I was hoping to get another chapter out before it got too late. I have tried to add borders in my stories, but it never really works out .; Also, Happy Holidays!!!!! o

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket…

Chapter 7: Background of a Ronin

'There is something there you should look into immediately when you arrive…'

Akito's words rang in Shintaro's head as he neared home. His feet were skilled in their rush, his form making no sound above the woods that separate his home from the Sohma Estate. He looked down at his katana, the amber jewel on the hilt glinting in the sun. Untying the sword from his waist, memories appeared in his mind.

"Koichi," the patriarchal voice rang in his ears. "Keep this jewel with you at all times."

"But Tou-san," Shintaro remembered saying, "Why the amber jewel? It's not as cool as nee-chan's ruby or kaa-san's diamond. Not to mention your powerful sapphire!"

"You forgot your first lesson, Koichi," his father said, patting his little head, "each jewel's powers depend on the Guardian who has possession of it. Anyway, I have the feeling that this should belong to you. I can tell you are drawn to it, aren't you?"

The little Shintaro had looked at the jewel as if for eternity, he couldn't take his eyes off of it until his father spoke once again.

"Here," the jewel was place in his little hands. "I have the feeling that you will do great things with this jewel."

Shintaro's mind returned to the present. He looked at his katana and held the rim of the amber jewel. Then he pulled and the jewel was released from its place on the hilt. The amber color glinting in the morning sun scanned his eyes, and another memory played.

"Why?" he remembered his mother sobbing. "What could he have done wrong?!"

The only light in the room was filtering through the slightly open window. Five people existed in that dimmed, small room. A twelve year old boy, a fourteen year old girl, and a woman in her forties kneeled facing the front, where a man in his twenties stood before them next to the body of a dead man. Shintaro remembered wearing his black armor, his face stiff from restraining his emotions. His sister was kneeling beside him, wearing her black armor as well. He could not turn to see her face, afraid that any muscle movement may break the mental chains he had placed upon himself.

"Your husband didn't follow orders as described to him at the beginning of this mission." The man replied, his face was stern and, for some reason, Shintaro could not remember the man's face.

"What do you mean?!" His mother wailed. Her grief then began to spread in the room, threatening to set Shintaro's emotions free. "The woman that the Master wanted killed is dead. The mission's goal is complete and he made it look like an accident as requested. Why did the Master take his life?!"

The man sighed with frustration. "I already told you, it was an accident. Your husband denied the Master's orders at the last minute and tried to swerve the car out of the way. But he was too late and ended up killing her anyway."

"No…" his mother mumbled, her voice trembling. "Impossible…!"

"You of all people know the Guardian's Code. If the Master is disobeyed, then the disobedient Guardian is nothing but filth. And you know that there is no use for filth in this world…" The man's voice now seemed narcissistic. Shintaro's hands now trembled with fury. How dare he treat his mother that way, especially of one of her status compared to his…

"Well," the man said, making his way toward the door. "I will leave you here for time to mourn. In time, you will see reason and understand."

With unbelievable speed, his mother pulled her katana out of her sheath in anger, the diamond glinting from the hilt. Her body made to strike the man, fury filling her senses.

Then, the sword's path was averted by another. The clash of metal rang within the room. Shintaro was petrified in place due to retraining himself in one position for so long that he could hardly move. After the ringing began to lower in his ears, he turned to see the sword that clashed with his mother. The ruby gleamed in the light, shaking with either struggle or fear. He looked up to see his sister, her face emotionless, eyes holding her mother's. He looked toward his mother and saw tears streaming down her face, her skin looking a lot older than it had been a week ago.

"Kaa-san," his sister said gently.

The man was already holding the sliding door chuckled softly. "Despite what he has done, I see that Kanaye trained his children well." He pulled the door open slowly. "You should really do something about those emotions, Yuriko. You should know that emotions are dangerous by now." He then walked out of the room and closed the door silently behind him.

The room was silent except for the girl's breathing. Then, Yuriko suddenly fell to the floor, katana falling from her hand and clattering onto the wooden floor. Her daughter caught her on the way down and cradled her in her arms as she began to cry. Shintaro then looked toward the dead man as a tear went down his cheek.

More images flew past his eyes, reminiscing. The many candles and incense sticks at his father's funeral, the beer bottle on the kitchen table; his mom's best friend when she thought her children weren't around, his sister training more vehemently than ever before.

Finally, the last scene took place in the dimmed small room again. This time, only four people existed in that room. There was Shintaro, now fourteen, his sister, now sixteen, the man still in his twenties, and Shintaro's mother, who lay cold in the casket at the front of the room.
"I suppose you already know cause of death, Kohana."
the man said calmly.

"Yes," his sister replied back in an equal tone. "And I accept this, as it was destined to happen sooner or later."

"I will then leave you guys to mourn. As soon as you are finished, Kohana, both you and your brother are summoned by the Master." The man then walked out of the door silently once more.

"Onee-san," Shintaro said to his sister. "What happened to Kaa-san?"

His sister didn't even turn to face him. "She died by seppuku. That is why her sword is being buried with her."

Shintaro's mixed emotions then seemed to cancel out. A numb feeling went over his body until it seemed like there was no time or space. The floor seemed to fly from under his feet and his mind instantly became a clean slate.

He remembered going to the graves weeks later, one hand bleeding and the other holding a small pocketknife. The rain was pouring and thunder roared in the skies. He didn't remember the pain, only the sheer determination in brining his parents back. He then gripped his amber stone and was about to write the spell out in his blood.

"What are you doing??!!" a cry came from a distance. He turned to see Kohana instantly by her side. "You know that you can't use this to bring them back! You are breaking one of the codes!!" She panted as she thought of more words to say. "Remember, they said not to bring them back unless it's a live or die situation. You can only bring them back once and for a good purpose. Do you want to break that promise that you made? Huh?!" She took hold of his shoulders and shook him a little. "Koichi, you know that, if you break that promise, they won't even be human at all!"

His mind againreturned to the present. He was close to home and gripped the jewel even tighter in his hand, knowing that, if he lost it, he would be of no worth and nothing but filth.