Fruits Basket

(Return of the Zodiacs)

The Rat and the Beginning Of It All

By Rebecca

Komiru was Never one for speaking to others, in fact, he acted as if he were royalty, as if he were somehow better and more amazing than everyone else around him. In point of fact, he was actually better in some ways, mostly pertaining to his looks. This was how he felt until one day that changed everything. Komiru was at the school playing with a group of kids, having a very wonderful time, until one of the girls decided to hug him due to how the game they were playing was played. Komiru's human body suddenly vanished only to leave his clothing atop the playground. Nobody had seen what really happened and the girl that did see only yelled with laughter that Komiru was a magician and that he vanished without a trace before returning to playing with the others.

Meanwhile, a little white-furred mouse quickly scurried away into the shadowy bushes where he couldn't be seen. The night came swiftly as it began to rain and thunder. "Komiru! What happened to your clothes!?," Komiru's mother questioned rather astonished at the sight of her little boy, naked, wet, and crying in the doorway. Komiru's blue eyes had lost their light and it looked as if he were about to break down and bawl on the floor. "There there, its okay, come here," Komiru did as he was told and went over to his mother where she swiftly wrapped him in a hug. Then it happened, again.

Suddenly, his mother screamed with terror, noticing a small white rat upon her lap in place of her son. "G... Get off you monster!," his mother yelled furiously as she thrust the poor little creature off of her lap and got to her feet reaching for the broom. His mom was crying as she repeatedly tried to whack poor Komiru with the broom end. Suddenly, everything became still as a tall man with a straw hat on stood in the doorway, thunder rolling behind him. "Ha.. Hatori!," Komiru called as he transformed into a human once again and swiftly ran to Hatori's aid. "Komiru, go upstairs and grab your things, whilst your mother and I chat," Hatori replied, showing no emotion. Komiru wasn't one to disobey, especially when the one he would disobey was someone like Hatori, so the small boy swiftly ran upstairs, taking one last glance at his mother lying upon the ground sobbing out of fear and frustration.

A few minuets Komiru came downstairs with clothes on and a small red backpack that was filled with things that he liked the most and some clothes. "Did mommy stop crying?," Komiru questioned as he saw Hatori come out of a room to the side of the main room. "Yes, but she is no longer your mother, at least, not that she knows of...come," Hatori replied as he left out the front door not looking back or saying another word. The rain had stopped, for now. Komiru was confused. But he Followed none the less.

The Boar

"Being the boar of the zodiac isn't as great as some may think. You see my father is the only one who knows in my closest family, whilst my mother and baby brother, don't. My mother often wonders why it is that whenever shes around, daddy won't hug me or get that close to me, and why daddy won't let me play with my baby brother. Daddy says its for the best and that mommy wouldn't understand like he does. I spend a ton of time at the newly rebuilt 'Sohma House,' with "Grandma Tohru," she isn't my real grandmother but that is what everyone in the Zodiac is allowed to call her," the small girl with lightly brown hair and beaming green eyes finished writing in her diary as she closed it tightly with a small golden latch. She could hear her name being repeatedly called by someone just down the hallway. "Meaka," they called once more as Meaka got to her feet and bolted out the door with a happy grin of knowing exactly who it was that was calling her, and for what.

"Great Grandpa Shigure, it looks delicious!," the little boar child stated with a extremely shining smile filled with the straightest and brightest teeth anyone would have seen. "Listen Meaka, there is a new Zodiac member coming here soon, and I was hoping you would try and befriend him, he will be a bit shy, and a bit more noble than one would be used to, as it IS in the rat's nature to be so," Shigure explained as Meaka sat down on the mat and began to serve herself some rice. Meaka stopped shoveling the rice and put the spoon down not bothering to put a glance up at Shigure's face. "That's.. that's going to be trouble for..,"Meaka stopped, still unmoving. "For Kai, yes I know," Shigure had thought about this long and hard for the past few nights, he wasn't exactly certain what would happen when Kai finally met the child blessed to be bestowed into the Zodiac as the rat. Would things happen between them as similar as when Yuki and Kyo met? Kyo and Yuki had both been at war for years, trying to prove their purpose in their family. Perhaps, this time, would be different? After All, the cat is a female.

Meaka was somewhat afraid of Kai, due to what Kai's social standing was in their family. On op of being the cat, nobody seemed to know where Kai had come from, what she had done in her life, or how she made her way to the Sohma House. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone as of yet. They called her Kai because that is what her odd bracelet said on it's backside.

Meaka was a very sweet and humble little girl with somewhat of a short temper for things that had no matter to her. The point of the fact is, she was usually outgoing and sweet-hearted, she generously welcomed all new Sohma's to their new found home at the Sohma House, but with Kai, she was just too afraid to do anything.

The Cat and The Rat

Komiru was afraid. Terribly so. The house that Hatori had brought him to was large, as if it were it's own village, iscolated from the disapproving world. "Listen, I must go speak with an old friend of mine, why don't you go venture into the garden to view the precious flowers?," Hatori questioned to Komiru as he knelt down and gestured toward the back of the house where the garden lie. Komiru merely nodded as he watched Hatori disappear into the sliding door of the house. Doing as he was told, Komiru headed toward the back of the house, into the garden, and just as he was told, the flowers were amazingly beautiful, each one, blooming its own set of amazing color. Being an eleven year old boy, a place like this, made one feel so much lighter, and better, as if the weight of your life on your shoulders was lifted by some odd essence, that is until... Komiru suddenly falling back onto the ground due to hitting someone, or so he thought, since the thing he hit felt way softer than a tree or poll would have. "I'm really so..," Komiru didn't manage to finnish his sentence. There she was, a pink haired, red eyed girl wearing a white kimono, she looked to be at least one year younger than Komiru himself was. "I... uh," Komiru wanted to escape, afraid he would be changed into that scary little form of his again, afraid, he would scare this girl into depression, like he had done to his own mother.

Suddenly, without warning, the girl leapt over and wrapped her arms around Komiru as he was forced into a hug from where he was sitting. "So soft, and... scared," Kai stated as she sat there hugging Komiru. "I'm the cat, Kai," she stated to the boy as she still continued to hold him. "You... you're the cat? But why? I've heard stories about us, we're original sworn enemies, so why? Why would you sit here with me... and," Komiru could feel warm tears swelling in his eyes before they all came swarming out at once, sparkling in what sunlight could hit his face without Kai shielding it away. "I don't believe in that, I've been waiting for you to come here, because I, I want to be your friend, nobody else but yours," Kai replied as her hair was softly blown forward by the wind, hiding away Komiru's tear stripped face.

For once, someone wanted to stay at his side without laughing or disdaining him. Komiru decided he didn't care if she was the cat, he liked her, and that was all that would matter from now on.

Meanwhile, at the door to the backyard, Shigure and Hatori stood watching everything that had just happened.

Shigure and Hatori's Discussion

"So they became friends," Hatori stated as Shigure closed the sliding door deciding it best they don't interfere any longer. "It seems so," Shigure replied with a content look upon his face. "I just hope it stays that way," the content look turned to one of seriousness as Shigure stared into space as he usually did when something of importance had happened. "It is in their nature to fight, but if they can fight that nature instead of one another, I am more than sure things could go well between them," Shigure continued on, still staring into the same spot of the house as Hatori currently was. "Anyway, what I really want to know is how this curse returned after all these years," Shigure questioned now placing his glance directly upon Hatori who, in turn, turned to face him. "Has anyone told Tohru and Kyo?," Shigure questioned not giving Hatori a chance to step in.

"I already informed Yuki, but that's all," Hatori replied, his voice a bit angered, but mostly monotone. "Tell me something Shigure, why are you trying this? Making those two children friends? A cat that is cursed for eternity and a rat that is blessed beyond the comparison of Heaven," Hatori questioned, as it was his turn to cut Shigure off from speaking. "I noticed the girl, Kai, she was different... she isn't as outgoing, although at first glance into her eyes, its as if she sees right through your very skin, into the deepest part of your soul where the truth of you lies, its why she won't speak with anyone but Komiru, she knows he is the purest of souls, and wants to keep his soul that way, the only way to do that, is to exterminate any of the sorrow his past has left him, and become his utmost friend, as she knows, he is someone, who would never hurt her like she may have been hurt in the past," Shigure explained, as he once again, stared off into space. "And... it could be fun to watch!," Shigure returned to his more chipper half pointing a finger upward 'matter of factually' before Hatori hit him on the head with his fist.

"By the way, what happened with Komiru's mother? What did you do to calm her down?," Shigure questioned as he got up from where he currently lied on the floor rubbing his head. "You know as well as anyone that when a person's soul can't handle the fact that their child is a Zodiac, and they can't live on knowing this fact, that their memories of said person of the Zodiac will be completely exterminated and released away from them, in turn, Komiru no longer has a Mom that will ever remember his softened face," Hatori replied as he left the room to attend to other matters. "He used to be a lot more fun than this," Shigure mumbled. Though he couldn't think about that as of now, there was another matter to be adressed, how would he break this news to Kyo, and how woud Kyo react when he found out the cat and the rat were getting along in unison?