FRUITS BASKET: WHAT MUST BE DONE
by Vashkoda
(Disclaimer: This work of fiction uses characters belonging to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha without their permission. I am getting no profit from it. I only do it because I think Fruits Basket is a great story, and I want to help keep it alive!)
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Tohru walked back from work in a tense and troubled mood. Sohma Hatori wanted to see her. There were only two reasons someone went to see Hatori. Because she wasn't sick, the only other explanation was that she was being sent to get her memory erased.
Kyo and Yuki had seemed just as upset when they gave her the bad news. But rather than go alone, they insisted that she wait for them to see Hatori. They would be practicing karate until late, so she was to meet them at the dojo, which wasn't very far from her workplace.
When she arrived, she was startled to see how many people were there. They were very loud, and Tohru cringed every time she saw someone flipped to the ground or get punched or kicked.
"It is nice to see you again, Honda Tohru. I was told you would be coming."
Tohru recognized Kazuma from the time they had been briefly introduced at Shigure's house. It was the same day Kyo had undergone his horrible transformation, she remembered.
"Good evening, Sohma-san," she said, leaning into a bow. She faltered as she heard a particularly loud shout, though it didn't sound like the person was angry or hurt.
"Are you all right, Honda-san?"
"H-hai," she said nervously as she straightened. "I...I just don't like to see so much fighting."
"They won't hurt each other when they know I'm watching," Kazuma assured her. "Karate is an art form; a means of expression, and you learn a lot about someone by studying their style. For instance, what can you tell me about Yuki from watching him fight Kyo?"
Tohru reluctantly looked up at her two friends. They were tirelessly repeating the same move over and over, and though the younger students practiced with slow hesitation, Yuki and Kyo flowed back and forth almost seamlessly, as if they were performing some kind of odd dance. There were small differences in the way they executed their attacks, and she noted these to Kazuma.
"Yuki keeps his left arm close to his chest, as if he's getting ready to block something there."
Kazuma nodded to her. "Yes, Yuki has a weak lung, and a blow to the ribs on that side could send him into painful spasms. What about Kyo?"
Tohru watched closely, but could see nothing distinctive about Kyo's style. "He...just fights hard," she said lamely, blushing at her words. "Gomen, I'm sorry--I just don't see it."
"No, don't apologize--that's exactly it," the sensei said with a smile. "Unlike Yuki, Kyo fights without concern for his own safety. He does not hold back, and attacks with everything he has."
"That does sound like Kyo-kun," Tohru agreed. "But if his attacks are stronger, why doesn't he win?"
"Ah," said Kazuma, and then he was silent for a long moment. He turned to address the class.
"Everyone, I want you to practice free style with your partner. Begin."
The fighting immediately intensified between Yuki and Kyo. Most of the younger students paused in their own exercises to stare at the pair.
"Now, watch closely," Kazuma told her.
Kyo lunged at Yuki, who instantly pivoted to his right side. Rather than move towards the weaker left side, Kyo aimed his blow at what was closest, which happened to be where Yuki had already prepared all his defenses. Yuki blocked the fist coming towards his right, reaching with his hands to grab the arm as it flew past him and use Kyo's forward momentum to pull him off his feet. Thus disabled, it took only moments for Yuki to pin the arm behind Kyo's back and force him to his knees.
"All right class, that's enough. Bow to your partners and come to the front of the room."
The group quickly assembled into two straight lines before Kazuma and bowed as he called out the ritual words that ended their session. As the students raced off to different corners of the dojo to gather their belongings, Kazuma asked Tohru if she had discovered the answer to her earlier question.
"I'm not sure...but I think Kyo doesn't know about Yuki's weak side."
"It seems obvious, doesn't it?" reflected the sensei. "But Kyo is not a strategist; he simply sees what he wants and goes for it. This rashness, this impulsive behavior, comes from the heart; therein lies his weakness. Yet it also gives him courage, and that is his greatest strength. Kyo doesn't fear pain, but then he also has a hard time realizing that others do. I will not tell him this, though. It is something he must learn on his own."
"Honda-san, are you ready to go?" asked Yuki, coming up behind her.
"Hai! Arigato gozaimasu, Sohma-san," she said to Kazuma, bowing. He smiled and returned the bow.
Kyo and Yuki said their farewells to the sensei and accompanied Tohru outside. It was a long, slow walk to the estate, but none of them were in any hurry to get there.
"Kyo-san, Yuki-san, Honda-san," nodded Hatori as they entered his office. He didn't seem at all surprised to see his younger cousins there.
"We're not leaving Tohru alone with you," Kyo warned him, daring the doctor to tell them otherwise. Hatori smiled wanly, his tired expression making him appear much older than he was.
"I'm afraid I must insist. There are exams and consultations that require strict doctor-patient confidentiality." When it seemed like his cousins were about to protest the matter, Hatori added, "Not to mention that it may be awkward for her to have you there watching when she is undressed."
That shut them up right away, he noticed. Kyo's jaw dropped as he gaped at Hatori for several wordless moments, while Yuki's embarrassed gaze darted everywhere except at Tohru.
"I promise I will not harm her, and her memories will remain intact," he told them somberly. "You can wait here. It shouldn't take long."
He nodded at Tohru, indicating she should follow him as he opened the door leading to the examination rooms. She put on a brave face for Kyo and Yuki, then turned to follow him down the hall. Tohru gave a small start as she heard the door close and the lock click into place. There was no turning back now.
"Please sit," he told her, indicating a bed-like surface with a white sheet draped over it. Tohru obediently climbed onto it and dangled her feet over the edge. Her fingers clutched the armrests so hard that they were turning white.
"Relax, I just want to talk to you."
Tohru nodded, though her body was still shaking. "Gomen, I'm trying my best."
Hatori sighed. "I'm sorry for calling you here. I wanted to talk with you privately, but you weren't at home, and the matter is somewhat urgent. Kureno-san wanted to talk to you himself, but worried that after what some of our younger cousins have told you, you might be too scared to see him."
The anxiety left Tohru's face, only to be replaced by looks of confusion, embarrassment, and finally, determination.
"I think I know why Kureno-san wants to see me," she admitted softly. "When he saw me in the estate library, Momiji told him that I was a Sohma so that we wouldn't get in trouble. I know it was wrong, and now he must have found out it was a lie and is very upset." Hatori noticed a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Tohru-san, Kureno knew from the beginning that it was a lie. He is not upset with you for that."
"N-nani?" she said, choking back more tears. "But then...why didn't he say anything?"
Hatori frowned, telling her truthfully, "I don't understand half the things Kureno-san does. He may simply have found the whole situation amusing, or he may have had an entirely different reason only he knows about." Hatori walked over to the window and opened it, peering through to make sure no one was outside before taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. In deference to his patient, he let hand holding the cigarette dangle through the window.
"I wish you could just speak to him directly, but even he admits it would not be wise to do so any time soon. Akito has been watching him more closely."
Tohru shuddered. "I don't know if I want to see him. Kureno-san scares me."
Hatori took a long drag from his cigarette and grimaced. "Is this because of his other ability?"
She frowned at him. "You mean the birds?"
"No. His ability to sense death."
This took Tohru completely by surprise. Hatori realized this and muttered a curse under his breath. "I thought you knew."
Tohru shook her head. Hatori crushed his cigarette against the sill and flicked it out the window. He came up to Tohru and sat beside her.
"The rooster has always been associated with death," he explained to her. "The Christians' bible says that Jesus's disciple denied him three times before his death, each time marked by a rooster's crow. The legends of the basilisk monster say that it can be killed by the crow of a rooster. The rooster resembles a phoenix, also a legendary creature associated with death and rebirth. And each morning, the rooster announces the death of night and the birth of a new day. So you see, it was not all that surprising that Kureno too, has some of this ability."
"But...what does it mean, about him sensing death?" Tohru asked, completely bewildered.
"It means he can tell when someone is about to die. That is why Akito-san keeps him so close. You know about the curse, and how Akito, Kyo, and all of the juunishi will die soon after one another?" Tohru nodded solemnly. "That is why he is worried," Hatori continued. "Because of his condition, he should have died long ago, but he is being kept alive on very expensive drugs and treatments. He is cheating death, but he will not be able to do so once the curse has started killing the juunishi. Then he will have no choice--the curse always finds a way. Of course, I am doing the best I can to keep him alive. After all, his death would trigger my own."
"So...what does any of this have to do with me?" Tohru asked him. "Why does he want to speak with me?"
Hatori wished he still had his cigarette. He drew a long breath and answered, "Because he has finally sensed that we are about to die."
"Nani?" cried Tohru, almost falling off the bed. "Now?! Soon?"
"Soon," the doctor replied. "We don't know when. Within the year, most likely. Kureno decided not to tell Akito-san; it would only put him in a fouler mood. He could go so far as to force abortions on all the pregnant women in the clan just to make sure there are no new births through which the curse can be transmitted upon the death of a juunishi."
"That's horrible," said Tohru, aghast. "Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun...all my friends. You, Hatori-san! I don't want any of you to die!"
"That is why if we are to have any chance, the curse must be broken before anyone dies. That is why Kureno-san wanted to speak with you. I do not know if you have noticed, Tohru-san, but you have had a great impact on this family. The curse takes a heavy toll on a juunishi's spirit, yet you have managed to lift that burden, and it has been felt even by Akito himself. I think that he, too, believes you might be the one to finally break the curse. That is why you have been allowed to keep your memory for so long."
"But...but I don't know how to break it!" she cried. "What am I supposed to do?"
"If I could tell you, I would," he said apologetically, giving her a meaningful look. "But I advise you not to tell Yuki, Kyo or any of the others about this. If nothing can be done, it could only hurt them to know about it in advance."
"H-hai," she said, trembling as she slid off the bed and stood up. Hatori guided her to the door, which he unlocked and opened. She could see Yuki and Kyo jump to their feet and stare at her worriedly as she came through.
"Are you all right, Honda-san?" asked Yuki.
"You still remember us, right?" asked Kyo.
"I kept my promise," frowned Hatori, offended that they hadn't believed him.
"Let's go home," said Tohru, without any explanation. The others were only too happy to oblige.
Hatori watched them leave, then heard the sound of someone coming up behind him.
"Did she get the message?"
Hatori turned around and saw Kureno standing there.
"I told her as much as I could. You know that I couldn't tell her everything."
Kureno waved his hand dismissively. It annoyed Hatori to see the man care so little about how much others might suffer. Hatori himself was a doctor, after all, and had made an oath to do no harm.
"The hardest choices must be made of one's own free will," was all he said.
Hatori nodded. "Have you had any more feelings telling you when it might happen?"
Kureno shook his head. "When my gift has no answers, I turn to the facts, dear cousin. The records I study show that there is always a birth in the clan at the moment of a juunishi's death. And since--being the family doctor, you would know when someone has conceived, and say there are currently no pregnant Sohma women--we can be sure of at least nine months of respite before we truly need to worry."
Hatori frowned. "Akito's condition is growing worse. If you ask me, I don't think he even has that long."
"You're the doctor," Kureno shrugged, though Hatori could tell that the news worried him.
He sighed and reached for another cigarette. I really should quit, he thought to himself. But if I only have nine months to live, what the hell does it matter?
"The curse always finds a way," Kureno muttered. They were the same words Hatori had spoken to Tohru that night. Of course it wasn't exactly a revelation to any of the juunishi. The curse was complex, almost to the point where there seemed to be an intelligence guiding it past the obstacles they put up against it.
"It is pretty damn smart," Hatori agreed, blowing out a puff of smoke. "But it still has to play by the rules. That's the one chance we've got."
As she walked alongside Kyo and Yuki, Tohru couldn't help thinking that it might be the last night they would all be together. Before, she had worried about them being apart once the Sohmas went off to college, but now she had just learned that her friends might not even have that long.
"What are you thinking about, Honda-san?" asked Yuki.
"Huh? Oh, uh...the prom," she invented quickly, knowing she couldn't tell them the truth.
"Oh," was all that Yuki said, and Tohru realized at once her error. The prom was still a sore subject, and for good reason. But now that it had been brought up-
"Who are you going with, Yuki-kun?" she tentatively asked him, hoping that he was indeed still going to the dance. She wanted all of her friends to be there and enjoy themselves.
"He's going with the president of that stupid fan club," Kyo answered for him.
Yuki glowered at his cousin, then admitted reluctantly, "It was the only way to get her to stop sending me flowers."
Kyo had a big laugh at that, but Tohru only smiled sympathetically. The girl had seemed a little eccentric, but at least it showed that she really did care about Yuki.
"I'm glad...I'm glad that we will all be together," smiled Tohru, and she was pleased to see Yuki and Kyo smile back at her in return. It made her so happy to have them talking to her again. She let her worries slide away, and decided to just enjoy the moment. They were together, for now at least, and that was what was important.
author's note: Next chapter: the prom! You'll have to wait a bit though 'cause I have a report due this week. -_-;; Thanks again to those of you who keep sending reviews!