Fruits Basket: Return of the Curse
Chapter One
Chris POV
My name is Chris. I'm 15, going on 16, and I have a secret. My secret started the day I was born. My dad used to say that day was the best day of his life. Mom says it was the worst. My dad was lying, because a few years after I was born Dad committed suicide. My mom and family hated me so much I broke into the main house and stole tons of cash. Then I bought a plane ticket to the first place I could think of…Japan. I was pretty good at martial arts, but every dojo I went to turned me down. Apparently they couldn't have an American in the dojo. This continued until I met a man named Kazuma Sohma. Kazuma asked me where I lived. I told him I used to live in America.
"What on earth are you doing here?!" he said appalled.
"Well let's see, my mom hates me, my dad is dead, and the rest of my family hates me too. Why would I want to live in a place where everyone hates me?" I snapped.
"True enough," he said, "would you like to live with me at my dojo?"
"Sure!" I said. That was the day I got a master and a new dad. I was 7. I lived at the dojo for four years before master found out my secret, when I'm hugged by a girl I turn into a cat and if my beads are taken off I become a monster. It all started the day I turned 11. I was walking around in the dojo when some air-headed girl ran smack into me. Apparently it counted as a hug because I transformed.
"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" she said as the smoke cleared and picked up the orange cat that was me. She stared at me for a minute then she clutched me to her chest and ran into Master's room and set me down on my clothes and ran off. 'Awesome,' I thought, 'now she's going to tell the whole dojo that I can turn into a cat.' Then the girl came in with Master. I knew I would change back soon, and for the sake of modesty, hid under my own clothes.
"Lily, would you go pick up that cat so he won't transform," said Master
"Wow," she said as she picked me up, "It's just like Daddy's stories"
"Yes, yes," he said. "Listen, I need to fetch your sister now. Do not leave this room." Then he left.
"You should meet my dad; you have a lot in common," Lily whispered in my ear.
"Lily!" cried a voice "I heard what happened! Do you need another bandage?" I turned my head. In the doorway stood a girl with a striking resemblance to Lily, the one holding me. Her hair was orange with brown at the bottom as opposed to Lily's brown hair with orange at the bottom.
"Are you serious is she that much of a clu-"I cut off at the look the girl was giving me then I remembered that I was a cat. "Uh…I mean meow?" I stuttered
"Oh my God, you were right. Lily you were right!" Said the girl.
"Say that again Kyoko," Lily said cockily
"No," Kyoko defied.
"Please!" Lily begged
"No!" Kyoko shouted
"Children!" Master yelled. "Now is not the time to be fighting! Now I need you to take him home and tell your dad it's in America. Don't tell him about Chris unless he figures it out or asks. Got it?"
"Yes Sensei," they chorused. A few hours later we arrived at a house in the woods. Lily had my clothes in her backpack.
Lily opened the door and Kyoko called "We're home!"
"Welcome home dears. Anything exciting happen?" called a voice.
"Well we met a new friend in the woods," said Lily
"What kind of friend?"
"Come see!" Kyoko called. "And bring Dad too!"
"Okay, I'll go get him" the voice replied. A few minutes later a man and a woman walked in. The woman had long brown hair just like Lily's. The man, on the other hand, had bright orange hair just like mine. I had to stop myself before I said anything.
"Aw! He's so cute!" cried the brown haired woman.
"Funny," the man said, "he looks familiar."
"Hmm…Your right Kyo he looks like-"
Only my keen cat ears could catch what he said next. "Me." Then he uttered a swear word so foul I've decided not to include it.
"Kyo!" the woman cried. "It doesn't automatically mean-!"
"But look at him Tohru! I bet I know where his clothes are too! Lily, empty your bag!" He shouted. Then I knew I was caught. Lily would have to put me down to empty her bag and anyway Lily is a yellow belt, I have a black belt. There was only one way out of this.
"Fine!" I yelled "I'm cursed! If you want me to leave I'll get out of here." Then the couple's faces darkened, but the woman's face cleared up almost immediately
"Now why would we want you to leave?" She asked.
"Because if you knew what I am you would be running me out of Japan," I said
Finally the man spoke, "If we ran you out I'd be going with you."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because when I was young I was just like you," he said.
"How could you be? I'm as different as it's possible to be! My whole family is strange and I'm the strangest! I'm not just a boy who becomes a cat, I become a monster!" I shouted and jumped out of Lily's arms. I made a mad dash for the forest and dived into a bush. Then I ran, I didn't care when I transformed, I didn't care when I heard the voices getting closer, I didn't care when the tears stung my eyes, but when the man caught me and held me in his arms I felt like someone finally cared.
"Ssshhh…It's all right. I understand."
"How can you?" I choked.
"Let me tell you a story, once there was a family called the Sohmas. They were bit different. A few of the people in this family were cursed. There was the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, the Boar, God, and the Cat. The Cat was shunned by most of his family. When the boy who was the Cat was little, his mom, whom he loved more than anything, died. At her funeral he made a promise, he promised he was going to beat the Rat and become accepted by his family. So he went and trained with the only Sohma who didn't care about what he was but only cared about who he was. That man became the Cat's new father. Many years later, the Cat returned to challenge the Rat but he was stopped by a girl the Rat and Dog had let live with them. The curse was quickly found out. The Cat thought the girl would get her memory erased. But God let the girl keep her memories not knowing that she would break the Sohma curse. She lived with the Sohmas for nearly three years meeting more members of the Sohma family than anyone ever had dared to. The Cat slowly fell in love each day that passed, and she fell in love with him. Then they did what no one had ever done before. They broke the curse Then the Cat asked the girl to marry him, she said yes and they had two children. Now let me tell you something. I was that boy, Tohru was that girl, and we beat the curse." I stared at the man in wonder. This man was a cat just like me and all he did to break the curse that haunted us for our entire lives was to fall in love.
"A-am I allowed t-to stay here with y-you?" I asked shakily.
"Well I don't see why not," said Tohru.
"But we need to get you some clothes," said the man. "By the way my name is Kyo"
"I-I'm Chris," I said.
"Your name sounds American."
"It is American."
"Oh yeah Dad, as you probably figured out the curse is in America," said Kyoko.
"I see," said Kyo, "and I think I can guess why he is here. So which one died?"
"My dad."
"Well Chris would you let me be your new dad?" Kyo asked. I nodded. "Thank you," He said.
"Yay! I have brother now!" Lily cried
"Lily, stop being weird," Kyoko said with a smile. "Welcome to the family little bro."
"I'm the same age as you!" I yelled.
"Oh yeah? When's your birthday?"
"Today, March 23rd."
"Awww man! He gets to become a Sohma on his birthday!" Lily pouted
"You did too smart one!" I said. Kyo and Tohru laughed.
"What?" We asked.
"We just find it funny that you're already bickering like brothers and sisters," Kyo laughed.
"Welcome to the family Chris," Tohru said.
"I'm glad to be here Tohru. Oh and by the way, best birthday present ever!" That day I got a brand new family. But I didn't expect to fall in love.
To be continued…