Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Here Without You ❯ Here Without You ( Chapter 2 )

It had been a week since Tohru had been gone, but it felt like a hundred days to Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure. Momiji and Hatsuharu were even searching for her (Hatsuharu had Momiji's help in finding his way around town). Both Yuki and Kyo missed Tohru's pretty face, her cheerful smile, and her kindness.

Things were worse for Tohru. It felt like a thousand nights to her and it just made her feel colder as the days past. She was afraid to eat or drink anything in fear of poison. Tohru didn't know what to do anymore, her heart longed for outside and fresh air, but she only got dusty, dirty air from the concrete walls. She wanted to see Yuki and Kyo, she missed them so much, and it was horrible.

While she was trapped in the concrete room, Tohru would cry. Every night, she'd cry herself to sleep and wake up, her face feeling stiff from dry tears. Tohru was in deep depression; she couldn't even keep herself up beat anymore. She'd lost her faith and she lost the hope of getting out of there.

Tohru felt that she had wasted her life by not living it like her mother had. She wanted to go out and have fun instead of cleaning and cooking all the time. Even though she enjoyed doing housework for the Sohma's, there were times when she wanted to go out and see a movie just because. It all seemed so important now. Even if she was to be stuck here and never found by anyone, she would still love all of them. Why? Because nothing could tear her heart away from the Sohma family, they had done so much for her. Too much maybe, and Tohru felt like she was still in their debt, no matter what.

"Bring the girl in here..." Akito commanded.

His servant bowed and went to get Tohru. When he unlocked the door, Tohru was sleeping, her cheeks wet with tears.

"You," he said, shaking her. "Akito wants to see you."

Tohru woke up and sat up, hanging her head. She stood up and followed the servant to Akito's room. The whole time, she hung her head, afraid to look up. When she arrived she walked in, sat down, and bowed politely.

"How are you this afternoon," Akito asked, but Tohru didn't reply. "It's rude to not answer a question when it's asked."

Obediently, Tohru replied: "Fine..."

"I know you're not fine." He walked over to her and picked her up at the chin. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He raised her so they were face-to-face.

Tohru's eyes were closed, afraid to see what was looking at her. Her face showed that Akito was hurting her, and he smirked. "Open your eyes... now!" He dug his nails into Tohru's cheek.

She opened her eyes and saw Akito smirking; it scared her. "I can make you feel the pain that Yuki felt when he lived here all today... or you can obey me." Tohru looked at him, unsure of what he wanted her to do. Akito grinned and dug his nails deeper into her face.

Tohru squirmed a little, but Akito seemed to enjoy watching her struggle. Tohru heard the door open, but Akito was too focused on Tohru's pain to pay attention to his surroundings.

"Akito!" the person exclaimed, running over to help Tohru.

"Get out of here, Hatsuharu," Akito snapped.

"Hatsu...haru..." Tohru said weakly.

Hatsuharu ran over to Akito and tried to pull him back. Akito knocked him back and raised Tohru higher, lowering his hand to her neck to choke her. His nails dug into her skin like a blade, blood from her neck dripping on to Akito's hand. Hatsuharu began to turn black, and used all his strength to get Akito off Tohru. In the struggle, Hatsuharu was knocked back again and Akito threw Tohru against the wall.

Hatsuharu cried out Tohru's name and ran over to her. Her head had cracked open. "Akito," Hatsuharu exclaimed, "what's the meaning of this!"

"The girl is standing in the way of everyone's dependent on me!" Akito screamed. "Everyone should depend on me! Not that pathetic, weak, little girl! I am the head of this family and I will not be defined!"

Hatsuharu controlled his temper when it came to Akito. He had come to Akito for an answer to where Tohru might be, for his help in finding her. He thought that day would have softened Akito some, but all it did was made him feel more challenged. Hatsuharu was wrong, but now, he had to help Tohru.

Hatsuharu picked Tohru up and took her out of the room. He didn't want Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, anyone to see Tohru like this. So, he covered her with a blanket and rushed to Hatori's. He couldn't treat Tohru himself; he didn't know what else might be wrong with her. But, why was Tohru with Akito?

When Hatsuharu arrived at Hatori's, Hatori was on the phone with Shigure. "I know," Hatori said, "if I find Tohru, I will inform you immediately. You shouldn't worry so much."

"It's not me," Shigure's voice said from the phone, "it's Yuki and Kyo that are worried about her most."

Hatori turned to see Hatsuharu carrying something under a blanket. "I have to go now, Shigure."

"Good-bye, Ha'ri, make sure to keep a good look out for Tohru."

Hatori hung up the phone and turned in his chair. "What's under the blanket," he asked.

"We can't do this here," Hatsuharu said calmly. "We need a private room."

"Why?"

"Don't question me right now, Hatori! It's hard to explain what I saw and who I have with me now!" Hatsuharu yelled, beginning to turn black.

Hatori stood up; "Follow me..." He led Hatsuharu out of the room to a private one down the hall.

The room had a hospital bed, bathroom, a few chairs, and a window with a closing shade that locked securely. There was also a counter, cabinets, and sink for medical supplies, food, and beverages. Ice was kept in a tiny freezer with a few ice packs. There was even a closet that contained medical machines too big for the cabinets. The room was a little like an apartment, but more haunting because of the hospital look.

Hatsuharu set the covered victim on the bed and began to wet a rag and prepare towels, bandages, and medical tape for Hatori to use. Hatori walked over to the bed and uncovered the victim. He blinked and was shocked at was he saw. It was a bleeding Tohru Honda.

"What happened! How'd you find her!" Hatori asked, rather surprised and panicked.

"I went to go see Akito about her and he was holding her by the chin, digging his nails into her face." Hatsuharu walked over with the items and went to get a bowl for water. While at the counter, he continued. "He knocked me back when I tried to get him off her. He began to choke her, cutting her neck as well. I got up to try again, but only to be knocked back. He threw her against the wall, cracking her head open. He said how everyone should depend on him, but they depend on Tohru instead. So, I covered Tohru with a blanket and brought her to you."

Hatori was examining Tohru while Hatsuharu explained what happened. "Her left wrist is sprained... and her ring finger is broken."

Hatsuharu brought over a bowl of water and some popsicle sticks for Tohru's finger. "What about Akito? Why would Tohru be with Akito?"

"Akito could've been the one to kidnap Tohru because he feared his control over everyone was being weakened."

"What are we going to do? We can't let Yuki, Kyo, or anyone else see Tohru like this. They'll go after Akito, which means either Tohru will get hurt again or he'll hurt them."

"We won't tell them."

"What about Akito?"

"Tohru will stay in my care until she's better. Until then, Tohru can't make contact with anyone, but us."

"Right..." Hatsuharu was a little disappointed. He had seen how sad the others were since Tohru's disappearance, and now that she had been found, he could tell everyone. But, Akito had tortured her, and he couldn't go to Yuki. He wanted Yuki to be happy, but it was hard now. Hatsuharu would have to wait... wait until the time was right.

Yuki sat there, watching the phone, waiting for it to ring while Kyo was in the backyard, training. Shigure was in his office, working on his latest novel. The phone rang and Yuki dived for it; "Hello!"

"Hey, Yuki," Hatsuharu said calmly from the other line.

Yuki asked, very eager, "Have you heard anything about Miss Honda yet!"

"Sorry, Yuki, I haven't."

"... Oh..."

"Hatori wanted me to remind you that you have a check up tomorrow at 5:30 PM."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Don't worry, Tohru will show up soon, I promise."

Yuki simply nodded and hung up the phone. He could feel his heart breaking. Without Tohru, he felt helpless, depressed, lonely, girlish, and plain, straight-out rotten. He barely ever smiled in school, he didn't speak up in class, he didn't even make any speeches at Student Council meetings like he would always do. Depression was taking Yuki over.

Kyo wasn't any better. He didn't argue with Uo in school, nor did he even bother to reply when someone insulted him in some way. If anyone called him Kyo-Kyo, he'd just ignore them and do whatever he was doing, which was almost always nothing. When he got home, he'd sit on the roof until dinner was ready, eat, then train a little, and then return to his spot on the roof until he was too tired to stay awake. Depression was taking Kyo over.

Kyo came in; "What was that about?"

"Haru was just reminding me about my appointment with Hatori."

"Oh..." Kyo sounded disappointed and more miserable now. "No sign of her?"

"Nothing... not even a hair..."

"Damnit!" Kyo punched a hole through the wall and stormed upstairs.

Shigure leaned forward and looked through the hole now in his wall. He sighed and said, "He can never take his temper out on a rock. His temper has to be taken out on my poor house."

Yuki stood up and went to his room to think about Tohru, to remember her, to dream about her...

Tohru awoke and sat up a little. Her head ached, her wrist and her finger hurt as well, but then remembering what happened, she touched her face. She could feel the scabs on her face and neck left from Akito, but, now, the question was who brought her here?

"Good afternoon, Tohru," a voice said from next to her.

She jumped a little at the sound of someone. Tohru turned her head and saw Hatsuharu, sitting there, looking very patient. "Oh, hello, Hatsuharu."

"You feeling all right?"

"My head hurts a little... along with my wrist and finger, but besides that, I'm fine."

"I'll go tell Hatori." Hatsuharu left and shut the door quietly behind him.

Tohru looked around the room; it was better then her cell. She had a nice bed, with multiple blankets, an actual bathroom, even a tiny kitchen. Even though she had all of this, she noticed the large, colored screen covered the whole window and was locked securely. She frowned and lay back down.

"Hello, Tohru, it's good to see you're awake," Hatori said, walking into the room casually, closing and locking the door behind him.

"What's going on," Tohru asked.

"Akito injured you pretty bad. So, now, you have to stay here in secret. Under Akito's commands, taking affect tomorrow, you can only see him and myself."

"Can't we open the window? The screen? Let the sun shine in? Get fresh air?"

"I'm afraid not, Tohru."

"Can I see Yuki or Kyo? Or even Shigure? Ayame? Kisa? Momiji? --"

"It's not possible. Hatsuharu, nor myself, wants Yuki or Kyo to see your injuries; if they do, they might go after Akito and cause more conflict." Hatori was about to continue when the phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ha'ri," A voice exclaimed from the phone. "How's it going?"

Shigure... Tohru thought automatically.

"Yes, Shigure?" Hatori sighed.

"Has Tohru shown up?"

"It's been four days since you've called."

"I know, but I'm worrying about these two. When Yuki gets home from school, he sits in front of the phone and he only leaves it to use the bathroom, but he's very reluctant to leave it. He took the phone from my office and put it in his room. My poor office phone..."

"Yuki should be focusing on his school work; if he doesn't, he'll face horrible consequences."

"Yes, he will. Kyo's stopped training and eating. He just sits on the roof, thinking and watching out for Tohru."

"Things will get better. Tohru should appear any day now."

"I hope so, or else Yuki is going to stop eating soon."

"Good-bye, Shigure." Hatori hung up the phone.

Tohru sat herself up and began to crawl out of bed. "I have to go back there, I have to... Kyo's not eating... Yuki's not doing well in school. I have to go."

"Don't push yourself. You head is still injured and you're body is weak from lack of food and water; you've been out for three days as well."

"I have to..." Tohru stood up, only to be sat down again.

"Tohru, by doctor's orders, you must stay in bed for your own health and well-being."

"I'll be fine once... I get to... Shigure's..."

"You need something to eat."

"Can't..."

"Why?"

"Poison, there might be poison."

"Tohru, no food coming to you will have poison in it."

There was a knock at the door, and Hatori called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Hatsuharu, I brought some food and soda for your patient."

Hatori unlocked the door and let Hatsuharu in. He held a tray with all sorts of sushi on it. There were fox rolls, salmon rolls, tuna rolls, lobster rolls, crab rolls, and much more like that. On the side there was a selection of milk, water, juice, and pop/soda/carbonated beverage. On the other side of the sushi were a pair of chopsticks and a small pile of napkins. "I had Kyo make a bunch yesterday because he lost two fights to me." He set the tray on a small table that Hatori had set up when Hatsuharu walked in the room.

"Thank you so much, Hatsuharu." Tohru smiled and began eating the fox rolls.

"I hope you feel better," he replied, sitting on the opposite side of Hatori.

"It's all so delicious!" She took a drink of the juice and began to eat some more.

"At least she doesn't have to fear poison when the food is made by Kyo..." Hatori said.

"How long have you been here," Hatsuharu asked.

"From the time I got here to the time I met with Akito... a week..." Tohru replied, talking with her mouth full.

"You've been out for three days too..."

"Three days!"

"Yes, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"It's unhealthy to eat that long," Hatori said. "I thought you had been here longer with the way Hatsuharu had brought you. After you eat, you should probably rest some more... you've got a lot of healing to do with a broken finger, sprained wrist, those cuts, and you're head injury."

Tohru smiled and nodded, "Right!"

So, Hatsuharu stayed by her side as she ate, and watched her sleep until he left. When he shut the door behind him, he walked a little and bumped into someone.

"What are you doing here, Hatsuharu," the person asked. "You haven't been in school for three days. What have you been doing in that room?"

"Visiting someone," Hatsuharu replied.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you, Kyo."

"Why!"

"Because, it only concerns Hatori and I."

"Whatever..." Kyo turned and left into Hatori's office. "So, who are you hiding?"

"No one of you're concern," Hatori replied, writing down some notes.

"Hatori, what are you writing," Momiji whined, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Momiji, this is a private file."

"Aw, come on, you let me see the others!"

"I can't let you see this one, this is a private patient."

"Oh, can I at least see their name!"

"No, Momiji! I told you, this is private business!" He put the paper in his folder and put it into his file cabinet, locking it when he shut it.

"Sorry..." Momiji sulked out of the room, a little hurt by Hatori's sudden private urge.

"All right, who is it you're hiding here," Kyo shouted once Momiji left. "Is it Tohru? Are you hiding Tohru here!"

"I don't know where Tohru is, and she certainly isn't here. If I did know or had any idea of her whereabouts, I'd say something," Hatori snapped.

"You just shut Momiji out! If it's not Tohru, who is it!"

"Keep you're curiosity to yourself! Who my patients are shouldn't matter to you!"

"Then I'll find out myself!" Kyo stormed out of the room and Hatori ran after him, pulling him back.

"Mind you're own business, cat." Hatori locked the door and stormed back to his office.

Kyo blinked, this must've been something big for him to be so private about something like this. Especially since Hatori had just referred to him as "cat". What's up with him...?