author's note.

I've never read a story where Momiji was the main character, so I decided to write one. This story was first based off of the picture that Haru gives the two class-principle lackeys. I love that picture, it is so SEXY. xD Excuse my language. Anyway, so my name is Tohru02. I've written a few other stories for different categories, but I've written in "Fruits Basket" before. Some of you may remember me from my "Naruto" collaborations entitled "Oh, The Summertime" and "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making", with MarMar17. I also have more stories, so if you would like to check them out...feel free to. This is based solely off the anime, and I love the concept of this, so don't crush it! ; Read and review please!

disclaimer.

I do not own "Fruits Basket." I only own the package. No wait, I don't even own that. Damn.

dedication.

To Shell & Jen.


Momiji Sohma did not have a home. Sure, he had a place where he got to sleep and eat and all of that, but there was no such thing as a home that the young man could call his own. A home was a place of free expression, where you could be with people you loved and enjoy their company. Where everyone loved each other, and even if there wasn't the normal cliché family, they still all cared for each other.

Where Momiji lived, at the Sohma's main estate, that was not a home. That was a cage, a jail, something along those lines. When Momiji was a young, care free boy, he had been aware of the curse that he was under, but it had never really effected him. On the outside, he acted as if it never crossed his mind that his little sister barely knew who he was, or that his mother was so disgusted with him, that she wanted to have every memory of him erased.

It was half past ten o'clock in the evening, now. The moon was hanging so low to the earth that it looked as if it was just ready to dip a lucky person on top of the head. A deep sigh escaped Momiji's lips. He was in a pure state of exhaution. The 18-year-old male had spent three gruesome hours at his high school graduation, posing, smiling.

Momiji was kicking a stone along the side of the ghost-like road, no signs of any automobiles anyway near. He wondered what would happen to him now. When he was younger, Akito paid no attention to Momiji, really. He was more or less part of the scenery, just another subject to rule over. Momiji had never done anything to earn Akito's trust, by the way who did he even trust at all, but at the same time he had never abused it. And in Momiji's opinion, that was how it should've stayed.

One day, when Momiji was a young boy…Akito sent for him. For four years now, Momiji had been almost Akito's pet. His little puppet ever since Hatori had fallen terribly ill with lung cancer. Momiji had even done a few unmentionale things for Akito. He was so terribly afraid of this man, even if he was only a few years older than himself. Was this his true destiny, to stay here and become nothing more than a pet to Akito?

He had calmed down greatly since his youth. Momiji still loved to laugh and have a good time, but there was a more mature, soft, gentle side to the hands-on, crazy, hyper child that he had once been. At times, Momiji missed being that young and not having much to worry about. Momiji had met Tohru Honda when he was fourteen years old, and even though she was only fifteen…they seemed to act the same. They both just loved smiling, but even Tohru had slowly started to mature.

The same sickening feeling that Momiji always got when the main Sohma house came into sight filled Momiji's body from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. Momiji stood up taller, even though he was so exhausted. There was a young, child-like figure lingering near the gate. Momiji, with his diploma and the rest of his graduation goodies tucked underneath his arm, squinted.

"Momo?" He inquired, trying to see if the young girl was really his sister.

"Yes, it's me," Momo quietly stated, looking to her brother. She hastily bit down on her lip to keep herself from hugging her brother, just like she always did when she felt the need to hug her brother. "Is something the matter, brother?" She asked.

Momiji shook his head. "Nothing's wrong with me, but what are you doing out here?" Momiji asked, furrowing his brow.

"I—I just wanted to say congratulations." Momo's voice was wavering. Even though she was nearly 13-years-old now, Momo still acted like a small child. But who was Momiji to criticize anyone for not acting their age. He still acted like a 3-year-old when he was fifteen years old, for god's sake.

Momiji sighed, his expression softening. "Well, thank you, I guess. But you really should be more careful, Momo. Mother or father will get worried if they find out you're not home and," Momiji sighed. "What's that you got in your hand, Momo?" Momiji asked.

Momo thrusted a thick white envelope in her brother's direction. "It's for you. The mail man came here a few hours ago and I told him I'd give it to you." Momo quietly explained.

"What?" Momiji angrily questioned. "How long have you been here?"

"I'm sorry, brother." Momo quietly repeated, looking down at her shoes. Momiji inhaled, breathing out. He had to stop being so damn protective of her. His parents wanted a perfect child, well there she was.

"I'll be going home now." She said, lifting her face and waving. Momiji waved back, saying a silent prayer for her to have a safe return back home. Momiji began to enter through the back stair wall of the house, reading over the package. It was from…Harvard? He quickly opened it. The first page was, an acceptance letter.

Wait.

One.

Second.

Momiji felt faint. He was accepted to Harvard? No. It didn't matter, he wasn't going. Akito would never allow him too. Momiji balled up his fist and hit against the side of the wall, taking the package and throwing it out the window. There would be no Harvard for Momiji. There was no bright future for him any time soon.