Monday September 08, 2003
Scribbler's ramblings: Hahaha, it's been around 4 months since I've actually updated this story. So incredibly sorry to those who actually enjoyed this. I've written two others though. To Gaze at Wonder, and My Tomorrow. Both are one-shots, and if you have free-time you wish to mindlessly squander, you can read them ;)
Yep, flame-throwers are allowed, but have the courtesy to at least make them constructive. You can also correct any spelling or grammatical errors I've made (if you're going to be picky, I don't mind).
Disclaimers: Luckily Furuba doesn't belong to me (stick people drawings are in the trash, where they belong), it belongs to mangaka Natsuki Takaya.
At the Sohma clan houses, two babies were born, within mere seconds of one another. Each of their cries were heard throughout the houses, a sign of healthy new life. But these births had been two months premature, and two equally painful wails accompanied their cries.
-=+=-
A shuddering jolt was sent up Hanajima's spine.
It has happened, she thought despondently, and she got up from beside the window, stepping lightly into bed.
But the pale moon stayed, shining light upon those who shared its cursed existence.
-=+=-
"Ohayo Kyou-koi!" Tohru chirped as Kyou walked into the kitchen. She had gotten up early as usual to prepare breakfast for the Sohmas.
Kyou smiled gently at her, and grabbed the milk carton from the fridge. He was going to practice stances outside today.
Fixing up some American pancakes and scrambled eggs, Tohru laid them on the table in front of Kyou and herself. They had each murmured "Ittadakimasu," and begun to enjoy the meal when Shigure suddenly barged into the dining room and dove behind the television. A long banshee-like wail followed, "Shigure-saaaaaaan! Why do you torture me like this?!?!? The deadline's already passed and I still don't have your manuscript!!! Shigure-saaaaan, don't play games with me!!!!"
A vein pulsed lightly on Kyou's forehead. "Baka inu! Why are you torturing Mit-chan again? You already have that manuscript finished!"
"Hohoho, that's what you don't understand my naïve Kyou… it's all in the game! The fun of the chas –"
"Shigure-san! I've found you! NOW GIVE ME THE MANUSCRIPT!" Mit-chan wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ah yes, the manuscript," Shigure said, inching away from his blubbering editor, "I have it right in the kitchen, now if you would please let – go – of – me, I'll get it for you."
"Nonononononono," Mit-chan declared, a crazed fervor entering her eyes, "You're not leaving me until I have the manuscript IN MY HANDS!!!"
And with that, she hastily fastened a pair of handcuffs on his wrist and hers.
"Hohoho," Shigure chuckled, "You've got me there Mit-chan."
A look of triumph passed over Mit-chan's face.
" … but unfortunately, you've forgotten that us writer types always carry a spare handcuff key of the one our editor has fastened upon us," he said, masterfully slipping out of the stainless steel cuffs, "See you later Mit-chan!"
And he ran off once again.
"Shigure-saaaaaaaaan!!!"
*slam*
And finally peace and quiet. "Baka inu," Kyou muttered under his breath, "seems like the morning could not get any worse."
Yuki walked in, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Ohayo Sohma-kun! You're up early today," Tohru commented, getting up from her seat to fix Yuki a plate.
"Oh, don't bother Honda-san, I was up at 6 today … I was wondering whether or not I should tell you … something," Yuki said, plopping down on his side of the table.
Kyou and Tohru looked at him quizzically. He seemed lost in deep thought, considering whether or not to tell them of this mysterious something.
"Have you guys had any … thoughts … lately? Just random thoughts. Perhaps of doubt about our current … situation?" Yuki began.
Kyou's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. What was the rat getting at?
"I'm not that sure about you, it's just that … I've been thinking lately. Wondering if the flash erased more than the curse. And I've come up with all sorts of answers. I know I should probably just leave things alone, but I have this strange feeling that something isn't right, and more could go wrong.
"So have you been having these thoughts lately? Doubts?" Yuki asked, a hopeful light on his face.
Tohru opened her mouth to say something, and quickly shut it again. She didn't know how to say it. She wanted to tell him that she had been experiencing the same thoughts, but something held her back. The rightness in her current world blocked her ability to talk. The way her life seemed to be finally getting along well. Half of her wanted none of this to go away. But, the other half knew something was wrong.
Apparently, Kyou felt the same way. He absent-mindedly pushed his dish off the table. Scrambled eggs and a messy spattering of syrup-laden pancakes struck the floor. The plate spun uselessly against the spoiled wooden planks.
"Why don't you just leave things the way they are?" Kyou asked, a slight edge to his tone.
"So, you agree then don't you? You've been having the same thoughts? The same doubts about the reality of this world?" Yuki said, ignoring Kyou's question.
"Well, Sohma-kun does have a –" Tohru began.
"Answer me," Kyou cut in, a fire rising from the embers of his eyes, "Why not leave things the way they are?"
Yuki looked confused. "Simple, Kyou-kun, it just isn't right! Our curses being erased was a blessing, but certain memories? That isn't right. For all we know, we could be living an unconscious lie!"
"That doesn't matter though! All that matters is that right now everything is fine and our lives are great. The world is great. Everything is great. Why mess up something so … great?!" Kyou forced, slowly rising from the floor.
Tohru walked briskly to the kitchen to retrieve a towel to clean the mess. She saw that there was no stopping this argument, and wanted no part of it.
"There are things that are meant to be known and some things will not be kept secret! I can not live knowing that a whole part of my life is missing! Ignorance isn't bliss Kyou!" Yuki retorted, angry at Kyou's refusal to co-operate.
Tohru flinched. Through the thin rice paper door she could still hear the argument. Ignorance isn't bliss, she remembered her conscience telling her that one of her perfect afternoons with Kyou. Ignorance isn't bliss.
Kyou couldn't take it. There was no swaying the stupid rat, and now he was going to ruin his finally perfect life. Throwing the door open, he stormed outside into the backyard and slammed the door closed. A dull splintering was heard as he punched one of the wooden supports outside.
Yuki settled back down to the floor, sighing with contempt. Why didn't Kyou understand?
Tohru finally reentered the dining room, and kneeled down, wiping bits of egg and pancake from the floor. You could cut the tension with a knife. Or even, a dull spoon.
-=+=-
This was crazy.
This was ridiculous.
This was absurd.
This was the one thing I feared.
All of these impossible thoughts flooded my mind. I couldn't take it. Rushing up from the branches of a tall maple, I leapt unto the shingled roof. The uneven surface felt good under my feet, and staring up into the vast sky, a tiny light of hope flickered on.
Maybe Yuki wouldn't ruin everything. Maybe he couldn't take away this perfect life that Fate had crafted for me. Perhaps there was some sort of chance that life would remain this way, and that Yuki was wrong, we weren't living a lie.
My eyes swept the open blue sky, and I felt at home. This was a place I loved. This place, where everything was so open, where unlimited space allowed me to free my thoughts and doubts. Here, my optimism lifted and became unbeatable. Here, I knew that everything would be okay.
I lay down on the wooden roof and felt its rippling surface against my back. A breeze played around me, tossing my hair this way and that. It was so comfortable here, a brisk cool that neither bit me nor smothered me. I felt open, free.
But even the sky had its limits. From the corner of my eye, I could see the faintest hint of a storm. Even so early in the morning, there was already a grey cloud peeking out from the faraway mountains.
The cloud. My doubts. The vastness of the sky came to a shuddering halt. All at once, reality sank in. I was no longer free. I was caged again.
Propping myself on my elbows, I tried to consider what Yuki had mentioned. But even attempting to think about it caused me to scowl. The stupid rat. Him and his "perfect ideas" about what was right and what was wrong. Why not let everything stay the way it was? It wasn't harming anyone. There was finally a rightness in the world which I understood.
The sky was still so perfectly blue, and I willed the grey cloud to go away. Turning over on my side, I saw that the roof was missing a shingle. The empty space seemed so barren and irksome; something that destroyed the completeness of the roof.
Missing. The word clung to my mind. Missing. What could a few missing memories do? Missing. How bothersome it was. Missing.
I turned onto my back again and stared at the sky once more.
The vastness, the blueness, the overall perfection.
Missing.
-=+=-
Tohru nervously wiped over an already polished surface. She didn't know whom to believe. After all, life was treating her well. Everything was good. She had a place to live. She had Kyou. She had her memories.
(Or at least most of them)
That little afterthought bothered her. After all, it wasn't like she had already agreed with Yuki. She knew that there was at least a small chance that maybe Kyou was right. That letting everything work itself out would be the best choice.
And yet, she knew it wasn't right. That there was something wrong with this world. It didn't seem fake, no, it seemed absolutely real. Just something that tugged at the edges of her mind. Something that made her feel uneasy whenever she fully settled down. Something. There was no other word. Just something.
-=+=-
In the quietness of the dining room, I wondered why I had brought this up in the first place. At least Kyou was right about one thing. This life was okay. There wasn't anything horribly wrong with it.
I wracked my mind to think of a reason. Why, why, why had I brought this thing up? There was something urgent, something missing. That, I had figured out last night. But now, as I thought about it, I couldn't remember what I had remembered.
It was Tohru - who distracted me, still wiping up the mess Kyou had made, and deep in thought herself.
What was the reason?
Tohru must have been having doubts too.
Why had I brought it up?
Tohru's usually large eyes were furrowed into a pondering frown.
The reason?
Tohru finally wiped all of the syrup from the floor.
Frustrated, I marched out of the room, unhappy that I had started this argument between Kyou and I for a reason I couldn't remember.
And Tohru was left all alone in the room.
-=+=-
She-bam, the inevitable had just happened. Hatori couldn't believe his eyes, but after a moment's consideration, realized that yes, the curse would need to be passed on.
The loss of Kyou and Yuki's curses had been a blessing. A God-sent gift.
But now, Hatori had two more cursed children on his hands.
The cat and the rat had been born again.
One with a tuft unusually red hair, and the other white-blond tresses. Kana's firstborn, and the third child of Mutte, Momiji's mother. The first and thirteenth of the Jyuunishi. Cursed. Again.
The moment that the mothers had been able to handle their children, two large puffs of smoke had erupted, and instead of their lovely newborns, nestled in their arms were an orange kitten and a small white mouse.
Distraught wouldn'tve covered it. Kana had immediately crashed, wondering where her child was and carelessly handing the kitten over to her husband. She had thought that this was all a joke, but in her eyes you could see reality sinking in. She was in denial. She hated it. And soon, she was reduced to silence and two very large blank eyes.
Momiji's mother had taken a while longer to comprehend what had happened. She had stared intently at the mouse cupped in her hand. For a while it seemed that she may even have accepted the child, but soon her deep breathing had changed to short, ragged gasps. Faster and faster she drew in air and finally let out a horrifying wail. Silent tears coursed down her face and she held the mouse out in her shaking hand, willing someone to take it away. Take the world away.
They both knew of the curse. Of course, each had conveniently forgotten about their previous stints with the dragon and rabbit, but they still knew of the Sohma family's strange disease. But neither one had expected that their children would be cursed. Never in a million years. Never in a trillion years. Never in all the years they expected to live. Not once, not now, not never.
But now
Hatori took the newborns and placed them in cribs in the next room. He left the two sorrowful mothers surrounded by their family members, each trying to unsuccessfully console them. With a morbid chuckle he knew that there would be no "cure". No potion, concoction or medicine. Never nothing.
He gazed down at the two slumbering children. Seeing two who were so young affected by the curse made him angry. Depressed. They didn't deserve it. They didn't deserve this fate, this foolish destiny.
Unbeknownst to them of their fate, the two continued to slumber peacefully.
And in the other room, their mothers mourned.
-=+=-
Momiji stood silently outside his mother's bedroom. She probably didn't know that he was there, but he was, standing guard and looking out for her as always.
The past few months especially, he didn't want her harmed. After all, she was going to give birth to a child. To think! A new brother or sister!
His mother had given birth two weeks ago. There had been no complications, no C-section, nothing important that would put the newborn's life in danger. At least, that was what he had heard from the others. There was something that they wouldn't tell him though. He didn't know what, just something that stitched their eyebrows together every time someone mentioned it.
That, and another thing bothered Momiji. He had heard from Hatori that the baby shouldn't have been born until late October. To date it was late August, so the child had to be at least two months premature.
Two months. Realization hit Momiji and he froze. He had been two months premature. So had Kyou and Yuki and Haru and Kagura. Rin, Kisa, Hiro and Ritsu had also been born two months before scheduled. He had even heard that his uncles Hatori, Ayame and Shigure had been born two months early.
Two months. It couldn't be. It simply couldn't be the curse. If his mother had conceived another cursed child, she would be crushed. And the process would be repeated. Down, down, down a spiral of madness until only a shell of a woman hid the hollowness within.
But now there was Momo. What would happen to her? Would she also succumb to the insanity of the curse?
Finally, his panic could not be contained. Carefully opening the door to her room just a crack, Momiji peered into the bedroom turned hospital room.
His mother was sitting there, ever so calmly, gently rocking the wrapped child in her arms. Quietly, she was singing it a lullaby, occasionally pulling the cloth from its face.
Momiji let loose a huge breath of relief. So she hadn't gone insane. She didn't even seem mildly disturbed. Perhaps it had been a normal premature birth. Or perhaps, the baby had been born a girl.
"Ara! Aren't you just the cutest little mousie there is! Yes you are! Yes you are!" she exclaimed, bringing the child closer to her.
Wait … had Momiji misheard? Did she just say 'mousie'?
"The cutest mousie ever! You are my special child little nezumi! The first of the Jyuunishi and the one who shall be born the greatest!"
Momiji's eyes widened, and his mouth gaped. No, he had not misheard. She was caressing his new little brother. His new cursed little brother.
"I love you with all my heart, little nezumi, for you are my special child! You are special!"
Momiji knees gave way and he sunk to the ground.
'Because he was special'.
Scribbler's ramblings: Awww, poor Momiji. Actually, I'll explain more about that in the next chapter. Originally there was supposed to be more, because I had this entire chapter planned, but I realized that I would have about 5000 words … so I decided not to waste my time uploading that onto fanfiction (in other words, I got lazy).
Woosh! Yay for pointless stuff that the reader couldn't care less about!
Hmmm… now as I think about it, this chapter could've been written in less than 2500 words. Really, I shouldn't be wasting my time writing this much … or telling you that I've wasted my time doing this.
Ahahaha, you must be very confused by now my disgusted reader.
Or very confused about why I'm calling you disgusted.
(No, not disgustING, disgustED)
I'm gonna end off here before I say anything else stupid.
Saturday October 04, 2003
