Chapter 20 - where would you be?

Tohru opened her eyes the next morning. She didn't sleep too well the night before. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her back before dressing for the day. After her vacation at the beach, she missed sleeping in her room and running through the daily routines with the Sohmas. She couldn't believe how routine it had become in this house.

She finally made it down to the dinning room to see that Kureno was sitting there patiently. She wasn't used to anyone being up before her and yet here Kureno was sitting, dressed, groomed, and rather serious as ever. She was startled to say the least but smiled anyhow.

"Good morning, Ku-chan."

"Ohayou." Kureno greeted. "Do you mind if we talk now?"

"Um, sure." She sat down next to the older man. She grinned. "I really have missed you and Uo-chan. How is she?"

"She's doing fine. A baby is on the way actually. We're expecting our child sometime in November."

Tohru gasped. "Really? That's wonderful! And how is Hana-chan?"

"Fine."

The girl's smile diminished and she looked Kureno in the eye, making the other man lean back slightly. "Just fine?"

"Yes, Tohru-san."

"Ku-chan, you are not a good liar I'm afraid," she giggled. Tohru looked up at him with shy eyes. "Please tell me how they are really doing."

Kureno then looked right back to Tohru with forlorn eyes. "Terrible."

She only looked at her hands. "I miss them terribly too."

"When Arisa told me that she had not heard from you in so long after your wedding she began to worry. I knew you were getting married in this town to Satsuki and decided to visit my family to see if they heard any rumors about a wedding, but it looked like you found them before I got to find you."

She blushed. "I had no idea you were a Sohma."

"I supose changing my last name to Uotani threw you off."

"I never asked either I supose," Tohru laughed.

"Tohru-san," Kureno put a hand on Tohru's, all serious matters coming into play. "We didn't hear from you in so long, and Satsuki Sonto-san did not come back either. What happened? Saki-san, Arisa, and I, we're very worried."

Tohru only shook her head. "You all shouldn't worry about me... Hana-chan and Uo-chan warned me, they really did. It was my fault for not listening to either of them."

"Saki-san also worries. She claims her electric signals were not picking yours up at all. She wanted to come look for you herself, but something stopped her."

"Hua?"

"Something about the beach and cooking... I'm not sure what it was." Kureno stared off as Tohru's eyebrows knitt together. For some reason she got the feeling of deja vu. Kureno turned his attention back onto the female beside him. "What happened, Tohru-san?"

Tohru sighed and told Kureno of her short adventure before meeting the Sohmas. After she poured everything out to her friend she fell silent. "That's it. I was very ashamed and didn't think Hana-chan or Uo-chan would ever want to speak to me again..." She shook her head, "I was so wrong about Satsuki."

Kureno handed her a tissue as Tohru dabbed her wet eyes. "They would never think ill of you, Tohru-san."

"I would."

"You are too hard on yourself. Although I do find that you seem very happy here with my relatives." Kureno chuckled and leaned forward on the table. "I don't think I've seen you smile so much before."

Tohru looked up at that. Had she changed that much?

"You really have matured. You look healthy, happy..." Kureno turned to her with a slight smile, "It suits you more than a frown."

She guessed he was hinting that she was not happy with Satsuki which was not a complete lie. She did feel more at ease without that man looming over every single thing she did. But he was there for her during the hard times as well. She still felt connected to Satsuki even though she'd begun new bonds with a certain orange-top. New bonds she hoped to grow off of, but still, what about Satsuki?

"I still... love him..."

Kureno frowned at her confession. "He did not come looking for you at all?" She shook her head no.

"Silly isn't it? Thinking I still love him after all these months..."

"Don't make the same mistake twice."

"I know, but I can't help it. How do I? The man I thought I... I thought I really loved, he betrayed me. I'm a grown woman, but things like that," Tohru touched her chest tenderly, "it still hurts so much." She closed her eyes and looked down to her lap. "I don't want to forget him, but I don't want him to haunt me either."

"Arisa would want you to be happy. She doesn't want to lose you and neither does Saki-san. They miss you and want to see you well." Kureno leaned back in his chair while Tohru continued to stare at her lap. After a moment, Kureno finally came out with his reason of going in search of Tohru from the beginning. Seeing how much she'd grown from the last time he saw her, he didn't know if she was going to make the choice he intended to hear. Hatori had made clear of that.

Finally he said, "Tohru-san, why don't you come home?"

She gasped and turned around. "Go... home?"

"We will keep you safe from Satsuki Sonto-san." Kureno paused and stared at the ceiling in deep thought, "That and I don't think Arisa would let him within ten feet of you, even with her pregnancy."

"Go back... home..." Tohru repeated to herself. Yuki walked in and saw Tohru and Kureno sitting at the table.

"Good morning." Yuki greeted.

Tohru smiled and said she'd start breakfast. Yuki nodded seeing her pleasant smile. He hoped it would never go away. He offered to help make breakfast but Shigure popped in from a different room to warn Tohru of the burnt crisis that Yuki went though. The house was slowly waking up.

But even with that, her mind was swirling with the thought of going back home to her friends. She missed them so much, but she had made her home here with the Sohmas.

In effect of her current thoughts, she ended up burning breakfast.

"Yuki's influence must have rubbed off on poor Tohru-chan." Shigure cried while eating his blackened toast.

"Oh shut up." Yuki muttered throwing a pair of chopsticks at Shigure. "Honestly, and you are an adult."

"Tohru are you okay?" Momiji asked seeing Tohru munching on her fish without much attention. It was obvious since she'd been chewing the same bite for quite some time now.

"Eh?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Momiji asked again causing most of the people around Tohru to stop what they were doing and zone in on the girl. All the men watched on with interest, even Kyo.

She waved her hands up, "Yes, I'm okay, please don't worry." She looked back at her half eaten plate with anxious eyes again. Kyo noticed her body language and turned on Kureno. He had the gut feeling that her restless emotions had something to do with him. How was Kureno connected to Tohru? What had he said to made her upset? Or even worse, what did he do to her? Kyo's eyes narrowed at the thought.

Kureno cleared his throat, "I think I am to explain." Kureno looked to Hatori and the man nodded to continue. "I asked Tohru-san if she'd like to come back home."

Everyone's jaws dropped. "Hua?"

"You see, I am married to Arisa Uotani--"

"Ah yes that spunky blonde!" Shigure laughed. Kyo in the background sighed with relief. So Kureno wasn't a long lost boyfriend or something to Tohru.

"You are such a pervert." Yuki muttered again.

"And Arisa is one of Tohru-san's best friends. She has been worrying about Tohru-san for some time and I offered my wife to come look for her here since I know that you all live in this city. It was quite a sight to see Tohru-san bording here." He turned to Tohru who blushed. "So I have offered to take her back home."

"Is that true?" Haru asked Tohru.

"Y-yes...I did not know Ku-chan was a Sohma since he changed his last name to Uotani."

"Are you... thinking about going home?" To everyone's surpise it was Kyo who asked that. Tohru caught his eye and had to turn away. She didn't want to leave him... but only staying here was hurting her more now that Kyo and Kagura were together. It was just torturing herself really.

But would she really be home? Without Kyo?

"I'm thinking." Tohru finally said. She couldn't look at him. Everytime she caught his eye her heart raced and her cheeks flushed. She just couldn't look him in the eye. Leaving the first time was hard, trying to leave again would be impossible now. Now that she developed feelings for the orange-top anyway. She excused herself for the rest of the morning.

---

Later that day Tohru sat outside on her balcony, thinking. She looked up at the roof and decided to give it another try. She grabbed a chair and jumped to catch the ledge of the roof before swinging her legs up. Rolling onto the roof she sat up and stared off into space. She couldn't believe how hard it was to get up on the roof by herself! She felt proud of her accomplishment and finally settled herself on a corner of the roof, tucking her knees under her chin, thinking of what she was to do.

"Decided to steal my spot hua?" A voice entered her thoughts.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru jumped and flailed her arms. "Sorry, I'll move, I didn't mean...!"

He laughed lightly. "I was kidding."

She blushed. "I don't want to steal from you, Kyo-kun."

'You already stole my heart.'

"I doubt you ever would." He replied.

Together they basked in the afternoon sun. He already felt nervous just sitting up there with her. Yuki told him to go talk to Tohru. He really didn't like taking advice from that damn rat, but then again, he was already thinking of spending a little time with her. He was just surprised to see her up on the roof, wrapping her arms around her thin legs, thinking.

"I'm scared."

The statement startled Kyo and his features softened. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," she looked down as the wind blew through her locks of hair, "When Ku-chan say's 'home' I don't know what to think. Mom always told me home was where the people you love are. But what if the people I love are in two different places?"

"Well, that's for you to decide. Where is it that you want to be?"

"I... don't know."

"You do know." He said sternly. "You just don't tell people what it is that you want."

She dropped her head onto her knees and whispered something. Kyo leaned forward to hear it better.

"Here." She paused and hid her face from Kyo in her knees. "Here with you. That's what I want."

It actually surprised him. She wanted to be... with him? She blushed and began getting off the roof muttering apologies. Kyo watched her go and then turned his attention to the sky as he heard her jump down from the roof. He wanted to tell her but just listened to her feet tap lightly to her bedroom.

"Don't lose her." His Master's words echoed in his mind. He shook his head and listened to her door squeak open. She was brave enough to tell him what it was she was thinking and all he was doing was sitting here on the roof.

"Don't lose her." The words chanted in his mind again. What would he be if he lost her? Who would he love if wasn't her? No one.

Suddenly he found himself down on her balcony and stopping her from closing the door with his foot. He didn't know when he was already in her room, but there he was.

And there were her tears.

"Don't cry, Tohru." He said with concern as she tried to turn away from him. "Don't cry."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

She looked up at him and only cried even more pushing herself away from him. It hurt too much to be torn between her friends and the man standing before her.

"Man, I'll have to get used to you crying, ya know?" He tried to joke. Tohru stiffled out a small laugh but only coughed and continued to sob.

"You... don't have to..."

He tilted her chin up. "But I want to."

'Tell her.' his mind chanted. 'Tell her.'

With his thumb he brushed her tears away. "Just don't cry. It's... a lot nicer when you smile."

Tohru could feel her heart thump rapidly with his thumb on her face. It just felt so nice. No one ever touched her so tenderly, so soothingly.

So lovingly.

And she didn't want it to ever end.

Kyo backed away from her and dug into his pocket. "Um, close your eyes." He said nervously. Tohru complied and did as Kyo instructed. Suddenly she felt something smooth on her finger tips. "Open." He said just above a whisper.

Tohru opened her eyes to see the shell that she and Kyo had picked on the beach, bound with a leather string. Her mouth hung open slightly as she held it up between herself and Kyo.

"I... I broke the other ones trying to make a hole in it to put the string through. It isn't much but it... oh damnit, just take it okay?"

Tohru's eyes glimmered and she gave Kyo the nicest smile she had. She always smiled, but this must be the first time the smile was for something he gave her.

"It's wonderful. It's just wonderful, Kyo-kun." She pulled her hair back and tied the necklace on her neck. She touched it with her hand and stared up at Kyo, he staring at her ever so softly.

Suddenly he reached out for her silky hair. He'd longed to feel it run through his fingers and it was softer than he ever imagined it was. "I thought you might like it."

"I-- you were giving this to the girl that broke the curse for you."

Kyo gave an even chuckle. Feeling daring, he moved close to her ear. "Who said it wasn't you?"

Suddenly the door opened. "Tohru, do you know where the soap...?" Haru stopped dead in his tracks to see Kyo and Tohru standing in the middle of her room with Kyo's fingers laced through her hair. "Whoa..."

"YOU BASTARD! Don't you freakin' KNOCK?" Kyo yelled out, he and Tohru jumping away from each other instantly.

Oops, moment lost.

"Well good thing I didn't knock, or you might have don't something indecent to Tohru here." Haru responded. "What are you doing in her room anyway?"

"None of your damn buisness!"

"What? Kyonkichi in Tohru's room? I have to see this." Ayame's voice was heard down the hall.

"He's deflowering our little flower!" Shigure's voice followed. Kyo's face went beat red and he just pushed past all the Sohmas.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Aw, Kyo-kun was caught doing a dirty act! Shameful!" Shigure called chasing the poor cat-boy around with a newspaper. "I'll have to smack you for that!"

"Hit me with that thing and I'll send you flying, you damn dog!"

Tohru watched everyone chase after Kyo and she just looked in the mirror at her necklace. No diamond or pearls could place this necklace. Nothing. And what she said was true. Her home was where Kyo was. And that was right here.

This was where she wanted to be.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment