Hello again! Finally, it's the second chapter! A big thank you to the four people who reviewed the first chapter! I'm so sorry it took me a week to update...I kind of got writer's block! Also, the title of this story has been bugging me. I keep thinking, 'It sounds like it has nothing to do with the story!' But it does! The title mostly reflects on the last chapter or two. You know, just like the opening theme 'For Fruits Basket' kind of reflects on episode twenty-six! Oh yes, about the chapters! I'm going to extend this story from just six chapters to about eight or ten!
Okay, now on with the fan fiction! Please R&R, as it would be greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any other related characters. All of them are property of Natsuki Takaya, and have been converted into English by TOKYOPOP.
Words from the Heart: Chapter Two
It was now the next day, Sunday, and Arisa Uotani stood outside a small coffee shop. She tugged on her hair and inhaled the cool March breeze. She watched a boy pass by on his bicycle, a couple sit on a nearby bench, and birds chirp while sitting on a nearby tree. "Where is he?" Arisa demanded while looking at a flashing neon clock that was being displayed on the side of a large building. "He should've been here ten minutes ago!"
As if he heard her words, Kureno Sohma was seen turning the corner and heading towards the coffee shop. "Finally," Arisa sighed. Kureno saw her and waved, and Arisa smiled and returned it with a wave of her own. "Sorry I cam a little late," Kureno said once he had reached her. "I had to take care of some family matters." Arisa smiled. "Ah, it's alright. You wanna go inside for some coffee now?" Nodding, Kureno smiled and touched her hair. "Sure, I'd like that."
Inside the coffee shop, Kureno and Arisa chose a table. Kureno pulled out a chair, gesturing for Arisa to sit on it. She sat down and he slowly pushed the chair into the table. Dammit! Arisa thought. Why does he have to act this way! He should know by now it always makes me flustered! Kureno cleared his throat, and Arisa set her attention to him. "Arisa," he started. "There's something I've been meaning to talk with you about..." Just then, he was cut off by an overly cheered woman wearing a maid's outfit. "Hello there!" the waitress greeted them. "Welcome to the In Due Café! My, what a cute couple you two are!" Kureno automatically turned beet red, and Arisa eyed the waitress as if she had three heads. She didn't seem to notice, as she babbled on. "My name's Midori and I'll be your waitress today!" Arisa sighed at the waitress's hyper ness and rolled her eyes. "Oh, joy," she said under her breath.
"Now," Midori continued, taking out a pad and pen. "What would you two like today? Oh, we have wonderful lunch specials! There's the Lunch A special which includes Okonomiyaki(1) and your side choice of a bowl of rice or Udon noodles! The Lunch B special consists of Sashimi with either soya sauce or wasabi! Then, we have the wonderful Lunch C special! Oh, I highly recommend this one! It..." While Midori went on about the lunch specials, Kureno sweat dropped and Arisa pooped a vein or two here. "Eh, excuse me," Kureno politely interrupted. "We just came here for coffee..." Before he could finish, Midori gracefully twirled around their table. Arisa held back the urge to punch her in the face.
"Why, coffee is our specialty!" the brunette waitress exclaimed, clasping her hands under her chin. "You can have your choice of coffee, or even English tea! And our tempting beverages can be served with Gyoza(2), Korokke(3), and even Ramen!" Pondering, Kureno calmly turned to Arisa, who seemed to be having a nervous breakdown in her seat. "Eh, Arisa? What would you like to get?" Arisa gritted her teeth, trying to force a smile. "Coffee and Gyoza will be fine."
Midori shrieked and scribbled the order on the paper. "What would you like sir? Yes, yes, what would you like?!" Kureno stared up at Midori, then at Arisa. Looking at the expression on her face made him chuckle a bit. "I'll have the same thing too, please," he said. The waitress laughed. "Oh, ho ho, yes! But of course! Coming right away!" After finishing her sentence, Midori sped away, leaving Arisa and Kureno to themselves. Kureno couldn't help but laugh at the outraged expression on Arisa's face. "If she comes near me one more time," she said, clenching her fists and teeth, "I swear..."
Silencing her, Kureno leaned over the table a placed a hand over Arisa's scrunched fist. This caused her to forget entirely about the annoying waitress. Instead, she found herself lost in Kureno's two orbs of beauty. How gentle his eyes were when he looked at her...It was almost as if she was seeing another side of him; his warm, compassionate side. Kureno backed into his chair, not daring to let go of Arisa's hand. She slowly released her hand from the fist she had made, causing him to lace their fingers together. Arisa beamed, and felt a warm feeling in her heart, and fluttering in her stomach. Kureno had made her feel so wonderful, it was sometimes indescribable.
"Arisa," Kureno softly spoke. "How long have we known each other? A year, maybe?" Arisa nodded in response. Yes, it was just last year, when she was a second year in high school. She was working at her part-time job as a cashier at a small convenience store, when she saw him walk in. Arisa hadn't paid very much attention to him; she just thought of him as a regular costumer. Once he had paid for his groceries, he had dropped everything. This action reminded him right away of Tohru, and the first time she and Arisa had met. Arisa couldn't help but laugh, and she bent down to help him with his scattered foodstuff. Right there, the connection between them was made. Kureno ended up treating her for lunch that day, and they almost brought their 'date' to a finish with a kiss...But something held Kureno back: Akito.
"How can I forget?" Arisa asked. Kureno's smile widened. "Yes, it was a very memorable day for me, too." He brought his gaze down to the table. The tablecloth was decorated with a tiny floristic design, and there were fake vines side on the sides of the table that draped onto the floor. It gave the table, along with the café, a feminine touch.
I should ask her now, Kureno thought. But...What if she declines? After all, I did refuse to see her for quite sometime after we met. If it wasn't for Tohru bringing us together, I don't think I'd be sitting here with Arisa right now... His thoughts drifted onward and then stopped to Akito. He had given Akito just about everything he could. He watched her, took care of her, stayed by her side, and hell...He even slept with her. But he knew all along that she had a thing for Shigure. Now that they had become closer, Akito no longer needed Kureno, and gave him the freedom of being able to roam about the gates of the main house, and into the public. This gave him the courage to have Tohru bring Arisa and him together, without Arisa knowing, and he couldn't be happier. They occasionally went out after her job. They went on strolls in the park, he treated her to dinner every so often, and they even a movie sometimes. Without their acknowledgement, the two knew that they had slowly evolved into a couple.
"I was hoping," he continued. "If we could take our relationship a step further...You know, see each other more often. I know that I avoided you for awhile after we met, but there were some disputes in my family," he paused for a moment, and then continued, "that I wanted to take care of. But now, it's all done. I promise I won't avoid you anymore. I just...Want to be with you." Arisa gaped at him as she took in his words. Me...? He wants to be with me? But...Why?
"Kureno-san, I...I," she stammered. She couldn't find the words she longed to tell him. Suddenly, he got up a bent over the table, capturing her lips with his. Arisa closed her eyes and hesitantly kissed him back. Why did she feel it was wrong, yet so right? So who cared if the whole restaurant was staring at them?
Back at Shigure's house, all was but quiet. Tohru peacefully stood in the kitchen, getting an early start on making dinner, while Kyo and Yuki were fixing a bookshelf, only to Shigure's wishes that they'd repair it for him. If Shigure hadn't begged and pleaded so much before he left for the main house once again, the two rivals wouldn't have been working together at all. They had no intentions to. They both silently assembled each shelve onto its hooks, avoiding the glance they received from one another.
That was until Kyo and Yuki were both carrying a large shelf in their hands, each holding one side of it, and Kyo clumsily dropped his side, causing it to land on his foot. "Shit!" he hollered, his foot throbbing with pain. "What's the matter with you, you damn rat!" Yuki closed his eyes and sighed impatiently. "You're the one who dropped it, you stupid cat. Why would it be my fault if it was your side that fell on your foot? I'm still holding mine, aren't I?" Kyo's hands instantly rolled up into two large tan fists. He stepped forward, in attempt to strike Yuki's face, but instead fell, for his newly injured foot gave out and refused to support his weight. Kyo laid face first on the floor of Shigure's cluttered office, breathing in the fresh smell of polished wood. Yuki turned his attention back to the bookshelf, pretending as if Kyo wasn't even there. After a few moments of silence, Kyo spoke up.
"Why?" He questioned. Without Kyo knowing, Yuki turned to him. He clearly knew what topic Kyo was bringing up, but made it so it seemed he had no clue. "What are you talking about now?" he said back, a tone of fake annoyance in his voice. Kyo sighed and lifted his upper body from the floor, his elbows leaning on the ground. He dug his face into his hands. "Why does it all happen to me? What did I do to deserve this treatment from Akito? Why couldn't he just leave me alone, like he does to the rest of you?" Yuki shook his head and placed down his side of the shelf. "You're not the only one he abuses, you know that. And it's not because of you that you're getting..." He swallowed hard at his next words, his throat burning. "...Locked up...It happens to every cat in every generation, and you're no different. The only possible way that you won't have to face that is if..." Yuki paused. What if the curse is broken before Saturday night? He thought. What would happen...To Akito, and the rest of us? What about Honda-san?
"At least...At least you won't have to see my face, right?" Kyo said sarcastically, yet in slightly serious manner. "I know...I know you've probably been waiting for this day a long time, right? Aren't you glad that you'll have her all to yourself? Aren't you happy about that? I would expect you to be jumping around right now..." Yuki shot him a stern look. "How can you say that?" he demanded. "Why do you think that just because I hate you I'd be happy about something like this? Well guess what, stupid cat, I'm not. I know how it feels to be closed up somewhere, not being allowed to come out. I hope you know that Akito did the same thing to me, too...But he let me come out eventually. But you...You have to stay there for the rest of your life."
Kyo stared at the floor in shock. Yuki had been locked up, too? He questioned himself. How...? Why? What did Yuki do? He's so damn perfect! "You know," Yuki continued, dragging Kyo away from his thoughts. "You should tell her soon." Eyes widening, Kyo's head snapped up at Yuki. He had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Wha...?" Yuki interrupted, "You know what I'm talking about." Before Kyo could say anymore, Yuki started out of the room. "We'll finish the bookshelf later," he said while in the doorway, his back to Kyo. "Take care of your foot now." And he left.
Kyo was left in Shigure's office, feeling guilty, yet shocked. He was guilty about only thinking of himself all the time, and how he always had thought he had the worse in the family. How could he have been so oblivious? The others have it just as I worse as I do! Kyo thought, pounding his fist into the floor. This is ridiculous! Why do we all have to put up with this?! If the only way I can get out of this is by getting locked up...Then his thoughts shifted to Tohru. Yuki's voice echoed in his mind. 'You should tell her soon.' Did he know? Could he possibly know how Kyo felt about her? 'You know what I'm talking about.' He knew. But...for how long?
It was now evening, and Kyo was still preoccupied with what Yuki had told him. He stayed in his room the whole afternoon after their talk and thought of ways he could actually tell Tohru how he felt. His mind was blank. During dinner, Tohru and Yuki chatted happily about school affairs and about how wonderful the graduation ceremony was going to be. Kyo silently ate his dinner while staring at the table, daring not took look anyone in the eye. He didn't want them to see the nervousness building up in his stare. But what he didn't know was that the whole time Yuki and Tohru discussing this matter, Tohru fixed her gaze on him, a look of worry in her eyes.
The doorbell then rang, and Tohru jumped up. "Ah, I'll get it!" She retreated to the door, and slid it open. "Tohru!" Momiji Sohma shrieked as he threw his arms around her. Then there was that familiar 'POOF!', a cloud of light yellow smoke, and a little rabbit who playfully ran in a circle around a giggling Tohru. "Momiji-kun, what a surprise! We weren't expecting you!" Momiji stopped running and sat down, looking up at Tohru. "I surprised you, didn't I?! Oh, Tohru, where's Yuki and Kyo? Don't tell me they left you here all by yourself!" Tohru shook her head and beckoned for Momiji to follow her into the dining area. "They're eating dinner! Are you hungry, Momiji-kun? I can set an extra plate for you!" Squeaking, Momiji's marble black eyes lit up with happiness. "I am! Yay! Dinner with Tohru!" Beaming, Tohru picked the rabbit up in her arms and headed into the dining area to join Yuki and Kyo. Tohru opened the sliding door of the dining area, only to be greeted by a solemn Yuki. "Hello, Momiji," he said. "I figured it was you who must've been at the door."
Just then, the familiar 'POOF!' returned. In the midst of more yellow smoke, a small dark figure emerged. Momiji was giggling as ran off into the entrance hall to get his clothes back on, passing a redden Tohru, who had her eyes covered. Momiji came back to find Tohru setting a place for him at the table next to Kyo. In the center of the table, a large bowl of rice sat with smaller, yet, identical bowls placed next to it. "Yay!" Momiji cheered. "Rice!" Kyo grunted as Momiji sat next to him on the floor. "Must you always be cheerful?" He gave him a light, yet hard punch in the shoulder, tipping Momiji to the floor. He shot back up, whining. "Waaah!!! Tohru, Kyo's picking on me!" Kyo sighed in annoyance, getting up from the table. "Don't go crying to her!" he hollered. "She's got more things to worry about than you and your damn mouth!" And with that, he stormed out of the dining area. Something else was bothering him besides Momiji, and all three of them knew it. Silence took over the room for quite a few moments, until Momiji broke it. "I...I can understand why Kyo is agitated," he said, his tone of voice now serious. "He's keeping a lot of feelings locked up inside of him, and he's refused to let them out." He now brought his head up and stared at Yuki and Tohru. A small grin grew on his face when he looked at Tohru. "But I don't think some people would know what I'm talking about." Tohru gaped back at him, lowering her head. No, Momiji-kun, she thought. I think I know what you're talking about.
The three heard the sliding door open in the entrance hall, followed by footsteps. "I'm home," Shigure's voice called. Recently, he had been very serious and never cracked any of his perverted jokes anymore. In fact, the whole family seemed to have been quiet. Well, all but Momiji. Tohru couldn't help but worry if Shigure was feeling sick, but the back of her mind shouted exactly what the problem was. She refused to think about such a topic as that, but often found herself silently sobbing up in her room at night about it. When she was around Kyo, it was often hard to hold back her tears.
"Ha'ri says that Shii-chan's been hanging around the main house a lot, lately...Along with Kyo's father. He's not sure what they're up to, but they've both been visiting with Akito lots," Momiji stated. While he stared at the table, Yuki spoke up. "Momiji...You know?" Tohru stared at Momiji, and then Yuki. They both know? Does that mean...Does that mean the whole family does? Momiji nodded, his eyes glued to the table. "If you mean about Kyo...His father wanted the family to know. Ha'ri didn't tell me why, but when I found out..." He looked up at Tohru, his eyes full of sadness and love. A soft grin grew on his face, and Tohru felt her eyes beginning to water. "I couldn't but think of you, Tohru, and..." He was cut off by Tohru's sobs, and his grin turned into a worried frown. "Wha...What's the matter, Tohru?!" In between sobs and hiccups, Tohru spoke. "I...I know...What's going to happen, M...Momiji-kun...And I'm so scared...I...I don't know...What am I going to do...without Kyo-kun here everyday?"
Yuki put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and Momiji got up and sat by her side. Little did the three of them know, Kyo sat on the opposite side of the wall, resting his back on the sliding door. His hands were fiercely pulling his hair, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He had heard the whole conversation.
(1) Okonomiyaki is a mix between pizza and pancake. Various ingredients such as seafood, vegetables and meat can be mixed with the dough and placed on the okonomiyaki as topping.
(2) Gyoza are dumplings with a filling usually made of minced vegetables and ground meat. Gyoza were introduced to Japan from China. In Japan gyoza are usually prepared by frying them.
(3) Korokke has its origins in the croquettes which were introduced to Japan in the 19th century. Korokke comes in many varieties depending on the filling that is coated with bread crumbs and deep fried. The most common filling is a mix of minced meat and mashed potatoes.
I hope everyone liked this chapter! I'm happy with it since it's longer than the first one. Now, I would like to thank and acknowledge the four people who reviewed my first chapter!
Hikari Kitten -Yes...It is really sad that Kyo has to be locked up because he's the cat. Thank you for reviewing!
Aiko-Thank you for saying that my fan fiction is cool! I'm so glad you like it! I wish he wouldn't be locked up either!
CloudedDragon - Yup! It was revealed in chapters 97 and 98 that, indeed, Akito is a female!
Poeticpocochichi - I recognize your name from the Fruity Group on Yahoo! I'm part of it, but I never post! Oh, I'm sorry about the name! I think I've read it before, too. When I came up with this name, it sounded so familiar, but I just stuck with it. I can change it, if you want! Thank you for reviewing!
The next chapter will be up probably by next Saturday...Or hopefully sooner! Thank you so much for reading! Bye for now!
-A.L. Watanabe