Against All Gods

Grieving

"Shigure and Yuki... got a new place. Closer to family. A last-minute decision," Tohru says, coming up with an excuse. "I can't go with them, there's no room."

That was not the right thing to say. The moment she saw the boxes, Uotani was fuming. "That douchebag! How dare he just pick up and leave!"

"Uo, calm down. I've been gone for a month. And we always knew this was a risky and temporary arrangement," Tohru says. It's hard to use words to calm someone when you don't believe them yourself.

Uotani picks up two of the boxes. Hanajima gets the last one and insists Tohru just drive the wheelchair back to the house, all while Uo rose hell about it.

Over the next two weeks, Tohru crashes at the Hanajima household, eating with them, helping them with housework and babysitting, and otherwise just trying to make herself as small as possible.

By the end of the two weeks, Tohru is able to return to school and work, and only uses the wheelchair sometimes. Going back to work is a blessing, because although the Hanajimas insist she can live with them for as long as she needs, Tohru needs to start searching for a place of her own. And she'll be damned if she stays in a tent again. So she picks up as many shifts as she can handle and scours the internet for affordable apartments. She's going to need to live on her own eventually.

Returning to school was also a big shock. People looked at her, which was different. Usually nobody paid her any mind unless she was with Yuki. They watched her walk by with pity in their eyes, even with Hana and Uo trailing her wherever she went. What was worse, was there was no sign of Yuki or Kyo. On her second day back, Tohru even went as far as to check the class below her for Momiji and Haru, only to find they haven't been in school for weeks.

Some students gave her a date. None of the Sohmas have been seen since her fall.

Tohru vividly recalls the deal she made with Akito. And Tohru has not a single doubt that the family head would pull them out of school to worsen Tohru's misery.

While Tohru hid the pain and growing loneliness as she always had, she began to devise a plan.

The plan began with visiting Kazuma Sohma, and Rin.

ᓚᘏᗢ

Yuki walked through the rooms of the main estate that have been cleared for the Zodiac. He counted them all.

There were only twelve, besides Akito's.

Hatori already had his, since he always had to stay so close to Akito for his poor health. But the rest were now being filled with the rest. Shigure didn't seem to mind the change too much, keeping to the gardens and courtyard. Hiro and Momiji haven't left their rooms in days. Kisa has been glued to her mother's hip, who came to help her get settled and has yet to leave. Yuki's wondered how much longer Akito will allow Kisa's mother to stay, or how long the woman would want to stay. She's already a better woman that Yuki's own mother.

The rest of the Zodiac is still trickling in. Yuki's brother has been in and out, both working and bringing in his many, many belongings.

Yuki walked out to the garden to find Shigure reading.

"How are you settling in?" Shigure asks, not looking up.

"Not well. The only one that seems unbothered by this is you."

Shigure shrugged. "There's nothing to be done. Not with so much at stake."

"That's the thing. I don't understand, what's at stake here?"

A sly smile etches his face as he turns the page. "Can you not feel it? Things are changing."

"What is changing-" Yuki began.