I love Fruits Basket! It's one of my all time favs! I love the manga, the show is cute (though I don't like it as much), and it's just fun! So naturally, it would make a lot of sense for me to end up in it…I think…well, in my world it would. Anyway, I changed my name a bit, but otherwise it's pretty much just me! Oh, and sorry that Tohru's kind of out of character at the end. I'll work on it.
Hey. My name is Isabella McKinley and this is my story.
School sucks. Well, maybe it doesn't always. Actually I usually like school, a lot. You know, seeing your friends, the smell of the hallway, and especially reading and writing. But it had been a rough day, with too much homework and lectures galore. Though I finished most of my homework during the day, I was still exhausted when I got home that day. When I finally got off the bus that afternoon, I headed straight for the living room. I called in a quick hello to my dad, heated up some ramen and plopped onto the couch with a sigh. Mindlessly, I half dozed in front of the TV until my brother got home and kicked me off. We ate a good family meal, threw a log on the fire and watched a family movie until bed. It was a cozy, warm Friday night. Just an average day. Except the fact that I was exhausted.
I felt I should explain it to you so you could see yourselves that besides the fact I was slightly groggy, my day was completely normal. Maybe the fact that I was so incredibly tired affected the proceedings, I can't be sure. I don't really know what happened after that. All I know, is that tired and sore, I finally flopped into bed late that night and fell to sleep much faster then usual.
That night I had a dream about being chased by giant salami wielding gophers. It was weird. Admittedly, it was no weirder then the rest of the dreams I've had, but it was weird nonetheless.
When I woke up, I felt really good. Refreshed and ready for a Saturday of ultimate laziness, I rolled over to get out of bed. Only...this wasn't my bed. And it wasn't my room. Or my house.
I bolted up straight and tried to figure out where I was. Nothing looked familiar at all. Terrified, I jumped out of the bed and backed up against the wall, trying to compose myself. Maybe this was all just a really bizarre sugar-induced dream. Yeah, that had to be it. My attention was drawn to the door, where I heard a voice just beyond it!
"I'm sorry; I'll just be one second! I forgot my bag!" The doorknob began to turn. Oh shit, someone was coming in. There was no time to hide, so I just kinda slid against the wall hoping that by some miracle she wouldn't see me…
"Um, hello. I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing in my room?" I looked up. It was Tohru Honda. Needless to say I completely freaked.
"You can't be here! Wait, I can't be here! This isn't even…AHHHHHHHHH!" I ran as fast as I could and threw myself into the closet. I heard a scrabbling at the closet door but held it shut. This SO could not be happening. She was fictional. This was all fictional. I couldn't really be here. I closed my eyes and tried to count backwards from 20.
"What the hell is going on in here?" came another voice. 'Oh my god, its Kyo,' I found myself thinking.
"Are you okay, Miss Honda?" And that was Yuki. Great, the gang's all here.
"Please come out!" pleaded Tohru. "We want to help!" Suddenly, it dawned on me that either this was actually happening or I was having a very realistic hallucination and either way I should make the best of it. Slowly, I let go of the handle and sank to the ground. All this weirdness was making me feel real funky. I was suddenly very tired again.
"Hi, I'm Isabella," I said weakly, but before I could explain myself, I passed out.
"No, I've never seen her before. I don't think she's a Sohma."
"Yes, but how did she get in here without anyone noticing? And what was she doing in Tohru's room?"
"I hope she's okay…" The voices I heard made no sense. I was on the border of dream and real life, hovering somewhere in the middle. Maybe I was still dreaming. Maybe it was all over and I was nice and safe back in my warm, fluffy bed. I opened my eyes a crack. There was Tohru, looking anxious, standing with Hatori and Shigure. Well, that shot down my theory. I sat up a little, and they all looked at me.
"Oh, you're all right!" cried Tohru. "I was so worried!" I shook my head a little to clear it.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I really didn't mean to cause so much trouble. And I'm sorry I was in your room this morning." I said, looking at Tohru. "I…I don't really know how I got there." I looked at the sheets, not brave enough to actually look at anyone. I wondered if they believed me.
"Would you like something to eat?" asked Tohru kindly. "Some soup? Or tea?" I shook my head.
"I'm fine, thanks," I said. Hatori walked over. 'Man, he's hot' said an unbidden voice in my head. 'Too old for me, but hot all the same.' He examined me for a second (much to my chagrin) then got up and looked at me.
"Everything seems to be in order. It seems you passed out from exhaustion, but after a good rest you seem fine."
"He means after sleeping the whole day long," said Shigure with a grin. "I'm amazed they let me alone with you." I smirked and backed away in mock terror.
"Yeah, how could they? You're such a perv, Shigure!" The atmosphere changed in a moment from relaxed to suspicious.
"How did you know Shigure's name?" asked Hatori warily. I sighed. I can be pretty clueless sometimes.
"This completely blows," I said, wearily. "Well, I know this sounds really implausible but, where I come from, you guys are kind of…well, fictional. You're a manga series." There was silence. "No really!" I cried, sensing their disbelief. "I can prove it! You guys are all Sohmas, except Tohru, who moved in with Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure because she was living in a tent. And they're all cursed, and Yuki's the rat, and Kyo's the cat and Shigure's the dog. I think there are 13 in all, counting the cat. Oh, and Akito is God and I hate her-I mean him…" I said in a rush, determined not to give away any more family secrets. Another extremely awkward silence followed my rant.
"So, where DO you come from again?" asked Shigure. I shook my head again, my forehead now throbbing angrily. It does that when I get worked up.
"I don't even really remember anymore. I just know that I'm not supposed to be here," I said, my voice breaking. Shigure and Hatori got up and left, Hatori popping back in to say he'd check up on me soon. Tohru moved closer.
"So…you know everything?" she asked quietly. I smiled a little.
"Yup, even about your thing for Kyo…"
"N-no, we're just…"
"It's okay," I said, nudging her. "He's really great!" Tohru smiled and put her hand on my shoulder.
"It's nice to meet someone who's like me," she said softly. "We know, but we can't fully understand their burden, can we?" I nod in agreement.
"Yeah, but I'm not half the person you are," I said with a sad smile. "I'm not selfless of kind or anything. I'm just an oddball." I sighed, then realized how lame I must sound. Before she could say anything I smiled and changed the subject. "I'll help you and Rin find a way to break the curse, maybe! Then I'll be part of the story, too!" She lay down next to me.
"Are we really all in a manga? Is it popular? Do people like us?" I laugh.
"Very much so. If we find a computer, I'll show you People actually write adventures about you guys! They're really cool!" And, finally feeling a bit more comfortable with my surroundings, I fell asleep next to Tohru, wondering what adventures the following day held.