Disclaimer- I do not own Fruits Basket, Natsuki Takaya does. Enjoy!
Chapter 1. Triggered
Kyo gasped, feeling slightly nauseated, as he sat up.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness as he realized that he was in his room. Sheets were gripped harder within his grasp as he recalled the dream, no, the nightmare. He had seen his father earlier today when he had bolted out of the house that morning after losing another fight to the damn rat.
Usually Kyo would sulk on the roof or traipse around the woods for hours until he deemed it fit that he was in a somewhat threshold of calm before sneaking back into his room but today he had felt oddly adventurous. Going with his gut, he had left and walked straight out of the woods until he reached the city.
After hours of roaming around while trying to ignore all the ogling girls which he found was not too hard, he had found himself composed and sleepy. He was ready to go back to what he dreaded to call home but was stopped in his track when he had seen him.
His father was sitting on a bench outside a grocery store, his legs crossed and tapping against the sidewalk inconsistently. His hair was slicked back nicely, going well with the suit that clung to his frame perfectly. A slight gleam from the man's right wrist showed evidence of a pricey watch. Kyo felt his heart contract painfully in his chest and without even knowing he had taken a few steps toward an ally, obscuring his figure in whole.
Kyo stared at his father, feeling nostalgic. His father checked his watch and something akin to a frown laced itself across his face. Kyo inwardly flinched from his position. Even from this distance, his father's presence scared him. He remembered the beating, the yelling, and the rejection; it came crashing forth, leaving him inevitably numb. An older man came out of the store bracing groceries bag with slight trouble. If his father had seen the older man's trouble, he made no attempt to ease it. Kyo quickly concluded that the elderly man must work for the Sohma estate, his father's personal assistant, he presumed. His father got up with a huff and dusted off his clothes from nonexistent dust before shooting the older man a curse before departing, the older man quickly following albeit reluctantly. And that was it. That was all Kyo saw of his father, but just that immediate sight of his father and the horrifying memories had his legs feeling shaky.
He vaguely recalled the journey back to Shigure's place but, if his memory served him right, he had bent over and hurled into a trashcan in a desolate alleyway. He remembered being confused after he threw up, knowing that he hadn't ate that morning – his fight with Yuki erupted before he could that morning. He quickly dismissed it, believing that he had just thrown up last night's dinner. By the time he had got home, Tohru was already away at work thus leaving him with his oh so two favorite cousins.
He remembered his entrance being quiet and even Yuki seemed somewhat surprised when he saw Kyo standing at the threshold of the kitchen door. But Yuki quickly recovered from his surprise and threw a snarky comment at the cat which the said cat all but thoroughly ignored. The silence that greeted them shocked not only Yuki, but Shigure who was sitting next to the table, moaning earlier about the how the world was against him by destroying his well-earned house. Shigure's monologue was stopped short as he watched Kyo cross the kitchen slowly and grabbed a cup before filling it with milk. He frowned, placing the manuscript that he was reading earlier down, and continued to stare at Kyo from the brim of his glasses.
Everybody in the Sohma household knew that Kyo was notorious for his temper and had a sharp tongue to match it but he was oddly docile today. On closer inspection, he looked slightly pale. Maybe he should call Hatori tomorrow? Something flickered in Yuki's eyes as he too felt slightly unnerved by Kyo's sudden quiet nature. Had he hit him too hard during their fight this morning? Or had all the smashing and hitting finally piled up and snapped the cat's spirit? Yuki quickly shook his head, ridding himself of such inane thoughts. The cat was too strong to let a couple of whacks get him down, he always got up. Always.
"What's with you, Cat?" Yuki snapped, crossing his arm. Shigure leaned in, feeling worried but finding his interest peaked.
Kyo made no indication that he heard Yuki's question nor did he make a suggestion that he was even aware of the other two occupants in the room. He emptied his drink, washed it, placed it back into the cupboard before silently walking out of the room and trudging up the stairs.
Yuki had almost taken a couple of steps after the Cat but had caught himself at the last moment of hesitance. They heard the soft click of a door. Yuki tried to school in his sudden worry for his suddenly passive cousin before turning to Shigure, who, first once, was not grinning like an idiot or acting perverted.
"What's wrong with the stupid Cat?" Yuki asked, trying to add malice in the name, but falling quite short of it which did not go unnoticed by his older cousin.
"I don't know," Shigure got up from his seat, picking up his manuscript as well. Then his solemn face was no more, quickly being replaced with a silly grin even his walk had a sudden bounce. His swift change in demeanor was admirable. "But I'm sure our little Kyo will be up and back on his feet by tomorrow! Or until our Little Flower gets home and cheers him up!"
Yuki was too entangled to reprimand Shigure for the pet name and just nodded at his cousin's words.
He hoped what Shigure said was true.
When Kyo had clicked his door shut, he had promptly slouched into his bed. The overwhelming sense of tiredness came over him, sleep ebbing away the clarity of his mind. The image of his father fading in and out of his mind as he fell into the land of slumber, his hands gripping the sheets tightly.
He did not know how long he was asleep until the dream started to bombard him. He saw his mother standing in a white sun dress, humming softly as she sashayed around the kitchen. The dream was so vividly clear that he had almost forgot that he was dreaming. His mother turned and her eyes widen slightly as her eyes landed on him. Could she see him?
"Kyo," she whispered as she placed a hand gently on her bosom. "You frightened me."
You are always frightened of me, because I'm a monster. Kyo was slightly taken back from the childish voice. He found himself turning, trying to find the source of it but came back blank. Then he realized that the voice sounded like him but only younger. It seems this dream is allowing him to hear his thoughts and see through his younger self's eyes. How odd…he never had a dream like this before.
"I'm sorry." A little voice replied out loud. His mother smiled before sinking to his eye-level and grabbing his hand gently, almost caressing it.
It's there. It's always there. The voice echoed in his head again as he felt a spike of anger but it quickly faded to irritation.
Kyo watched through the child's eyes as his mother rolled the sleeves up warily, presenting the black and white beads that he had come to hate and depend on. His mother let out an unbeknownst held breath before turning her eyes back to Kyo, smiling though it did not reach her eyes.
"Are you hungry, Kyo?" She pulled her hands away and started to chop the carrots again. She never touched him more than necessary. She didn't like touching him nor did she like looking at him.
'Who would?' a bitter thought seeped in again. He felt a sudden tug of sadness but it felt almost…secondhand. This was a dream right? It couldn't possibly be a memory. The younger version of him nodded before giving a small vocal answer. Then he felt his younger self move toward the window that looked over the small backyard.
Throughout the years, he and his mother had come to a subtle unspoken agreement. That unspoken agreement of allowing him to look idly out of the window. It seemed that she had become wearier after the incident of Kagura accidentally ripping his beads off. She had confined him. He was rarely let out now days, and when he was allowed he was restrained at her side. She had let him quench his penchants be starring out the windows but even then she seemed wary. Probably frightened that somebody could see her disgusting child through the window and tease her wounds even more by transforming him into some uglier by reaching through the solidified window and pull the beads off.
She didn't say much about it, but, even then, he knew that she didn't really approve of him starring out the window. But even though she didn't candidly scold him for it, he kept the privilege bounded, not wanting to abuse it. He never knew when she could possibly cut it off and no longer extend it. So like a good child he only starred out the window for an hour a day maximum, longer if his mother was no present.
As his mother started to hum again, he stared out the window, every now and then recoiling his head back to see the clock. Kyo was starting to become slightly bored at the dream and he found himself wondering why he was dreaming such a thing anyway. Before he could let his musing run even further, he felt his younger self become rigid. He turned back to look through his eyes and he founded himself shaking at the sight that greeted him, but he didn't know why the sight the light girl frightened him so.
A little girl stood in the yard, no older than nine, and she was waving at him. She was bounded in a tight, purple yukata. The fabric that bounded her was obviously heavy and too hot for the current weather. Even though the Sohma were known for their old tradition and archaic building, something seemed slightly off about her. She seemed a bit out of her … century. Her yukata was more elaborate and traditional than the ones you usually see the people who are still trying to keep custom wearing.
She took a step closer to the window, the golden brooch in her hair swinging, before she attempted another wave. Little Kyo took a tentative glance to his mother who was too occupied with the cooking to notice the girl's appearance before turning back to her. Weakly, he waved back and tried to manage a small smile. The little girl laughed, and danced around the garden, seemingly content. His younger self leaned in closer, fascinated by her graceful moves, as the chair that he sat upon squeaked slightly from the sudden distribution of weight.
The chopping behind him stopped, but he was too immersed to notice.
"Kyo," Kyo startled as he felt his mother's presence behind him. The proximity was slightly frightening. "Who are you waving at?"
Suddenly frightened that his mother would scold him, he dropped his hand and turned back to her. He was about to apologize while hoping profusely that she would not cancel the only shred of happiness that he had. But when he turned back to her, she didn't look angry. She looked earnestly curious. Somewhat mollified by the turn of events, he turned to window again and meekly pointed to where the girl stood through the window.
"That girl," he said uncertainly.
"Who?" She pursued her lips and leaned forward, her hair brushing his shoulder.
Kyo was starting to get a feeling why this girl unsettled him so much. He knew that his younger self was still confused for he pointed to where the little girl stood again, moving slightly, hoping his mother could possibly see her. 'Maybe there's a glare…' he heard his younger self think innocently.
"Kyo," his mother started again, sounding slightly panicked, but was covered well with layers of practiced patients. "I don't see anyone. There's no one there."
Little Kyo shook his head adamantly. He tapped his finger against the window for emphasis.
"She's right there! In the purple yukata." Then he paused as he saw another person appear, this time a man. Unlike the little girl, he was not wearing anything fanciful, but his clothes were something his younger self has never seen before. His attire composed of only two colors: white and black. His shirt and pants were white but there was something in the center of the man's shirt that was stained black. "Look, there's another man. He must be her father, Mommy. There's something black on his shirt."
His mother stayed deathly silent.
He squinted, realizing that the black splotch was a word. The man moved closer to the girl, evening out the creases of his shirt with his movement.
"Oh," Kyo was finally able to see the word. "It says 'prisoner' on it."
Kyo could feel his mind whirling, but this time the feeling was not second hand, no, it was not something that was conjured up from his younger self, he, himself, was breeding it.
He understood.
The clues, there were so many: their old attire, the girl's antique brooch, the word 'prisoner' on the man's shirt, and his mother's inability to see what he saw.
He wanted to wake up from this dream, it was not funny nor was it entertaining. His mother must be aligning the clues as well, but only his younger self did not understand what he was seeing, staying blissfully oblivious. Kyo turned his attention back to the two people in the garden, feeling nauseous. Suddenly, a large gash appeared at the man's side, a spear wound. The little girl had stopped twirling, looking upset as she stared at the man.
"Mommy," Kyo felt excited as he continued to narrate. Misreading his mother's silence as a sign for him to continue on- a sign of acceptance. He paused, frowning at the sight in front of him. "Mommy, his shirt is turning red. Why is it turning red?"
Finally, he turned back to his mother and was surprised to see her looking absolutely horrified. Her face was pale. 'Is she sad because the little girl is crying?'
"Momm-" Kyo made out to grab his mother's hand in comfort even though he knew that she would probably not appreciate the act.
Then he felt it, a sting of his check and the sound of flesh echoing off against one another.
He gasped as he was knocked out of the little chair, the chair clattering down beside him. His mother was sobbing now.
"Oh, god," she wailed. "Why is my child like this? What have I done to deserve this? A monster!" she collapsed to her knees and cried into her arms. He didn't know how long time passed but suddenly his mother had come to her senses. She pulled him as close as she dared without him transforming.
"Kyo, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. You know Mommy loves you, right?"
He nodded numbly; frightened that she would lash out again if he said something out of line. She pulled away and held his shoulder at bay as if she was frightened that he would collapse into her.
"Kyo, there was nothing there, do you understand? You were seeing things. They don't exist." Her fingers tightened around his shoulders, almost making his wince.
Once again, he nodded.
She pulled back, her hands falling back to her side as she nodded. She gave a few swipes at her eyes before drying her hands off the apron. She stood up and turned off the whistling pot.
He glanced back at the window to see the girl was also now drenched in blood but she was still smiling. The man was no longer standing but laying on his stomach, blood pooled around him. He had stopped moving. The girl jumped on the man back and laughed harder as his blood splattered onto her, staining her pale face and yukata.
She stopped jumping on the man's now broken back, it now looked slightly indented, and gave him a smile. The smile that once looked warm suddenly looked frightening and Kyo found his younger self veering back in fright.
But what frightened him more was when he heard her speak. He knew he wasn't able to hear her before.
"Hi, Kyo! Let's be friends. Play with me!" her voice was sickeningly sweet. Blood slipped from her eyes, as if she was crying.
Before he could say anything else, he woke up but one word registered in his younger's mind that he, the older version and his mother had already figured out,
Ghost.
A/N : So I really hope you like my first fanfic! I know I'm not that great, but I really hope to improve! ^^
And I'm pretty sure there's a lot of grammar mistakes (i really suck when it comes to that) and plus I wrote this at the spur of the moment in about two hours (yes, i know. Slow. Hopefully I'll get faster at writing and coming up with stuff). And it's really late over here. The later it is, the more grammar mistakes I have. Deprived mind, you know? Anyway, so, yes, what Little Kyo was seeing were ghosts! Since he's the cat and all. I really hope this goes well and you guys don't totally hate it.
Anyway, please R&R. No flames pleases.
1/6/2013
