Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango.

AN (1/4/09): Thanks to La Fee Verte for beta reading. Even though it's been a long time since I've updated this fic, I am resolved to work on it again. That being said, hope you enjoy part 3. -Maho-chan :)

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Tomorrow
A Hana Yori Dango Fanfiction
By Maho-chan

Part Three

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The streetlights cast an eerie, orange glow, barely lighting the way for the petite girl that stumbled through the darkened streets, all the while clutching a small piece of paper in her hands. Glancing from gate to gate, then back down at the paper in her hands, Tsukushi looked frantically for the Domyoji house. She couldn’t believe she had finally made it to Scotland. The trip from Japan had been fraught with mishaps. The plane had been delayed; and when she had arrived she had used all her money for transportation to this neighborhood. She had stowed her bag at the airport and only had her wallet in her jacket pocket. Shivering, Tsukushi realized that she was in danger of being in dire straits with no money and no way of contacting anyone. But there was nothing she could do about her situation now. She had to concentrate on finding Tsukasa. She’d deal with the consequences later.

‘Where is it?’

Tsukushi had managed to get the address from Tsubaki when they had last spoken, but now she could barely read the paper it was written on, the words slightly blurred from the raindrops that had began to soak through. Trying in vain to keep the paper dry, Tsukushi clutched it closer to her as the storm continued to punish her with its piercing winds and ice cold rain that chilled her to the bone.

Walking faster, desperate to keep moving, to keep looking, Tsukushi stumbled and slipped, barely catching herself before crashing into the stones. Dazedly, she shook her head to clear it.

‘I’m so tired.’

Rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself, she tried to clear the drowsiness from her mind.

‘But I have to keep going!’

Moving forward again, this time very carefully, she glanced down at her hands, eyes widening in surprise as she found the paper gone. Mouth opening in shock, she turned and looked around frantically only to find that she had dropped her only clue to finding Tsukasa into a small puddle on the street.

Fear filled her as she rushed forward to rescue it from the water, only to find it completely drenched.

‘No!’

She had just lost her only clue! As she tried to spread out the paper to look at the address, it began to disintegrate in her hands.

Horrified, Tsukushi tried to piece it together only to find that the paper had truly become an unreadable mess.

‘Why?’

Obstacles were always being laid in her path. Thinking of Tsukasa, she revised this thought.

Obstacles were always in their path.

Crouched beside that muddy puddle, alone and afraid, Tsukushi stared numbly at the crumbling note, trying desperately to stay calm. Shivering with cold, she almost broke down right there, allowing the tears of frustration to break free.

But then she looked closer at that puddle, shimmering with orange light, and noticed a familiar sight. A weed grew in the street, small, but nevertheless alive, persevering even as the downpour drowned it in darkness. Reaching a finger out to touch the tiny plant, she fingered its delicate leaves. And as she did, Tsukushi felt her courage return.

Wasn’t she also weed, able to survive and succeed anywhere? If this little weed could live in the pouring rain, couldn’t she?

“Domyoji, I will find you.” She whispered, taking another deep breath.

Looking around Tsukushi tried to discern the next path to take. She had to be close to the house Tsubaki had mentioned; at least she was in the right neighborhood as shown by the enormous houses that loomed behind heavily guarded gates. Tsukushi stood and turned in a slow circle, peering at the houses around her.

Then the lightning streaked the sky, lighting her path. Tsukushi almost laughed at the irony of the entire situation. As she had been wracked with doubt and panicking, she had failed to notice, that her destination was right before her eyes.

1427

It was the only gate number that had the Japanese characters for “Domyoji” written underneath it.

Stone dragons stood as silent sentinels on either side of the barred gate. The high stone walls surrounding the house were almost completely covered over by a rambling briar of thorns that tangled and weaved, punctuated by blooming roses here and there. And above all this, the house, ominous in its size and austerity, rose against the stormy sky. The house might as well have been Mount Olympus, nestled in the unreachable heavens, for all the walls and gates, thunderbolts and crashing thunder that surrounded it. It looked very well fortified, as if to guard wealthy gods from mere mortal. Like Tsukushi.

The thunder resounded overhead, and rain fell harder as Tsukushi contemplated the task before her. Her intimidation and fear lasted only for a moment, as Tsukushi realized the significance of this moment.

He was really here, she could feel it, knew it deep in her heart.

‘Domyoji…’

Anticipation and excitement overcame her as she regarded the huge fortress of a home. The rain fell even harder, but Tsukushi no longer felt the cold.

“Domyoji, I am coming to get you now!” She thought, her hands clenching into determined fists. “I will not loose to anyone, not today!”

Droplets glistened all over her coat and clothes as she brought her hood down to feel the rain hit her hair, to feel the reality of the situation. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the chance she had yearned for.

Tsukushi gazed at the house, considering the best way to enter.

The walls were truly frightening in their stature. And SP’s could be seen patrolling warily behind the gate, like mindless drones. Unsure of where to start, but realizing that she was standing in plain sight, Tsukushi flattened herself against one of the walls and began to creep towards the back of the house.

There had to be another way to get in, a back gate, or a break in the thorny briar that would allow her to climb over the wall.

What if she climbed the roses? Surely the thorns weren’t that bad.

Feeling behind her, Tsukushi let out a small cry of pain as a few thorns lodged in her palm, drawing blood.

‘Maybe not.’

Gingerly pulling out the thorns, she continued to think of ways to penetrate the granite fence.

Maybe when a car came to the front, she could sneak in quickly without being seen. But the front of the house was so heavily guarded; it was unlikely that she could ever enter through the front door.

Looking up at the walls, Tsukushi cursed her lack of foresight.

Maybe if she’d had a rope?

Imagining herself scaling the walls like some kind of bizarre Everest, Tsukushi couldn’t help but grin.

Everything always became so complicated, when it came to Tsukasa. Trying to draw near him was like entering the Bermuda Triangle. Some confusing topsy-turvy world that she was now a permanent fixture in. Thinking of how she would berate Tsukasa for putting her through all of this trouble when she found him, Tsukushi glanced up and down the walk. She stifled a gasp as a wrought iron gate swung out from the thorny fence and an SP emerged, walking quickly towards her. Flattening herself against the wall once again, ignoring the myriad of pinpricks that scathed her body, she prayed and prayed that she wouldn’t be seen.

Hiding in the shadows, she watched him move closer and closer.

‘What if he sees me?’

Eyes wide with fear, she could only press herself into the wall more and pray for some kind of divine intervention.

Looking towards the sky, Tsukushi hoped and wished that the SP wouldn’t see her…

And her hopes were answered

“I am coming home as soon as I can DEAR.” A deep voice said icily. “Why can’t you understand how difficult this assignment is? If I leave, I’ll be fired!” There was a pause, as the man breathed heavily into the phone, listening intently.

Surprised, Tsukushi could only gape in wonder as the SP stopped only a few feet away from her and began pacing back and forth along the wall, arguing heatedly into the phone. Tsukushi clutched her chest, trying to calm the pounding of her heart. But her relief was short lived as his pacing brought him closer and closer to her. Leaning further into the wall, she flinched as he paused just a few feet away from her.

Oh no, if he turned and looked…

Biting her lip, Tsukushi watched him nervously out of the corner of her eye.

And then suddenly he was walking towards her again!

Still as a statue, she froze in fear. The distance between them shrank with the thud of each heavy footstep, and Tsukushi closed her eyes in anticipation of capture.

“You’re not listening to me…” His angry voice became louder and louder.

Coming closer…

Closer…

“Why can’t you consider my feelings?”

He was shouting now and almost upon her.

Tsukushi held her breath, not daring to move or to look.

And then…

“I know you miss me, and are worried, but you see…”

The SP’s voice became distant as he turned and paced away.

Relieved, Tsukushi exhaled deeply, her eyes opening in order to warily watch the SP’s movements. He continued to pace and as the argument continued, Tsukushi continued to feel alternating panic and relief.

Finally, when she thought that she couldn’t bear it any longer, he shouted defensively.

“But I’m doing the best I can! Listen to me…You won’t let me get a word in edgewise…forget it, I can’t talk with you about this anymore…”

And hung up the phone with a flourish!

Tsukushi watched in amazement as he strode quickly through the wall again, forgetting to close the gate behind him. Unable to believe her luck, she quickly ran towards it, stopping just short of the opening and looking hastily through. Sure enough luck was again on her side, the upset SP was striding away at a frantic pace, duty forgotten in the face of emotional distress.

Stepping gingerly across the threshold of the back gate, Tsukushi found herself in a huge grove of trees. Winding her way through their midst, the wet grass making sloshing noises at her feet, she glanced around warily for more SPs. Finding none, she broke into a run, stumbling forward towards the house. A few lights could be seen, but it was the second floor window that caught her attention. A lone and very familiar figure stood there, silhouetted against the light from behind.

Tsukushi covered her mouth with her hands.

It was Tsukasa.

Moving closer, to hide behind a large tree at the border of the courtyard that led up to the house, Tsukushi’s eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Tsukasa. She could see his sad face, staring blankly out into the darkness.

For a moment she just stopped and took in the sight of him, overcome with feelings of deep longing and love. Watching him, she began to remember the strength of his arms around her, in her minds eye, could remember his cologne, his scowl and how gentle he always was. She had finally found him, Tsukushi realized. Happiness welled up inside of her.

Tsukushi stepped out of the shadows and began to move towards the house.

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He had closed his eyes for a moment, and when he had opened them, a vision had appeared.

Tsukasa stared out the window, barely believing his eyes. A small waif like figure had appeared out of nowhere in the garden, like some specter set out to haunt him in his distress. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and then looked again. The figure was closer now and as he watched it approach, Tsukasa’s heart constricted.

He had to be dreaming again, for the girl in the garden had the familiar face of the one he desperately loved. She began frantically waving at him from below, her mouth moving to form words. Placing his fingers against the glass, Tsukasa gaped at her, wondering when and how he had begun dreaming like this in real time.

‘Makino I want to see you so much.’

Convinced that he might be hallucinating, Tsukasa was about to move away from the window, when a rock suddenly careened into the windowpane. The sound reverberated around the room. Tsukasa turned in shock, and gawked at the vision below him, realizing that instead of frantic, she now looked frustrated, and that she was in fact, real.

“Makino?” He mouthed.

Her angry face looked relieved and then nervous as she stared upwards at him, the rain pouring over and drenching her small form. She nodded, and then beckoned for him to come out side.

Tsukasa excitedly began to plan his escape.

If he left the room through the front door, the SPs would surely be alerted to Tsukushi’s presence. If he left the room at all they would notice that something was going on.

That left no other option but the window, which was a good 20 feet off the ground. Opening the window quickly, all the while praying that the SP surveillance did not extend to windows and the back walls, Tsukasa looked down and found that there were climbing vines that crawled from the ground all the way to the window sill.

The vines would have to do, Tsukasa realized, now swinging his leg out the window and testing the woody branches with his weight. Looking out again, he realized that Tsukushi had hidden herself, this time behind one of the large potted shrubs that were scattered about the flagstone courtyard. The branches seemed as though they would hold. Tsukasa began the slow descent. Lightening crackled through the sky again, illuminating his way as he reached for each branch, gained each foothold, barely able to hold in his anticipation.

Thunder boomed as he finally reached the ground, and then he was running, scrambling forward to where she was standing, now hugging herself and looking if she didn’t trust herself to move or speak. Reaching her, Tsukasa pulled her into his arms, and behind the bushes, not caring that she was soaking wet, not caring that he was crying openly. He kissed her then, long and hard and heard her sob into his mouth as she kissed him back, her body shaking, her arms reaching upwards to gather him closer to her as they embraced in the darkness.

Over and over they kissed, Tsukasa pressing his lips to every inch of her face, Tsukushi gripping his collar and whispering over and over

“Finally found you…finally…”

And then he was whispering back to her, as he continued to kiss her and hold her, the tears falling again.

“Makino…Makino…”

They continued like this for what seemed like minutes, hours, until Tsukasa finally broke away and leaning his forehead against hers, said

“Where are the others?”

Tsukushi replied in a wavering voice.

“I came alone.”

His mouth opened in shock, then closed again as he leaned away a little to take in her appearance. Her face was thinner and paler than he remembered and she couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Reaching for her fingers, he realized that they were bleeding, small cuts punctuating the soft skin here and there.

She had suffered some thing terrible, Tsukasa realized, gathering her closer and trying to warm her shivering body. They had made her suffer, his mother and the SPs. Wanting to know what had happened, how she had come to find him, why she seemed so weakened, he had opened his mouth to question her when there a frantic voice sounded out.

“We’ve lost the young master! Hurry, check the house!”

Tsukasa cursed, shielding Tsukushi with his body while he weighed his options. Turning towards the back of the garden, he saw the small light by the still open back gate, beckoning him like the light at the end of a tunnel. The house was now a buzz with shadowy suited figures, frantically turning on lights and shouting orders at each other. They only had a few moments until they were discovered.

“Makino, how did you get in here?” Tsukasa asked, pressing his lips into her ear.

“One of the SPs left the back gate open.” Tsukushi replied, turning her face to brush her cheek against his lips. “If we can go back out that way, it might work.”

Tsukasa cursed as the light of flashlights began appearing in the darkness of the garden.

”We’ll go that way.” He said in a low voice. Reluctantly easing out of their embrace, he took her hand tightly as they began to slink into the waiting darkness of the grove.

“Why did you come alone?” Tsukasa questioned, trying hard not to speak too loudly, even as he felt like berating her for taking such a risk.

“I couldn’t wait.” Tsukushi replied quietly, gripping his hand tightly as they crept beneath the leafy canopy and in between the gnarled trunks. “I couldn’t wait…” She repeated, wanting to pull him towards her and lose herself in his warmth. She was so cold again; she could barely feel her fingers. Stumbling, Tsukushi realized that she was finally feeling the effects of the long journey to this moment.

‘I wonder how long I was walking in the rain earlier…’

She thought. Tsukasa had stopped and was now looking at her intently. His mouth moved and she heard his quickly whispered words as though they were coming through a very dense fog.

“Idiot! How could you come alone? You look terrible! What the hell has happened to you? Why is your face so white?” His voice sounded hoarse. Tsukushi suddenly comprehended the breadth of his concern. He was worried, and wanting to reassure him, Tsukushi took a few steps forward, opening her mouth to speak. She knew how this should go, knew the words she ought to say next.

“How could I not come for you? You missed our date! You are the idiot. I came all this way and you tell me I look terrible!” Trying hard to meet him halfway, using their argument as some kind of mutual code to reassure him that she was fine, she suddenly felt her world grow dark as the strength in her legs left her. “Domyoji, I…”

Tsukushi blinked a few times and seemed to deflate, her legs giving out beneath her. Tsukasa barely had a moment to catch her and sweep her into his arms, before the flashlights could be seen in the near distance and the rain began again, tiny raindrops pouring down on them like tears from above.

Cradling Tsukushi to his chest, Tsukasa spoke her name and then broke into a run as he realized she had lost consciousness completely. Her face pressed against his neck, and he realized that the heat that radiated off her was unnatural

‘She’s sick...’

’I have to hurry.’

‘Hurry!’

He strode towards the back gate, breaking into a run, considering how he would protect them both. In his haste, Tsukasa slid a little bit on the soft grass but quickly righted himself. He held Tsukushi closer as he stepped towards the gate and across the threshold to the freedom of the outside. Breathing a sigh of relief at the lack of SPs, he had only a moment’s peace before a familiar person slithered out of the darkness into the light.

“Hiroshi.” Tsukasa said flatly, his grip on Tsukushi tightening. Looking around, he realized that Hiroshi was in fact, alone.

“Tsukasa-sama. What are you doing out of the house?” Hiroshi inquired calmly, stepping forward. Tsukasa stumbled backwards, holding Tsukushi even closer, causing her to moan unconsciously in distress.

“Listen Hiroshi…” Tsukasa began, his eyes darting around, his mind already developing a strategy. If he could somehow take Hiroshi down, he could run for the street and hope that someone would see them and pick them up. But if the rest of the SP’s came…

‘I don’t even want to think about it!’

Tsukasa knew all would be lost.

Tsukushi moaned then and softly cried out Tsukasa’s name. Tsukasa realized he didn’t stand a chance. He would have to put her down to fight Hiroshi and in the time it took to initiate the fight, the SPs would descend and he would never see Tsukushi again. Tsukasa gave Hiroshi a desperate look, searching for the words to convince him to let them go.

“Hiroshi.” Tsukasa’s voice broke, panic and concern causing him to lose his control.

Hearing this, Hiroshi moved forward with seeming concern.

“Tsukasa-sama, who are you holding?” Hiroshi asked politely.

Backing away more, Tsukasa prayed without hope that someone might help them.

“Don’t come any closer.” Tsukasa said in a low, slightly wavering voice.

“Is that Makino-san?” Hiroshi queried as he came closer. Unsure of what to do next, Tsukasa gambled on Hiroshi’s seemingly polite kindness the past few weeks and stood still, allowing him to come forward and peer at Tsukushi’s feverish face. Hiroshi reached out a tentative hand and Tsukasa fought the urge to recoil.

He needed this ally, badly. He needed someone to help them.

There was another crack in the heavens and light illuminated the scene as Hiroshi reached out his fingers to touch Tsukushi’s forehead. But before he could touch her, the most blessed sound in the world rang out into darkened street.

“Get away from my brother, you filthy SP.”

Tsubaki shouted as the headlights a car suddenly shined behind her.

“Nee-chan,” Tsukasa whispered, and then repeated more loudly “Nee-chan.”

“Tsukasa! Finally I can see you again. Did you find Tsukushi-chan?” Tsubaki said cheerfully, even as her expression betrayed her concern for him. Turning to Hiroshi, her face changed, becoming a mask of wrath.

“As I said, step away from my brother and his girlfriend or you’ll be very sorry.”

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(1/4/09) To be continued…