The blond boy -- he could no longer think of himself as the Rabbit, never again the Rabbit -- looked at Tohru, trying so hard to ignore the tightness in his chest. He said her name with the same smile he always had, the same affection he'd had for her since their first meeting. He still laughed a little at that -- he could only imagine what his first impression had been on her. Candy wrappers everywhere as he spouted German at her...
He shook his head quickly; his thoughts were all jumbled now. He couldn't understand why he'd been chosen, why he'd been released, when there were others in the Juunishi who were, in Momiji's opinion, even more deserving. Who was to say that someone like Ha'ri wasn't more deserving, or Shii-chan, or Haru, or even Yuki or Kyou.
He sighed a little, and there was a reluctant sadness in that sigh. Kyou.
Momiji looked at Tohru again, smiling a little -- though, for some reason that smile wasn't as ready, as eager as it had been in the past. Because for as happy as Tohru was (and he could see that she was happy, despite the tears clinging to her lashes), Momiji could only think of how much happier she would have been if it had been someone else standing before her right now, ready to hug her without any transformation. The memory of the Kaibara Cultural Festival came to mind, and he nearly laughed out loud. He'd been younger then, but even at that age, he'd recognized that Tohru was... special, somehow. And he'd recognized that Tohru was particularly special to Kyou -- possibly before Kyou, even.
Momiji had hugged her then -- leapt onto her, actually.
He hugged her again, hard.
I'm sorry, he thought, swallowing hard against the emotion in his throat. I'm sorry it had to be me.
Because Momiji knew that if there were one member of the Juunishi Tohru wanted to hold in her arms, it wasn't him. Oddly, the knowledge of this didn't bother Momiji too terribly. In fact, if it had been within his power, he would have given up this new, lonely freedom and bestowed it on someone else, if only to see the happiness it would have brought her.
momiji, revised
He shook his head quickly; his thoughts were all jumbled now. He couldn't understand why he'd been chosen, why he'd been released, when there were others in the Juunishi who were, in Momiji's opinion, even more deserving. Who was to say that someone like Ha'ri wasn't more deserving, or Shii-chan, or Haru, or even Yuki or Kyou.
He sighed a little, and there was a reluctant sadness in that sigh. Kyou.
Momiji looked at Tohru again, smiling a little -- though, for some reason that smile wasn't as ready, as eager as it had been in the past. Because for as happy as Tohru was (and he could see that she was happy, despite the tears clinging to her lashes), Momiji could only think of how much happier she would have been if it had been someone else standing before her right now, ready to hug her without any transformation. The memory of the Kaibara Cultural Festival came to mind, and he nearly laughed out loud. He'd been younger then, but even at that age, he'd recognized that Tohru was... special, somehow. And he'd recognized that Tohru was particularly special to Kyou -- possibly before Kyou, even.
Momiji had hugged her then -- leapt onto her, actually.
He hugged her again, hard.
I'm sorry, he thought, swallowing hard against the emotion in his throat. I'm sorry it had to be me.
Because Momiji knew that if there were one member of the Juunishi Tohru wanted to hold in her arms, it wasn't him. Oddly, the knowledge of this didn't bother Momiji too terribly. In fact, if it had been within his power, he would have given up this new, lonely freedom and bestowed it on someone else, if only to see the happiness it would have brought her.