Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket cuz if i did Tohru and Yuki would be going out.
Tohru: blush
Kyo: Hey what?
Taken
Tohru Honda Walked dejectedly away from the empty school. It was almost four thirty in the after-noon and everyone had left already. The teacher had needed a volunteer to clean up some science equipment and Tohru always liked to be helpful. It was something her mom had taught her before the accident. She felt a twinge of sadness but pushed it aside. Feeling sorry for your self won't help anything Tohru, she told herself firmly. Her two best and oldest friends Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima had offered to stay and help her with the task but she had firmly refused not wanting to trouble them.
Tohru always tried to be friendly and optimistic. She never wanted to hurt or burden anyone with her problems so hid her sorrow behind a smile. It's what mom would want me to do. Again she felt the grief of her lost mother sinking in and again she pushed it away. I better hurry Shigure, Yuki and Kyo will be hungry and I don't want to worry them.
Ever since Shigure and Yuki Sohma had found her living in a tent on their land they had been nothing but friendly and she wanted to repay them for letting her stay with them and being such good friends. Kyo had moved in a short time later, as soon as he first crashed through the roof she knew she wanted to be his friend.
The strange curse that was upon the family didn't bother her at all. She would take the secret to the grave and wouldn't tell anyone if they tried to torture it out of her. She just made extra sure not to get into a spot where the curse would engage. The transformations back from their animal symbol left them totally nude and that had led to some awkward moments.
Tohru sighed inwardly. It had been about a year and half since her mother had died and today would be the first birthday Tohru would have without her. She felt tears well up in her eyes as an image of her mothers smiling face popped into her head. This year there wouldn't be a tight birthday hug or her mother telling her lovingly how she got cuter with every passing year. She hadn't told her friends in the Sohma family that her birthday was coming up. She didn't want them going into any trouble for her but she felt a twinge of self pity about the fact Arisa or Hana (Saki) had even said Happy Birthday. She immediately felt guilty about it. They had been good friends to her for too long for her to be mad about such trivial things.
She turned down the quiet path that led to Shigure's house and walked through the quite forest lost in a world all her own; thinking of her mom. There was a rustle in the trees and dense undergrowth beside her but she ignored it, dismissing it as a squirrel or some such. Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around her pinning her arms to her side. She dropped her school bag and started to scream in the hopes that one of the Sohma's would hear her but before she could make a sound a large hand clapped over her mouth.
"Don't scream and don't struggle." The synthetic sound of a voice changer said into her ear, "Unless you never want to see daylight again that is."
The blood in Tohru's veins ran cold as her stomach fell into a seemingly bottomless hole. Mom! She screamed inside her head, the hand over her mouth preventing her from making any noise, oh Mom help me! Another man clad in all black with a ski mask over his head emerged from the trees. He was several inches taller than her and fairly broad shouldered. Tohru felt wetness trickle down her cheeks as her vision blurred. The man drew a piece of black cloth from a pocket in his pants but seemed to hesitate. The man holding her said something angrily and the black cloth was tied tightly but not painfully around her head. The man holding her loosened his grip on her mouth but before she could make a sound another cloth was stuffed inside and tied with yet another so she couldn't push it out. The cloth covering her eyes was becoming heavy as it was soaked with tears. She felt her arms drawn behind her and bound together with soft rope.
The man let go of her and she pressed the advantage running blinding forward. She felt a stab of pain in her ankles as her feet were kicked from beneath her. Stars danced behind her closed eyelids as she hit the ground with a painful thump. As the stars faded into blackness she could hear the two men arguing but what about? They soon stopped and she was hauled to her feet.
"Don't try anything like that again or you'll regret it. Got it?" She tried to plead into the gag but only muffled murmurs made it out. "Go get the car." He demanded harshly. Tohru heard the second man walk away as her heart fluttered and her stomach fell even further. She felt the man's hot breath on her neck as he whispered into her ear. Her flesh rippled with goose bumps as he spoke.
"Now you just be a real good girl and you won't be hurt seriously. Not in the physical way anyway." He laughed harshly and Tohru's tears started to come harder than ever. At the sound of a car pulling up in front of the path her captor began to pull her towards it despite her weak struggles. Soon she was bound, wrists and ankles, and lying on the floor of the cars back seat.
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea now. . ." said one of her captors from the front of the car.
"Little late for that don't you think? Besides this is sorta fun. Aren't you having fun Tohru?"
Tohru just lay on the floor in silence not knowing what else to do. Through the confusion and despair running through her mind Tohru could feel a thought coming to her. They called me Tohru! They know my name but how? The must have been stalking me! Oh god for how long? Help me mom! Oh no mom! She had dropped her school bag during the initial struggle. Her mom's picture was in that bag, the bag that was now lying in the dirt. Would she ever see her mom again?
They drove in silence for what seemed like hours to Tohru but in reality couldn't have been more than a couple hours. Vibrations came through the floor of the car bouncing the already sore Tohru painfully. From the combination of her sore limbs and her partial hysteria Tohru was fading in and out of consciousness. Her mind wandered back to last white day when Momiji had given her a trip to the Sohma family hot spring. Her tears began again as she thought of the Sohma's. They had been so kind to her and now she may never see them again.
As tears slowly started to trickle down the side of her face form behind the soaked blindfold the car came to a stop. She felt strong hands undo the bonds holding her ankles together and pull her to her feet. Her stiff legs were unable to support her weight and she would have fallen onto the road again had the man not caught her. He lifted her to her feet again; her legs shook but held.
"Hurry up already. They will be waiting." Said the other man from somewhere up ahead.
Oh my god there is more, Thought Tohru as the fresh air helped her mind emerge from the haze. The man behind her pushed her forward. Afraid of what would happen if she didn't cooperate she began to walk forward.
"Step" Her captor said shortly.
She felt a wooden walkway under her feet as they walked a short ways more. Suddenly they stopped and the man behind her began to untie her wrists. Tohru's mind raced. What is happening now? What are they going to do to me? She heard a door open as the sodden blindfold was lifted from her face. As her vision cleared a large room filled her sight. Inside sitting on various couches or just standing around talking stood all of her friends from the Sohma family and Arisa and Hana. A large banner that read: Happy Birthday Tohru hung from the roof.
"Surprise! Happy birthday Tohru!" They all yelled as one. Beside her Haru was unclipping a voice changer from around his neck. She swiveled to see Yuki with one already off. He pulled her into a tight brief hug before a small poof and a cloud of grey smoke. She bent down to pick the small grey rat off the floor. His beady black eyes looked uncertain.
She hugged him again as he quietly whispered into her ear, "Surprise."