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 Fourteen
A Thousand Silent Words
Just before noon on Saturday, Tohru stood in the middle of her bedroom, critically eyeing her reflection. Her hair lay over her shoulders in two neat braids, standing out against the cheerful yellow of her jumper. The buttons marching down the front were the same shade of brown as her comfortable loafers. Every article of clothing looked neat and fresh.
Unfortunately, the same thing couldn't be said for Tohru herself. The bruise on her forehead had begun turning a very visible shade of green as it healed. As she squinted at her mirror, she could still see the dark circles under her eyes where even two applications of foundation failed to hide them. Her lack of sleep the night before also showed in her drooping shoulders and dragging steps. There was a whiteness about her lips as she unconsciously pressed them together.
Tohru sighed, walking slowly to her apartment's living room. She had spent the whole night tossing and turning as her mind struggled to piece together the many small scraps of information she had come across that day. About midnight, she had come to the conclusion that Ms. Almont's desire to keep her out of the office could have been a legitimate need for space. After all, she didn't have any definite proof that the older woman was anything other than what she appeared to be.
The conversation she had had with Kyou couldn't be wrapped up so neatly, though. He had sounded so angry and bitter about the Institute, and so sure that she was a part of something awful. Could there be truth behind his words, or was he just upset over being confined? Was it possible that he could answer some of her questions?
Her mind drifted to the end of their conversation, if it could be called that, and the arrival of Dr. Hatori Sohma. Although the door was closing quickly, she had clearly seen Kyou's revealed arm. It looked like he was expecting to get a shot, which was nothing so unusual. But the really puzzling thing to her was the sight of small bruises above and below his elbow.
Tohru chewed on her bottom lip. Once, when her grandfather was quite ill, she had gone to visit him in the hospital. She had seen the same kind of bruises on his arm, which he explained came from the nurses taking blood for tests. It was possible the same kind of marks could happen from getting injections, since they both required needles. But it brought to mind another question: Exactly how many shots did a patient with anger and control issues need? Something just wasn't adding up.
Shaking her head, Tohru forced her concerns to the back of her mind. She had two days before she returned to work and she would drive herself crazy if she spent them worrying over things she couldn't control. Knowing that a distraction was her best bet of getting any peace, she grabbed her tote bag and headed for the door.
She locked her apartment as she left, then bypassed the elevators in favor of the stairs in hopes that the exercise would help clear her mind. As she reached the lobby, she had decided on her destination. Having learned the schedules by heart to avoid being stranded, Tohru knew exactly which bus she needed to catch. In no time at all, she was standing in front of the library closest to her home. She stepped inside the building, shivering a bit as a wave of cool air washed over her.
Her first priority was finding several books she needed for a report that was coming due. Walking through the aisles, she picked them up as she came across them, then found a table and settled in to work. She soon lost herself in her work, taking notes and plotting out how she wanted to word her paper. When she next took notice of the time, more than two hours had passed.
Tohru leaned back in her chair, stretching her cramped muscles. Double-checking to make sure that she had all the information she would need, she returned the reference books to their places. As she was heading back to her table, she remembered her promise to Yuki about bringing more books for him to look at and paused.
Although she had intended to check a few out from the library, she was now reconsidering. It would probably be better if she bought some magazines and books instead. That way he could keep them for as long as he wanted and she wouldn't have to worry about due dates. There was, however, something she could get for herself.
She drifted through the aisles, looking for the section she wanted but had never before had cause to visit. When she found the right spot, she then scanned the titles in the shelves, occasionally pulling one off to flip through the pages. It took ten minutes of searching but she did find exactly what she had been looking for.
Deciding that two hours in the library were enough for one day, Tohru started back to the table she'd been using to gather her things. As she approached the desk to check out her book, her eyes fell on the neat row of computers lining one of the walls. Her steps slowed as her mind raced.
Although she had been trying to put her work problems from her mind, they had nonetheless remained close to the surface. When she saw the blank screens just off to her left, one of the ideas that she had had during the long night came back to her. Kyou's remarks about unsavory things going on at the Institute had made her more curious about the history of both the building and its staff. She had decided to look into just that, hoping that she might come across some useful bit of information.
Tohru gnawed gently on her lower lip as she slowly came to a stop. She had been planning to leave, but the temptation was to stay and do some digging was great. A quick glance at her watch showed she still had several hours before she had to get ready for her movie date with Saki and Arisa. In the end, she figured that another hour spent researching the Institute wouldn't infringe on her other plans. Not wanting to waste any time, she signed in on one of the machines and started searching.
The first things to pop up were several recent articles written about new and successful treatments for some genetic and hereditary diseases. Although informative, they weren't the sort of thing she had been hoping to find. Rephrasing her search request, she focused on older pieces from before the Institute became highly publicized.
Her eyes had begun to blur from all the reading when she came across something far different from what she had already looked at. Instead of being about the Institute, it was about the family that had founded and currently ran it. There were several photos scattered over the page, showing both adults and children.
It was one of the pictures that had her leaning forward in her chair for a better look. It showed three young men standing together as they posed for the camera. The person in the middle had pale hair; the two others flanking him both had darker locks. As she stared at them, she was swamped with a sudden feeling of familiarity. She squinted harder at the grainy photo. The more she studied him, the more certain she became that the man in the middle was Yuki's older brother, Ayame.
Tohru frowned at the screen. Why would one of the patients' family members be included in an article about the Sohmas? Confused, she turned to the caption for help.
Cousins and Friends: Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori Sohma
She had been right; the man in the center was the same one she had spoken to just days before in Yuki's room. The caption said the men were cousins, and that they all had the same last name. If Ayame was a Sohma, did that mean that Yuki was one as well?
Belatedly, one of the other names sank in as well: Hatori Sohma. She looked at the picture again. The man on the left was a stranger, dressed casually and wearing a goofy grin. But the man on the right was easily recognizable, the same sweep of hair falling over his unsmiling face.
Hatori was Ayame's cousin. Ayame was Yuki's brother. Unless there was an unknown factor in the mixture, that made Yuki Hatori's cousin, and all of them members of the Sohma family.
Tohru sat back in her chair. Although it was a bit startling, what she had just learned helped to explain some things. If Yuki was in fact related to the owners of the Institute, it explained why he had been placed on the twelfth floor. With fewer patients and the strict no last name policy, the privacy of both parties could be protected. They wouldn't have to worry about information concerning his condition being made public.
But what about the other three patients that resided on that floor? Were they members of equally well-known families who just wanted to recover in peace? It could explain a lot, she admitted to herself. All the subterfuge surrounding the twelfth floor: the different rulebooks, being forbidden to discuss work with anyone, the minimal staff, it all fit.
Tohru laughed softly to herself. All this time, she had been convinced there was some massive conspiracy going on, and there turned out to be a simple explanation. Berating herself for jumping to such ridiculous conclusions, she turned back to the article. As her eyes slid over the page, they landed on another picture close to the bottom. Judging by the large number of people it showed and the way they were all lined up, it seemed to be a shot of the entire family.
The possibility that Yuki might be in the picture had her scouring the image. Since the piece had been written several years ago, there was chance it was before Yuki had gone to stay at the Institute. She found herself very curious about what he had been like back then. She wondered if he would be smiling.
There were too many faces to search outright, so she checked the names listed beneath. She came across a familiar one that made her pause, but it wasn't Yuki's. No, it was familiar, but not that familiar. She looked at it again. Ritsu, third row, fourth from the left. Tohru's brow furrowed as she struggled to remember where she had heard it before. It hadn't been too long ago, she was sure. But where . . .?
Haru! Haru had mentioned a cousin by that name when she had been trying to tell him how Yuki was doing. Someone who apologized all the time, he had said. Momiji had agreed with him, finding the comparison amusing.
A chill danced up her spine as a realization dawned. Momiji had spoken of Ritsu like someone he knew. Haru, when she had asked who Ritsu was, had said "a cousin". Not "my cousin". Was it possible . . .?
She returned to the list of names, half sure that she would find nothing to support the wild theory that had taken root in her mind. But her guess proved right when she found both a Momiji and a Haru. Finding them in the group erased all chance that it was just a coincidence, different people with the same names. They were in the front row, looking around nine or ten, with other children about the same age. A young Yuki was standing a bit away from them, the barest hint of a smile curving his lips. Another wild guess and a bit more searching showed Kyou frowning as a cute little girl hugged him from behind.
Tohru slumped into her chair. It had been startling to learn that Yuki was a member of the powerful Sohma family. Now, knowing that all four of the boys she had spent time with were related left her in a daze. Taking slow, deep breaths, she struggled to line everything up in her mind. She knew that the Sohma family was large, but close-knit for its size. Many of their family-owned businesses had a number of Sohmas among their employees, just like the Institute. They seemed like the type to take care of their own.
All the reasons that had made Yuki's presence on the twelfth floor logical were even stronger with the addition of the three other boys. It was possible that their problems had even been what incited the family to start the Institute in the first place. Either way, the Sohmas were just trying to maintain a bit of privacy with their guidelines while still making sure that Yuki, Kyou, Momiji, and Haru got the best care possible. It all made sense.
Closing all the windows she had opened, Tohru rose to her feet and went to check out her book. As she caught a bus back to her apartment to get ready for the movies, a smile began to spread across her face. She had left home that morning feeling weighed down with suspicions and doubts. Now she was returning a scant few hours later with a lot of answers and a lighter heart. The job that she had begun to almost dread returned to being a good thing, an opportunity to learn and help others. She would return on Monday and start again without all her worries to overshadow her happiness.
Everything was looking up.
It wasn't until much later that night that Kyou's comments returned once more to haunt her. Knowing that he was related to the people he thought so little of seemed to make his accusations even darker and more upsetting. She struggled to force them from her mind, reasoning that no one there would do anything bad to their own family members.
Would they?
