, her eyes weary and full of grief and Yuki offered her a smile.

"I can get some leftovers out of the fridge. I don't think we'll be going out for lunch."

Hanajima nodded.

Yuki went into the kitchen and boosted himself onto the counter island, sitting as Kyo had that morning and praying that Kyo would return soon.

Houston, Whitney and CeCe Winans. "Count One Me." Waiting to Exhale. Arista, 1995. CD.

Author's Note: So, what's the verdict? Liked it? Hated it? Don't care either way? Well, anyway you liked it, let me know. Please review.