NAKED

Fruits Basket

Song by: Avril Lavigne

Anime by: Natsuki Takaya

Original characters (Violet + friend): Violet the Fox

'I wake up in the morning.

Put on my face, the one that's gonna get me through another day.

Doesn't really matter how I feel inside.

This life is like a game sometimes.'

That was exactly how Violet thought of her life. She tried her hardest to hide the fact she was the Fox and that she was a unlucky disgrace to the world. She walked down the stairs in her school uniform, with her usual long sleeved shirt to hide her arms and blue tights and ankle high boots to hide her legs. Her short raven hair was pulled back in a headband, her long bangs swayed slightly as she walked. Her icy purple eyes looking down at she walked trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She hated the way, cream colored skin, freckled cheeks and nose. She was very pretty only she never thought she was. She covered every bit of her body for other reasons too... "Ready to go to school?" asked Kat looking down at her. Violet nodded slowly and smiled up at her. Her life was really like a game only...this time. She wasn't alone. Kyo walked over to Kat and Violet and messed up her hair. "Well, I see your feeling better. That's good..." Kyo walked along ahead of Violet to join Kat only to get hit upside the head by her fist "Why did you mess her hair up for!! It was perfect and you ruined it you asshole!!" Kyo tried to rebel but thought better of it because he knew if he did, he would get punched again and never hear the end of it. Tohru followed shortly after talking to Yuki. Violet followed them from behind, she turned around to see Shigure waving them off. "Have a good time at school! Wish I could go back to school....High School Girls 1,2,3! High School Girls!"

'Then you came around me the walls just disappeared.

Nothing to surround me, keep me from my fears.

I'm unprotected. See how I've opened up, you've made me trust.'

Violet waved goodbye to Kat, Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki and walked into the middle school. She watched as her classmates laughed and joked around with one another as she made her way to the back. As she walked past a group of girls she heard them whisper loud enough so Violet could hear them, "There she goes....Miss. Freak of the Year." they all burst into fits of laughter as she sat down. 'Don't look at them and ignore them....'she thought to herself. "Violet-chan!!!" she looked up just in time to see Momiji running over to her in the girls school uniform. He was about to hug her when Haru grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "You know the rules...no hugging unless you want to turn into a rabbit. How's it going Violet?" he added when he let go of Momiji. "Just.......fine......" she looked away from him and she felt her cheeks burn up. She saw in the corner of her eye the group of girls that made fun of her glaring and scowling at her. "Why do they go over and talk to freak for?" asked on of the girl. "They must feel bad that she has no friends." said another. They all started giggling when the came to a conclusion that they were only talking to Violet because they felt sorry for her. Haru glared over at them and they stopped and turned away. "Don't listen to them Violet...their just a bunch of stupid gitty girls with no brains...." Momiji jumped up. "Yeah!!! That's right and your ten times better than them." Violet looked up at them both and smiled. "Thanks............"

'I've never felt like this before.

I'm naked around you, does it show?

You see right through me and I can't hide.

I'm naked around you and it feels so right.'

Violet walked down the hallway when she saw a stamped of freshmen coming towards her. "Aaaahhh!!" she backed up on the railing that blockaded the second floor so no one would fall over and break their neck from hitting the first floor at such a height. She watched as they past but, one pushed her over the railing. 'Oh no!" she thought. She felt her body fall but, she couldn't stop herself from falling, she remembered something her mother told her when she was little, "Don't worry Violet...someday your life will get better. It can only go up from here right? And remember...just be yourself and you'll catch up. You'll see....I promise...' Violet shut her eyes tightly. 'Here is comes....' She was half expecting to feel the pain of hitting the cement floor at the height but, she actually felt safe for just a second when she felt someone catch her, POOF. She flopped down on the ground with a thud, "ouchies......w-what...just happened?" She opened her eyes slowly to see a cow looking down at her, its grey eyes filled with concern and relief. "Are you okay?" asked Haru. "Haa-Kun? What...what just happened?" She sat up while Haru explained. "I was walking to my next class and I saw you fall and so I caught you." Violet looked at him her eyes filling up slowly with tears. "I'm...I'm sorry....I didn't mean to make you transform." Haru shook his head. "I'd raither transform than to see you get hurt...or worse..." Above them came the same girls that teases Violet. "Ooh...she really is a freak. She's talking to a cow. Violet is a Freak, Violet is a Freak!" they all chorused. Kat and Kyo walked up behind them. "Really? Well, how to you know it isn't a costume for the play huh?" asked Kat coldly. All the girls turned around slowly their faces conjured up in fear. "Yeah, because you know that the play is Jack and the Beanstalk." she added. Kyo got irrated with them in a second. "If I hear you call Violet a freak on more time I'll make sure you all look like freaks when I'm done with you!!" They group of girls ran off screaming.

'Trying to remember why I was afraid.

To be myself and let the covers fall away.

Guess I never had someone like you to help me fit in my skin.'

Haru walked with Violet to her strings class. "You really don't have to come with me Haa-Kun..." she whispered softly. "Don't worry about it...I want too." Violet blinked at Haru with wide eyes and than turned her face away from him, her cheeks turning red again. "Um..ah...erm..." She gasped when she saw her reflection on the display cases. Her fox ears were poking out again, "Oh no...what am I going to.." she felt something land on her head and pushed down to fit snug on her head. "Huh...?" she looked up to see Kat smiling down at her. "There, now no one will see those famous little ears of yours." Violet looked at her refection again in the glass to see herself staring back at her with a navy blue bucket hat on her head. She smiled at Kat who patted her on the head and walked away to her next class. "Come on, don't want to be late do ya?" asked Haru curiously. "Uh, no!" Violet ran after Haru. When they got to her practice the teacher didn't say anything about Haru being there because he heard from the poor science teacher that he has a slight split personality that comes to be a hazard for both room and teachers. The girls who pick on Violet merciful stared over at the two with frowns and glared daggers at Violet. Then Momiji burst onto the scene, "There you Haru!! I've been wondering where you were!" he hopped over to them and smiled happily at Violet. "Hello Violet!! I'm so happy to see you again!" Violet smiled back and nodded. "What are you doing her Momiji?" asked Haru before the hyper active rabbit could say anything else. "Well..I was kicked out of math class because I was causing a disturbance, I don't see why they would think I would be the cause of the problem. I mean, all I did was get up and stared to share with the class my one song. And I wanted to know were you where. So what are you doing?" he asked hopping up and down. "Making sure Violet doesn't have an even worse day than she already has been having." stated Haru glaring at the girls across the room. "Ooh!! I wanna help! I wanna protect Vi-Vi too!! Can I Haru? Can I?" he pleaded. "Whatever..." "Yeah!!! I get to make sure Vi-Vi has a good day!" Violet stared at the two with a smile on her face but, deep down inside she wanted to know why they wanted to be with her. "I'm going to put my violin away okay?" Violet said to the two as she picked up her case. Violet walked into the other room and stared to put her violin away. The girl from before whispered together watching her. "Okay, Middy I want you to go behind her and take off the hat of hers." said the leader. "Right...." the girl named Middy slowly walked behind Violet and in one swift movement removed the hat. Violet turned around and gasped when she realized what the girl had down. Middy stared at Violet like she had three million heads. Her eyes locked on the ears on top of Violet's head. "She..She has ears!!" All the girls gasped and backed up. Middy back up and tripped on a case and fell onto Violet. POOF. In a haze of purple smoke Middy came face to face with a small black fox. "Oh my god! She turned into a fox!" she screamed. The others girls didn't get to see due to that Haru and Momiji ran in when they heard the sound. "Violet!" Momiji wanted to distract the girls so Haru could get Violet out of there. "Look at me!!" he said happily. All the girls heads turned in his direction as Haru ran over and picked up the little fox and her clothes and ran out of the room. Kat and Kyo looked down from the highest point on the school's roof when they saw Momiji and Haru ran up. "What's the matter?" asked Kat staring down at the two. "We....have a problem...." Haru said softly as he opened his arms a little to revile a crying fox. "What happened!" yelled Kyo who jumped down along with Kat. "Those girls that make fun of Violet, one of them saw her transform..." Kat sworn under her breathe and ran down the stairs. "Be right back!" 15 minutes past and Violet had all ready turned back human and was dressed when Kat came up. "Violet! Good news, the principle thought they were all nuts and are going to send the one to a metal institute and the others got detentions. But, they'll go away when they get tested for drugs. They said there clean but to bad they didn't think about the popeyed seed beagles I gave them at lunch." she smiled happily and sniggered evilly to herself. Violet stared down at her feet. "Its all my fault...." "What!?!" everyone said at the same time staring at her in disbelief. "They...they didn't need to see me as a fox...its my fault that they are going away...its all my fault..." Kat blinked at her and than sighed. "Its not your fault Vi..its those girls fault for being cruel to you...they had no right..." "Yeah! They were meanie means!!" piped in Momiji. Violet got up and walked away from them. "You all don't understand...." Haru watched her walk away. "Vi.........." Back at the Sohma house. Haru walked up into the "crypt" also known as Violet attic room. The door was open so he peeked in to see Violet sitting on her bed clutching a stuffed cow. "Hey...Vi, you okay?" he asked walking in a little. Violet looked up and nodded. "Mind if I join you?" Violet mearly shook her head. "No..I don't mind...." Haru walked over and sat down next to Violet and looked at her concerned. "Vi...why are you always afraid of people...what happened to you that makes you no want to talk to people?" Violet cringed at that question and stared down at her hands. She looked up at him, her icy purple eyes burning into his grey ones. "My mother was killed in a car accident...it was all my fault because I had to go to ice skating practice...if I didn't go that day...than she would be here. My father was so sad...he committed suicide...I came home and...and he was...and my aunt...she was taking me across the street....and a truck couldn't stop and so she pushed me out of the way and she was killed on impact...you don't understand how it felt...to have those images stuck in your head...and their color of their blood..." tears streamed down her pale face as she continued her story. "So....after all that my mother's family took me...and they carved all these symbols on my skin to show I was the fox..." she lifted up her sleeve to revile white symbols carved into her skin. "I try to stay as pale as I can so they blend in a little...but the one on my fingers and wrist...they did them in black..." she up turned her hands to show her fingers tips. There embedded in her skin were black symbols of some different language. "I'm a monster Haa-kun...it would be better if you just ignore me like everyone else in my life...and stay away from me..." Her eyes widened when she felt Haru kiss her on the forehead. "Your not a monster....and I'm not going to ignore and I'm not going to stay away." Violet felt hot tears drip onto her hands as she felt him hug her, even though he knew he would transform...just for a second he knew it would make her happy. "For just a second...I actually felt the warmth of his embrace...but just for a minute...." she thought when she heard the loud "POOF' noise and the white smoke. She smiled at the cow standing were once was the boy she true and forever loved. "Thanks Haa-kun...."

'I'm naked around you does it show.

I'm naked around you, I'm so naked around you. And I can't hide

you're gonna see right through baby.'

It was 9 o'clock and pouring heavily. Violet sat on the park bench waiting like she promised Kat. "She was suppose to pick me up......she promised..." those last two words echoed in her mind. She remembered when she was 5 years old.... *flashback* A little Violet sat waiting the pouring rain. "Mama promised she would pick me up...I know she will...she's just late that's all...but mama will come...I know she will...." *end of flashback* "But....mama never came....she never came to get me..." Haru ran all over the city until he saw a little black fox shivering on the bench. "Violet....." he ran over to her. "Vi...are you okay?" he reached to pick her up but, instead got a mouth-full of teeth implanted into his hand. He pulled back and winced when he watched the little fox run off. "Why do I run away from everyone....why am I afraid all the time. Why can't I be like Kat or Tohru and face my fears and be strong?" cried the little fox as it collapsed in a puddle. "My life ended when I was born...it didn't even begin..." she closed her eyes tightly when voice of her past echoed in her mind. 'Don't look at it....its disgusting....' 'Its okay Violet...your just growing a little slower than everyone...but you'll catch up!' 'Its your fault that your mother get in that car accent! Its your fault that your father commited suicide! And its always going to be your fault...why? Because you're the fox, Violet Thomson...and everyone will hate you and you will be alone for ever...' Violet opened her eyes slowly when she remembered her aunt Wanda hugging her and smiling. "Its not your fault Vi-Vi....nothing is your fault...and I'll be there for you always..." 'My aunt was the fox also....she was the only one who understood me...and the only person that could hug me...and than......"They" took her away from me..."They" killed her....I hated them all......I..i....wanted to destroy them because they destroyed everyone that I loved...everyone that cared for me... but thats not true...I still have Tohru, Shigure, Kyo, Kat, Kisa, Momiji, Rin, Hiro, Hitori, Ayame, and the only one she really loved in her whole life...Haru....... Violet turned back into her human form in a poof of purple smoke. Haru walked over to her and put his trench coat on her. "You okay now?" Violet pulled the coat tightly around her and looked up at him. She smiled happily at him whipping the tears away from her eyes. "Yes...I'm ready...to go home now..." Haru smiled at her and helped her up. "Good, now lets get out of here before you caught a cold." They both stared to turn and walk away when Violet reached out and took Haru's hand and held onto his hand. "Thank you...Haa-kun...I never had someone like you...and I'm glad I do....." 'I'm so afraid of waking....from this dream....so....please don't shake me.......because...I'm not so alone...I wonder what will happen down the road from here?'