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 Ten
Momiji, Haru, and Kyou
In what was most likely a subconscious effort to help calm her nerves, Tohru found her eyes coursing over every feature of the room except for the people it contained. The walls were as plain as every other room on the floor, painted an almost grainy seeming shade of yellow. The only breaks from it were the two gray steel doors and the off-white trim lining the single window. The bright color should have made the room seem cheery, but it came out more glaring than uplifting.
The furniture was limited, with just a small wooden counter under the window, obviously bolted to the wall. A long, rectangular wooden table sat in the center of the room, lined on either side by three chairs.
Three of those six chairs were currently occupied. Tohru's attention focused on Yuki first, since his was the only familiar face on that side of the room. He sat perfectly straight in his seat with his hands folded loosely in his lap. His gaze seemed to be locked on a spot on the floor about two feet in front of him.
Beside him sat a younger looking boy with wavy blonde hair. When he saw that she was looking at him, he offered a big smile and a small wave. Based on his actions and the vague description from one of the files, she assumed that he was Momiji. Feeling a bit more at ease thanks to his open acceptance, Tohru turned to the next person.
Openly disobeying Ms. Almont's request that they all be seated, he was leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed firmly over his chest in a faintly belligerent pose. Adding to that image, his head was tipped forward, his chin almost resting on his chest as he glared at the room through eyes all but hidden behind locks of his orange hair. Somehow he managed to express an air of active disinterest and anger without moving, speaking, or even acknowledging that other people were in the room. It wasn't hard to figure out that he had to be Kyou.
Shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other, Tohru turned her eyes to the final patient. He was sitting on the opposite side of the table from Yuki and Momiji, slumped down slightly in his chair. His two toned hair was the first thing she really noticed. The deep black topped with pure white was certainly unusual, but it seemed to work for him. His complexion was on the pale side, though not as pale as Yuki's. He wore a blank expression as he observed her, as though reserving judgment. It interested her, the similarities between Yuki and Hatsuharu, or Haru, as Ms. Almont had called him. They both had pale, blank countenances, but subtle differences hinted at them having vastly different personalities.
Having separated the group into four individual people in her mind, the moment become a bit less daunting to Tohru. It went from an insurmountable seeming problem to more of a difficult, but manageable task. For the first time since Ms. Almont had helped her to her feet, she was feeling rather upbeat.
Striking while the sensation lasted, she smiled warmly at all four, although the action seemed to be lost on Yuki. He remained unmoving while Momiji offered her another grin, Kyou grunted, and Haru raised an eyebrow. Unsure of what to do next, she turned back to Ms. Almont.
She took the hint. "As everyone knows, Tohru, Miss Honda, I mean, is the new aide on this floor. She started last week and works every weekday from four until nine or so. Until now, she been working with just Yuki, but starting soon, she'll be handling all four of you. Since she's still a student, she'll be doing some of the lighter tasks around here."
Ms. Almont then turned to Tohru. "Now, you've met Yuki so I'll just introduce you to the others. You read over the files I gave you?" She paused until Tohru nodded her assurance. "Good. They're a beginning, but nothing compared to actually meeting and greeting.
"Here we have Momiji, as you may have already guessed. You shouldn't have any problems with him. In fact, he's very nice and will probably be a big help to you. You'll lend a hand, won't you, Momiji?"
The young boy fairly bounced in his seat as he nodded emphatically. Ms. Almont responded with a warm smile. "Across from him is Haru. He's a having a good day today, like he usually does. Other days . . .well, you'll learn about those when they come, since words cannot describe them. Anyway, Haru here has a little problem with directions, so be prepared to rescue him from any of the bathrooms and other rooms. You'll also find him wandering the all over the place from time to time."
Tohru looked at the person in question from the corner of her eye, wondering how he would take all those matter-of-fact statements that might be construed as insults. His file had made it clear that though he was normally mild mannered, all it took was one random thing to set him on a "rampage". She was a little nervous about being caught by one of those, and didn't think that having one caused on her behalf at their first meeting was a good sign. But Haru didn't seem to mind as he just kept watching them with a bland expression. Tohru supposed that if it were true, he might be used to hearing people told about it.
"And that brings us to someone you really should meet. Against the wall over there is Kyou. He's in a bit of a snit right now." There was an audible growl from the orange haired boy.
"He's also the one who beaned you earlier." She chuckled, motioning to the plastic tray that was still lying on the floor by the door. "I don't know who was more surprised, you or him. But anyway, he's usually throwing temper tantrums for one reason or another, so you'll get used to it. There aren't supposed to be trays in here, so the getting conked in the head thing should be a one time deal." Her voice dropped a bit, and Tohru could tell she was speaking more to herself when she said, "I'll have to see who was in here last. That was a breach of regulations."
Coming back to the moment with startled look, she quickly picked up her former train of thought. "He might throw other things though, so you'll have to be on your guard."
"If you're just going to say stupid things, I'm going back to my room."
Tohru turned to the owner of the angry voice just in time to catch the glare he was directing over her shoulder at Ms. Almont. While she quailed a bit at the resentment in that look, the older woman suffered no such problem. Perhaps she was just used to it.
"Well, you do. Although you might learn your lesson after today. You were so surprised; I don't think I've ever seen anyone's eyes bug out as far as yours did when the door flew open and she dropped to the floor."
"Shut up!"
"Kyou's blushing! Kyou's blushing!" Momiji chanted in a singsong voice, then giggled.
In a move that happened so fast it took a moment to sink into Tohru's mind, Kyou pushed away from the wall. In two steps he had passed Yuki and bopped Momiji squarely atop the head with a balled up fist.
Though the action had taken a moment to register, the reaction was instantaneous. Momiji began wailing, "Wah, Kyou hit me!" at the same time that Ms. Almont took a step forward.
"Now Kyou, leave Momiji alone. And Momiji, no baiting Kyou. You both know better. Is this the kind of first impression that you want to make? So just behave yourselves for the rest of the meeting, please." With a few looks and gestures, she ushered Kyou back to his spot against the wall. He immediately resumed his former position, but took to kicking lightly at the floor as he muttered under his breath.
Ms. Almont then knelt beside Momiji. Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she tilted his head up with one finger, and then wiped the tears from his cheeks.
As Tohru watched both scenes, a strange feeling assailed her. Looking on as a stranger, the small group seemed more like a family than just floor mates. They seemed to know each other fairly well, and they were comfortable enough around each other. Though Kyou had whacked Momiji upside the head, there hadn't been much force behind the blow. It reminded her of the antics between siblings; like an older brother dealing with an annoying younger one. And Ms. Almont had seemed almost . . .maternal in dealing them both. It was odd to the see the usually straightforward, almost hyperactive woman doing something so gentle.
As the group in the room began to calm again, Tohru found herself wondering how long they had all been together. It seemed to her that it must have been quite awhile for the level of closeness she sensed. It was the kind that took time to grow, especially between people who were considered antisocial. She didn't see Kyou bonding quickly with anyone, let alone a younger boy whose personality was the exact opposite of his own. Close confinement and no other choice but dealing with him might be the reason, but Tohru suspected it went further than that.
She also had a feeling that whatever the secret of the twelfth floor was, they were all four equally involved. This went against an earlier theory she had had, when she wondered if a few of them might be decoys, used to further hide the mystery. After seeing them together, however, it was clear that they all had more in common than just their current address.
"Well," she thought to herself, "this could be good news. If all four are involved in this, then it gives me more people to ask questions. The fewer I ask each person, the smaller the chance of getting caught at it. Plus, who knows what one might know that the others don't."
But meeting them had again raised new questions. She had already begun to suspect that though they were being kept in a psychiatric institute, the reasons for it weren't mental. They seemed to have problems that might call for them to be brought to a place like the Institute, though. Was it a case of killing two birds with one stone, or something even more complex?
And what if not all of them were here against their will? Was it possible that some or all of them had agreed to whatever was happening when she wasn't around? Somehow, she didn't see Kyou being pushed into doing things he didn't want to do. Haru sounded like he could be just as stubborn and hard to handle when forced into a corner.
But on the other hand, Momiji hardly seemed able to make that kind of stand for himself. And Yuki didn't strike her as a person happy with the choices he had made, or that others had made for him. Who could she trust? Was it safe to question them all, or was she risking raising suspicions that might be passed on?
Her eyes moved over the four boys, seeing each in a new light. Any one of them might give her the answers she was looking for. Any of them might be her downfall.
