A Fruits Basket FanFiction
by: Kite (kcc)
Disclaimer:
Rights to Fruits Basket belong to Takaya Natsuki (manga), Daichi Akitaro and Studio Deen (TV series).
Spoiler Warnings:
Nothing earth-shattering ^_^, but references will be made to scenes found in both the manga and the TV series.
Note:
Words in italics = emphasis
Phrases and sentences in italics = thoughts
* * *
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments
shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* * *
"Akito, why don't we have a tree? My friend has one. He calls it a Christmas tree and it's supposed to be filled with presents and sweets. Can we have one, too?"
"You are such a naïve child. Don't you know Christmas is only for normal people? It isn't for people like us – it isn't for a child who turns into a disgusting rat."
"But—but my teacher says Christmas is for everyone. That includes me, right? Maybe we can—"
Yuki was not able to complete what he was saying because a heavy hand landed squarely on his cheek. He raised a hand to touch that area of his face, which was now warm and stinging from the hard blow. Yuki started to whimper as soon as he saw the whip in Akito's hand.
"Didn't you understand what I just said? You're an aberration of nature. You don't deserve to celebrate Christmas." The force of the blows sliced through Yuki's clothes, right through to his skin.
Yuki lost count of the number of times the whip came into contact with his body. He closed his eyes and prayed that it would end soon.
Satisfied with the damage he had done, Akito flung the whip at Yuki. "Now, go away."
Yuki tried not to cry. He knew how much Akito hated seeing tears and he didn't want to anger his cousin even more.
He left Akito's room and ran down the dark hall, letting his tear flow freely.
Why?
Why wasn't I born normal?
He stopped running when he reached his room. He hastily wiped his tears away and arranged his shredded clothes – not wanting his other cousins to see him like this.
They would just be sad if they knew what happened.
He slowly turned the knob and went in. He was relieved to see that everyone was asleep. He tiptoed past Kyou and Momiji's beds, quickly discarded his clothes and got into his pajamas before silently making his way to his own bed. He sneaked a glance at his cousin, Hatsuharu, who was a light sleeper and saw that he, too, was sleeping soundly.
"Yun-chan? Where'd you go?"
He gasped in surprise. "Nowhere, Kagura-neesan. I—I just went out to get a glass of water," he whispered.
Kagura was silent for a moment. "Have you been crying, Yun-chan?" She sat up and turned on the lamp on her bedside table.
Yuki nodded. "I went to see Akito." He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his pajama top.
"Oh." Kagura moved to make room for Yuki in her bed. "Come here, tell me what happened."
Yuki climbed in and snuggled under the covers – he ignored the waves of pain that came when his beaten body touched something. "Hey, Kagura-neesan. Are we really that horrible? Is what we are that frightening to people?"
Kagura held her younger cousin close. "No. What we are isn't our fault."
"But, Akito said…" Yuki sniffed. "Akito said I was an aberration of nature. I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it's something bad."
"You really shouldn't pay attention to what Akito says. He's just a meanie." Momiji whispered sleepily as he walked over to Kagura's bed, dragging a large stuffed bear along the floor. "Why'd you go see him, anyway?"
Yuki snuggled even closer to Kagura. He was grateful to have his cousins with him that night -- grateful that they had been allowed by Akito to sleep over. He didn't know what he would have done if he were alone. "I just wanted to ask him why…"
"Why what?" Hatsuharu asked. He rubbed his eyes as he walked over to them. He sat beside Momiji. "What are you talking about?"
"I wanted to ask Akito if we could celebrate Christmas."
"You're such a baka nezumi, you know that? You shouldn't have gone to him for that." Kyou said angrily.
"But, I wanted us to have a Christmas… like normal people."
Kagura sat up. "I heard my classmates talk about their own Christmas celebrations. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous."
"Did your teachers also tell you about Santa Claus?" Yuki asked.
"Yes, she did. Wouldn't that be great? To meet a jolly, fat man who'll give you presents for being nice?" Kagura's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Kyou wouldn't get a present then because he's never nice." Momiji giggled.
"Oi! I try to be, okay. It's hard especially since I'm surrounded by such saps all the time."
* * *
Part One: YukiSouma Yuki looked out the window and watched the snow fall. The light flakes blanketed everything in whiteness. He viewed the scene in front of him with disinterest, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wooden frame of the window.
"Isn't it beautiful? I love this time of year," the girl beside him exclaimed breathlessly.
He observed her – Honda Tooru. Her hands were clasped over her chest and her face glowed with delight. He allowed his gaze to linger a little longer; allowed himself to appreciate her wide-eyed fascination of, what was to him, a trivial event.
"Don't you just love winter, Souma-kun?"
I hate it.
"It gets pretty cold out here. Maybe we could go into town later to buy thicker blankets." He didn't want to evade her question; he would have preferred telling her the truth, but he didn't want to ruin her good mood – or this moment with her.
"Oi, Tooru. When's breakfast? I'm hungry."
Yuki looked over his shoulder and glowered at his orange-haired cousin standing by the door. "Baka neko. Can't you fix your own breakfast? Didn't Shi-han teach you how to do that?"
Across the room, Souma Kyou casually leaned on the doorframe and looked at his cousin. Normally, he would have jumped at the chance to get into a fight with him, but he understood why Yuki wasn't his usual calm, composed self.
He turned to Tooru. "I'll go outside to train a bit. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Tooru hurried over to where he stood. "Are you sure you want to go out, Kyou-kun? It's snowing. You might catch a cold."
"Heh, this is nothing. It's colder up in the mountains. I'll be fine." He patted her head and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I'll be back for breakfast and it better not be leeks or green onions or anything nasty," he warned.
Yuki was surprised by Kyou's reaction. He had deliberately baited him, hoping to get into a fight, hoping for a chance to vent out his anger and frustration.
He watched Kyou leave the room. "Baka neko," he muttered under his breath.
"Souma-kun? Later when we go out, maybe you can also help me pick out Christmas presents for everyone." Tooru twirled the yellow velvet ribbon in her hair. "I saved up a bit of my money and I want to make sure I get everyone something they would enjoy."
How could he tell her? Tell her that he didn't want to? Tell her that he hated winter and Christmas and all the fuss that came with it?
He gazed into her eyes, saw her excitement and delight, and knew he couldn't. He walked over to her, brushed the back of his hand on her smooth cheek and smiled.
Tooru blushed, her cheek tingling from his touch. How many nights had she dreamt of such a moment with her prince? She could see that he was puzzled by her reaction and she was still unprepared to explain the matter to him. "I'll go downstairs to prepare breakfast now," Tooru mumbled, rushing out of the room.
When she left, it was as though the room had lost its life. He was alone in it and everything around him felt strangely colder, darker – radically different from when she was in there with him.
"I hate this." He couldn't stand it any longer – he left the room and went after her.
* * *
Kyou tried to block out the freezing cold wind as he went through the slow, contemplative motions of T'ai Chi, a Chinese martial arts he had learned during his four-month disappearance. The meditation that came with doing T'ai Chi calmed him and helped him balance the conflicting energies within him.
He tried to remember the Taoist precepts he had learned, hoping it would help him concentrate, but none came to mind.
What occupied his thoughts was his cousin, Yuki. He was mildly annoyed at himself for feeling sympathy for his archenemy.
You'd think he'd be over it by now.
He knew why Yuki hated this time of year. He was there when the unfortunate incident happened, years ago when they were still children.
You'd think he'd have found a way to cope.
When he was done, he realized that he had spent far too much time outside and was late for breakfast. He rushed back to the house.
He slid the door open. "I lost track of the time," he said as he tried to catch his breath.
"That's okay, Kyou-kun. We're just about to start. I decided that, since it's such a beautiful day, I would serve something special and it took longer than expected to prepare." Tooru smiled sheepishly. "Why don't you go change first? We'll wait for you."
"Just don't take too long, Kyou-kun. I'm bursting in anticipation to taste Tooru-kun's special breakfast meal." Shigure gleefully rubbed his hands together. "Now, which one to try first?"
"Why don't you act more your age Shigure, and stop clowning around." Yuki remarked angrily.
Shigure chuckled. "Just because you don't particularly enjoy this season doesn't mean you can take it out on poor little me."
Yuki's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Shigure."
Tooru was stunned at what she heard. Souma-kun? Not like winter? She turned to face him, the question in her eyes. Why?
When he made no move to look at her; when he made no move to explain to her, she decided to let the matter go – for the moment.
Souma-kun must have his reasons. I should respect that.
"Hey, Tooru-kun? Didn't you bake a cake last night? Can I pretty-please have a slice?" Shigure gave Tooru his best Bambi-eyes impression.
Tooru giggled. "I was hoping to serve it at lunch, but now is as good a time as any to eat it."
"I'd like a slice!" Shigure raised his hand and waved it in the air.
"Me, too." Kyou called out as he was running down the stairs, buttoning his shirt along the way.
Tooru waited for Yuki to reply. "How about it? A nice big slice of strawberry shortcake?"
Yuki smiled gratefully. "Yes, that would be great."
Tooru stood and went into the kitchen. "Go ahead and start. I won't be long."
When she was safely out of hearing distance, Kyou walked over to Yuki and whacked his cousin in the head before sitting in front of him. "She doesn't know how you feel about this, so let her be. Don't ruin this for her. She deserves to be happy, too."
Yuki glared at his cousin. How dare Kyou lecture him on how to behave. "I know. I'm trying, okay? It's hard, but I'm trying." He articulated every word through gritted teeth. "Why the hell should we celebrate Christmas in the first place."
"You know, I would expect such nasty, anti-social behavior from Kyou-kun." Shigure commented as he took a bite of the snowman-shaped onigiri. "I don't like it either, but we should strive to give Tooru-kun a normal Christmas."
The three cousins looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"She's expecting me to go buy presents with her later." Yuki sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to survive that."
"Just remember who you're with and everything will be okay," Shigure answered.
* * *
Tooru suppressed a giggle as she watched Kyou and Yuki juggle the packages in their hands.
"Tooru, are you planning to buy a present for the entire universe or something?" Can't we go home yet? I'm tired."
"So typical of you to have so very little stamina for shopping." Yuki pushed past Kyou and walked beside Tooru. "Have you gotten something for everyone on your list?"
Tooru nodded. "Almost everyone." She pulled out her list. "Let's see. I still don't know what to get for Hatsuharu-san and Kisa-san."
"Battle Christmas Presents! Why not just get one present for everyone and let them slug it out – no time outs, no referees, no holds barred -- the last man standing gets the present." Kyou answered impatiently.
"You can get Kisa something related to her favorite anime series and you can get Haru something for his bicycle or something to help him improve his sense of direction – a compass or something." Yuki offered.
"No, get Haru a long, long chain. Something he can use to tie himself up with. That way, he doesn't cause me any trouble." Kyou pronounced – he still hadn't forgotten the incident with the rope during the annual school marathon.
"That's a great idea, Souma-kun. I didn't know you had such a knack for choosing gifts. He's good at it, isn't he?"
Kyou knew what Tooru was trying to accomplish and he wasn't going to be the one to ruin her plans. "For a rat, he is useful for some things," he conceded.
Tooru smiled gratefully at Kyou. "When we're done, I'll buy you guys something warm to drink. I think we all deserve a nice, hot cup of tea."
When they returned home, Kagura was already at the gate waiting. After a hasty greeting to Yuki and Tooru, she immediately launched herself at Kyou, causing him to fall backwards and drop the packages.
"Kagura, get off me! My clothes are getting soaked and I might get sick." Kyou tried to pry Kagura's arms from around his neck.
"My beloved Kyou is teasing me again." Kagura giggled and tightened her hold on him. She noticed the boxes scattered all over the ground. "Why are there so many packages?" She shook him vigorously, demanding an answer. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Um, Kagura-san? Those are my packages. Kyou-kun was just helping me carry them."
"Oh." Kagura let go of Kyou and reverted back to her quiet self. "Are they presents? I had almost forgotten that it's nearly Christmas." She looked at Kyou apologetically. "I still haven't gotten anything for you/"
"Leaving me alone will be enough." Kyou answered gruffly, brushing the snow off his jacket and pants. "You really have to control yourself, woman. I don't think my clothes could survive another ambush like that."
Yuki tapped Tooru lightly on the shoulder. "I'll go ahead and bring the packages in."
Before Tooru could say anything, Yuki had already started walking towards the house. She wanted to follow him, but she wasn't sure how he would feel about that.
What should I do?
"Don't worry about Yun-chan. He'll be okay once the snow starts to melt." Kagura cuddled closer to Kyou.
"Kagura, this isn't any of your business." Kyou interrupted.
"But, I want to understand why Souma-kun is so…" Tooru searched for the right word.
"Hostile? Not his usual polite, reserved self?" Kagura offered. She looked at Kyou, as though to ask permission to continue. "Something happened a long time ago and it seems that Yun-chan still hasn't forgotten."
"Does this have something to do with being part of the Jyuunishi?" Tooru could barely conceal her worry.
Kyou snorted in exasperation. "Do you even have to ask that question? Of course it does. Everything in our lives is affected by that damned curse."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Kagura wanted to reply, but Kyou quickly covered her mouth. "It's best to talk to Yuki about that."
* * *
Yuki hastily deposited Tooru's packages in the front hall before going to his vegetable garden – his secret base.
He sat on the tree trunk facing his vegetable patch and looked at the snow-covered ground in front of him. His plants had entered dormancy and there was nothing to see – not a patch of green anywhere, only the blankness of snow.
Damn this season.
He heard footsteps treading lightly, almost hesitantly, on the frozen ground. "Walk a little slower, make sure you've got your balance before you take the next step or you'll slip and fall again," he said, not even bothering to look up to acknowledge her. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." He managed to say in a more neutral tone.
Tooru knelt down in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "But I already am. It's very unusual for me to see you get upset over something. You're usually the calm one." She took hold of his hand. "Can't you tell me what's bothering you?"
Yuki looked into her eyes and saw the worry and concern she felt for him. He squeezed her hand and paused for a moment, trying to decide how he would explain it to her.
"There's this haiku by Joso Naito." He stood up, his hand still holding on to hers. "It always comes to mind during winter. It's supposed to be about how snow is the great equalizer. How everything becomes the same when it's covered in snow."
It took Tooru a minute to make sense of what he had just said. "Um, I'm not sure I understand."
"Mountains and plains,
captured by snowfall –
nothing remains."
"Oh, it's a very… profound haiku," she said politely.
"It's also a lie." Yuki answered, his tone matter-of-fact. "Look at my garden. Everything's gone. Everything that I have that allows me my moment of normalcy has been erased by this damned snow." He made a broad, sweeping gesture with his free hand. "Gone."
He gave her a rueful smile. "I'll try not to ruin this season for you, though. You deserve to be happy."
Tooru frantically searched her mind for something to say. Yuki moved to disengage his hand from hers, but she held on to it tightly. "You—you deserve to be happy, too. Stop believing that you don't, because you do. We all do."
"Even the baka neko?" Yuki asked – half-joking, half-serious.
Tooru smiled. "Yes, even Kyou-kun." She tugged his hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
They walked towards the forest. At first, Yuki didn't know where she was leading him but, when they reached a familiar clearing, he realized where she was taking him to.
They stopped in front of the large slope where Tooru's tent used to stand.
"Before winter came, all you could see was a ton of mud and rocks covering what used to be my home. It was an ugly sight." Tooru knelt and touched the snow. "Look at it now. Wouldn't you agree that this is a vast improvement from before?"
She looked up at him. "Do you know what I like about snow? It's like a blank slate. You can do anything you want with it."
Yuki could see her hands picking up lumps of snow and patting them into a shape. When she was done, she stood up, moved aside and showed him her handiwork.
She had made snow images of everyone in their animal forms.
"It's not true that nothing remains. See?" She pointed at the snow rat.
He knelt down and ran his hand on the icy likeness of himself. It was a cartoon version of him – it looked like something one would like to hug and pet. It was unlike the image he had in his mind.
In that moment, he did see – see what a blessing Honda Tooru was to his cursed existence. He longed to embrace her; to tell her how he felt about her; to hold her tightly and let her know just how important she was to him.
But he knew he couldn't. Not at that moment. Not ever.
Still.
He rose and faced her, taking firm hold of both her hands in his. "Honda-san…" He hesitated for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. In that split second before he transformed, he reveled in the warmth of her body and the feel of her pressed to him.
Tooru waited for the now too-familiar smoke to clear before searching for Yuki. "Souma-kun?"
"I'm right here, Honda-san." Yuki tugged at her sock. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to surprise you—"
"No, no. It's okay." She knelt down on the snow in front of him and picked him up. "I'm glad that Souma-kun feels comfortable enough around me to express his feelings." She placed him on her lap and started to fold his clothes. "In truth, Souma-kun, this time of year also brings so many unhappy memories for me. I remember when my mother was still alive and I feel sad. I miss her so much and I wish I could spend all my Christmases with her… but she's gone now and I'm alone." She sighed. "We just have to make the best of what we have."
"And what do I have, Honda-san? What is it that I have that I can make the best of?"
"You have me." She smiled, stroking his small, furry head. "You have me and Kyou-kun, Shigure-san, Hatsuharu-san, Momiji-san, Ayame-san—"
In the next instant, he transformed back to his human form. After the smoke cleared, he realized to his horror where he had been and where he was now – he had been resting on her lap and, now –
He was naked and he had knocked her over. Tooru was on the snow beneath him. "I'm so sorry, Honda-san. I didn't know— I didn't expect." He quickly removed himself and picked up his shirt. "These periods between transformations are so erratic. I hadn't meant to—"
Her laughter stopped him from further apologizing.
"What's so funny?"
"You. Us." She showed him her wrinkled, wet coat and pointed to his own damp clothing. "We're a mess!" She laughed louder. "When Shigure-san and Kyou-kun see us, they'll think—" She stopped laughing and started blushing. "What I meant to say was… I… um…"
Her cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink and he thought she was the most adorable creature he had ever met. He raised her chin up with his finger. "We better head back. No doubt Shigure's already moaning about being hungry."
~ Next chapter: Kyou* * *
Author's Notes:
The title of the fic is a line from Linkin Park's "My December".
The poem at the beginning of the fic is the first stanza of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Snow-Flakes".
re: Yuki's attitude about winter – I made this up. The anime and the manga both skip over the Christmas celebration (they celebrated New Year and Valentine's Day, but not Christmas.)
re: Kyou's "Battle Christmas Presents!" – In episode 7, their class was trying to decide how to market their onigiri booth during the Bunkasai. Kyou suggested the Battle Onigiri (which I thought was so funny! I couldn't resist including another one of his "Battle ___" in this story. ^_^).
The haiku Yuki recites was written by Joso Naito:
No mo yama moYuki ni torareta
Nani mo nashiSawa (Sakura Taisen fanfic writer) translated it for me (thanks!).