Hello, and Happy New Year! I'm September Whisper, and this is my first fan fiction! I kind of feel this story is a little over detailed...If it is, please tell me! I'll do my best to have it suit your likings! I also apologize in advance for any grammar and spelling errors. Please enjoy reading this first chapter, and please review! Thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fruits Basket, nor do Ihave any associationwith Natsuki Takaya, Hakusensha publishers, Hana to Yume Magazine,or TOKYOPOP (I wish I did!).
Chapter One: Questions
Tohru Honda woke to a bright light shining through her window. She slowly turned onto her stomach so her face was dug into the pillow, only to ignore the sunrays leaking into the room. She didn't bother to look over at her clock, for she felt to fatigued and weak to even turn her head. But the loud irritating beep that broke the peaceful silence in the room caused her head to snap up and her hand to travel to the clock and press the 'off' button. Tohru got up and swung her legs off the side of her bed, emitting a soft yawn while rubbing her eyes. Stretching up her arms, she scratched the back of her head as she looked around her bedroom. "Well, I guess it's time to get dressed!" she said to herself.
Outside, the blankets of white snow began to slowly dissolve, announcing that spring was but on its way. Tiny pink buds of flowers started to blossom on every other tree or so, and birds returned to their normal routines of perching themselves on fence posts and birdhouses. The air went back to smelling like fresh grass, and the sky grew bluer as the days went on. Tohru was excited about being able to go back to Yuki's secret base with him soon, for she went with him everyday in the springtime so she could pick out some of the night's dinner ingredients. Spring was also her favorite time of the year, only because it made her feel so free and alive.
With the pleasant upcoming season on her mind, Tohru happily walked over to her closet and opened the doors. Scanning the group of clothes that hung on hangers before her, she finally picked out a deep pink colored short sleeved dress along with a crisp white sweater to go with it. The sweater was just short enough to stop eight inches before her waist, and along the rims of the ruffled sleeves were little pink designs to match the dress. Tohru gently took the dress and sweater off their hangers and placed them on her bed. She then walked over to her oak wood dresser and opened the top left drawer, which was filled with multiple colored hair accessories and silk ribbons. She took out two light pink satin ribbons and put them on the top of the dresser. Her hand trailed to the knob of the top right drawer, which carried all of her bras and cotton panties. She took out one of each, and then went over to her bed, where her clothes were, so she could dress for the new day. Tohru started off by unbuttoning her silky yellow nightshirt, and then slid it off her arms. She slipped into her bra and hooked the back, then brought her dress over her head and pulled on it from the bottom so it would be free of wrinkles and so it would hug her body nicely. She took off her pants, put on a new pair of panties, and then put on her sweater. Once she was finished, Tohru went over to the mirror and put her hair into two long braids, using the two pink ribbons to keep each braid together at the end. She slowly caressed the smooth, silky end of her right tress while examining herself in the mirror, making sure she looked presentable to the three men in the house. Tohru nodded in approval and grinned back at her reflection. Then she slipped on a pair of white socks before going downstairs to start on breakfast.
While heading towards the stairs, Tohru stopped so she could hear the faint snoring of the Yuki and Kyo from their rooms. A bright smile grew across her face as she thought of the two boys, and how they each made her completely happy everyday by just being themselves. There was Yuki, her prince, who had treated her like a princess for the eighteen months she was living there. Then there was Kyo, and though he acted rowdy and tough all the time, he really was a kind and sweet person under the rough exterior he had put up. And there was Shigure, the man who had watched her for those long, exciting months. Tohru felt so blessed that she could be part of this wonderful family, but the catch was: the lived under a heavy curse.
The Sohma family was filled with fantastic, beautiful people. Each person was wonderful and different in their own unique ways. Tohru first knew Yuki from school, and then met Shigure on that faithful day she became more involved with the family. Before taking residence in Shigure's house, Tohru had lived in a tent on Sohma property, only because she had lost her mother due to a treacherous car accident. Tohru had lived with her grandfather four months prior to meeting Shigure, but his house was being remodeled and he needed Tohru to stay with a friend while he stayed at his daughter-in-law's home. Tohru's best friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, either had a small home or a big family, and she didn't want to be a burden to them, so she bought a tent and managed to live on her own. One day while walking to school, she came across Shigure's home and noticed little glass ornaments, each one representing the Chinese Zodiac. There was every animal, from the rat to the boar, all but the cat. Tohru then told Shigure, after he had noticed her looking at them, about how she favored the cat of the zodiac and wished she had been born in that year instead of being born in the year of the dog. That night, Shigure and Yuki had learned that Tohru had been living in tent on their property, and she ended up spending the night there, unexpectedly of course. The next morning, when she awoke, she had been invited by Yuki and Shigure to live there with them until her grandfather's remodeling was done. After a bit of, "Oh, no! I couldn't possibly stay here…It would be too much!" Tohru finally agreed. While Yuki showed her to her room, an unanticipated visitor fell through the roof, who was none other than Kyo Sohma, the ostracized cat of the family. He had come there to fight with Yuki, not until Tohru accidentally fell and hugged him, which caused Kyo to transform into a cat. At first, Tohru fell into a large state of shock, and wanted to send him to a hospital. A piece of wood from the newly torn ceiling had fallen onto her head and caused her to fall into Yuki and Shigure. Now Yuki was a rat, and Shigure was a dog, and they were somewhat forced to tell her why they were in such conditions.
This was when Tohru learned about the family's curse, and since that day she grew to learn more and more about each Sohma everyday. Not long after that, Tohru met Kagura, the boar, and learned about her passionate love for Kyo. Then Tohru met Hatori, the dragon, who transforms into a seahorse instead, and Momiji, the rabbit. Tohru was then acquainted with Hatsharu the ox, Ayame the snake (who is also Yuki's older brother), Kisa the tiger, and Hiro the sheep. She also grew acquainted with Kazuma Sohma, Kyo's foster father. At the same time, Tohru learned about Kyo's other form, and still accepted him. In the midst of meeting all of those family members, she also met the head of the family, Akito Sohma. Akito had given her the impression that he was a sweet and tender person, but Tohru soon learned that Akito had another side to him. Akito had hurt Hatori's left eye because he wanted to be married to someone outside of the Chinese Zodiac, and he had also abused Yuki when he was younger. Akito also did harmful things to other members of the family, but that didn't keep Tohru from trying to like him.
Then she met Isuzu, also known as Rin, the horse. Tohru learned that she and Hatsharu had a relationship in the past, but due to Akito luring Rin out of a window and putting her in the hospital, the relationship between the two ended. Tohru also met Kureno, who was the rooster up until his curse was lifted when he was younger. Why his curse was lifted is still a mystery to Kureno, and also to the entire family.
As these thoughts trailed in her mind, Tohru happily sighed to herself while walking down the steps. She went into the kitchen, slid the door open, and walked inside. She made her way to the cabinets to take out the ingredients she was to use for preparing breakfast. "Let's see," she spoke quietly, making sure she wouldn't talk loud enough to wake up Yuki, Kyo, or Shigure. "I need rice…Oh, and the ingredients for the miso soup, too!" Tohru stood on her tiptoes so she could look more inside the cabinet for what she needed. She retrieved a large bag of uncooked rice and dashi soup stock, soybeans, and salt for the soup. She also found some miso paste and took some green vegetables out of the refrigerator. "Maybe I'll put pickles on the side this time," Tohru suggested while placing the ingredients the counter to bend down so she could open the floor cabinet for the bowls to put the items in.
Tohru placed one of the bowls on the counter and brought the other to the sink so she could fill it up for the rice. She poured two cups worth of the rice into the bowl and washed it until the water became clear. She then drained the rice and placed it into the rice cooker. Tohru set the timer for forty-five minutes and then turned her attention to the miso soup. She prepared the dashi soup stock in a pan and placed it on the stove to boil. While it was boiling, she added some soybeans, some rice, and some salt. She had the miso paste in a bowl on the side, and poured some of the dashi soup from the pan into the paste. She added the general miso to the pan and stirred it. Humming while she worked, Tohru felt as happy as ever. Being that it was Sunday, she was able to spend her free day with Yuki and Kyo. Maybe she would do a little cleaning and tidying up, too.
Thirty minutes had passed and Tohru was now setting up the table. She placed four bowls, plates, and pairs of chopsticks in the center of the table, then went to the stove to prepare the tea. While adding water to the kettle, Tohru heard footsteps heading toward the kitchen, along with a loud yawn. The door opened, and Tohru turned around to see an exhausted Kyo, rubbing his eyes and grunting. "Ah, good morning Kyo-kun!" Tohru greeted cheerfully. "Morning," he replied under his breath. Kyo walked over to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk, taking a sip straight out of the container. He wiped the milk off the top of his lip with his arm, and then placed the carton back in its place in the refrigerator. He joined Tohru at the stove, towel over his shoulder. "You cooking anything with leeks today?" he mumbled, trying to rub off last night's sleep.
"No, not today!" Tohru replied. The timer for the rice cooker went off, and Kyo got to it before Tohru could even move. She continued, "We're having steamed rice and miso soup this morning. I still have to decide what to make for lunch…I might have to stop by the grocery store later! Would that be okay with you, Yuki-kun, and Shigure-san?" Kyo shrugged while he took the rice out of the cooker, and poured it into a bowl. He set the bowl on the table and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs Indian-style and folding his arms over his chest. The kettle on the stove made a piercing whistle, announcing that the water for the tea was boiled and ready. Tohru poured the water from the kettle into four tiny cups and placed a tea bag in each one. She set down each cup at a spot on the table. She and Kyo then heard footsteps coming down the stairs and making their way to the kitchen. The door slid open and Shigure walked in, stretching and smiling like he always did in the morning.
"Good morning!" Shigure sang, causing Kyo to twitch "How's my little flower this morning?" Tohru smiled as she brought a bowl of miso soup to the table. "I'm good, Shigure-san! How did you sleep?" Shigure took his place at the table and sighed. "Ah, it was rough, but it looks as if that old mattress of mine is getting the boot soon!" He held up his pointer finger, with a look of reassurance on his face. "Not to worry! I'll go out soon and look for a new one! I—"
"Oh, Shigure-san!" Tohru interrupted. "You shouldn't have to sleep on that if you don't like it! Maybe you could sleep in my bed tonight, and I could sleep down here! I don't mind!" Kyo slammed down his fist on the table in anger. "Dammit! No body," he pointed to Tohru, "especially you, is sleeping down here! It's his own damn fault for not buying a new mattress sooner!" Shigure shook his raised finger at Kyo, making him angrier. "Tsk, tsk, Kyo-kun. Tohru-kun was just being thoughtful! It's not everyday a kind, innocent girl offers you her own bed to sleep in! Why, if Tohru-kun offered you her bed, would you explode like you did just now?"
"Shut up!" Kyo hollered. "Why should I have to hear your annoying voice this early in the morning?" Shigure laughed as Kyo made a jump for him. "Eh, why don't we begin eating now?! I'm sure Yuki-kun will be down soon!" Tohru suggested nervously. Not a moment passed before Yuki had opened the kitchen door and shuffled over to the table, head down with his hair in his face. "Speak of the devil," Kyo groaned as he rested his chin in his hand.
Yuki sat down at the table and rubbed his eyes, emitting a loud yawn. "What are you yelling about this early in the morning, you stupid cat?" he questioned Kyo, a tone of annoyance in his voice. Kyo ignored his remark and began to eat the food Tohru had set in front of him. Shigure and Yuki did the same, and Tohru began to clean the counter. "Tohru-kun," Shigure said. "Why don't you come over here and join us in eating this wonderful breakfast you prepared?" Now washing the bowls and pans, Tohru shook her head. "Oh, I'm fine Shigure-san! I'll eat once I'm finished cleaning!" Yuki shook his head this time. "Come eat with us, Honda-san. I'll help you clean up when we're all finished." Tohru considered this, but she felt as if the cleaning should be done before she ate. She sighed and put down the bowls, took of her apron, and joined the three men at the table. During breakfast, she chatted happily with them and received approval from Shigure about going to the grocery store later that afternoon. Yuki had also offered to accompany her, and Tohru gladly accepted.
Morning was now over and time brought by the afternoon. Shigure had locked himself in his office, working on his latest piece of writing and ignoring his editor, Mii. Kyo glued himself to the television, watching a martial arts training session while trying to memorize any of the moves he already didn't know. Yuki had gone to his secret base, tending to the green plants as if they were tiny little infants. As for Tohru, she was outside hanging the laundry, once again humming while admiring nature's beauty. She inhaled the fresh air and sighed with a smile. "It's so nice out today," she told herself. She picked up a crisp white bed sheet from the laundry basket and pinned it up to the clothing line with three clothespins. She repeated the process with one of Kyo's shirts, a pair of Yuki's pants, and a few of her own dresses. Each article of clothing was warm, soft, and smelt of fresh detergent. Before hanging up everything, Tohru would dig her face in the clothing and enjoy the softness of the cloth.
The wind blew the large sheet into Tohru's face. She giggled as she pushed it away so she could continue hanging up the laundry. Birds flew by and perched themselves on nearby trees, as if they were watching her. Once Tohru finished the laundry, she hurried inside so she could put in the other load. About an hour passed, and Yuki still hadn't come home. Tohru had considered going to the secret base to see if he needed help, but Kyo told her to let it be.
"If he wanted your help, he would've come back and asked you," Kyo remarked. "Don't worry about him. If something happened we would know by now." Tohru pondered about what he had said, and decided that he was right. If Yuki had needed help, he would have come back to the house and asked her to help him. But out of curiosity, Tohru wanted to see how all of the vegetables were doing, and if Yuki needed to plant any more. "I'll go after I'm done with the next load of laundry, just to see how he's doing. Would you like to come, Kyo-kun?" Kyo waved his arm and rolled his eyes. "Pfft…Like I'd go there," he responded.
After she was finished hanging up the second load of laundry, Tohru was ready to go to Yuki's secret base. She bid her farewells to Kyo and Shigure, and headed off. Tohru dressed a little more warmly because once the evening came, it grew chillier and felt more like winter. The wind blew and brought a chill to Tohru's face, causing her to pull her coat tighter around her body. She let her hair flow with the current of the wind. "I hope Yuki-kun dressed warmly! It's pretty cold now!" Tohru said with a shiver. As she grew closer to the secret base, she could see Yuki's gray head over a bush. She began to run, and came to halt when she reached him. Tohru began to pant and shiver at the same time, causing Yuki to turn around to see what the noise was.
"Honda-san?!" Yuki exclaimed as he got up. "What are you doing here?" He walked to Tohru and put a hand on her shoulder. "You look cold…Maybe you should go back. I was just about to head home soon, anyway." Tohru shook her head and knelt down beside the small rows of vegetables. "I came here to see how you were doing! I guess I was going to do some food shopping once you were finished!" She gazed at the vegetable garden, admiring it. "It looks wonderful! Did you have to replant anything?"
Yuki knelt down beside her and nodded. "I had to replant some of it…Like the leeks. The snow went pretty hard on them. Maybe when we go to the grocery store I can pick out some seed packets to plant new things in a few weeks. What do you think?" Tohru nodded and beamed. "That sounds good! I just can't believe how well they did during the winter!" Yuki chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty amazing how they can survive the cold like that." He took off his gardening gloves and placed them in his lap. The two were silent for a few minutes, but the silence was broken by a question from Tohru. "Yuki-kun, did you have lunch yet?" Yuki shook his head. Tohru began to panic and said that they should go home right away so he could eat, but Yuki settled her down. "Don't worry. I'm not that hungry…I'll save my appetite for dinner."
"Are you sure?" Tohru said with concern. "I left Shigure-san and Kyo-kun some lunch. I'm sure there's some left over! And it's never really good to go food shopping on an empty stomach…Mom always said that you can buy the whole store when you're hungry!" Yuki laughed again, then got up. "Do you want to go to the store now?" he asked. "I just need to stop home first so I can change. My clothes got pretty dirty from sitting in the dirt all day." Tohru got up and started for the house. "Sure! While we're home, you can get something to eat!" She laughed and began running. Yuki started running after her, and the two ran the rest of the way home, laughing like little children.
Back at the house, Yuki had some of the lunch Tohru had made for Shigure and Kyo. Shigure had come out of his office to greet the two, and he gave Tohru a small list of things he needed from the grocery store. Kyo was resting in the living room, and Tohru didn't bother to disturb his sleep. After Yuki had finished his lunch and changed his clothes, he and Tohru headed off for the store.
"Let's see…Shigure-san asked for onions…Oh, and some candy too!" Tohru spoke to herself while she browsed through the shelves in the food store. What a baby, Yuki thought, regarding Shigure putting candy on his list. Tohru picked out a bag of gummies from the shelf and gently dropped it in the basket she had in her arms. She then led Yuki over to the vegetable section to pick out two onions. While in the fish department looking for codfish, Tohru saw a little girl smiling and laughing happily with her mother and father. Tohru smiled as she watched the three, remembering how she used to come to the stores all the time with her mother. But her father…She didn't seem to remember anything about him.
Tohru closed her eyes. She was told by her mother that her father, Katsuya Honda, passed away of pneumonia when she was three. But couldn't she remember him at least a little bit of him? Her mind was blank. In fact, she really couldn't remember anything from before she was eight. It all seemed like a blur to her. Tohru didn't remember any of her old friends, what she used to do…Nothing. Maybe I'll visit grandpa one day and ask him if I could see pictures of me with my parents, she thought to herself. Yes, that was a good idea. Maybe next Sunday she would do that.
A waving hand popped in front of her face. "Honda-san? Are you okay?" Yuki inquired rather loudly. Tohru guessed that she probably had spaced out again. "Oh, yes, Yuki-kun! I'm sorry…I just got lost in thought." Yuki nodded then gently took the basket from Tohru's hands. "You almost dropped this before, so why don't I carry it?" Tohru shook her head and tried to take it back from him. "Oh, that's okay! Thank you, but I can carry it!" Yuki smiled, but didn't let her take the basket. "Please, let me hold it, Honda-san. We still have a lot more things to get, and I don't want this to get too heavy for you."
"Oh, um, okay then…" As the two made their way into one of the isles, Tohru looked back at the little girl and her parents. They were over at a gumball machine. The little girl was watching a gumball go through all of the loops and turns of the dispenser while her parents stood by her, smiling. Tohru couldn't help but smile again herself. It brought back memories, but they were memories that Tohru didn't quite remember that well. All of this thinking was making Tohru somewhat faint and tired. "I think I'll go to bed a little early tonight," she mumbled to herself. Yuki stopped and turned around. "Did you say something, Honda-san?" Tohru looked up and shook her head, pretending to search the shelves for something. "Nope! I didn't say anything!" I don't want Yuki-kun to think there's something wrong. The last thing I want is people worrying about me!
For the rest of their shopping, Tohru remained silent, but made an exception if Yuki asked her a question or commented on something. The walk home was no different either, and this caused Yuki to think there was something wrong with Tohru.
"Are you sure you're feeling good?" he questioned her as they reached the door. "You were quiet on the way home and for most of the shopping. Do you want me to take care of dinner while you lay down for a little bit?" Tohru frantically shook her head and nearly dropped the bad of groceries she was holding. "NO! I couldn't possibly make you do that! It's my duty to make sure you, Kyo-kun, and Shigure-san have your meals! I feel fine! I was just…Thinking a lot. Please, don't worry about me."
Yuki bit his lower lip, but then curved his frown into a smile. "Okay then. But if you do feel like resting, you could leave the cooking to Kyo and me." He opened the door and as he made his way in, Tohru touched his shoulder. He turned to see her smiling at him. "Thank you for worrying about me, Yuki-kun. It makes me feel happy knowing that you're concerned about me." Yuki returned her smile with a nod and a smile of his own. "No problem." Then he stepped inside, and Tohru followed him.
For dinner, Tohru prepared Nukijaga (meat and potatoes). She also served it with a side of Gomaae, Japanese sesame dressing with spinach. At the table, Shigure talked about his new novel, Kyo and Yuki brawled, and Tohru tried to calm them down. Shigure also chimed in with a few of his jokes, which made Kyo fire up and holler at him, being that the jokes were about Tohru being his bride and his little housewife. "Why don't you tell him to stop joking around like that?" Kyo questioned her after dinner. Tohru was clearing the table, and Kyo stayed to help. Shrugging, Tohru laughed. "Oh, I know Shigure-san doesn't mean it!" She placed the dishes and bowls in the sink. "Well, you should at least stick up for yourself once in a while," Kyo continued while he went to stand next to her. "You wash, I dry," he demanded. Tohru nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Kyo-kun. I love when you and Yuki-kun help me with the dishes! It gives me someone to talk to!" Kyo shrugged and took the plate she offered him. "It's nothing," he replied, blushing. He then proceeded on about how Tohru shouldn't let people, especially Shigure, talk about her like that.
A half hour passed when Tohru and Kyo finished washing and drying the dishes. After putting them away in the cupboard, Tohru took a bath and then said good night to everyone before retiring to her bedroom. She sat up in her bed, pink blankets and sheets all around her. Sighing, Tohru looked out her window at the pearly white moon that shone behind the trees. "Mom…Can you please help me remember my father? I would like to know what he looked like, what he did; how he laughed, how he smiled…I would like to know as much as I can about him. Do you think grandpa would be able to help? I know he's old and may not remember, but maybe he can show me some pictures of us with him? I'd like that…I think I'll go visit him next Sunday. I haven't seen him in a while, so it would also be a nice time to catch up on things, right? Oh mom…I wish you were here. I miss you so much! There's not one day when I don't think about you…"
Tohru dabbed some tears from her eyes with he cuffs of her nightshirt's sleeves. "I'm sorry, Mom! I know I shouldn't be crying…But they're not tears of sadness! I'm crying because I'm so happy. Whenever I think of you, it makes me so happy. Also being here everyday and being able to spend time with Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Shigure-san, and the rest of the Sohma family really makes me feel so blessed. Thank you…Thank you so much for watching over me." She blew a kiss toward the moon and draped the blankets over her. She gently rested her head on her pillow, and reached over her night table to turn on her alarm and to shut off her light. When Tohru turned the light off, it really didn't make a difference; the moonlight was shining through the window, making the room glow as it had before the light was turned off. Tohru didn't mind though. She thought of the moon as her nightlight.
Closing her eyes, Kyoko's voice trailed through Tohru's mind.
Your father was a wonderful person…My days were always bright and sunny just by being with him. Once you were born, Tohru, nothing could have made us happier. Your father loved you so much…He treated you like a princess. He's the reason I was able to raise you like I did…
"I know, Mom," Tohru spoke softly, turning on her side to face the wall. "I just wish you could have told me more about him when I was younger." Yawning, Tohru decided to try and go to sleep. Downstairs, she could hear Shigure's and Yuki's voices, talking about miscellaneous matters. She had also heard footsteps pass her bedroom, and she took a guess that it was probably Kyo walking to the bathroom to wash up for the night.
Many images had flooded through Tohru's mind as she slept. Arisa, Saki, her grandfather, her cousin and aunt, the children she played Fruits Basket with when she was little…Her mother and her, standing before her father's grave, the candle sticks on either side letting off light trails of smoke…A little boy with fiery orange hair…
As the image of the little boy and her playing in the park traveled in her brain, Tohru's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up. She didn't remember this little boy at all.
Ah, how was that? I hope you all liked it! I'll have the second chapter up as soon as possible! Please review, as I am anxious to hear what everyone thinks of my story! I'll see you all the next time around!
-September Whisper