The Tears of Hope, a fruits basket fanfic

The Tears of Hope©

"Akito?" No one answered which was Kureno's beacon that he was welcome. If he wasn't welcome, Akito would have informed him. He slowly walked in, careful not to disturb the silence in which Akito caressed her bird. "Kureno..." Akito's voice was frail. Kureno sat beside her, gently combing through her hair with his fingers. Her hair was as soft as a newborn baby's.

Kureno was the only Jyuunishi that Akito treated exceptionally well. She loved him because he was understanding unlike the other Jyuunishi who found nothing but hate towards her, even though they could not admit it. Kureno realized that it was not entirely Akito's fault that she was cruel. The Curse gave her a new personality that she could not avoid. When Akito was calm and undisturbed, Kureno saw the rare exposition of her true personality. She was fragile, like glass, unable to protect herself outside of the safety of the Main House.

She was born to die, and Kureno could only imagine the horror she must have felt when that was confessed to her at a young age. On top of that, her mother raised her as a boy for unknown reasons. Akito had a worse life than all of the Jyuunishi, no matter how much power she possessed.

She never wanted any of the Jyuunishi to love because she was afraid that they would leave her, and she would be left to die alone. She hadn't meant to hurt any of the Jyuunishi in the process of rejecting their request of marriage or affirm of their love for someone, but she couldn't monopolize the temper the Curse had given her. She now had to live the rest of her life feeling guilty for partially blinding Hatori and hospitalizing Kisa and Rin.

With all of the albatross put on her, she would live even shorter than she was going to already.

One by one, tears began to appear on Akito's face, trickling slowly down to her lips where Kureno gently wiped them away. They were cold, not warm like the usual tears most people cried. Not cold like ice, but cold like the feeling you get when you're alone, cold like the feeling you get when you're suddenly frightened. Akito never cried in front of anyone but Kureno because she trusted him, which was a quality she rarely used among others.

Kureno gently eased Akito into his lap and asked her, "What's wrong?" Akito was shaking. "Kureno... I'm alone, alone," she kept mumbling until Kureno put a gentle finger on her lips. "You're not alone, you have me," Kureno whispered. She shook her head slowly. "No, all the Jyuunishi hate me, they just act like they love me because they have to." Kureno tensed at the words she had just spoken. "I'm not acting. Who told you they were acting?" Kureno asked. Akito's face looked up. She looked so helpless, like a finger could break her spine.

Flashback

"I have come to take Yuki out of school," Akito informed the teacher. "What?" Kyo yelled. "Shut up Kyo, Yuki is going back to the Main House for good, I miss him," Akito replied. The teacher's shocked face made Akito give him an explanation, "I am Yuki's guardian and he will be enrolled in a school nearer to my house."

"Come Yuki." Yuki stood there, unable to move partially because he was dumbfounded and partially because he didn't want to go. However, he knew he would have to go eventually as he was not strong enough to withhold the weight of the Curse. "You know, we don't love you like you think we do. We have to love you in some way, but if we had a choice, we would hate you. We do hate you!" Kyo yelled.

Present

"Kyo did, he said all the Jyuunishi hated me," Akito replied. Kureno was shocked. "They don't hate you," he said. More tears began to roll down Akito's face. "Yes, they do. Don't lie to me," she replied. Kureno could not stand hearing her say that. "THEY DON'T HATE YOU!" He said fiercely. "YES THEY DO! STOP LYING TO ME! I KNOW THEY DO! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Akito lost her patience and self-control and began weeping furiously. Kureno began to wrap around her comfortingly, careful not to trigger his transformation. "It's ok," he whispered. "No, it's not. Everyone will be glad when I die." Kureno argued no more. The faint sound of Akito's sobbing subsided and they were left in silence.

Fruits Basket is the creation of Natsuki Takaya, and is licensed in North America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). This Fan Fiction is used without permission or the intention of making a profit.