Author's Note: I've been wanting to write a Fruits Basket AU. for a while and this story became sort of a summer project for me. The parts of the manga involving Kyo's mother and the Kyo's own final thoughts about her at the end have always fascinated me. So I thought about the manga's description of Kyo's life with her and tried to come up with an explanation as to why she behaved the way she did. It wasn't very difficult considering how the Sohma family treated anyone with the Cat's curse.
This fic is completely AU. as it alters Kyo's life entirely and he grows up separated from the rest of the zodiac. I will also put out the warning right now that this fic will contain Yaoi. So if it doesn't appeal to your tastes, I'd advise against reading this.
Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy the story.
Hisako Sohma was a mess, both physically and mentally. She shifted slightly as she knelt on the floor, tears flowing freely from beneath burnished brown eyes. Her long dust brown hair loosely encircled her face, hiding it from view. During the night she and her husband Tanjiro Sohma had quarreled. The dispute had ended with Tanjiro leaving for work, while Hisako remained on the floor in a disheveled heap. Her life was not simple, nor was it traditional. Once her life's ambition had been to marry well and become a mother. She wanted several children, wanted to hear their laughter as they played in the yard, told her stories, chased butterflies, and all the things that children were supposed to do. Unfortunately, her first child had been rather unusual, so much so that the family had advised her not to have anymore as her womb was considered cursed. Kyo Sohma had been born under the sign of the cat and as such, was cursed to transform into the creature when he came into contact with a member of the opposite sex. Even his own mother.
Hisako was extremely protective of her orange haired son. She protected him from his father, members of his own clan, and anyone from the outside world. They'd argued about Kyo and whether or not they should keep him or hand him over to the Sohma main house to be dealt with as the members of the Sohma main branch saw fit. It had been a reoccurring argument ever since their son's birth three years before. Her position in the Sohma clan was not to be envied. She and Kyo were shunned by everyone, even those who didn't know of the zodiac curse.
She never-never let Kyo go outside, she was afraid of what his own family would do to him. Always making sure to tell him that she loved him and how proud she was of him, she kept him in the house under her watchful eye. Everyday her son would look longingly outside the window, she wanted to be able to let him out. Children should be able to run around and play, it was in their nature. It was how she's spent her own childhood and this, this was not the environment in which to raise a child, particularly not one as special as her Kyo.
Slowly she got to her feet and went to find her son. Hisako had always been meticulous about checking her son's bracelet of Juzu beads. The beads had been blessed and were made from the bones of a honorable priest. It was even rumored that the beads themselves had been dyed with the priest's blood to enhance their ability to prevent the emergence the cat's true form. Kyo not only transformed into a cat, he also possessed an even fiercer demonic form that was said to be the cat's vengeful spirit. The cat had not been allowed to attend the zodiac feast and had grown bitter, hating the other animals, particularly the rat, for leaving him out of the feast. This was not true of course, the other animals had simply forgotten him and the rat had tricked the cat into thinking that the feast was elsewhere. That did not change the fact that the cat's true form smelled like a rotting corpse and proceeded to drive anyone away with an even more grotesque appearance.
Hisako knew that if she did not leave now, she would regret it. Her mother still lived in Hokkaido. She would go there and take Kyo with her. She had to, or risk losing her mind being around the Sohmas any longer. Akito Sohma would take great displeasure in her departure with a member of "his" zodiac, she knew. It was best to make a quick getaway. Her thoughts were moving farther toward paranoia every day. She worried that these feelings would eventually become something more dangerous, possibly even suicidal. Her thoughts had strayed to that once, when she'd been standing on a train platform with her husband.
Tanjiro Sohma was verbally abusive and his clan was utterly unacceptable. Despite her instincts to stay and wait it out for Kyo's sake, in hopes that he might one day gain the acceptance of his clan and a place in the main house, she was sure that this was the best thing for both her and Kyo. Every part of her was screaming that this was not what a proper Japanese woman was supposed to do. There was a chance that her mother would also scorn her for leaving her husband.
Sighing deeply, Hisako found Kyo in the sitting room and checked that the Juzu beads were secure around his wrist. The boy looked up at her with a decidedly blank expression on his face. This saddened her, it would seem that life within the Sohma family was having an even more adverse effect on him. She just hoped the emotional damage was still reversible at this stage.
Half an hour later, Hisako and Kyo Sohma were standing on a train platform. She had an ominous feeling as she looked down at the sodden metal tracks. They were the same ones she'd thought about diving onto a few months before.
Shaking her head and setting her jaw firmly, Hisako grasped her son's hand tightly and waited for the train. The suitcase in her other hand was heavily laden food, drink and clothing, mostly Kyo's. Clothing for young children was expensive, so they'd have to make do with what she'd managed to fit in the bag, until she could make more.
She had taken just enough money for train tickets and several nights stay in a hotel, in case there were any serious weather delays along the coast. They would have to change trains in Sendai.
Waitressing, she'd have to waitress and help her mother keep up the small old house in which she lived. Himeko Mizushima would demand it of her daughter as well as most of the housework and culinary tasks. Nothing Hisako couldn't handle as long as she could be rid of the Sohma's and their zodiac.
Kimiko would certainly question why her daughter had left her husband, but she would not turn her away, her own mother having been once a man's concubine. If it was for Kyo's safety, Hisako knew that her mother would understand. She had a soft spot for children and Kyo was after all her only grandchild.
Kyo could go to school. Hisako could cut her hair and stop hiding away from the world beneath its tangled locks. She could talk to Kyo without feeling as though her every move was being judged. Of course, she would have to explain to her mother why she couldn't hug her grandson. Kimiko was a believer in spirits both good and evil and she visited the local temple quite frequently. It would be simpler to tell her that Kyo was simply possessed by an evil spirit, but that would leave out the reason she'd left in the first place. Her mother would accept Kyo's condition, but it would take considerable effort to convince her not to experiment with trying to cure him of said curse. It was worth it, she told herself, they would be free at long last.
Hisako and Kyo boarded the train for Hokkaido and didn't look back.
"Mom, where are we going?"
Hisako smiled at him.
"Home, sweetie. We're going home to Hokkaido to live with your grandmother."
Kyo blinked and looked up at her inquisitively.
"But, what about father?"
She simply replied, "We're leaving without him."
"Oh. So, there won't be any more yelling. And, and, he won't hurt you anymore. Will he?"
"No, sweetie. Hopefully you'll never have to see him again. Just, don't tell anyone about your bracelet or your 'cat problem' okay? You can't tell anyone about it, except your grandmother."
Kyo nodded thoughtfully, unsure of what all of this meant for him. He had never liked his father. The man was tall, dark and scary and he was always yelling at Mom and making her cry. Kyo only wanted his mother to be happy. He wanted to go to a place where no one would hate him too. Maybe, maybe he could find such a place and take his mother there. Someday he would, but for now, Hokkaido would do he guessed, wherever that was. As a child of three, his mind couldn't fathom the height of his family's hatred for him, so he'd only seen his parent's fractious relationship. The only thing he would really remember about the Sohma's in the months to come would the way that strange gray haired boy in the hakama had stared at Kyo from across the yard at the Sohma house. Those purple eyes tinted with curiosity had seen the cat and not given him a casual look of distain or disgust. Kyo wondered why it was the strange boy had kept staring at him so.
Hisako had managed to find a reasonably priced hotel and was now in possession of her room key. Her and Kyo would catch a train for Hokkaido in the morning. She had opted to get off at the Akita stop rather than the one in Sendai, because it was closer to their final destination.
Unfortunately, Hisako had gotten the wrong room at first. The man in the room across the hall, a tall man in his early twenties, with light brown hair and seemingly kind eyes dressed in light blue night clothes, had been woken by her attempts to open the door's disagreeable lock. When the young man opened the door catching Hisako completely by surprised, much to her son's amusement, she had apologized and looked down at her room key.
"My sincerest apologies sir" Hisako managed as she fumbled with the room key "it appears that our room is 412, not 415, I was mistaken."
Katsuya Honda looked down at the apprehensive young woman in front of him, a child at her right, holding her hand and giggling slightly at his mother's initial confusion. He smiled politely and shrugged at her. Her nervous demeanor and the fact that she was travelling alone with a young child suggested that the woman had other things on her mind and had simply misread her room number.
"It's fine" he told her "I-" and then he coughed harshly and Hisako noticed how pale he was. She was about to suggest that he see someone about his illness when, the man collapsed on top of her. Kyo was quick to call for help as his mother tried to support Katsuya's unconscious body. She managed to wedge herself against the doorframe in order to hold herself up until the hotel staff came and two men lifted him off of her.
As a result, Hisako and Kyo spent the night in the hospital with the man. His identification named him as one, Katsuya Honda, a businessman for Narita Pharmaceuticals. His wallet also contained a small photograph showing him, and presumably his wife and young daughter, who looked to be about Kyo's age.
Hisako had insisted on waiting with the man until his family arrived and the doctor's had accommodated her wishes thus far. She sat in a small chair beside his bed with Kyo perched beside her on the armrest. The doctor's had told her that the man had pneumonia and had she not accidentally woken him, the disease might very well have killed him in his current state.
"Is he going to be alright, Mom?" Kyo asked in a small voice.
Hisako patted his head gently, hoping to offer some source of comfort.
"I don't know, sweetie. We'll have to see what the doctor's say. His family will be coming tomorrow, they said. We'll know then" she answered, hoping that Katsuya's wife would get there soon and be able to take over watching after her husband.
As it was, Hisako was glad she'd held off buying tomorrow's train tickets. She couldn't hold out for too much longer though, she had to get far away before either her husband or the head of the Sohma clan could figure out where she'd gone. The hotel had only been safe, because she'd paid cash for their rooms and used a false name. It wouldn't be long before inquiries about a woman and her orange haired child traveling by train got around to certain people. Her and Kyo had to be on the island by the time that happened.
Kyoko Honda had boarded a train to Akita that night with an overwhelming dread that her husband might already be dead by the time she reached him. Her daughter Tohru was in one arm and a hastily packed bag of clothing and necessities were in the other. It was fortunate that Katsuya had been admitted to the Akitadai Hospital owing to the severity of his condition. Japan's centralized health care system was at times difficult to maneuver and patients were not always admitted to facilities as quickly as needed for treatment.
Katsuya's employer Narita Pharmaceuticals did ensure that its associates received paid health care benefits, and the promise of payment usually resulted in the satisfactory treatment of said patient. Kyoko's main concern was that her husband's seemingly harmless cold had become a full blown case of pneumonia that could very well kill him. She'd been told that a woman staying in the same hotel had noticed him collapse in the hallway and alerted the staff who swiftly sent him off to the nearby hospital to be examined. He could very well have died at the hotel if he'd gone to sleep after getting off the phone with her. She dreaded to what would have happened if she and Tohru had lost Katsuya so suddenly. Kyoko made a note to call Toto-san as soon as she reached the hospital and was apprised of Katsuya's condition.
"My name is Honda Kyoko, I'm here for my husband" she told the nurse requesting admittance "Is it alright if I bring Tohru in there? I couldn't leave her. There was no one else to take her at this time of night."
A stout nurse with short brown hair nodded to her and picked up a clipboard and handed it to Kyoko.
"We need to know some specifics, if you wouldn't mind" the nurse insisted politely "we need to know if your husband has any known allergies to medications or food of any kind. His doctor's office in Tokyo has been notified of his condition, but we won't be able to retrieve any further medical records until tomorrow. He was tested immediately upon arrival and all signs pointed to a severe case of pneumonia. In accordance with the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, your husband will not be allowed to leave this hospital until has fully recovered from the disease. Do you understand, Mrs. Honda?"
Kyoko nodded. She was relieved that he was still alive and being treated for his condition. She filled out the forms and used the hospital phone to call Toto-san to let him know about Katsuya's illness. When she was finally able to see him, she found that Katsuya was being watched after by a strange young woman accompanied by a young boy with orange hair. The woman turned her head as they approached, causing her blonde hair to hang over her shoulder. She gathered up her shawl and stood and bowed to Kyoko.
"You must be Mrs. Honda" the woman said "I am Sohma Hisako and this" she gestured to the small boy still perched on the arm of the chair "is my son Kyo. We have been looking after your husband ever since the incident at the hotel."
"You're the one who found him" Kyoko said her surprised expression changing to one of understanding "Thank you for looking after him. I was quite worried when I got the call that he had collapsed."
"We woke him accidentally, I'm afraid I was in a bit of a rush to find our room for the night and mistook your husband's room for mine" Hisako said "He accepted my apology for waking him and then he, I thought he looked pale and was about to ask if he was alright, when he collapsed. Luckily some of the hotel staff were nearby and managed to help me carry him downstairs. I was worried that he had died. Fortunately this was not so."
Kyoko nodded and held out a hand to the woman.
"I am Honda Kyoko and this is my daughter Honda Tohru."
Hisako stepped over to her and shook her hand. It was nice to meet someone outside of the Sohma family. She had been so isolate for the past few years since Kyo's birth and little if any of her interaction with her husband's family had been positive. After Kyo's arrival Hisako had been met with an eerie silence and some pointed remarks made behind her back. It was nice, meeting normal people again, who didn't openly hate her son's very existence.
Kyoko and her daughter walked slowly over to Katsuya's bedside and Tohru eyed her father's unconscious form with little understanding of why he was here.
"Your father's sick Tohru" Kyoko told Tohru "he's going to be here for a while. We'll have to go back and forth from here to Tokyo for a while so you don't miss school. He's going to get better. He's-he's going to be fine. The doctors are taking care of him."
Hisako considered the impact of travelling back and forth daily would have on Kyoko and her daughter. The money she had with her was enough to feasibly stay at the hotel another week or so and she decided that she would. Katsuya obviously needed looking after and Kyoko was a young woman like herself, responsible for both the well being of her household and that of a small child. If she stayed it meant that Hisako would have no money to give her mother for rent until she got a job, but at least it would allow her to stay hidden from the Sohmas for a bit longer. There was little doubt in her mind that the head of the Sohma clan would contact her mother when the news of her disappearance reached him. If they searched her mother's home and didn't find them, then it would be easier for her to hide in Hokkaido after the fact. Kimiko would understand if given prior warning. It also gave Hisako a chance to inquire about possible employment in the area if there was none to be had in Hokkaido.
"Mrs. Honda -"
"Please, you can call me Kyoko."
"Okay then, Kyoko. I and my son will be staying at the hotel in town for the next couple of weeks, while I handle some business. I would like to offer my services. I will look after your husband while you are away in Tokyo and notify you of any changes. I do not mean to impose on you, I am simply in town and wish to-"
Kyoko hugged her, which took Hisako by surprise. She did not realize that very few people had been kind to Kyoko during the course of her life. The events of her youth had jaded her and she had long believed that people only existed to cause her pain. The appearance of Katsuya and Tohru had severely altered her beliefs and at the worst possible moment in her married life a stranger offering her such kindness was a shock.
"You, you would really do that. Are you sure?" Kyoko asked her "I would be here almost every day, except I have the house to worry about and Tohru's in school. I'd only need you to check in on him for a couple of hours each day. Just to see that he's alright. I'll see that the nurses allow you to come and go."
Hisako agreed.
Tohru and Kyo were now standing side by side at the edge of the hospital bed. Kyo having relinquished his perch to stand by the girl. It had been seldom that he'd seen a child his age and now he found himself unsure of what to say.
The small girl smiled at him, her short olive-brown hair framing her face. Kyo smiled back. No other child had ever looked at him that way, like she was just happy he was here.
"I'm Tohru Hon'a" she said.
"I-I'm Kyo Soh-ma" he replied.
"Orange" Tohru said pointing to him "you're orange."
Kyo fingered his hair nervously.
"Orange" she said again and laughed "I like orange."
Kyo smiled at that. He liked this girl. She and her mother were nothing like his nameless grim-faced relatives.
The disappearance of the cat meant a break in the traditions the Sohma family had held to for many generations. Akito had felt a weakening of the already thin bond between him and the cat. The weakness of the bond had always been a testament to the cat's exclusion from the zodiac and the banquet. Now it meant Akito's control over the cursed was incomplete.
He was convinced that now with the cat gone, other members of the zodiac might try to leave, might discover that they could leave.
"What does he mean the cat has disappeared!" Akito wanted to know. "How did he lose track of such a creature and his own wife at the same time?"
Kureno had brought the news to Akito's chambers during one of his visits with Shigure. The dog for his part appeared very annoyed at the interruption.
"I don't know" Kureno admitted. "His father claims that any evidence of his wife and son's existence vanished within the house along with them."
"That creature needs to be under our-my control" Akito emphasized. "It could do irreparable damage if he were not returned to me."
"We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves" Kureno cautioned, ignoring the bland look Shigure gave him. "But we can't allow the boy to be found out. It could be a danger to everyone including him."
"Seeing as how Hari can't erase the memories of everyone the cat simultaneously comes across, I suggest we use other means to find them" Shigure suggested.
"And what could that be I wonder?" Akito asked in a dangerous tone that boded ill for Shigure if he answered wrong.
"Using the police would be too troublesome for us, especially if the cat's secret is discovered. So why wouldn't we hire someone discreet to find them instead? There are people within the family, loyal to you, who could help with that."
"Wouldn't you know if he were close?" Kureno asked, almost innocently.
Akito turned to him with an unreadable expression and said in cool voice "That does not allow me to find its exact location away from me."
Shigure raised an eyebrow at that revelation. So Akito couldn't sense the cat unless it was in close proximity? Now that was something that interested him. He wondered if Akito's connection to the cat was similar to his link with the rest of the cursed or if the cat, being left out of the zodiac allowed him a certain amount of anonymity from their god's abilities.
Hisako and Kyo continued to stay at the hotel for the next couple of weeks while Hisako searched for employment. Kyoko and her daughter went back and forth from Tokyo to Akita every other day. Katsuya's health improved gradually and on the fifth day of his hospitalization he regained consciousness. Kyoko and Tohru were notified immediately by Hisako and the Hondas were able to spend a few hours happily together before visiting hours came to an end. Katsuya was allowed to rest and the four of them went home for the night. Hisako offered the use of her extra bed in her hotel room to Kyoko and Tohru so the pair could leave quickly the next morning. They would return on Friday and spend the weekend in Akita with Katsuya.
Tokihiko Honda arrived at the Akita train station on Saturday afternoon and slowly made his way to Akitadai Hospital. His daughter Raiko and her husband refused to visit Katsuya in the presence of his wife Kyoko, so he had made the trip alone. Ever since the death of his wife, Tikihiko or Toto-san as his family called him, had made the effort to stay close to all members of his family. He merely shook his head at his daughter and son-in-law's actions knowing they could never look past Kyoko's past as a Yankee to the woman she really was.
As Tokihiko entered hospital room 215 and Kyoko rushed toward him.
"Toto-san. You're here" she said bowing politely before embracing her father-in-law.
Tokihiko smiled lightly as Kyoko released him and led him over to the bed. Katsuya Honda greeted his father with optimistic expression and the two talked for while. Tokihiko was surprised to learn that he had almost lost his son to the pneumonia. It would have been such a tragedy to lose a man so young. He would have left Tohru without a father and Kyoko without a husband.
"Who is this Hisako?" Tokihiko asked politely "You say she's here by herself with a young child."
"Yes Toto-san, she says she's here looking for employment" Kyoko replied "she never mentioned why she was here alone."
"She's nervous, Father. I noticed it that night at the hotel" Katsuya said "she seems as if she's running from the world. Her mannerisms would suggest that she has not had a happy life. I noticed a scar just above her hairline near the left ear. There's another one on her right shoulder as well, she always flinches a bit on that side when she fixes her shawl."
Kyoko nodded. She too had noticed the tiny hints as to the reason Hisako had left wherever she had come from. The world had not been kind to her and it was most likely her husband who was responsible for her current state. It was a miracle that the woman had still had the sense to leave with her child and find a life elsewhere. Kyoko understood how difficult it could be to escape the past.
"I am in need of a housekeeper" Katsuya's father mused "if this woman truly needs to escape her life, I could keep her with me. I don't like the idea of a young boy growing up without a stable environment. The child should be able to go to school and his mother to have a reasonable job, while still having a roof over their heads."
"Are you sure, Toto-san? We don't know her very well" Kyoko said uncertainly "I'm sure she means no harm. We just don't know if her husband is one of the yakuza."
Katsuya nodded.
"We will ask her" he said "though I suspect her story is much like yours, Ms. No Eyebrows. She may simply be trying to escape her family or her husband's."
Hisako came through the door with Kyo at her side to find the three adults staring at her.
"Hisako, this is my father Honda Tokihiko" Katsuya said introducing him "Father this is Sohma Hisako."
Tokihiko and Hisako bowed politely to one another and she and Kyo approached the others. Kyo and Tohru went off to a corner of the room to play with a set of blocks Kyoko had brought with them from Tokyo.
"Sohma" Tokihiko said thoughtfully "are you related to the Sohma clan of Tokyo?"
Hisako froze and her expression became one of extreme worry.
"It is fine Hisako. I simply wanted to be sure that you were not a member of the underground" Tokihiko said reassuringly "We know that you are running away from someone and I understand that the Sohmas are a rather strange family. If you will excuse my assumptions."
Hisako nodded, her demeanor still tense.
"I would like to offer you a position within my household. You and your son are in need of a place to live and I am in need of a housekeeper, since my daughter and her family are currently unable to move in with me. Would you do me the honor of keeping an old man company in West Tokyo. You would rarely ever have to leave the house and your son could attend school a safe distance from the clan."
Hisako's expression was one of shock. These people were not going to turn her in it seemed. The older man had just offered her a position within his household and offered to keep her a secret. Kyo could attend school in the city without the Sohmas knowing he was there.
"I do not believe they would search the city for me" Hisako answered carefully "I was headed for Hokkaido, where my mother lives. My husband and I disagreed about Kyo. He wanted to disown him."
Kyoko and Katsuya looked shocked at her admission. It was inconceivable to disown a three year old child. A child had little sense of action or honor. There was no reason for such a severe punishment to be put on him whatever actions he had committed.
Katsuya's father however did not look surprised.
"Why?" he asked furtively "My family has lived in Tokyo for generations and we had often observed that the Sohmas lived strangely. There were always several children with hair tinted with odd tones at school, even in my time. The child with the orange hair was often alone. He was never with the others. Your child, is he the same?"
Hisako nodded and walked over to Kyo. She held him and he transformed.
"He is the cat in the family zodiac" Hisako explained to the surprised Hondas "because of the old legend the other members of his family look down on him. Several children in each generation fifty to seventy years apart are cursed to change form when touched by a member of the opposite gender. It does not matter that I am his mother, if I hold him or hug him, Kyo will transform into the cat." She put her hand on his bracelet. "He must also never take off this bracelet or he will transform into a dark version of the cat. Only his body is changed each time, his mind is still there, but his family refused to believe this. Every cat must wear the Juzu beads. They must also be locked away at the age of eighteen in room at the edge of Sohma house where they will stay for the rest of their lives."
Katsuya's father recovered before Katsuya and Kyoko and nodded sadly.
"So that is what happened to the child I saw when I was in school." he said "Since the beads are passed down, the other cat must die before a new cat can be born. Is this true of all the cursed members of the Sohma family, Hisako?"
Hisako nodded in affirmation.
"Yes, only once a member of the zodiac has died can another with the same curse be born. Kyo was born fifteen years after the death of the cursed boy you knew, Mr. Honda."
"That's why you need to hide him isn't it, Hisako" Katsuya said.
"How could they do such a thing?" Kyoko said outraged. "Kyo's only a child."
"Nonetheless he is the cat of the Sohma zodiac and the clan leader Akito is their zodiac's version of god" Hisako explained "it is the Sohma god's privilege to lock the cat away in order to make the others feel less trapped by their curse."
"They use the cat as their scapegoat. Not a very refined bunch are they?" Katsuya mused.
"It is your secret, Hisako" Katsuya's father said "we will not tell anyone. We can include you in the clan role as a Honda so that you may have the name for everyday use. It is all I can give you."
Hisako smiled. She and Kyo would be able to call themselves Honda rather than Sohma. It would be an effective disguise. She would make sure to dye orange hair a black or a simple brown to ensure that he would not be recognized as the cat by the Sohmas.
"Thank you" she said "I am very grateful Honda-san, that you would do this for Kyo and I. He will be able to live a normal life. It is what I had hoped for him, when we left the Sohmas. It would please me to use the name Honda so that we can hide from my husband's family. I am ever in your debt, Honda Tokihiko."
"I am an old man" Tokihiko said "I do not wish to burden others with my troubles. You are the same. We will get along very well. It will do an old man some good to have company once in a while."
Katsuya smiled lightly.
"Don't worry" he said "my wife is a former Yankee. Her past is way more interesting than yours. She used to shave her eyebrows back in middle school."
Kyoko smacked her husband lightly on the shoulder.
"You know why I did that" she said highly annoyed "I had to."
"My little Red Butterfly" Katsuya said in agreement "it was easy to pick you out of a crowd."
His wife glared at him.
"At least I wasn't a smart ass student teacher, those other girls followed you around like dogs. But really you were just as cynical as the rest of us."
Tokihiko smiled at them. His son and daughter-in-law were always so lively. They made his otherwise quiet life very interesting indeed. Kyo transformed back, shielded from view by his mother's shawl and Hisako turned and dressed him again. Tohru walked up to grandfather and he put his arm around her shoulders giving her a sideways hug.
"Welcome to family, Hisako" he said "I'm sure you'll get used to all of us in time."
News of a tsunami hitting Akita's coastal area as well several other minor disasters corresponded with Kyo's adoption into the Honda family. Traditionally all zodiac members were re-registered under the name Sohma as soon as the presence of their curse was confirmed at birth. This ensured their permanent association with the family and strengthened their bond with the god of the zodiac.
Kyo's already tentative bond with Akito was frayed even more and the god of the zodiac was unable to tell if the cat still lived.
"It's dead" Akito declared to Hatori a few weeks later. Then he ordered the house staff to "have the cat's register changed".
"Are you sure that's wise, Akito?" Hatori commented lightly.
"You shouldn't question my decisions, Hatori" Akito warned. "But if you truly want to know. It's because that woman wouldn't have been able to hide such a disgusting creature for long. He's too distinct to go unnoticed, unhated, by others."
"I understand" Hatori replied trying to ease the tension.
They'll see now, Akito thought. They all see that if they leave nothing awaits them outside of these walls. There is only me and our bond. My wish will come true.
Hatori had his own theories on the disappearance of Hisako and Kyo Sohma, but kept them to himself. If there had ever been a child more ridiculed, more persecuted, in the history of the Sohma clan, it was the cat. There was no future for Kyo Sohma if he was ever returned to them, none except his confinement. So Hatori kept quiet with the realization that the cat was better off growing up in an isolated fishing village or impoverished in a one-room apartment somewhere, than being forced to bear such a burden.
Children shouldn't be born to suffer, Hatori thought. What would be the point of such an existence?
"You are now a member of my family, so you may call me Toto-san, Hisak-Hisano " Tokihiko told her when they arrived at his home.
After talking about it, the two of them had decided that Hisako should change her name to Hisano to avoid any immediate suspicion by Tokihiko's friends or family.
Then he looked to Kyo and said "And you can call me grandfather."
At the boy's stunned expression, Tokihiko smiled encouragingly and patted him on the head.
The household of Tokihiko Honda was a quiet one and the arrival of Hisako Sohma and her son Kyo had changed this for the better. Tokihiko found that having a child around again made him feel quite a bit younger and having a lovely young woman around didn't hurt either. Hisako was a good housekeeper and she ensured that everything in his household was well taken care of. She was also an excellent cook. Tokihiko particularly loved her recipe for soba.
"I'm afraid in the years since my wife passed, I've not felt the same as I once did" Tokihiko explained "these old bones aren't what they used to be."
"That is why I am here" Hisako said as she set about making dinner while Kyo played on the floor, "So please, do not worry yourself about the simple around house any longer, Toto-san."
"Thank you, Hisano, if I didn't know any better, I'd suspect my son and daughter-in-law were worried about me as well" Tokihiko said with a simple smile, that belayed a perceptive undercurrent no doubt gained through many years of observing his own students.
"And your daughter I am sure" Hisako added. "Though I've not met her yet."
"You will eventually" Tokihiko confirmed. "It's just that she and Kyoko don't get along very well, so they usually avoid one another. You see my daughter and her husband disapproved of Katsuya's marriage to Kyoko, as did several of my own siblings."
Hisako's eyes widened slightly. It seemed strange to her that someone as lively and pleasant as Kyoko could be looked down on by the rest of the Honda family.
"So you see, Hisano, yourself and Kyo are in good company" Tokihiko continued, giving her a wink, "we're not the usual sort of people."
"Thank you, Toto-san, I've not received any such sentiments from those I consider family for a very long time, save Kyo" Hisako replied.
"And on that note, how do you feel about making that delicious soba twice a week?" the old man asked hopefully, "I don't think I've ever tasted any that good before."
"Then we will" his housekeeper said, the corners of her mouth quirking upward as she tried to hide her amusement, "but I promised Katsuya that you would eat more than just noodles, Toto-san. So you'll have to eat your miso as well."
"I will have to invite my son over on those nights" Tokihiko said "we wouldn't want him falling ill again and miso soup can do wonders for a person's health"
"Katsuya doesn't like miso very much, does he?"
"No" the old man confirmed. "We'll set aside another dish for him to have, but it won't hurt him to think that I've simply forgotten his dislike."
"You want Katsuya to think you're forgetting things?" Hisako asked, slightly bewildered.
"Ever since his marriage my son has started speaking to me again, not as the polite little boy who would put on an act in front of others, but as himself. He feels able to do so, because he believes that my age and the death of my wife have weakened me so that I am less likely to judge himself and his family."
Tokihiko let out a breath before continuing.
"This is not so, Minawa's death helped me realize that I wanted my family around me regardless of whether or not they did as I'd wished them to. That is why, when Katsuya brought Kyoko to meet me, I was determined to support their marriage even if I myself did not agree with my son's decision."
"But you like Kyoko " Hisako insisted.
"I do, and I love little Tohru very much. I grew to like Kyoko from the moment I met her and this only proved to me that my opinion, however right and honorable it may seem, may not always be so. So I forget things and act as though I need more help than I do, so that my son may be himself around me."
Hisako nodded. She understood that reasoning very well. If she hadn't changed her own perspective for Kyo's sake, the two of them would still be back with the Sohma's. Kyo would lived his life in fear of a locked room and Hisako was not sure she could have lived with waiting for such a sorrowful end to her son's young life. She knew deep in her heart, that if she'd stayed in that house, the desire to end her own anxieties over Kyo's future would have overcome her long before the Sohma actually locked the cat away for good.
"I wonder that your own mother doesn't worry for you, Hisano " Tokihiko mused. "She must know you are gone by now."
"I thought about writing her a letter, Toto-san, but I'd rather not risk Kyo that way" she replied. "I haven't spoken to my mother very often since I left home."
"I'm sorry Hisako-san, I didn't mean to pry. Please forgive an old man his oddities" her employer said.
"I appreciate your concern, but the more I think about it, I'm glad I did not return to my mother's house with Kyo. There's a great chance she would have turned us in if the Sohma did report Kyo missing. She wouldn't approve of the fact that I left my husband, when she herself could not find one."
"Ah, I understand" Tokihiko said and asked no more about it.
"So, in my place, could you send a quarter of what I earn here to her in Hokkaido. I want to be sure she is taken care of, even though I can no longer see her."
The next day Tokihiko had his solicitor wire an anonymous, but reasonable amount of yen to "old friend" named Himeko Mizushima in Hokkaido to help with her living expenses. His solicitor was discreet as usual and didn't even question Tokihiko's new addition to the clan roll.
Tokihiko half expected there to be a missing persons report filed for the disappearance of Hisako and Kyo within the next few weeks. However, he suspected the Sohma family wouldn't want to draw any attention to Kyo's curse and wouldn't risk discovery by drawing the attention of law enforcement and the news media. Hisako had made it very clear that the family feared discovery above all else and the zodiac itself had an individual capable of erasing a person's memories in the case of isolated incidents.
Tokihiko knew that a national search for a missing child would cause too much of a stir for a family so embedded in secrecy. The chances of Kyo transforming into a cat in front of a camera was all the more likely the Sohma called for a nationwide search. No, Tokihiko knew it was more logical for the them to hire private investigators to track down Hisako and Kyo.
This proved true in the coming weeks when the pair's disappearance went unreported by the Sohma family. In order to keep any private investigators from discovering them, Hisako changed her name to Hisano, and it they decided to explain Kyo's name as a homage to that of his Aunt Kyoko.
Later at home that night Hisako brought him the last of the pictures and documents she'd taken from her old home. She had made sure to take Kyo's birth certificate, her own forms of identification, and the only existing physical copy of her marriage license.
"These are the only others" she said as she handed the bundle to Tokihiko to lock away in his safe. The last two small photographs were of herself and Kyo as well as the small number of pictures taken during hers and Tanjiro's wedding ceremony. "I made sure to take them with me when I left."
"I will ensure that my son has a copy of the combination in case anything should happen." Tokihiko assured her. "That way my daughter cannot question you about its contents. She will simply assume that the papers are Katsuya's."
Raiko and the rest of the Honda family had lead to believe that Hisako was the disowned daughter of an old friend of Tokihiko's. Her parents had supposedly disapproved of her marriage, which had left her with no place to go when her husband walked out on her and their child.
Hisako nodded.
"I appreciate all that you and your solicitor have done for us Toto-san. Please let me know if there is any way I can ever repay your kindness."
"You already have" Tokihiko explained. "You saved the life of my son and you have made it so that I may still live here in my old age. I fear that in a few years I will be unable to live alone and would have been forced to be a burden upon my children otherwise."
"I doubt your children would see you as a burden Toto-san" Hisako stated. "You are the most amiable person I've ever lived with."
"I was not always that way" the old man said wistfully. "In my youth I was just as disagreeable as everyone else."
"Father, I know that she is your friend's daughter, but don't you think letting her live with you is a little excessive?" Raiko demanded, highly suspicious of her father's new housemates. "You've even given the boy the name Honda. He should be using the surname his father gave him instead."
Tokihiko smiled placating at his daughter.
"Hisano is an excellent housekeeper and as to why I included them in our family scroll, I did not want the boy to grow up with the name of the father who left him" he explained.
"Yes and by doing that you've allowed that woman and her son to claim an inheritance from you" Raiko pressed. "There was no need. You already have a Honda grandson to carry on your name."
"If you are worried about what you and your children will receive upon my death, Raiko, than you need not worry" her father said with a sigh. "I've made arrangements so that Hisano can receive proper compensation for her work here, as is her due, and to ensure that Kyo can afford to attend high school with Tohru when the time comes."
"That is acceptable I suppose" his daughter replied, tone belaying her further annoyance with this development. She felt the extra money would have been best suited to helping her son, Tetsuo enter the police academy after he finished school. "I shouldn't think you'd approve of such a match, since Tohru no doubt has certain similarities to Kyoko-san."
"They are both very lively" Tokihiko agreed, to his daughter's further exasperation. "Though I believe it will be a long time before either Tohru or Kyo come to such a decision. There are many more people they will meet in their young lives before they choose whom will be their most precious person."
Kyo had proven to be a quiet boy who seemed quite content to be living with his mother and the old man he now knew as "grandfather". The boy seemed to sense the amity of this house contrary to that of Sohma house. He had lived in fear of someone removing his black and white beaded bracelet and discovering the horrible truth about his true form. Every morning Kyo watched as his mother still checked his wrist to make sure it was still there. Hisako did so now with a smile, rather than a shadowy grimace. To Kyo the bracelet now served as a reminder of the life he had left. The life where his father yelled at his mother every night and people looked at him with those strange expressions on their faces and whispered about him behind his back.
"Are we safe here, Mom?" Kyo had asked Hisako the first night in their new home.
"Yes my dearest son, we are finally safe" his mother answered as she drew him into her arms. Despite his abrupt transformation into a little orange ball of a kitten, she continued to hold him tight. Safe in the knowledge that no one here would look down on her for doing so. At their old home Hisako had been afraid of doing anything that might cause Kyo to transform into the cat, because it would further remind her husband and in-laws of the meaning behind his designation in the zodiac.
"This will be a new life for both of us" she said softly, her breath tickling the fur on Kyo's ear. "We're not alone any longer."
The first few months in their new home had taken some getting used to, but slowly the quiet of Honda house had soothed their anxieties. In an effort to veil one of the more noticeable clues to their identities, Hisako sewed a special leather band with the Honda family name on it around the cat's beaded bracelet. Kyo spent the time while she did this, having had to remove the bangle from his wrist, in the arms of his newly dubbed Aunt Kyoko.
Kyoko had seen the darkest corners the streets of Tokyo had to offer, so the sight of Kyo's other form, that of his haunted cat totem, didn't truly faze her. Coupled with the image of Kyoko's parents expressions of loathing toward her and murderous looks she'd received from her former fellow gang members, the sight of Kyo's raptor-like form sobbing in the corner was more heartrending than it was disturbing in Kyoko's mind.
"Kyo, I'm almost done dearest, just a few more minutes" Hisako would remind her son in five minute intervals, trying to comfort him as best she could.
It was necessary to put Kyo through this, necessary to hide him from what could happen if the Sohma realized who he was by the seeing the cat's beads draped around Kyo's wrist, but it nonetheless pained Hisako to see Kyo's distress at having to be in his 'other' zodiac form.
"...you'll always look like an orange-top to me" Hisako could hear Kyoko saying and turned her head to see her son smiling despite his apparent need to brace his gnarled claws against his shoulders as a form of security "and everybody knows there's nothing scary about oranges. Especially ticklish oranges."
Hisako smiled to hear her son laughing as Kyoko managed to find all of his weak points. His aborted retaliation and newfound playfulness despite being in his current situation gave her hope that he might yet grow to be a normal happy child. Something his upbringing within the Sohma family would have quite visibly prevented.
Ten minutes later Kyo himself had turned back into a cat, despite the absence of his bracelet, something that surprised both the adults in the room.
"It must be your acceptance of him, Kyoko" Hisako said. "I've always been too afraid to take the beads off before now. I didn't think it was possible to change him back without them."
"So this is something new?" Kyoko asked thoughtfully.
Hisako nodded and Kyoko smiled down at her new nephew.
"I hope he too is less afraid now" Hisako said. "I wanted things to change for the both of us. So I will take this as a good sign."
"I believe you already have changed things for the better" Kyoko replied. "Children should be free to grow and play without fear and now so can Kyo. That's what you've given him, Hisako."
"I only hope that he will be able to survive in this world despite his curse" she replied. "That is what I hoped for more than anything. In this it's you that has given me something to hope for. Thank you, Kyoko."
Hisako had put a great deal of effort into altering both her appearance and Kyo's beyond recognition, by dying their hair black, and Kyo's eyebrows and cutting her hair to a length that didn't even reach her shoulders. Every morning Hisako also made it a point to apply dabs of lipstick and eyeliner to her face, things Tanjiro had never known her to do while they lived together. However strange it may have felt, this was a small price to pay as to keep them safe from harm.
In her mind the Sohma zodiac had slowly woven itself into an additional state of dreariness and isolation despite the contingencies made to ensure their ability to live comfortably despite the curse. At times the implications of this had seemed nonsensical to Hisako, though she knew better to question this in front of her husband or another other member of the Sohma clan, the effect this would have on Kyo over time had been her most prevalent concern for the past three years.
It was a considerable relief to have finally removed both herself and Kyo from the source of this ongoing fear. Upon entering Toto-san's house for the first time she'd felt that she was finally able to breathe after years of being social and psychological suffocation.
Hisako had decided against sending Kyo to preschool and kindergarten, neither of which were mandatory in Japan at the time. The chances of Kyo making unintended contact with girls his age were extremely high and the last thing any of them wanted was for him to transform in front of a class of children and their teacher. She tried her best to educate him on everything she thought he might need to know in order to enter the first grade. Tokihiko was also able to fill in any gaps in Kyo's education, having been a teacher for decades, he was intimately familiar with the basic curriculum.
By the age of six, it was deemed safer for Kyo to attend school, because of the more disciplined atmosphere of a first grade classroom. So Kyo and Tohru started elementary school together and both of their parents were to take turns picking them up. Kyoko was less worried about Tohru as she knew that Kyo would stop anyone who tried to pick on his adoptive cousin, something she'd had trouble with in the past. This had proved to be true when Kyoko went to pick up the children at the end of their first day.
"...And then they told me I could be the rice ball" Tohru revealed as she recounted her day to her mother "but Kyo said that wasn't very nice because rice wasn't a fruit. -I'm sure they weren't trying to be mean though Kyo- and then he said we should go play hopscotch with some of the other kids instead-"
"They weren't playing it right, Aunt Kyoko" Kyo insisted with a scowl. "There isn't any rice ball in Fruits Basket. They weren't going to call her."
"But Kyo they said you could be the orange, I don't know how they knew about your hair since it's all black now" Tohru put in, getting a chuckle out of Kyoko. "I think Kyo would make a good orange."
"I still don't wanna play with those guys anymore. They had no right, treating you like that" Kyo grumbled as Kyoko ruffled his hair.
"I'm not sure what those children were thinking, but I know it takes some people longer to learn how to play with others" Kyoko reasoned. "Not everyone grew up with a cousin or sibling around like you and Tohru. Lots of other kids are still learning how to play games, make rules, and take turns. Just give them some time and I think you'll find they've changed."
"All of them?" Kyo said skeptically, eyebrow raised.
"Some of them" Kyoko amended. "With others it might take a little longer. For instance your Uncle Katsuya likes tease so much that I'm not sure if he ever grew up."
"You shouldn't say that stuff when he's isn't" Kyo told her. "He can't say anything back."
Kyoko realized that Kyo wasn't being fresh, so much as he was thinking of the way his own parents used to interact.
"We're only teasing each other Kyo, I didn't mean anything bad by it" she said.
"Besides daddy says things like too sometimes," Tohru responded helpfully "and he's always checking to make sure my mom's eyebrows are still there."
Kyo laughed a little at that.
"Think that's funny do you, smart guy?" Kyoko asked with a sneaky smile. "We'll see how much you like this instead."
Then she proceeded to tickle him as he tried in vain to get out of her reach.
Katsuya always made an effort to spend some time with Kyo as well as Tohru on weekends. His time with Kyo usually ended up being during an afternoon when Tohru and her mother went out shopping by themselves. Teaching his adopted nephew how to play catch was something Kyoko had suggested as baseball was one of the more prevalent outdoor sports in schools nowadays. However, it was a bit of a novelty for Katsuya himself, as his father had been more concerned about perfecting his son's academic skills than his physical ones.
Around the time that Kyo turned seven the two of them had taken to frequenting the local park a few blocks down from Katsuya's house, either to play catch or kick a soccer ball around. Kyo seemed to enjoy it well enough and his uncle hoped that teaching him a little about sports would help him socialize with other children his age.
"I've been trying to convince mom to let me learn martial arts" Kyo was telling him as he threw the baseball in Katsuya's direction "but she's afraid I might end up sparing with a girl if it's a co-ed class."
"There are instructors who prefer to keep men and women in separate classes. Would you like me to find you one with Hisak...Hisano's permission?" Katsuya inquired as he caught deftly caught the ball with his left hand.
"If-if you wouldn't mind" came the reply. Kyo looked down at the ball in his fist in an effort to assuage the awkward feeling in his chest. "I know mom has a hard time sometimes, trying to do everything. My da-father never wanted anything to do with those kind of things."
Katsuya favored the boy with a sympathetic expression.
"I'm not your father, but I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to or to ask a question you feel that you think your mother or Aunt cannot answer for you, you can come to me." he said "I promise I'll listen and try to help you find the answer."
Kyo nodded, surprised expression plastered on his face.
"Thank you, uncle" he replied. Then he looked thoughtful. "Your face right now kind of reminds me of that word Aunt Kyoko likes to call you sometimes. Eneramic. Enigratmic."
"Enigmatic" Katsuya corrected sardonically, as he readied himself to throw the baseball again. Under his breath he mumbled. "Where does she learn these words?"
"What does that mean anyway?"
"That's your aunts way of saying I'm being mysterious" Katsuya remarked lightly. "She doesn't actually mean it, Kyo."
"Then why would she say so if she didn't mean it?" Kyo asked in confusion.
"It's her way of showing affection" his uncle assured him. "Like when she calls you orange-top."
"I hate it when she does that" Kyo grumbled, as he caught the ball yet again.
"I think that's why she does it" Katsuya replied, trying but failing to contain an amused smile. "People tend to irritate those they love as a way of showing how they feel."
"That's stupid, they should just tell that person instead. It'd be less annoying" Kyo insisted.
"That does seem like it would be easier, but much more complicated than that."
Kyo tilted his head to the side and just stared up at him.
"You'll understand when you get older" Katsuya reassured him.
After a quiet conversation between Katsuya and Hisako, it was decided that Kyo could attend martial arts classes as long as there was no risk of his curse being discovered.
Master Kurashima was kind enough to allow Kyo to enter one of his afternoon classes consisting only of young boys. He believed Hisako when she explained Kyo's awkwardness toward girls as an early awareness of his attraction to them.
He began learning his katas beside several boys between the ages of 7 and 10.
Everything went well until their sensei introduced his friend Master Sohma Kazuma and announced that the man would be helping to instruct them in the finer points of sparing. Kyo felt his heart jump at the mention of the surname Sohma and he worried that this man might recognize him.
"Aren't you worried, Mom?" Kyo asked Hisako after he'd related the story to her. "Is he going to be able to tell what I am?"
Hisako shook her head.
"The Sohma clan is very big" she explained, "and I doubt this Kazuma would have seen you before without my knowing it. He is a man and won't cause you to transform if you bump into him. So believe we have little reason to worry about him finding us out."
"O-okay, if you think he's safe, I'll go back" Kyo answered, somewhat relieved.
"You love martial arts Kyo, you've been happier since you started going to class. If I truly thought it was dangerous for you to go there, we'd find another place for you to go" Hisako said in an effort to reassure her son. "The reason we left was so you could live your life the way you want to, with certain rules of course, but without fear that of what they might do to you."
Kyo nodded and put his head against his mother's shoulder, she returned the gesture by placing a hand on his hair comfortingly.
After that Hisako made it a point to stay and watch a few of Kyo's classes from a back corner. She wanted to make absolutely certain that she'd never seen this man before and she was rewarded with the sight of an unfamiliar face. Kazuma Sohma was tall and sturdy, as a martial arts master should be, with a familiar tuft of gray hair with a light sheen of blue that seemed to dominate certain branches of the Sohma family.
For his part Kazuma was curious about the young woman who quietly watched his students go about their routine. She didn't seem to be overly concerned about her son's performance, not that she needed to be as Kyo had proved quiet adept at learning Judo, but her presence though not overbearing, was unusual. So much so that Kazuma found himself quietly deliberating whether or not it was the novelty of the ancient dojo itself that drew her interest.
Kazuma didn't have much reason to converse with Hisano Honda as she and Kyo left soon after the class ended for the afternoon. He himself was often beset by other students with questions as soon as he ended the day's exercises.
Then one afternoon, an hour before class, there was a knock as the door. Kazuma had offered to take over classed for the week as Master Kurashima was unable due to his daughter being ill. He was surprised to find the visage of Hisano and that of Kyo there to greet him after he'd pushed aside the wall panel.
Kyo himself looked a little worse for wear as his student was sporting a small cut on the left side of his face and with a black eye adorning the right.
"Master Sohma" Hisako began, bowing low as a sign of respect, "would you please speak to my son. He seems to have forgotten the rules governing what you have taught him."
Kazuma raised a speculative eyebrow at Kyo, who looked away somewhat defiantly.
"Let's have a talk Kyo" he said calmly. "I'll keep him until class time, Ms. Honda."
Hisako nodded.
"I'll wait outside near the temple" she said, gesturing for Kyo to follow his sensei before leaving them alone.
Kazuma pulled up two of the sitting mats that Master Kurashima kept in the dojo and motioned for Kyo to sit beside him.
"Now why don't explain to me what happened?" he said.
"Aren't you going to yell at me and tell me what I did wrong?" Kyo wanted to know.
"I think you already know what you did wrong" Kazuma answered in a steadily calm voice. "What I would like to like to know is why you decided to do it despite knowing this."
"I didn't do for myself" Kyo said in a low voice. "These guys were picking on my cousin, Tohru. They keep calling her 'rice ball' at school, because they think she's stupid. That she doesn't know they're being mean, because she so nice to everyone. They always invite her to play Fruits Basket then call her the rice ball like they think it's funny. Then today one of the boys started hitting her because she had a toy that he wanted and I-I hit him back."
"I see. So you were trying to defend your cousin by hitting back at the other boy" Kazuma replied. "Wouldn't it have been better to let your teacher know what was happening rather than taking it upon yourself to hurt someone else?"
"Yes, but-they never let her be sometimes. I'd had enough of them doing that to her" Kyo said grudgingly.
"You could always help your cousin find other children to play with, surely those boys can't be the only other students in your class."
"I guess so."
"I'll make a deal with you, Kyo" Kazuma said after a moment of contemplation. "I won't make you sit in the corner during today's class if you'll promise to try asking your teacher for help next time. If you want to help your cousin you'd be better off doing that and then finding some other students to play with who are less likely to pick on him-"
"Tohru's a girl."
"-her then. Will you do this, Kyo?"
"Yes sensei" Kyo agreed quietly. Though he was worried about what would happen if he couldn't defend Tohru the way he had before without getting into trouble, he was glad that his sensei had decided not to punish him for it.
There were times when Kazuma couldn't sleep and on those nights he would be bombarded with the images of his grandfather, the former cat of the zodiac, whose most recent incarnation had been declared dead nearly four years ago.
"Such a sad fate for one so young" Kazuma had said to Akito Sohma at the time of the boy's disappearance. "Are you so certain of his fate?"
"Speak with that creature's father yourself. It was a nuisance and it's mother was the one who burdened us with it" Akito had replied. "What else could such a woman have done under those circumstances? She could not have hidden its curse from others for very long. Even I can no longer feel its presence in this world."
So Kazuma had indeed taken it upon himself to visit the residence of Tanjiro Sohma who had proved to be a bitter man.
"I didn't ask for her to have that thing" Tanjiro said, bottle of sake in hand. "It's his fault my wife is dead! The dishonor he caused us just by being born. She wouldn't let him be locked up early. I told her!"
Kazuma spent most of the visit in silence as he listened to that cat's father vent his anger. Finally the man had admitted to hitting his wife, claiming he was forced to do, because she insisted on protecting their son from any physical violence. Tanjiro himself had been ready to disown the boy at that point.
After that Kazuma had been forced to admit that he understood why the cat's mother had run away from such an unhappy marriage. On the other hand it was widely believed that she'd been on her way to her mother's home in Hokkaido before some misfortune had befall Hisako and her child.
"There was a tsunami that devastated the area that year" Hatori Sohma had suggested solemnly, when asked. "No doubt the two of them were among those completely unaccounted for. It's sad really, thinking about a child dying in such a way."
Sometimes Kazuma found his thoughts wandering to his other students within the zodiac and harsh realities they'd had to face. Other times he thought about his students at Master Kurashima's dojo, in particular Kyo Honda, who never removed his arm band. When asked the boy would cite tradition and family honor as the reasoning behind why he wore the bangle during his marital arts classes and, Kazuma suspected, everywhere else as well.
Hisano Honda was a protective mother who made sure her son was considerate, well behaved, and well adjusted to his environment. Kyo had let slip once that he hadn't really known his father and gave the impression that the man had walked out on his family.
There were times though, when Kazuma wondered if the cat had survived after all or if he was simply drawing the wrong conclusion from two small, unrelated, coincidences. He suspected Kyo's name, which he claimed he'd gotten in honor of his aunt Kyoko, brought out feelings of guilt in him, because it was the same as that of boy who'd gone missing. That had to be the case, since Kazuma knew there would be no hiding the cat's transformations from others for very long, nor the existence of his true form once another child accidentally removed the juzu beads.
This same guilt that he felt was the driving motivation behind Kazuma's own research into his grandfather's life through recorded text about past zodiac members and questioning the family elders about life and state of mind. The results of which he didn't like to touch upon even in his own mind. Fortunately one of these elders had been Kazuma's own grandmother and the cat's lover for the remaining decades of his life within the main house. She was one of the few to express any regret about his grandfather's passing and on his life in general.
At least this Kyo is alive, Kazuma thought, and his life is nothing like what the cat had to endure.
Kazuma finally started to fall asleep after hours of being involuntarily awake.
He does tend to move a bit slower on rainy days, he thought. Even if his mother is right and it's simply a touch of asthma made worse by the rain. I wonder if he's been playing in the rain...if that's the reason...Kyo should be careful of his health. If he has been playing in the rain than he shouldn't...worry his mother that way...
Hisako usually took Kyo with her when she went out shopping, wanting him to familiarize himself with the local stores. If the weather was nice they walked to the shopping district and took the bus if it rained or snowed. When she'd first come to live with Tokihiko, Hisako had been hesitant to take her son with her, because she'd feared that either the Sohmas or the authorities would recognize the two of them if they went out together. Now she was more secure in her disguise and Kyo himself had grown beyond recognition at this point. He now looked nothing like his three-year-old self.
On one such afternoon when Kyo was seven, Hisako had sent him to pick out a bushel of apples from another section of the store. It was something he had done several times before and she felt that he was old enough to do small tasks without incident. The apples were kept with the rest of the fruit, nearest to the shop entrance. Kyo easily collected them and was bringing them to his mother when a man grabbed him by the shoulder and attempted to drag him out of the store.
Kyo caught sight of his mother nearby glancing around for him amongst the fruits.
He tried to scream for help but the man held him so tight that his breathing was now constricted and the sound that came out wasn't loud enough to cut through the clamor of the crowded store. The man would have succeeded had a hand not suddenly grabbed his left arm from behind and twisted it away from Kyo, freeing him from the man's grasp.
Kyo looked up and saw that his sensei, Kazuma Sohma, was the one holding the man away from him.
Suddenly a woman screamed in horror, catching Hisako's attention and she ran to her where her son was. Eventually the police were called and Kyo told them what had happened, freeing Kazuma from any suspicion. The other man was taken away by the police and Hisako, Kyo, and Kazuma were called down to the station for questioning. When they were finished, an hour and a half later, it was almost supper time.
"Kyo and I are eating in town tonight, because my employer is visiting his daughter" Hisako told Kazuma as they stood outside the police station. "Would you like to join us?"
"It would be an honor" Kazuma replied with his usual easy smile.
"Good. It will be my treat as a thank you for saving my son" she said. Then held up a hand to stall to protest he started to give. "Kyo is my only child. I feel the need to repay you in some way, you have already been a great help to me by talking to him about fighting in school. I insist."
"Very well" he said. "I see I can't argue with that."
"You are were shopping alone, so I can only assume you do your own cooking" Hisako commented.
"That is true. I've lived by myself for many years now, so I've become very self sufficient" he answered.
"If I had were cooking tonight I would have sent you home with something of your own in gratitude for saving my son" she continued. "This will have to suffice for now."
"For now?" Kazuma asked. "Ms. Honda your kindness in buying me dinner is more than enough."
"It isn't" Hisako said firmly, forestalling any further argument. "There was a time when Kyo was all that I had left. He means more to me than anything. So when I have the time I will cook something and bring it to the dojo for you to take home with you. Now, where should we eat?"
Kazuma decided against fighting what he knew was a losing battle and suggested a restaurant that wasn't too far from the bus station, as it was getting dark out and he assumed Hisako would use public transit to get home.
The three of them passed a quiet evening together exchanging pleasantries and discussing Kyo's education, the best way to blend tea, and the recent changes that had been made to some of the local festivals. At the end of the night Hisako and Kyo recollected their shopping bags, wished Kazuma a pleasant evening, and boarded a bus that let off close to their home.
The very next week Hisako made good on the promise she'd made Kazuma and brought a basket filled with several dishes that would keep until classes had ended for the day. So that night he found himself enjoying homemade cooking that was much better than his own for the first time in years. Kazuma ate alone most nights outside of the occasional invitation to dine at the main house, New Year's celebrations, and rare visits from his older students or Kunimitsu. Joining Hisako and Kyo for dinner had been a nice change and he had enjoyed their company.
Kazuma deliberated over inviting the two of them to attend one of the local festivals with him. In the end he decided to wait and see what the next few months brought him as he was now looking after two dojo's part time, because of Master Kurashima's recent health problems.
Two months passed before Kazuma was able to spend a quiet afternoon by himself sipping tea and re-reading some of this favorite texts. It was then that he contemplated asking Kyo and his mother to attend the local fireworks festival with him. He knew from Hisano herself that she was still married to a man who'd walked away from her and Kyo years before, and was determined never to do anything that might make Hisano feel as though they'd crossed any social boundaries. Though if he ever met Kyo's father, Kazuma wasn't sure he'd be able to restrain himself from hitting the man for leaving a wife and child behind to fend for themselves.
"Yes" Hisano answered when he asked her. "My niece and her parents will also be in attendance. Would you mind if we went together with them?"
Kazuma shook his head.
"Of course not. Festivals are a time to spend with family after all" he said. "Though most of mine wait until New Year's to truly get together and celebrate."
"That's understandable" Hisano asserted. "New Year's is a time for new beginnings, I'm sure many disagreements are put on hold for such a night."
"Some of them" Kazuma agreed. "There are some traditions that are considered more important than others. Loyalty to family notwithstanding."
"You must enjoy having such a large family."
"It can be enjoyable" Kazuma admitted, "and holidays at the main house are always fairly...enlightening."
*Notes: Fruits Basket takes place in Tokyo, and a train runs from Tokyo to Hokkaido. Hisako simply didn't want to take an overnight trip on a train with a small child.
Kyo and Tohru are ages of 3-7 in this part.
Kazuma Sohma still feels extremely guilty about how he treated his grandfather as well as the treatment he received from the entire family.
As it states in the manga his grandparent's affair happened more because Kazuma's grandmother pitied his grandfather's situation in life than anything else, so it didn't really have any effect on the curse. Also presumably Kazuma's grandmother was another member of the zodiac.
In my story Kazuma and his father are the only recorded descendants of any cat of the zodiac. I'm also going to assume that members of the zodiac having descendants was a rare occurrence, because of the possessive nature of the "god" of the zodiac and their own inability to have certain physical contact with anyone without transforming. Shigure may have proved that having intimate relations with a non-zodiac member wasn't impossible, after he slept with Ren, but it was probably a very delicate process.
Also, even though the god and the rat being born were rare occurrences, I highly doubt that Akito was the only person in any generation to keep a tight hold over them. Particularly when the entire zodiac is supposed to return to the main house to live after the cat is locked up.