Chapter 10 - Inure

Inure /əˈn(y)o͝or/ (v.) - accustomed to negative circumstances

"Schwester!" Momiji runs to his sister's embrace as she arrives for the parent-teacher conference.

"Momiji!" She wrapped her arms around him as he snuggled his face into the magenta satin of her long sleeved dress.

Since their father was busy, she had taken the liberty of coming in place of him. He had initially protested that he could go, but she refuted, reminding him of a recently added meeting he would have on that day. Saying that it would be rude to the teachers if they changed the meeting date so suddenly, he gave in, crocodile tears running down his face at how responsible and caring his daughter is.

Walking through the halls, the two siblings drew everyone's attention at their attractive appearances. Whispers could be heard but they ignored them, as Momiji rambled on about Mogeta cheerfully.

Coincidentally, the two of them stumbled upon a dressed up Shigure and Tohru.

Momiji trots over to Tohru as Mayumi greets her. "It has been quite a while since we last met, Tohru. How have you been? Has Shigure mistreated you in any way?"

Her last question makes him whine slightly. "Mayumin, how could I ever treat such a cute girl badly?"

Her face twists into a distinguished yet disgusted expression, conveying her thoughts nonverbally. The look almost reminded them of when Yuki would look disappointed at Kyo for whatever he did. Shigure deadpans at the lack of faith and just overall irritation presented to him. "You don't have to look at me like that."

Tohru waves her hands in front of her, answering Mayumi's question from earlier. "N-No! Shigure-san has treated me very well!"

Mayumi's face immediately shifts into a flowery and pleasant aura as she gives her a closed eye smile and pets her head. "Is that so? That's good then."

Her reaction causes an imaginary arrow to his Shigure in the chest and then he goes into a corner with crocodile tears. "My own friend doesn't believe in my words."

She sighs at his childish behavior while Momiji giggles besides Tohru, who was just standing there, confused with the dynamic between the two friends. Walking over to his crouched form, she extends both of her hands to help him up. "Come on, Shigure. You're supposed to be a guardian for Tohru. Don't you have a meeting to go to?"

An imaginary tail on Shigure wags at her offer. It seems like she was in a good mood, for her to help him like this so nonchalantly. His face morphs from a pout to a closed eye smile, which struck Mayumi weirdly. Nonetheless, he slips his hands into hers and stands up, not really letting her exert any strength. Even after he stands up, he still doesn't let go, his smile still there and a tail still wagging.

"What are you doing, Shigure?" Mayumi asks him, skeptical at his seemingly affectionate actions. The only response she gets is a "hmm, hmm" laugh.

"As much as I enjoy being in your hold, would you mind letting go?" she says as she lifts their intertwined hands.

He looks in a random direction, thinking. Geh. This was never good. Her thoughts apparently showed on her face because he gave a mischievous smirk. "You have time before Momiji's meeting, so I'll let go after we arrive."

A deep sigh escapes her lips. How could Hatori deal with both him and Ayame like this so often? It seems like she misjudged his tolerance if the level of their antics exceeded the one they had with her.

On the other hand, Momiji was excited at his proposition. "Yay! We can spend more time together, Tohru!"

The brunette smiles at him, his happiness infectious. "Hai, Momiji-kun!"

Seeing them so jubilant, Mayumi didn't want to ruin it so she went along with Shigure, giving up because she was just done.

Now that they were walking together down the halls, even more students were talking about them.

"What an attractive couple!"

"So pretty!"Arriving at the designated room, Mayumi halts in her steps. She lifts their linked hands and looks at Shigure with a certain look in her eyes. "Let. Go." He doesn't obey her words and instead opens the door to enter with a smile. The Tohru's homeroom teacher looks up with a smile herself but it immediately turns into an expression that reflects the one on Mayumi.

Outside the room, people were still commenting on the two adults, infatuated with their appearance.

"Did you see?"

"Who's the hottie?"

"Are they models or something?"

"Mayu-chan-sensei might fall for him too!"

Once Shigure cheers internally at the teacher's expression, Mayumi snatches her hand from his grip, an annoyed look on her beautiful face. She swears this man was going to be the death of her one day. "If you'll excuse me, have a pleasant conference meeting." She pats Tohru's head while her demeanor switches. "I'll see you later then, Tohru." "H-Hai! Goodbye, Mayumi-san!"

She turns to the teacher and recognition flashes in her eyes but she shakes it off, bowing to her. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this troublesome person." She receives a bow back. "It's fine. Thank you for coming here anyway." Mayumi then turns to the last person in the room, who was pouting again. "Shigure. Don't be too hard on them." He salutes her in a joking manner as a childish smile stretches across his face. "Don't worry, Mayumin. We'll be in and out."

Her arm goes around Momiji once she reaches the opening of the door, looking back once again. She offers a smile before sliding the door shut, glad she was done dealing with the annoying dog.

"Schwester?" Momiji had picked up on her declining health. The circles around her eyes were darker, her figure looked thinner compared to the last time they were able to meet for a long period of time. Her normally fair skin looked like a sickly pale shade and she just seemed out of energy.

Mayumi looks down with a closed eye smile, stroking his head. "I'm okay. Just work things inside the estate."

This was actually more worrying to Momiji. Were Akito's tantrums getting worse? His sister had an individual trait and they had no idea where it came from, but she was able to absorb emotions from someone. Had she been continuously activating this ability discreetly inside the main house for Akito? He felt more powerfully, which meant what Mayumi would feel is more forceful.

She had talked to him about this before, at how it felt like when she did this with everyone. With Shigure, it was like trying to catch a wave, the tide always slipping away from your fingers. Hatori's felt like the remaining snow that would be present in between the transition between winter and spring. The one that felt the most uncontrollable was Ayame and it gave her quite a shock. It was like trying to rein in a jerking horse and Mayumi remembered that she almost passed out from the vigorous sensation. Yuki had felt befitting his name, it was like soft snow, beautiful, yet cold. Kyo felt as fiery as his hair, the burn so hot, it felt freezing. She had said Momiji himself felt like being in an oasis, pure and like a gift from the heavens, but isolated. She remembered Kureno being the most at peace. It was like she was walking in the sky, the crisp air refreshing against her skin. Since these impressions were a reflection of the person's mental state at the current moment, she was happy that he was able to feel like that with her. But it was Akito's that scared her the most. On top of the amplified emotions, she shared that it felt like a serpent was suffocating her, after striking with a poisonous bite. It was only after she had taken in those emotions that the snake turned docile.

During the meeting, Momiji had said that he wasn't sure on what he wanted to do yet. Mayumi had pet his head, telling him that it was fine if he didn't know. She knew that he wanted to become a violinist, but even then, who knows what would happen in the future.

On a rainy day, Mayumi makes a call. After two rings, the person on the other side picks up. "Hello, my beloved friend! For what reason have you decided to call me on this gloomy day?" She chuckles at his usual flamboyant nature. "Hello, Ayame. I'll keep this simple. I'm not sure if you know, but Yuki's conference was changed by your mother to today. You still have time to get there."

The line was quiet for a moment.

"Ayame?"

In a serious and sincere tone, he responds with, "Thank you, Mayumi," before hanging up. She looks at the phone in surprise before smiling. It seems that Yuki is not the only one fighting in that particular Sohma family.

"Kureno? Don't know much about him, either. All I know is that he's Akito's assistant and that he sticks with Yumi-nee a lot. Yumi-nee doesn't come out that often either, but Kureno comes out even less. He doesn't interact with the other zodiac members. He's never said a word to me before." Kyo was providing information to Tohru's earlier inquiry, but it's not like he knew much.

"I see..." Tohru looks down, a bit of hope dimming in her eyes.

"What's got you asking about Kureno anyway?" he asks, finding her behavior odd.

"Y-Yes! Well, h-he is one of the zodiac members, so you could say that's the reason why I may be interested," she answers, flailing her hands, a flustered expression on her face.

Kyo lets out a tiny sigh. "You can ask Yumi-nee when she manages to come out, I heard she's the closest one to him. Just try not to stick your nose where it doesn't need to be."

She stops her actions at his words before her eyes dim a little.

'But Kyo-kun, someone dear to me, is troubled,' she thinks as walks along the border of the estate. 'I don't think this is needless. It would be thoughtless to barge in uninvited, wouldn't it?'

A scenario plays out in her head, but just thinking about it gives her embarrassment and fear. But then she thinks back to her precious friend and it gives her the courage to walk back towards the front entrance, encouraging herself along the way.

As she starts walking back, Tohru picks up on the sound of someone playing a violin. Is that... a violin? Who could be playing it? It feels a little sorrowful... Occupied with her thoughts, she accidentally knocks over a child. "Huh?" Shock overcomes her for a second before she profusely apologizes. "I'm terribly sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay? I'm really sor--" Tohru cuts herself off when the child turns to look at her. She recognized her. "You're... Momiji-kun's-- I mean Mayumi-san's sister!" Tohru fixed her answer immediately. Oh no! Momo-san doesn't know that she's also Momiji-kun's little sister. She's snapped out of her thoughts when Momo starts talking to her.

"Onee-chan, do you know Momiji and my Onee-chan?" Tohru reacts and it was enough for Momo to let her know. "You're friends with Momiji? Did you come to see him?"

"Um... Yes. He's my friend..." Seeing Momo stand up, she also copies her actions instinctively.

"You can't get inside, huh?" Momo grabs Tohru's skirt and runs, making Tohru run with her. "This way."

"Huh?""Momo will take you to him." Tohru tries to keep up without kicking or knocking into her, struggling a bit. "It's this way. It's a secret entrance!" She lets go of Tohru's skirt, scampering off. Tohru catches her breath before noticing their surroundings. "Is this the back entrance?"

The rustling catches her attention and she sees Momo pop out from some bushes, waiting for the older female. "Onee-chan, this way." Tohru walks closer and sees a gaping hole in the wall right in front of Momo. "Right here. You can get in from here."

Tohru is a bit hesitant. "U-Um... but..." Momo disregards her words, making her way inside. "Hurry up!" Tohru picks up her courage and follows the younger child.

Now inside the compound, Momo starts talking to Tohru. "They don't let me in from the front unless I'm with my Onee-chan, so I always sneak in from there. And I play here."

"U-Um, are you familiar-- Do you know Momiji?" Tohru asks, stopping before fixing herself.

They are now behind a corner, Momo peeking behind it. "Yup. I met him before at Papa's work." At her words, Tohru relaxes. She had forgotten about what had happened that night at the building she works at when she was with Momiji and Mayumi. But then Momo starts talking as they sneak around, giving her insight on what was happening in their family.

"He looks just like Mama and Onee-chan. So I told Mama. But then Mama said they don't look the same. I was shocked. When I told Onee-chan, all she did was smile before hugging me. But somehow, her smile was really sad. And Papa said I can't see him anymore. But then I was sneaking around, and I found Momiji's house!"

They finally arrive at the place she just mentioned, hiding behind the huge tree in the yard.

"See, he was playing violin that day. Onee-chan was there too." They could see inside the glass that Momiji was indeed playing his beloved instrument. "He's not always playing it, but I hide here and watch him when he is."

Tohru feels something warm bloom in her heart upon hearing her words. There was hope after all. "You don't go talk to him?"Momo looks at her when she asks but it tilts down when remembering why. "That's because Papa said I can't."

She turns, facing Tohru and looks up at her. "But you're his friend, right? Momo did a good job bringing you here, right?" Her hands come up to hold onto her blue skirt. "So can I tell you my wish? Please ask Momiji! Please ask Momiji if he can be my big brother. I mean, he looks just like Mama and Onee-chan. Even though Mama said he doesn't and Onee-chan says nothing, he looks just like them. Momo wants a big brother. Then we can talk and play together. Momo never gets to see Onee-chan anymore and I can only find her here. And I started violin lessons, too. All three of us can play violin together. Me, Onee-chan, and Momiji. I'm sure it'd be so fun. I could see them everyday. So, ask him for me. Ask him for me, okay?" And with those last words, Momo runs away, leaving Tohru behind.

Mayumi was resting in Kureno's lap, her head on his right shoulder with her legs thrown over the left armrest of the chair. Her long violet dress was loose on her body, part of it slipping off her shoulder. Akito had a more severe tantrum today and after she had absorbed those tumultuous emotions, was recuperating with him on Hatori's doctor orders. Initially, Mayumi had protested that she was fine, but she was immediately proven wrong when she collapsed right after her words.

Mayumi shifts a little and Kureno stops what he's doing to turn his attention to her. He places his lips briefly on her forehead and she purrs in content. Hearing her sounds makes him chuckle and she cuddles into him, enjoying the warmth between them. She feels a slight breeze and hears the white curtain rustle from the movement. But among the sounds of the natural world, she also hears a particular voice. "Ah! Kureno-sa--" But the voice cuts out once she hears Hiro's parents laugh blissfully. The footsteps turn into a light jog and the sound fades gradually.

Mayumi lifts her head and turns in the direction of the opening at the same time as Kureno. "Did you hear that?" He nods in confirmation. "I'll go after her." She was about to lift herself off his lap, but she was anchored by his hands on her hips. Kureno had a stern look on his face, making her turn away slightly. "Hatori-san said to recover. You won't be able to if you don't stay resting."

She whines a little. "But I also need to go for a stretch. I'll just go get her and then she can leave. Or you can come with me."

He sighs at her stubbornness. "I'll go to Hatori-san to get some medicine for you first, so wait for me. We can go together after I come back, okay?"

She nods complacently, but notices that he hasn't made any movement to leave. "Kureno, we have to hurry! What if she's found by someone else--" Mayumi cuts herself off with a gasp when she feels a pair of lips attach themselves to an all too familiar spot on her neck. She starts squirming in his hold, trying to not succumb to the pleasurable sensation. "K-Kureno!" With a pop, his lips let go of her now bruising skin before nuzzling against her neck. "Stay here."

He picks her up and sets her down onto the chair, switching their positions. He was about to leave but he saw her flushed face and her attempts to avoid gazing at him, making him chuckle before he left to go to Hatori.

Waiting for a little bit, she gets up from the seat and checks to see that he had gone. After confirming his absence, she slips out of the room to chase after Tohru. When she finally spots Tohru's kneeling and dirty form, she realizes that the girl was too scared to even notice. Mayumi knew that this was a bad idea when she crossed into this part of the estate, but Tohru was in danger.

"Who's there? Is someone there?" The door slides open to reveal a woman with long black hair in a white yukata. While Tohru was panicking over what to do, a gentle hand was suddenly placed on her head. She looks up to see Mayumi facing the building behind her.

"It's Mayumi. I was just passing by after some business here." Her comforting hand lifts off of her head and she makes her way over to the woman standing on the wooden floor.

"Why not come in for some tea and catch up? You must be tired." The woman reaches her hands out to cup her face, but Mayumi takes a step back and smiles politely at the person in front of her.

"I'm afraid I must decline this time. Akito will be worried and I must get to Hatori for my medicine. Now, if you'll excuse me." She swiftly turns around, making sure she hears the sound of the door closing before taking Tohru's hand and leaving this area.

Once they're in a secluded area, Mayumi stops suddenly. Tohru accidentally bumps into her back and immediately apologizes. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to walk into you!"

Mayumi lets out a light laugh. "It's fine. I should be the one to apologize, I stopped without warning."

"No, no!" She waves her hands in front of her frantically.

Kyo's words from that night ring in her head. Mayumi-san is closest to Kureno, so if I ask her about him, it'll be most accurate. Before she could say anything, Mayumi beat her to the first word.

"Tohru, how did you get in? Actually, what are you doing here in the Sohma estate?"

The girl looks down in shame. "S-Sorry."

Blond hair dances in the breeze as she tilts her head in question. "Are you here for something?"

This is your chance! Mom, please give me your courage! Tohru looks up with determined eyes, but falters slightly at the hidden fatigue in Mayumi's hazel orbs. "U-Um, do you know someone by the name of Sohma Kureno?"

She blinks at her question. Oh. They must've met when Kureno went to retrieve Akito from the summer house. Nodding, she answers. "Yes, I know Kureno. Why?"

Tohru beams a little as her flame of hope fans brighter. "Does he know Uotani Arisa in some way?"

Mayumi closes her eyes and tilts her head. "Mmm..." She snaps her fingers, startling Tohru. "Ah! I remember we went to a convenience store that she worked at and then quite a while later we treated her to some tororo soba for lunch."

So the Kureno that Uo-chan likes is the Sohma Kureno here. Some of the weight on Tohru's shoulders lightens up at the potential prospect of the two being able to get together again. But right as she was about to ask about this, she's interrupted by a masculine voice.

"Mayumi!"

The lady jolts, knowing she was in for it. Not only had she disobeyed him, she had even ventured into territory that was forbidden, to her especially.

Tohru looks behind the young woman to see the brown-haired man who was walking briskly to the two of them. She sees his stern expression and looks back to Mayumi, who was biting her bottom lip.

Once he reaches the blond haired woman, he turns her around by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Seeing as you have that expression, you already know." She nods meekly. "Then I won't say anything." A sigh of relief escapes her lips.

Now that she thought about it, how did Mayumi play a role in this? Now that all of the zodiacs had revealed their identities, the only one not exposed, who seemed to be significant in all this, wasn't a member of the zodiacs. So why was she here?

The tall male then noticed the girl behind Mayumi, the same one that he was introduced to at the summer house. "You are... Honda Tohru, right?"

At the mention of her name, she straightens her back. "Y-Yes! I am Honda Tohru! U-Um, could you please listen to what I have to say?"

They stayed in their spot, but Mayumi had rotated so that she was facing Tohru and her back was to his chest. After she talked about her friend Uotani Arisa and how much she wanted to see Kureno and everything in between, their eyes were cast down.

"I don't plan to see her again.""Is that because... you have a zodiac spirit?"

He shakes his head and wraps his arms around Mayumi's shoulders from behind, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "No, it's not that. I have someone precious to me. Someone I love dearly." A hand comes up to rest on his hair and Mayumi turns her head towards him. "Tohru. Tell Uotani-san that we're sorry. And that we hope that she can find someone out there who can love her like how she wishes."

When her hazel eyed gaze came to meet with Tohru's chocolate-colored eyes, Tohru could tell that these words were sincere and from the heart.

Kureno lifts his head to look at the shorter girl. "We'll let you go for breaking in this time." He turns and gestures to a bamboo wall behind him. "Plus, there's someone here who's worried about you."

The two females look in that direction to see the worried blond haired boy as he steps out from his spot.

"Momiji-kun."

The couple walks behind Tohru and Mayumi gently pushes her to walk forward. "You should go back now."

"U-Um..." She stumbles a bit and turns back to look at them, but her words don't leave her mouth when she sees the smiling, yet melancholic expressions on their faces.

Mayumi sets a hand on her head before trailing down to cup her cheek. "Someone like you shouldn't be here." She nods at Momiji who was walking up to Tohru from behind. He nods back, grabbing a hold of her wrist and taking her away. Her eyes don't leave the couple as she is dragged away to safety.

"Farewell, Tohru."

She couldn't help but feel like her heart was breaking, watching the couple stand there. Their eyes when Mayumi said goodbye, the concealed demons that haunted them had peeked out at that moment. She could see their suffering, but it seemed as long as they had each other, they could persevere through their hardships together. And seeing that made Tohru feel guilty because she had just tried to break them apart, for her own selfishness to help her friend be happy.