Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET OK?
Hey everyone! I know that Akito's a girl but it works better not to bring that into this fic ok? So I'm just saying it's a guy ok? But I know it's a woman! THAT IS SO WRONG! Ok sorry, just RR please!
-The Water Sprite
The Forgotten
Chap 2: The Other Sohma's
I cry out to the heavens, a lonely mournful cry. But no one's there to hear me but the stars, and they don't listen. Just sparkle and shine. I hug my arms around myself to try and keep warm as I watch the snow fall, the flakes settling lightly over the thick layer on the ground. Now I've really done it, what I've dreamed of for so long. I've run away from home. It started fine as I ran, the grass was dead, no snow lay on the ground. But the farther I ran the colder it got. Soon snow fell, covering my surroundings, surrounding me. But I kept running. Soon I was freezing and stopped to catch my breath, I looked to the forest for cover. But I heard voices on the wind, voices of wolves and I ran from them. As dark unfolded it felt like someone had thrown a blanket over the sun, and it got so much colder. Chills ran down my spine and I kept running through the darkness, far from home. All alone, I feel lonely, but not enough to go back to that place where dreams shatter. But the more the snow falls the more I realize that I may never see home again. But that's okay, so I cease my mournful cries and I keep running.
Olivia sat up and looked around. She was in a forest, yes, but not the one she had passed out in. It was less secluded and she could hear people not too far off. Perhaps a house? It was daytime here, wherever here was, and sun poured lightly through gaps in the trees. 'Hey' she thought, 'I changed back, but CRIPES! I'M NAKED!'
Thankfully her clothes were lying right next to her. Quickly slipping on her undergarments, jade green cargo pants, Green Peace shirt, and long black coat she stood up. Deciding that she should probably find a way out of the forest Olivia made her way towards the sounds she heard. She noticed that her hearing was still exceptionally good and she could see things farther away and more detailed. The farther north she traveled the louder the noise got. Olivia could hear talking and water running. Dishes clanked and windows were slid open.
After about 20 minutes she stopped at a beautiful home. It was large, full of porches, balconies, and sliding paper doors. It was squarely built and a wind chime with a Japanese character on the top. 'Good Gods! Am I in Japan? How in the hell…' she thought. Still standing outside the side of the house Olivia heard yelling and a door being slid open, then shut. An orange haired teen stalked outside and froze when he saw Olivia.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked crossly.
"Excuse me?" she was startled by his harsh tone. She hadn't done anything to anger him, she didn't even know him! Before he could say any more an older man with black hair walked out onto the porch. He had on a grayish colored kimono and was holding a newspaper in one hand.
"Kyo who are you talking to-" he stopped and looked Olivia. Oh great, more people to be mad at her? But this man was nicer. "Well hello, and who might you be?" he asked sweetly. 'Young girls just love wandering up to my porch out of nowhere don't they?' he thought to himself. He was almost tempted to ask if this girl had ever lived in a tent.
"Olivia," she started "Olivia Sohma."
"Sohma?" the two men said in unison. She nodded.
"Please, come in Ms. Sohma." The dark haired man motioned towards the door. Olivia timidly stepped onto the porch and into the house. Seeing the shoes on the mat she decided it would be polite to take off her shoes as well, as was Japanese custom. But when she looked down she remembered, 'Oh yeah, I never retrieved my shoes after transforming.' So she kept following the dark haired man into the living room of the house.
"Please, sit down, I'll go get some tea." He waved his arm toward a small table that stood about a foot off the ground. She sat so she was sitting on her feet and folded her hands in her lap. The orange headed boy, who looked about 16, had come in behind her and sat down across from her at the table. Olivia averted her eyes and looked at her hands. The last thing she wanted was her "unique eyes" to be noticed. Soon the black haired man returned carrying a pot of tea and a short teenaged girl with long brown hair trailed behind him carrying 5 small handle less tea cups. She set one in front of the orange haired boy, one next to him, one on each of the ends of the table and then the last one, she set in front of Olivia.
"Thank you." Olivia replied quietly. The brown haired girl nodded happily. The dark haired man sat down next to the orange haired boy and the girl sat on the end next to the boy. Another teen around the same age as the girl and boy walked in the room. He had silver/grey hair and large violet eyes. 'Maybe they won't mind my eyes, I mean this girl has teal eyes, the orange headed dude has scarlet eyes and now violet! That is a guy right? Hmmmm…' Olivia thought. Quietly seating himself on the end next to the man he smiled shyly at Olivia before looking towards the dark haired man. 'Nope that's not a girl.'
"So Ms. Sohma-" the man began.
"Ummm, please, Olivia." She corrected. He nodded and continued.
"Olivia, where did you say you were from?" Olivia didn't remember saying she was from anywhere.
"Well I live in Sydney, Australia but I'm kind of lost." She explained. She couldn't really tell them about her turning into a wolf!
"I see, that's a long way to come. Any reasons?" Olivia shook her head.
"Oh!" the girl stood up. "I should get us something to eat!" she piped.
"I'll help you," Olivia offered.
"Thank you so much, but I don't want to put you to any trouble, plus you're our guest!" she smiled.
"No really, I want to help it'll be my pleasure." Olivia assured her.
"Thank you." The girl repeated. The violet eyed teen stood up as well.
"Miss Honda may I help as well?" he asked. His voice was soft and quiet. The girl, Miss Honda, nodded. The boy began walking towards another room which Olivia guessed was the kitchen. She followed behind him and the girl behind Olivia. All of the sudden the girl tripped, falling forward into Olivia and knocking her forward into the boy. All three of them went crashing to the ground.
"Tohru! Are you alright?" the dark haired man pulled the girl, Tohru, off of Olivia who shifted her weight to the side. Looking down she realized she was practically lying on the boy. Quickly moving and sitting up she looked up at the man and "Tohru". Both of them and the orange haired teen were staring at her wide eyed in shock. Turning to the boy on the floor Olivia saw that he too was staring like a deer caught in a headlight.
"Olivia Sohma, I'm Shigure Sohma," the dark haired man said still not blinking. "This is Yuki Sohma," he pointed at the boy on the floor "and this is Kyo Sohma," he pointed at the orange haired boy and then he pointed at the girl. "And this is Tohru Honda."
"But we all have the same last name, well except for Tohru, how?" Olivia asked.
"Olivia I think you have more in common with us then you think." Shigure replied. "There is one thing I need to be sure of before I continue." And he walked forward and hugged her. Olivia's whole body went tense, but his hands were gentle on her back. As he released her from the embrace he sighed. "Well that settles it. Olivia, there are a lot of members of the Sohma family, most being in the outside circle. But 12 member of the inner circle are cursed by the spirits of the zodiac. And for some reason whenever those 12 zodiac member are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, we transform into the animal of the spirit that possesses us." he explained. Olivia blinked a few times before muttering,
"Wow."
"Yeah, I'm the dog, Yuki's the rat, and Kyo well Kyo's the cat." Shigure looked down as Kyo scowled.
"Wait, there's no cat in the zodiac, and you said whenever they hug a member of the opposite sex they transform. But Yuki's a zodiac member and we hugged, well not really I fell on him but you hugged me." Olivia said confused.
"I know." Shigure sighed.
"So you're implying that I'm a member of the zodiac curse?" she asked doubtfully.
"Well I believe that you've somehow ended up in the same sort of situation as Kyo. No the cat is not a member of the zodiac but he holds the curse. The significance of the cat was that when God invited the animals to the banquet, the rat tricked the cat and told him that the banquet was the day after its actual date. So the cat slept all night while the rate rode on the back of the ox and became the first zodiac animal. So the cat held the curse and was forever always trying to catch the rat." Shigure told the story beautifully, making Olivia wonder if he was a writer as she was.
"I see, but what anim-" Olivia stopped. Why Kayleb had hugged her se transformed into a wolf, does that mean? No way.
"Olivia?" Shigure asked, prompting her to speak.
"Well just earlier, my friend Kayleb hugged me, and I turned into a wolf." She said questionably.
"Weird. I didn't think there was another member of the zodiac. Let alone a wolf." Yuki commented softly.
"That's it, I'm calling Hatori." Shigure announced before going into the hallway to the phone.
"Wait, who's Hatori?" Olivia asked. Yuki answered her question.
"He's the family doctor and year of the Dragon."
"Oh."
'Sohma must be a pretty common Japanese name,' Olivia thought. 'Because my Mom's family was Sohma, this family is Sohma, and who ever that family in the manga Fruits Basket is, they're Sohma too.' She finished. 'Curious.' Shigure returned from the hallway and informed them that this Hatori was coming over as soon as possible.
Hatori sat at his desk reading Akito's medical file. Akito was sick again last night and Hatori was trying to figure out the last cold medicine he's given him, because he remembered it had worked. Finally finding the most recent prescription write up, Hatori's work was disturbed by the phone on his desk that had begun to ring.
"Hello?" he answered tiredly.
"Hatori could you come over, this is important." Shigure's voice pleaded on the other line. Hatori was about to refuse when Shigure added
"Please?" he must have figured out the doctor's plan. But the tone of that please, it wasn't a typical Shigure whiney please.
"Alright I'll be over right after I check Akito." Hatori assured him before hanging up. Grabbing the thermometer, Hatori make his way to Akito's quarters. Knocking softly upon arrival he said "Akito? It's Hatori, I'm coming in." slipping into the room quietly, he saw Akito lying across the floor in front of the open door leading to the gardens. His back was to the doctor who was waiting to be acknowledged before speaking.
"Hello Hatori, come to see me have you?" Akito greeted coldly.
"I've come to take your temperature, and I told you to keep this door closed, you'll never get better at this rate." The doctor replied, closing the garden door. Akito laughed icily and rolled over to face Hatori.
"You're a bit antsy, Hatori, in a hurry are we?" Akito sat up until he was kneeling directly in front of the doctor. Reaching out and straightening the collar of the lab coat that hung loosely on Hatori's shoulder, Akito grinned coldly. "You wouldn't happen to be going somewhere now would you?"
"I'm going to Shigure's." Hatori complied without struggle. It was easiest to just agree or go along with Akito when he was like this.
"Why?" Akito stopped pretending to be friendly.
"He said it wa-"
"Why?" Akito snapped. Hatori sighed.
"I don't know." Akito chuckled crossly.
"Were you going to inform me? Or just leave?" 'This is odd,' Hatori thought 'He's never been this controlling.' "I'm coming with you." 'Maybe,' Hatori smirked at the thermometer. 'Oh please have temperature.' He pleaded silently. Lifting Akito's chin gently he inserted the thermometer under his tongue. After about 2 minutes it beeped and looking at the result Hatori sighed with relief.
"What?" Akito demanded.
"You're not going." Hatori answered smugly.
"Excuse me?" the thermometer was flashed and the doctor informed Akito of his temperature of 103.5.
A less tense doctor made his way to his office where he traded his lab coat for his long black coat and went out to his car. It was a lovely November day and an enjoyable drive came to an end as the black car pulled up to Shigure's home. Knocking the doctor was extremely curious as to what was so important. He could hear footsteps getting louder and then Shigure slid open the door.
"Hello Ha'ri," he tried to sound cheerful, but something had clearly shaken the dog. Shigure took the doctor's coat and led him into the living room where along with Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, sat a young woman. She had long golden blonde hair that was pulled back into a messy bun. She was wrapped in a long black coat, much like his own so he couldn't see what she was wearing. Her eyes were cast downward, making it harder to see their color. She looked to be slightly older than Yuki, Kyo and Tohru, but younger than Shigure and himself.
"Hatori this is Olivia Sohma." Shigure began. "She's part of the zodiac." Hatori's head snapped up.
"What? What, I mean how-" Hatori cut himself off. Wait a minute, "What animal?"
"I don't know how really, but she is none the less, Ha'ri." The dog ignored his question.
"Shigure," he was still babbling so Hatori tried louder "Shigure" nothing, louder maybe? "SHIGURE!" it was hardly yelling but for someone who never showed emotion it was loud. The dog looked at his friend surprised. "What animal is she?"
DarkGoddess29: Thank you so much for reviewing I hope I posted soon enough! Hopefully I'll have chap 3 up soon! I'm working my butt off!
Bballstar42: Hey thanks I'm glad you like it, I'll cya soon! I LOVE YOU!
Peeka-Chan: Hey thank you! I'm so glad you like my new story! I can't wait to get more reviews! I promise to update my Saving Innocence story soon ok? And please read the story: When the World Goes Crazy by Twodrunkidiots, cuz I'm one of them! YAY! It's a Fruit's Basket humor story… LYL!
PeaceBabe: Hey thanks for reviewing! I do, I love the Tamora Pierce books! The tortall series right?
-The Water Sprite