Wishing Not to be Alone
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket… But the original characters in this story (Sakura and Hitomi, to name a few) and this story's plot are creations of me.
Chapter 3: Stormy Weather
Two weeks later, Kisa stood weakly in some wet grass, looking up at the despondent-looking, gray sky above her. The dark clouds loomed above her, warning that a storm was approaching soon. The last remaining rays of sunlight fading away, Kisa desperately made her walk farther and farther down the winding path home. However, something was not right, this path was unfamiliar… She had become lost.
Her breath grew shorter and heavier, as she dashed through the unfamiliar path, searching for a place she knew. The atmosphere grew darker and sadder each step she took, and suddenly, a clamor of thunder was heard.
A storm had begun. The rain started to pour from the billowing clouds, and with them did Kisa's tears.
Where am I? Kisa thought in bewilderment, desperately trying to stifle the teardrops that trickled down from her eyes. Is this even Sohma property? The clouds are so dark, that it seems I could easily become lost…
She clasped onto her book bag tightly, in hopes of keeping it off the sodden ground, so it would not become wet. She sat herself in the shelter of a large willow tree, looking up at the sky and wishing the storm away.
A few minutes passed, and the storm only worsened. The poor tiger was still seeking shelter underneath the tree, until she heard the concerned voice of a young woman call out at her, "Kisa-san… Kisa-san! What are you doing here? Are you hurt? You poor thing… You must get inside before you catch a cold."
Kisa turned to face the young woman, who wore a bright, flowery pink dress. The woman was a brunette, with dark brown eyes, and held a magenta umbrella in her frail hands. Her name was Tohru Honda.
Kisa's eyes smiled with joy, as she cried out in happiness, "Onee-chan! I'm so happy to see you… I became lost in the storm, so I sought shelter underneath the branches of this tree."
Tohru answered with much worry in her voice, "That's horrible – you could catch a cold! Come on, we will go to Shigure-san's house and get you dried up…" She quickly wrapped her coat around Kisa for warmth and led the girl to shelter from the storm.
Quietly, they entered the house, Kisa's complexion pale from her being outside in the cold, stormy weather for so long. Tohru led her through the entryway, and they sat down on the floor of the living room. Tohru left briefly to put some tea on the kettle, but returned quickly to converse with the saddened girl sitting on the living room floor.
Tohru handed Kisa a warm cup of tea, as she spoke, "Kisa-san you must be exhausted! Here, have some of this tea… It will do you a world of good."
Kisa accepted the tea, replying, "Thank you, onee-chan…"
Tohru answered, with a warm smile on her face, "You are very welcome… Nobody else is here at the moment… Yuki-kun is still at the university, finishing up a project for his botany class, Shigure-san is being hunted down by his editor, and Kyo-kun had to go out somewhere… so I had gone out on a walk to pass the time. I am so happy you are ok, Kisa-san… When I saw you crying there, I was very worried."
Kisa responded sweetly, "You are very kind, onee-chan, for worrying about me that way…"
Tohru smiled kindly, as she sipped her own tea. "So, while we are here waiting for the storm to pass, would you like to talk about anything?"
Kisa hesitantly looked at Tohru. Would she understand about her feelings about Hiro? Well, if anybody could, it had to be her… "Yes… Actually, I do… I do want to talk about something."
"Whatever could it be, Kisa-san?" Tohru expressed with a great deal of concern.
"Well, you know… Hiro-kun and I… we have known each other for a very long time now, right?" Kisa said, her voice slightly faltering.
"Yes… you seem to have… but why do you bring this up?"
"For the longest time… I've liked him a lot – maybe even loved him – and recently… I've started to think that maybe he likes me, too…"
"I see…"
"…but I don't think I can tell him… what if he doesn't like me? What if I am wrong? What if Akito finds out? What would I do then?" Kisa's teary eyes widened in fear, at the thought of Akito finding out. He had injured Kisa once before out of anger, and Kisa feared to imagine his reaction if he knew about her liking Hiro.
"You just be yourself… That's what others used to tell me when I was in a tough situation. Be yourself, and take things slowly… in time you'll figure out what to do, like I did." Tohru smiled slightly, as she wiped the tears off Kisa's cheeks. "Just be yourself… and you'll figure out a way."
"But… onee-chan… Should I tell him…? I don't know… is it even safe to ever tell Hiro-kun?" Kisa cried out, tears flowing from her eyes like the rain from the clouds.
"You will have to decide that on your own, Kisa-san… but the decision you make, when you do, I'm sure will be the right one… Just have some faith, and sunshine will peak through and rid the storm that you are going through in your life."
The sound of pouring rain from outside suddenly died down, and the sun began to peak through the clouds. Tohru grinned cheerfully. "The rain has stopped now… If you wish, I can make some snack for you, before you leave."
Kisa wiped her tears away with a small smile. "No, Mom must be worried sick by now… I should leave right away. Thank you for the advice…"
"You're welcome… Have a safe walk home, Kisa-san." Tohru waved goodbye to the young girl sweetly, until she had disappeared entirely from Kisa's sight.
Looking back at the house, Kisa smiled ever so slightly.
Maybe there is hope that the sun will come out, after all…
And she turned to walk home, sensing the stormy weather's end approaching at last.
Neko's Rambling Corner Part 4: Hello again! So it's chapter 3… A very sweet chapter I think – very pretty, indeed. I think that whenever Tohru is around, the mood naturally brightens. Nice, isn't it? This chapter is also pretty moving, in my opinion. Great combination! However, after this, I might not update quite as often, as I have been, because this was the last chapter I wrote while I was on that trip to California… Anyway, there isn't much else I'd like to say here… there has been some stormy weather lately, so that was a great inspiration for this chapter. See you later, everybody!