March 21, 2009
How would you feel if you woke up one morning and you were someone else?
I wanted adventure, but this wasn't what I had asked for.
But let me start at the beginning. That's where all good stories start.
I woke up Sunday morning on a park bench.
I don't remember going to sleep here, I thought, sitting up. Wait a second. Where do I remember going to sleep? Who am I?
Elaine Steffon, daughter of Earnest and Jo Steffon, I remembered. And I'm in Japan. But I remember going to sleep in America. What's going on?
I looked around. It was early morning. I was on the edge of a forest. I looked at my clothes for the first time. A school uniform that looked slightly familiar.
I wonder what the rest of me looks like, I thought. This must be a dream.
I sighed, and wondered into the woods. I stumbled upon a garden. It was all so familiar, but I couldn't grasp where I had seen all of this before…then I saw him.
Yuki Sohma. From Fruits Basket.
"Lia?" he exclaimed, dropping the basket of strawberries he was holding.
I opened my mouth to say my real name, but for some reason, the name Lia fit in this place. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
"When did you get back?" he asked, excited suddenly. "Where will you be staying?"
"I—I…Yuki…I don't remember…" I finally managed, feeling like an idiot.
His expression changed in an instant. He crossed the garden and grabbed me before I could fall. I lost conciousness, and I'm assuming he carried me. Since he was able to do that, I'm guessing I'm a member of the zodiac.
I'm lying on the bed in the guest room, writing this in the journal from my backpack. I also found something else in the backpack that might be a clue: a passport with my real name on it. Elaine Steffon.
Hatori showed up, so I had to put away my journal. He found me examining my passport.
"Lia," He said gently. "What are you doing out of the hospital?"
I had a flashback after the word hospital.
***.
The long hallway, the rooms with the twin beds…my room mate. She hated me. I ran from her threats to the isolation rooms. It was the only place I was safe. I kept telling myself: I'm not crazy. I'm not like them. They'll let me out. I'll go home.
"Lia!" Hatori waved a hand in front of my face.
Suddenly I was terrified that he was here to take me back.
"N-No! Get back!" I yelled, jumping up and backing off. "You'll never take me back!"
Those memories…they were Lia's…not mine, but they felt like mine. The real me had been locked up the same way, but not for two years, just a week. But that was torture enough.
I slid down the wall, hugging my knees, sobs shaking my body. Hatori put a hand on my shoulder.
"Calm down, Lia," he said in the same gentle voice. "I was sent to give you your medicine. Are you going to take it this time, or do I have to force feed you like I used to?"
The memory of being force fed was not a good one, and besides, the pills were the same ones I took at home. Home. Would I ever go back?
"I-I'll take them," I said, and I dry-swallowed them. "My name is Elaine. And I'm from America. You aren't my family. And I wasn't in the hospital for two years."
"Lia…" Hatori put his hands up and backed off from me like he thought I would hit him. Maybe I would. I was really frustrated. "Lia. You hit your head. You can't remember who you are. You must have escaped from the hospital and changed your name and lived with an American family for a while. And now you're here, which must mean you were drawn here because of New Years. We always had trouble with you trying to escape around this time."
"Hatori, I want to go to America," I said. "I want to live with Earnest and Jo Steffon. My real parents."
"Akito has decided that you will remain in Shigure's house," Hatori said, packing his bag. "He said he'll lock you up somewhere close by if you run away again. Please don't."
"But I'm not Lia Sohma!" I exclaimed, tears running down my cheeks. "Hatori. The Sohmas didn't want me before. Why do they want me now?"
I remembered being little, and being forced into a plane, and taken away from my Sohma parents. I remember that they were happy to see me go. I was the crazy girl. No one cared what happened to me.
"All of the Zodiac is together now," Hatori replied.
I glared at him. "What year am I?"
"You are the Horse," replied Hatori, and then he was gone.
Year of the Horse, I thought. So I have Rin's life? Does this mean I'm going to get shoved out of a window? Were my parents that evil? And do I have to date Haru? He's nice enough…but I like Kyo. Wait. If I am Rin…doesn't that mean I've already slept with Haru? DON'T I HAVE ANY SAY IN THIS?
Yuki came in. "Are you alright, Lia?"
"Don't call me that," I snapped. I was sitting in the corner, head propped on my knees, glaring at him. I calmed down after a second. "I'm sorry, Yuki. You can call me whatever name you know me by best. Can you tell me how you knew me…as a child, I mean?"
"Well…" Yuki blushed for some reason. He sat down beside me, and told me the story. "You were beautiful, and then you turned thirteen. You went crazy. You wouldn't listen to anyone, not even Akito. Akito still hurt you, though. He locked you up, like me…but instead of breaking, you attacked anyone who came near you. They said they had to use tranquilizers to knock you out. Then you disappeared. When you were around sixteen, Akito had enough, they said…sent you to a mental institution in America."
I nodded, these things clicked. "But, Yuki, did you ever meet me?"
He blushed again. "When we were eight. You came to the main house, and you visited me. You said not to worry, that I would be able to play outside soon."
I nodded again. "I'm glad. Why didn't you look for me?"
"No one knew where you were," Yuki said. "And we weren't allowed to speak your name."
I rolled onto my knees and hugged him. He stiffened for a second (not used to hugs!), then hugged me back.
"Thank you for bringing me here," I said. "You don't know how scared I was. I thought I'd never make it."
"What are you here for, exactly?" Yuki asked, breaking the hug.
"New Years. And I miss everyone," I replied.
"Well, I guess I'll sleep here," I said finally.
"Stupid cat won't even say hello to you," Yuki was muttering. (Shigure had already said hello, but I just didn't write it down).
"What was that?" Kyo came down the stairs in a second, and his inevitable punch directed at Yuki was dodged. Yuki punched him in return.
I tried to make myself smaller.
"I'll let him say hi," Yuki said. "Goodnight, Lia."
"Night," I said, shaking.
Yuki went upstairs.
"Come back here, you!" Kyo yelled. "I wasn't finished!"
"Kyo," I said.
He turned. "What?"
When he saw me, his expression softened. "Lia. Do you remember me?"
"Um…Kyo Sohma, Year of the Cat," I replied. I left out the part about his double share of the curse, because I wasn't sure I was supposed to know that.
All of a sudden, I had another crazy flashback.
I was a kid, and I was sitting on a bench at the Sohma dojo. I was watching Kyo practice. All of a sudden, I met eyes with him and I heard him ask Shishou, "Who is that pretty girl?"
My eyes had narrowed instinctively. I had hated being judged based on my looks. Akito had punished me for being "pretty" my whole life.
Kyo had come over to me, however, and said, "Shishou wanted to know if you would like to join us."
My harsh glare had softened. I had wanted to join them. But I had a problem.
"I'm sorry," I had said. "I…I have no coordination. I could never learn to do it myself. But I'd like to learn more about it. You're really good, will you show me?"
Kyo's eyes had widened at the complement. He had started talking really fast about everything related to karate, and I had listened with genuine interest. We were fast friends.
We had gotten even closer when we each found out each other's zodiac.
But something had happened. I couldn't remember. But that something had ended our relationship. And shortly after that, I was locked away. But why? Why did I go crazy? What had happened?
"Yeah. But do you remember what happened when we were little?"
I didn't remember. Not that I didn't try. "Kyo, I'm sorry. It's not just you, I can't remember anything really."
"Are you still crazy?" he asked.
I winced. "I'm not…" I wanted to yell back, maybe say remind him that he was one to talk…but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. In the manga, he had always been my favorite. "Kyo, you know I'm not crazy. How bad was this thing that happened when we were little? Did I hurt you? If I did I'm sorry, I-"
"I…don't think it was bad," he replied, blushing. "We were little. Just forget it."
"Kyo…" I began, but I couldn't finish. "Good night."
I stood, and hugged him. He was as shocked as Yuki was. I expected him to push me away, or yell at me, but he didn't.
I let go quickly. He turned and left the room, but not before saying, "Goodnight."
Kyo lay down in his bed.
His first thought was, she…hugged me. Why did she do that?
He remembered the first time he saw Lia.
She had been such a pretty girl, but she looked dangerous, vicious. When she was young she usually wouldn't talk to anyone. So when Shishou told him told him to talk to her, and not to judge her, he didn't know what to do. But he talked to her, and she admired him.
He remembered the fateful day they had stopped being friends, too. He shook his head. No…he didn't want to think about that. He would start having nightmares again.
But then the words popped into his head again. "I don't regret it."
Why? He thought. Why didn't you regret it?
He was just falling asleep when another thought came into his head. Was she really crazy?
