*Muse Tunes: "Strong (US Radio Edit)" by London Grammar, "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

CHAPTER 2 – The Good, The Bad & The Rice Ball

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of her wit must be in want of her friends…especially after strange run-ins with mysterious life-saving hotties.

Good thing she was already on her way to see them.

By the time forklift kid came back with her apology plant (looking no worse for wear re-potted in a pretty ceramic planter), Tohru had managed to push the incident with Mr. Handsome to the back of her mind. Which, as it turned out, was easy enough to do once she realized her long lead time had disappeared completely into an abyss that now bordered on late. Luckily getting out of the behemoth of a store was much easier than getting in, and she was soon on her way down the road with only remnants of the incident stubbornly lingering in her conscious mind.

A few blocks away and around the corner Tohru easily found the restaurant Hanajima had suggested as their meeting place. It was a cute little joint with and patio she must've passed by every day when she lived here, yet never remembered eating at. Must at least have a decent menu if Hana-chan picked it, Tohru thought to herself.

"TOHRU!" It really shouldn't surprise her that she heard Uotani's voice before she actually saw her. "There she is! The lady of the hour, Tohru Honda, live and in person," the blonde crowed with a giant smile on her face as she approached with her arms thrown open in greeting. Tohru only had a moment to put the poor iris plant down before she was pounced on. She squeaked in surprise as the taller woman picked her clean off her feet into a huge bear-hug.

"Hi Uo-chan," she said with a bubbly giggle once she was back on solid ground. "Did you grow again?"

"Nah. My 5'11 dreams shipped years ago. Maybe you shrunk," she replied with a familiar cackle. Man, she missed this.

"Don't listen to her Tohru, her shoes are deceptively tall."

Tohru turned to see Hana gliding towards her and her smile grew even brighter at the sparkle in the raven-haired girl's dark eyes.

"Hana-chan!" she called as she gave her a hug as well. "It's so good to see you both!"

"Shall we go grab a table?" Hana suggested.

"What's with the plant, Tohru?" Uo asked as they all moved towards the open patio seating.

"Oh, right! This is for you Hana-chan…as a congratulations on your impending wedding!" Tohru replied as she quickly picked the plant up and shoved it into her friend's hands. "I-I wasn't sure what to get you, but I thought you might like these. The tag said they were purple."

"A very suitable selection, indeed. Not only will they go with my décor, I believe they also represent glad tidings. You have my thanks," Hana replied with a bow.

"Oh, I didn't even know, what a coincidence!" Tohru replied in obvious delight.

Uo and Hana exchanged a glance at this that gave her another one of those uneasy twinges, but she ignored it. She was not going to ruin this time with her friends worrying.

"I'm really glad you like them! You wouldn't believe it to look at us now, but this little plant and I almost didn't escape the garden center at all," Tohru continued cheerfully.

"Say what?" Uo dead-panned.

"It was my fault, really. I wasn't paying attention and nearly got ran over by a forklift…oh, but I'm okay! I was saved by this guy who I happened to bump into. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would've happened."

"A guy, huh? Was he hot?"

"Her waves indicate that he was, Arisa."

"Hell, her face is telling me that," Uo replied. "Did you get his number?"

"Uh…"

"Tohru."

"He left before I got the chance to. I swear! I got distracted for one minute and when I turned around again, poof! He was gone."

"Damn, what a wasted opportunity."

"It's okay, Uo-chan. I probably wouldn't have seen him again, anyway."

"What kind of attitude is that to have?"

"A realistic one?"

"You need to give yourself a little more credit."

"Although I would have to agree, perhaps you should cut Tohru a break, Arisa. She did just arrive in town, after all," Hana interjected.

"Party pooper," Uo muttered, making Tohru giggle once again.

At that point the girls were comfortably situated at one of the open patio tables. A server came over to take their order and they chatted about Tohru's trip and the place she was renting until their drink order had been placed in front of them.

"It's hard to believe how long it's been since the last time you were in Tokyo," Uo commented with a dramatic sigh.

"And just in time for the anniversary," Hana added thoughtfully, making the other two girls both sober up.

"Man, it's hard to believe it's been seven years. Even after all this time I sometimes still think Kyoko will walk into the room at any minute."

"When was the last time you were in town to celebrate it, Tohru?"

"Not since Grandpa died," Tohru confirmed softly, the familiar sadness washing over. "I cannot thank you enough, guys, for taking care of her all this time. Since I'm here I fully intend to do it myself this year."

"We can still come with you though, right?"

"Of course! You're always welcome."

"Very good," Hanajima said with a warm squeeze of Tohru's hand. She flashed her friend a grateful smile while they all shared in a comfortable moment thinking of the extraordinary woman Kyoko Honda was. Eventually it was Uotani that broke the silence.

"So, Tohru, I've been wondering…how come you're in town so early? Not that it isn't great to see you and all, but I got the impression it isn't easy for you to take time off…and Hanajima's wedding isn't for another five weeks."

"Er, well…about that," Tohru began, laughing a little nervously. "I sort of got fired?"

"What?" Hanajima responded in surprise just as Uotani screamed, "The hell Tohru! What happened?"

"Mrs. Yamada accused me of…making improper advances towards her son. Said she couldn't have that kind of behavior happening under her roof. Especially with two young, impressionable girls in the house."

"Pfft, what a crock of shit. Has she met you?" Uo growled.

"Indeed. Such a thing would not be in your character. Anyone who knows you would understand this. Did she say where this was coming from?" Hana asked.

"Mitsuo told her. If I had any way of disproving it I would have in a heartbeat! But in a he said-she said argument there's no question which one of us she was going to believe," Tohru replied sadly.

"So, what really happened?"

"Let me guess," Uo interjected. "This Mitsuo guy was the one to make the pass and you turned him down flat, am I right?"

"How did you know?" she cried in surprise. Uotani rolled her eyes.

"Uh, because it only happens to you every other day? In case you haven't looked in the mirror lately, T, you're freakin' gorgeous."

"Not to mention sweet, friendly and genuinely kind," Hanajima added.

"You guys!"

"Seriously, Tohru. You need to get your head out of the sand and start paying attention to what's around you. Guys like this Mitsuo? Don't tend to look too far past surface level if you know what I mean. What did you do to piss him off enough to go to his mom?"

"Well…"

"Out with it Tohru."

"I…kind of…kneed him in the groin."

Both her friends sat up in surprise at that, and then Uo burst out laughing hilariously, making Tohru blush.

"That's classic. Never knew you had it in you, Tohru," she said between bursts of laughter.

"What did he do to warrant that?" Hana asked curiously.

"Um, well, honestly I didn't really know Mitsuo that well. He was already in college when I started working there, but then after New Year's he started coming home more frequently. He always seemed to seek me out to talk to me when he was home. I think he was trying to be flirtatious but frankly it just made me uncomfortable. Then, after dinner last week I was trying to clean up in the kitchen when he came in and…and then…"

"And then?"

"I hadn't really intended to hurt him, but he was drunk and getting way too handsy. When he tried to box me in, I got scared and…well…you know."

"Bastard. Sounds like he deserved to be smashed in the nut sack!" Uo spat.

Not going to argue with that, Tohru thought as she recalled how scared she'd been that night, being pinned between the stove and Mitsuo's large body pressed far-too close for comfort. The reek of alcohol on his breath had been so strong it turned her stomach. She'd reacted reflexively when he tried to grab her. She hadn't really expected him to understand that, but then again she hadn't expected him to react the way he did either.

"Bitch! You're going to regret that!" he'd spat at her before he stormed (or rather limped) out of the room. Maybe she should have expected the confrontation with his mother later, but she never thought Mitsuo would be petty enough to get her fired, or Mrs. Yamada callous enough to believe him. In retrospect, it probably was for the best that she got out of there when she did.

"Agreed. It's probably for the best anyway, Tohru, if Mrs. Yamada was unwilling to give you the benefit of a doubt," Hana said, almost echoing her private sentiments exactly.

"Yeah. If that's the kind of woman she is, I seriously feel bad for those two little girls," Uo put in.

"If she truly thinks I was some sort of…temptress…I can't really blame her for wanting to keep her daughters away from that. She's just trying to be a good Mom," Tohru replied.

"You're too nice, Tohru," Hana said,

"For real! Honestly, I have no idea how you of all people manage to keep getting fired. You're the hardest working person I know! I mean, they have all been pretty shit jobs but how many has that been now?"

"Uh…eh-heh-eh-heh—"

"Well, let's see," Hana said, ticking them off with her fingers as she began. "There was that serving job at the little restaurant across the street from the hospital…"

"Oh yeah, the one that said you were too clumsy for them?"

"Eeeeeh..."

"I believe what they said, Arisa, was that their bottom line couldn't afford the dish and stemware replacement at the rate she was going through them."

Tohru turned beet red at that assessment but remained silent. As embarrassing as it was, it was probably true, given how many accidents she'd had in her eagerness to prove herself.

"Then there was the daycare…that really should have been the perfect job for you too," Uo continued.

"And perhaps it would've been if it hadn't been for the jealous Mom that complained to the administrator that Tohru was flirting with her husband."

"A.K.A. she was being nice to him. Poor guy probably hasn't seen a friendly face since he married the bitch," Uo said with a snort. "What's with these evil harpies always coming after you Tohru?"

"I-I wouldn't say they come after me…" Tohru started, making Uo snort again.

"It's like the Prince's fan girls all over again."

"The who?"

"Nothing, never mind! Just some kid in high school with a crazy fan club," Uo said, realizing her mistake too late. Luckily Tohru shrugged off the topic as Hanajima picked the list back up where they left off.

"And then you had that office job, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah. Boy was that a mistake," Uo said with another burst of laughter that made Tohru blush even harder.

"It was just a typo!" she insisted.

"Tohru, there's quite a difference between ¥200,000 and ¥2,000,000. You're lucky all they did was fire you," Hanajima said.

"Only because they got their money back," she murmured glumly.

"But at least you know better now…and it led you to the placement agency you got your first housekeeping job through, right?"

"Oh yeah, with the old man. Technically you didn't get fired from that one though…"

"That's true," Tohru replied, thinking of the kindly man she'd once cooked and cleaned for. Mr. Sato had been pretty old though and after less than a year with him, he'd passed away in his sleep. "It was so sad when he died! And his niece had been so kind to recommend me to the Yamadas." Now, she could only imagine what her former employer was telling everyone about her. It really was best that she left.

"And the Yamadas fired you for being molested by their piece-of-shit son. You really have the worst luck in jobs, Tohru," Uo lamented, patting her on the shoulder.

"I'm assuming Mrs. Yamada didn't give you a reference?" Hanajima asked.

"No, she didn't. Which means finding another housekeeping job is probably out of the question."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is I thought I would start it here. A-after the wedding of course, I'm free to do whatever you wish with me until then!" Tohru replied, having a moment of panic at the look on her friend's faces.

"You're…staying here?" Uo breathed, like she couldn't quite believe it.

"Yes. I'd like to if I can! I'll need to find a new job and a more permanent place to stay but I—oof!"

Tohru was cut short as she was attacked from both sides. With the arms of her two best friends surrounding her, warm and comforting, she suddenly felt like she might cry. This had been what she'd been missing. What she needed.

"You guys," was all she managed wetly through the sheen of tears, making all three of them laugh.

"This is freakin' amazing. Best news ever," Uo said once they eventually pulled apart.

"I do concur," Hana agreed as she handed Tohru a napkin. "You know, if you're looking for work you should really consider the gallery."

"Oh. Oh no. I appreciate the thought, Hana-chan, but I already told you. I don't think I'm ready to show my paintings just yet…or ever."

"Wait, you asked her to show at the gallery Hanajima? That's awesome! Why not Tohru?"

"Because I'm not an artist! Those paintings were…are…just a form of therapy for me. I'm not under any illusion that any of them would be considered real art," Tohru replied.

"But they are art," Hanajima argued. "No one that looks at your paintings would argue otherwise. After all, art in all of its guises is just another form of expression. That you produce such thought provoking pieces without color sight adds an extra flare to the work that intrigues and excites—"

"No."

"Aw, come on, Tohru. They had a show last month in tribute to 'ithyphallic art through the ages.' It was a literal parade of dicks. Your paintings in comparison are flippin' masterpieces."

"No."

"Very well. That's not what I actually had in mind anyways. My old receptionist position is about to come back open. As it happens, the girl who has it now just put in her notice. It doesn't pay as much as you were making as a housekeeper, but it would get you started until you find something better."

"Are you sure, Hana-chan? Painter or not, I really don't know much about art," Tohru replied hesitantly.

"Neither did I when I first started there and look how that turned out," Hana said with a serene smile, something Tohru noticed her friend doing more and more these days. She couldn't really blame her. Hanajima had done surprisingly well at the gallery, quickly moving up the ranks from receptionist to curator. "You wouldn't have to decide anything right away, Tohru. If you're interested, I can have an interview set up for you with Jean Pierre right after the wedding. By then he'll probably be so desperate to fill the position that he'll hire you on the spot."

"I'll…think about it," Tohru said. She was grateful to her friend for thinking about her, but she wasn't really sure she belonged in a place like that.

"Of course, take your time."

Tohru smiled warmly at her friend, suddenly struck by an odd sensation. Here they all were, sitting together as they always did, only now they were adults with their own lives. Their own aspirations. Her friends had both done well. Perhaps in time, being in their presence again would help her find her place too.

"Are you alright Tohru?" Hana asked her, shaking her out her thoughts.

"I just—am so glad to be back. I can't believe you're getting married!" Tohru replied with a shaky laugh.

"I know right? Who would've guessed our Saki would be the first to make it to the altar?" Uo said with a hearty slap to Hanajima's back.

"What kind of wedding will it be, Hana-chan? Western or Traditional?" Tohru asked excitedly.

"It'll be a western-style ceremony, though my fiancé probably would've been fine with whatever I chose. He is quite amenable to my wishes."

"Smart man," Uo interjected.

"I would love to hear more about him. Come to think of it, I don't really know much about your boyfriend either, Uo-chan. Will he be coming to the wedding, too? I can't believe you've been dating him for so long and I've never even met him!"

Again, her friends exchanged a look, and once again Tohru wondered at the strangeness of it. But then Uo suddenly brightened.

"Yeah, he'll be there. We're both hoping you get to meet him before then, but if nothing else definitely at the wedding."

"There will be no lack of opportunities between now and then, Arisa. We still have a lot to do before the big day, some of which will be significant-other conducive. I'm sure Enrico would appreciate having one more man in the room to talk to as well."

"And your fiancé. I think you said he's French?"

"Italian actually. We met in France while I was on a buying trip with Jean Pierre last year. Enrico's a very talented photographer—"

"Understatement of the year. Guy's famous…and loaded. Just like you always wanted, huh, Hanajima?" Uo teased.

"His handsome face doesn't hurt either," Hanajima replied, her eyes dancing with secret mirth as she turned to Tohru to continue her story. "Enrico comes from old money, but he's never really cared about such things. Photography is his passion. It always has been. When he told his parents he wasn't going to take over the family business they disowned him. He hasn't seen them since."

"How awful!" Tohru cried sympathetically.

"The irony is he makes twice as much as he ever would've working for them and is ten times happier doing what he loves, but I digress. Rico has a studio out of Milan, but he most often travels for his work. He's been all over the world, which is how we met. While we were in Paris, Jean Pierre heard through the grapevine he was shooting in Nice and decided on a whim to send me down there. The goal was to try and convince him to do a show for us. To my surprise he agreed…on the condition I was willing to have dinner with him that night. I turned him down flat."

"What?" Tohru squeaked, not expecting that answer.

"She turned him down a bunch of times, actually," Uo said, chuckling.

"I believed he was being disingenuous, so I cut my losses and left. Three days after we returned to Tokyo, he showed up at the gallery ready to sign with the same caveat as before. Jean Pierre had to threaten to tie me up before I finally agreed, but I'm glad he did. The Enrico I met that night was a far different man than the one I had assumed he was. A far kinder and accepting man than I deserve."

"Hana-chan…"

"It's true, though he is more likely to agree with you than me, sweet Tohru. I think you will like each other immensely."

"I'm sure I will! He sounds like a wonderfully loving and supportive fiancé."

"And the sex is not so bad either."

"Hana-chan!"

"Right? I've got no complaints from mine either."

"Uo-chan!"

"Come on, we're all adults."

"Yes, but not all of us have the minimum required experience to have opinions here!"

Uotani's face fell at that.

"Damn, Tohru, still?"

"Arisa."

Uo sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to say it. Sorry, Tohru…but seriously, you're never gonna' get laid if you keep passing up golden opportunities like today."

"I know, and I'll do better. I promise."

"Dummy. You gotta' DO something before you can do it better."

"Well…yeah, of course."

"'Of course,' she says," Uo muttered, rolling her eyes, which caused another peal of laughter from Tohru.

Once again the serving staff interrupted, this time to deliver their food. The three ladies happily dug in, taking the rest of their time together chatting about inconsequential things and simply enjoying their meal…just like they had done many, many times before. When the sun started to dip in the sky, Tohru stood and sighed as she hugged each of her friends in farewell.

"I almost forgot, Tohru. Do you have any plans this Saturday?" Hanajima asked before they parted.

"Uh…no, I don't have any plans. Why?"

"A vendor gifted me with a pair of tickets to the symphony. Enrico has a shoot that day and won't be able to make it, and Arisa here would rather gouge her eyes out than to sit through such an event—"

"—with a rusted salad fork," Uotani stated, as if to punctuate the point.

"—I was wondering if you might like to go with me instead?"

"I would love to!" Tohru cried, gleefully clasping her hands.

"Very good. It's an afternoon show so don't worry about getting too dressed up."

"But I want to. That's half the fun!"

"You dress however you want to Tohru. I'm sure you'll look great no matter what you wear," Uo said with a giant grin on her face.

"Tell you what, Tohru. You dress to the nines, then so will I. We'll put every other person there to shame with our luminous presence."

Tohru giggled. "Deal!"

"I'll email you the details, along with the time and place for the dress-fitting next week."

"Great, thanks Hana-chan! I'm looking forward to it. Bye Uo-chan! I'll see you again soon!" Tohru called as she waved to her friends and then turned and walked back down the street.

After Tohru disappeared around the corner, the smiles of the two remaining women faded. They exchanged a look that said far more than words ever could.

"So…nothing much's changed," Uotani murmured, her brow furrowing with concern.

"It's intriguing even now what her mind allows and does not allow for her to remember," Hanajima said.

"What do you mean?"

"Take for instance the flowers she brought. She doesn't remember learning hanakotoba, I presume because Yuki Sohma taught her. Yet, she managed to pick out appropriate flowers for the occasion all the same. Curious. I wonder if it's reflex or a coincidence?"

"That's what you got out of that whole conversation?" Uo asked incredulously. "What about the fact that she still thinks she's a virgin?"

"Yes, that was rather surprising."

"I mean, it's not like I can go up to her and say, 'Hey Tohru, you had a boyfriend you were banging pretty much around the clock our senior year, so it's safe to say you're not actually?' She would never believe it."

"And if she did she would probably be quite upset with us for keeping it a secret from her."

"Damn, I didn't even think of that!"

"Not to mention the complications involved if she wanted to know who he is. It is better this way."

"Is it?"

"It is five years too late to be double-guessing ourselves now. What's done is done, whether we like it or not."

"So you think we made the wrong choice by going along with it?"

Uotani narrowed her eyes when her friend looked away from her. They had both faced bouts of guilt over the years, knowing what their silence cost Tohru even if she herself was ignorant of it. It had been easier not to think about after their friend left Tokyo, but now…

"Her heart has been frozen in perpetual winter for so long," Hanajima uttered softly, staring out into the distance. What she was looking at was beyond Uo, but she'd long since learned not to ask questions in these instances. When her dark eyes turned back to Uo's it was with a strange determination. "You say nothing has changed Arisa, but I don't agree. The woman I saw today was finally ready to take a true step forward. To stop looking to the past for answers and finally live for her here and now."

"It's a start."

"But an important start. Spring, it seems, is at last ready to bud, if not burst through the ice in full bloom."

"You know I can't tell if that sounds more dirty or more like alien-popping-out-of-a-chest creepy."

"Would you prefer a food analogy instead, Arisa?"

"Nah, I'm good."

*Author's Note: I was going to include Kyo's reaction in this chapter as well, buuuuut I think I'll leave it for next time. 😬 Thank you all for your likes and comments! 3 3 3