Her Gift
By Mayumi Takanashi
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters.
Author's Note: This takes place right after the series ends. Remember, Tohru just visited Akito, and that's really how the series ends. If you haven't completed the series, please do not read this, for I do not want to spoil the fantastic ending for you! I don't know how I could live with myself!
The day she visited Akito was a life-altering moment for Tohru Honda. Even though she had visited only yesterday, she felt that it was an eternity had passed by since she had left the Sohma Estate. So much had happened that day…
"I was born in order to die!"
"You call THIS being alive?"
"It's been decided, and they never even asked me!"
Akito's bitter words ate away at her. For the first two days, she was able to put on a cheerful face. But after that, no grin would come, and the sparkle that was always in her eye was gone. She was not aware, but everyone who saw her noticed this change. Yuki, Kyo, Uo, Hana, Shigure, and everyone who knew her could see. Then she would burst out in tears if anyone so much as said, "Hi!" to her. Despite their efforts to cheer her up, Tohru would not smile. Her eyes seemed glazed…distant…sad.
Her change in attitude was first noticed at breakfast one morning.
"Ah, that smells lovely!" said Shigure, skipping happily down the stairs. Kyo and Yuki followed, rubbing their sleepy eyes and yawning noisily. They all entered the kitchen, where Tohru had her back turned to them, stirring a warm, steaming stew.
"Good morning, Miss Honda," greeted Yuki in his sweet, soft voice.
Tohru turned around, revealing her tear-streaked cheeks.
"Hey, what's up?" asked Kyo in his rare, kind tone.
Her eyes welled up with even more tears, and then she did something that took the three of them for surprise: She collapsed on the floor…sobbing loudly.
Yuki and Kyo raced to her side, carefully picking her up by her arms so as not to transform into their Zodiac counterparts. Shigure stood at the doorway, startled by this sudden outburst.
Secretly, both Kyo and Yuki wanted to be able to comfort her, give her a shoulder to cry on, to embrace her, to ease her sadness and her pain.
"Miss Honda, what's wrong?" asked Yuki, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Tohru just kept on sobbing uncontrollably, burying her face in her palms. It hurt the two boys to see her like this, but they were also worried, yet curious. They had never seen her in this state before. What had brought on his sudden mood?
"Maybe you should stay home today, Tohru," suggested Shigure, recovering from shock.
"But I-I have t-to k-keep my p-p-promise!" she cried, bursting into tears once again.
"I think you should, Miss Honda," Yuki said politely.
"Yeah," agreed Kyo.
"B-but…"
"Ah, ah, ah! No 'buts!'" interrupted Shigure. "Now you go to bed, you need some rest."
"Well, I can't really afford to miss school…" she said.
"I would be happy to bring your homework for you," offered Yuki.
"But what are you going to eat? I didn't finish breakfast…"
"I guess I'll do it," Kyo sighed.
"O-okay…" she said, crying again. Yuki and Kyo helped her up the stairs, and even went as far as to pulling the sheets over her body and fluffing her pillows. They quietly closed her door, and silently descended the stairs and left the house, their bags slung over their backs.
Shigure's stomach growled loudly, and then he realized that Kyo had forgotten breakfast.
"KYO! WAIT!"
But he was too late. He had already disappeared into the forest of trees, leaving Shigure to order take-out from a local restaurant.
-Her Gift-
Later, the front door flew open, two breathless teenagers standing on the threshold. Shigure, who was standing just feet away, jumped from surprise.
"How is she? Is she okay? Why was she crying? Is she getting rest? How does she feel?" Questions spewed from their mouths as Shigure tried to hush them.
"She's fine."
They each sighed with relief.
"Can we see her?" they both asked in unison.
"Yes, I believe she's up," he said cheerfully.
The boys ran up the stairs before Shigure could finish his statement.
At the landing, they walked down the hall on tip-toe toward Tohru's room. They froze right outside the door when they heard soft sniffles and a voice. Slowly and quietly, they cracked the door slightly to find Tohru with her head in her pillows…and she was crying awfully hard. They stood there, listening to what she had to say.
On her beside table was her mother's picture, and it seemed she was addressing this precious item.
"Oh, Mom, I'm so confused…"
Yuki and Kyo leaned in closer towards the door.
"I had no idea about Kyo's other form. He seems so insecure about it…oh, I was so afraid at that moment! I didn't know what to do. I know it's important to try your best to help someone else, but at that time I felt so helpless. They both seem so different after that, Yuki and Kyo, I mean. They each have qualities that the other admires, but they always argue. Anyway, when I went to see Akito, I could not believe how much anger he had locked up within him. He grabbed my hair and started to yell, like he hated the world. Like he hated himself…How can anyone despise themself so much? How? He doesn't deserve what he's been through. He was told from birth that he was supposed to die. I told him that we will all be sad. But what about Yuki? Yuki fears him. I think it has to do with a bad childhood relationship. Yuki has had a rough childhood. People tell me what kinds of relationships he's had with others. He has a hard time when it comes to getting to know people. But he gets better at it everyday. I've seen all three of them grow so much: Yuki, Kyo, and Akito, too. They've changed ever since I found out about Kyo's transformation. But ever since that transformation I haven't been as happy. I remember being so confused. I was unable to tell the real world from reality. I think what has made me like this was the memories I had that night. I thought of you, Mom. But I kept seeing you in your car. Over and over again I saw you crash. Over and over again I saw you die. But it was so real. It was so real…"
Yuki and Kyo stood absolutely still. It was as though they were paralyzed right on the spot. This was why she was so sad. Everything in her life had become so unbearable for her. But how could they comfort her? They words she said rolled through their minds like a broken record…
"Over and over again I saw you die."
"Over and over again I saw you die."
"Over and over again I saw you die."
Kyo kept thinking about what she said about his transformation. She had just revealed her true thoughts about that night. Those words about her mother…It was his fault that she remembered. That she envisioned it so vividly. This was more than he could bear…
Kyo turned his back on the room. He headed to where he always went when his mind was full: the roof. Obviously, Tohru needed to be alone. Besides, what could he say that would make things any better. He could not erase what she thought that night. The damage was done.
He left, but Yuki stayed behind. Tohru turned into her pillows and sobbed. Her body heaved up and down as she wept. Her mother was the reason she could not stop crying. He could only imagine what it must have been like for her right after the accident. Yuki felt so insensitive. How could he have just sat there in class when she had suddenly lost the person most dear to her? All those times she had been there for him and that day she was just another ordinary girl…It made him frustrated. He suddenly remembered Miss Uotani's words the night Tohru's friends came over…
"…the fact that I wasn't there to help Tohru…That bothers me."
He understood those words. For the very first time, he understood how those words felt.
Author's Note: Well, kinda angsty and depressing, huh? Let me explain myself! It's 9:30 on a Sunday night and that means I have to go back to school tomorrow! I really don't like school, and there is one more week standing between me and Spring Break, so don't blame me for feeling this way! Blame the U.S. Department of Education! (Snaps back to reality.) Oops, sorry…