Disclaimer: I don't own fruits basket. I just LOVE reading it!
In this story, Tohru is 19 years old and never met any of the Sohma's. She heard of them, of course—everyone did. This is my second fanfic. I hope you like it! But don't forget to review anyway!
Cured
'It is part of the cure to wish to be cured'
Chapter 1: The Comeback
It had been a very long day, and Tohru's delicate body could not handle the supposedly simple action of walking anymore. It was already dark and she hadn't eaten a thing since the morning. She'd been working twice as hard lately so she could be able to pay the rent of her tiny studio apartment. She wasn't complaining though—she liked the job she got after her high school graduation. Sure it was a lot of exertion to work as a full time waitress at a very popular restaurant, but the manager had told her that if she kept working hard he might promote her to the kitchen, and cooking was definitely something she enjoys greatly.
The street was quite and almost empty except for a couple walking hand in hand on the other sidewalk. It reminded her of the time when she was a small child; she used to walk out on the streets with her mom, late at night when everyone was asleep. Her mom would make up this long adventure story and Tohru would take her word for it. She looked up at the clear night sky, and wished that she could be with her mom.
It was becoming harder to walk. Just a little more and I'll be home. She smiled as she watched the girl hit the boy playfully after he'd whispered something into her ears. But her smile quickly faded. This couldn't be, she thought, shaking her head furiously. She could have sworn she saw her mother—her mother!—waving at her behind the couple. She stopped shaking her head and looked again but no one was there except for the boy and girl. Tohru started laughing out loud at her own stupidity. The couple shot her a look that clearly expressed their concern for her sanity. How could I possibly think that I saw her?
She finally reached the building she lived in. She went up the stairs and entered her apartment. She felt that there was something different about it, but she wasn't alert enough to spot the exact change. Was that chair always there? And my mom's picture—it's a different one. Tohru was sure that in the picture she put beside her bed was her mom with short hair hugging the baby her. Now, however, lay beside the bed a picture of Kyoko with long hair standing beside Katsuya. Before Tohru could consider this any further, she turned off the lights and dropped into the bed. She was too tired to think of anything.
Just when she had started to rest, she heard a sudden loud bang that made her jolt upright with eyes wide open. She clutched the blanket and wished she had one of her friends with her. She never felt more solitary. Ever since the graduation, she hadn't seen either of them much. Saki was busy working at her parent's antique shop, and Arisa was busy with her modeling career.
From her bed, Tohru could mark out the kitchen's contour through the dark. She could see a shadow moving behind the kitchen counter, and her heart started beating violently in her chest. She stood up slowly, scrutinizing the place around her. She could still sense a motion in the kitchen. It was only few steps away. The problem was that the light switch was near the kitchen. She gulped and started walking carefully towards it. Step by step…Here we go…Three…Two…One—She turned the switch on and let out a sharp scream. It was so loud it made a cat down the street shriek. I must be dreaming! How could my mom be here?! Right in front of Tohru stood her mother, grinning cheerily. However, when Tohru looked panicked – instead of overjoyed – to see her mother, Kyoko smiled more soothingly.
"Calm down sweetie," Kyoko reassured Tohru, "It's just me. Your mother."
"EH!" Tohru exclaimed, running in circles around the room, convincing herself that she's imagining her mom. Not only was she standing there in front of her, but she was also speaking casually as though there's nothing strange about her rising from death! Rising from death! What am I thinking?! Maybe I'm dreaming—this would make a lot more sense if I was, right? She looked at the spot were she saw her mom, and found that her mom was still there looking at her, uncertain. Tohru knew this look of hopelessness—of not knowing what to do. She remembered how her mom used to look at her this way whenever she'd fret over something. She looks so real yet it couldn't be… "But you…you died," Tohru pointed out.
"True," Kyoko said, nodding wisely.
"What—?! I mean…How…??" Tohru was at a loss of words. She decided to give up finding any logic in this, and sat on her bed.
"Well," Kyoko said, walking around the small apartment as though she was a tourist in some foreign country, "This little loft isn't as awful as it seems."
Tohru remained speechless. Even if she wanted to say something, she couldn't. Her head was spinning and felt too heavy to carry. Her lungs felt tight in her chest and she could hardly inhale any air. Her heart was thumping fiercely.
Kyoko stopped inspecting the apartment, and moved closer to her child—though not so close as to be able to touch her. "Are you okay Tohru? You look a little pale," she whispered, anxious. "Not a little actually—a lot pale!"
Tohru looked at her mom's worried expression, and that was the last thing she saw before everything turned black.
"SAKI! Come here. I think she's waking up! Welcome back you silly—! You've got us so worried about you—
"Don't worry, I'll be fine mom," Tohru murmured, opening her eyes slightly and then shutting them close again.
"Don't be silly, silly. I'm Arisa, your friend, remember?"
Tohru took her time, processing the words as they slowly entered her mind. She looked around and saw that the whole place looked very…white. Right above her was her mom's face—no, it was Arisa's face. She looked behind Arisa and saw Saki talking to an old white-bearded man wearing a long white coat.
"Huh?! Where am I? What happened?! Is anyone hurt?!" Tohru suddenly said sitting straight again.
"Oh our dearest Tohru," Saki came closer to Tohru and held her hands, "how do you feel right now?"
"I'm okay, but what happened?"
"Okay, let's start from the beginning," Arisa said. "I was fighting with one of those bony models I'm living with when suddenly I receive a call from Saki saying that she is sensing some very odd signal from your place. She said it's urgent so we both met up and went to your apartment. We saw you lying on the floor beside your bed—God knows how terrified I was!—and so we immediately took you to the nearest hospital,"
"The doctor said he'll give some pain killers for the headache. He already gave some medicine for the fever but it doesn't seem to be going away," Saki said and added more sorrowfully, "and I can still sense those abnormal signals."
Tohru was feeling distressed. Not only because the physical pain she was enduring in her body, but because of the worrisome she had brought. She couldn't look at Uo and Hana with a pained expression on her face, so she looked to the other side of the bed and abruptly released another sharp scream. Not again! I was sure I was dreaming the last time. Am I dreaming right now too?!
"You really are just silly, aren't you?" Kyoko said, shaking her head despondently. "You know, you don't have to feel guilty for being sick."
Saki and Arisa looked anxious as Tohru started acting panicky and kept looking hither and thither.
"Calm down Tohru," Arisa said, as Saki moved swiftly out the room to call the nurse, "tell me where it hurts. What's wrong?"
"Can't you see her?!" Tohru points at her mom. "She's right here—she just talked to me. I swear!"
"I can't see anyone Tohru."
"But why? How come—
"Well honey of course they can't see me," Kyoko said amusingly, "I'm not exactly alive, ain't I?"
"Then how come I can see you?" Tohru asked, while Arisa, Hana, and the nurse all stared at the empty space beside Tohru's bed, bewildered.
"Because you need me," Kyoko answered simply, looking around the room with distaste. "It's too damn white in here! Ask them when you can go back home."
Tohru, though still panicked, automatically turned to face her friends. "She wants to know when I can get home?"
Saki and Arisa exchanged a look. And before they could say anything, the nurse started speaking.
"The doctor said that you can take the medicine he prescribed for you, and go home tonight."
Tohru's head still felt heavy, and she felt disorientated. She turned toward the place her mom was, but she wasn't there. What did this mean? She was there, I saw her! Maybe she did come back to me—so we can be together, the way we used to be. And even if all of this was just a dream, I still want to savor every moment of it.
Saki and Arisa insisted on spending the night with Tohru. None of them talked about how weird Tohru was acting and just assumed it was part of her illness. When they entered the room, Tohru immediately went to her closet and pulled out a blanket so she could sleep on it on the floor. But just as Tohru was closing her closet, she saw her mother standing right there, and let out another scream.
"What happened?!" Arisa bellowed, running towards Tohru.
"Eh?" Tohru didn't know what to say. Her mother was still there.
"I'm sorry Tohru," She whispered in a very low voice, "but it's hard to be there when there are people around, I guess."
"It's that abnormal signal again." Saki said to Arisa. "Put her into bed. Quickly."
Arisa immediately did what she was told, and picked up Tohru from the ground and carried her over one shoulder.
"Aaah! Arisa! You'll get hurt," Tohru exclaimed, but when she finished her sentence, she was already tucked in her bed. Her friends were both looking at her intensely. "It's my mom," Tohru said, trying hard not to sound ridiculous. "She came back. I don't know why you guys can't see her, but I swear to you she was just standing right there!"
Tohru pointed at the closet, but only her clothes were hanging there. From all the times Kyoko disappeared that day, this was the first time Tohru felt a little surge of disappointment.
Saki put her hands on Tohru's head, looking at her more sympathetically than ever. "You still have the fever."
Arisa put her hand too on Tohru's forehead and her worried expression gradually transformed into an expression of a person on the verge of exploding from anger.
"That crappy place they call hospital! They left you burning!" She cried out, clenching her fists. "We must go right now to another hospital, but we shouldn't forget to sue that freakin' old man!"
"No, please—there's really no need for this," Tohru begged, taking what Arisa said seriously, and already feeling sorry for the old man. She couldn't be the cause of any more trouble. When Arisa's face remained incredulous, Tohru added, "I think a little sleep will make me feel better. I don't think—I know it will."
"Listen, how about we let you sleep for now, and if there's no improvement, we'll look for another hospital?" Saki suggested.
"Oh fine! But we should check the first thing in the morning!" She said as though she was fighting with somebody. "Sleep well Tohru," she said more softly, turning away. She turned off the lights, and they all went to sleep.
The End of chapter 1! I'll be updating soon. Now, click on review and tell me what you think!