Word Count : 2607
"Sounds like a pretty big storm." I say. We sat inside as the wind blew outside and the rain hit the roof of the house. The thunder and lightning were just as loud as the skies grew darker.
"Yeah, and it's getting worse." Yuki agrees.
"They may appear on a day like today." Shigure says.
"What do you mean?"
"During summer around these parts, they appear." Shigure as a large flash of lightning struck soon followed by thunder.
"Uh, er, what will appear?" Tohru says her face was losing colour as she gets scared from Shigure.
"Shigure you're scaring her." I told him but he seemed to be enjoying it. Just then the door slams open and the outline of a person is visible. Tohru shouts in a panic, freaking out.
"That's why! Tomorrow we're gonna set out with a boom!" Momiji shouts, stepping into the house.
---
"Y-You scared me!" Tohru tells him.
"So where are we going?" Yuki asks, handing Momiji a towel to dry off from the rain.
"Remember, we all promised we'd go out and do something together. And so, I reserved one of Sohma's vacation houses, so we're all going on a summer getaway together!"
"What, tomorrow?! Vacation house?! A summer getaway?!"
"This is a bit of a late notice." I told him.
"Making plans on his own again..." Yuki sighs.
"A pampered luxury vacation. I could use one of those." Shigure smiles.
Shigure's off in his own fantasy again.
"Tohru, you don't have to work, right? This is our chance to have some fun!" Momiji cheers.
"O-Oh, but I don't know if someone like me should-"
"It's okay! I invited Haru, Harry, Aya, Ritchan, Kisa, Hiro, and Kagura, too!" Momiji says, listing off pretty much everyone.
"That's basically everyone you invited. Also can we remove someone from that list, specifically my brother." Yuki says.
"See? You should come, Tohru!"
"Umm..."
"If you want to go, Tohru-kun, you should go." Shigure tells her.
"Okay! I would love to go!"
"We've gotta catch stag beetles and hercules beetles."
"Yeah!" Tohru agrees.
"We've gotta do fireworks, too!" Momiji cheers
"Yeah!"
"Sounds fun. I might go too." Shigure says.
"Really?! Let's go, let's go!" Momiji cheers
"You don't have to work?" Shigure asks
"Nope!"
"I don't believe you, and you're making me sick. Please stop."
"Never mind me, don't you all have homework?"
"No need to worry. I'm pretty much done." Yuki says.
"I'm almost done too!" Momiji smiles.
"I've finished." I say. I looked over at Tohru and she was staring at the ground, an aura of sadness was coming off of her. It was obvious from what was just talked about that she had not done the homework. In the end Yuki, Momiji and Tohru went to her room to help her do the homework that was given to us.
---
I was walking through the hall to Kyo's room. He wasn't there during the conversation so he didn't know that we were heading on a trip tomorrow. Momiji was walking over to me as well.
"Hello Momiji, weren't you with Yuki and Tohru?"
"I decided to let them do their work. Plus Kyo doesn't know about the trip yet." He answers.
"I was just about to do that."
"Then let's tell him together!"
"Alright then."
"Kyo!" Momiji shouts, opening the door to Kyo's room without knocking.
"Momiji you should knock before entering someone's room." I told him.
"Hey, Kyo. Are you sick?" Momiji asks. Kyo was lying on the floor in his room with his arm over his head, shielding his eyes from the light. He must have been doing badly because of the rain.
"I'm tired, I don't have the energy to deal with you. Go away."
"I understand." Momiji says. "We're going to the vacation house tomorrow, so get packed!" He yells. Kyo gets surprised and jumps from his spot at the sudden noise.
"Momiji don't shout, he's not feeling well." I told him.
"You don't understand at all!" Kyo shouts. It takes a moment but then Kyo seems to process the words that Momiji had said. "Wait, tomorrow? To the vacation house?"
"Yep!" Momijij smiles and Kyo hits him in the head.
"Don't yep me!"
"Kyo hit me!" Momiji cries.
"Kyo, please don't hit him."
"He deserved it!"
"But, but, you'll come, right? You won't say no, right?" Momiji pleads.
"Stop bugging me."
"It would be more fun if you were to come, Kyo." I told him.
"Ami will be sad if you don't come."
"I never said that."
"We'll swim together! We'll all play together!"
"I said stop bothering me. I never said I wouldn't go. Sheesh, I'm tired." Kyo says, looking through his stuff looking for stuff to pack.
"You've gotten nicer." Momiji smiles.
"Huh?"
"Nothing!"
"Oh, yeah, I'm gonna catch stag beetles! And Hercules beetles!" Momiji says.
"Are you for real?"
"Yes!" After telling Kyo about the trip I head off into my room and head to bed.
---
"It cleared up!" Momiji cheers. We all were standing outside with our bags packed and everyone was ready to head out to the vacation house. It was no longer pouring rain with strong winds. The sky was clear and the sun was hot with almost no wind.
"Shigure-san, you can't come after all?" Tohru asks. Shigure had not packed and was seeing us off.
"Well, I'll head out after finishing up some work." He explains. "Now, Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun."
"What is it?"
"No teasing Tohru-kun and Ami while I'm not there!" He says.
"They're safer without you around!" Kyo shouts.
"Let's go." Yuki says.
"We'll be going now!"
"See you."
"Okay! Be careful!" Shigure waves.
---
"It's summer! Nothing but blue sky and blue ocean." Tohru says, smiling at the ocean. She was wearing the new bathing suit that we had gotten for her. It hadn't taken us long to get into our swimsuits and arrive at the beach. The view was beautiful, with the sun reflecting off the ocean.
"The light breeze feels nice." I say. Momiji and Kisa came running over.
"Tohru, Ami! Let's go in!" Momiji shouts, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the water as Kisa pulls Tohru.
"Big sis, let's go!"
"Okay"
"Big Sis, look. This shell is so pretty." Kisa smiles, holding out a shell she had found in the sand.
"Nice job, Kisa." Tohru and Kisa continue to play around in the water. I decided I would try swimming to the rock that wasn't too far away. As I moved my arms in what I thought were the correct motions I held my breath and felt my hands crash into the water. I finally reached the rock and I was able to breathe. I held onto the rock as I caught my breath.
"Idiot." Kyo says. I looked up to see he was now on the rock. In his hand was a pool donut.
"Kyo, when did you get here? I could have sworn there was no one there a moment ago. I thought you weren't going to go in the water." I wonder.
"I'm not in the water. Also, if you are going to actually swim in the ocean, learn how to breathe while you swim."
"Were you watching? Was I really swimming?"
"You looked like you were swimming for your life." He comments.
"I'll show you my swimming again." I push off the rock at the same time Kyo tosses the pool donut up in the air. By the time I had hit the water again the donut had landed around me.
"You don't have to! Didn't I warn you that you'd get swept away?" Kyo says as he jumps in the water. He grabs the pool donut by the side and starts dragging it, taking me with it. "Momiji! Teach her how to swim while breathing!" I start laughing and wave my hands. "Wh-What's with this all of a sudden?"
"This is so fun!" I smile at him. I look over and see him and I realise that he is now in the water. "Sorry, Kyo, you had to come in the water even if you don't like it."
"Go on!" He says, he pushed the donut with me and I spun away over to everyone else. I laugh as I go around in circles.
"Ami, you look like you're having fun." Tohru smiles, before turning to shore and waving to Haru, Yuki and Hiro who had yet to get in the water. "Yuki-kun!"
"Yuki, and Haru you should come in!" Momiji shouts.
"Oh. Okay!" Yuki replies.
"And Hiro, too!"
"Shut up, puny rabbit!" Hiro answers. Yuki gets in and swims over to us. Kyo starts making his way to shore but as he gets out of the water Haru grabs his arm and starts dragging him back.
"Stop being an idiot! Let me go! Are you trying to kill me?!" Kyo shouts, trying to resist Haru.
"The water's pretty cold." Yuki comments.
"I find it refreshing since it's hot out."
"You'll get used to it in no time." Momiji tells him.
"The swimsuit looks nice on you. It's cute." Yuki mentions.
"Tohru's always cute." Momiji says swimming off with the pool donut. I was now able to stand and didn't need it to help me stay floating and breathing.
"Oh! Um, thank you very much! It's thanks to you all who picked it out as a gift for me."
"Yuki." Haru calls out holding Kyo so he does not run away. "Wanna race? Kyo will get fired up if you join us."
"No I won't. I'm not that dumb!" Kyo argues, finally getting free and walking off, to head back to shore.
"Maybe I will." Yuki responds.
"I won't lose! I'll win! I'll kick your ass!" Kyo says, staying to participate in the race.
"Nice, Yuki."
"That wasn't my intent."
"Um, please don't push yourselves too hard."
"Tohru's right, stay safe and don't get swept away in the current."
"They should just swim like normal people. How childish." Momiji says. Everyone continued to hangout until the sun had started to set and then we started heading upstairs.
---
"Yuki, you were amazing! You came in first!" Momiji smiles.
"Where's the stupid cat?" Yuki asks. I had forgotten that Kyo was no longer with us.
"He was so shocked from losing to you that he went back first. To go sulk in bed." Haru answers.
"Kisa, you're in my room. As well as Ami." Tohru tells her.
"Yeah."
"It will be fun being just us girls." I say.
"Stupid girl." Hiro says.
"Huh?"
"Yes?"
"Isn't this yours?" He says holding out my purple pocket book.
"Ah! I thought I left that home! I didn't want to lose it." I had been in a rush to get packed and must have put it in my bag by accident.
"You dropped it."
"Thank you! It must have grabbed it and put it in the wrong spot while I was packing."
"Why do you only carry a photo of your mom anyway? You don't carry around a photo of your dad. Most of the time, for whatever reason you're always going on about your mom. It's the same with Tohru. That's all you ever talk about. You both have a serious mother complex. Is that all there is to you two?"
"I just don't have many memories about my father so I can't talk about him that much." It was a bit of a harsh question and it is hard to come up with an answer because even without memories it would be nice to remember him in some ways.
"Well that's... Well... that's..." Tohru frowns before she starts laughing.
"Huh?"
"Hey! Hurry up!" Momiji yells. Everyone was already far up ahead.
"Oh, okay! Coming now!"
"On our way!" We walked over to Momiji who was waiting for us. Yuki, Haru and Kyo were out of sight and most likely already at the house. Hiro and Kisa stayed behind for a moment. It seemed like they were talking about something.
"I think I'm starting to get hungry." Momiji says. All of sudden Kisa rushes over and hugs Tohru from behind.
"Kisa-san, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing." She mumbles.
---
That night almost everyone had gone upstairs for the night. All that was left was Momiji, Haru, Yuki and I. We were relaxing on the couch after the day's events.
"Did Kisa and Hiro get into a fight? They were quiet during dinner." Yuki asks. I decided to stay quiet and not get involved. I didn't want to say anything that I wasn't supposed to.
"Hmmm..."
"It's a waste of time for a third wheel to get involved in a lover's quarrel. It's best to leave them alone." Haru replies.
"I can't tell if you're being nice or you don't care." Yuki told him. I ended up heading upstairs as well to get ready for bed. I entered the room where Kisa, Tohru and I would be sleeping. Kisa was already asleep in her bed and Tohru was sitting outside on the balcony. I was really starting to get worried about her, I could understand where she was coming from.
---
"Hiro-san, we found stag beetles." She smiles holding up a beetle to show him. I was holding one as well in my hands. I never really liked bugs but it was kind of interesting. The next day we had woken up earlier to go out and find beetles. The tree we were at was full of different types as well. Tohru was acting happy but it seems partially forced and I was worried about her.
"They're so cool." Kisa says.
"They really are!" Momiji agrees.
"Hiro-san, Hiro-san! Look, it's a magnificent stag beetle."
"That's nice."
"Yes!"
"Did you pour something in there?" Yuki asks. The beetles were being attracted to the box like something was drawing them there.
"It's sugar water. Kyo taught me about it." Momiji answers.
"Oh?"
"Oh, Kyo! Morning! Jogging so early in the morning?" Momiji waves as Kyo jogs by.
"You guys are all up pretty early yourselves." Kyo responds, walking over to us.
"There were no Hercules beetles." Momiji said sadly.
"Didn't think there'd be." I walk over to Kyo and show him the beetle I had in my hands.
"Look! It's a stag beetle."
"Dummy, that's a rhinoceros beetle."
"Seriously?! Momiji, can I check the encyclopaedia?" I asked, walking over to see if Kyo was right.
"Sure."
---
Kyo walks over to Hiro and hits him on the head.
"Ouch! What'd you do that for?"
"Did you do something to Ami again? Or Tohru?" Kyo asks, ignoring the question Hiro had asked.
"What do you mean? What evidence do you have to make you suspect me?"
"I don't know what happened, but Tohru looks sad, and it seems to reflect onto Ami making her worry." Kyo explains and walks over to Ami.
---
I looked over to see Kyo talk with Hiro but I was unable to hear what they were saying. They must have finished their conversation because Kyo starts making his way over.
"Kyo, you were right, it is a rhinoceros beetle."
"I know."
---
Yuki was lying on the couch with a wet towel on his forehead. Over the day he had stopped feeling okay and was now feeling sick.
"He suddenly came down with a fever. I guess the heat was really getting to him."
"Y-Yuki-kun! Hang in there!" Tohru stutters.
"Tohru he's not dying." I told her, but it was no use. She was always really worried when people got sick.
"Don't worry, it's just a low grade fever. Calm down."
"I'm going to go take a bath." I say getting up and heading off. "Get better."
"Thanks."
"Good night."
Little did I know that today was just the beginning of what was going to happen during this trip. And things were going to take a turn for the unexpected.