My second work as OfAmethystEyes! To those of you already reading my other story (Sacrifice) it's wonderful to see you again. Because I have amazing skills and can totally see you through your computer screen. XD Right, on to business. This story's plotline is once again used a little bit often: Tohru has her memories erased. However, I hope you enjoy it all the same. I came up with this idea after stumbling over an old Martina McBride song, Strangers. I heard it once and knew that I was going to write a songfic. Please note that after a few chapters the song lyrics end and we have a plain-and-simple story. Kyo fans: Sorry, he isn't in this story. At all. Not because I wanted to exclude him, but because he really doesn't have a place. Please note: This story is AU and Yuki (and Kyo for that matter) never attended Kaibara High School, hence does not know Tohru until college and Tohru knows nothing of the Sohmas until meeting Yuki.
Okay. All cleared up now. I don't own Fruits Basket or characters and I make no profit from writing this. The story and characters belong to Natsuki Takaya and song rights go to Martina McBride.
Japanese will be translated once at the end of the chapter it's introduced in so as to lessen the list of words taking up space. Much like my ANs tend to do.
Yuki walked with purpose and at the same without any clue where to go. His eyes scanned the area, while he twisted his wedding ring nervously around his finger. It had been almost six years since he'd seen his wife: Tohru. It was finally over, the curse was broken and he had to find her again.
She wouldn't remember him even after a year of being of being married and year together even before that. No, Akito had made sure of that. Yuki gritted his teeth and stopped walking, remembering the day Tohru had walked right past him without knowing who he was and how Hatori had apologized in such a broken voice for what he'd been forced to do.
Yuki sat down on a bench, trying to decide what he should do to find her. Tokyo was too big to just search every nook and cranny. He didn't even know if she was still in Tokyo at all. He had to find her, though. Every day for the past five years, ten months, two weeks, and four days his heart had been in constant turmoil and pain. However short, the time he'd had with Tohru had been the happiest of his life.
The sound of a child's crying disrupted his thoughts. The street was fairly empty but even those who were there didn't pay any mind to the small crying girl. "Mama!" she cried, spinning in circles looking before continuing to run. "Mama!"
Yuki stood up and went over to her, gently catching her arm and kneeling down at her level. "Shh… It's okay. Do you need to find someone? Are you lost?"
The girl's eyes were closed as she cried, but she nodded. "I can't find my mama!"
"Do you want some help?" Yuki brushed away her tears, wondering why he was committing himself to find another person when he was having so much trouble finding one.
The girl nodded and swiped her hands across her eyes. "Please?"
"What's your name? It'll be easier to find her if I know your name."
The girl sniffled. "Kyoko Honda."
Yuki froze. That was… "Honda? Your name is… What's your mother's name, Kyoko?"
"Tohru Honda," she said, looking at up at him. Yuki's heart beat hard and fast as he stared back into Kyoko's violet eyes.
OoOoO
Two strangers passing on the sidewalk
Barely brush each other's hands
He says, "I'm sorry"
She says, "Don't worry"
And that is how it all began
OoOoO
Yuki was headed back to his apartment, homework from his college classes stowed in the messenger bag over his shoulder. He'd always liked school because it let him slightly out of the Sohma cage, but his mother had determined everything about his college education, right down to the degree and where he would stay. He'd tried to say that he wanted to choose for himself but she hadn't listened to a word he'd said. Thanks to that, college had become something he detested. It was only one more thing that his mother controlled.
He hardly noticed the young woman walking towards him in the opposite direction carrying two large paper grocery bags. Eyes cast downwards; he didn't fully register her presence until he felt his hand knock against one grocery bag and heard a small cry of surprise as the contents went crashing to the ground.
Yuki quickly apologized and helped pick up what hadn't been destroyed in the fall. "Gomen nasai. I didn't see you." Yuki noticed some of the smashed and bruised vegetables. "Let me reimburse for what was ruined."
"Oh, don't worry about it!" the woman said, packing away her groceries with a smile. Yuki couldn't help but stare as she smiled. A smile was such a foreign thing to him it transfixed him.
She continued, "I couldn't ask you to do that when it was my fault to begin with." Her dark brown hair fell straight and glossy around her face as she knelt on the sidewalk with Yuki, retrieving the last of the groceries. "Please, don't trouble yourself."
Yuki felt guilty and more than a little intrigued by her. Why was it that he wanted to get to know her? He shouldn't even think of things like that with the Sohma curse promising to ruin it. Before he could stop the words from escaping, he said, "If you won't let me pay you for what I damaged, maybe I could treat you to lunch?"
Yuki knew the minute he'd spoken that he shouldn't have spoken at all. It was too forward and assuming. He could feel blood rush into his face and tinge his cheeks.
The woman looked up in astonishment, clearly ready to politely decline. "I… I shouldn't… I have to get these home."
The idea of not seeing her again somehow hurt, even though he'd only known her for a few minutes. Without a word, he scooped up both of the bags. "We can drop these off and then go to lunch." Yuki looked at her hopefully, trying not to seem desperate, but being fairly sure that he appeared that way anyway. "My name is Yuki Sohma. Hajimimashite."
"Eh?" She'd obviously misheard him.
"My name," he said again. "It's Yuki Sohma."
"Oh, I'm Tohru Honda. Hajimimashite." She bowed, a blush rising in her cheeks. Yuki glanced at the bags, realizing it would be impossible to return the gesture without a repeat of disaster.
"Honda-san, perhaps you could lead me to where you live?"
Tohru gave a small gasp. "Oh, hai. I forgot that you wouldn't—" She stopped and blushed at her own rambling before setting off as if leading an expedition. "This way, Sohma-kun!"
Yuki followed her, wanting just to be around her. She had a happiness that he'd never once been able to grasp for himself. He wanted to be able to smile like she did.
OoOoO
A few short days and nights together
And it's like they were meant to be
Lying there with her
He softly whispers,
"Just think what we were so recently"
…Strangers
OoOoO
"Yuki-kun!" Tohru said excitedly, pulling on his hand. "It's almost time! The stars will be so bright tonight!"
Yuki smiled. He'd been smiling for the first time in a long time after meeting her. They'd exchanged numbers after that first time, and Yuki had found himself staring at it two days later, eventually dialing to ask her out on a proper date.
Here they were the following week, lying out under the sky with a sheet spread beneath them, watching the heavens slowly darken and the stars begin to brighten. Yuki wanted to embrace her more than anything, but he forced himself to hold back. She couldn't know what he was. If she did, she'd stay away from him.
Akito had told him as much and there was no doubt in Yuki's mind that he was right. A rat was an ugly rodent that any normal human would only want to kill as quickly as possible. His life was already so worthless; he couldn't stand the thought of the one person who wanted to be near him leaving him behind.
He was his mother's tool, Akito's favorite toy, and to his brother he hadn't been existent until high school. Ayame still wasn't his favorite person to be around; there was only so much he could take of his brother's personality. In fact, the only good thing about college (up until he'd met Tohru, at least) had been the slight distance from his family.
Yuki felt the cool breeze brush against his bangs, and he exhaled peacefully, closing his eyes. Tohru took his hand in her warm one. The warmth of her was amazing and couldn't believe that a person could be as warm and welcoming as she was.
"Yuki-kun?"
Yuki opened his eyes and looked at her. "Hai, Honda-san?"
"Ah, I just thought you'd fallen asleep." Tohru looked embarrassed.
To Yuki, it was adorable. "I came here to be with you, I won't be sleeping. Not when you're so nearby."
Tohru blushed, and covered her face with her free hand. They watched the stars in silence for a while, before Yuki voiced what had been running through his mind, "Honda-san, I can't believe that I didn't know you until recently."
Tohru sat up and Yuki did the same. "I'm so glad that you bumped into me that day, Yuki-kun. I really am! I've never wanted to be with someone in the same way that I want to be with you." Her face was comical in its utter seriousness. Nonetheless, it made him want to wrap her in his arms and never let go.
All of his life, he'd been told how no one would ever want him, no one needed him, and how insignificant he was. Tohru was proving every single one of those things wrong one by one. His whole life was supposed to be spent in darkness, but he was finding light and beauty every moment he spent in Tohru's presence.
It was a feeling he couldn't describe. "Honda-san…" What he wanted to say to her was so simple, but he couldn't quite make himself speak. No, he wouldn't give in to fear; not this time. "Aishiteru, Honda-san."
Yuki had never seen her face such a dark color and he wondered if he had made a mistake. If she rejected him, he didn't know what he would do. She opened her mouth, fumbling for words she couldn't find. Giving up, she instead threw her arms around him.
"Matte!" Yuki said, although he was too late. The space where he had once been was now empty. Tohru's arms fell to her side and she looked at his pile of clothes, confused.
Yuki stared up at her from under his shirt, wanting to scream. He'd been wanted for the first time in his life and now it was over. She would no longer want him.
"Yu…ki?" Tohru looked around frantically. "Yuki-kun?" She picked up his clothes, shaking them out as if there would be some clue to his disappearance. It was obvious she hadn't expected a grey rat to tumble out.
"Ah! What happened, Yuki-kun? Did I do something wrong that turned you into a rat? Is it even you?" She scooped him up in both hands and peered at his small face.
"It's—It's me, Honda-san." Yuki looked at the paws that were, at other times, hands. "Gomen nasai for not telling you."
Tohru let out a small cry of surprise. "You turn into a rat? Like in a fairy tale?"
"Only when hugged by a girl, or when my body is weak or under stress. I'll change back within an hour or less." He explained, waiting for her stop smiling and drop him to the ground before running away.
Instead, she asked, "Why?"
It was unexpected, and a small pinpoint of hope made itself known in Yuki's heart. He explained as best he could about the curse set upon his family, telling her that there were twelve like the Zodiac legend plus the cat. She listened to every word, with awe in her eyes.
"So, you're the rat and some of your cousins are the others?" Tohru was smiling brightly. "That's amazing!" Then she clapped one hand over her mouth, keeping him in the other. "I shouldn't be happy; it's a curse. Gomen nasai."
Yuki touched her wrist with a paw, saying, "Don't apologize, I don't mind if—" Smoke poofed into the air as he transformed back into his human self. Tohru blushed and turned around to allow him to change.
"It's all right now, Honda-san." When she turned around, Yuki noticed that her face was still flushed. "What I was saying before," he continued. "It's fine if you're amazed by it. I don't mind."
"But I shouldn't be! It must be a burden to you, and I shouldn't take any sort of joy from it!"
She was adamant in her response and Yuki couldn't help but smile to himself. She was such a caring and thoughtful person. His heart feel light and free, Yuki lay back down, Tohru joining him a second later
OoOoO
The world's greatest lovers
Two weeks ago they were strangers
OoOoO
Yeah, so I hope you liked it. Please tell what you thought in a review. I will send you a thank you message (if review is signed) and you will recieve recognition in the AN of the next chapter. Reviews make my world spin right there next to Yukiru, so I hope you'll make this fangirl happy and write a few words in a review. All it has to be is 'Hey, I liked it' or 'I saw a few errors ...' I accept one and all. It only takes a minute!
Gomen nasai: I'm so sorry
Hajimimashite: Pleased to meet you (used in Japan whenever you meet some one for the first time)
Hai: Yes
Aishiteru: I love you
Matte: Wait
