Prologue

She wondered what it would be like to sparkle in the night sky like a star. Or shine like the moon with her hands reaching down to the world to light up the darkness. She knew of only darkness, anger, fear, and loneliness. Except for that one time...

She leaned against the window frame and sighed, her heart heavy with despair. She could see a world outside of her own—one that was cut off from her completely since birth. She didn't know how big that world was or how many people there were, but she wondered if there were others like her out there—trapped, isolated, invisible... Did they stare up at the night sky too and dream of things beyond?

A low creak from the floor down the hall caught her attention and she whirled around, her eyes wide open in fear. She'd been caught outside her room... She'd been caught and will be severely punished—until she's black and blue all over again.

The shape of the shadowy figure looked familiar, and he held his hand out to her, as if willing her to stay.

Her heart thundered fretfully in her chest. She'd been caught... She'd been caught outside her room... What would Mistress do to her this time? She didn't want to think about it, but her mind whirled with the realization that she'd been discovered in a place that was not meant for her. She shivered as tiny pinpricks coursed over her body. She could feel the energy starting to rise through her mounting fear.

As he got closer, she recognized him. It had been a few years since her last encounter with him... which she paid dearly for. Her mother made sure of that.

She had to disappear...

She stepped away from the glow of the moonlight streaming through the window and vanished into the shadows. She couldn't risk it again... And she didn't want to hurt him. She had to disappear.

"Please," he begged her gently, stopping in his tracks a few metres away, afraid of scaring her away completely. "Please. Stay. Stay with me a moment. I promise not to tell anyone. Not even Akito-san."

She bit her lower lip, feeling torn between her rising fear and the kindness in his voice. Kindness—although cautious—was all she knew about him from that brief encounter a few years ago. He had been the only one to ever reach out to her without hurting her. He had reached out to her, not only physically, but emotionally as well. He reached out to her with acceptance. Her heart swelled with the memory. Tears stung her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. She could feel the energy radiating through her beginning to dissipate slowly.

He stepped forward again, slowly closing the distance between them step by step until he reached the window and peered out into the night. The moonlight illuminated his pale face and softened his reddish-brown hair and eyes. She noticed the same loneliness in his eyes that she felt inside. How could someone so kind look so downtrodden?

"Do you like to look at the stars?"

His whispered voice made her heart flutter, but she remained in the shadows like an apparition, not daring to move. She didn't trust her voice to speak. And as much as she wanted to trust him, she knew she could not risk even that.

"Did you know that the stars form pictures in the night sky?"

Her eyes opened wide with surprise when he said that. "H-How?" she asked in disbelief. She had been looking up at the stars for a few years now—always alone—but never saw any pictures. Intrigued, she inched closer to the window, keeping her eyes fixed on him with distrust.

He smiled gently at her briefly before turning his attention back to the sky. "Yes, all of the stars come together in many different pictures. And they each have a story to tell. Come and see."

She chewed on her lower lip. She wanted to see what pictures he was talking about, but she didn't know if she could trust him, and she was afraid of getting caught in the hallway with him. He didn't look threatening at all, quite the contrary, he looked humble and forlorn. She reached out and touched his hand with the tips of her fingers.

She was right. He was just like her. A broken and lonely soul looking for comfort, warmth, and love in this world engulfed in darkness.

She pressed the palm of her small hand flat on the back of his resting on the window sill and, brushing her long black hair back from her face, stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight with him.

She looked up at the stars in the sky with her large grey eyes as he spoke softly, tracing the little diamonds with his fingertip upon the glass. She listened in awe to the stories that they carried while holding onto his hand. Stories of a world far beyond her own that she would never see, but could dream about. And through him, she felt as though she was soaring through the night sky, far away from her invisible non-existence... and become one of the stars that would forever shimmer brightly in the night; no longer a nothing... but a something—spectacular.

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Author's Note: All will be revealed in the story in due time... and a hint of hope through all the turmoil that will unfold... This story takes place 10 years after the anime and involves an original character. This is AU and contains spoilers from chapter 97 and up! This does not mean that everything that happened at the end of the manga has taken place... In this story, the Sohma family is still cursed because something happened and the happy ending in the manga never happens...

This story contains humour, drama, mystery, suspense, angst, sweet & tender moments, and a touch of romance all wrapped up in one. There are several plot twists (some involving Kyo... who has a significant role) and all of the Sohma characters will have a place in the story. There is much to come and much to happen...

January 30, 2014 update: There is a new prequel that you can find on my page called "Child of God" that explains how Akiten came into the world. It's not necessary to read, but offers background info (and highlights established relationships between key characters in the original Fruits Basket story). It's there for your reading pleasure if you're looking for more. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET (Natsuki Takaya-sama does). Akiten is mine though :D

Extended Summary: (Guardian Angel) - Tohru disappeared from their lives, but 10 years later, there was hope. And it came in the form of a small, malnourished girl, born from the womb of God and offering both Juunishi and child a second chance. But she is no ordinary child. A darkness surrounds her that she can barely contain. But God's spirit had chosen her. Shigure's unknown daughter is destined to renew the Juunishi bond... or will she? She can see the chains of the "bond" strangling them and she must decide if she really wants to rule over their lives with misery... or offer them hope and love? However, in doing so, she risks herself and anyone else near her... God may not approve of her actions. (AR, chap 97+ spoilers)