I am back with a new chapter of "Love Lasts Forever"! Enjoy!
Weeks: 12
Tohru wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand and gave a satisfied sigh.
"Looks like the room is clean!" she exclaimed, patting herself on the back for her hard work. She felt a twinge of sadness as she looked at the disassembled crib parts neatly packed in a box. Returning Momo's crib will help me get over this... Keeping it would be no use and a waste of money. She smiled through the stinging of her eyes. Watch over me, Mom and Momo! You two will always be in my heart.
The orange-haired cat entered and saw the brunette stare longingly at the box that held the crib. He looked at Tohru disapprovingly.
"It's only been a week since you've left the hospital, Tohru," said Kyo out of worry. "You should focus on your health and not work so hard."
The rice ball tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "This is for my health, Kyo-kun. I think I'll feel better once it's gone. Maybe I'm already starting to feel better!"
The orange cat noticed the pain behind her dark blue pools. The brunette looked away, hiding her emotions with a smile. He got closer to her and placed his hand on the top of her head.
"It's okay to be sad. Being sad doesn't make you a weaker person."
Tohru blushed and nodded. "I know. But I'm happier than I am sad. I have Ichigo, Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, and Shigure-san. You all make me so happy."
Kyo softened his gaze and gave the brunette a small smile.
The intimate moment was interrupted by a quiet "oh" that had escaped the lips of the prince standing in the doorway. He looked down and frowned, his grey bangs covering his hurt-filled eyes.
The cat removed his hand immediately from the rice ball's head and stuffed both of his hands in his pockets, blushing profusely.
Tohru smoothed down her brown locks and met Yuki at the door. "Y-Yuki-kun! I was just packing up the crib."
Yuki, darkness still evident in his face, nodded. "I see."
Tohru placed her hand on her prince's arm, but he slowly pulled his arm away. The brunette felt tightness in her chest.
Yuki-kun is upset... How much longer can I endure the sadness it causes me to hurt either Yuki-kun or Kyo-kun? Mom, what should I do?
"School will start soon. I just came to tell you two to get ready," said the rat, his voice monotone. He swiftly turned and took long strides down the hallway.
The orange-haired boy groaned and looked at Tohru apologetically. "I made him mad. Sorry, I won't do that again. I guess I keep forgetting my limits."
Tohru felt her heart break at his words. I don't want him to limit himself to me. Her eyes widened at her thoughts. What am I thinking? Get a grip on yourself, Tohru!
Kyo glanced at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"
Tohru shook her head back and forth. She kept her mouth tightly sealed in case she were to accidently say her feelings aloud.
"Okay, then. I'm gonna get ready," said Kyo, strolling out the door. "See you in a few minutes."
As soon as he was out the door, Tohru sank down to the floor and clutched her beating chest.
"What is wrong with me?" she muttered to herself. "It must be a hormonal change. I guess I should start getting ready."
She felt nervous to go back to school after such a long break, but she was also eager to learn and do something other than sit around at home. Plus, she had Uo and Hana during lunch to cheer her up.
Tohru raised her fist in the air optimistically. "I can do it!" Her smile disappeared and she bowed her head in defeat, her fist falling limply. This is so difficult.
She said one last goodbye to the packaged crib and headed to her room.
A heavy silence hung over the students. Tohru could feel dozens of eyes on the back of her head as she sat at her desk. Her classmates were simply too stunned to say anything; they hadn't expected her at school so suddenly.
They watched her every move with intensity. Even the teacher couldn't help but stare, although he caught himself quickly. He continued with his attendance.
"Honda Tohru," he called. Rather than the silence that had answered him for the past few weeks, a quiet voice answered the call.
"Here," said Tohru, raising her hand. She quickly brought her hand back down, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, although the attention was already on her.
The teacher raised his brow and put a sour expression on his face, as if to look down on the brunette. He moved on with the attendance.
Even the Prince Yuki Fan Club girls focused solely on Tohru. They were blind to their beloved prince, who wished that the girls would actually focus on him so that Tohru wouldn't feel so uncomfortable.
"Sohma Kyo."
"Here."
All eyes landed on Kyo, searching for some sort of answer in his body language. The students all wondered whether the rumors were true. Was Tohru pregnant with Kyo's child and not Yuki's? Some students had even placed bets on the boys, so the answer was crucial to their financial gain.
The teacher quickly finished up the attendance and started the class with math. Tohru made sure to sit upright and pay extra close attention to each word, not wanting to repeat her first day of school incident.
The brunette stared at the combination of numbers and symbols written on the chalkboard. Her head spun as she tried to make sense of the scribbles. No matter how much I pay attention, I still don't understand... I sure hope this baby doesn't inherit my brain...
She snuck quick glances at Yuki and Kyo. Yuki diligently copied down notes, his stony grey eyes fixed on the board. Kyo, on the other hand, slept peacefully, using his textbook as a pillow.
"Tohru-kun!" yelled the teacher, his voice stern. Tohru spun her head around abruptly. "Do you think you're too smart for my class? Why don't you demonstrate your knowledge for us up here on the board? Solve this problem."
Some students snickered. The rice ball burned with embarrassment as she shuffled up to the front, subconsciously covering her abdomen with her arms.
The judgmental eyes of the class rested on the brunette's swollen abdomen, trying to see through the arms that hid the bump away. It seemed so unreal to the students; the most innocent girl in the class was sporting a baby bump. Some students hadn't even believed the rumors until they saw her in person.
The rice ball's hand trembled as she grabbed the piece of white chalk. She rolled the chalk between her thumb and index finger, the white dust covering her fingertips. The chalk snapped from the amount of pressure she had applied.
She cast a fearful look at her teacher, who pursed his lips in disapproval. The brunette gulped and grabbed a new piece of chalk, her shaking hand making it's way toward the blackboard.
Think, Tohru, think! Come on, you've listened during the entire lesson! Tohru began to write a few formulas. Sweat formed along her brow. She wiped the sweat away with her other hand whilst continuing to solve the problem.
After what seemed like an eternity, Tohru stopped writing. She circled her answer and looked to the teacher for his approval. He thoroughly searched each step for a mistake. Tohru stood stiffly, trying to guess which part the teacher was looking at.
The teacher sighed. "Wrong. All of it."
The brunette winced at the laughter filling the room. She stared at her teacher wide-eyed.
"Sit down and pay attention from now on if you're going to pull something like this."
The brunette nodded and apologized. She sat back down in her seat.
"No wonder she got knocked up. She's an idiot," whispered a girl to her friends.
Tohru blocked out the mean comments she heard and tried harder to focus on the lesson. I have to try harder if I want to keep up. Ichigo should be proud to have me as a mother, not embarrassed. I have to become a mom that the baby can be proud of.
The morning classes had passed—extremely slowly, but the rice ball endured. She made her way to the lunchroom, looking for her two best friends. They were nowhere to be found.
She had looked forward to lunch, where she could sit with the only two people who didn't hate her guts or view her with disgust. However, the brunette found out that Uo was sick at home and Hana had a group project to work on.
Tohru bit her lip. I'll just eat first and wait for Hana to finish. With her bento in her hands, the rice ball wandered aimlessly as she searched for a table. She spotted a nearly empty table. The two girls sitting at the table were Tohru's acquaintances. The brunette felt a sense of relief when she saw them.
"Hi, Rika-san! Miyuki-san!" said Tohru with a smile as she approached the table. She sat next to Miyuki and put down her bento.
Miyuki shifted uncomfortably and shot a glance at Rika. Rika nodded and started to pack up her lunch.
"We have somewhere to be right now," said Miyuki, closing up her bento. "See you around, Tohru-san."
The girls slid out of their seats and walked away, leaving the brunette to eat her bento alone. She watched the two girls walk away, laughing and whispering to each other. The brunette fought back tears and quickly stuffed her mouth tempura to stop herself from crying. I'm getting stronger from this. She got over it quickly and slowed to down her eating to actually enjoy her lunch.
The other students avoided her table entirely. They laughed and whispered about her all around the cafeteria. The rice ball tried her best to ignore the nasty comments and eat her lunch.
Wow, Aka-chan is very hungry. Although she was being watched, the brunette ate ravenously, much to the amazement of her fellow classmates. Showing this side to everyone is a little embarrassing, but it's hard to control my appetite.
As she ate, the orange cat sat in the seat across from her, unpacking his own bento that had been packed by Tohru in the morning.
"Why're you sitting here all alone?" asked Kyo.
"No one... wants to sit next to me," admitted Tohru, smiling as if she wasn't hurt by it. As if it was just a funny joke.
Kyo's heart ached from her words. He was used to being alone, so today's treatment wasn't different to him than that of any other day. But, for Tohru, this was new and more painful.
"Don't worry about other people." He chewed his food and swallowed. "If you're okay by yourself, they can't bother you. At least, that's how it is for me."
Tohru smiled and placed her hand on top of the cat's in gratefulness. People around the cafeteria gasped. Tohru jumped from the response and pulled her hand away, but Kyo acted fast and held on to it. Tohru squirmed in his grasp, trying to pull her hand back.
"Kyo-kun, everyone's watching!"
The cat looked unfazed. "Who cares? Just act how you act when there aren't people. Pretend like I'm the only one here."
The rice ball slowly nodded and began to block out the sound and sight of other people. Once Kyo felt her arm relax in his grip, he let go.
She began to feel comfortable to talk.
"What brings you down here, Kyo-kun? You usually eat on the roof."
"Oh. Well, uh, there's construction or something going on," he lied. I was worried about you.
"I see! I guess you won't be up there for a while."
"Yeah, so I can sit with you from now on, if you don't mind."
The brunette's face broke into a bright smile. "Of course I don't mind Kyo-kun! I'm so happy!"
The cat blushed. "Jeez, it's not that exciting."
"Hehe. How's your lunch?"
"It's good. Although, I don't exactly appreciate the addition of the leeks."
Tohru blinked. "Eh? I didn't add leeks to your bento... It must have gotten switched with Yuki-kun's! That's unfortunate... I made sure to add a lot of tempura to that bento since you like it so much."
Kyo kept in the joy he felt from her words. She made sure to pack me what I liked... She actually cares about my opinions. I feel so... happy around her. But, she's with the rat. I can't think like this.
The cat looked around and noticed the missing presence.
"Where's the rat?"
Tohru tensed up at the mention of her boyfriend. "He's at a student council meeting."
"Oh." Kyo avoided the rice ball's eyes and picked at his food. "I'm sure you would've been happier if the rat were here instead of me."
"N-No!" Tohru shook her head back and forth passionately. "That's not true, Kyo-kun!"
"I mean, wouldn't anyone prefer their boyfriend or girlfriend's company over anyone else's?" whispered Kyo, making sure that others wouldn't hear.
Tohru looked away and sighed. "Not exactly. I'm really unsure about my relationship with him. I don't have the courage to talk about it with him, either."
The cat immediately felt bad for bringing it up. Tohru sensed his guilt.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have told you in the first place, making you uncomfortable like this. It was just bothering me for the past few weeks."
Kyo remained silent. He didn't want to tell her how to handle her relationships. Plus, he was still unclear about whether he wanted the two together or broken up. I should want whatever is best for Tohru... but what is best for her?
Throughout the entire student council meeting, Yuki had been thinking about Tohru. It was uncharacteristic of him, but he couldn't help but zone out, wondering how she was handling everything.
On his way out of the meeting place, he saw Kosuke, lighting a cigarette.
Yuki felt something boil inside him, but he managed to take it out calmly. "Chiba-san, can you put that out?"
Kosuke scoffed, but obeyed. He threw his cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his shoe.
Yuki watched, satisfied. "Thank you."
Kosuke shrugged and began to walk away.
"Wait! Chiba-san!"
The rebel turned around. "What is it, Prince Yuki?"
Yuki ignored the mocking tone. "Please tell me what you're hiding from Tohru."
"I have to use the restroom really quick, Kyo-kun. I'll be right back," said the rice ball. Kyo nodded and put his head down on the table. Tohru raced out of the lunchroom, hundreds of eyes following her.
She got to the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief. It's empty... Finally, I can be somewhere without people watching my every move. She moved into a stall and closed the lid of the toilet, sitting on top of the cover. I never knew being alone like this could be so comforting. The cramped space made her feel safe from the prying stares of her classmates.
Footsteps and chatter interrupted her quiet time.
"Ahaha, did you see how alone she was? It was super sad."
"What a pity. She deserves it, though. I mean, no one wants to hang around someone who is irresponsible and reckless."
"Yeah, that's true. At least she has her baby daddy, hahaha! He's like some sort of guard dog, sticking by her side all the time."
The brunette looked down at the tile floor, listening to their every word. They're talking about Kyo-kun and me... She understood why they would; her pregnancy was the first truly exciting thing that ever happened to this school.
"I'm just glad Prince Yuki isn't the father."
"You never know! He did say that he was during class."
"Ugh, don't joke like that! He's not some low class animal, like her."
"Okay, okay. Let's get out of here, lunch is almost over."
The girls scurried out.
Tohru slowly unlocked the stall and emerged from her hiding place. A low class animal... I'm sorry, Ichigo, that you had to hear that. She rinsed her face with cold water and gently patted her face dry with a paper towel. But, I'm not letting those words get to me anymore. Mama will be strong for you.
Yuki walked back to class, oblivious to his surroundings. He was lost in thought over his talk with Kosuke. The talk had been short since Kosuke was being evasive. Yuki had given up trying to find out more, but was left confused after some of Kosuke's words.
In the end, I didn't learn much, did I? But what did he mean when he said that I looked like I had fun at the party? Something about a side he's never seen... Could that mean that he saw me do things I wouldn't normally do? Perhaps with... Tohru?
Yuki felt more perplexed than before he had spoken to Kosuke. It seems like he's playing around with us...
Yuki Sohma did not like being toyed with. Ever since he was young, he was given to Akito as just a plaything. He was sick and tired of being used for other people's entertainment.
I won't let a guy like him mess with me or Tohru... I'll find out what he wants and figure out this situation myself.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, Yuki bumped into a fellow student.
"Hey, watch it!" yelled the boy, who had fallen to the floor.
Yuki reached down to apologize, but noticed the bright orange hair. The prince scrunched his nose in annoyance and stood back up, brushing himself off.
Kyo looked up and saw his cousin, standing over him. "Ugh, it's you." He picked himself up off the floor and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
"How was Tohru? I had a student council meeting so I couldn't see her today," said Yuki with a sullen look on his face.
"You're lucky you have it so easy. Tohru and I are just outcasts. Sure, I'm used to it, but Tohru isn't. She was having a hard time today."
A feeling of guilt rested in Yuki's chest. "Did she eat lunch with Uo-san and Hana-san?"
Kyo shook his head. "They were busy."
"She ate alone?"
Kyo scowled. "Of course not. I was there. But, shouldn't you have been there instead as her boyfriend?"
The rat sighed. "Are we still considered to be in a relationship?"
Kyo groaned. "If you don't know, how should I know?
"Tohru must be confused about this, too."
"She is."
"I'll clear this up with her... eventually."
"Why not now?"
"Because," said the prince, exasperated. "I'm not ready."
Kyo chuckled. "Asshole."
The prince stood absentmindedly as the cat slinked away. I'm a selfish coward. I'm only afraid of talking it out with her because I'm scared that we might break up; I'm scared of letting her go. But, Tohru acts strange around me. I feel like I pushed her into this relationship while she wasn't ready.
He began to walk to class when he was suddenly struck with an idea. Maybe letting her go is a way to keep her with me... He decided to act out his plan once he was ready.
That's the end of this chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Please favorite, follow, and review if you haven't already! I really enjoy getting those little notifications heehee. Until next time!