To pretend no one can find,
The fallacies of morning rose,
Forbidden fruit, hidden eyes,
Courtesies that I despise in me
Take a ride, take a shot now.
Cause nobody loves me,
It's true,
Not like you do.
portishead
by eve
[We share the sea, Hatsuharu. Anytime, I get lost I look to the sea for guidance. I'll share it so that Hatsuharu will do the same. The sea will belong to us.]
Sohma Hatsuharu learned a long time ago that when it came to Honda Tohru, there was no such thing as getting lost. The girl stood out in the largest of crowds, her brightness drew people like moths to a flame.
It had been five years, he mused. Five years since Akito declared that she was no longer welcomed in the house of Sohma because his fear of losing control. It had been five years since all dreams of pursuing a relationship with the very light of his life and that of his family had gone as quickly as it came. He couldn't really say that he had been in love with her the moment that he saw her like Yuki or Kyou. But admittedly, he had been drawn to her much like the others and found himself craving to be much more than just 'Honda-san's friend'. And like Hatori had said quietly to him during the loss of Kana, sometimes there are people who aren't meant to dream.
Which is why he had nearly fell out of the chair when he had received a letter from her strange denpa friend, Saki. It was bad enough that the girl freaked him out, but even more so that regardless of Akito's declaration she had still tried to main contact with him and the others. He had gotten a perverse sense of pleasure at his letter being the longest though.
She had seemed happy in her letters, even more so to be coming back to Japan. He had no idea where she had gone, due to no postage on the envelope. But when she had written she was coming back and wanted to meet, he had jumped at the chance. He felt like such a little boy when it came to her.
Hatsuharu entered the sea-side restaurant with a nod to the host and began to look for his old friend. He spotted couples and families, laughing and chatting, and all the while trying to ignore the overpowering scent of fish. It was definitely an environment that she would flourish in. He sighed. Where was---
And then he saw her, outside by the deck, in the sun and an truly in her element. She sat in a table closest to the water, her chin propped up by a slender hand and her gaze outward into the quiet sea. He was lost in the moment of her--- full lips, ivory complexion colored a healthy bronze by the sun, the few tendrils escaping from the ponytail at the nape of her neck. But her eyes, oh her eyes, were expressive as always. He was already starting to lose himself in their depths… a haunting blue with so many emotions that no one could even begin to fathom. She had been a pretty girl when he had first met her, no Rin mind you. But now, she would even make a fucking poet of even Akito himself.
He weaved himself through the tables, eyes never leaving the lone woman. He wracked his brain for possible introductions, but really he only wanted to know why she had contacted him instead of Yuki, Kyou or even Shigure the pervert.
Why him?
[But if you're going to get lost, that's an impressive way to do it.]
Why only him?
[You're not stupid, Hatsuharu.]
She had picked him…
[The sea will belong to us.]
He found himself in front of the table and coughed to get her attention. "Honda-san."
She turned around, her eyes lighting up at his presence. She jumped up and kissed his cheek, laughing merrily at his blushing. "Didn't I tell Hatsuharu to call me Tohru like everyone else? There's no need for formality with me."
He took the seat across from her. "You're still a simple girl," he murmured, taking in the faded jeans, the torn sweatshirt with a hood, and sneakers. He sort of missed the sort skirts and the girly blouse she used to wear. Tohru reached over and brushed a stray hair our of his face. He flushed like a school boy, not used to her new-found forwardness. Or at least it was to him.
Her eyes shone with amusement. "And Hatsuharu is still Hatsuharu. But all the same, I'm glad I please Hatsuharu-kun."
"So," he started, in hopes of easing into a conversation. "I like this place. Is the food good?"
She nodded. "The cook is in old friend of Mother's. We used to come to her when I was a child. Try the fried shrimp, it's really good."
"Isn't it more American though?"
Tohru rolled her eyes. "It doesn't kill Hatsuharu to try new things once in awhile. And besides, I remember someone vaguely telling me to do the same…"
He chuckled. "You're something, you know."
Tohru froze and then blushed. "No I'm not… I'm just Tohru."
He shook his head and his attention went to the suddenly appearing waitress. He started to order, keeping her in the corner of his vision. She seemed to be at ease in his company. So maybe he could…
The waitress disappeared and once again, he focused on the woman before him. "We miss you. It isn't the same---It hasn't been the same without you," he spoke finally, eyes downcast. He watched her fingers twirling the straw in her soda. He liked her fingers, he decide. They were long like a piano player's and he wondered vaguely if she ever tried to play. "So what I'm really trying to say is… where have you been these past couple years? I won't lie and say we looked, but we did miss you."
[I want to be able to dream. I want to move. I want to fly. Everybody has dreams, Hatsuharu, it's just not my time yet.]
She shrugged, her eyes never leaving the sea. "London," she began. "Dublin, Paris, Moscow, and Beijing…promise I kept to Father."
"Father?" He racked his brain for mentions of her father from Shigure, Kyou, Yuki, or even herself. But at no point could he remember a mention of her father, just her mother.
She turned back to him and once again he was amazed by the intensity of her eyes. "I don't have many memories of Papa, just things from what Mother told me, relatives' memories, and his letters from when he traveled. Papa traveled a lot because his family's business. I don't remember what he did, I lost contact with his family when Mother died. But he used to send Mother and I lots of letters from the places… Prague, Budapest, the Amazon, Sydney… Mother used to miss him so much and he used to tell her to not worry because he's always come back by the sea. He used to tell her that they shared the sea…"
His throat caught as she continued on, her eyes never leaving his own.
"He told her that anytime she lost her way to look to the sea. And so each time, when he left to travel, Mother waited by the sea for his return. And then my Papa left that knowledge for me."
Her gaze turned serious. "I didn't leave because I couldn't choose between Kyou and Yuki-kun. I didn't leave because of Akito-san. I left, Hatsuharu because like my papa, I am a traveler. I wanted to see things and experience the world."
She leaned forward, grasping his hand. His eyes widened as her lips curved into a brilliant smile.
[I willing to try if Hatsuharu is.]
"I made a promise to share the sea with you, Haru. And I intended to keep my promise."
And he smiled, the radiant sea moving quietly in the background.
~*~*~*~
Author's Notes:
Well, this is my first Fruits Basket story. I'm sort of nervous about this, but I'm definitely not a first time fanfiction writer. I choose Hatsuharu as Tohru's male interest because I kept watching that scene where he's explaining his first encounter with Yuki and I thought he sounded like a blushing school girl. It was very kawaii!!
A couple things, I wrote this with the idea in mind that in leaving, due to a ultimatum given by Akito, Tohru barely had a chance to really make more of a romantic connection with any of those delicious Sohma boys. So in watching her earlier interactions with Haru-kawaii, I thought he fit the role the best for me in the present situation.
Another thing since we don't know much about Tohru's dad, I decided to twist a few things. Since she doesn't remember much about him, I figured a traveling businessman would fit the part.
Other than that, feel free to please review!
disclaimer:
Mmmm, Hatsuharu… Yummy… *smacks herself* Right-o, I don't claim any ownership to Fruits Basket or any of the characters used in the story. But if someone was kind of to send me a bow-wrapped Haru and Hatori, Eve-chan would be very, very happy!