Well here I am, at my computer desk. I am an ordinary 14 year old girl. My name is Dakota. And let's just say I'm an……outcast. Fruits basket was playing on my laptop screen and I watched my two favorite characters, Hatsuharu and Yuki play out a scene. What I wouldn't give to be there with them….. Suddenly there was a bright light that shot out from my computer screen, and the familiar voices from my favorite show called out to me. I reached for the voices, plunging my arm into the light. Then my whole life changed.
I groaned and my head pounded horribly. I reached my hand to my head, but it was stare that as I looked around me everything seemed to be in anime form. I gasped in surprise as I shot straight up, making my head pound.
"Ugh, my head..." I groaned. I was caught up short. What was that? Japanese??!!?? The English in my head had converted perfectly into fluent Japanese. How…strange. I slowly opened my eyes. Four people surrounded me, a young pretty girl with long dark brown hair, and three men, one with brunette hair who seemed older than the rest and two teenagers. One had flaming orange hair, his stocky tough look made my cringe into my pillow, but I found comfort in the boy who sat next to me's appearance. He was beautiful. His hair was so black it was almost a purple color, and his eyes were the darkest shade of lavender. His sharp face reflected my confusion and his held slight worry.
"Oh good! You're awake! How do you feel? That car hit you pretty hard, are you in a lot of pain?" inquired the pretty girl. Her eyes were bright, and cheerful. She created such a happy aura in all of the room I couldn't help but smile at her.
"Yes, I feel much better, but my head…" I whispered. My voice was the same. I glanced down at my hands to look at the way I had been altered. My skin was perfect now, I could see long black hair flow down around me, thought it had red tips now. "If I can use your bathroom, I think I could be out of your hair. Thank you very much for caring for me." I said. I shifted so that I could bow on my knees, thought the action made my head hurt even worse.
"Not at all. My name is Yuki, remember? That is Kyo, and this here is my cousin, Shigure. It's been years, it's so good to see you! Oh, and this is Tohru Honda. Don't worry she is in on our little secret." said Yuki with a wink as he stood motioning to the men that sat around me I watched as the gleam in his eyes slowly died down. He reached his hand out to me to help me up, hesitantly, I took it. Haven't seen you in years?!? What does he think he's talking about?!
"You know me? What are you talking about, "it's been years"? I'm a 21st century girl who just got sucked into her favorite anime! What are you talking about 'it's been years'!??!!!??" I yelled as I stood. Though I immediately regretted yelling. I clutched my head in my hands and fell to my knees in pain. I looked up to stare into the faces of the characters that had captivated me for years. Tohru, Kyo, Shigure, and Yuki. Though I had never really met them, I knew everything there was to know about them and the whole Sohma family.
"Dakota! Are you okay?" Asked a worried Shigure who had gotten up, his hands fluttering around my back, trying to find a way to help me. I pushed myself back up again, keeping a good hold on my head, seeing as that seemed to ease, but not erase the pain.
"What are you saying? You are Dakota Sohma, a member of the Zodiac" said Yuki, he looked me deep in the eyes, he was holding me up, his arms wrapped around my torso. Of course, if I was a normal girl, Yuki would have transformed into a mouse already. I ran out of Yuki's arms, through the hall and tore my way into the bathroom. Of course I knew my way around this house, I had only seen it in the show a hundred times. Memories flooded back to me. I had been sitting at my computer desk, watching this very show when a light had appeared. I filled the sink with cool water while I tried not to notice that everyone had gathered in the doorway. I filled my hands with the water and splashed it on my face trying to clear my pounding head. I looked up to the mirror, some of the things I expected, the way my face was now shaped and the long black hair with the bright red tips. All of these details were typical of this particular anime, even the way my new eyes were drawn, now a milky shade of brown. I couldn't piece the colors together, what animal was I? I tried to remember the different animals.
I couldn't be the mouse, that was Yuki, or the cat because Kyo was the cat. I couldn't be the rabbit, the monkey, the tiger, the snake, the dog, the horse, the ox, the boar, the dragon, or the sheep. So I must be….the rooster! That would explain the black hair with red tips and brown eyes. I contemplated that while I tried to be calm as Yuki came in and took my hand from the counter and held it gingerly in his own. Why is Yuki Sohma holding my hand? Of course I didn't object. Yuki was my most beloved character in the whole show. Only Hatsuharu could take second. But even the warm spot I had in my heart for Hatsuharu was nothing compared to the way my heart flew when I thought about Yuki.
"Don't you remember, Dakota? Think back to the swings at the main house. Think about….about…me." said Yuki with a hurt look. What had I forgotten? Just then my hand felt a thousand pounds heavier. I looked down, only to see a perfectly silver band, wrapped around my ring finger on my right hand. I….am…Engaged?????? I heard my breath quicken, and soon I realized I was hyperventilating. I tried to slow my frantic breaths, my hand still locked in Yuki's. I saw the glint of silver on his right hand also. Oh...My…GOD!
Everything pieced itself together in my mind just in time for everything to go black and for me to faint. I heard gasps and a loud voice in my ear. But none of it mattered to me, I just swam in darkness. It was comfortable. But then a dream appeared in my pleasant darkness. There was a little boy and a little girl. The little girl was wearing a nice dress, and she sat quietly on a swing, the little boy was dressed nicely also. He pushed the girl gently from behind. They both laughed and the way they looked at each other, it was electric. They both wore tiny silver rings.
Then my eyes fluttered and I looked into the faces of the people that surrounded me. Yuki was closest, then Shigure and Tohru. I tried not to feel hurt that Kyo was sitting in the corner, looking bored and frankly a little miffed. I turned my eyes back to Yuki. Could it really be?
"You and I….I remember the swings. Yuki, what's going on? I don't remember anything!" I cried, frustrated. When I thought off the past all I could get was small bits and pieces of my life in the 21st century. My memories of Yuki and the rest of the cast were only of me watching the show and their adventures.
"You don't remember?" whispered Yuki, pain clear in his eyes. I squeezed his fingers. I hated seeing him so sad and upset. "Shigure, please call Hatori immediately."
"Yes, I'm sure he'll be right over" exclaimed Shigure. He was slightly more solemn than his normal quirky self. He gave me a quick nod and a reassuring look before he walked out of the room quietly. Tohru quickly and politely excused herself, dragging Kyo out of the room with her. I barely noticed. I was too busy trying to remember something that would ease Yuki's evident pain, and maybe something to explain why Yuki and I were…..engaged. I could remember sitting before Akito, Yuki was next to me, and all of our parents were there. Both Yuki and I were young, around eight or nine maybe. I couldn't remember what the meeting was about, but I remember being so happy. Our parents were requesting something, Akito had said yes to whatever they had asked. I felt a knot rise in my throat. The joy that memory brought me almost knocked the breath out of me.
"The meeting with Akito…" I stammered. Yuki's eyes got wide with excitement. Obviously, this was an important memory. Uh Oh. Now the pressure was on. I put my fingers to my temples and I began to rub them, trying to coax more from my exhausted and aching brain. "You and I were there, and our parents. But I….can't remember why. I just remember being so……happy."
"That was the day our parents asked for…….an arranged marriage," said Yuki, his eyes so intense that even through the darkness of them I could see them smolder. "We could never have told Akito that we had actually wanted one. He would have never allowed it. Our parents agreed to help us. Remember?"
Then it all came back to me, the way Yuki and I had been when we were children, how it broke me when he left the main house. The way I had missed him, only living on the fact that one day he would come back for me to make me his. I had moved away from the main house just a few months after Yuki did, I went to go live on one of the many Sohma properties. I lived for the day that he would come for me.
I remembered leaving home, I had heard that Yuki was living only a few days walk away so I headed out, desperate to see him after nearly 4 years. But that car, it was a black Ford, a hit and run. Then I woke up with Yuki……I gasped wildly and threw my hands around Yuki's neck. Arms wound around my torso and he buried his face in my long hair. I could vaguely remember Yuki and I sitting in a tree, just talking. It felt so natural to embrace like this. I could remember the small things, my favorite foods, and my favorite family members, among other things. I was probably missing some key things but while Yuki hugged me none of that mattered. I hugged Yuki tighter. I inhaled his scent, they way his breath washed over me. The way my heart soared whenever he touched me.
"It's been MUCH too long since I held you this way…." I whispered in his ear. I heard a low chuckle. We held for the longest time, but when we heard the sliding door open, we quickly released each other. Hatori stood in the door way, a medical bag in one hand and a fluffy bunny hanging on his shoulder.
"Dakotaaaaa!" squealed Momiji. He excitedly jumped off of Hatori, and into my lap. His paws were on my shoulders and he licked my face vigorously.
"Momiji! Wow, what a handsome…rabbit you've become!" I laughed. I hugged the bunny close. I remembered slightly that when Momiji's mother wouldn't care for him and his father was busy, that I would watch Momiji. I was like his second mother. He and I had kept strong contact while I was gone.
"Hello, Dakota. Momiji. Get off of her. You don't have long. Go into Yuki's room. You can change there. I gave Tohru your clothes to put up there" scolded Hatori.
"Wahhh! But I want to stay with Dakooottaaaa!" cried Momiji. He crawled off me but stayed close to my feet. I heard a quick pop that had interrupted Yuki telling Momiji to listen to Hatori. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Opps, sorry! Tohru close your eyes!" yelled Momiji as I heard him sprint upstairs. I giggled slightly. I had missed Momiji, even Hatori. I opened my eyes to walk over to Hatori. I wrapped my arms around him.
"It's so nice to see you, Hatori" I said as I released him. He smiled slightly as he set his bag down.
"I heard you have quite a bit of memory loss, and possibly confusion" sighed Hatori, slipping into doctor mode. I nodded and sat down. Yuki sat quietly beside me, worry plastered on his face as usual. He had always been a worry wart. But I didn't mind much, it made me feel good that he worried about me. It made me believe that even after the years of absence, he still cared for me. He held my hand softly, while Hatori checked me over. He clucked his tongue once in a while, and when I lifted my shirt for Hatori to check my ribs, Yuki winced to see all the bruises. At least now I really had my proof that I had been hit by a car. In the end Hatori concluded that I had cracked my skull, and had some minor brain swelling. But he let me go with only an order to stay in bed for a few weeks. I nodded in agreement. Hatori gave me a bottle of stronger pain medicine then left with a disgruntled Momiji in tow. I waved with a smile on my lips.
Kyo and Tohru were upstairs, setting me up a room. Tohru has offered to give me hers, which was next to Yuki's, but I had simply blushed and told her it wasn't necessary. I had thanked her and Kyo and excused myself from the family room to lie in my new bed. I had brought a bag of yen with me, it would be enough to pay rent here for a few months, not that Shigure would dream of taking it. I would offer though, and try to be sneaky and slip yen into his coin purse. I will pull my weight, I refuse to be a burden. With that thought I slipped into a dream, one of me and Yuki, the day he had left. I saw myself sitting the swing from before, Yuki behind me. He wasn't pushing me though, he was embracing me from behind. I saw both of our chests shake with silent sobs. He had to leave, I had known that well. But why? I couldn't really remember, but I had almost been glad to see him from the main house, something there was hurting him. I missed him terribly, but it helped me through to know he was happier where ever he was. I remember asking everyone where Yuki was. But nobody would tell me, Akito had told everyone to keep me in the dark about anything pertaining to Yuki. He even went so far as to banish me from the New Year's celebration. I had overheard my parents talking when I found out where Yuki was. It was that very night I had runaway.