Summary: Tohru Honda has just lost her mother and has been sent to live with the mysterious Sohma family. The household is dark and "dead, like a spell had been cast upon it". There are many mysteries here for the young girl to solve. But the biggest mystery is why the gardens are locked away and who's making that crying sound at night…

A/N: For those of you who are reading "The Dove", don't worry. I'm still going to finish that one. I just got this idea that I couldn't help but type madly tonight. I got to watching "The Secret Garden" and I got ideas. Tohru is Mary's age (around 10), as are the other two main "child" characters.

Chapter 1…..The Heartbreak

It seemed as if they had been traveling for an eternity. Tohru had spent the last few weeks in a daze. She'd tried to be friendly to the other kids while they were on the ship, but it hadn't always worked out. Many of them took advantage of her naturally kind nature and many of them picked on her.

"She hasn't got anyone that wants her," a boy had whispered behind her back, "the Sohmas are probably only adopting her as a tax-write-off."

"She's so plain and so air-headed," a girl had said, "she'll believe anything you tell her."

They had done a number of other things that were hurtful, as well. They often tried to steal Tohru's picture of her mother and hide it just to upset her. Other times, they would pointedly exclude her from their games. To break the monotony of being on the boat, they would pick one game to play all day and then the next day pick a different game. One day, they were playing Fruits Basket.

"I'm an orange!" one would say. "I'm a peach!" Another would cry.

"What can I be?" Tohru had asked.

"You can be the rice ball," the girl had said smugly. Tohru clapped her hands together, ecstatic that somebody was actually including her. But as time went on and all the others were called, she never once heard anyone say "rice ball." As a consequence, it became her unwanted nickname.

Now, at last, they were getting off the boat. The other kids chanted "Rice Ball!" as she walked past, but she only smiled sadly. At least there was her new family to look forward to…

"Number Forty-Three! Tohru Honda!" the man said over the loudspeaker. She'd been watching as the children were called one by one (unless there were siblings) to the front of the line where their relatives greeted them. The earthquake had claimed many more lives than just Kyoko Honda's.

Tohru bravely marched to the front of the line carrying her suitcases. She looked around for warm smiles and hugs, but there came none, only an awkward silence. She felt the blood drain from her face and her stomach turn.

"Number forty-three! TOHRU HONDA!" the man enunciated firmly as if speaking to someone hard of hearing. Surely they would come now…

The crowd of children burst into laughter.

"Rice ball! Rice ball!" they chanted.

"Just step aside, dear. I'm sure someone will come for you soon. Perhaps they're only running late."

Tohru's head hung as a tear trickled down her cheek.

Or maybe they didn't want me…

Despite her usual sunny outlook on things, she couldn't help but think the worst had happened. The sky was gray and murky and a storm was brewing. Perhaps the letter from this "Hatori Sohma" was a cruel prank that someone was playing on her. Perhaps they had changed their mind and didn't want a ten-year-old-girl hanging around. She looked down at the generic black dress that they'd put her in. Despite doing her best with her appearance, she felt dull and plain. Even her blue hair ribbons were wilted. Her teal eyes, now wet, bloodshot, and stinging, scanned the crowd with a silent plea: perhaps, any minute, her new "uncle" would come for her.

One by one, the rest of the names were called. Dark set in. Tohru's head ached and she was very hungry. At least now, with no one watching her, she could let her tears fall without the constant taunting.

"Did I do something wrong, Mom? I did everything they asked…I tried not to make myself a bother to anyone…" she cradled her mother's framed portrait in her arms.

She heard footsteps getting closer. The janitor had been pretending not to notice her though she'd attempted to talk to him. Perhaps he was only returning his supplies to the storage building. She wished there were a fireplace somewhere nearby…it was getting dreadfully cold in here.

"Tohru Honda?" a voice asked.

Tohru raised her head with a surprised gasp. A dark-haired woman emerged from the shadows. She was older and had heavy shadows under her eyes, but there was a determined look about her.

"Let me check," the announcer man from earlier said, skimming his eyes down his clipboard, "yes, number forty-three: Tohru Honda."

"I've come to claim her. I'm Okami Sohma from the Sohma Estate. I came in Hatori's place, as he is away on business."

"Yes, of course."

Tohru stood, bowing respectfully, and earning an awkward chuckle from both adults. She wished she hadn't cried so much: she didn't want this woman to think of her as a nuisance or a baby.

"Well, dear, let's get your things into the carriage and we'll be off."

The coach ride seemed to take even longer. Okami was reluctant to talk much, but she did offer Tohru something to eat. Ironically, it was rice balls. They were cold, but they satisfied the hunger, thankfully. Tohru thanked her and retreated to her thoughts, seeing that Okami wasn't up for conversation. She lay her head back and fell asleep.

At first, sleep was a welcome distraction, but all she had were nightmares. She dreamed about the doctor telling her that Kyoko hadn't survived. She dreamed about the people from the orphanage and the church taking her to the boat and the children taunting her. After a while, Tohru gave up trying to sleep and stared out the window. The whole countryside was gray in the poor morning light—would it EVER stop raining? The farmers' fields were doused in mist and she couldn't see very much. Her bottom was beginning to ache, and her legs longed to run to relieve the stiffness. But she said nothing. She didn't dare sour Okami's opinion of her, especially when she knew how fortunate she was. But it got tiring being so good all the time…nothing in the world was as hard as being good when you just wanted to be yourself.

Okami woke after a while and pointed to a vague rooftop in the distance.

"There's Sohma House now! When we get there, you'll go to bed for a few hours and rest. Then you'll have some breakfast and get settled in, all right?"

Tohru nodded, though she didn't really want to sleep. It was too weird in a strange place like this.

"Will I see Dr. Sohma soon?" she asked.

"It's not likely. He stays away from home a great deal…he always has since Akira and Ren passed away. They didn't have any suitable heirs to pass the title on to, so he took it over. But he only keeps from selling everything off out of kindness. The place just holds too many memories for him."

Tohru hung her head, disappointed.

"There was a time he knew your mother as well, so you can see why he'd show a little reluctance," Okami said, "she was once one of his patients before she married your father and moved away."

Tohru's heartbeat quickened. So, there had been a reason! She wondered what else she hadn't known before. This place, it seemed, was full of secrets.