Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. This fic is merely paying homage to the genius of the creator.
Reflection
Chapter 4:Wrath
By Ozaki Amaya
Yuki approached the house, pleasantly thinking of Tohru. He longed for lunch, simply because she was the one who made it. He sighed wistfully and opened the front door. "Tadaima!" he called. His voice echoed in the foyer, but he heard no delighted "okaeri" from Tohru, nor a mirthful "okaeri" from Shigure.
Are they home? he wondered. Or busy?
He slipped off his shoes and went upstairs to put his bag in his room and change out of his school clothes. No one was upstairs, and as far as he had been able to tell, no one was downstairs, either.
As he descended the steps after having dressed, he heard an icy peal of laughter emanating from the common room. He would know that laugh anywhere. He skipped the remaining stairs and landed with a light thud on the lower level of the house, and proceeded with haste into the common room.
He entered to hear Akito's spiteful words, "I'm surprised your family never told you of your origins, or of us. After all, it was we who caused your family to become cursed."
"Akito..." The family head's name escaped Yuki's lips as he stood, awe-struck, in the doorway. Akito had never come to visit Shigure's house before, due to his anger at Shigure's irreversible decision to leave the main house. His current presence meant something was awry.
Six pairs of eyes shifted to the doorway. No one in the room had heard him enter, and they were surprised at hearing his utterance.
Akito smiled darkly. "Ah, Yuki. How nice of you to join us," he scoffed.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
"Look around."
He surveyed the room. Akito... Hatori... Shigure... Tohru... Kyou... And... Who is that? His eyes fell upon the young woman with the silver and black streaked hair. A guest? Did he bring her? Who is she? Why...? She was looking up at him meekly, and he felt stupid for not noticing her earlier. He had never seen her before, but if he hadn't already known all of the Juunishi, he would have sworn she was one of them.
Akito's first statement echoed in his mind. "After all, it was we who caused your family to become cursed."
Could she really be cursed? he thought.
"I was just about to tell Ozaki Amaya the origin of her family's version of the Juunishi curse," the family head continued.
Juunishi?!?! Yuki's eyes shifted towards the guest. Somehow... I knew it...
"Please," he said sinuously, "take a seat." He motioned to the empty place next to him. "You should hear it, too, since it concerns all of us."
Yuki hesitated. He wanted to refuse, but there was a sort of finality in the way Akito said things that made defiance impossible. He cautiously sauntered over and sat.
Akito fed off of Yuki's dislike for him, and his imperial presence seemed to strengthen. He straightened himself up. Akito's ice-cold eyes flashed with rage as he prepared to tell the story innate within him, passed down to every family head since it took place. The people in the room shifted away from him with prudence. It was evident that whatever he was about to say evoked a rancor deep within him.
"She was my pet." His voice was metallic and seemed almost metaphysical and unfamiliar.
Yuki backed away slightly with the realisation of this vocal transformation. The harsh tone reminded him all too well of the hours spent in that room when he was a child. He shuddered. An arctic hand gripped his shoulder, preventing him from moving any farther. Yuki flinched at the contact.
Akito looked straight at him, his eyes full of malice. His hold strengthened. "Don't leave," he hissed.
Yuki turned his head, evading Akito's threatening glare, and Akito released his grasp, satisfied that Yuki understood him.
Akito glanced about the room without really seeing anyone. He continued his eerie monologue. "No one else was allowed to speak with her. They were afraid of her because I told them to be. They obeyed my every command, as did she. I thought I had broken her independent spirit and bound her unto me for eternity, but I was... mistaken." His voice became harsher the moment he admitted his error. Pain and rage flickered in his eyes.
He gripped the table forcefully. Yuki could tell he was beginning to lose control, but he dared not move, lest Akito's attention be turned towards him, thus causing him to suffer the consequences. Akito's grip tightened and his face displayed a grimace of horrifying depravity. He fiercely ground his teeth, and then let out a blood-curdling yell of rage. He stood and upturned the table with the obvious intention of harming Amaya. "It's all your fault! Your fault!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!" he screamed in her direction.
Shigure, Hatori, Kyou, and Yuki were all on their feet now, attempting to restrain the raging Akito, while Tohru was helping Amaya out from under the upturned table. Thankfully, Tohru thought, she is uninjured.
Akito resisted with much strength, more strength than he usually possessed. All were shocked to see him react so adamantly towards the stranger—even Hatori, who knew the story as well.
"Tohru-kun!" Shigure called out desperately above Akito's unintelligible curses. "Get her out of here!"
Tohru nodded in understanding and shakily led a stunned and bruised Amaya into the kitchen. Upon entering, the silver and black haired girl collapsed to her knees. "...My fault?" she gasped. "What could I have possibly done to elicit such vehemence and ire? And if such a thing occurred, how could I have forgotten?" She trailed off and stared at the floor. Could this be the reason...?
Tohru placed a hand on Amaya's shoulder to try to provide some comfort, but Amaya flinched. She had never been touched by another human being before, since she normally steered clear of others, fully knowing the complications of her curse, and it made her feel uneasy.
"Ah! Gomen nasai!" Tohru exclaimed, worried that she may have caused further damage.
"Iie... I should be the one to apologise. I have caused trouble for you."
"It is not your fault," Tohru said, smiling. "No matter what, you'll have a place here."
Amaya looked up. "But you... don't even know me!"
"It doesn't matter. I know you're a good person! Everyone has goodness in him." She simpered sweetly. "That's what my mother used to tell me."
She really believes that? I would like to, but I... just can't. That would mean the members of my family... the ones who imprisoned me... they would have goodness in them? No... that doesn't seem right. And yet... this girl... she believes that... with all her heart. I can't bring myself to argue with her...
Back in the common room, efforts to restrain the maniacal family head became expedited by Amaya's exit, though Akito did not stop struggling until they reluctantly released him.
"I want her dead," he hissed. "I will kill her a thousand times if I have to, but she will pay for what she did to me." He approached Kyou, who stood his ground. "As will you." He walked slowly across the room, four pairs of eyes following his every move.
'As will you'? Kyou thought as he cautiously surveyed Akito, prepared to jump forwards if Akito raged forth once more. What have I ever done to him?
"Hatori," the venomous voice rasped. "It's time to go."
Hatori shot a look at Shigure that communicated, "I'll be back later," as Akito commandingly led the way out of the house.
Once they left, the remaining three let out a collective sigh of relief. Yuki and Kyou silently began to clean up the mess Akito had made with the upturning of the table, while Shigure entered the kitchen to inform Tohru that the coast was clear.
"Tohru-kun," he called lovingly. He entered to find her kneeling on the floor with Amaya. "Akito has left. You should help Yuki and Kyou clean up the table."
"Ah!" She rose to her feet. "Hai!" She opened up the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a roll of paper towels before bouncing energetically out of the kitchen.
"Amaya-kun," Shigure said softly. "I don't know what he thinks you've done, but it isn't hard to provoke his wrath. Whatever it was seemed to have stuck with him, but you'll be safe under this roof."
Amaya looked at him with the same surprised eyes with which she had beheld Tohru. "But I can't stay here! I have school! And a job! And—"
"I think you'd better take a vacation," he strongly advised. I have seen Akito's bouts of rage before, but never have they been so intense. Never has he so passionately desired such revenge as death. He has merely created unhappiness for most and delighted in such creation. That wasn't just an outburst. He wasn't just being his volatile, moody self. He wasn't just playing with her. This is something deeper, something only he remembers. He exited the kitchen, Amaya following behind. "Good news everyone!" he sang out upon entering the common room.
Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru looked up from their work.
"Amaya-kun is staying with us!"
Tohru's face lit up. "Hontou ni?!" she squealed with delight. Oh it will be so nice to have another female in the house! Not that I don't appreciate Yuki, Kyou or Shigure. It will just be nice to share this house with another female!
"Hontou," Shigure said with a delighted grin. He loved seeing Tohru happy, but inwardly, he knew the risks of setting Amaya out into the world alone again. With Akito as seething as he was, no one would know what could happen at his hands.
"Where am I going to sleep?" Amaya asked quietly, almost to herself. She felt like such an intruder, but then again, she always had felt that way, no matter where she was.
Shigure turned to her, a huge, mischievous smile on his face. "You can sleep in my—"
SMACK.
"Debauchee," Kyou muttered as he returned to his cleaning.
Shigure rubbed the back of his head. "Kyou-kun!" he pouted. "If you keep doing that, I'll have a permanent lump on my head!"
"And if you keep being such a pervert, I'll make sure that you do!" Kyou yelled back.
Amaya raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but laugh. Though Kyou's words were violent, she could sense in him indefinable warmth. The four people looked at her curiously. These sorts of things had become so habitual to them that they failed to notice the humour. Feeling their confused stares, she cleared her throat and looked at the ground.
Tohru smiled earnestly. "Would you like to see the house, Amaya-san?"
She looked up and timidly returned Tohru's smile. "Sure." She followed Tohru out of the room and up the stairs.
Shigure sat on the floor with a heavy sigh and a concerned expression on his face. Yuki and Kyou were still cleaning the room.
"You could help you know," Kyou said edgily, failing to notice Shigure's sombre expression, so incongruous on his usually coquettish features.
"No, thanks," the writer replied mildly.
Yuki, being the more observant of the two young men, however, was able to perceive the dog's change in manner. "Shigure... What are you thinking?"
"We all must make sure Akito does not come in close contact with that girl."
"I understand. He was... different that time..."
Kyou stopped cleaning and looked at the other two. "You mean..."
"He was completely serious," Shigure finished. Akito was mistaken that one time, he said. He always makes us follow what he says, not allowing us to contradict him, not allowing us to believe that what he says isn't right. His word is the final word, always. He must have taken a big blow when he erred...
"And that's why you got her to stay here?" Yuki wondered.
"Exactly why. No one else needs to suffer Akito's wrath. Besides, whatever she did probably isn't worthy of such anger." It was a blow to his pride... and so he must retaliate...
"Nothing he gets worked up about is worth the trouble, but that doesn't stop him," Kyou noted.
"Could one say the same about you, baka neko?" Yuki interjected.
"Don't class me with that psycho, k'so nezumi!!!" The angered feline tossed his paper towel on the floor and began rolling up his sleeves, preparing for a bout with his long-time rival.
"Kyou-kun, this is not the time to fight. Leave it for later," Shigure said, adopting a fatherly tone.
Kyou clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and bent over to pick up his towel. He sulkily returned to cleaning. Neither he nor Yuki liked seeing Shigure so serious, but the circumstances certainly called for it. All the same, no matter how lazy or perverted he got, Yuki and Kyou much preferred Shigure's light-hearted antics.
"We need to do everything in our power to make her comfortable here, to make her safe," Shigure continued.
Amaya was mostly unamused by the things Tohru excitedly showed her. She found it hard to want to jump up and down about the bathroom or its location. She was, however, very inspired by Tohru's energy. Never had she met anyone with such enthusiasm. It was enough to make her want to possess an equal level of enthusiasm, but it simply was not in her character.
Nevertheless, Tohru's dauntless cheerfulness made Amaya feel immensely welcomed in this otherwise foreign household. She could instantly recognise Tohru's influence. She was the one who held the family together.
"This is my room!" Tohru said vivaciously as she opened the door to her bedroom. "Isn't it beautiful??"
Pink. Pink everywhere. A dizzying amount of pink. "I abhor pink," Amaya replied, without forethought. Unfortunately, she realised the significance of what she had said after she had said it. "I mean... uh... it's nice!" she stammered nervously. She certainly did not wish to insult her wonderful hostess, or seem too picky. She, however, lacked tact and had the horrible habit of saying the first thing that came to her mind.
Tohru simply smiled sweetly in return. "I knew you would like it!"
She really only hears what she wants, doesn't she? Amaya thought, while Tohru was delightedly describing the value of all her knick-knacks, much to Amaya's boredom.
Hatori returned a few hours later (and just in time for dinner) with the same book tucked under his left arm. "I must apologise for having had to bring Akito earlier," he said upon Tohru's opening the door.
"Don't mention it, Hatori-san!" she replied with a forgiving smile. "Please come in!"
His face was expressionless as he stepped inside the house. He had other things on his mind besides his guilt at bringing Akito to Shigure's house that afternoon.
The younger members of the household greeted him anxiously, desiring to know the underlying cause for Akito's behaviour. He entered silently, avoiding their expectant eyes as if it were Christmas and he'd forgotten to get them presents. He met Shigure's eyes with a look of desperation that expressed his thoughts: "I can't tell them this."
Shigure nodded in understanding. "Maa, maa, children! Don't crowd him!" he said in his singsong voice, renewing his countenance of levity.
"Aho!" Kyou was quick to reply. "We are NOT children! If anyone's a child here, it's YOU!"
Shigure simply laughed tauntingly and strolled casually into the common room, the rest following behind.
Tohru served dinner and everyone began to eat, the younger ones impatiently awaiting Hatori's explanation. An uneasy silence filled the room.
Unable to tolerate the thick tension in the room, Kyou struck the table angrily with his fist. "Why don't you say anything?! Why did he say that I will pay for what I have done?? What did I do? I have a right to know!"
Hatori turned to him passively and exhaled. "Be patient, Kyou. Some information is better left unknown."
"Na... Nani?! So you aren't going to tell me? I'm never going to know?!" Kyou vehemently jumped up from his seated position. "So why did you come here again, then?!"
The doctor was silent, a pained expression drawing over his features. Kyou was right. He had every reason to be curious. But Hatori knew that the information he carried had the possibility of dramatically shifting the lives of everyone in the room towards the more horrid side. It was true that, by simply coming into contact with Ozaki Amaya, the lives of the Sohmas would be altered considerably, and probably not in any advantageous way. But the worst was yet to come, and Hatori did not want to be responsible for it. Kyou's was one question he simply could not allow himself to answer. More memories from the past did not need to surface. Not yet.
"A... Ano... Kyou-kun?" Tohru stuttered shyly. "You don't have to be so anxious," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "I'm sure we will all find out eventually just what is going on. Please just enjoy your meal and try not to think about it so much. It's okay to wonder about it, but it will come eventually."
Her musical voice had an immediate sedating effect on his nerves and he quickly calmed down and resumed his place at the table. I don't know what it is about this that makes me feel so frustrated... so played around with and used... It's a feeling I can't control... but I hope I soon find out... Soon...
Author's Note:
Thank you, Maeko, for pointing out my typos. ^^ I can be a bit hasty sometimes. ^^'' And in response to your "Shigure's money" question, I vaguely remember the mention of the main house paying for his house. I could be remembering incorrectly, though, so I'll have to go back and check. ^^
Thank you, everyone, for all your comments! They really gave me motivation to continue this story, so I hope I don't disappoint!
This chapter was a little hard for me to write for reasons I do not quite remember right now. And the next chapter might be kind of boring. Just as a fair warning... but it will be important. (I'll do my best to make it worthwhile. ^^)
Anyway, I do sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially since I had such a hard time writing it. Please review! It's what keeps me going. ^^
Edit: 4/30/03—I decided to change my idea, 'cuz I was having major writers' block in regards to what I had originally planned. I think it will go this way better, too, because it's probably more accurate to characters. Hope you're not too disappointed with my changes!! (Please tell me if you are. I'm curious, but I probably wouldn't be able to change it back due to writers' block issues.) I wish I had been able to go along as planned, but alas! Hope you understand. ^^