Hello people. The following is a short one shot that I wrote late last
night. Don't know if it's any good. Let me know what you think. Thanks,
for reading.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
2:32 pm
Yuki was alone, on that rainy Sunday afternoon, when the phone call came. 'I bet that's Miss Honda.' Yuki reasoned, rushing out of his room, and flying down the stairs, towards the little nook where the phone was kept.
Tohru was working today, but he was meeting her after. He was thrilled. They were going to have a date. It wasn't a big deal, just coffee and a movie, but it was still a date with Miss Honda. In Yuki's book that was a pretty big accomplishment.
"Hello," Yuki breathed into the phone, a little out of breath, but still giddy.
"Yuki?" From the other end of the phone line, Hatori sounded unusual. It reminded Yuki of the way he had sounded after Kana left. It sent a shiver of terror down Yuki's spine.
"Hatori?" Yuki's face fell. "Is something wrong?"
"You need to come to the main house, bring Shigure and Kyo with you, and you need to hurry, okay Yuki."
Hatori wasn't making any sense. Why would Akito want Kyo there. The feeling of dread was growing. It spread through Yuki's gut like a wildfire, charring at Yuki's soul, making it hard for him to breath.
"What happened, Hatori?" Yuki managed to ask, his voice low and shaky.
"It's Akito. He's dying, Yuki. He's asked to see all of you, but there isn't much time."
The phone fell from Yuki's hand. Yuki didn't notice. He walked to the stairs and sat down on the bottom step. From somewhere far away, he heard a door open, saw Kyo and Shigure walking towards him. They moved in slow motion, and stared at him funny. Shigure was yelling something that Yuki couldn't hear; Kyo was rushing past him up the stairs. Darkness.
Yuki came around, a short time later. Shigure was pumping him full of his asthma medication, and Kyo was standing over him, looking worried. He wasn't the one they needed to worry about.
****
3:28 pm
Yuki and Kyo sat solemnly, both staring at the dinning room table. Down the hall, Shigure was on the phone with Hatori. Slowly, Yuki could feel himself resurfacing. At the same time, another part of him was shutting down.
"Yuki, Kyo, are you ready to go?" Shigure entered the room, holding their umbrellas.
"Go?" Yuki wondered, catching the umbrella that Shigure dropped in his lap. "I can't."
"Don't be like that Yuki," Kyo grumbled, "Akito's dying, he asked for you especially, he feels he has unfinished business with you."
"I know," Yuki whispered, and sucked in his breath. "I need to get Miss Honda, she'll want to know."
Shigure watched him, trying to read him, the worry was written all over his face.
"Okay, go pick up Tohru," Shigure decided, "But hurry, okay?"
Yuki said nothing, simply nodded his head. Standing up, he followed his cousins out into the rain.
**********
4:41 pm
"Tohru Honda," The voice came through the pager system, "Please report to the first floor lobby."
In the first floor lobby, Yuki stood, wet from the rain. The security guard, a pretty, but tough looking woman, was smiling at him sweetly. Yuki didn't smile back, his eyes found his feet. He focused his mind on his white, rain soaked, tennis shoes. He stood that way, breathing softly, until he heard Tohru's gentle voice.
"Yuki? What are you doing here? You're so early. I won't be off for another half and hour."
He needed to say it, out loud. 'Akito's dying,' but the words got mixed up somewhere inside of him, and so he didn't say that.
"I was hoping you could leave a little bit early." His smile was small, and phony, he was sure that she would see right through it. "Please, Tohru"
She looked at him funny, a little confused, but she smiled back.
"Sure, Yuki, okay. Let me see if I can get one of the other girls to cover for me. I'll be right back."
5:20 pm
The coffee was warm, Yuki's body felt so cold. A few steps away from him Tohru was at the coffee house's pick up window. She was picking up the piece of chocolate cake that they were going to share.
Yuki looked past her, to the clock on the wall. It was an ugly clock. Shaped like a chicken, but blue. Whoever heard of a blue chicken? The clock, he imagined he could hear it ticking, he couldn't. He was missing something here; there was someplace that he needed to be. Oh yes, the movie. Now what time did it start again?
7:15 pm
The movie house was crowded. They had decided on an Anime, and apparently, judging by the laughter that was assaulting Yuki's ears, it was a comedy. Yuki really had no clue.
Tohru was smiling, her big blue eyes, staring up at the screen. Yuki watched her for a long time. In her lap, was the tub of popcorn that he had bought for her. Reaching over, Yuki took a piece of popcorn. Lifting it to Tohru's mouth, he placed in on her lips. Without thinking, she darted her tongue out, capturing the popcorn. She looked at him, and smiled at him strangely. Their eyes locked, hers questioning, his begging. Yuki leaned towards her, she licked her lips nervously. His first kiss tasted of butter, salt and sadness.
8:54 pm
Walking towards home, Yuki suddenly changed directions.
"Yuki? Where are we going?" Tohru asked.
"Main House." Yuki whispered.
"Main House? Why would we want to go there?"
Yuki kept silent. She was already, truly, frightened, by Yuki's unusual behavior. She stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong, Yuki? You haven't been yourself all night."
He remained quiet at first, but then he looked her in the eyes.
"Tohru, I love you."
She was speechless.
Reaching out, he took her hand, tugging at it softly, he simply needed her, wanted her, to follow.
She did, she loved him too, so much. She would follow him anywhere.
9:15 pm
They were gathered, in the hall outside of Akito's room. All of them, the twelve animals from the zodiac, plus the cat.
They stared at him, as they entered the house. Their sadness surrounded them, the place reeked of it, sorrow, tears, and something else. An aura that Yuki couldn't quite name.
Hatori moved down the hall towards him, his eyes red rimmed, and tired. Suddenly, he knew it, put a name to it. 'Don't say it,' he screamed in silence, his head slowly moving from side to side. 'Please, don't say it, because then it becomes real.'
"He's gone, Yuki." Hatori said it, "he held out for as long as he could. He wanted to see you, wanted you to have this."
"I'm too late," Reality smashed him to the floor. Hatori moved to catch him, but arrived too late.
1:45 am
Yuki sat in the darkness of his room. In his hand he held an unopened letter. The thing that Akito wanted him to have. He feared it, as much as he had feared the man.
'I was too late, how he must hate me for that. One hour, and twenty one minutes, too late. I could have made it, if I really wanted to. Why didn't I?"
Reaching over, Yuki hit the switch on the night lamp. A soft light bathed his room. Biting his lip, he unfolded the letter:
Yuki:
There is something that I wanted to tell you. I was always sure that I would get a chance to. Strange how a lifetime, isn't always long enough.
If you love someone, don't forget to tell them. If your wrong someone, be sure to say that you're sorry.
Yuki, just so you know. I love you, and I'm sorry.
Akito
Folding up the letter, Yuki placed it on the night table. Switching off the light.
"I'm sorry too, Akito."
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
2:32 pm
Yuki was alone, on that rainy Sunday afternoon, when the phone call came. 'I bet that's Miss Honda.' Yuki reasoned, rushing out of his room, and flying down the stairs, towards the little nook where the phone was kept.
Tohru was working today, but he was meeting her after. He was thrilled. They were going to have a date. It wasn't a big deal, just coffee and a movie, but it was still a date with Miss Honda. In Yuki's book that was a pretty big accomplishment.
"Hello," Yuki breathed into the phone, a little out of breath, but still giddy.
"Yuki?" From the other end of the phone line, Hatori sounded unusual. It reminded Yuki of the way he had sounded after Kana left. It sent a shiver of terror down Yuki's spine.
"Hatori?" Yuki's face fell. "Is something wrong?"
"You need to come to the main house, bring Shigure and Kyo with you, and you need to hurry, okay Yuki."
Hatori wasn't making any sense. Why would Akito want Kyo there. The feeling of dread was growing. It spread through Yuki's gut like a wildfire, charring at Yuki's soul, making it hard for him to breath.
"What happened, Hatori?" Yuki managed to ask, his voice low and shaky.
"It's Akito. He's dying, Yuki. He's asked to see all of you, but there isn't much time."
The phone fell from Yuki's hand. Yuki didn't notice. He walked to the stairs and sat down on the bottom step. From somewhere far away, he heard a door open, saw Kyo and Shigure walking towards him. They moved in slow motion, and stared at him funny. Shigure was yelling something that Yuki couldn't hear; Kyo was rushing past him up the stairs. Darkness.
Yuki came around, a short time later. Shigure was pumping him full of his asthma medication, and Kyo was standing over him, looking worried. He wasn't the one they needed to worry about.
****
3:28 pm
Yuki and Kyo sat solemnly, both staring at the dinning room table. Down the hall, Shigure was on the phone with Hatori. Slowly, Yuki could feel himself resurfacing. At the same time, another part of him was shutting down.
"Yuki, Kyo, are you ready to go?" Shigure entered the room, holding their umbrellas.
"Go?" Yuki wondered, catching the umbrella that Shigure dropped in his lap. "I can't."
"Don't be like that Yuki," Kyo grumbled, "Akito's dying, he asked for you especially, he feels he has unfinished business with you."
"I know," Yuki whispered, and sucked in his breath. "I need to get Miss Honda, she'll want to know."
Shigure watched him, trying to read him, the worry was written all over his face.
"Okay, go pick up Tohru," Shigure decided, "But hurry, okay?"
Yuki said nothing, simply nodded his head. Standing up, he followed his cousins out into the rain.
**********
4:41 pm
"Tohru Honda," The voice came through the pager system, "Please report to the first floor lobby."
In the first floor lobby, Yuki stood, wet from the rain. The security guard, a pretty, but tough looking woman, was smiling at him sweetly. Yuki didn't smile back, his eyes found his feet. He focused his mind on his white, rain soaked, tennis shoes. He stood that way, breathing softly, until he heard Tohru's gentle voice.
"Yuki? What are you doing here? You're so early. I won't be off for another half and hour."
He needed to say it, out loud. 'Akito's dying,' but the words got mixed up somewhere inside of him, and so he didn't say that.
"I was hoping you could leave a little bit early." His smile was small, and phony, he was sure that she would see right through it. "Please, Tohru"
She looked at him funny, a little confused, but she smiled back.
"Sure, Yuki, okay. Let me see if I can get one of the other girls to cover for me. I'll be right back."
5:20 pm
The coffee was warm, Yuki's body felt so cold. A few steps away from him Tohru was at the coffee house's pick up window. She was picking up the piece of chocolate cake that they were going to share.
Yuki looked past her, to the clock on the wall. It was an ugly clock. Shaped like a chicken, but blue. Whoever heard of a blue chicken? The clock, he imagined he could hear it ticking, he couldn't. He was missing something here; there was someplace that he needed to be. Oh yes, the movie. Now what time did it start again?
7:15 pm
The movie house was crowded. They had decided on an Anime, and apparently, judging by the laughter that was assaulting Yuki's ears, it was a comedy. Yuki really had no clue.
Tohru was smiling, her big blue eyes, staring up at the screen. Yuki watched her for a long time. In her lap, was the tub of popcorn that he had bought for her. Reaching over, Yuki took a piece of popcorn. Lifting it to Tohru's mouth, he placed in on her lips. Without thinking, she darted her tongue out, capturing the popcorn. She looked at him, and smiled at him strangely. Their eyes locked, hers questioning, his begging. Yuki leaned towards her, she licked her lips nervously. His first kiss tasted of butter, salt and sadness.
8:54 pm
Walking towards home, Yuki suddenly changed directions.
"Yuki? Where are we going?" Tohru asked.
"Main House." Yuki whispered.
"Main House? Why would we want to go there?"
Yuki kept silent. She was already, truly, frightened, by Yuki's unusual behavior. She stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong, Yuki? You haven't been yourself all night."
He remained quiet at first, but then he looked her in the eyes.
"Tohru, I love you."
She was speechless.
Reaching out, he took her hand, tugging at it softly, he simply needed her, wanted her, to follow.
She did, she loved him too, so much. She would follow him anywhere.
9:15 pm
They were gathered, in the hall outside of Akito's room. All of them, the twelve animals from the zodiac, plus the cat.
They stared at him, as they entered the house. Their sadness surrounded them, the place reeked of it, sorrow, tears, and something else. An aura that Yuki couldn't quite name.
Hatori moved down the hall towards him, his eyes red rimmed, and tired. Suddenly, he knew it, put a name to it. 'Don't say it,' he screamed in silence, his head slowly moving from side to side. 'Please, don't say it, because then it becomes real.'
"He's gone, Yuki." Hatori said it, "he held out for as long as he could. He wanted to see you, wanted you to have this."
"I'm too late," Reality smashed him to the floor. Hatori moved to catch him, but arrived too late.
1:45 am
Yuki sat in the darkness of his room. In his hand he held an unopened letter. The thing that Akito wanted him to have. He feared it, as much as he had feared the man.
'I was too late, how he must hate me for that. One hour, and twenty one minutes, too late. I could have made it, if I really wanted to. Why didn't I?"
Reaching over, Yuki hit the switch on the night lamp. A soft light bathed his room. Biting his lip, he unfolded the letter:
Yuki:
There is something that I wanted to tell you. I was always sure that I would get a chance to. Strange how a lifetime, isn't always long enough.
If you love someone, don't forget to tell them. If your wrong someone, be sure to say that you're sorry.
Yuki, just so you know. I love you, and I'm sorry.
Akito
Folding up the letter, Yuki placed it on the night table. Switching off the light.
"I'm sorry too, Akito."