A/N: This story was incredibly hard for me to write - even conceptualize. Maya's story is based on true events that happened to me, and to this day, I am still very affected by that relationship. However, I wanted to express my pain and agony in writing, so I can find a way to move on, and give the character that also endured such a tragedy a happy ending. Thank you. :)

Chapter One: The Breakup

I didn't think a pain so sharp, and so numbing could exist.

The night was pitch black, with what seemed to be fifty centimeters of snow covering all of the grounds. My palms were jittery, and my head was spinning from the sudden feeling of dizziness as I tried to recall the disastrous four hours I had spent in my now ex-boyfriend's room. I almost wanted to laugh at that sentiment for the ridiculousness it possessed, but my tear-ridden eyes suppressed my ability to feel any other emotion other than mind-numbing, body-breaking sadness.

We were never even dating.

That's what we agreed to, at least. We hooked up, no biggie, and we would just be friends as if nothing happened.

However, it's well-known that getting out of a long-term relationship is never easy. His own pain may have given him enough permission to use my mind and body for emotional comfort post breakup. I was so naive - I didn't even care that I was being used and manipulated for all those months. I was so in love with him to understand his lack of empathy towards me. I was so infatuated with him to notice my own mental health being detrimented with all the lies, deceit, and manipulation. I was so head over heels for him... that despite being aware of these red flags, I stayed.

Now that I was walking away from the house he stayed in - and a house I once called a home, my mind was free of the toxins. I could see those three months crystal clear, and I could feel my body slowly collapsing within myself as I struggled to make it to my own apartment.

Plowing through the heavy snow, I managed to get to my door, and I limped my weak body up towards the third floor. Rattling the keys in search of the door key, I slowly unlocked it with shaking palms. I was greeted by my roommate - who was cleaning up the kitchen after what looked to be an intimate dinner date with her boyfriend. My face started falling even more than it already had - and she took notice.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I wanted to scream. To the top of my lungs, I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream, kick, and cry at the ordeal I faced for those months. I wanted to crawl into a ball, and whimper at the thought of losing three months of my life - that I'll never get back - to a master manipulator. But most importantly... I wanted to know what I ever did to anyone to deserve this pain.

"Yea, I'm just really tired." I was never good at telling lies, however, my pathetic excuse of a face was enough to convince her I really was just extremely fucking exhausted. The last thing I needed was Vanessa grilling me on why I went to Adam's place in the beginning.

Nodding her head to say goodnight, I kicked my boots off, and made my way towards my bedroom, locking the door behind me. Without even thinking to get out of the disgusting clothes I was wearing, I collapsed onto the hard bed, trying to contain my anger and sadness all at the same time. My mind was hurling with the recollection of our conversation, and my anger simmered more and more with each passing thought.

Where does he get the balls to blame me for the 'breakup'?

I can't focus on my grades, my friendships, or my parents because of this.

You know, and I know, that this was just full of shit.

I just can't be that person for you anymore.

Funny - you were never that person. Ever.

I need to get over my own relationship coming to an end.

And there was the golden sentence. You were heartbroken. You were human. You wanted something to take the pain away, and I was there. You showered me with so much love, affection, and kindness... but your 'love' was merely a means to get me to stay longer. You liked what I did to your mind - I numbed the pain. I took away your suffering. I knew you wouldn't think of her when I was in your arms... but you sure as shit thought of her every second aside. The naive side of me didn't care; I thought you were growing to care for me.

How stupid did I look now?

Your tricks, however, slowly faded. With every night I left your room, I felt emptier, and pained. My chest ached with uncertainty and heartbreak, as I grew to understand you were just using me. You saw my pain too, and you knew that at that point, my own emotions rendered me useless to be of any use to you. That ditsy, charming, easy-going cute girl you knew was now self-aware, and she was onto you like an owl preying for it's food.

I still want us to be friends.

Clearly since we executed that plan so brilliantly before, why not do the same shit again?

Coming from the guy that said let's just be friends... to admitting we were more than friends this entire time.

And I was stupid enough to fall for it.

Stretching my arms out to grab a pillow, my hand collided with what seemed to be a small book. Sitting up onto my bed to put the book away, my eyes rested on the cover, and an instant familiarity hit me across the face.

It was the first Fruits Basket book.

Growing up with the manga and anime, this manga series was a definite detox agent for me amidst the stress. The story held a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first series I had ever read, and I instantly fell in love with the innocent school girl named Honda Tohru who went onto meet, befriend, and become part of the Sohma family. However, despite my history of comfort with the manga, I couldn't even bare to open it. I was so hurt. I was in so much pain, that I didn't think anything could take my suffering away. All I could really think of was the young girl on the cover of the manga, staring back at me with that goofy grin of hers.

I wish I could get away from this world.

Even if it was just for a few days, anywhere would be better than where I was now. I wanted to be relieved from the agony that was overtaking my body and soul. I wanted to feel at peace, and I couldn't do it here. Closing my eyes, I kept wishing for a secret hideaway where I could just cope with this pain on my own terms, away from anyone and anything. Even though I knew that would never be possible, I still kept hoping for it to be a reality. Before I knew it, my anger and hurt seemed to have settled down enough for me to fall asleep.

...

Coarse sunlight hit the back of my eyelids, as my face twitched in reaction. Fluttering my eyes open, I noticed I was gazing up at a nearly-clear sky with a couple of scattered clouds. At first, my daze was so strong, I didn't notice that this was extremely weird. However, when I did notice, my body shot straight up in panic, looking around to see what the hell was happening, and to see where the hell I was. Not knowing whether or not I was kidnapped, or being held hostage, or abducted and abandoned... I was getting more and more scared... until I saw a large, blue figure floating next to a couple of trees.

"Oh, thank God. For a second I thought that journey might've been an itty bitty too much for your tiny little body to handle."

WHAT THE HELL?!

So, here's the prologue. I hope you liked it, and yea, this was hard to write... because I had to remember some painful memories to write it. I want to hear from you, and I want to know what you think of Maya's narrative so far... meaning... my narrative? I would love to hear from you. :)