Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all the characters belong to the guy who made it up. I don't own anything, I don't have any right to anything.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Whee! I have just rediscovered my long-lost life! It disappeared so long ago, that I gave it up for missing, presumed dead. So now, it has come back to me, begging and grovelling on it's knees for me to take it back, and make full use of it. Of course, it had such a charming smile and adorable cute puppy-dog eyes, that I couldn't resist it. I'm overjoyed to have it back, and glad that I didn't have to buy a cheap, bootleg one from China.
This means, of course, that I may not be updating for a while. In fact, I may just leave forever. Sometimes I feel as if the stuff I post here isn't very satisfying for the people who read them. I like to write, but if people aren't going to appreciate my work, there's no point. I may just concentrate on putting my heart and soul into the manga I'm working on, or the book I am writing.
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BUT whether I leave or not, it's up to you. If you let me know if you want to keep reading, and thus convince me that my stories ARE giving people enjoyment and happiness, then I will stay. However, if no-one likes them, I'm leaving.
I ALSO WON'T BE UPDATING FOR A FEW WEEKS BECAUSE I'M GOING ON HOLIDAYS WITHOUT ACCESS TO A COMPUTER (I THINK).
So that's the end of my little speech, keep reading the chapter now.
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Secrets Revealed
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I'd like to restate the fact that I haven't read the manga, only watched the anime. So I'm completely inventing these shady pasts. I know they're different from what happens in the manga, so please forgive me, but try to accept it as part of the story. It's just like a mini-plot, kinda thing.
"My name is Hatsuharu Sohma. I have written this suicide letter, because of several events that have driven me to this decision. But firstly, allow me to explain a bit about myself.
I am a 17 year old member of the extensive Sohma family. I am also a cursed member of this family. There are twelve current members of this family that are encumbered with the Sohma Zodiac Curse. This curse causes us to transform into a specific animal of the zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex. My animal is the cow, or ox. Most of the time I don't see this curse as a burden, but I have finally come to realize why the others in my family look upon us with pity.
However, I shall not reveal this reason, incase it causes my other cursed cousins any pain or grief. It is best for them not to know, so they can go on living happily as they do normally. As I did, before I discovered the secret. But this is not the only thing that has contributed to my depression. It is finally time for me to reveal my previously hidden and unknown past.
As most of you may not know, there are several 'missing' years in my childhood. These were between the year of my first birthday, and my sixth birthday. This is what happened:
Soon after she got married, my mother was raped. She recalled that this man 'was exceedingly skinny, but very strong and violent, with beautiful eyes and gorgeous hair, and a cold, evil-sounding voice'. She feared telling my father, so for a while he believed I was his own child. On my first birthday, he heard from someone that I was actually a child of a very important man in the Sohma family, and in his anger, moved us all to a secluded cottage in the middle of the mountains. There, he proceeded to drink heavily, and this caused him to have a very short temper.
As a child, I was very ill-behaved, even when I was a toddler. My first word was a swear word, and I soon discovered I had a talent for injuring and killing things. My father did not approve of this, but of course I did the opposite of everything he said. Because of this, he started to hit me often, but I was saved many times by my mother. She suffered most of the abuse, and tried to calm him down, which made him even more angry.
Eventually, she said she would move out and take me with her if he wasn't reasonable. Upon hearing this, he just snapped, and killed her. Realizing what he had done, he went into an even deeper depression, and started to abuse me even more. I was sexually assaulted, and given drugs, for four years. A month before I turned six, I couldn't take it anymore, and flew into a rage. I fought him, paying him back for every bruise, cut and broken bone he had caused me and my mother. By the time I was finished, he was injured so badly, that he died soon afterwards. I decided to leave the place of so many terrible memories, and return to Sohma House, which I couldn't remember, but knew to be my original home, and where all my relatives on my mother's side lived.
Yes, I know I have told everyone that my 'black' side appeared because I hated Yuki, but that was just a cover-up. Black Haru was my natural self, but upon arriving at Sohma House, meeting so many kind, loving people, I started to develop my 'white' personality. And when I first met Yuki, I instantly fell in love with him, and being in love made me whiter, until I hardly ever became black.
You may be wondering, what all of this has to do with anything. The past should be left it the past, forgotten and left alone. That is what I did, I forgot everything, until a few years ago. I received a visit from my uncle - on my father's side. He appeared quite friendly at first, but when I discovered who he was, I was scared, and ran away. He kept following me, stalking me, not letting me go. Finally, as I ran from him outside school, he grabbed my arm, and hissed in my ear, these words: 'I know what you did to my brother, and my family is not going to rest until blood is repayed with blood.' Then he smiled evilly, and disappeared.
They did many things, sneaky underhand things, to destroy my reputation, and repel my friends. Yuki, two Christmases ago, that wasn't me in the park. I would never have done a thing like that. It was actually one of my cousins. My father's family are skilled in the area of disguise, espionage, and criminal actions. I'm truly sorry for what they did to you back then, but I never heard of it, until very recently.
Ever since that message was whispered to me, I have been paranoid, afraid. The memories that I had tried so hard to get rid of, suddenly came flooding back to me. Then came the day that I was summoned to Akito's chambers. He said something along the lines of this:
'I heard that your father's family has sworn to destroy you. I am afraid that this will endanger the whole Sohma family. This means that you will have to leave the main house. You will have to leave the Sohma's, and never come into contact with any of us again. Understand that I am concerned with the safety of our family, so if this means we will have to make a single sacrifice, it is worth it for our safety. It will do you good to separate yourself from us. Yuki will never love you, and it is foolish of you to keep hoping it will be so. Also, no-one has discovered that you are my son yet, and I'd like to keep it that way. If you continue to stay here, word is bound to get out, and that wouldn't be good for either of our reputations. So as of now, consider yourself an outcast from the Sohma family.'
The shock of hearing that Akito is my father, and the news that I'm kicked out of the family, combined with the shattering of all my hopes and dreams of Yuki, has driven me to the point of suicide.
Yuki, I love you. I don't care if you don't return the feelings, I have always had a special place in my heart for you.
Kyo, just accept the fact that you'll never win against me, or Yuki, or anyone. You're just a slow, worthless slug that is a blemish upon the name of martial arts. So give it up, and go and find something that you're good at.
Tohru, please take good care of Yuki for me. I know it is your influence that has caused him to smile and change so much, so keep it up.
To the rest of the Sohma family, thankyou for being there for me when I needed you all. You have shown be mo much kindness since I came back, and I'm grateful for it. Thankyou for making my life enjoyable.
Love,
Hatsuharu Sohma"
Tohru blinked back tears as she finished reading the note that Kyo had found next to Haru's lifeless body. "It's hard to believe…That he's actually gone…" Yuki murmured.
"He had such a terrible early childhood!" Tohru wailed. "But, why did he have to leave us so suddenly? Why didn't he tell anyone about all of this?"
Kyo comforted her as she broke down crying. "Hey, it's no big deal… I mean, of course it's a big deal," he corrected himself hurriedly, seeing the look Yuki gave him.
"It's terrible for Miss Honda," Yuki whispered to Kyo. "First her father, then her mother, and now one of her friends. We should be careful of what we say around her, incase we hurt her more."
Kyo nodded. "I… I guess I should go and show this to Hatori. Take Tohru home, I can walk back on my own."
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Hatori read the letter, as Kyo sat before him, immersed in his own thoughts. Hatori looked at him solemnly. "Speaking of hidden pasts, is there something you'd like to tell me about yours?
Kyo stood up. "What are you talking about?" he snarled.
"Well, the records say that some very suspicious, strange things were going on, all throughout your parent's lives, and they finally stopped when you started to live with Kazuma. So I was hoping you'd be able to shed some light on the matter."
Kyo's eyes widened. "No," he replied shortly, and stormed out.
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-Three days later-
The rain poured down, mingling with the bitter tears on Tohru's cheeks, as she stood alone with Kyo next to the grave of the much loved, late Hatsuharu Sohma, the ox of the zodiac. The funeral had finished long ago, and everyone had left, but Tohru hadn't moved an inch.
Kyo noticed Tohru was getting soaked, because she hadn't realized she had moved out of the shelter of the umbrella. He took her arm and pulled her close, careful not to hug her. "We should be heading back, you know," he suggested.
Tohru didn't say anything, and he tried again. "You're gonna catch a cold if you stay out here. Look, we can come back another day."
Finally, she looked up at him. "Why did he have to do this to himself? He was so young, he had his whole life to live, and enjoy…"
Kyo gave her a tissue, and she wiped away her tears. "Tohru, don't cry. Try to be strong. It's not wrong to cry for the loss of life, but you can't spend your life mourning over him."
She sniffed, but didn't reply.
"Anyway, you look so much prettier when you're smiling. You're still pretty even when you cry, but your smile just radiates happiness, and lifts the hearts of everyone around. Before I met you, I used to lose my temper so much, I had a hard time making friends, because no-one want to know me because I was so anti-social and violent. But then, you came into my world, and I began to see everything in a new light. I began to see good things in almost everyone, and I could actually control my temper," Kyo said softly.
"I'm sure I didn't make that much of a difference," Tohru smiled weakly.
"Of course it did. It's all because of you… My miracle Tohru…"
He kissed her quickly, then straightened up and turned away, blushing. "Er, let's go home now, shall we?"
He felt a hand on his cheek, and Tohru reached up and returned his kiss. Now it was her turn to blush, and she giggled. "I liked that… Anyway, the others will be waiting for us, we should hurry back," she said with her familiar grin.
Kyo felt as if he could dance and shout, he was so happy. He had managed to steal Tohru, right from under that damn Yuki's nose! Finally, he had beat him at something… She had even said she liked kissing him - if that didn't mean she liked him, he didn't know what did.
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A/N: Sorry for killing off Haru, I love him, but I really felt like he wasn't getting enough solo scenes. So I turned the spotlight on him for a bit.
- Elenril