My Weakness
Author's note: I got the idea for this story right after watching
episode eighteen, so if you have not seen the entire series, or at least
up to this one, I would strongly recommend that you do before reading.
With respect to the creators and author, the following lines before the
story begins is Hana's thought dialogue near the end of the episode, not
my own.
...because to truly love someone...is to always put their feelings
before you own...that's right.
I can't let myself be selfish about Tohru, I don't want to be like those
Fan Club girls...
I'm glad Tohru and Yuki are friends. It was wrong of me to suggest
otherwise.
(Uo) Just so you know, I think Tohru was pretty worried about you...
When you love someone...it can make you feel sad sometimes...
Or sometimes it can make you feel lonely...
But it can make you feel happier than you've ever been.
The answer is yes....I do have a weakness...
And that weakness...will always be Tohru...
**************************************
As these same thoughts ran through Saki Hanajima‘s (or Hana to her
friends) mind over and over again, ever since the day she scared off the
Prince Yuki Fan Club girls away from her house, and when Tohru Honda and
Arisa Uotoni (or Uo to her friends) decided to pay a visit, the psychic
girl realized even deeper how she felt about Tohru. The poor girl has
suffered much tragedy in her life, and yet she always had a smile on her
face, even after all these years, and Hana along with Uo have always
done their best in protecting their dear friend, but, not even Uo could
completely know Hana's own personal discovery, like she had just
unlocked a key to her own mind.
The next school day went by as usual. Hana stayed with Tohru as she
talked with Yuki Sohma inside their classroom, and the Fan Club girls
were too scared to get anywhere near Yuki as long as "Electric Girl"
(the nickname they had dubbed Hana) was there. Unbeknownst to a cheerful
Tohru, Hana was secretly guarding her from any attack Minami and her
group would even think of doing, often warding off any plans by electric
waves.
But Hana could not be with Tohru all the time. She knew about her strong
friendship with Yuki, and sometimes she would see them talking outside
when school ended. Of course, they had lunch together along with Uo, but
Tohru spent a majority of her time with the Sohmas ever since she began
living with
them.
When Hana saw Tohru alone with Yuki, she felt very happy, because her
friend was happy, and at the same time, sad, because she could not
always be with her, but it made her feel even happier. It was this one
time that the psychic girl discovered she even had a deeper love for
Tohru. No one would have suspected her of all people to be a bit
troubled in her mind. She was so soft-spoken, and smart with her powers,
people often believed she had no problems at all, and envied her. But
truthfully, she was facing a dilemma.
<I love Tohru. I've always loved her. We've been friends for a long
time, and when her mother died, I promised that I'd always be there to
protect her along with Uo, but does she even know how I really feel
about her? She‘s always smiling, always putting other people‘s needs
before her own. She should know. Yes, she should, that I‘d do anything
for her.>
**********************************************
She had made her decision. The next school day, while she and Tohru were
having lunch together, and waiting for Uo, who was late for some reason
or another, Hana took this opportunity. The weather was beautiful and
they sat on the grass underneath the shade of a large tree near the
school building. As the soft wind blew past, Hana looked at her friend.
"Tohru?"
"Yes, Hana? Oh, would you like a jelly bun? It's so delicious." Tohru
picked up a fresh bun from her box and handed it to her psychic friend,
with a bright smile on her face.
<Her smile, is so precious to me.>
"Oh, thank you. Well, I have something, that I should tell you." She
held the bun carefully in her hand, took a bite, chewing it neatly and
swallowed.
"Oh? Is it important? I mean, shouldn't we wait for Uo?" Tohru tilted
her head curiously.
"Oh no. We can tell her later. I want to, share this moment with you."
Hana shook her head gently and smiled, making eye contact with Tohru.
<So innocent and strong. Has it always been us who gave her the strength
to move on? Even when I'm not with her, I always will be, in spirit.>
"Oh, um, all right. So what is it? I'm listening." She blinked, then bit
into another bun, sighing happily. "Such a beautiful day to enjoy. I
wish I could enjoy it with all my friends. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
We could all have a picnic together, oh, I'd love it so much, just
thinking about it is giving me goosebumps."
"I love you."
"Hey, what a great idea! Let's get together one day with Yuki, Kyo,
Shigure, and the others.. It can be a Sunday, and we'd have so much fun
together, and...."
<silence>
Hana looked at the swirly-eyed expression on Tohru's face, the young
brunette having dropped her half-eaten bun on the grass. The psychic
girl slowly picked it up, dusted it off on her skirt, and handed it back
to her friend. "Tohru?"
"Ah, um....I'm here. Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to drop it, I mean,
it's bad to waste food, oh, thank you so much, Hana...." Her mind
snapped back to reality, and her cheeks a bright red, she stared at her
friend, not daring to believe what she just heard. "You....love me?
You....you mean it as in like a friend, right?"
"More than that, Tohru. I love you very much." Hana's voice was soft,
her expression remaining neutral, however her dark, mysterious eyes seem
to be shining like water, a rarity in the girl's case. "I didn't want to
hide it from you any longer. I shouldn't keep my feelings for you
bottled up all the time, and....I know how much you love being with the
Sohmas. I'm not jealous, I'm happy, I've never been happier for you."
<silence>
"Oh, Hana...." tears began to appear in Tohru's big sparkly eyes, and
picking up Hana's hands into her own, she smiled happily. "I'm so happy.
I'm so happy to hear these words from you, and I'm so glad you love me.
I...I love you, too. I'll always cherish your feelings for me, they're a
treasure among anything else in the world. Thank you, thank you so much
for all these priceless memories. I love you, so much...even when I am
with the Sohmas, I can never forget about you, you've already done so
much for me...I don't deserve you....Hana...." she could no longer talk,
and falls into Hana's arms, sobbing.
"....Tohru." Hana smiled next, her heart so full of love that it could
burst. "Oh, Tohru, thank you..." she held her friend close, stroking her
soft brown hair and listening to the sobbing. She knew it was not out of
sadness, but true happiness. "I will, always protect you, and give you
strength..."
As the sobs grew quieter, Tohru slowly looked up, her eyes shining and
wet with tears. Hana continued to smile, gently wiping the tears away,
and before another word was heard, she was leaning in, pressing her soft
lips against her friend's.
Her eyes growing wide, Tohru felt shocked, as if this were all a dream.
She never imagined she and Hana would share a kiss, and yet, it felt so
wonderful, a feeling she never wanted to forget. Slowly closing her
eyes, she returned the kiss with just as much happiness and love,
enjoying the warmth of being held by her friend.
".....Hana..."
"Please....Tohru....call me Saki..."
"Oh...all right...Saki. Saki...."
"Thank you. It sounds....so much better." The way Tohru said her first
name, was like bells ringing in her heart.
*************************************
"Hey, Hana! Tohru!" The cheerful cry of Uo was heard in the distance,
and as she ran up to her friends, she found them happily eating lunch.
"Sorry I'm late. Orange-Top and I got into a very intense game of Rich
Man, Poor Man. Guess who won and got out of cleaning the classroom
alone?" She smirked and gave out the victory sign.
Then she blinked, seeing the happy, almost happier than usual smiles on
her friends' faces. "Okay, what did I miss?"
Tohru and Hana looked at each other, then broke into a fit of giggles.
Tohru blushed and beckoned for Uo to sit down. "We'll tell you later,
promise. For now, let's just enjoy this wonderful moment and have some
jelly buns. They're delicious!"
*****************************************
...because to truly love someone...is to always put their feelings
before you own...that's right.
I can't let myself be selfish about Tohru, I don't want to be like those
Fan Club girls...
I'm glad Tohru and Yuki are friends. It was wrong of me to suggest
otherwise.
(Uo) Just so you know, I think Tohru was pretty worried about you...
When you love someone...it can make you feel sad sometimes...
Or sometimes it can make you feel lonely...
But it can make you feel happier than you've ever been.
The answer is yes....I do have a weakness...
And that weakness...will always be Tohru...
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