Kouichi's Zodiac
Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for being so patient with me. I was really busy- I had to finish my science project (turn in the abstract, display board, forms, and all that). And I am still working on my History and French projects and my list goes on forever. Here's my next chapter… I did my best, so please don't be too disappointed with me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Fruits Basket (sob)
Chapter 3: Kouichi's Story
There was silence in the kitchen, and then-
"Why did you avoid me?" This question had come from Koji. "Why did you just disappear like that? I was so worried about you. I don't care if you're cursed. You're my brother, and I'll always love you. I'd thought that you'd know that by now."
Kouichi finally looked at Koji in the eye. Then, he gave in to the tears that he had been trying very hard to hold back. He cried, spilling tears onto the table and onto his clothes. Takuya and Zoe, understanding how the situation must be embarrassing for Kouichi, pretended to not see him crying.
"I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell you! I really wanted to see you again, Koji, it was killing me!" Kouichi said continuing to cry.
Kouichi continued to cry for several more minutes. He felt dirty, and his guilt was doubled because Koji was being so kind and understanding. He felt guilty because he had doubted Koji's love for him; he had been afraid that Koji would leave him and stop loving him if he knew the truth. He didn't want to loose Koji like he lost her. She was always there for him, always cheering him up. Then, Akito had made Hatori suppress her memories and that was the last that he had seen of her. Sometimes, when he walked on the streets he would see her, but she would walk right past him, barely noticing him. And then, the pain would come back, the pain of loosing an important person in his life. It was the some feeling that he had when his father had left him and his mother, taking away Koji. He was merely four years old at the time, but he still remembered that day. It was as if it was permanently carved into his brain, and he dreamed of it often.
Flashback
It had been a warm, sunny June day. Kouichi was playing tag with Koji and some other children at the back of the estate. After a good, long game, the twins went back to their house tired but happy. Koji went inside to take a bath, and Kouichi was about to follow when he saw Akito coming his way. Akito wasn't as cruel back then as he was now, but he still had the bad temper and the illnesses.
He was smiling in a way that told Kouichi that bad news was coming.
"Hey guess what, Kouichi? Your parents are getting divorced; they even came and told me." Akito said without even a hint of remorse in his voice.
"You're lying!" Kouichi yelled back at the young head of the family. "My parents love each other!"
"You mean they loved each other," Akito said smirking. "I always knew he would lose it one day! He might love your mom and Koji, but he just can't stand you. He hates you! I thought that would have been obvious by now. Why would anyone want a son that turns into an animal, that's just freakish! You should know, one day even Koji will leave you. He'll get sick of you. But then again, he's probably leaving with your dad, and Hatori will wipe his memory with your dad's. That means that he'll leave before he gets to be disgusted with you."
"NO! No! That's not true! They'll never do that! You're wrong!" Then Kouichi ran inside before Akito could say anything else.
(Later on)
"Boys..." the twins' mother began slowly.
The pair snapped their attention toward their mother. During the four years of their lives, their mother had only called them boys when she was stressed, tired, or upset. Both brothers saw that their parents were acting very strange this evening. Tomoko looked rather depressed, and Kousei was biting his lips and looking very grim.
"Papa and I decided that it would be best that we spend some time... apart"
"You mean that you're getting divorced?!" Kouichi squeaked.
"That's a rather blunt way to put it but yes. I'm afraid we are," Tomoko said sadly.
"It's because of me isn't it?!" Kouichi burst into tears. "I'm a horrible person! And you're getting divorced because of me! Do you hate me?"
"Kouichi, listen," his father said in a firm, no-nonsense tone. "It's not that I hate you. It's just that- well- a man can only take so much, and I think I just about reached my limits. I just don't know how to love you anymore. Some things weren't meant to be... Do you understand?"
Kouichi did not understand. He had thought his father loved him. Had Akito been right about everything that he said? Had his father always felt this way about him? Kouichi buried his head in his pillow, trying to make all his depressing thoughts go away.
"Kouichi?" a gentle, warm voice came to Kouichi's ear. A voice that he knew all too well.
He lifted his head and saw his loving mother standing in the doorway, her face full of worry for her young son. He ran to his mother and buried his face in her soft, silky kimono. He let her embrace him. He was transformed into a horse right on the spot. Tomoko looked down sadly at the figure that was lying at her feet.
"Do you hate me too?" Kouichi the horse asked his mother.
"No! I could never hate you! Papa doesn't hate you either! Things have been very difficult for Papa, and he is not feeling well. And the doctor said that if he forgot he'd feel better," Tomoko looked at Kouichi pleadingly. "Please Kouichi, this is very hard for me too. I know that it will be very different without Papa, but Mama will love you twice as much to make up for Papa's love."
End of Flashback
And so, just like that, Hatori had erased Kousei and Koji's memories, and Kousei and Tomoko got divorced. Then, four more years later, Kouichi was told by Akito that his father had remarried to another woman, a woman named Satomi.
Then, Kouichi had felt as if his life was over. His father had a new family now, and Kouichi was hardly welcome to it. He had not spoken for days, but then something happened in his life. Something that he had not counted on. Something that made life worth living again.
Flashback
"Hi!" piped up a voice behind Kouichi.
Kouichi thought that the voice had been directed at someone else, so he decided to ignore it.
"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" the voice said again with a slight tone of annoyance.
Kouichi turned around and saw the source of the voice. There was a pretty girl with orange-ish brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt and a long, black skirt that reached down to her ankle.
"Are you going home already?" the girl asked in a calm and cool voice.
"Um, yeah, I really need to go home now. Mother is probably getting worried about me," Kouichi said a little too quickly.
"Hmm, I don't think your mother will mind that much, and I don't think Akito will care too much either if you came home just an hour late."
"Huh? But how-"
"Relax," the girl said reassuringly. "I'm in the zodiac too. My name's Rika, and I'm the rooster."
So, Kouichi had agreed, somewhat reluctantly to play a couple of soccer games with Rika. He had looked at her again and remembered seeing her at the New Year's Banquet, even though he had never spoken to her before.
Rika had taken Kouichi to the park, and she had introduced him to other kids his age that were also in the zodiac. There was Takato the monkey, Henry the sheep, and Jeri the cow.
Kouichi also learned about their personalities while playing with them. Henry seemed to be the calm one and said very few words, but when he did every word he said seemed to count. Takato was very energetic and outgoing and his personality could be compared to Takuya's. Jeri was very sweet and quiet at most times, but when she snapped she had the temper of a raging bull. Kouichi had a very strong impression that Takato had a bit of a crush on Jeri. Jeri also seemed to care about Takato and was always looking out for him, pulling him out of sticky spots and keeping him from getting into too much trouble.
Finally, in a long time, Kouichi felt happy. He treasured his friendship with these four zodiac members.
End of Flashback
Kouichi came out of his thoughts and looked across the table at his brother. Koji had been waiting patiently as he had been going through these memories.
"Koji?" the name came out uncertainly.
"What is it?"
"So, I don't disgust you?" Kouichi asked.
"About what? This whole zodiac thing or you making him worry about you by staying away from him?" Takuya butted in, but was quickly silenced by an icy glare from Koji and a kick in the shin from Zoe.
Koji sighed. "Well, this is all really surprising and happening rather fast. But still… this is a part of you, and I know this is going to take me a while to get used to. I mean if someone told me that you were cursed I would have thought that they were crazy or just trying to pull a weird joke. But now, I'm not sure what to think. If I was in your place, I would hate the entire world; I know that I could never bear a curse like that. Please, just promise me that you'll stop dodging me, okay?"
Kouichi nodded and smiled. 'How is it… that you knew what I wanted? You told me all the things that I needed to hear. Things won't be easy…but I'll try too. I don't know how things are going to turn out or what Akito's reaction will be when he hears what happened…but I'll keep trying. I won't give in to despair, not like how I did with Sakura. This time I won't give up so easily.'
Wow! This is my longest chapter yet:) Please read & review! I'll post up the next chapter after at least three reviews- unless I miraculously get a really good idea. Suggestions are still welcome. Oh, and a million thanks to those who reviewed last time please keep reading!
