Chapter Text
Arisa felt weirdly self-conscious as she made her way to the dojo. In the first place, she was going alone, which almost always felt weird, and in the second, she was finally seeing 'the Sohma estate' for the very first time. She had never been caught up in the mystique of the Sohmas like so many others, but between Tohru hooking up with Kyo, her own involvement with Kureno, and what she'd learned at the hospital about the Family in general, it was perhaps inevitable her curiosity was piqued.
She knew the Sohmas were loaded, and she knew that they were connected. She knew they were cliquey, and that their estate was basically their own mini town.
She knew that Yuki and Kureno had fled so they could get some freedom.
All kinds of things she'd known, but she had never seen.
The dojo in particular, she was amazed she had never seen. After all, Kyo had grown up there and Tohru was there all the time, plus there was that whole little thing about Saki landing a job there. And yes, Arisa wasn't quite sure what she thought about Saki's choice; while her friend was more than capable and had always loved food, Arisa never would have thought that Saki would choose to be a cook.
It was enough to make Arisa wonder at Saki’s motives.
But people had to find their own paths, even if the people around them thought those paths were weird. Arisa was sure that no one who had known her five years prior would have believed she could have become who she was and wanted to be: a high school graduate with her life in order, about to uproot that life in order to follow a guy.
Arisa understood that; sometimes, believing it was pretty hard for her, too.
But Arisa’s own move wasn't for another few weeks, and she had plenty of time to think about Saki later. Today was about Tohru and her all-way-too-soon move, and Arisa had yet to come to terms with how she felt about...everything.
She liked Kyo well enough at this point, and she knew he loved Tohru. It was even more obvious that Tohru deeply loved him. But it still felt weird somehow, Tohru moving with him. If Arisa wasn't moving herself, she'd be pretty damn pissed; as things were, she still felt sad, even if she was trying to be excited for Tohru.
It helped that Arisa was moving north herself. Even though she'd still be much further from Tohru than she’d been before, she was going to be closer to Tohru than most people. And that knowledge was helping to ease the pain a little; that and the knowledge this was what Tohru really wanted.
Saki had asked if Arisa wanted to help with the breakfast, and Arisa had enthusiastically agreed. She was admittedly no Tohru in the kitchen, but she knew her way around a stove and could roll some damn fine onigiri in her sleep. And she was glad to be useful and help Saki out a bit; it sounded like a lot of people planned to stop by the dojo, so it made sense to have a lot of food.
Saki might be capable, but many hands made light work, and Arisa was glad to donate her own to the cause.
It had taken Arisa a little time to get to the right area, but once she'd found the neighborhood the dojo was easy to find. And from the outside Arisa was impressed; even though she knew the Sohma Family had money, she hadn’t expected the dojo complex itself would be so big.
This was the place Kyo's father ran, that he would take over one day?
Not too shabby, Kyon.
The dojo’s gate was open, so Arisa walked inside. She had thought she'd be early, but she was struck by several things right away, like how many people were already scattered around the courtyard talking, and, far more importantly, that Tohru was on a bench, crying.
Arisa's first instinct was to run to Tohru, but she'd only taken a step when she realized that she didn’t have to: Tohru might be crying, but she wasn’t crying alone.
Letting out a little sigh of relief, Arisa looked away, then squared her shoulders and marched up to Kyo, who was with Haru and Momiji.
"Morning,” she said, drawing the three’s attention to herself. “How worried should I be about Tohru right now?" At their close distance, she could tell that Momiji had been crying, too; in fact, he was still working on drying his eyes. "Damn. I see that the waterworks have started early in general; you gonna be ok, Momiji? Do you need a hug?"
Momiji chuckled and dabbed at his eyes with his soaked and completely ineffectual sleeve. "Thank you for your concern, Arisa, but I'll be fine. You know how hard it is, saying ‘goodbye’ to Tohru."
"Yeah, I do,” Arisa said, “More than you guys do, that's for damn sure."
And she sighed, thinking about how hurried all of this felt. Even though Tohru had told them she was moving last summer break, seven months was hardly enough time to adjust to such a big change.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her sad, and Arisa suddenly reached out and punched Kyo in the shoulder.
He recoiled immediately. "What the hell, Uotani?"
"That's for taking Tohru away so suddenly, you idiot. Seriously, you had to start that job of yours right away? You couldn't let us enjoy a little time after graduation before you carted her off like some caveman to the unknown north?” Arisa was glaring at him, but then her eyes narrowed further, and she crossed her arms as she continued, “you'd better not have gotten her pregnant and be trying to hide it!"
Kyo almost choked, the accusation was so unexpected. "Damnit, woman, when will you actually get some goddamn shame?"
Kyo scowled at Arisa, his face a new shade of crimson. While he tried to love Tohru's friends for Tohru's sake, sometimes he found it an uphill proposition. In all the time he'd known Arisa, she'd been skilled at pushing his buttons, and clearly that wasn’t about to change any time soon.
She also wasn’t helping when he was already on edge. He'd been asking himself a lot if the timing was part of the problem; if they were moving too quickly and should have waited until later. But then there had been Haru with his ‘slow-ripped-off Band-Aid' theory...Kyo had no idea what the right answer even was, and that made it hard to be confident when he was being challenged.
Tohru had said she was fine with this timeline, and he had to believe her. She would have said if she wanted to stay for longer, right?
Composing himself as best he could, Kyo glowered at Arisa. "No one's pregnant, not that it'd be your goddamn business anyway; I'm not a caveman, and I'm not ‘carting’ anyone anywhere. So don't you go all fucking She-Hulk on me just 'cause things aren't going exactly the way you want ‘em to go."
As he spoke, he rubbed his shoulder, annoyed that he had been too slow to actually block her punch. She had always been too quick, damn her and her damn speed.
And just think, that girl on their class trip had thought Arisa loved him. Talk about your truly scary prospects, he thought with a grimace.
Still, he knew that he should at least try to cut her some slack. The bond she had with Tohru ran deep, and even if she was moving away herself very soon, he and Tohru were moving first and it was a lot easier to leave than to be the one left behind.
Kyo sighed, the embarrassment fading from his face as the anger faded from his voice. "Did you wanna go talk to her at all, Uotani? I dunno how much she can actually say right now, but she'll be happy to see you, especially since it's so early. I doubt she was expecting you to turn up for while."
"Nah, I came early 'cause I told Hanajima that I’d help her make breakfast. I should probably figure out where the kitchen even is in this place and get to it, really." As she spoke, Arisa put her arms up behind her head and leaned backwards, looking around appreciatively. "I do have to say, Kyon, that this place? Is pretty impressive. One of you guys will have to point me in the right direction, otherwise I'll probably end up wandering the halls lost."
"Here, come with me Arisa. I ought to go find a proper tissue and wash my face anyway," Momiji said as he gestured towards the building. "Not that I don't expect to cry a lot more later on, but it's always a gut idea to be presentable in the moment, ja?"
"'Ja' indeed, kid." And nodding to Kyo and Haru, Arisa disappeared after Momiji.
After Arisa was gone, Kyo let out a deep, irritated exhale. "I am not gonna miss her all that much. I know she loves Tohru, I know Tohru loves her, I know they have a deep and wonderful history...but damn if that woman doesn't get under my skin every. Damn. Time. I dunno what Kureno actually sees in her."
"Do we really know what she sees in him, either? It's not like any of us have any real insight into Kureno."
For his own part, Haru didn't care much about Kureno's personality. He just knew the high points about the former Rooster, highest of which was that Kureno had saved Rin from the Cat's House and helped Haru resist Akito's call the last time he'd gone Black. Therefore, Haru himself would forever hold Kureno in high esteem.
He also couldn't explain Kureno and Arisa as a couple any more than Kyo could, and he wasn't going to try.
Kyo just sighed, then took a quick look around the around the courtyard, seeing who had all turned up so far and deciding what he should do. Tohru herself was still sitting with Kisa; the two of them were still sobbing away. He also saw Rin sitting by the wall talking to Hiro, and he knew that Kagura, Saki, Momiji, and Arisa were currently all inside.
There were both more people and fewer people around than he expected, though given the hour-
Kyo paused, frowning, then glanced up at the sun. Not getting the answer he wanted, he then looked over at Haru.
"Hey, you know what time it is?"
Among Haru's many adornments that morning were a few functional pieces, whose numbers actually included a watch.
"Ten to seven."
Ten to seven. A little more than an hour and a half until they needed to leave.
Kyo felt like he ought to be doing something right then; it was hard for him to just be hanging around, waiting. More specifically, he wondered if he should be over with Tohru. He had always known that today was going to be rough on her and he’d known she was likely to spend a lot of time crying, but it seemed like she'd done nothing but cry ever since she woke up. He didn't expect his company could truly stop the tears, but maybe knowing he was there would help a little bit.
He didn’t realize he was staring at Tohru until Haru's voice broke in.
"Kisa's still edgy around you, you know, especially when she’s already feeling wound up. So it's probably for the best if you don't go over right now, not unless you wanna risk scaring her off."
Kyo huffed a little bit at that; he had never understood why Kisa had always been so jumpy around him when he'd never done anything to her and they’d barely talked. Especially when she was dating Hiro, for fuck’s sake, who was a million times more abrasive than Kyo had ever been, making the whole 'Kyo is scary' thing highly suspicious.
But whatever Kisa’s reasons, he knew Haru was right, and that made his decision easier for him. Tohru could come and find him if she needed him, but this was her time to spend with her friends and let her emotions out.
But damnit, Kyo himself was ready for the train.
"Hey, Haru?"
"Hmm?"
"I think I'm up for that fight after all."
Haru blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "Really? Excellent!" He immediately started to take off his vest and chains, but Kyo reached out and stopped him.
"Not here, you dumbass; let's go inside and find a practice room. If we're gonna do this 'one last fight' thing, then let's do it right."
"Sounds good to me."
Haru tossed his vest over his shoulder and sauntered off towards the main practice building, Kyo cracking his knuckles as he followed behind. That meant the two of them had to pass by Tohru's bench, and though he didn't want to be too intrusive or ‘spook’ Kisa, Kyo couldn't help but shoot a glance at Tohru’s face.
She was still crying, yes, and that made his gut twist. But he could also tell that there was a smile under the sobs, and that little smile was enough to provide some relief.
If she could smile, then she had to be happy.
Tohru didn’t know how long she’d been crying with Kisa, but she wasn't so caught up that she missed Haru and Kyo's approach. With a herculean effort she managed to stifle her tears, and she even managed a smile as the boys reached the bench.
"Good morning, Hatsuharu, it’s so great to see you! It’s so kind of you that you stopped by!"
Haru stopped, looking from Tohru’s tear-streaked face to Kisa’s, then he smiled and gave Tohru a little bow. "Morning, Honda, it's my pleasure. And here, I think you guys could probably use these."
From one of Haru’s many pockets, he produced two handkerchiefs, which he gave to Tohru and Kisa.
The girls took the handkerchiefs gratefully, and Kyo found himself looking at Haru with surprised respect.
"Damn, Haru, that was actually pretty smart! I can't believe I didn't think about that myself."
Haru simply shrugged at the praise. "That's because you're not as forward-thinking as I am, Kyo, or as experienced in dealing with emotions. You'll get it after you’ve been dating longer." As he spoke, Haru produced a packet of tissues from another pocket, which he likewise handed to Tohru. "For your nose, Honda. But we’ll have to do our own intense goodbye later; I've finally gotten this guy to agree to one more match, and I don't wanna give him the time to change his mind again.”
Tohru giggled at Haru as she blew her nose, a little embarrassed but happy for the chance to stop sniffling. Haru had always been so sweet, and so considerate; it was kind of him to cheer her, and that he’d brought tissues. Tohru had actually made sure to stock up on tissues herself, but right then they were still packed away in one of her bags.
She should have known better than to think she wouldn't need them right away.
But at least Haru had been thinking ahead, and she gave him a grateful smile as she lowered her tissue. "Well, you two have fun with your fight. I'm sure I'll see you a bit later, Hatsuharu!"
Haru nodded, then headed into the dojo. And Kyo started to follow, but he paused and touched Tohru's cheek.
"Hey...you doing ok, Tohru?” he asked anxiously. “You maybe need to take a little break or something?" He wasn't actually sure what kind of break he meant, other than a break from the emotion and the crying, but he was starting to worry about her a little at that point.
After all, what if she ended up passing out from crying too hard for too long? People could do that, he was pretty sure.
And Tohru hated the fact that he was worried, although she was touched to see and hear his concern. “I'm fine, Kyo,” she said, covering his hand with hers. “I promise, we're both fine," she said, gesturing to Kisa, who was sniffling herself. And Tohru smiled up at Kyo a bit sheepishly, telling him, "Sometimes you just need a good cry, you know?"
Kyo did not know, at least from personal experience, but he was doing his best to trust Tohru to know herself. "Well, ok, Tohru, as long as you're sure.” Then he nodded towards the building, telling her, “I'll be in there for now; if you end up needing me you can just come find me, or send someone inside to get me.” Caressing her cheek, he gently told her, “Don't cry without me if I can help you feel better, ok? I wanna be here for you, if you think you need me."
"I know," she said softly, smiling up at him, and Kyo smiled back at her before he squared his shoulders.
"Good." Then, after a quick nod at Kisa, Kyo was on his way.
Kisa and Tohru watched him go, and Kisa sighed happily. She had always been intimidated by Kyo when she was younger; between his temper, his eyes, and how quick he was to growl at people, she had always found him scary. But since she first met Tohru and started spending more time around Kyo, Kisa had seen him slowly but steadily change. A lifetime of habit was hard to break and he still made her nervous, but she had come to realize that he was a nice person. Kisa still didn't quite know how to act around him, but he didn’t automatically send her cowering anymore.
And watching Kyo with Tohru, Kisa wondered how she was still scared. Kyo was so impossibly sweet whenever he was with Tohru, it made Kisa's heart hurt in the best possible way. And while she was going to miss Tohru terribly, it was good to know that Tohru was leaving for a good reason.
Romance was always going to be a good reason, at least as far as Kisa was concerned.
Taking a deep breath, Kisa felt her body calm, and she wiped her eyes with Haru's handkerchief. "Kyo is always so sweet to you, Tohru. I'm so, so happy that you've got each other, that you get to stay together even though you’ve graduated. Even if,” she continued, taking another huge breath, “it means I can't be around you all the time."
Kisa had planned what she’d wanted to say; she’d known saying it would be hard. Saying anything would be hard at a time like this, when all she wanted was to cling to Tohru and ask her to stay.
Happy. She was happy.
And she’d say her piece.
Kisa’s lower lip trembled, but she fought the desire to cry, instead trying to focus on Tohru’s face. "You've done so much for me, Tohru; you've truly been my big sister. I don't think I could have made it through that time at school if I hadn't had you there to support me, and encourage me, and-"
Kisa gulped, then gulped again, then felt her eyes grow hotter. And as she frantically wiped her eyes, she felt Tohru’s hug.
"Oh Kisa,” said Tohru, her own voice charged with emotion, “you are so strong, and so amazing. I'm glad I was there and that I could help you, but I don't think you ever actually truly needed me. Not like you think you did. But I'm so happy I could help, and I’ll always be there for you.” It was Tohru’s turn to gulp, though she kept clinging to Kisa. “You have been the dearest little sister I could have ever wanted, and you'll always be my little sister, Kisa, always, so I want you to make sure you're keeping me up-to-date on your life! I want to hear how your first year of high school goes, and if you decide to join any clubs, and get pictures of Hinata....” Both girls laughed at that through teary eyes, then Tohru told Kisa fiercely, “No detail is too small, ok?"
"Ok, Tohru." Kisa wiped her eyes, then took Tohru's hand. "I want to go on talking, because I’ve got more to say, but I think I've probably overstayed my turn. I don't want to monopolize you," she said with a shy smile as she pointed off to the side. Tohru wanted to argue, but she followed Kisa’s gesture, then broke into a wide, understanding smile.
Kisa had always been so sweet and sympathetic...
"Ritsu! Mitsuru! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"
"I don't know, Mitsuru, do you think this was a good idea? To come here so early, I mean. Because I want to be sure to say ‘goodbye’ to Tohru, naturally, and to Kyo, because he's leaving too, but is it horribly and irreparably rude to think they'd want to see me so early in the day? Do you think I should have waited and just come to the train station? No doubt they'll be extremely busy and surrounded by people who have much stronger and more important connections with them, and my inserting myself will take time away from someone who's so much more deserving!"
Even though it was still early, the morning so far had been long, especially if you asked Mitsuru. Ritsu had started off for the dojo filled with determination; panicked and started back home, started off again, gone back, and started yet again innumerable times already. He sincerely wanted to see Tohru before she left, to tell her how much he appreciated her and to say goodbye. But he kept questioning himself and his right to take up her time, and that meant he kept changing his mind.
It was nerve-wracking for Ritsu as he tried to decide what to do, and he was so far past second-guessing himself that it was comical.
Or it would be comical to someone other than her; Mitsuru herself totally understood.
She had done her best to be supportive as Ritsu had dithered. She had started and turned back every time he had, holding his hand and offering words of encouragement every time.
But now that they had finally made it all the way to the dojo, the few blocks they'd walked having taken close to an hour, Mitsuru wasn't going to let him back away. He wanted to talk to Tohru? Fine.
He would talk to Tohru, regardless of any ‘stronger’ claims.
"Of course I think it's the right decision, Ritsu! I mean, I only know Honda a little bit myself, but she has always seemed to have a heart of gold and the kindness of a saint."
Seriously, Tohru couldn't have had anything except a heart of gold in order to have survived life with that hell-demon Shigure Sohma. The day Mitsuru’s superior had regretfully informed her that Shigure had decided to retire from writing was one of the best in Mitsuru’s life; once his last book was finished, she’d be assigned a new author, one who was an actual person rather than a demon. Mitsuru had practically danced home from work that day, and Ritsu had been ecstatic for her.
Granted, Shigure was taking his sweet time with that last book; she should have known he'd take every chance to twist the knife before he was done. But she just had to be patient for a little while longer; she wasn't going to let Shigure get to her, not anymore.
And in the meantime, she would be supportive of Ritsu, who sometimes needed an extra nudge to take what he deserved.
"Oh, you're so right about Tohru, Mitsuru,” said Ritsu earnestly. “She really is the sweetest, kindest person alive. And I wouldn't want her to think that I didn't care enough to come to her sendoff and say a proper goodbye! I just don't want her to feel obligated to talk to me right now when she might rather be talking to someone else-"
They'd made it onto the dojo grounds, and Mitsuru patted Ritsu's arm encouragingly. "Look around, Ritsu, there aren't too many people here yet. I'm sure Tohru will be thrilled to see you, and you won't be a bother."
Mitsuru was pretty sure about that, anyway. It certainly wasn't hard to find Tohru, who was sitting on a bench by the largest building in the complex. When they first saw her, she was sitting with another girl and talking to two young men, one of whom Mitsuru immediately recognized as Kyo. The other she didn't know but guessed was another Sohma; it was almost obscene how attractive literally that whole family was, even that hell-demon Shigure.
Though Mitsuru had to shift a little bit self-consciously there, considering how much time she spent admiring Ritsu. She had been struck by his beauty the first time they met, and she continued to be struck after she learned he was a man. Now that he'd cut his hair and started dressing in a more masculine style, she found herself staring at him just as often as she tried to adjust. On the one hand, she would always support the way he expressed himself...
But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the long hair.
Ritsu and Mitsuru made their way over towards Tohru, but they stopped at a respectful distance and waited as first the white-haired guy and then Kyo went inside. The whole time, Ritsu was practically swaying with anxiety, murmuring to himself whether or not he should say something or whether it might be for the best to maybe back off and return another time because Tohru was clearly busy and enjoying her time with Kisa (debatable, Mitsuru thought, seeing as how both Tohru and the other girl were in tears).
And while Mitsuru was trying let Ritsu make his own move, she was starting to wonder if she should just say 'hello’ to Tohru herself when the younger girl with Tohru made the decision for her, drawing Tohru's attention to where Ritsu and Mitsuru were standing.
When Tohru apologized for not noticing them, Ritsu was instantly contrite and immediately started bowing.
"Oh, please don't apologize to me, Tohru! I'm so sorry, sorry I was standing here looking like I was expecting something, sorry to take your attention away from your important business with Kisa, sorry to make you feel like you have to apologize to me when you're clearly the one who has important reasons for being here! Please forgive me, Tohru, and don't let me and my selfishness in wanting to come see you off force you to spend any time with me you'd rather spend with anyone else! I'm so sorry!"
Mitsuru had kept Ritsu's hand in an iron grip, so he'd been stopped from bolting away at the first moment of stress. But even so, Ritsu had shifted slightly behind Mitsuru, one foot ahead of the other as though he was ready to run anyway and simply drag her with him...which, honestly, he might very well try.
Fortunately, Tohru knew how to deal with Ritsu: by being the genuinely warm and lovely person she naturally was.
"Oh no, you don't have to apologize to me! I'm so happy that you came to see us today, Ritsu, and you too, Mitsuru!” Tohru added, beaming. “I know you have to be so busy at the onsen these days, it's so sweet you made the effort to be here at all!"
As she spoke, Tohru got up and hurried over to Ritsu, giving the still-stammering young man a big hug. And at the hug, Ritsu jolted violently at first, then relaxed and gave Tohru a huge shy smile.
"You mean it, Tohru?” he asked half-hopefully, half anxiously. “Our visiting really isn't too much of an imposition?" He didn't quite believe her when she said that she was glad, but he also wasn't about to accuse her of being a liar.
"Of course not, Ritsu, I'm happy to see you, both of you! I’ve seen Mitsuru at the house a couple times recently,” Tohru said, giving Mitsuru a smile, “but I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!"
It had been an admittedly long time, which was to be expected with Ritsu living out of the city. But he loved the work he was doing, training up with his mother; the Sohma Family onsen had always been somewhere he could relax, and he was happy to learn the ropes of running it from his mother.
"It’s been a long time,” he agreed. “The winter season is a busy one for us at the onsen, and every day I feel like there’s something new to learn. I still can’t believe I missed your visit earlier this month,” he said, giving Tohru a sadly wistful look. Then his eyes widened as a memory struck him, and he looked at her in concern as he asked, “Do you have a scar?”
Tohru and Mitsuru both looked at him in surprise.
“A scar?” asked Tohru, bewildered, as Mitsuru said,
“Wait, a scar?”
Ritsu nodded his head unhappily. “My mother told me all about your terrible accident, Tohru, and if you were to become scarred because of my negligence-”
“-What negligence?” demanded Mitsuru. “Ritsu, what are you-”
“-Wait,” Tohru interrupted, suddenly realizing. “Ritsu, are you talking about the ping-pong ball?”
Ritsu immediately bent into a deep bow.
“If you were in any way-”
“-Ritsu, I’m fine!”
Tohru would never dream of laughing at Ritsu; his worries were real, and so were his fears. But it was admittedly a struggle not to laugh then; a struggle she appreciated, since it cheered her up.
“Look,” she continued, pointing to her cheek, drawing Mitsuru’s confused attention and Ritsu’s anxious focus. “This is where I got hit, and you can’t tell now at all! I’m fine, and I’ve been fine since the day it happened.”
She knew better than to argue that it wasn’t his fault to start with, even if Ritsu hadn’t even been there when the incident happened, but fortunately seeing her unmarked face was enough to do the trick. Exhaling in deep relief Ritsu straightened up, and Mitsuru squeezed his hand as she told him,
“See? She’s fine!”
Ritsu looked sideways at Mitsuru and blushed, which Tohru found adorable. While she could only imagine how highly strung their future home life would be, it was obvious to Tohru that they were still very much in love.
"Did you just come into Tokyo for the day, Ritsu?”
Ritsu shook his head quickly. “I was here for the weekend, actually! Mitsuru and I have been talking about taking a vacation, so we spent some time this weekend researching some options!”
"Oh, that sounds like so much fun!” said Tohru, clapping her hands. “From talking to your mom, I know you’ve been working very hard; a vacation ought to be a well-deserved break for you! And I bet a vacation will be great for you as well, Mitsuru,” she continued, smiling at the other woman. “I suppose things are going to be shifting for you at work, are you excited?"
Tohru thought that was a delicate way to phrase the question; she had always had a great deal of sympathy for Mitsuru, considering what Shigure had put her through as his editor. But everyone was aware by now that Shigure was retiring; he couldn’t swing his writing career alongside the demands of his new role as Akito’s assistant. And while Tohru felt a little sad for Shigure, she could only imagine how much relief Mitsuru had to feel.
"Yes, I'm very excited! It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a vacation,” Mitsuru said, beaming, but then her face took on a familiar pained expression. “First, though, I have to wait for Shigure's last manuscript; I need to finish with it before I can take the time off. But once I'm back, I'll be starting with a brand-new author, and I know it will be a vast improvement on the last!"
Mitsuru clenched her fist as she spoke, her eyes narrowing and an aura resembling flames appearing around her. "I'm almost free of that horrible man and his horrible mind games!"
"When you put it like that, Mii, I get the feeling you want to be rid of me!"
Tohru, Ritsu, and Mitsuru all looked up in surprise; Tohru was the only one who could manage a smile.
"Oh, good morning, Shigure!"