I wrote this after seeing the TV show, so Rin and Kureno are not in this. I couldn't be as detailed as I wanted because it took to much attention. It was fun to write though, and I might repost it in a better version on a later date.
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A rice ball in a fruits basket
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"Sissy, close your eyes," Kisa reached onto her tip-toes, hoping to block the my vison, but couldn't reach high enough. I giggled, she was a little kitten to me, no matter how many stripes were printed on her other form. There was something about Kisa that I loved. Maybe it was how little and adorable she was, that maternal affection that draws all women in so unconditionally, but for me it was different. For me, not only did I love her, but she loved me in return, and I linked onto that with all my heart. Kisa deserved to be cared about by everyone near her.
Momiji took her place, his lighthearted voice hiding what I knew was so much pain "Yeah Tohru, you're not allowed to look." His past was so upsetting; I could never imagine my mother rejecting me as Momiji's had. That feeling of loss when you know your most loved relative has given up on you, that is something I could never bear. Momiji was so strong.
He really was strong though, the way he was leading me along "So... um. Where are we going?"
"Can't you tell? You're such an idiot."
"Be nice Hiro!" And then there was Hiro, who was going through the worst phase of childhood. Feeling weak all the time, and wishing you could be stronger. I could tell right away that he loved Kisa, and to lose someone he loved so dearly to someone older was another failure on his side. I have a feeling that the Sohma fate has not been kind to him or Kisa.
All the Sohmas were like this, fighting off inner demons and enduring the torture of being cursed. They all had suffered so much for being born into the curse of the zodiac, and more than anything, I want to help them; to belong with them. But I know, more than anything, I wont ever truly belong in the Sohma family. Even if they try to accept me, and welcome as they have, I will never really be a part of the Sohmas. A rice ball doesn't belong in a fruits basket, everyone knows that, and so no one ever puts one in. I am really an aberration amongst them.
"We're here!" Momiji removed his eyes, and in an instant my world of blindness gave way to light.
"SUPRISE!" I squinted into focus the small crowd that was leaning toward me. First I saw Hatsuharu, and then Ritsu. Shishou was in a back corner. Ayame, Shigure, and Hatori were talking amongst themselves, but turned to face me with smiles. Kagura was smiling as she clung to her "beloved's" back. Hana and Uo were near the from, standing next to the pair that had occupied most of my time in the Sohma household. And the pair, Kyo and Yuki? They were standing next to each other, stopping all arguments to look at me with evident happiness. Was all of this real? Was I really accepted as a Sohma.
"Well, you know..." Yuki said, blushing.
"We asked your friends about well...," Kyo pointed to Uo and Hana.
"Happy birthday Sissy!" Kisa hugged me and presented me with a gift "We each got you a gift, but this is from all of us." In her hands was a gift which I took into my shaking hands.
Balanced in my palms was a fruits basket decorated with different zodiac animals, and sitting in the middle was a rice ball with a plum right in the middle for everyone to see.