Against All Gods

Grieving

One grieves freedom and the girl he loves. One grieves the chance to rid herself of a problem. And one grieves a plan that never came to be.

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Tohru only sees Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima for the remainder of her stay. The two made it a point to visit Tohru every day after school as she recovered, giving her the latest gossip, which Tohru tried to listen to and enjoy. But truthfully, she could only wonder why nobody else had come to see her. There hasn't been anything from any of the Sohmas, except Akito, of course. Nothing from Yuki or Shigure, Momiji or Hatori. Once, Tohru inquired after the good doctor and got a vague answer that he was out, and a concerned glance. Not the answer she was looking for.

And, of course, nothing from Kyo. It hurt more than Tohru would care to admit – that he said those things. It made some sense, though, she supposed. It certainly cleared up why he didn't like her when he first moved in. He was afraid. She could forgive that. She could forgive him.

She did forgive him. And that's why he ran.

That didn't make sense to her. Why he ran away. If she could just get a few minutes to talk to him, to atone for her own mistakes, to hear him out. Just to see him would be a great relief. But she never caught his name on the lips of the passing nurses. Never got anything out of Uotani or Hanajima. And didn't see another Sohma until the stay at the hospital was over, and she was discharged.

Hanajima practically forced Tohru to stay at their large home. Tohru protested, of course, but there was hardly any arguing with Hana. Tohru relented and stayed in a guest room on the main floor.

The doctors were very specific about the rules for Tohru's injuries. Minimal walking and no running, standing for long periods, she is not to be left alone for long, and no alcohol, which Tohru didn't have to worry about. And in the Hanajima house, one was almost never alone.

After two days of staying there, Hana and Uotani suggested Tohru return to the Sohma house to get some of her things. Hoping and praying Shigure was there, Tohru agreed.

The wheelchair ramp going up to the house was steep, but between the three of them, they were able to get up to the house. Tohru told the girls to wait outside while she tried to find Shigure, but from the outside of the home, the shred of hope Tohru held was dwindling.

Abandoning the wheelchair at the door, she walked to the porch. What she saw made her stop dead.

All of her belongings, carefully packed into three boxes, labeled and stacked on the porch. And a not on top. With shaking hands, Tohru opened it and read.

Tohru,

I do apologize for the sudden eviction, truly. But Akito has ordered everyone in the inner circle to the main Estate for a bit of an extended stay. Everyone is alright. Please don't worry about us, and stay away from the Estate.

Wishing for a fast recovery, Shigure.

Tohru almost thought it was a joke. It was dumb to tell her they were all at the Estate, and to tell her to stay away, and then tell her not to worry about them. Of course she was going to worry! Worry flowed through Tohru's blood.

Well, she knew what her first stop would be when she was well enough to leave on her own.

"Tohru? Everything alright?" Uotani calls.

"Uhh, yeah!" Tohru calls back, her voice chipper as ever. She pockets the note. "Can you two come here?"

The girls gape at the boxes on the porch. "What happened?" Hana asks.