𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Fruits Basket FF

(40)

unrevised.
/ chapter 40 /

She swore to herself she wouldn't return here anymore. The thought of secretly sneaking through the compound at night had her heart racing with anxiety and fear of being caught or bumping into anyone she knew. It wasn't what she had in mind, but it was Shigure's idea and she was desperate to see the man she'd been avoiding.

Were there any other options she could have chosen other than this? Probably. Yet, here is where she found herself, going along with Shigure's risky plan.

She faced the large open creak in the outside walls of the Estate with uncertainty before turning to the dark-haired man for some assurance.

"How did you even know the hole was here, Shigure-san?" She questioned curiously.

Shigure cleared his throat. "The hole has been there for years. It's in an area where the maintenance guys often miss, so it hasn't ever been fixed. I used to be a rebellious kid and snuck out of the Estate this way."

"And you want me to sneak through here?" Ichika raised her eyebrows slightly. She hated small, enclosed areas.

"Would you rather go through the front gates, Ichika-chan?" Replied Shigure, crossing his arms.

Ichika sighed. He was right, she was less likely to be caught this way. She glanced back at the hole in the wall. Could she even fit? The thought of having to squeeze through it reminded her of a cat squeezing through small areas to escape.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath through her nose. Here goes nothing... she thought to herself. Ichika kneeled down to the floor and began to crawl through the hole. She surprisingly just fit through it and her eyes met with the immediate change of scenery. She gulped and looked over to Shigure who had crouched down to glance at her.

"Now remember, don't take any detours and go straight to him. I'll be waiting here." He told her, which earned a nervous nod from her.

Ichika stood up to her feet and dusted the dirt from her knees. Then she waved goodbye to the older man and begun to walk. She was kind of glad she snuck in during this time, as it seemed everyone were already settled in their houses and sleeping. She wouldn't have to worry about to bumping into anyone, well at least she hoped so.

Ichika's navy eyes navigated around the current street she was in. She was in an area where the buildings and houses weren't as extravagant as the ones closer to the Head House. As she looked around, she felt the direction of the wind change as it gushed around her. She shivered and wrap her arms around herself, already regretting not wearing another layer under her sweater and a tank top instead. As she was distracted with trying to warm herself, the bluenette tripped over a small stone on the concrete floor and she fell over to her knees.

"Ah!" She cried out, only to quickly slap a hand over her mouth and frantically looked around to see if anyone heard her or if the lights in the houses turned on. Much to her relief, she didn't awaken anyone and she sighed when the coast was still clear. Ichika glanced down at her knees and hissed as she felt a stinging pain. She moved to sit on her bottom instead and lifted her knee to blow on it. She definitely scraped her knee.

"See, I knew that was going to happen. You should have been more careful." Someone said from behind her and she turned her head to face them in shock. Had she been discovered?!

Much to her surprise, there was no one there but a wave of nostalgia that hit her like a truck. She blinked a couple of times before lightly slapping both of her cheeks. Was she going crazy? She was sure someone was talking to her. Shaking her head to disperse the thoughts, she winced as she pushed herself up to her feet again.

She decided to quickly find her way with the guidance of a few faint memories. Thanks to her sneaking out of the house every once in a while when she was still a child, Ichika could roughly figure out a couple directions here and there, though there was a blank space in her mind after that. It lead her to one question which stopped her in her tracks.

Wait.. had she always snuck out of her home in the first place? Why was she remembering that now?

Why had she stopped sneaking out?

Chills ran down her spine, and it wasn't from the cold bristles of the wind.

Why was there a gap in her memories?

A pain immediately shot through her head and slightly stumbled back. She held her head with her eyes shut tightly closed. Maybe she should stop thinking about that, she still needed to do what she came here for. The pain lasted for a few minutes and when she ready to collect to herself, she resumed her walk.

Finally, seeing the a very familiar large and beautiful traditional-looking building, she sighed with a mixture of nervousness and relief. Relief that she could finally see Hatori but nervousness that she had to be as quiet as she could to not awaken any of the servants. And she'd definitely have to get through from the back.

Walking around, she remembered what Shigure had told her on the way to the Estate.

"There is a hidden back door from behind the building. It's old and disguised by a bed of ivy vines. You'll have to go through there, as the front will most likely be guarded by Akito's minions."

Her eyes searched for a bed of ivy vines and they landed on exactly what she was looking for. She quickly separated the vines to find the old door Shigure spoke of, but the moment her eyes found them, she sighed. The door was small and closer to the floor, meaning she would have to crouch down and crawl through it. What's up with all these cat doors, and why did Shigure know exactly where they'd be?

She giggled to herself. Perhaps Shigure was the one who installed them.

Ichika froze at the sound of approaching footsteps and a beam of light drawing closer to her. She immediately scrambled to her knees and pulled the door open before wiggling her way in. Her heart thudded hard against her chest as she quickly snuck around. Slowly and carefully, she took her shoes off and walked barefoot on the wooden porch as to not make a sound. Then she slid open the paper doors and entered in as silently as she could. She glanced to her right and to her left before walking straight down the hall and turned a left corner.

Hatori's office was surely somewhere around here.

When she took another step, a loud creak of the old wooden flooring emitted. She stopped breathing when she heard shuffling and movement from where she just came from. She took off into another direction, afraid she was going to get caught. The sound of movement came closer to her and she panicked. Shigure warned her not to get caught! She needed to get away!

Before she could even process her thoughts  a hand clamped over her mouth and wrapped around her waist. She was pulled into a room after that and her vision blurred.