The Sohma Institute
By Lady of the Ink
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but you knew that. I hope. I do own this story, and all the plot twists it contains.
Chapter Five
Point of Interest
Tohru reported to her second day at The Institute with a plan firm in her mind, a smile on her face, and a heavy bag in her hand. The secretary gave the bulging tote a curious look, but said nothing. Switching hands in the elevator, Tohru allowed it to swing against her legs.
She lengthened her strides so she could get down the hall quickly without breaking the "no running inside the building unless it is a dire emergency" rule. Her smile had grown into a full-blown grin as she allowed her optimism to fill her.
"This just might work!" she thought, pushing open the door to her office. To her surprise, Ms. Almont was seated at her own desk, frantically searching through the mass of papers and folders that seemed a permanent part of the room. She was muttering something that sounded like "Where is it? I know it's here somewhere!" under her breath, and didn't seem to notice Tohru's entrance.
Walking quietly so as not to startle the older woman, Tohru carefully sat the tote bag on her chair. Shrugging off her coat, that, too, was carefully put in its place. She was just reaching for the paper with her day's tasks on it when there was a small commotion behind her.
"Aha! Found you!" Ms. Almont crowed gleefully, waving a sheet of paper over her head. As got to her feet, she accidentally bumped a hip against her desk. The resulting tremor sent an avalanche of papers and other office memorabilia tumbling to the floor. With a heartfelt groan, she dropped to her knees and began scooping it all onto a pile.
Having had the same thing happen to her on more than one occasion, Tohru knelt to help. As she grabbed the stack nearest her and tried to get it in order, Ms. Almont gave her a startled look.
"Miss Honda, I didn't hear you arrive. Oh, you don't have to do this; I can get it."
Smiling to show she was happy to help, Tohru kept stacking even as she answered. "I saw you were busy, and didn't want to scare you, so I was very quiet. And please, call me Tohru. 'Miss Honda' is so formal, it makes me nervous."
Returning the smile, Ms. Almont nodded. "Okay. And thank you for your help. I keep meaning to clean that thing off, but I always seem too busy."
Once the mess of the floor was cleaned up, both women stood. Tohru turned back to her desk, not wanting to get too behind in her duties. Before she could grab her bag, however, Ms. Almont stopped her with a wave.
"Before you start, there are a few things we need to talk about." When Tohru had turned to face her once more, she continued. "First, I know that I said you'd have weeks to get to know the other patients, but there's been a small change in plans. One of the side projects that I'm working on for the Institute has come to a point where it needs more of my attention. That means that there are going to be days, and soon, when you're here on your own. You'll have to be present at certain times, like when the doctor comes with their medicines. You'll have to be prepared to divide your attention equally between all four, instead of focusing on just one.
"So starting tomorrow, I'll be introducing you to the other patients. You'll also meet a few members of the staff that you might have to deal with. It would be best if you knew who they are and what they do on sight. It just makes it easier. I'll have some background on each of them ready before you leave.
"The second thing I need to warn . . .um, talk to you about is a certain visitor coming in soon."
"Oh, someone's getting company today?" Tohru smiled. A visitor was sure to make whoever it was happy. She always loved it when her friends came to see her when she wasn't feeling well. And though the patients here weren't ill in the same way, maybe the feeling would still be the same.
"Yes. Yuki, you were with him yesterday?" Tohru nodded. "Well, his older brother is coming to see him. He prefers to come later in the day, after work. Now normally, I wouldn't go out of my way to say anything about the people who come to see their families, but Ayame, that's the brother, he's . . .different. If you're not used to him, he can be just a bit overwhelming at times." She laughed softly to herself, but it was a nervous sound rather than a humorous one.
Tohru smiled uncertainly, wondering what kind of person this Ayame was that he merited such a strange warning. She also wondered if he looked anything like his younger brother. Her mind drifted slightly as she imagined an older version of Yuki with the same gray hair and violet eyes. Ms. Almont's next statement snapped her back to reality.
"So, since you'll be working with just Yuki for today, you're bound to meet Ayame. I just wanted to give you a bit of word of warning so that you'll be expecting him." She paused, seeming to think over her next words carefully. "If you need . . .help, or have any questions, I'll be somewhere around here. Don't hesitate to come and find me."
With a final wave, she slipped from the room, leaving a somewhat thrown off balance Tohru behind. It was almost five minutes later when Tohru finally pulled herself together enough to remember what she should be doing. Grabbing the bag, she quickly headed across the hall.
The scene inside was almost the same as it had been the day before. The room was immaculate, not a thing out of place. Once more, Yuki sat in a chair, silently staring out the window. But because she was watching so closely, she saw one small change. As she closed the door behind her, she saw him tilt his head just slightly to one side.
Taking it as a sign of encouragement, Tohru put a bright smile on her face as she crossed the room. Pausing at the table on the left, she sat her burden right in the center. As she began pulling things from it, she tossed a look over her shoulder.
"Good afternoon!" Keeping her voice bright and happy, she hoped to draw him out again. "I'm sorry I'm a little late today, but I was talking to Ms. Almont, and then we were cleaning up a little mess. But I'm here now, if you're ready to get started?"
The bag empty, she turned to face her charge, still smiling. Taking the few steps to get to Yuki's side, she leaned over to put her face in his line of sight. "Do you want to come over here, or should I bring them to you?" There was no response. Since she had been expecting this, Tohru didn't let it bring her down. Acting as though he had voiced an opinion, she kept up her one sided conversation. "Over here it is, then. Just give me a second, and I'll be ready."
Crossing back to the table, she stared down at the small bundle of items it now held. The idea she had come up with the night before had expanded during the day. The stack of magazines she had retrieved from her closet had been joined by several others begged off of friends and classmates. Now there was a nice selection of different topics waiting to be chosen from.
Pulling the top one off the pile, Tohru stopped to grab the only other chair in the room. Placing it right next to Yuki's, she turned so that he could see the magazine in her lap if he wanted to. A quick glance at his face showed that he was still looking vaguely out the window.
A small sigh escaped her as she mentally crossed her fingers that this would work. Flipping open the cover, Tohru scanned the table of contents. It was a video game magazine she had borrowed from the boy who sat next to her in biology class. It was something she wasn't exactly familiar with. Biting the bullet, she picked an article that looked good and found the page.
Reading it aloud between stolen glances at Yuki, she quickly came to two conclusions. One, she must know less about video games than any other human currently living on the planet, and two, this wasn't working.
"Not your cup of tea?" she asked, expecting and getting no answer. "Well, let's try another." A quick trip to the table, and she was back with the second choice. This one was from a woman who lived just down the hall from her. Looking at the cover, she frowned for a moment. It didn't seem like the thing that would catch a person like Yuki's attention.
Shrugging a bit, she decided against putting it aside. You never knew what kind of interests a person could have. When it came down to it, appearances meant less than nothing. Randomly opening to spot near the middle, Tohru flipped a few pages until she found a nice, glossy layout. Turning it a little, she read the small caption at the bottom.
"'This garden's focal point is the large, climbing red rosebush. Smaller bushes of different colors help to make it stand out in a manner very pleasing to the eyes.'" Tracing one finger over the picture, Tohru had to agree that it was a particularly lovely garden. It was exactly the kind of thing she'd want in her own backyard, although a bit smaller.
Being honest with herself, she acknowledged that it would probably never happen. Even if she had the yard, she had never been good at keeping a lot of plants alive. Smiling slightly, she turned to look up at Yuki, expecting the same expression of disinterest that he'd had before.
To her surprise, he was looking right at the magazine, his gaze darting over the image as he took in all the details. Tilting her head to the side, she waited until it looked like he had seen everything, and then flipped the page. Again his eyes scoured the page, looking at each picture and drawing.
Feeling a surge of elation, Tohru flipped the page once more, and then carefully slid the magazine onto his lap. She wasn't sure how long his interest would last, so she hurried to the table with a smile on her face. Quickly sorting through the stack, she found one other title that had something to do with plants. Carrying it with her, she was almost to Yuki's side when she heard the door behind her pop open. Thinking that it was Ms. Almont, she turned.
It wasn't Ms. Almont.
Tohru almost dropped the magazine in her hands at the sight before her. A man stood in the doorway, a spot of light highlighted against the shadowy hallway behind him. He was dressed in white from head to toe, his long shirt edged in gold thread at the neck and wrists. Loose white pants and white shoes completed the outfit.
Although what he was wearing was unusual, it was the man himself that startled her the most. A pale complexion was equally matched with the white hair he wore in a long braid over one shoulder. But, as had been the case with Yuki, it was his eyes that truly stood out the most. The deep golden color seemed almost to glow with an inner light.
Before she could do anything but stare, he smiled slowly, lifting his hands from his sides in a gesture that embraced the room at large. Sweeping inside, he crossed to Yuki's side and dropped to his knees with a dramatic cry of "Brother!"
Tohru opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her gaze flitted from the open doorway to the pair by the window and back again. Still not moving, she managed one word.
"Ayame?"
