Never too late
Chapter 1- A new day
By: RealDiePie
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the plot line.
A/N: This story will focus on Tohru's life and the challenges she comes through (the animals zodiac curse doesn't exist in this story), so... Enjoy!
"My Mother seems so far away from me,
On that beautiful white shore across the sea.
Yet I remember love's soft glow upon her face,
And the feel of her touch and tender embrace."
-Belinda Stotler
XxXxXxX
It was another day. Morning's fresh air greeted Tohru with a cold, but comfortable breeze, and that was enough to wake her up. With her mind full of thoughts, she started to change for school. Thinking about the past few months living in a tent made her proud of herself but at the same time, lonely. She had nobody now. No father. No mother. And with that thoughts, she left her temporary home to face a completely new day.
XxXxXxX
Tohru, completely lost in her thoughts walked carelessly through the woods, and what made her wake up from her distracted mind was the sight of a big house right in front of her.
The house was impressively huge, but what really caught her attention were the twelve animal ornaments carefully placed in the sun.
As the curious girl she was, she silently approached the animals. "Huh... How cute! But I feel that there's something missing... Ah, of course! It's the c-" her thoughts were interrupted as a handsome man stood beside her; examining the scene.
"Ah... Eh... I-I'm re-really so-sorry for intruding..." she stuttered.
The man looked at her "Hum... A high school student... Interesting..." he thought before answering "It's okay, look if you want. I only put them out for some sunshine."
She looked at him and then again at the small ornaments. "Of course young people like you would think it's boring." The man said.
"Actually, I think the ornaments are really cute!" she smiled. "But... There is no cat..." she added.
"Cat? So you're familiar with the legend of the twelve animal zodiac?"
"Yeah, my mom used to tell me the story when I was little..."
*Flashback*
"Come on Tohru... Time to go to bed!" Tohru's mother, Kyoko accompanied her to her bed.
"Mummy, can you tell me story of those animals you promised me yesterday?"
"Of course honey..." Her mother said as she began to tell the story:
"God told the animals: 'Tomorrow I'll invite you to my banquet. You must not be late.' After hearing the news, the rat told his neighbor, the cat, that the banquet would be the day after tomorrow. On that day, the rat rode on the ox and jumped off to get into the banquet first. The other animals followed and the banquet lasted until the next morning. All the animals were there... Except for the deceived cat-" Her mother stopped and looked at her daughter's sad face. "Tohru, why are you crying?"
"Poor... Cat..." Tohru said, tears streaming down her brown eyes. She suddenly got up and screamed "I'VE DECIDED I DON'T WANT MY SIGN TO BE A DOG, I WANT IT TO BE A CAT! I LIKE CATS THAT MUCH!"
Her mother only looked at her with a tired expression and nodded.
*End of the Flashback*
"You like cats that much huh?... I imagine what he'd think if he heard this..." He said almost in a whisper, but Tohru heard it anyway.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing... So... You're a high school girl, am I r-" He was cut off by a heavy school bag that was thrown purposely in his head.
"You sound like a pervert!" A sweet feminine voice said from inside the house.
To Tohru's surprise, prince Yuki's face appeared from the shadows. "Sohma Y-Yuki..." she stuttered.
"Honda Tohru, am I right? I'm glad to finally meet you"
"Yes, me too!"
The man she was talking to just a minute ago joined the conversation "Ah, by the way, I'm Sohma Shigure, Yuki's cousin."
"How are you, I'm Honda Tohru..."
"Honda-san, why are you here?"
"Ah... Er, I live... close by..."
"Close by?..." Shigure asked confused.
"Well nevermind. So, since we are going to the same school, why don't we walk together?" Yuki said smiling.
"Um, sure!" She answered and they both left.
XxXxXxX
"Hana-chan! Uo-chan!" Tohru's sweet voice called for her best friends.
The three girls hugged each other. They stood there for what looked like hours, but were interrupted by the mass of people, and that's when Tohru realized that the prince was gone.
With that, they started walking towards the classroom, just to find the place crowded with their worst nightmare: The Prince Yuki fan-club.
Almost instantly, the head of the club came in their direction. "HONDA-SAN, HOW COME YOU CAME TO SCHOOL WITH SOHMA?"
"Ehh... It was a coincidence..."
"COINCIDENCE? HOW DARE YO-"
"YOU HEARD HER. IT WAS A COINCIDENCE." Uotani said, ending the subject.
XxXxXxX
The day passed quickly by, and classes were finally over. Tohru walked alone through the school corridors involved with her own thoughts.
"Ah, Sohma, thank you for walking me to school this morning." Tohru said when she found the prince alone in the corridor.
"Ah, you don't need to thank me... And I'm sorry if Shigure's caused you any trouble."
"Oh, of course not! He's a very kind person" Tohru smiled
"Kind would be the last word I'd use to describe him..." he thought
BEEP, BEEP... Tohru looked at her clock. 4:30 p.m. (I don't know what time she goes to work so I'll just assume it's 5 p.m.) "WAAAAAAH... I'm sorry, Sohma-san... I've to rush to work!"
"Ah, Honda-san... I forgot to tell you..." He turned to her and looked in her eyes "You don't look very well..." He smiled "The weather is very hot, and you have to take care of yourself..." And with this, he disappeared among the falling leaves.
Tohru blushed a little (This is NOT a yukiru fanfic! kyoru forever 3... Watever let's get back to the story...), but started running to get to work in time.
XxXxXxX
"Huh... Today work was really tiring..." Tohru thought as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, already leaving the building where she worked as a maid.
As she walked in the lonely streets, she thought about her mom; her dad; everything she had lost; until she reached her tent... Or what was left of it... Tohru looked at the destroyed tent underneath thousands of rocks... She then remembered something very important "MOM!" She screamed trying to move the rocks. Her only memory of her mother was an old picture, and it was now lost in the middle of an avalanche of rocks... "DON'T WORRY MOM! I'LL FIND A WAY TO TAKE YOU OUTTA THERE!" She started to push the stones harder, causing her hands to ache and bleed.
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and a familiar voice filled her ears. "Honda-san, why don't you come with me and we'll talk about what you're doing here alone in the woods?" Tohru, still in a state of shock just nodded and followed the person she knew was Sohma Yuki, the prince.
XxXxXxX
"You were... HAHAHAHAHAHA... Living in a... HAHAHA... Tent...? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Shigure's voice and laugh filled the Sohma's living room after Tohru told them what exactly she was doing alone in the forest and they'd taken care of her wounds.
"Shigure, are you done?" Yuki asked
"Sorry... It's just that... hihihi... I can't help it..." He replied trying not to laugh again
"Tohru, why don't you go take a shower?" Yuki suggested and the girl agreed. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." They went upstairs, leaving a laughing Shigure behind.
After a few minutes, Yuki came back and told his cousin he'd go outside to get tohru's stuff. "You shouldn't go alone, you know?" Was Shigure's reply
"Well... Someone's got to do it..." And said that, he disappeared in the darkness.
XxXxXxX
Tohru took a hot shower and then went to her room. She was wearing some clothes the Sohmas had found in the other guest room. She shifted beneath the soft sheets and looked at the room around her for the first time before realizing a figure standing by the door. The shadow approached her bed, showing the face of a concerned Shigure. "Are you ok, hardworking student?" He asked, sitting beside her bed.
"I gess so... I lost my house... again..." She answered sadly.
"You're feeling really bed aren't ya?"
"No... Because I know it could've been a lot worse..." She was already with her eyes closed. "That morning I didn't tell her to be careful..." Shigure realized she was talking about her mom "I had an important test and I studied so hard that I overslept..." He could tell by the tone of her voice that she regretted that deeply "I said that everyday... Only that day I..." She paused, gulping before continuing "I'm so stupid! Even if I failed... Or the house got blown up... I don't care, because... Because the most important thing was mom..." She then fell asleep. Shigure carefully exited her room, now smiling. "This girl's really something..." He thought before closing the door.
XxXxXxX
So, this was the first chappie! I must say... It was hard to write it... But whatever, lets get to the point! I'll say again just to make it clear to everyone: THERE IS NO CURSE IN THE SOHMA FAMILY... This story is supposed to be my point of view about how everything would be if the curse didn't exist! And the twelve animals ornaments and Tohru's affection towards the cat was just a way I found to improve her relationship with Kyo along the story (Kyo'll be a cat lover)... *wipes sweat from forehead* Whew... I hope my efforts to make a nice first chapter works, and I'd be reeeaaaaaaaally happy if my first fanfic got reviews! me:*looks at audience expectantly*, *audience throws tomatoes at the stage* me:*runs away with shame*
So next chapter we'll meet lovely kyo and relationships will be developed... I'm counting on you guys!