Fruits Basket Prompts

46. It Wasn't Meaningless Part 2

But this time, she doesn't hide in the bush.

She looks around to check if anyone is around. At this time of the day, no one should be, unless she's unlucky. The maid in charge only comes to deliver the three meals a day. Other than that, she's never around.

Tohru sucks in a deep breath and approaches the door. There's a lock on it. A rusted, rotting lock on a wobbling wooden shoji door.

If Tohru pushed it with all her strength, she might even manage to break the door. But she can't let anyone know that someone visited.

She fishes out a key from her purse and opens the lock.

A month ago, she had made a copy of the key that the maid carried. The maid obviously didn't know Tohru's face, so she had taken advantage of that fact. She bumped into her one day and stole the key. After making a copy of it, she returned it by sneaking into the maid's quarter and putting it on the maid's desk. It had been risky, but definitely worth it. She was willing to get arrested for Kyo too.

By all the sneaking around Tohru does nowadays, she might as well have become a ninja by now.

But then again, ninjas probably don't have nearly as much as scratches as Tohru does. She's clumsy, so accidents happen a lot.

Tohru steps into the house, the floorboard creaking with the step of her foot.

She can't help but shiver at the sensation she gets from here. It's scary like a haunted house. Spiderwebs decorating the corners, dust everywhere—as if no living being even lives here.

Her heart clenches.

She sucks in another deep breath and turns to her right. The place is mostly dark. She can't even see properly, except for the minimum sunlight coming from the closed shoji windows.

As the bars come into view, a hoarse voice comes out, "Is it dinner time already?"

Tohru freezes at the familiar voice, her heart thumping in her chest. Her hand tightens around her purse and the bag.

She's scared all of a sudden.

She didn't think it through while coming here. What if he doesn't want to see her? What if Akito asks him and he tells the truth that Tohru didn't forget anything? What if this time she forgets everything for real? What if—

"Tomone?"

Tohru snaps back to reality, looking around the dark room. She shakes her head and resolves herself again. She has come too far to go back now.

She will see him today, come what may.

She takes a few more steps, standing fully in front of the bars. Beyond those bars, she finally sees the love of her life.

He's lying down on his side on the tatami floor, facing the other way, his head buried in the crook of his elbow.

Her brown eyes rove over him. He seems cold. His toes are curled. He's just wearing a simple white yukata.

The weather is slightly cold today, despite being the end of May. He shouldn't be just lying on the floor without a blanket! Or do they not give him a blanket? That's just unnecessarily cruel—

"Tomone, why are you not—" He turns over in irritation, propping himself up on his elbow and instantly freezing. His lifeless eyes come back to life, a glow returning in them like a ray of hope is standing bright right in front of him and he can't believe it.

"Tohru..."

Goosebumps cover her body. It's been so long since she had heard her name from his mouth, and it sounds just as breathtaking as always.