𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Fruits Basket FF

(6)

unrevised.
/ chapter 6 /

After the discussion, Hatori said his goodbyes and disappeared. Ichika, whom was sitting in the living room area with Tohru, had learnt that he had gone to deal with her moving situation with Akito and her parents. A part of her was glad she didn't need to meet with them as Hatori was already taking care of that, but another part of her felt like she was burdening him again.

In some way, Ichika was scared with the sudden move from one house to the other. Would she be alright here? She thought to herself. Tohru was more than welcoming to her, but she had yet to meet face to face with Kyo, Yuki, and the owner of the house Shigure. Minus the stuttering habit she did in front of people she wasn't familiar with, she seemed to be doing pretty well.

It's a weird feeling to suddenly live with new people, though. After all, she spent eighteen years with little to no interaction with anyone else other than her family. She was homeschooled her entire life, so there was never really a chance to meet new people.

"Ne, Ne, Ichika-san. Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun will be home soon. Before we meet them, would you like to go shopping for a few things? We'll be sharing rooms after all!" Tohru excitedly said, gazing at her with sparkly eyes.

Going shopping meant going outside, right? She'd never been outside of the Estate before. With her current situation, Shigure's house is the furthest she's ever been. She didn't know what it was like outside and the thought of it raised anxiety.

Ichika wanted to refuse, but seeing at how excited Tohru was, she just couldn't say no to the look in her eyes.

Ichika timidly nodded in response.

Tohru beamed with a smile as Ichika nervously smiled back. Having not noticed Ichika's nervousness, Tohru hooked her arm with Ichika's and trotted straight out of the door.

The walk from Shigure's house to the town didn't take too long. It only took a mere ten minutes of walking. Along the way, Tohru had somehow managed to keep the conversation going even though Ichika was more quieter than usual. She mostly talked about her situation and how she eventually got involved with the Sohma's. It was a long story, but it was enough to fill the silence of the air before they gradually made it to the town.

When they came to a stop, Tohru dug into her bag to search for something. Ichika, on the other hand, looked around in awe. She got a few stares as a result of this which made her step a little closer to Tohru. She couldn't help to see how amazing the 'outside world' is, visually-wise, but she probably looked like a country bumpkin to the others.

"Ah! I found it!" Tohru exclaimed, pulling out a notebook and a pen from her bag.

Ichika glanced down at her neat writing. It seemed Tohru had already made a list of things to buy with her. They were mainly essential items.

Once again, Tohru hooked arms with Ichika and dragged her over to their first store. She sweat dropped. From within the store window, she could estimate how many people were inside. Before Tohru could take a step further, Ichika tugged on the back of her top, stopping her in her tracks. Tohru looked back to see Ichika's face had begun to pale and she was already breaking out into a cold sweat.

"A-Are you alright, Ichika-san?!" Tohru asked worriedly. Without waiting for a reply, Tohru quickly took her over to sit at a nearby bench.

"I'm sorry, Tohru. I think I'm just a little bit tired." Ichika replied, half-lying. She didn't want to worry her new friend any further.

"No, don't apologise! I should've been a little bit more considerate with your health," Tohru frowned. "Tell you what, how about you just rest out here while I go in to buy the things you need. Sound good?"