Title: Unbreakable Strength
Chapter 1: The Unlucky Survivor
Full Summary: Because it is nearly impossible to fit a good summary into the allowed limit they give – here's a further explanation that might be helpful to those treading on this page for the first time. Unbreakable Strength is my version of the different circumstances that might have rose if two lives had been clashed with the anime – the mysterious horse, and rooster. This is completely anime based for that reason – I believe (although many are indifferent to the anime because of the screw ups that happened) there is much more story potential when following the anime. So, what can I tell you to expect from Unbreakable Strength? Well, there's danger, and love, heart breaks, terror, family dynamics, character building moments, revelation moments, sacrifices, imprisonment, true friendship, hatred and slight comical relief. Most importantly – there is hope. Welcome Mira Liore Sohma and Liv Cyrene Sohma to the banquet hall, they're in for a hectic, head spinning, and hazardous ride.
Authors Note: After two days of frustrating waiting from making a fanfiction account, I am very excited and pleased to release my first fanfiction. I will be following the Anime version, starting a bit after Tohru Honda joins the Sohma family (episode two to be specific) – meaning the Horse and the Rooster will be characterized by OC's and Akito – sorry, I know women rule but you're going to have to stay male as that is how the anime portrays you.
I am re-watching the anime and doing my best to keep the personalities as close to the actual character as possible – here is where I would love reviews telling me what you think is good and if there is any tweaking you'd like to see happen with the characters evolving. Please don't flame, or send a review to complain about my pairings or the use of other characters. I'm writing this for myself to try and open up my creative flow and see how well I can stick to character personalities and make a good story line plus writing a story is something I've wanted to try for a long time – so here it goes!
Pairings: The main three pairings will be Tohru/Kyo, Mira/Yuki, Liv/Akito. There might be other pairings in the chapters to come, but they won't be as developed as these will be.
Rating: Rating is at T, just to be safe incase in later chapters I want to have creative freedom.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. However, my dear little Mira is mine and mine alone along with darling Liv.
Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. - Bill Cosby
Up until this moment in my life, every aspect of my past has been ordinary, typical, regular, normal, and standard – some may even say boring, but I would use the word comfy. I didn't mind this fact, I liked it. My father was your average accountant and my mom was a thoroughbred manager out at West Fields Farm of Star Breeding in Kentucky – producers of the finest stallions and mares around. At least, that was their logo on a nice pine shaped horse sign that creaked whenever the wind picked up. I suppose I was always a bit…out there though, my type of dangerous thrill was found in jumping over a 4 ft. jump with a green broke mare my mother recently purchased…someone after all needed to see where his talent was. I was a good student at a private all girls school who pulled good grades, who rushed home to help her mother with the barn chores, help break any new horses that had just arrived and work on some of the older ones. I had always found the company of animals far more enjoyable than people. They don't hold grudges, they don't act without reasoning, and they forgave with a soft pat and a carrot. I had no reason to complain, my life ran smoothly in every aspect. After working alongside a mother who was more like a friend, we'd go home together. When we walked in, spectacular aromas would trigger our hunger, teasing our senses. We would spend time with dear old dad who crunched numbers all day, for some reason he loved it. The Nolan family defiantly knew how to invest money. We were a small bunch, but a happy family of large doe eye brown eyes and curly dark brown tendrils that framed our slim angular faces. It was just my mother, Ella Marie Nolen, my father, Warner Joseph Nolen and me, Mira Liora Nolen. My life ran in a smooth rhythmic function, nothing out of place, nothing spontaneous or impulsive.
That was all to change and it started six months previous to my reawakening.
I was driving back from West Fields alone; my mother had to stay when the Kaftner's brood mare, Angel Fly Away, she had started her labor. I wanted to stay and help, perhaps if I had stayed, none of this would have happened. So I can virtually blame every moment of bliss and suffering (for there is much of both) on my English teacher Mr. Williams for demanding a two page essay paper on William's Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet. I was planning on writing it from a cynical aspect on the foolishness of people in love and the consequences we bare when logic and reasoning are tossed out the window and nearly blind sighted people go through hells fire only to end up burnt. I never imagined I'd end up in a place where logic and reasoning no longer hold any place but myth and magic take place.
I would never write that essay (thank god), because while I was driving on the narrow country road, rather thick streams of smoke began to crawl around the gravel. The mist seemed to expand until a thick white screen blocked my view; my poor headlights were rendered useless. Even then I foolishly wasn't terribly worried, I knew West Fields lane like the back of my hand, every vein and vessel, every road and detour memorized. Stupidly, I continued onward, not breaking stride in fifty five miles an hour speed. I wanted that damn essay wrote and the scrumptious dinner my father had cooked up. Oh how that wretched mist seemed to thicken, until suddenly I saw a pair of bright yellow car lights that were blinding me, I heard the roar of a car horn screeching and the spray of gravel kicking up a storm. Suddenly, I was air born, the glass scratched as it shattered from my windows, the air bag punched me hard in the chest, forcing me to endure the many rolls my tattered car went through. The force of the impact had me dizzy and confused, I felt the car come to a sudden and harsh halt as it slammed up against an immoveable force, and then darkness consumed me.
I floated in the terrifying unconscious, trying to break away and find the light. The thing with darkness though, is it's terribly hard to find your way out. I remained frozen in the blackness, shivering and cringing at the idea of spending eternity in hells pit. There were times I thought I'd never feel the sun on my skin again, enjoy the innocence of a childhood experience like swinging on a play set, stretching my fingers out and trying to reach the clouds, or the smooth refreshing taste of sweet lemonade slithering down my throat and cooling the quench in my parched lips. I thought I'd never feel the wind in my hair, or even the painful bruise of my body when I took a spill from the saddle and hit the dirt, I'd never feel the strength in my own muscle, the satisfying burn from exercise or running my fingers through my stallions stringy mane or the sweet taste of Blue Moon ice cream that had a strange resemblance to Fruit Loops. Thank God that I was wrong.
"Careful now, don't excite her too much," the doctor warned as he watched the man and group with weary eyes. "She really doesn't need to be overloaded with visitors, I highly recommend only one or two in at a time…" but his voice went rather unheard as not a single person in the room shifted to leave. Why on earth they all needed to crowd around her bed…when she didn't know a single person was beyond his comprehension. Mira Nolen was an interesting case, only because he had never had an American girl flown to a Japanese hospital from a highly respectable one on the whims of a family she had never visited before. It was all very strange, but none of his concern.
Her head was pounding, and in the darkness it felt like the black sky was splitting, wrenching apart her skull and causing an amount of pain that pushed being bearable and intolerable. But Mira could see the sky, the glorified white light may have pained her eyes and threatened to burn straight through her pupil to her cornea, but she still looked. She was like a firefly attracted to the light, the heat caused her pain, but she was rendered useless to do anything else but be drawn towards it.
The first thing Mira noticed was the poor condition of her body, the fact her limbs refused to move. Dear God, if I broke my spine and have become a complete invalid strike me now. I will not last the night! She thought in desperation at her sad state. Her eyes were wide and pain stricken, but the dark brown orbs remained calm despite the sudden panic that threatened to suffocate her.
"Relax."
She painfully managed to roll her head to the side and stare up, almost glare, at a very serious man. It's a start…at least I have the basic neck movements retained." Her thought was cheerfully sarcastic – attitude was ninety percent of how you looked at things. Rather than study him more, Mira fought the fear and found the courage to try to speak, she couldn't image a more gruesome punishment than to only talk to herself in her head though and remain as some pathetic invalid who was solely dependent on others for basic necessities. She wetted her mouth with saliva and tensed up before attempting what would be her first words in six months. "W-Who are y-you?" the words came up stuttered and weak, and the vulnerability in her speech lit a passion of hot tempered hatred of self-loathing in her eyes for the pitiful state she was in, but at least she could talk and that alone was a miracle, "I…I" her bottom lip trembled and she fought to make her statement come out clear and stable, "I am relaxed," she managed after a moment of taking in a breath – only it wasn't as strong and unwavering as she would have liked.
A coma for six months and Hatori became slightly moved by how well she began to take control over her body again. "When you with the Nolen Family, did they ever talk about your ancestry, the Sohma's, or your birth parents?" as always, it was straight to business.
"I asked a question, who are y-you?" Mira restated, slightly proud, as seven words was a bit of a stretch for her. With her astounding and impressive neck abilities, she rolled her head away from him and caught a glimpse of a few others in the room, she didn't have long to study them though. Wait a moment. What? Alarm sprang in her eyes and she rolled her head over to face the strange man again, "What do y-you mean? Nolan family and birth p-parents?" her face was beginning to burn with frustration and overheated from the strain it took. "I…I don't," in her anger at the lack of responses her mind came up with, her heart began to race and a nurse took charge and stepped in from the door frame. Tears were threatening to fall over the brim of her eyelids, but she tipped her head back and managed to blink them away. She could barely control and fight off the weakness of wanting to sob her heart out for being such an unlucky survivor, as long as she could find the restraint, Mira would use it. There would surely come another time when the grief and pain would overcome her, and she'd buckle down to her knees and she would fall. Not now though, now I'll somehow find the strength. It's in there, I'm alive, my body might be nearly shattered but my will can be made of iron if I wish it.
"All of you out! She isn't to be strained in any way and certainly not questioned like a criminal!" her beady little eyes hit hard on the lot, "This is a hospital! No more visitors until the patient can handle it better, this isn't some interrogation" it was hard to argue with the glare she gave off, even the orange headed boy who seemed ready to spit fire at her when she first burst in the room narrowed his eye brows and mumbled something, but didn't allow the nurse to hear it. She vaguely heard someone profusely apologizing, begging almost, for forgiveness and another one seemed to attempt to calm her. Mira could only half way pay attention to background noise, the rest of her mind was buzzing as she attempted to sort through memories that ought to have been there.
"No, wait please. I'll calm down," she needed answers, waiting would be worse than not knowing. Mira gave the nurse a pleading look, "Just him," she looked over at Hatori; he'd give her answers, because he wanted answers. It seemed like a fair trade in her mind. She did her best to look pathetic and sent the look a rather pitiful yet hopeful look.
"Oh fine," she moaned in defeat, the words testy and sharp, "Five minutes and that is it!" she added before shutting the door quite firmly.
Mira turned to the only man left, "Nothing, I…I remember nothing," and there it was…the truth out of mouth. It left a bitter after taste that had her cheeks stinging with a few tears, she couldn't even manage a sarcastic thought of at least being able to cry over the dreary future that seemed to be ahead of her.
Mira wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and wish the memories back. When she managed to glance blankly out the window, and saw the night sky with the twinkling sky, her lips tweaked for a moment into a smile. Guess I keep wishing on the wrong star….
"Mira…"
"Hmm?" Mira turned her head back to the stranger and surprised by raising an eyebrow. Well, at least she knew her name. Could be worse…I could be an Aretha or a Margaret – no offense meant to anyone with those names. She would have snickered at her thoughts, but the movement could cause a painful reaction and she really wasn't in a humorous mood. It was a small step being able to consider the act of snickering and know her name or raise an eyebrow, but a step none the less. For a moment the silence, the waiting was over bearing. He had her figuratively griped in suspense. Mira felt her own heart skip a beat as the realization occurred that this was it, the precious knowledge he was about to give her was all she'd take with her. Fear seemed like a foolish wasted emotion at the moment.
"My name is Hatori Sohma," he looked for any signs of her recognizing the name Sohma, but it seemed the nurses and doctors had been correct in suggesting the temporary or possibly permanent loss of memory Mira would have from the car accident. In the grand scheme of things, Akito Sohma had been pleased to hear this, a little too pleased in fact, at Mira's condition. At the impatient glance Mira give off, Hatori could guess that simply knowing his name was barely scratching the surface of the questions ready to burst from her lips. He cleared his throat, before continuing, "You were in quite the car accident, it was how we found you. You were raised a Nolan, Mira…but I believe Sohma will fit you nicely. It's a bit of a long story…"
"I have time," if she could have, she would have crossed her arms and cocked her head in an arrogant tone. The raise of her eye brows and serious straightness of her lips would have to do for now. Her body just wouldn't listen and she was beginning to feel very, very, tired. She needed to hear the story, because later there may be a chance she'd want to just lose it, stop being strong and putting up a front for the stranger before her. She wanted to hit the wall, put her fist through a door and scream her lungs until they exploded with fire.
"Very well," Hatori adjusted his glassed before telling a story that hadn't been spoken of for quite some time, a story of how two children managed to escape the clutches of the Sohma family, a familiar dream that many could sympathize with. Hatori had persuaded Akito to give Mira the partial truth, persuading that if her loss of memory was indeed temporary and by some great fortune she remembered – it would prove difficult to have her trust anyone in the family after being taken of such great advantage. There was also the factor that Hatori was, after all, a doctor sworn to take care of patients. So the story Mira would hear, was as much truth as Hatori felt she could handle, but there would be areas of grey and little holes that he knew Mira would grow to question and white lie answers would not satisfy her.
After clearing his throat, Hatori caught her dark doe eyes with his, and held her glance. "Seventeen Years ago, Tetsu Sohma, your birth mother fell in love with an American man in Japan for schooling. His name was Aaron…it is customary here to ask for permission with the head of house before these types of arrangements were made. Tetsu knew she would not find the answer she wanted, so she managed for a short time to avoid the consequences of rash actions-"
"Was? You said his name was…" she winced a bit, and it wasn't from the searing pain that was slowly taking over. Well, it's not like I can actually morn for someone I don't remember. Besides, it could be worse….I don't know how, but I'm sure it could.
For the first time, Mira thought she could see a little sympathy, a little feeling in the man that seemed to be made of parts instead of human feeling organs. "I'm sorry Mira," he laid a kind hand on her shoulder before continuing with the tale, "For the short time I suppose they were quite happy living with their secret, but like all secrets, they have a way of coming out. Tetsu did a good job of hiding her marriage, and more significantly, a rather extraordinary birthing of twins," he paused a moment, allowing the information to seep into Mira and let digest the material.
"Continue," she replied without pause, her eyes flashed to the clock. The nurse said five minutes; she doubted they'd receive more than that, or that she'd stay awake.
"Of course, Aaron had two brothers in America, Warner and Shane Nolen – a fake last name they took out of request from Aaron to make certain we wouldn't be able to find you, when our head of the family became aware of the infidelity…he immediately requested to take you and your sister out of their care and to be raised in the Sohma house, she was quite angry with the family's refusal to accept her marriage, her actions were quite rash and out of anger, she regretted it later. On one night a few months after she gave you away, an accidental fire spread across their apartment. The bodies were never found, we presume they were burnt to ashes"
For some strange reason the idea of fire and ashes had Mira thinking of Romeo and Juliet, but it came quite out of nowhere and it seemed futile to wonder if there was some cryptic message, she was far more interested in the story Hatori had just given her. I have a twin sister; I don't even know her name, although it sounds like I didn't know her name before this either. He seems sincere…but there has to be a reason Tetsu, I mean, Mother would have for getting us out of that environmental setting besides revenge. Mira's face was marred by her deep set frown, "I don't know…" she was hesitant, but what choice do I have? I have to trust him. This…this is too much, maybe that nurse was right. I'm not ready to handle this. I can barely handle attempting to flick my index finger.
She didn't like this, not one bit. Mira felt like someone had draped a dark blind fold over her eyes, and was softly whispering orders on where she was to move. Compelled, she was forced to listen to a force that was mysterious to her. "It's an interesting story, but…what, what happened?" she managed with quite the effort signal she meant her state of body, the machines ticking away. Part of her wanted to become angry, but it seemed like a wasted effort and she wasn't sure who or what she was angry with. She just wanted to feel a different emotion that this empty loss.
"A car accident, it was how we found you," he hesitated a moment, this, this was one of the lies Akito had demanded she be told, "Your adoptive parents were killed on impact, you have been in a coma for the past six months" his eyes slightly softened, "In any case, we saw it fit to bring you home again. You're receiving the best care possible."
For the first time, Mira managed a smile, "No worries. Nolan means 'to survive' that must be some good luck," she liked to think positive, every once and awhile, even if she had been out of it for six months. It felt like there were holes in the story, it seemed extraordinary when Mira was quite positive she felt…ordinary. She sank back into the white cotton pillows, a little afraid to close her lids and fall into a slumber. Strange things seemed to happen when she woke up, a new life, a new past, what happened if she became a new Mira?
"You need rest to heal now," he shifted in the wooden chair; it had a strange design on it, but otherwise looked quite bland.
Why the hell do I care about a chair when my entire life just fell apart…at least, I think it did. Mira shook her head and bit her lip before looking at him, "Wait, I…there are still questions," so many questions. "My sister, What's going to happen, I don't…I…I just, Ah," her head felt like it was being ripped apart from the traumatic stress, "Damn it, WHO AM I?" through all the questions, the blurry answers, the fill in the blanks and the holes that existed the one question was bolded in her mind. So much that she found the strength to hurl it at him, but Hatori just looked back at her with a nonchalant look. Her face was slightly red, her eyes wide and hysteric. All the while she thought of how she wasn't ready to handle this, handle the empty shell of a mind and the broken down body she was left with.
"That," he replied quite coolly, "would be up to you, wouldn't it?" he asked, and the question he returned to her, left her scowling slightly. Mira didn't have time to answer, the door swung open with a lot of force as the same nurse from before strolled in.
"Out of time," she announced, while she held the same appearance of what Mira thought would fit a stereotype of a little old kind grandmother, she had iron and grit in her bones and blood and a smug little smirk when the clock announced it had been exactly five minutes. "And you," she jabbed a finger at Hatori, which slightly startled Mira. He didn't seem like the type of man to stand there and be barked at by a little old lady. "Go control those hooligans in my lobby. The orange hair one's already broken a vase and he's using vulgar language by the children's corner! The other one just keeps apologizing, making more racket and don't start with the 'they have parental control out there' excuse, he's the worst of all!" she threw up her hands with all the fury of a tornado, "Making my nurses lose focus," she grunted before following Hatori out and shutting the door firmly, flickering off the lights as she went.
Once again, Mira was alone in the dark…and more confused than ever. The only emotion that kept her awake was the fear of not waking up again. Her body overcame her mind though and once again she became unconscious. Her last thoughts were; Survive, I just have to want to draw in my next breath. I just have to want it….
And deep down inside the dark shadowy corners of her mind where the cobwebs stuck and the light never touched the shadows whispered, but do I really want to?