Fruits Ripe

Episode 1e

---After Work during The Walk to the Tent---

"You don't look too good Onee-chan. Can I carry you a bit?" Lily asked worried. Lily met up with Tohru after works, so that they could walk together. Now they were walking to the woods to get to their tent.

"I'm fine" Tohru reassured her, though she was walking a bit sluggishly.

"Fine a little longer and straight to bed, I'll bring back water from the stream" Lily suggested hoping that Tohru would listen

"No I think it'll help me wake up a bit actually" Tohru told her gently.

"Okay then I'll run ahead and make sure it's warm enough, meet you there", Lily said before running straight to the stream. Tohru decided to stop by the tent first though to set her stuff down and say hi to mom.

Meanwhile, Shigure and Yuki were walking home after their meal and midnight stroll so their stomachs could settle.

"I'm so tired of eating out or getting delivery every single night. Although today was interesting." Shigure sighed then smiled a bit thinking of their earlier encounter.

"The obvious solution is to make dinner." Yuki told him looking ahead as they walked.

"Except that you complain every time I cook something" Shigure whined

"Well, maybe I would stop complaining so much if someone would stop putting pickled radishes in the curry" Yuki told him indignantly.

"As if you're any more competent than I am. Please. You're awful around the house. Two slovenly bachelors like us could really stand to have a woman around." He told Yuki before he looked to his left and noticed another person walking through the woods. "Hey speaking of, isn't that the girl from this morning? Tohru, right?" He pointed out.

"Maybe she really does live nearby. But where's her sister? I heard their mother passed away a little while ago. So they could've moved" Yuki wondered out loud to his cousin.

"But none of the land's been rented. Not outside the family." Shigure tilted his head to the side thinking about what Yuki said.

. . . .

Back at Tohru , she was just reaching the tent. She carefully went inside to set her stuff down. "Hey, mom, I'm finally back! I'm really sleepy but I still have some homework to finish before tomorrow. I'm feeling a little weak and light- headed though I didn't wanna worry Lily. Maybe I'll go wash my face. That should wake me up."

Tohru finished about to crawl out of the tent, but when she got outside she saw both Yuki and Shigure waiting outside. After having an intense stare down, although not really intense, just acknowledging each others presence. Finally having come to a conclusion, Shigure burst out laughing.

"It isn't that funny." Yuki deadpanned at Shigure. "How about we head to the house to talk, hm?" Tohru agreed and followed them back silently.

"I thought something was strange. The Somas own all the land in this area." Yuki told Tohru once they got back to the house and sat down around the table. Shigure still snickering to himself off the side.

"Um, would it be okay if... if I lived there just a little longer? The both of us? We'll leave as soon as the renovations are over, I swear. Please, I don't have a lot of extra money, but I'll pay." Tohru asked desperately folding her hands.

"That's a dangerous spot. The cliffs aren't too stable, and there are creeps around. Not to mention, a young girl can't spend months living alone in a tent, let alone two." Shigure suddenly chimed in, having finished his laughing fit.

"I see you finally finished laughing", Yuki deadpanned towards his older cousin who waved him off.

"No, it's all right! I'm even used to the slugs! Took me a little longer than Lily but I got there! I promise, I've got the strength and willpower to see this through. So please, just let us---" Tohru started off strong but got weaker as she went on worrying the two cousins across from her.

Yuki got up and rushed to the other side of the table to check her temperature." Miss Honda! She's got a fever." Yuki said worry evident in his tone.

"I'll go grab some ice to help cool her down a little." Shigure got up from his spot to go to the kitchen, but upon opening the door he realized it wouldn't be that easy." Though, getting to it could take a while." All three of them looked inside the kitchen as he said that and sweat dropped.

"It's the Toxic Jungle." Tohru said a little dazed.

"Nice analogy!" Shigure smiled a little amused.

Suddenly a wolf howl could be heard through the night. Making Shigure's smile to be wiped from his face. "There, see. What did I just tell you? Part of the cliff has crumbled." Shigure told her seriously.

"What? It did? But how can you tell?" Tohru still a little dazed, but she looked worried.

"Hm? Oh, I like to call it my animal instinct." Shigure he joked

"Oh.." Tohru answered not quite understanding but accepting it

"Enough joking. Do you know exactly what part of the cliff collapsed?" Yuki

"How awful. Surely it was nowhere near my tent, though! Or near the stream where Lily's waiting for me!" Tohru asked but it came out as more of a statement.

"Surely not!" Shigure chuckled agreeing with her although unsure

"Well? Where is it, then?" Yuki asked after there was a break in their nervous laughter.

Neither one of them could answer, so the three of them set out to check where the landside actually happened. First they went towards the stream to check on Lily.

When they got to the stream the heard humming and water rushing, they sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're alright, we heard a wolf howl and a landslide- And you're naked and petting a wolf like it's a pet" Tohru smiled a bit exasperated at her younger sister.

While Tohru was talking to Lily, both boys were avidly blushing and trying not to stare but it was hard. Lily had all of her hair down, the color was a good contrast to her skin, which was milky and looked soft to the touch. She had nice curves and a lean stature from being active. She also had a few tattoos. Lily was crouched down in the water near the edge petting a wolf, who was laying down by the creek. Lily smiled at Tohru and swept her hair over her shoulder, exposing what seemed to be a tattoo in the middle of her back of the zodiac plus the cat and the god with an extra place setting.

"It's a birth mark, not a tattoo", Lily told the boys when she notices them staring making them blush harder.

"Born, huh? I wonder about the legend of it... " Shigure mumbled.

"We're going to check on the tent so get dressed and meet us there", Tohru said taking in the scene blushing as well.

"Okay" she agreed simply with cherry cheeks.

The three continued on their way to the where the tent was kept, speeding up a bit for good measure. Once they got there though, they slowed to a stop seeing the collapsed cliff.

"Wait a sec! Mom's picture is still inside! Mom!" Tohru ran to the dirt and began digging frantically.

"You need to calm down!" Yuki tried to pacify her but she wouldn't quit.

"But she's still in there! She's trapped. I have to get her out. She-she can't breathe!" Tohru kept trying to dig up their stuck but more importantly, their mother's picture. They didn't have many of those left.

"Why don't we come back in the morning when there's more light? What if something happened to you? I doubt your mom would want you to get hurt, right?" Shigure pointed out to her calmly, setting his hand over hers he was able to finally calm her down.

"He's right Onee-chan. If you got even more sick, how would mom feel? How do you think I feel, huh?" Lily said behind them finally having caught up to them. This seem to snap Tohru out of her daze completely and she nodded slowly getting up with Lily's help.

They got back to the house together and Yuki let the sisters borrow some of his clothes to change into and sleep in. While Tohru changed into both a long sleeve shirt and pants, Lily opted for just the long sleeve shirt- she got hot while sleeping- since it was long on her anyway, she figured she was fine. She came up to Tohru's chin or mouth, which didn't make her super short, but she did have to look up to most people even her sister. The boys set up a place for the girls to sleep in their living room after moving all of the other furniture out the way allowing them to get in their spare bedding. The girls didn't mind sharing, so it was no problem. Shigure decided to keep them company and keep an eye on a sick Tohru while Yuki got some ice to place by her head to help with the fever.

"I'm sorry. It looks like we've lost our home again." Tohru murmured as Lily got comfortable next to her.

"Thank you for letting us stay the night", Lily added genuinely and then she yawned cutely.

"It's no problem at all", he smiled softly. "That must be tough." Shigure added commenting on Tohru's earlier statement.

"No. I mean, I wish it hadn't happened, but we've been through worse." Tohru said softly, with her left hand she gently caressed Lily's hair helping her fall asleep easier.

"Even worse than this? Like what?" Shigure said also softening his voice but he didn't hide his curiosity about it.

"Like missing the chance to say 'See you when you get back.' It was the morning of the day our mom died. I'd stayed up almost all night studying for a quiz, and Lily was helping me. She was leaving for work, but I couldn't wake up. That's the only morning I didn't say it. Lily felt the same, she always told mom she loved her but in a different way, she used to like to say the angels are watching over you so like have a good day. We always said it, except for that one time. Lately, I'd been thinking about quitting school and getting a job instead. That way I'd be able to support us better. But... Mom told me: 'I only made it as far as middle school, you know. But I always wished I'd gotten to try the 'high school girl' thing. So you girls go out there and have those experiences I didn't have.' She was the best mom, and We didn't say goodbye. That morning... We didn't even open our eyes to watch her leave. I'm an i***t. I almost always drag Lily down with me too," Tohru glanced at the sleeping girl at her side with a sigh, "Making a bad grade... getting a job... Those things aren't what should've mattered. Mom was. The least we can do now is graduate from high school, like she wanted us to. I have to make that dream come true. I can't just lie here and do nothing because of some fever. Useless..." Tohru trails off at the end of her little speech, falling asleep and joining Lily in dreamland.

Shigure the whole time listened to her story thoroughly, without interrupting, just sitting there at their side, he felt like she needed to get that out- like she was holding it in. They truly had no one to rely on but themselves.