Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits basket, but Julian, Trent, his 3 friends and
Howard are mine!
Pairings: There aren't any romantic pairings in this fanfic, at least not
yet(
A/N- Occasionally, in specific lines of dialogue, there will be words in
brackets. These words are simply thoughts, and are not spoken aloud.
"So Ms. Honda, do you have to work tonight?" Yuki asked Tohru that afternoon as they entered the house, a soft smile on his face. They both paused to take their shoes off in the entryway, the bags of groceries they'd gone to buy sitting on the floor by their feet.
"No, I have this evening off. I thought perhaps after we eat dinner, we could all play cards or something? I think that would be lots of fun! " Tohru told Yuki as she smiled back at him, her smile sincere and open.
"I would love to play a card game with you, Ms. Honda. Though I do think we need to put the groceries away before we do anything else." Yuki replied, grabbing the 3 bags. Tohru followed him to the kitchen, glancing in the dining room to see Shigure sitting at the table, a tray of tea sitting before him, with 2 cups. Tohru wrinkled her nose, thoughtful.
"Yuki, do you know if Shigure had a meeting with his editor or anything today? "Tohru asked him as they put the food away, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well, he just had a tray of tea out, like he had a guest..." Tohru replied, glancing at Yuki. Yuki frowned and glanced toward the dining room, his frown quickly turning into a scowl.
"I don't really care who it is as longs as it's not my idiotic brother." Yuki replied quietly, flicking a stand of hair out of his face as a sudden loud scream was heard coming from the direction of the bathroom followed by a thump.
"What was that?" Tohru asked Yuki, a frown on her face.
"I don't know. Maybe Kyo's..." Yuki began to say, both of them turning toward the door just in time to see Shigure hurry past the door, heading for the bathroom. In curiosity they followed behind him, watching as he stopped before the closed door, knocking on it with his knuckles; his voice a bit tense as he spoke.
"Julian? Are you alright in there?" He asked, pausing. No one replied, as Yuki and Tohru glanced at each other.
"Who's Julian?" Yuki asked her as she shrugged. Shigure, who knocked on the door again, called the girl's name louder this time ignoring them both. After no one replied, Shigure turned to look at them, his eyes locking on Tohru.
"Tohru...could you go inside and see if she's ok?" Shigure asked her, as Tohru nodded. The guys stepped aside as Tohru eased the door open.
"Who's Julian?" Yuki asked Shigure, eyeing him suspiciously.
"She's a girl I met today. She passed out...." Shigure was saying when Tohru suddenly called his name, sounding worried.
"Shigure! She must have fainted. I can't get her to wake up! "Tohru exclaimed, as Shigure entered the bathroom, followed by Yuki. A young woman with magenta colored hair was passed out on the floor, and Shigure stepped over her still form, crouching by her head.
"Yuki, I need you to help me carry her out of the bathroom." Shigure informed him, picking the girl up under her arms, careful not to allow her head to touch his chest. It would have been bad if he transformed into a dog. Yuki grabbed her feet and backed out of the bathroom.
"Um, where were you going to put her? "He asked Shigure, tightening his grip on her jean-clad legs.
"We'll put her on the couch in the den." Shigure replied, as they shuffled down the hall, followed by Tohru, who was wringing her hands in worry.
"Will she be ok? Why do you think she fainted "She asked as they entered the den, laying her on the couch.
"I don't know. This is the second time she'd fainted on me today. That's what I started to tell you, Yuki. I found her about 45 minutes or so ago out in the yard. She passed out then, too. She doesn't remember anything but her name and that she's from the US, so I called Hatori. Maybe she has amnesia. Perhaps she's anemic as well. That would exclaim her frequent fainting. "Shigure replied, a hand stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"I'll go get her some ice and a cool towel. That will help her feel better when she comes to! "Tohru said, her face lighting up as she thought of a way to be helpful.
"That would be nice. "Yuki replied as she left the room. He then whirled to face Shigure, his face suspicious as he eyed his cousin.
"What?"
"I sincerely hope that's the truth, Shigure. Because if she fainted for some other reason I'm lax to mention, Hatori will murder you."
She heard voices. Voices talking about her. With a groan, Julian opened her eyes, accidentally knocking the ice pack on her head off as she lifted a hand to her aching head. She glanced around with a frown, a bit disoriented.
"Good. You're awake. "A gruff voice suddenly said, as a man with black hair leaned over her, his hair falling over one eye. She stared at him in bewildered shock. She knew that face. It looked like one of the Fruits Basket characters. Oh, wait. It was one of the Fruits Basket characters. She'd almost forgot she was currently stuck in anime land.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, starring at her.
"Not too great." She finally choked out, running her tongue over her dry lips. When was this nightmare going to be over?
"Huh. Please sit up. I want to examine this bump on your head. Shigure informed me this is the 2nd time you've fainted today that he's witnessed. That's what he said, anyway." Hatori replied, turning to glance back at his cousin, a frown on his face.
"I did faint. I saw in the mirror that my hair was magenta. "She mummered to Hatori, glancing up at him. He eyed her in silence for several seconds after she said this, before he turned to look at Shigure again.
"It was just tea you gave her, was it not?" Hatori asked him, his tone suspicious.
"What? Of course! What do you think I am, a pervert?!" Shigure asked, sounding hurt.
"You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you?" Hatori said, his gaze cool as he tuned back to Julian.
"I take it your magenta hued hair was a bit of a shock to you then? "He asked her as she shrank back into the couch cushions. "Uh oh. Must have said that wrong." She thought as she stared at him, her mind racing.
"Hari! You're scaring her! You really need to work on your bedside manor! "A high voice exclaimed, a blond head darting into view.
"Momiji. Be quiet. No, better yet. Go see Tohru or Yuki." Hatori replied, giving the boy a look.
"Oh. It's the rabbit." Julian muttered as Hatori whirled to stare at her.
"Did you say something?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing her intently.
"I said, 'Oh, I have a headache.' But I guess that's understandable, since I did hit my head on the floor. I suppose my hair color must have came as a shock to me (because it's NOT magenta in the real world, and it shouldn't be magenta here either!), since I did faint. But if I have amnesia, like Shigure told me I probably do, that would explain it, right?" She said, covering up her statement about the rabbit.
"He told you you have amnesia, did he? Shigure, you and I need to have a little 'chat' before I leave." Hatori replied as he shot Shigure a look. Gulping, Shigure began edging toward the door.
"Maybe I'll go see if Tohru needs my help in the kitchen too." He said weakly, as Hatori scowled at him.
"You're staying here. "He barked at him, before Hatori turned back to face Julian, pulling a penlight from his pocket.
"Follow the beam with your eyes. Good. You seem to be alert. Now, what is your name?" He asked, as he turned the penlight off, shoving it back into his pocket.
"(Think before you answer) Julian."
"Just Julian? No surname?"
"Well...I guess I have a surname, but I don't remember what it is. Maybe...maybe Julian's not my real name either! Maybe it's just a familiar name and I think it's my name?! "She said, making sure to wring her hands for good measure. These people thought she had amnesia and if it would buy her time, she was going to have it, darn it!
"Calm down. Don't get so agitated. I'm sure that's your name. Is there anything you do remember about yourself? Besides your name, that is. "He asked her as he pulled a small pad of paper and a pen from his bag.
"Well, I think I'm an American citizen. But that's really all I remember. I don't know where I'm from in the US or anything. Shigure tells me I'm in Tokyo, but I don't really know what I'm doing here, or how I got here or anything. I don't even remember how old I am. And I can't find my wallet or anything else that may give me some clues as to who I am in my bag either. "She said with a sniffle, wiping a tear from her eye. All those years of acting lessons were finally paying off. She'd just have to make sure no one ever looked in her messenger bag.
"Um hum. "Hatori replied, eyeing her after he'd written something on his little pad of paper. He placed it back in his bag, than stared at her for a few minutes before he reached forward, his fingers locking around her wrist. He pulled her arm towards him, turning it over to display an angry, blood encrusted scrape.
"Any idea how you happened to get this?" He asked as he reached for something in his bag with his free hand.
"(Probably scraped it on the wall in the alley) No, I don't know. Maybe I fell." Julian said, biting her lip as he proceeded to clean the wound with disinfectant.
"Sorry. This is going to sting a little."
"(Yeah. You really look sorry) It's ok." Julian replied in a tight voice, blinking a few times as her eyes threatened to tear up from the pain. Great. She was in an anime world, and she still felt pain. Wasn't this her lucky day.
No one said anything for a few minutes as Hatori worked on her arm, finally clearing his throat as he begun to wrap her arm in gauze.
"It's my professional opinion that you're most likely suffering from a mild case of Amnesia caused by either severe emotional stress, or from a blow to the head. I don't think this condition will last long. Possibly several weeks at the most, I'd say. Now, it is my recommendation, and this will come as a shock to many in this house, that you stay here. Your defenseless, have no idea who you are really, and you're no doubt broke, so this is in your best interest. If it's agreeable to you, of course. Shigure won't mind, and there are several people living here, so you needn't worry about staying in a house with some strange man. And believe me, Shigure is a bit strange you'll come to find." Hatori replied, putting the bandages away.
"Hey! I heard that! I'm not strange. I'm merely unique." Shigure exclaimed in defense of himself.
"I'm not afraid. I think he's perfectly harmless, and if he wouldn't mind, I don't have any problems staying here, until I get my memory back, that is. (Or rather, until I figure out how to get home)" Julian told him, smiling shyly in Shigure's direction.
"Oh good! How exciting! I'm going to go tell Tohru and Yuki! I know Tohru will be glad to have another girl around." Shigure replied gaily, nearly dancing from the room.
"I don't know about harmless, but he's definitely brainless. Lie down and rest, I'll send Momiji in to keep you company. I have a few things to discuss with them about you and your condition still. I'm worried you may have a concussion, so you're going to have to stay awake for the next 8 hours. And that scrape on your arm is pretty deep, and it may become infected, so I'll leave some salve for it. Change the bandage once a day and leave it uncovered when you're sleeping. The air will do it good. Now, If you'll excuse me." Hatori told her as he closed his bag and stood up, striding from the room. He pulled the door shut behind him, and Julian sat there in silence, listening for his steps to fade away. Once she was sure she was alone, she let out a pent up sigh of relief before she picked up one of the throw pillows, placing it over her face to muffle her strangled scream. She just didn't know how much more of this she could take before she had a nervous break down.
"So Ms. Honda, do you have to work tonight?" Yuki asked Tohru that afternoon as they entered the house, a soft smile on his face. They both paused to take their shoes off in the entryway, the bags of groceries they'd gone to buy sitting on the floor by their feet.
"No, I have this evening off. I thought perhaps after we eat dinner, we could all play cards or something? I think that would be lots of fun! " Tohru told Yuki as she smiled back at him, her smile sincere and open.
"I would love to play a card game with you, Ms. Honda. Though I do think we need to put the groceries away before we do anything else." Yuki replied, grabbing the 3 bags. Tohru followed him to the kitchen, glancing in the dining room to see Shigure sitting at the table, a tray of tea sitting before him, with 2 cups. Tohru wrinkled her nose, thoughtful.
"Yuki, do you know if Shigure had a meeting with his editor or anything today? "Tohru asked him as they put the food away, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well, he just had a tray of tea out, like he had a guest..." Tohru replied, glancing at Yuki. Yuki frowned and glanced toward the dining room, his frown quickly turning into a scowl.
"I don't really care who it is as longs as it's not my idiotic brother." Yuki replied quietly, flicking a stand of hair out of his face as a sudden loud scream was heard coming from the direction of the bathroom followed by a thump.
"What was that?" Tohru asked Yuki, a frown on her face.
"I don't know. Maybe Kyo's..." Yuki began to say, both of them turning toward the door just in time to see Shigure hurry past the door, heading for the bathroom. In curiosity they followed behind him, watching as he stopped before the closed door, knocking on it with his knuckles; his voice a bit tense as he spoke.
"Julian? Are you alright in there?" He asked, pausing. No one replied, as Yuki and Tohru glanced at each other.
"Who's Julian?" Yuki asked her as she shrugged. Shigure, who knocked on the door again, called the girl's name louder this time ignoring them both. After no one replied, Shigure turned to look at them, his eyes locking on Tohru.
"Tohru...could you go inside and see if she's ok?" Shigure asked her, as Tohru nodded. The guys stepped aside as Tohru eased the door open.
"Who's Julian?" Yuki asked Shigure, eyeing him suspiciously.
"She's a girl I met today. She passed out...." Shigure was saying when Tohru suddenly called his name, sounding worried.
"Shigure! She must have fainted. I can't get her to wake up! "Tohru exclaimed, as Shigure entered the bathroom, followed by Yuki. A young woman with magenta colored hair was passed out on the floor, and Shigure stepped over her still form, crouching by her head.
"Yuki, I need you to help me carry her out of the bathroom." Shigure informed him, picking the girl up under her arms, careful not to allow her head to touch his chest. It would have been bad if he transformed into a dog. Yuki grabbed her feet and backed out of the bathroom.
"Um, where were you going to put her? "He asked Shigure, tightening his grip on her jean-clad legs.
"We'll put her on the couch in the den." Shigure replied, as they shuffled down the hall, followed by Tohru, who was wringing her hands in worry.
"Will she be ok? Why do you think she fainted "She asked as they entered the den, laying her on the couch.
"I don't know. This is the second time she'd fainted on me today. That's what I started to tell you, Yuki. I found her about 45 minutes or so ago out in the yard. She passed out then, too. She doesn't remember anything but her name and that she's from the US, so I called Hatori. Maybe she has amnesia. Perhaps she's anemic as well. That would exclaim her frequent fainting. "Shigure replied, a hand stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"I'll go get her some ice and a cool towel. That will help her feel better when she comes to! "Tohru said, her face lighting up as she thought of a way to be helpful.
"That would be nice. "Yuki replied as she left the room. He then whirled to face Shigure, his face suspicious as he eyed his cousin.
"What?"
"I sincerely hope that's the truth, Shigure. Because if she fainted for some other reason I'm lax to mention, Hatori will murder you."
She heard voices. Voices talking about her. With a groan, Julian opened her eyes, accidentally knocking the ice pack on her head off as she lifted a hand to her aching head. She glanced around with a frown, a bit disoriented.
"Good. You're awake. "A gruff voice suddenly said, as a man with black hair leaned over her, his hair falling over one eye. She stared at him in bewildered shock. She knew that face. It looked like one of the Fruits Basket characters. Oh, wait. It was one of the Fruits Basket characters. She'd almost forgot she was currently stuck in anime land.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, starring at her.
"Not too great." She finally choked out, running her tongue over her dry lips. When was this nightmare going to be over?
"Huh. Please sit up. I want to examine this bump on your head. Shigure informed me this is the 2nd time you've fainted today that he's witnessed. That's what he said, anyway." Hatori replied, turning to glance back at his cousin, a frown on his face.
"I did faint. I saw in the mirror that my hair was magenta. "She mummered to Hatori, glancing up at him. He eyed her in silence for several seconds after she said this, before he turned to look at Shigure again.
"It was just tea you gave her, was it not?" Hatori asked him, his tone suspicious.
"What? Of course! What do you think I am, a pervert?!" Shigure asked, sounding hurt.
"You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you?" Hatori said, his gaze cool as he tuned back to Julian.
"I take it your magenta hued hair was a bit of a shock to you then? "He asked her as she shrank back into the couch cushions. "Uh oh. Must have said that wrong." She thought as she stared at him, her mind racing.
"Hari! You're scaring her! You really need to work on your bedside manor! "A high voice exclaimed, a blond head darting into view.
"Momiji. Be quiet. No, better yet. Go see Tohru or Yuki." Hatori replied, giving the boy a look.
"Oh. It's the rabbit." Julian muttered as Hatori whirled to stare at her.
"Did you say something?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing her intently.
"I said, 'Oh, I have a headache.' But I guess that's understandable, since I did hit my head on the floor. I suppose my hair color must have came as a shock to me (because it's NOT magenta in the real world, and it shouldn't be magenta here either!), since I did faint. But if I have amnesia, like Shigure told me I probably do, that would explain it, right?" She said, covering up her statement about the rabbit.
"He told you you have amnesia, did he? Shigure, you and I need to have a little 'chat' before I leave." Hatori replied as he shot Shigure a look. Gulping, Shigure began edging toward the door.
"Maybe I'll go see if Tohru needs my help in the kitchen too." He said weakly, as Hatori scowled at him.
"You're staying here. "He barked at him, before Hatori turned back to face Julian, pulling a penlight from his pocket.
"Follow the beam with your eyes. Good. You seem to be alert. Now, what is your name?" He asked, as he turned the penlight off, shoving it back into his pocket.
"(Think before you answer) Julian."
"Just Julian? No surname?"
"Well...I guess I have a surname, but I don't remember what it is. Maybe...maybe Julian's not my real name either! Maybe it's just a familiar name and I think it's my name?! "She said, making sure to wring her hands for good measure. These people thought she had amnesia and if it would buy her time, she was going to have it, darn it!
"Calm down. Don't get so agitated. I'm sure that's your name. Is there anything you do remember about yourself? Besides your name, that is. "He asked her as he pulled a small pad of paper and a pen from his bag.
"Well, I think I'm an American citizen. But that's really all I remember. I don't know where I'm from in the US or anything. Shigure tells me I'm in Tokyo, but I don't really know what I'm doing here, or how I got here or anything. I don't even remember how old I am. And I can't find my wallet or anything else that may give me some clues as to who I am in my bag either. "She said with a sniffle, wiping a tear from her eye. All those years of acting lessons were finally paying off. She'd just have to make sure no one ever looked in her messenger bag.
"Um hum. "Hatori replied, eyeing her after he'd written something on his little pad of paper. He placed it back in his bag, than stared at her for a few minutes before he reached forward, his fingers locking around her wrist. He pulled her arm towards him, turning it over to display an angry, blood encrusted scrape.
"Any idea how you happened to get this?" He asked as he reached for something in his bag with his free hand.
"(Probably scraped it on the wall in the alley) No, I don't know. Maybe I fell." Julian said, biting her lip as he proceeded to clean the wound with disinfectant.
"Sorry. This is going to sting a little."
"(Yeah. You really look sorry) It's ok." Julian replied in a tight voice, blinking a few times as her eyes threatened to tear up from the pain. Great. She was in an anime world, and she still felt pain. Wasn't this her lucky day.
No one said anything for a few minutes as Hatori worked on her arm, finally clearing his throat as he begun to wrap her arm in gauze.
"It's my professional opinion that you're most likely suffering from a mild case of Amnesia caused by either severe emotional stress, or from a blow to the head. I don't think this condition will last long. Possibly several weeks at the most, I'd say. Now, it is my recommendation, and this will come as a shock to many in this house, that you stay here. Your defenseless, have no idea who you are really, and you're no doubt broke, so this is in your best interest. If it's agreeable to you, of course. Shigure won't mind, and there are several people living here, so you needn't worry about staying in a house with some strange man. And believe me, Shigure is a bit strange you'll come to find." Hatori replied, putting the bandages away.
"Hey! I heard that! I'm not strange. I'm merely unique." Shigure exclaimed in defense of himself.
"I'm not afraid. I think he's perfectly harmless, and if he wouldn't mind, I don't have any problems staying here, until I get my memory back, that is. (Or rather, until I figure out how to get home)" Julian told him, smiling shyly in Shigure's direction.
"Oh good! How exciting! I'm going to go tell Tohru and Yuki! I know Tohru will be glad to have another girl around." Shigure replied gaily, nearly dancing from the room.
"I don't know about harmless, but he's definitely brainless. Lie down and rest, I'll send Momiji in to keep you company. I have a few things to discuss with them about you and your condition still. I'm worried you may have a concussion, so you're going to have to stay awake for the next 8 hours. And that scrape on your arm is pretty deep, and it may become infected, so I'll leave some salve for it. Change the bandage once a day and leave it uncovered when you're sleeping. The air will do it good. Now, If you'll excuse me." Hatori told her as he closed his bag and stood up, striding from the room. He pulled the door shut behind him, and Julian sat there in silence, listening for his steps to fade away. Once she was sure she was alone, she let out a pent up sigh of relief before she picked up one of the throw pillows, placing it over her face to muffle her strangled scream. She just didn't know how much more of this she could take before she had a nervous break down.