Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been a short eternity since I updated this story last. But, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait—and I hope you consider this to be a good thing. I decided that it's been far too long since my last update, so this is my gift to everyone (or at least a peace offering) for being so patient. Thanks especially to those of you who took the time to review. It makes me think that writing is much more worthwhile.
Since the site doesn't allow for author's notes to include replies to reviewers—and I don't want to get into any trouble for doing it—I can't respond to your questions/statements here anymore, but I'll try to respond through the new Review Reply system. (I'm sorry to those of you who review anonymously, but I'm just too paranoid to email reviewers, but reviews are welcome.)
There is one thing that I would like to clear up something that seems to be a common misconception, though. In this story, there is NO curse. If you look back at previous chapters, Tohru has made bodily contact with Juunishi members, and nobody turned into an animal. Though the Chinese Zodiac will be a (minor) theme in this story, I've given it a slightly different twist.
Anyway, I hope that you guys find that this was worth the wait. I have a better part of the story already written up, but the chapters are in no way ready for posting and the ending itself is slow in coming. I'd like to finish the final chapter by New Year's (ironic, considering the chapter I'm posting now), but I have a habit of missing any deadlines I set for myself.
Babbling aside, on with the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or its characters. I only own the characters nobody has ever seen anywhere else.
Shôjo Fukuzai
Chapter 10: Shinnen no Kibô
Shigure and his guests spent most of New Year's Eve day going through their normal routines, though Yuki seemed even more sullen than usual. As night fell, they began to get ready to go to Sohma House—as Shigure had so quaintly termed the main house. They walked because it wasn't really far, and Tohru used the time to watch her school roommate.
His expression was blacker than any she had ever seen. Well, perhaps not any, she amended as she thought of his expressions whenever he talked about or was confronted with Kyo. But the dark look still sent chills down her spine.
Not for the first time did she wonder at Shigure and Yuki's conflicting attitudes toward the Sanga-nichi celebration. Shigure seemed to see it in an almost reverent light while Yuki all but painted the scene blacker than black. It puzzled her how two cousins could view the same event with such dissimilar ways.
People all have different views of the world, she acknowledged to herself. But most people are happy to celebrate the New Year with those closest to them.
With her eyes still on Yuki, she recalled something her mother had once said about the importance of New Year's. "It's the sense of kinship we feel with our family and friends that binds us to them—that's why we celebrate New Year's with those we care about the most. Together, we can dream the impossible and face the coming year courageously, knowing that we are loved…"
She smiled faintly at the memory, her gaze turning upward. The sun was just beginning to set, the daylight colors bleeding together with those of twilight on the horizon. Tohru and Kyoko had often sat outside to watch the sun set; her mother had said that it was a magical experience, and the girl had to agree. There was, indeed, something magical about watching daylight and twilight meet ever so fleetingly.
Despite her resolve to look forward to celebrating the New Year with the Sohma family, Tohru felt a lump form in her throat as she gazed up at the sunset. She quickly lowered her gaze and did her best to stave off the tears that threatened to fall. I can't cry in front of Yuki-san and Shigure-san. It might make them suspect something…
Yuki noticed the way Tohru was staring down at the ground, as if lost in thought. Frowning deeply, he asked, "Tohru-san, are you all right?"
Gasping quietly, the girl glanced over at him before her gaze flickered away again. After a moment of trying to compose herself, she forced a bright smile and said, "I'm fine, Yuki-san. Why do you ask?"
Frowning as he realized his school roommate wasn't about to give him a straight answer, he turned away as well and muttered, "Never mind…"
It hurt to lie to Yuki, to any of her new friends, but she had to do it. Without her lies to cover her tracks, there was no way she would ever be able to keep her secret. Some days it was harder than others, though.
Biting her lip, she glanced up at the sky and sadly thought, Mom, I'm trying so hard to do the right thing, but…sometimes, it feels like I don't know what's right or wrong anymore… I wish that you were here, to tell me what to do. I miss you so much, Mom…
"Here we are!" sang Shigure suddenly, causing Tohru's head to jerk up as she realized that he and Yuki had both stopped. He gestured to the large gate she remembered from her first visit to the Sohma estate; people were milling inside and talking cordially as they went. "This stop, Sohma house."
I forgot how big it was, thought the girl as she stared at the huge walls in awe. And there's so many people. Are they all Sohmas like Yuki-san, Kyo-kun, and Shigure-san…?
"Come along, children," Shigure called back as he headed inside. Tohru noticed and hurried after him; Yuki slowly—reluctantly—followed in her wake with a dark scowl contorting his features.
A host of people greeted Shigure and Yuki as they walked past, most of them unfamiliar faces to the girl. The fact that she was not well-known within the Sohma family didn't bother her in the least; she felt that it was actually to her advantage, considering that her mother's killer could potentially be waiting for someone to identify her as more than a "Fringe" Sohma, as Shigure had called her. She also had the feeling that most of the Sohmas wouldn't know each other unless they met during Sanga-nichi.
Tohru didn't recognize anyone until she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling, "Shi-chan! Yun-chan!" followed by another voice exclaiming, "Tohru!" The three holiday housemates looked over to see Kagura and Momiji approaching, huge smiles plastered on both of their faces.
"Momiji-kun, Kagura-san!" said the cross-dressing girl in surprise as she watched them approach.
"Good evening, 'Gura-chan, Momichi," Shigure greeted them. That's when he noticed Kagura glancing around them with a slight frown. "Is something wrong, 'Gura-chan?"
The gray-eyed girl sighed in frustration. "I've been looking for Kyo-kun all night, but I still can't find him. Have you seen him, Shi-chan?"
Tohru's brows shot up. She found it hard to believe that anyone could lose Kyo. Even in a crowd, he would stand out with his bright shock of orange hair.
As if reading her confusion, Momiji leaned in and whispered, "Kyo's hiding from Kagura-chan."
The girl nodded slightly in understanding, but her brows furrowed. Though she could see that Kagura's enthusiastic love for Kyo would probably be a turn-off to the boy, she thought it was amazing that someone could love another person with such fervor. She thought it was a wonderful quality to be able to care about someone so much, and secretly wished she could care about someone with that kind of devotion (but without the violent displays of "affection").
As Kagura and Shigure started to converse genially, with Momiji entering and Yuki standing by sullenly, Tohru let her eyes wander over the crowd of people. She could now recognize a couple of familiar faces: Hatsuharu, Kisa, Rin, and—she did a double-take—Naruto Oishi?
What's Oishi-san doing here? she wondered, eyes wide in disbelief. I thought only the Sohmas were allowed inside the Sohma estate. That's what Goh-san told me when I arrived. But then how could he—
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone calling her name. Snapping back, she turned to see Shigure, Momiji, and the other staring at her questioningly. Blushing, she stammered an apology and ducked her head.
"That's perfectly all right, Tohru-kun," Shigure assured her, waving a hand dismissively. "I imagine it would be quite an experience to see the Sanga-nichi celebration for the first time. Yoru-kun was never very keen on celebrating New Year's at Sohma House."
A shadow crossed Tohru's face, but it was hidden by the bangs falling into her eyes as she lowered her head. In a hollow voice, she replied, "Yes. My…uncle…didn't like to celebrate New Year's at all. It's…a very painful time…"
"It's because Mahiru-san and Mitsuru-san died shortly after Sanga-nichi, right?" asked Shigure sympathetically.
Tohru flinched slightly at his words, but nodded just the same. Her mind was almost too muddled to know, but she thought that Mahiru and Mitsuru Sohma had died around New Year's. Shigure should have known, she thought, being he claimed to have been a classmate of Mahiru's brother while they attended Sohma Academy.
"Hey, watch where you're going, you idiot!" shouted a voice across the yard. Tohru and her companions all glanced over to see Rin Sohma glaring at what appeared to be an older woman, dressed in a traditional purple kimono, who knelt on the ground with her eyes downcast.
Watching as the woman slowly looked up, Tohru was amazed by how beautiful she looked. She had lengthy honey-brown hair and large gold-brown eyes that sparkled with tears as she gazed up at Rin. In a meek voice, she whispered, "I-I'm sorry, Isuzu-san…"
The blue-eyed girl felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. She knew very well what it was like to have a clumsy streak, and had received more than her fair share of reprimands from those who believed she was simply careless.
Any other thoughts Tohru might have had were overridden when she suddenly saw the young woman throw her hands up and shout, "I'm sorry, Isuzu-san! I'm so careless I shouldn't even be allowed to walk along the same path as you! Please forgive my pathetic existence! Everyone would be better off if I didn't exist…!"
Stunned by this outburst, Tohru stared on with a slightly bemused expression. She glanced over at Shigure as she heard him comment, "So, Rit-chan actually made it to celebrate Sanga-nichi this year…"
"Rit-chan…san?" she murmured, frowning.
"Ritsu is just a little hyperactive," Momiji told her.
"If you really thought that, you would've killed yourself off a long time ago," retorted a voice in response to Ritsu's apologies. It belonged to a fair-haired young boy who glared down at the anguished person on the ground with hard auburn eyes. "If you're going to do it, just do it already."
"Hiro-chan!" admonished Kisa as she and Hatsuharu walked onto the scene. "That's not a very nice thing to say to Ritsu-niisan!"
Tohru blinked at the terminology she heard her younger cousin use. She called Rit-chan-san Ritsu-niisan? But then that means…Rit-chan-san is actually a man…!
The boy—Hiro, apparently—glanced over Kisa with a dour look. Then he scowled at the ground as he mumbled, "It's not like I'm going to give him any pointy objects…"
"Noooo! Hiro-chan and Kisa-chan are fighting because of me!" wailed Ritsu, holding his arms up to the sky as he wept. "I'm soooo sooorrryyyy! I cause rifts to open between people because of my pathetic-ness! I'm sooorrryyy!"
Tohru was so stunned that she could only stare on until she heard her school roommate muttering something. Glancing over, she saw Yuki rubbing the bridge of his nose as he grumbled, "It figures that they would all come out of the woodwork…"
Eventually, things around Ritsu began to calm down, and everyone went back to the business of reacquainting themselves with relatives they hadn't seen in nearly a year (or ever, in Tohru's case). For the most part she stuck close to Yuki, Shigure, and Momiji, but soon she discovered that they had plans to speak with "certain people" and that she wouldn't be allowed to accompany them.
Though she wondered who her friends would be going to see, she readily assured them that she would be able to entertain herself for a little while. After watching them disappear inside one of the houses, she glanced at the crowd around her to see if she could recognize any familiar faces. Surely there had to be someone she knew around to make conversation.
However, she quickly realized that there was no one she knew standing around in the large pavilion. Despite the fact that people surrounded her, she suddenly felt very alone. Where is everyone…?
"Hey, what're you doing here?" asked someone from behind, causing her to jump. She whirled around to see Kyo standing on the porch of the house behind her. He stepped closer as he added, "I thought you were staying with the Rat and Shigure."
"I—I am," she replied, relieved that it was only her cousin. "They asked me to come for Sanga-nichi…"
"And you came!" demanded the orange-haired boy incredulously. He glared at her. "You idiot! Didn't you even think this might be a golden opportunity for—"
"Tohru-kun!" Another voice interrupted the boy's tirade. Both teens' head snapped to the left as they saw a familiar brunette woman walking over to them with a wide smile on her face.
"K-Kana-san…" Tohru forced a smile despite the fact that she felt goose bumps prickling her skin at the sight of the woman.
"I thought that was you," Kana greeted her cheerfully. Then she turned to glance at Kyo. They held each other's gazes for a moment and their expressions were unreadable. However, there was almost something foreboding about Kana's voice as she said, "Kyo-kun…"
His ruby eyes hardened as he gritted out, "Kana…"
Tohru frowned and the uneasiness she had about the older woman grew. Why did it seem like something was not right between her cousin and the nurse-in-training?
Before she could analyze the situation further, though, Kana shifted her gaze back to the cross-dressing girl. Her smile returned as well. "You should have told me you were going to be here for Sanga-nichi."
Tohru averted her gaze as she said, "It was…kind of a last minute decision. Shigure-san invited me and I…I've never been here for Sanga-nichi, so…"
"I understand," the woman assured her warmly. "I've always enjoyed spending Sanga-nichi with relatives. It's the one time of the year we can put aside our differences to celebrate something like a real family. I only regret that it passes so quickly…"
Then Kana snapped out of the reverie her own words seemed to have briefly cast over her. She flashed the girl a bright smile as she added, "Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the whole celebration this year. I only came with Hatori-sensei to visit for the night. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving."
Tohru knew that it would be impolite to ask why Kana wouldn't be staying at the estate for more than the first day of Sanga-nichi, and she suspected that most boys would not even waste their time considering such an aspect of a woman's life. But, despite the fact that something about the woman unsettled her, the girl couldn't help wondering why she would be leaving on New Year's Day.
"I suppose I should get going," Kana stated after a few moments of silence. "I'm going to have to hurry if I want to talk to everyone before I leave." She bowed quickly to Tohru and gave her a surreptitious smile as she told her, "Have a happy New Year, Tohru-kun. I hope your wish comes true."
"Have a happy New Year, Kana-san," parroted Tohru, bowing as well with a slight smile plastered on her face.
However, as she watched Kana disappear, the blue-eyed girl's smile faded and she shivered slightly. It made her feel bad, really, to feel ill-at-ease around such a nice woman, but she couldn't help it. Something about looking at Kana—even thinking about her—made her skin crawl.
"Hey…" Kyo's voice cut through her thoughts. She glanced over to see him gazing at her with a thoughtful frown. "I don't know if anyone told you, but…"
"Eh?" She gazed at him expectantly.
"It's about Kana," he told her slowly. His eyes flickered slightly as he started to say, "It's not exactly common knowledge, but you should know she's—"
Unfortunately, Tohru never got to hear the rest of her cousin's statement because a feminine voice suddenly rang throughout the compound: "Kyo-kun!"
"Aw, hell no!" Kyo grimaced as he saw Kagura speeding toward him with all the grace of an out-of-control locomotive. Before he could make an escape, though, she had glomped him and was proceeding to squeeze the life out of him.
"Where were you, Kyo-kun?" pouted Kagura as she squeezed him tighter. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Damn it, lemme go, woman!" snarled the orange-haired boy. He didn't seem very threatening, though, considering he was gasping for air and turning an attractive shade of blue.
Tohru couldn't help smiling slightly at their antics. Though she would have liked to know what Kyo had been about to tell her, she was somehow grateful for the interruption. Seeing Kagura and Kyo together eased some of the tension seeing Kana had caused. Maybe she would be able to enjoy this New Year's, even without Kyoko by her side.
The remainder of the Sanga-nichi festival passed without any serious incidents. Though Tohru was somewhat disappointed that she wasn't able to spend more time with Momiji, Yuki, and the other Sohmas who attended school with her, she had been able to meet Kyo's "Shishou," Kazuma Sohma, and Kazuma's assistant, Kunimitsu Tomoda.
The rapport she witnessed between Kyo and the two men was somewhat astonishing to Tohru. She could not remember ever seeing her cousin get along so well with anyone, not even his own mother and father at Kyoko's funeral. It bothered her that he wouldn't be close to his parents, but she was coming to assume that very few of the Sohmas had good relationships with their immediate families. (Even her own mother could have fit into that category.)
As the New Year holiday ended, Tohru and the Sohmas reluctantly returned to school. The days began to drag on because of the dreary winter weather, and a little over a month into the new term saw Tohru trudging toward the activities center. After entering the building, she headed for the lounge.
The girl groaned slightly as she wearily flopped down in one of the chairs. The people seated at the table—Junji, Momiji, Hatsuharu, and two boys from Junji's class—glanced over at her in surprise as they watched her place her stuffed satchel on top of the table. She didn't think it had ever been this heavy in her life.
"You look beat, man," Junji commented. Then he glanced over at her bag. "What're you carrying in there, anyhow?"
Tohru opened her bag and revealed a sample of her burden: a rectangular object wrapped in shiny purple and silver foil. "Chocolates for Yuki-san."
Junji goggled. "That's all chocolate!"
"Mostly," replied the blue-eyed girl, replacing the gift. "There are a few other kinds of candy—and other gifts, too. They're from the girls who couldn't fit theirs into Yuki-san's locker."
The raven-haired boy sighed and leaned on the table, gazing at Tohru's bag longingly. "I wish I had a girlfriend to give me chocolate for Valentine's Day."
Valentine's Day was apparently the busiest holiday for the girls at Sohma Academy—at least, as far as attempting to show Yuki their affections went. Most of the valentines had been imparted to her with the explicit instruction to make sure he knew the giver's name. However, with so many in her possession, Tohru feared that she would never be able to remember which had come from whom.
"I didn't think there were that many girls who liked Yuki," commented one of the other boys with wide eyes.
The second boy snorted. "Are you kidding? Over half the girls here are in his fan club, Kodaira! And some of those girls are scary. Like Motoko Minagawa."
Kodaira frowned. "Minagawa-sempai isn't that bad, Tenno."
"Did you get any chocolates, Tohru?" asked Momiji suddenly, startling the brown-haired girl into facing him.
Tohru reddened slightly. "Yes. From Arakida-san and Ikeuchi-san."
Junji smirked a bit. "Let me guess. Arakida struck before homeroom."
Her blush deepened.
The boy's sapphire-black eyes sparkled as he chuckled to himself. "I've never seen Arakida as hung up on anybody as she is on you. But I'm surprised Ikeuchi gave you chocolate. Wouldn't have pegged her as a romantic sort."
Tohru now looked like a ripe tomato. While Shiori's chocolate had been given in the hopes of kindling something deeper in their one-sided "relationship" (as had the gift she'd gotten the previous Christmas), Chie had assured Tohru that her candy was "a token of friendship," without any potential strings attached.
Truthfully, she would have been happier if she hadn't received any offerings. The only thoughts she'd had about Valentine's Day prior to the holiday were fleeting contemplations about what she would have gotten the Sohmas and her other new friends (and what she would be giving Saki and Arisa if she had the chance). She had quickly dismissed the ideas, though, knowing it would be exceedingly awkward for a boy to give even close friends things on Valentine's Day.
Even still, it would be nice to show my appreciation to Yuki-san and the other Sohmas for their friendship… she thought with a vague hint of a smile on her face. Especially Yuki-san…
"Thinking about anyone in particular, Tohru?" Junji teased as he caught sight of her expression. He waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Somebody you want to get chocolates from?"
The heat that had been slowly leaving her cheeks quickly returned. "N-no! It wasn't anything like that, Horigome-kun!"
"Don't worry, Tohru, we won't laugh at you," Momiji assured her.
"It's nothing!" Tohru abruptly jumped out of her chair. With her bag in arm, she turned and said, "I just want to make sure that I can get these to—" She cut herself off as she nearly barreled into someone with a yelp. "Yuki-san!"
Yuki helped her steady herself. "You should be more careful, Tohru-san."
Tohru didn't think it was possible for her cheeks to get any redder than they were at that moment. "I-I was just…going to look for you…"
"Why?" he wanted to know.
"Um…" She fumbled around for a moment before producing one of the valentines. "A couple of girls…asked me to give you some chocolates…"
The violet-eyed boy took the proffered object with a sigh. "Not more. I don't like chocolate enough to eat five kilograms of it…"
"Your fan club is working overtime today, huh?" Junji smirked.
"Can I have your chocolate if you don't want it, Yuki?" asked Momiji.
Yuki nodded and slid the gift across the table to the blond. "Sure. Somebody might as well enjoy eating it." He turned to his roommate and added, "You can give him the rest, too, Tohru-san."
Tohru frowned deeply, but did as she was told. Yuki-san doesn't seem to be enjoy Valentine's Day at all. If he doesn't want chocolates, then what would he like…?
Hatsuharu caught Yuki's roommate staring at the gray-haired boy with a pensive expression. He had seen the brunette looking at Yuki that way before, and he was beginning to think he understood what was going through the other boy's head. Formulating an idea, he said, "Tohru-san, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course!" Tohru followed as Hatsuharu led her walked a few paces from the table, just out of earshot.
Yuki watched the two interact for a moment as Hatsuharu started to speak, saying something that was apparently a bit startling to his roommate, because it earned him a look of surprise. Then he saw Tohru glance over at him, and the boy seemed to be blushing as he shook his head furiously. Yuki's amethyst orbs narrowed. What's Haru up to now…?
He didn't have time to contemplate an answer to his silent query, though, because he heard his name being called. Turning, he found Tenno was gazing at him questioningly. "You seen Kyo around?"
At the mere mention of the stupid Cat, Yuki graced the other boy with a withering look and frostily replied, "I haven't seen him."
Tenno shuddered a bit at the wintry glare. "Hey, I was just asking!"
"He's hiding from Kagura-chan," Momiji told them, causing everyone to glance over at him. "She wants to give him her Valentine's Day gift."
Junji smirked a bit. "Kyon-Kyon's probably on the dorm roof or something."
"What do you think Kagura'll do when she finds him?" Kodaira wondered aloud.
"Kick his ass—what else?" The black-haired boy snickered. "You'd think he'd have learn it's better to just take her gift by now. At least he'd survive the encounter without any contusions."
"We should get going, Momiji," said Hatsuharu suddenly. He and Tohru had returned to the table. The black- and white-haired boy gazed at the shorter blond boy as he added, "Hatori-sensei said he wanted to talk to us at four."
"Right!" the blond chirped. After bidding everyone a farewell, the younger teens set off for the school clinic. Soon, the rest of the group dispersed as well, and Tohru and Yuki headed back to their room.
Yuki noticed that his roommate was unusually quiet as they went. As the long silence continued to elapse, he asked, "Is something bothering you, Tohru-san?"
Tohru turned slightly and gave him a questioning look. "No, I'm fine. Why?"
"Never mind." The gray-haired boy looked away. After another moment of silence, he made another attempt to strike up a conversation. "Did you get any chocolates?"
"Yes, but just from Arakida-san and Ikeuchi-san. Not nearly as much as you did," she answered.
"I got more candy than I know what to do with," he sighed.
Swallowing, Tohru glanced at him furtively before lowering her eyes again. Heat rose in her cheeks as she stammered, "You must be very popular, Yuki…kun…"
"It's not that I enjoy the attention, but—" Yuki stopped and stared at his roommate, startled as he realized what the other boy had just said. Blinking, he asked, "What…?"
Even without him finishing the question, Tohru understood it. Her blush deepened as she softly said, "Hatsuharu-san said it would make you happy if I was more familiar with you…"
To her horror, Yuki looked away, his bangs shielding his eyes from view. Fearing that she had overstepped the boundaries of masculine friendship, she quickly stammered, "But if you don't want me to, I won't! I didn't really think you wanted me to, but Hatsuharu-san was so adamant that I—I promise I won't do it anymore, Yuki-sa—"
"No." The word caught her off guard. She snapped back and gazed at Yuki in confusion. He still wouldn't look at her, but he softly added, "It's all right, Tohru-san. I don't mind. After all, we've known each other for almost six months. You can be less formal if you want…" (It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw a slight pinkness painting his cheeks.)
Smiling despite herself, the girl slowly nodded. "Okay…Yuki-kun."