Author's Note: I'm going to be posting the rest of the story, despite the fact that nobody seems all that interested in reading this. I hope I didn't scare everyone away with the summary. --;
I'm assuming that maybe, due to the fact that there was a lot of unknown elements, some people were confused by the last chapter. To help alleviate any confusion anyone who reads this might have, I'll be posting the entire story this time.
I'd really appreciate a review, even if you don't enjoy everything about the story.
The only chapter posted in proper order, this one is set sometime in the near to distant future and covers the last generation afflicted by the curse, which has become more of an irritation than anything else by that point.
Chapter Summary: Hiroya Arisugawa has always hated cloudy weather; only the prodding of his sister could get him to leave the house on such a day. When they prepare to visit her fiance one cloudy winter day, he meets the person who could end the cycle that began so long ago...
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Baskets or its characters. However, I do own all of the original characters included herein.
Leaves
Part 4: Kuchiba
Hiroya Arisugawa groaned as he glanced out his window. The snowflakes that were even now falling from the heavens could be seen easily. It would be a perfect day—perfectly horrible, that is. He hated winter.
Winter was the time of year that always seemed to take a toll on him, both physically and mentally. It always seemed like he was drained of all energy then—in winter, and during the rainy season. He was certain that the exhaustion that came with the onslaught of cool, cloudy weather had to be some kind of curse. The worst part of it was that it always hit him as soon as he opened his eyes.
Who needed a barometer? Because of his affliction, Hiroya had always been able to tell whether it was cloudy or clear—damp or dry. His friend, Naota Yatoji, teased him that it must have been some sort of bizarre arthritis, and that he would be a shoo-in if he ever decided to be a meteorologist. Personally, he could have done without his "gift"—as his mother had deemed it.
It made him feel as though he could be placed in the same category as his sister's best friend, Atsuko Aoki. Now there was one scary chick.
Atsuko had bizarre powers where electricity was concerned, and embraced the "uniqueness," as she called it, by dressing like a Gothic Lolita and openly cosplaying under the name "Yurei Denki." Personally, he had deemed the girl and her eccentricities as nothing short of freakish; however, he said nothing on the matter, because he knew that it would have been only too easy to categorize himself as a freak as well.
Sometimes he wondered how his little sister, Shizuru, and Atsuko had ever became friends—or how Naota had ever ended up dating her. He knew the answer to first query, of course: his sister had a huge heart and always tried to find the good in everyone, giving them the benefit of the doubt—whether they deserved it or not. The part about Naota going out with Atsuko, though, Hiroya was still a little fuzzy about, but he had decided a long time ago that he would only give himself a headache trying to figure out the particulars of the matter.
The young man muttered a curse under his breath and pulled the blankets over his head in an attempt to return to the wonderful reverie slumber provided when he was faced with the prospect of a cold, cloudy day—the kind that he wished would fall off the face of the calendar. Maybe he could just forget about the promise he'd made to spend time with his girlfriend. She was a reasonable girl—she would understand…
How unfortunate that his baby sister didn't seem to share this sentiment.
Just as Hiroya felt himself getting comfortable enough to doze off again, his bedroom door was thrown open as Shizuru called, "Niichan! Time to get up!"
The young man moaned and did his best to ignore her. His sister frowned as he continued to cuddle under his covers. With a sigh, she tugged the covers off him (causing him to protest incoherently) and said, "Hi-ro-ya,"—she only drawled his name that way when she felt he was ignoring her—"you need to get up! It's almost noon!"
Growling, the orange-haired boy favored her with a withering look that would have sent anyone else away in apprehension; however, the brown-haired girl was more than accustomed to her brother's glares. Still not entirely awake, he slurred something along the lines of "Wha d'ya wan'?"
Shizuru ducked her head a bit, a blush pinkening her cheeks. She wrung her hands in front of her as she softly intoned, "I need a ride to the Sohma Clinic. I made a lunch for Tomoki-kun—but I forgot to give it to him this morning…"
If Hiroya hadn't already been lying down, he was certain he would have fallen over at the sheer absurdity (and innocence) of his sister's request. Muttering under his breath he sat up to properly glower at her. "You're trying to drag me out of bed so that you can deliver a bento box to your boyfriend!"
Shizuru's blush deepened as she gazed at him with the best pleading look she could muster. "I know it's a lot to ask, Niichan, and normally I would walk, but…it's snowing and…"
The redhead bit back a groan. Not the puppy-dog pout! Aw, Shizuru… Damn it, how does she always manage to do this? Better yet, why the hell do I still fall for it!
Heaving a sigh, Hiroya waved off the remainder of whatever she had been planning to say and threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll give you a ride. Just never say that I don't do anything for you…"
With an unbridled smile that would have lit an entire country for its sheer brilliance, Shizuru giggled and hugged her brother briefly before bounding off to get ready for their excursion. Hiroya watched her go with another sigh before stretching and preparing to get ready himself.
As he dressed, he wondered how on Earth he had ever allowed his parents to talk him into letting Shizuru stay with him. He hadn't even been living on his own for a year before they came to him with the prospect. They had claimed she would be closer to Oikawa Women's College, her secondary school of choice, but he suspected it had something to do with her buttering them up so that she could also be close to her boyfriend, Tomoki Asaji.
Hiroya scowled a bit at the thought of Shizuru's boyfriend. The two (he and Tomoki) had met as freshmen at Kawaia High School, both members of Class 1-C, and it had been hate at first sight. For reasons even they did not understand, Hiroya and Tomoki had never been able to spend five minutes in each other's company without fighting, and were as different as night and day.
In fact, the only thing they seemed to be able to agree on was Shizuru. Both men loved her (though in differing ways) and would do anything to ensure her happiness and safety. For that little reason alone, they had slowly built up to ignoring one another in Shizuru's company, for her.
It also looked like Shizuru's boyfriend would become part of the family rather soon. She and Tomoki had been discussing wedding plans as of late, and Hiroya was loath to think of a time when that damn Tomoki would become his brother-in-law. Naota—who had some experience in that department—assured him that it was a fairly natural occurrence, but also teased him that he already had a five-year head start on most brothers-in-law.
And here I am, getting ready to help her take lunch to him, thought the orange-haired man with a sigh as he pulled on a black shirt. Pausing to glance at his reflection in his bureau's mirror, he decided, I've sunk to a new low.
That's when he heard the doorbell ringing. He looked up, startled. The Arisugawa siblings weren't expecting anyone—who could it be?
Apparently, Shizuru was already two steps ahead of him. As he strode down the hallway, he heard her opening the door and cheerfully greeting the person on the other side: "Sata-chan! You're just in time!"
He reached the end of the hall in time to see his dark-haired girlfriend, Sata Mono, ducking inside with a curious look. "I am? What for?"
"Niichan is going to take us out to eat after I drop off Tomoki-kun's lunch," his sister informed the older girl.
Hiroya started at this before glaring at her. "Hey, that was not part of the plan!"
However, the two girls chose to ignore him in favor of their own conversation. His girlfriend smiled and clapped her hands together in delight. "That sounds like fun! I haven't eaten out in ages! Usually Mother expects me to make meals."
Shizuru nodded. "Yeah, I usually have to cook for Niichan and me, too."
"Don't start, Shizuru—" the boy tried to argue, but he was interrupted yet again when Sata added, "And it'll be the perfect chance to spend time with Hiro-kun! He's been promising to take me out to dinner for a long time."
It was then that the girls apparently decided to favor Hiroya with an acknowledgement of his presence, because his sister suddenly turned to him and inquired, "Are you ready yet, Niichan?"
"Ugh…!" Biting back a curse, the young man merely muttered an affirmation under his breath before grabbing the keys to his car and his jacket.
Before long, the Arisugawa siblings and Sata were on their way to the Sohma Clinic. Upon their arrival, Shizuru begged Hiroya to come inside with her, to ensure that she was safe while she delivered the bento box to Tomoki (and he reluctantly agreed); Sata declined the offer when it was extended to her, deciding to instead remain in the car.
Stepping inside the doors of the Sohma Clinic, Hiroya resisted the urge to shiver. It was a place that he hated to visit—for the sole reason that he'd heard terrible stories about the family that had previously ran it. He didn't know how—or why—anyone could want to work in it, much less come to visit the staff. So what if they had some of the best doctors in town? He would have rather gone across town to the Ashikaga Clinic for medical attention.
Shizuru didn't seem to notice her brother's hesitancy, though. Instead she cheerfully greeted the registration nurse—a platinum-haired woman she called "Harada-san"—and asked to see Tomoki, so that she could deliver the lunch she had for him.
The woman's aureate eyes danced with mirth as she nodded. "Sure, Shi-chan! Tomo-kun will be happy to see you. Tell 'Tsuya-chan I miss him already, if you see him."
Shizuru blinked at the statement, but nodded just the same. "Of course. See you later, Harada-san!" She grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him behind her. "C'mon, Niichan…"
"Who—or what—was that?" he muttered.
She smiled a bit and answered, "That's Kiyomi Harada-san, Asaji-sensei's wife."
Ah, so that was the strident sister-in-law that he sometimes heard Tomoki lamenting about to Shizuru. Though she was a nurse, her real passion was designing clothing—which she sometimes managed to get her unfortunate brother-in-law to model when she had a spark of inspiration. Hiroya couldn't help wondering how someone as rigid as Etsuya Asaji had ended up with a wife like Kiyomi Harada.
As they entered the waiting area, his sister looked at him curiously. "I have to go back to the doctors' lounge to deliver this, Niichan. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to wait here?"
Hiroya hated to think of spending any more time in this jitter factory than he had to—and going further into the belly of the beast was not a prospect he liked. Making a face, he shook his head. "I'll wait. Just don't take forever."
"I'll try to hurry," Shizuru promised before dashing off down one hallway.
The boy watched her go with a gentle shake of his head before plopping himself down and preparing to find a magazine to read. To his great displeasure, the most interesting thing that he could find seemed to be the Shirano Book Review. With a sour look, he started to flip through its pages.
Apparently, though, it was better than he had thought. While reading about an up-and-coming novelist penning under the name "Koinu Aino," he was startled when he suddenly heard an unfamiliar feminine voice inquired, "Is the article that fascinating?"
Jumping slightly, he jerked to his left to see a young woman sitting next to him, wearing a surreptitious smirk. She had lengthy blue-black hair that fell to her waist, and steel-gray eyes that had a malicious glint in them. Just looking at her made his skin crawl.
"I'm sorry if I startled you," she apologized, though the smirk never left her face. "I was just wondering what would spark your interest in a book review magazine."
Hiroya wondered why she was so talkative; most people would rather sit quietly and mind their own business than so much as look at the other people around them. For some reason, though, he felt compelled to keep the conversation going.
"Something by 'Koinu Aino,'" he answered, glancing down to make sure he had the name right. "He just put out something called…Juunishi no Monogatari."
"'The Tale of the Juunishi,'" she translated instantaneously. Her mouth quirked. "I wonder if he merely translated the usual story of the Chinese Zodiac, or if he included…other versions…of the story…" She spared him a glance. "Do you know the legend of the Chinese Zodiac?"
The boy shrugged. "What's to know? The Jade Emperor invited thirteen animals to a banquet, but the Rat tricked the Cat into thinking it was the next day, got the Ox to give him a ride, was crowned first out of twelve animals for his sneakiness, and earned the eternal hatred of the Cat—end of story."
The girl chuckled at his quick summary. "My, it seems you aren't a big fan of the Rat. Why is that?"
Hiroya's lip curled up in a sneer and he felt a deep-seated resentment at the mention of the word "Rat." However, it was quickly replaced with confusion and a frown as he shook the feeling off and answered, "Dunno. I guess I just think the Rat never played fair. He didn't deserve to be the First…"
Her cool silver eyes flickered to the hallway that led to the doctors' lounge. Then she glanced back at him as she said, "You know, there is another, lesser known version of the legend…"
"Yeah?" He gazed at her expectantly.
Feeling she had his full attention, she began to articulate herself. "In one version of the story, the Rat—and the other Junikyu—had stolen something precious that belonged to the Cat. He plotted to get back his prized possession, also hoping to exact revenge on the Jade Emperor, who had originally stolen it so that the Junikyu could also marvel at its splendor."
The young man frowned. Why did this seem so familiar? He was certain he had never heard this version of the legend, despite Shizuru's fascination with it…
She continued. "When he arrived at the Jade Emperor's palace, he found who he believed to be the Emperor taking a late-night walk and used the opportunity to his advantage. He assassinated the one he had assumed to be the Jade Emperor and uttered a curse on the Junikyu who watched helplessly."
Images flashed through his mind. A crowd of eleven people watching, standing in a circle around a figure: a dark-haired young man lying in a pool of his own blood. Hiroya felt a pit forming in his stomach. What…?
"However, it soon became apparent that his victim was not the Jade Emperor, but the Rat," the young woman went on. "For the Emperor suddenly stepped forward to see what was going on. When he saw what the abominable Cat had done to his precious Rat, he was driven mad by rage—and uttered a curse upon the Cat himself."
More images. Another dark-haired man cradling the fallen form of the first man, whose hair seemed to have taken on a silver sheen. His mouth moved, screaming words Hiroya couldn't hear.
"The Cat was ashamed of his terrible mistake and wanted to vanish from the face of the Earth. And though he was imprisoned for his unspeakable crime, the Jade Emperor proved to be more benevolent than anyone could have imagined." She paused to glance at her companion, who was somewhat pale. "In a moment of lucidity, he returned the Cat's precious possession to him, but only at a price…"
The face of a sorrowful girl, looking like a Heian princess, formed in his mind. It evoked an inexplicable feeling of remorse that caused tears to well in his eyes and his throat to tighten. Hiroya shook his head weakly as he instinctively grappled for the worn black and white beads that adorned his left wrist.
"The price was one the Cat could not bear. It drove him mad, causing him to slowly mutate until he had become a hideously disfigured monster," she finished softly.
The girl glanced at Hiroya again, a cruel smirk forming once more as she said, "I hope it didn't disturb you. After all, it's just a story…"
Suddenly one of the nurses stepped out with a chart in hand and called, "Isako Sohma-san?"
The young woman jumped to her feet readily. "Here!"
"The doctor will see you now," the nurse informed her.
"Thank you," she said far too cheerily. Glancing back at Hiroya as she grabbed her purse, she smiled icily and told him, "It was nice talking to you!"
Hiroya shivered as she disappeared down the corridor. It was time to hurry Shizuru along; no way could it take this long to deliver lunch to her damn boyfriend.
Just as he was about to purposefully stride back to the doctors' lounge, he saw Shizuru and Tomoki—who wore a coat—coming down the hallway. He gave her a meaningful look before he glared at her boyfriend. "What gives?"
Shizuru gave him a sheepish look, blushing slightly as she said, "I'm sorry, Niichan, but… Tomoki-kun says that he's finished for the day, and he doesn't really need the lunch I made him…"
"WHAT!" demanded her brother in disbelief. "You mean I drove you here for nothing!"
"O-oh, no!" She began to wave her arms frantically, in her usual panic-mode manner. "You see, I gave the lunch to Asaji-sensei instead, and invited Tomoki-kun to join us for lunch! I hope that's okay, because—"
"Don't worry about it," muttered Hiroya. He sent a glance in Tomoki's direction and suddenly noticed that he bore a striking similarity to the woman from the waiting room. What had the nurse called her—Isako Sohma? The only major difference—genders aside—was the fact that his sister's boyfriend's hair was lighter. In fact, it looked a lot like that of the man in the image…
"Niisan promises to get the bento box back to you soon," Tomoki said offhandedly, startling Hiroya slightly.
"What's the matter, Niichan?" Shizuru asked as she suddenly realized that her brother's skin was a bit ashen. "You look sick."
"It's nothing," he tried to assure her. When the anxiety refused to erase the crease in her forehead, he sighed before glancing at Tomoki. "Asaji, do you know anybody named…Isako Sohma?"
Tomoki appeared startled. " She's a distant cousin on my mother's side. Why?"
"I…met her…in the waiting room," Hiroya said slowly. He scowled a bit at the discomfort he felt. "She's…weird…"
"Isako isn't exactly the most balanced person in the world," the other man stated flatly by way of explanation as they started to walk out of the clinic. "Her mother was an inmate at the mental institution who was raped by an orderly. She's been shuttled back and forth between distant relatives most of her life. We think she inherited some of her mother's instabilities. And besides that, she's the only real Sohma left."
The blue-eyed girl gazed at her intern boyfriend curiously as they reached the entrance. "Only real Sohma left? What do you mean, Tomoki-kun?"
Tomoki shrugged a bit, holding the door open for her. "The Sohmas used to be a very powerful family; they owned almost everything in town—including the clinic. However, their numbers have dwindled to almost nothing. Isako was born seven months after the death of her grandfather, the last head of the Sohma family. Because of her mother's mental state and Isako's own poor physical health, it's unlikely either of them will ever have children. The line ends with Isako."
Strangely, Hiroya felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Gazing up at the clouds that were beginning to break up, he gently fingered the bracelet on his wrist and murmured, "So, it's finally over…"
Shizuru gave her brother an inquisitive look. "Niichan?"
Then he turned to her and shook his head. "Nothing." He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer than usual. "C'mon. Let's go to lunch…"