Chapter 31 - Don't cry

"It's you..." The entire hall watched as Tohru began walking over to Yumi and Kyo very slowly. Every step she took echoed on the marble floors, causing her heart to race faster. Everyone was watching her and yet she felt like no one was there. "You are her."

Yumi looked side to side as if Tohru was talking to someone else. "You talking to me?" She asked rather high pitched while pointing a finger to herself.

"It was you I saw. You I saw with Satsuki..." Kyo stared at Tohru as she walked in a trance, her eyes void of any emotions. "You are that girl." Kyo got up in a hurry to stand away from the woman that was attempting to take him for a whole day. His chest constricted hearing Tohru's voice quivering. Damn and she was recovering so well from Satsuki! She had to beat this, she couldn't let this woman tear down everything Tohru had just built! 'Be strong, Tohru.' He thought helplessly.

The two women stared at each other, one rather simple and plain, almost half a foot shorter than the more curvy and heavily made-up woman. Tohru held a firm stance while still holding that blank look. Kyo couldn't understand what she was doing just standing there. She wasn't even crying nor did it look like she was breathing.

Yumi's gaze pierced at Tohru when suddenly a quiet chuckle escaped from her throat.

"Tohru?" Kyo asked, almost worried that Tohru would fall over at any given moment. The girl began to chew on her bottom lip, still glued to her spot on the floor as Yumi's chuckle erupted into cackling. It made Tohru's stomach drop.

Yumi thought a moment and allowed for her laughter to die down while waving a hand at Tohru good naturedly as if this was all a joke. "Satsuki? What does that man have anything to do with..." She stopped mid sentance and blinked her ruby colored eyes. Yumi stared at the smaller girl and shook her head. "No way. No freaking way." She turned around to the crowd of girls who were watching with confusion. "I can't believe I'm standing in front of the little miss perfect that Satsuki was talking about!"

"Little miss perfect?" Tohru asked.

Yumi laughed while flipping her thick, honey-brown hair over her creamy shoulder. Bending down slightly, she put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "Honey, no man wants a little house wife before they get married. They want something fun and exciting, not plain and boring. I think it goes the same for all these girls visiting this host club, wouldn't you say? A getaway from reality." Yumi's voice dropped slightly sending quivers down Tohru's spine. "Women here want men that are fun and exciting, ya know?" Yumi looked Tohru up and down, the smaller girl wearing a Greek Goddess get-up with leather bound sandals. Such a plain face, flat hair with ribbons and not much of a chest size. Yumi's face scrunched up in dismay. She looked as blan as cold tofu. She pulled away from Tohru while her voice raised again to it's normal tone, "And no offence, but I'm a bit more exciting than you ever will be."

Tohru backed away from Yumi feeling inferior, a state of mind she did not want to return to. She could see that Yumi was a lot more womanly than she would ever be but was that why Satsuki left her? For something more exciting? She gripped at her shoudlers.

"It's okay. We all can't be as great as me. To Satsuki, you were just a fall back, a back up, a nothing to him."

Tohru shut her eyes while gripping herself fiercely. 'No... no don't say that...'

"That's enough!" Kyo yelled to Yumi, but she just cotinued like a train with no breaks.

"How could a runt like you measure up to me? God, look at you, you're shaking and growing pale! Suck it up, girl, that's why you couldn't keep Satsuki." She folded her arms together. "You've got no backbone! A little house wife, haha!"

"He... he said he loved me though." Tohru finally sputtered out.

"Haha, probabbly loved how you were such a fool I bet! He told me how easy you were to bed. Repeatedly I might add. It was like a joke after a while, no thrill." Everyone gasped at the revelation and Tohru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Tell me, are you one of those girls that dream of a fairy-tale romance, hm? Your one true love comes and whisks you away and you live together for all eternity, right? That nothing can get inside the little happy bubble you've created and he'd always be there to care for you." Yumi laughed again as Tohru's face burned with embarrassment. "Oh you're such a riot, little miss perfect! What the hell kind of world do you really live in? Like I said, men don't want a fairy-tale, they want action and, honey, Satsuki wasn't getting it from you."

Yumi looked as if she was enjoying herself, making Tohru feel inferior without really doing it on purpose.

It was in her nature to be a total dog.

Yuki suddenly went to Tohru's side squeezing her shoulder gently. Tohru snapped out of her momentary darkness. "Excuse me Toega-san, but I'd like it if you would not speak to Honda-san in that manner. No, infact, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to her all."

Momiji came to stand in front of Tohru as well. Ritsu shyly pulled on Tohru's dress to lead her away from the obnoxious woman. "Yeah, you're not being nice at all! Even if it was you that was sleeping with Tohru's ex-fiance, you don't have to talk down to her like she's stupid! So what if Tohru dreams of a fairy-tale life? It beats the life of a common whore!" Momji cried out rather angirly with tears forming at his eyes.

"Momiji!" Hatori scolded as Yumi's jaw dropped.

It hurt Momiji so much that a sweet person like Tohru would just stand there, taking all this hurt from another person. He had never heard anyone talk to her in this manner and it scared him. He couldn't believe there were people out there like Yumi that would ever dare talk to Tohru like she was nothing, insult her to her very core, and announce to the world that she was 'easy' in bed. It scared Momiji of some kind of cruel world Tohru had been living in for so long. He didn't mean to say such an awful thing but he couldn't stand on the side lines anymore. He didn't care if Hatori beat him with a stick later for calling a woman a 'whore'.

"I hate to say such mean things, especially to a lady, but what I hate more is a person who has no self respect for herself or other people!" Momiji pointed at Tohru. "She is my friend, you meanie! Tohru gives and gives; she gives love! You give as well, Toega-san." His eyes narrowed rather uncharacteristically. "You give...!"

Haru slapped a hand over Momiji's mouth to muffle the rather obscene words from his mouth. "Damnit, where did you get such a filthy mouth?"

"Probabbly learned from the best." Yuki muttered.

"Only when I'm black."

"Sure sure."

"Let me go, Haru!" Momiji said struggling in his cousin's arms. Haru turned Momiji around so the smaller boy could burry his face into the crook of Haru's arm while crying how it was unfair.

Haru hugged Momiji and only molified him. "Come on. Momiji. You can't protect Tohru by crying into my shoulder like this. She needs all of us now, come on." He knew Momiji was pained at such a sight but Momiji quickly sobered, trying to be strong for Tohru.

Meanwhile, Ritsu moved Tohru away and then let go of her to clasp his hands in nervousness. Tohru saw his fear and clasped her own hands over his with unspoken words of comfort, not daring to turn around and let Yumi see her sad face. 'Be strong! She's... she's not right. Satsuki really loved me. I know he did... even if I was just... just a little house wife...' Tohru shut her eyes anyhow, holding Ritsu's hands with her own. 'Just don't cry... don't cry... don't cry...'

Kyo on the other hand was silent the entire time. He just crossed his arms and glared at Yumi causing her stunned figure to jump at the sight of his angry eyes. Suddenly the room went up five degrees at the rather murderous glare Kyo was giving the woman. She backed up two steps feeling a bit threatened at the moment.

"Hey, hey, I just came here to have a good time, okay? I don't want any problems." She said.

"Take your filthy money and get the hell out of here. Don't ever think twice of talking to Tohru in the disgraceful manner you just did. The hell with you, even if you paid the host club a million dollars to have me, I'd pay you triple that amount just so I don't have to see your nasty face anywhere near Tohru."

She stared at Kyo with shocked eyes. His voice was rather commanding and rough, like he wasn't afraid to lash out at any given moment. She looked at the host club members all standing up for Tohru as her mouth made the shape of an 'o'.

"Oh my God, don't tell me." She eyed all the members side to side. "She's living here," she motioned her acrylic nail side to side, "with all of you, isn't she? Well, we can see who really gets around." The customers watched on with abhor. "Ohoho, little Miss Perfect is such a hussy!"

SLAP

Tohru spun around at the noise afraid to see what happened. Kyo didn't hit her did he?

To her utter surprise, it was not any of the Sohmas, but rather one of the customers. Yumi's face was beat red with a hand print as she turned to look at the smaller girl with her hand still extended from the slap.

"Don't talk about Tohru-chan that way!" She screamed. "None of us know what is going on, but you can't come in here and start running the show! So what if all of us visit the Sohmas for our own selfish reasons? At least she is strong enough to be happy with what she has and not try and find a happier state of mind. She is always greatful for what she has! A fariy-tale romance is admirable! Obviously your child-hood glossed over and the first thing you did wasn't worry about what pair of jeans Barbie would wear. It was which pair of jeans you'd be pulling off for the next playboy that wanted you!" Yumi stared down at the woman yelling at her with narrowed eyes. "Tohru-chan's the nicest and most honnorable person out of any of us here, so don't you dare call her a hussy!"

"YEAH!" Everyone chanted.

"She never did anything wrong!"

"Get out of here, TRAMP!"

Yumi looked of absolute outrage as the Sohmas all grined slightly at the scene. She picked up her money and made a straight line for the door, all the while the customers jeering at her causing pandemonium. She'd never been so humiliated in her life. What kind of woman was Satsuki trying to play at?

"This isn't over, you stupid dog." Yumi muttered over her shoulder as Tohru watched her leave. The door slammed closed and the entire room burst out in applause.

"Ding dong the witch it dead!" The girls chanted.

Ayame laughed, "Yes yes, the witch is gone! I cannot believe the absolute bravery that you ladies have demonstrated today for our beloved Tohru. Bravo you deserve an applause for yourselves!"

Tohru walked next to Ayame and grabbed the attention of the girl that slapped Yumi. "Thank you for..."

"Don't worry about it!" The girl cut in. "God, half the girls in this room wanted to beat the crap of out that woman anyway. It was my pleasure to stick up for you."

Tohru bowed. "I don't want to be a burden to you."

The girl only smiled. "Even when we were mean to you, you were always so cheerful and nice. I cannot stand to see someone like that woman hurt you so, so please it was nothing."

"Thank you though." She turned to the Sohmas as well. "All of you." Tohru's eyes moved towards Kyo's eyes and she immediately looked away seeing that he was watching her. "I... I'm going to excuse myself." She bowed and headed to the kitchen.

Shigure clapped his hands. "Well! Now that's over, as a reward to each of you lovely ladies, I shall humbly as that you each allow me to give your cheek one soft kiss."

"Ooh, Shigure-sama!" They all squealed.

"No no, It would be my pleasure to be able to kiss an angel."

"You're such a sicko." Yuki muttered.

Momiji ran over to Ritsu who was standing off to the side still nervous. "Are you okay, Rit-chan?"

Ritsu's entire body suddenly relaxed. "Yes, I think I am fine, thank you, Momiji."

Momiji smiled and then looked on toward the main door where Shigure was handing out his kisses like chocolate on Valentine's Day. "But for Tohru to see someone so close to her sadness, it must have affected her greatly. I hope that she is okay." He turned to Ritsu. "To be honest... I was scared for her."

Ritsu nodded. "I... I think Tohru-san is very strong. Much stronger than I ever will be." Ritsu looked down speaking in a small voice, "Perhaps I should eat those confident filled soba noodles."

Momiji laughed. "You're so funny, Rit-chan. What you did today was pretty brave though."

"I just cowered after taking Tohru-san away from Yumi-san."

"Even just the smallest things can mean everything to a person." Momiji said pearing up into Ritsu's face.

The other man looked up and thought a moment before giving Momiji one of his rare smiles.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tohru went to the kitchen and sat down with a glass of water in hand. She didn't cry at least in front of Yumi. That was a positive. But then, she felt her entire body go numb when she saw that she was the person that helped destroyed her relationship with Satsuki...
"Tohru?"

She looked up to see Kyo watching her from the doorway. He quickly walked over to her and sat down next to her watching with worry.

"Kyo-kun you should be attending to..."

"That doesn't matter right now." He quicky replied. He watched Tohru bend her head low. "Are you going to be okay? If you want, I'll go find Yumi and..."

"No, no, no! That would be horrible! I don't want you to beat her up, Kyo-kun!"

He smirked. "Who said I was going to beat her up?"

"Eh?"

"So your true feelings come out. If you wanted, you could have beat the crap out of her and we'd all stand back and just watch. We could just say it was an accident."

"Kyo-kun..." Tohru warned with no avail since the thought was absurdly humerous.

Placing his elbow on the table, he leaned his palm on his cheek while turning his body toward her. "You didn't cry though."

"What?"

He watched her seriously. "You didn't cry even though I know all that stuff really hurt you. Why not?"

"I... I don't know. If she saw she was getting to me then she would get more pleasure from my pain. Despite how awful and cruel that sounds... It just made everything within me shut down, I didn't have time to cry." She turned away from Kyo, trying to shield her body from him.

He watched her strange behavior. "What's wrong now?"

"You must think... differently of me now, Kyo-kun."

"What? Why would I?"

"Because," Tohru turned to him with pink grazing her face deeply, "I'm impure."

He blinked a few time before blushing as well. "What the hell? Tohru, I..."

"Even though everyone kept saying how... how they wanted to keep me pure till I was married, it wasn't true. I lied to everyone and, well, I'm sorry for that."

"You didn't lie."

"I didn't tell the truth either, so it must be just as bad."

"Tohru, look at me." Kyo gently led her face to meet his and her heart raced at how close they were. She could smell the soap Kyo used and the see the intensity in his amber eyes. She could melt into his embrace if she dared to do so at this very moment. "I don't think any different about you, Tohru. When you really love someone, that's how you express it." He gulped feeling rather jittery about talking to Tohru about this delicate subject, especially since she was the woman occupying his thoughts night and day. "You... you really loved him and having sex with him is... is, well it was wrong, but it was okay! You loved him! But, I mean, he was a total bastard--Oh gezz!" Kyo slapped him self noting how he wasn't making any sense.

She only smiled and nodded her head. She understood. "I'm glad then... that you care about me then, Kyo-kun."

He watched her for a moment thinking how much she'd gone through these past months. She was really growing before his eyes.

"You're getting stronger I think."

"Really?"

"Yup. For a dummy like you, you're pretty strong."

"Kyo-kun is stronger than me." She smiled.

Kyo grinned seeing the little ray of sunshine from her smile. He hesitantly placed his hand over Tohru's. "But seriously, you're okay?"

"I think so, it's just everything she said is true, don't you think? She is a bit different from me, I can see that." She stared into her water glass. "Am I boring? Honestly?"

"Don't be stupid. Everything that woman said was a bunch of bull. Don't ever compare yourself to her, you are nothing like her, and you shouldn't. She is just so full of herself, so to hell with her. You don't need that, Tohru, you're free."

"But it's not good to be boring either..."

"No, you're not boring. I mean, you live in a house of crazy Sohmas, how much more action do you need in your life?"

She laughed. "Well it's only because you all are so interesting."

"You make our lives interesting."

'You make my life interesting...'

She looked up at Kyo without any words to fill between them. Finally she sighed, "Kyo-kun is too nice to me."

"Idiot." He cursed quietly. He watched her for a moment noticing how strong Tohru had become over the summer she'd spent with them. In return, she made him strong as well. Made him want to be stronger for her. Kyo bopped her lightly on the head. "Yeah well don't get too used to it. Sometimes I won't be nice!"

"Oh, right!" She laughed while pulling her hand away from Kyo's instantly. Kyo smiled at seeing her usual happiness arise. It was forced but he knew if he kept pressing her for her health status it would only worry her some more. Only God knows how much he loves her. "The little house wife better not get too used to Kyo-kun being so nice or else she'd be spoiled!" She joked.

Kyo laughed. "I don't think anyone could ever make you a spoiled girl."

"You don't think so?"

"No, and further more, you are not anyone's 'little house wife' understood? That name just sounds so degrading." He watched her fiddle with a strand of her hair while blushing. He could see her though, sitting with her children, helping them with their homework at the table, worrying about them when the weather was bad outside, and even waving to her husband when he came home. She'd run into his arms and kiss him, asking how his day was, and he in turn would ask the same question. What a daydream. "But I think that you'd probably make a really good wife someday." He muttered absentmindedly.

"What?"

"I- I didn't mean anything funny by that!" He quickly covered while turning scarlet. Whoa, when did that thought come across his mind? "I... I gotta go, you know, hosting..." He said while the chair beneath him screeched against the tile.

Tohru gathered all her determination. "Yes! Please go back to the main hall and don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"

"Okay." Just as quickly, Kyo left Tohru in the kitchen. As soon as Kyo left, Tohru sagged her shoulders and slumped over the table. Yumi was right about one thing. This wasn't over, something was brewing and it was unsettling.

She sipped her water and once again stared at the pair of blue eyes reflecting back at her. "I'd make a good wife someday...?" She looked to the ceiling and smiled. A second chance at marriage to someone that would love her and someone she could give her love right back to. She hoped to be a great wife someday. It was most girls dream to grow up and get married to a special person. And what sound would her name have with the last name of the mystery man she'd someday marry? What would it sound like?

But that was someday...

Every so quietly she whispered, "Tohru Honda." She pause. "Tohru Sohma..."

It didn't sound bad at all.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyo stumbled out of the kitchen only to run into Haru.
"Kyo, what are you doing?"

Kyo looked around as if there was something he forgot. "Um... I just went to see if Tohru was okay."

"Is she?"

"Yes."

"No she's not."

"What?"

"Indeed, Kyo-kun." Shigure appeared behind him. "When a woman says she's okay, she's really not. Haven't you learned the language by now?"

"What are you talking about? She said she was fine!" Kyo growled.

"Ah, so young, so naive, how much I pitty you." Shigure grinned.

"But this is Tohru we're talking about." Haru said before Kyo could get angry with Shigure. "When as she ever thought about herself before another person? Exactly." Haru said before Kyo could answer him.

"Fine! Then what do you want me to do?"

"You have to make her really feel better, Kyo-kun. Take her out on a date." Shigure intervened.

"A date?" Kyo asked in utter outrage. "Whoa, who even said anything about some stupid date?"

"It will really mean so much to Tohru-kun, and you are being so selfish in not taking her!" Shigure pouted.

"Shut up, you're supposed to be an adult! Stop trying to make me feel bad!"

"Kyo-kun is so mean! Fine then, I suppose I will have Yuki-kun take Tohru-kun out on a date for two... alone... secluded... they can feel their body heat mingling with the close proximeters..." Shigure leaned close to Kyo's ear. "His hot breath exciting her supple skin..."

"FINE! I'LL GO ON A DAMN DATE!"

"That's the spirit! I'll reserve a table at a nice restaurant for you two, all you have to do is go back in there and tell Tohru-kun you two will be going out for dinner at eight, okay?"

"FINE!" Kyo didn't mean to yell as loud as he did, but just the thought of something so perverse made Kyo actually think Yuki would do such a thing. Which he wouldn't or else Kyo would have seriously murdered him.

He walked back into the kitchen to see Tohru shut her mouth closed tightly and turn pink. What was she doing?

"Eh? Kyo-kun, what are you...?"

"You know, you've had a rough day and I don't think you've ever really been out and around besides grocery shopping and stuff like that so..." Kyo rubbed his neck trying to word it best without using the word 'date', "Do you want to go out to eat at eight?"

She smiled, "With you, Kyo-kun?"

"Um, yea..."

"Just the two of us?"

"YES! Just answer yes or no!"

She giggled seeing how pink Kyo was turning himself. "I'd love to go out to dinner with you, Kyo-kun! I mean, if it's okay..."

"Yeah, yeah it's fine, don't worry about it..." he muttered. He was playing this way too cool. Was he really only doing this for Tohru? The thought of taking her on a date did cross his mind once... or twice...

..but he didn't think it would really happen anytime soon! What the hell was he supposed to do?

And yet, Tohru's reassuring simle melted away his fears. Like anything he did would be fine with her. And it was. The thoughts of crying, pain, and even the future fazed away from her mind for the briefest second.

And it was wonderful.

"That makes me so happy, Kyo-kun, thank you so much."

He looked up and felt warm inside. Even the smallest things could mean everything to a person. Everything.

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