Author's Note: For those not familiar with the manga: Kureno is the rooster Zodiac member who seldom leaves the compound and is Akito's constant companion.
Chapter Summary: The past has a nasty habit of biting Tohru's ass. Bet it doesn't even brush.
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya/HAKUSENSHA - TV TOKYO - NAS - Fruba Project.
Warning: Rated R for language, implied rape, torture, and adult situations. This chapter: flashback to rape scene. Not graphic, but if you are disturbed by non-consensual sex, you may wish to avoid the flashback (I will mark it within the chapter). Be warned- if you skip the flashback, you will miss a few major plot points.
Chapter 7: I Get By
Climbing up the wall
I get by on automatic
No surprise at all.
-Talking Heads, "I Get Wild"
Their new town is definitely a student/tourist haven. Although there are stores that sell staples, they are grossly outnumbered by souvenir shops and cheap ramen stands. Every second store is filled with bizarre knickknacks and 'ancient artifacts'. Normally, Tohru would ignore these shops in favor of getting ingredients and household supplies. Of course, normal Tohru wouldn't have been stuck with nothing but ingredients and household supplies for three weeks. Housebound Tohru has suddenly reverted to about five-years-old. "Come on Yuki, come on Kyou. Look! Look!"
Easy there tiger, if you pull their arms off they won't be able to drive you and your shopping home again.
And then Tohru sees It.
It is a porch swing. A porch swing that would look perfect on their porch.
Yuki and Kyou don't stand a chance. They are still standing there, slightly dazed, when whirlwind Tohru goes into action. By the time they realize that they are packing a large porch swing, Tohru is already skipping ahead of them, laughing happily. "Come on, you silly slow boys! We need to put the swing in the trunk so that we can get the groceries."
Tohru is almost giddy with happiness. She is showing off for the boys, ducking and dodging people like a professional.
Are you trying to show off your flexibility? The boys are already drooling, so can you please stop now? I'm getting seasick.
The swing doesn't fit in the trunk. Kyou and Yuki have to tie the trunk open and wrap the entire thing in ropes to hold the swing in place. Tohru doesn't even notice.
"Food! That I haven't cooked!"
Not being familiar with student food, Tohru picks a ramen stand that advertises that it serves students.
This stuff is complete and utter shit. Even Yuki could cook better than this.
'But I didn't cook it!'
Well if nothing else, the boys have a whole new appreciation for you after tasting what real students have to eat.
The butterfly seems to be right, because almost as soon as Tohru has finished eating, the boys insist on going to pick up the groceries for their 'real supper'.
They are within a few feet of the grocery entrance when Tohru freezes. A slender, pale woman with lanky dark hair is standing between them and the door. As Tohru stops, the woman turns around, bumping hard into Tohru before she walks away. Suddenly, Tohru is shaking uncontrollably, little whimpers escaping her mouth. Kyou has her pulled against him almost immediately, gently stroking her hair and making soothing noises. But it is when she meets Yuki's eyes over Kyou's shoulders that Tohru sees true understanding.
A damper has suddenly been placed on their day out. Kyou takes Tohru back to the car, while Yuki quickly gets the groceries on her list. They drive back to the house in complete silence.
That night, Tohru tries to fall asleep before Yuki joins her, before he turns out the lights and she is trapped in the dark. It isn't enough to stop the memories.
### (start flashback)
Kureno is staring at Tohru, his eyes wide with horror. "Akito, please, you can't be serious."
"Don't you love me, my little rooster? You are the only one of my Jyuunishi who has always been loyal, who has never betrayed me. Will you turn away from me too?"
"But this is not loyalty to you-"
"Enough! Would you rather I controlled you?"
Kureno seems to collapse in on himself. "Please no. I will do as my god desires."
"And you love me?"
"I love you."
Suddenly, Kureno is in front of Tohru, pushing what is left of her clothing off of her shoulders. Tohru stiffens and freezes, backing towards the wall.
"Please Tohru, this will hurt less if you relax a little."
Tohru notices that Kureno is also stiff and his eyes are panicked.
"I will try to relax."
As it turns out, no amount of relaxation can make the experience less painful, less humiliating. Akito watches the scene from a distance, occasionally laughing at Tohru's whimpers or Kureno's inability to become aroused.
In the aftermath, Kureno leans into her shoulder, his body shaking as he quietly sobs. From Akito's angle, it must look like a caress. "I'm so sorry, so very, very sorry." Tohru lets him dry his eyes on her shoulder.
"It's not your fault. Shhhh." When he pulls back and off of her, his eyes are completely blank. Tohru numbly notes that somehow her ribbons have been torn during the encounter.
Akito leans towards Tohru, towards Kureno curled in a fetal ball. Her eyes glimmer with malice. "I'm very sorry Tohru-kun... about your ribbons." And with that, Tohru understands that unless you have truly hurt someone, an apology is a mockery.
###(end flashback)
Tohru is sobbing again. "I thought I was over this. When does this stop? When do the memories go away?"
Yuki wraps himself around her so tightly that Tohru feels their hearts beat in time. "The memories don't ever go away. Sometimes I wake up and I feel Akito next to me."
He places his hand under Tohru's chin, turning her so that she meets his eyes. "But we can still live. You taught me that. And even if you have been hurt, I am so very happy to have you with me. Maybe together we can make things better."
'You already do, Yuki.'
Damn it girl, you need to actually tell him this stuff. Notice that I'm not the one hugging you right now.
They are both crying now, but this time the tears aren't poisoned. Tohru feels a long-missing sense of peace as she drifts to sleep in Yuki's arms.
###
Reviewer Responses
Um... I think I may have been a little misleading in my review note last chapter. Just to clear things up, the pairings chapter and its aftermath have already been written, and the pairings choice is actually really necessary for the rest of the story. What I've figured out from your reviews is that pretty much everyone is going to hate me after that chapter. -Quietly whimpers and wanders off to find body armor-
blackwidow13: Well, I've been trying to drop hints about the direction that the pairing's going, but it seems that it's going to be more of a surprise than I thought.... Surprises are good right :)? I actually like both Kyou and Yuki for very different reasons and I hope that I get to look at more of their similarities and differences in the future. I'm really happy that you're continuing to enjoy the story!
marasolo: Actually when I wrote that line I had this vision of chibi-angelic Tohru getting into a fight with chibi-even-more-angelic Tohru over who was holier-than-thou. Yes- I have a very, very strange imagination. Glad you're enjoying the story!
Fallen Pure Angel: Chapter Seven actually was there, but there was something very strange going on with the web site. Since I seem to have a bad relationship with machines anyways, I just decided that I'd sacrifice a few old floppy disks to the gods and try again the next day. I'm very happy that you're enjoying the story and I hope that you continue to like it.
ohimesama: I'm glad that you think that this is original- I wasn't sure if the story would seem too much like some of the common Fruits Basket clichés based on the first few chapters. I hope that the rest of the story will hold your interest.
Amaya Hanyou: Poor, poor Tohru. Suddenly dealing with hormones and two very attractive men is Not Fun (or maybe Too Much Fun if you're a butterfly). Glad you like the humor- I'm trying not to make it too repetitive, but there's just so much material for butterfly snarkiness. I happen to like both Kyou and Yuki, so we'll see what happens. I really appreciate you taking the time to review each chapter- it makes me that much happier when I write :)
SpiritSealedSlumber: I just have to say that I really love reading your reviews! They make me think (ow.... poor under-used brain). Oh dear. About that self-confidence- I guess that I always figured that Tohru had a little bit more going on in her head than was shown in the series. I mean the girl has survived the tragic deaths of both of her parents and was tough enough to attempt to survive on her own. She may have some guilt issues, but I figure that she has to have some faith in herself to keep up that good attitude and keep trying to live up to her mother's expectations. Or maybe I'm just hoping that I'm not making her too grossly out of character, 'cuz I kinda like sort-of-confident Tohru and am hoping that the story will explain some of her changes:) Although I do have to say that I think that Tohru's a little bit more complicated in the manga. Do let me know if I'm getting too OOC though! You know, you've actually been the closest to guessing my written pairings out of anybody who's reviewed :) It's nice to see that someone else likes both Yuki and Kyou. I hope that you enjoy the direction that the story's taking!