Welcome, readers, to my new Furuba fan-fiction, "Music to Heal a Wounded Heart"! I have nothing else to say…

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or any music/bands that I mention in this fan-fic, only the OC, Kara.

CHAPTER 1: STRUMMING

Black hair, steel grey eyes, nothing stood out about her.

Until she strummed the guitar that she carried with her and began to sing.

"Calling all cars, we've got another victim,

'Cause my love has become an affliction

What did you expect from me? What did you expect from me?"

Singing and playing her guitar calmed Kara, and she was nervous, so she couldn't help herself.

Kara had moved around a lot in her life, but she couldn't get over being the new kid at school.

Everyone seemed to relate to music, so that's how Kara related to everyone else.

"I'm sorry but I think I failed to mention

That I lied at my very first confession.

What did you expect from me? What did you expect from me?"

A small amount of people gathered around this small, normally shy, girl as she sang.

Her eyes remained closed; she knew how to play this song by heart, so she just continued strumming.

"'Cause this has been building since I have been breathing,

And I know how it's going to end.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down.

And now that I'm gone, try to forget me and just move on.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word and you hate me for it now,

But you knew all along, try to forget me and just move on."

"Shut up you stupid cat!"

Yuki snapped

"Don't call me stupid you damn rat!"

"That song sounds so sad…"

Tohru commented, her attention on the crowd and the song coming from the center of the mass of students.

"Huh?"

Both Yuki and Kyo hadn't been paying attention to the melody coming from the small girl with a guitar.

Tohru began to walk towards the music, Yuki and Kyo followed close behind her.

"Oh my dear, what have I gone and done now?

Its curtain call, I'm about to take my last bow.

What did you expect from me? What did you expect from me?"

Tohru shuffled her way through the crowd, which was getting increasingly bigger.

When Tohru finally saw the voice that the song was coming from, Tohru couldn't believe such a powerful voice was coming from such a frail looking girl.

She had short black hair that barely touched her earlobes.

The girl was about as tall as Tohru, but she seemed a little scared, which made her seem a little frail to Tohru.

But as the girl continued to play, with her eyes never opening, Tohru noticed that the scared feeling that the air around her held seemed to fade with every cord that she played on her guitar.

"Without giving away the entire ending,

I ruined the evening again.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down

And now that I'm gone, try to forget me and just move on.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word and you hate me for it now

But you knew all along, try to forget me and just move on."

Yuki and Kyo made it up to the front of the crowd.

Yuki folded his arms and focused on the girl, listening closely to the song.

Kyo sat down, the look on his face showed that he really didn't care, but he focused on the girl, just like Kyo and seemed slightly transfixed with the song.

"I don't…Have love left…Inside…Inside…!

And I don't…Have love left…Inside…Inside…!

Are you desperate for an answer?

I don't have an ounce of good left in me now.

That's why I walked out."

Tohru noticed the girl's eyes flutter open and look at the crowed then quickly down at the ground, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Even though she seemed embarrassed by the crowd, the girl continued to play.

"So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word when I swore that I would let you down.

And now that I'm gone, try to forget me and just move on.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

I kept my word and you hate me for it now,

You hate me for it now, try to forget me and just move on."

Almost all of the students outside at the time had gathered around the girl, her voice carried pretty far around the courtyard.

"I am not the one that you should blame.

So take what I left you for the pain.

I am not the one that you should blame.

So take what I left you for the pain

And do your best to forget my name."

The last note strummed out on the strings of her guitar and the crowd began to clap.

Turning a brighter red, the girl bowed to the crowed.

The bell that summoned the beginning of the first day of school chimed through the air.

The crowed dispersed and the girl slung her guitar across her back, clasped her hands in front of her and walked toward the school building.

Kara was glad that the first day of school was a short one, she probably would be bright red all day from people talking about her singing.

Damn that nervous reaction.

So will you scatter my ashes where they won't be found?

Kara sat at the back of the classroom, away from the chatting students, tuning her guitar.

A girl with chocolate brown hair turned around to see Kara and the back of the room.

The girl's currently existing smile widened and she walked to the back of the classroom and sat down in the desk in front of Kara's.

"Your song before school was fantastic!"

The girl said, still smiling.

"Where did you learn to play the guitar?"

"I learned the basics from my father; I taught myself how to play the harder cords."

Kara said meekly, gently strumming the strings of the guitar so it let out a long note.

"Are you making a new friend, Tohru-kun?"

Two girls, one with long blonde hair and a mask over her face the other with longer brown almost black hair, now stood next to the chocolate brown haired girl now sat.

"I hope so."

The girl named Tohru held her hand out to Kara, who hesitantly shook it.

"I'm Tohru Honda; these are my friends, Arisa Uotani,"

She gestured to the blonde girl

"And this is Saki Hanajima."

The girl with the brown-ish hair gave a lackluster wave and placed her hand down at her side.

"I'm Kara Shojintan, a new student…"

Kara smiled shyly at Tohru, who finally let go of her hand.

"Where are you moving here from?"

Uotani asked, taking a seat in a desk across from Kara, Hanajima remained standing.

"From all over…My father is in the military."

Uotani nodded and adjusted the straps that held her mask to her face.

Kara strummed her guitar again and nodded, happy with the way it sounded now.

"You were that girl that was singing this morning, right?"

Kara lifted her head from her guitar as Hanajima spoke.

"Yes…It's a nervous reaction…"

Kara explained.

"It's hard for me…being the new kid all of the time…so when I get nervous, I start to sing…Everyone can relate to music, and that's how I relate to other people."

"Why did you sing such a sad song?"

Tohru asked; her head tilted to the side in a questioning expression.

"It was the first song that came to my mind…I just started playing it, not caring weather it was a sad or happy song."

The teacher stepped into the room and everyone took their seats and the teacher began the day's lesson.

I kept my word and you hate me for it now.

Even though the day was short, the students still had a lunch break that day.

The student 'cliques' gathered around each other at one lunch table.

Kara, though, sat quietly by herself on the grass eating her lunch and strumming the bass line to 'Teenagers' by My Chemical Romance on her guitar.

Tohru, seeing her new friend sitting alone, ran over to her and sat down next to her.

Uotani, Hanajima and two boys that Kara didn't know followed suit and sat down next to Tohru.

"Kara-chan, I don't think that you have met Yuki-san and Kyo-kun."

Tohru smiled and gestured to the two boys as she said their names.

Kara bowed to the boys and continued to strum the guitar.

Kara started humming the song that she was playing, but not singing…She didn't want another crowd around her.

Every little while, some student walked passed the group and smiled at Kara.

"Great song this morning." Most of them said.

With every comment, Kara turned a brighter red.

"If you're so embarrassed to have people compliment you, why did you even sing in the first place?"

Kyo said.

"I sing when I get nervous…"

The bell to return to class rang and Kara was the first to stand.

"It was nice to meet you."

She smiled and walked off quickly, throwing the remainder of her lunch in the trash.

"She seems…like a very nervous person…"

Uotani noted as Kara walked into the school.

"She has moved around a lot…maybe she doesn't want to get too attached just incase she moves again."

Tohru sighed and stood, throwing her lunch in the garbage and following the crowd of students into the building.

Well…I hope this story sounds good to you readers…Kara just came into my head in a dream last night, so I thought she'd be a good character to add to the mix…Review onegai! (I hope I spelled that right…)

-Matsu Hamisura-