Disclaimer: Ya'll see that thing at the top of your screen? That's called an address bar. What does the address say? Something about fanfiction.net, right? That means this here story is a 'Fan Fic', which means it wasn't written by anyone official or even remotely related to the Fruits Basket production team. In other words, I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen. I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters *cough*YUKI*cough* and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me. So don't sue me. I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.
Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done! Arigato!
Chapter One: Sohma House, or Akito's 'Evil Lair of DOOOOOOM'!
Sohma House was an unusually quiet place this morning.
The expansive grounds were peaceful; trees swaying quietly in a warm gentle wind adding a sighing counter point to the soft babble of a koi pond set the mood for tranquility. It was therefore a somewhat odd sensation to feel the tensions that seeped through the air.
Hatori sighed lightly as he put away his blood pressure cuff. Akito was reclining on a mountain of plush cushions with a thick blanket pulled up over his chest. The boy's condition was deteriorating slowly but surely. He looked sicklier than usual, wan and drowsy, barely summoning the energy to lift his arm that his pet finch might maintain its perch.
Hatori hated to admit it, even to himself, but… "I'm sorry Akito, there's nothing further I can do for you."
Akito's eyes drifted away from the preening white bird and fastened with Hatori's. "Can or will?" He drawled threateningly.
Hatori sighed again. "I'm afraid that my studies of Western style medicine only hold so much use. Your sickness isn't in your body, or even your mind; either of those I should be able to help you with. Akito, something is eating your soul from the inside out."
Akito was silent for a moment, dark blue/black eyes glittering ominously. He let his hand fall to his chest and the finch took wing back to its cage; the bird had been well trained by Kureno and would not attempt to escape, despite the wide open door. "Then what do you recommend?"
Relieved, Hatori said, "I recommend a more traditional treatment. The shrine in town has recently acquired and exceptionally talented miko. She appears to truly have miko powers."
"You would have a sorceress come heal me?" Akito whispered. "You know the gifts of sorceresses always have a hook attached."
"Be that as it may, it is the only thing I can see working at this point." Hatori zipped his medical bag and corrected his posture. "If you do not find someone who is able to do something for you, you will die. Soon."
Akito shifted slightly, pulling his blankets up higher on his chest and sitting up a bit more. When he spoke, his voice was barely above inaudible. "How soon?"
"A month at most." Hatori said.
Akito considered Hatori for several more moments, and then turned his head to look out the door at the koi pond. The brightly colored carp were feeding on the seeds dropped by a willow tree, touching the surface in rings of ripples then vanishing into the weeds. "Tell me her name."
"Kikyo Honda."
"Honda?" Akito mused.
"A coincidence, I'm sure." Hatori assured softly.
"You're sure?" Akito hissed. His body tensed as he tried to rise, but he was far too weak and merely wound up shifting slightly, his dark grey and blue yukata sliding off one shoulder to expose blindingly white skin. He breathed hard for a moment. "Some things continue to haunt me. Very well, you will summon her. I will see her tomorrow."
"As you wish, Akito." Hatori bowed deeply, pressing his forehead and fists to the tatami mat before rising, picking up his medical bag and backing out the door. He slid it closed behind him and smiled slightly at Momiji, who popped his head out from an adjacent hall.
"Hey, Ha'ri." Momiji whispered. "How's Akito?"
"Not well, I'm afraid." Hatori responded in kind. He joined Momiji and ushered him down the hall away from Akito's apartments. Outside they sat down on the edge of the porch, and Hatori lit a cigarette.
"What's wrong with Akito?" Momiji asked quietly. The boy's liquid brown eyes seemed downcast, his shining golden hair hung softly against his face.
"I'm not sure, Momiji." Hatori said. They sat quietly for a few moments. "I know of someone who might, though."
Momiji's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh, Ha'ri, would they help him?"
Hatori smiled again. "Get me the cordless and we'll find out."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kikyo Honda sat at the dining room table in her uncle's house on the grounds of the Hondachi Shrine, sipping tea and listening to her grandfather's request. He'd gotten a call yesterday from someone apparently very important requesting her services.
"Sohma House?" Kikyo said. "Where do I know that name from?"
"The Sohmas are a large and respectful family." He grandfather told her. His yukata seemed too large for him, swamping him in dark scarlet and blues, patterned with beige lilies. It hung off him and made him look frail, though Kikyo knew anyone who thought her grandfather frail had another thing coming. "They have influence and power dating back to the Feudal Era and before. We are well honored by your being asked to serve them. You must do your best."
"I will, Grampa." Kikyo assured him. She checked her watch and her eyes widened. Swilling the last of her tea she rose and carefully adjusted the folds of her Hakama. The traditional shrine maiden costume was exceedingly comfortable and flattering in an odd way. It made her look and feel far more mature than her seventeen years. The Hippari jacket was white, it had long sleeves that covered her hands when they hung by her sides and open slits at the shoulders to show her scarlet undercoat. The back of the Hippari was decorated with a bold black Gi that said 'Hondachi'. The Hakama pants were a deep burgundy and so voluminous one leg could almost serve as a skirt.
"Gotta run, Grampa. Thanks for the tea." Kikyo smiled as she trotted past into the kitchen and set her cup in the sink, noting to herself to wash it and anything else later. She came back through the dining room to go into the entryway and slip on her geta, but her grandfather stopped her.
"This is the address and instructions on how to get there." Her grandfather said passing her a slip of paper drawn from one sleeve of his robe. "Do me proud today, Kikyo."
"I will, Grampa." Kikyo laughed. "Hand me my scrip, please." Her grandfather grabbed the red embroidered black bag from the corner and passed it to her. She slipped it over one shoulder and balanced its weight in the small of her back. She opened the door and stepped out with her grandfather following. "I don't know how long this will take me. I'll call if I can't be back for dinner."
"Bai, bai, Kikyo. Be safe." Her grandfather called as she set off down the steps that led away from the shrine.
Smiling, Kikyo glanced at her grandfather's nearly illegible handwriting and set off for Sohma House.
Sohma House was an enormous sprawling estate slightly outside of town, cut off from the prying eyes of the public by a ten foot wall of stucco and exposed wood. 'Wow, Kikyo thought, 'they must be really wealthy if they can afford to keep and maintain all this land. The architecture is beautiful.'
She made her way up the stairs to the main gate and buzzed the intercom. After a few moments a young woman's voice spoke. "Yes, how may I help you?"
"My name is Kikyo Honda; I'm the miko from the Hondachi Shrine. I've been asked to attend one Akito Sohma."
"Oh, yes, please wait there and someone will be there to escort you inside momentarily."
"Thank you." Kikyo said. She quickly readjusted her Hakama once more and put a hand to her hair, making sure it was in place. She made sure a wise and serene expression was in place; people were always underestimating her because she was so young, and she'd found that a smooth, confident face made them reconsider. After a few minutes, the right-hand gate swung inward.
A brilliant blonde poked her head out and looked at her with liquid chocolate eyes, and a smile spread on her lips. Her clothes were very cute. She had on a long pink blouse and khaki shorts, with white knee socks and brown penny-loafers. She came out the rest of the way and bowed politely to Kikyo. "You're Kikyo Honda, right? I'm Momiji Sohma!" Her voice was very sweet and youthful.
"Yes, I'm Kikyo. It's nice to meet you, Momiji." Kikyo took the girl's cue and bowed. 'What a cute little girl!' She thought.
"Come on inside!" Momiji exclaimed, grasping one of Kikyo's hands and dragging her into the compound. "I'll introduce you to Ha'ri! That's Hatori Sohma, he's the family doctor!"
"Okay!" Kikyo laughed, caught up in the little girl's adorable enthusiasm. The grounds were absolutely beautiful; flowering trees stood everywhere, broken by lawns of carefully tended grass and beds of flowers. There was a carefully raked rock garden and brook that curved around the side of the main house. Kikyo could see roads and walking paths that curved back into the woods inside the grounds, and thought that the estate must be far larger than she had first thought. 'Wow, Gramps wasn't kidding! The Sohmas really must be very wealthy and powerful. I'll do my best!' She told herself silently.
They stepped into the main house after removing their shoes and walked down a long hall, to a door which Momiji opened. "Hatori, this is Kikyo Honda. Honda-san, this is Hatori Sohma."
Kikyo stepped inside and knelt down, bowing respectfully in the process. "I am very pleased to meet you, Hatori-san."
"Indeed the pleasure is all mine." Said Hatori in a near monotone. Kikyo looked at him carefully. He was very handsome, despite the toss of black hair that covered his left eye. His expression was rigidly bland, as though he personally would not permit any emotions to pass across it. The exposed eye was very dark green, and pensive, as though something was bothering him
'Of course something's bothering him!' Kikyo thought. 'A family member is ill and he can't do anything to help him. But I can.'
"You are younger than I expected." Hatori said after Momiji had excused herself. "You can't be older than eighteen."
"I'm seventeen, Hatori-san." Kikyo informed him. "I'll be eighteen in October."
"Well, I spoke with your grandfather yesterday. He assured me you are very gifted despite your youth. I will tell you our situation." Hatori stood and slid back a door that led out onto a deck with a view of a small rock garden. He lit a cigarette and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Akito is the head of the Sohma clan. He's twenty one years of age and has always had poor health. He was a thin and sickly child and has become a thin and sickly adult. I've been his doctor for five years, and his condition has gone steadily downhill. It's reached a point where my training in Western medicine can do him no more good."
Kikyo listened attentively, making mental note of everything he said. "Tell me, what are his living conditions like? Does he get outside much? Does he get exercise regularly? What does he eat? How is his temper?"
"He has been unable to exercise recently due to his deteriorating condition. Prior to that he took walks around the compound each day." Hatori said. "He prefers the dark, keeping the doors shut and curtains drawn, and often doesn't even bother to get dressed each day. He has fits of dark rage, when he throws things and screams obscenities. He eats very little, and prefers raw fruits, fish, and refined grains to anything else."
Kikyo frowned. "Take me to see him."
Hatori took her further towards the back of the house, and the hallways got steadily darker and more oppressive feeling as they went. Kikyo carefully analyzed all of the impulses she was getting and began her diagnosis. The room where she was introduced to Akito Sohma was dark, lit only by a stand-lamp in one corner. He lay in the far corner from the lamp, wallowing in the shadows for lack of a better term. His nest of pillows and blankets was disheveled, as though he'd been twisting and turning restlessly. The air of the room tasted stale, smelled of fear and hate, and felt unclean.
Kikyo bowed respectfully towards the dark corner where Akito lay. "My name is Kikyo Honda, Sohma-san. I am very pleased to meet you. With your permission I will begin."
A soft, slightly menacing laugh wafted from the darkness. "Very well, you may begin."
"Hatori-san, would you please bring some boiling water in a tea pot?"
Hatori bowed and left.
While he was gone, she strode around the room, opening windows and doors. She heard Akito hiss softly as light flooded into his dark world, but ignored his reaction for the moment. Hatori returned a few minutes later with the water she'd requested and knelt beside the door to observe, and Kikyo immediately put him out of her mind; when she got to work it was only her and her patient. She was very professional about her job.
Once all the windows and doors were open she turned to face her patient.
Akito Sohma was extremely good looking, to the point where he was almost pretty; he would have been more so if not for the dark miasma that rolled off his aura, the loathing of everything that was ingrained in his bones. Kikyo felt her muscles tense for flight out of pure instinct. Akito was very sick.
She came and knelt before him. "Sit up, please."
Akito glared death at her as he shifted up onto his heals and straightened his yukata.
"Give me your dominant hand."
Akito held out his right hand for her. She grasped it with care, firmly but gently, and turned it into the light so she could read his palm. She frowned at what she saw. "Look into my eyes." Akito did so, and Kikyo felt goose flesh rise on the back of her neck. His eyes were almost dead; there was nothing in them but hatred and contempt.
Shivering, she said, "Stand up and remove the top of your robe."
Akito smirked darkly as he slowly rose to his feet, sliding his painfully pale arms outside of his dark yukata. His exposed chest was lily-white and far too thin, as though he would snap into pieces if hit. Kikyo gave him an equally dark look, though hers had no smile of any kind, pushed up the sleeves of her hippari and lightly placed her fingers on his chest. Thumbs almost together at the center of his sternum, fingers splayed wide across his pecks to cover as much area as possible, and she let her eyes drift closed.
She breathed deeply once, exhaling through her nose, and ventured forth.
After almost three minutes she began breathing again and pulled back, wiping her hands on her hakama. His soul felt … wrong… dark, as though it were cancerous. Something evil was growing on it, in it, eating it away. She motioned him to sit down and pull his robe back onto his shoulders and for Hatori to join them by the door. She fetched the pot of steaming water and placed it beside her, unslinging her scrip and beginning to rummage through it. She pulled out several wax sealed clay jars, glass bottles, and paper packets.
"Sohma-san, I believe I know what is wrong with you." Kikyo told him. She cracked the seal on a tiny clay jar, looked inside, and emptied the contents into the teapot, then reached for a paper packet marked in kanji on one side. "You are under a curse."
She heard Hatori gasp, but misinterpreted it, her eyes fixed on her task. "Yes, it is surprising. It's not a new curse. It's been on your family for generations, if I'm not mistaken." She refolded the paper packet and set it aside after dropping a pinch of dried lotus blossom into the water, then reached for a glass bottle containing powered sakura pits. "It's odd though. With every generation it's been getting worse, more concentrated, instead of dissipating through blood and years as I would expect. Hatori-san, give me your hand."
Hatori extended his hand and Kikyo grasped it, turning it into the light to read, and then looked into his eyes. She released his hand, saying, "You have some of it in you, too, though it's not affecting you in anything near the same way." She took a small, powdery white rock out of another glass bottle and gave it to Akito. "Hold that under your tongue until it dissolves."
Akito popped it into his mouth without argument, surprisingly. Kikyo glanced at him sharply, reading the sudden respect in his eyes and knew that he'd known about this curse and she was right. She was dead right, and he had nothing to say. Smiling a tiny smile of personal pride, Kikyo dropped a chip of undried fruitwood into the teapot, clapped the lid on, stoppered up the spout, and shook it vigorously for several moments. She set the teapot on the floor in front of her once more and let her hands hover over it as she concentrated.
After a few moments, the teapot glowed briefly a pale blue color. Hatori and Akito both gasped at that.
She then removed the stopper and lid letting fresh steam rush out with renewed vigor, fished out the fruitwood chip, discarding it into a piece of paper to be burned later, and poured tea out into the handleless cup. It filled the room with an earthy, subtly sweet aroma. She passed the cup to Akito. "Drink that as hot and as quickly as you can stand to. When it gets cold it won't be as potent."
Akito threw it back in one gulp.
"This potion will be good for seven or eight days." Kikyo told him as she began to put her things away. "Drink one cupful of it every day at dawn and dusk until it's gone, simply heat it as hot as you can stand to drink it and drink it quickly. Make sure to get increasing amounts of exercise on each day, but start slow, and breathe plenty of fresh air. No more of this 'windows closed all day' business." She slung her scrip back over her shoulder and centered it in the middle of her back. "I'm afraid this will not get rid of your curse. It will only help to alleviate some of the symptoms. It should improve your temper and energy levels, get you feeling a little more lively. I will do some long-term research and see if I can't discover what exactly this curse is and whether it is within my power to remove it. Please, call upon me again if you feel your condition deteriorates."
Hatori cleared his throat, preparing to speak, but Akito beat him to it.
"Thank you very much for your time and help today, Miko-sama." Akito said. He pressed fists and forehead to the floor in a very respectful bow.
Kikyo was stunned. This was the same man who had leered at her inappropriately when she told him to take off his robe, now he was calling her 'Lady Sorceress' and bowing low enough to fit the title! 'Wow!' She thought. 'I must have really impressed him!'
She bowed back to him and said, "Please, it was my honor."
"Is there anything we can offer you in return for your services?" Akito asked. "Money? Sponsorship for your shrine? Personal favors?"
"If you wish to do so, I can accept a small donation for the shrine." Kikyo told him. "Anything else would be too much."
"Very well," Akito said, rising carefully to his feet. Kikyo and Hatori rose with him. "I will have a check made out and sent to the shrine. Hatori will show you out. Thank you once again." Akito bowed one last time as Kikyo walked out the door.
When she was gone Akito stood staring at the now closed inner door, seeing nothing.
'She is very powerful.' He thought as he turned and walked across the room to the outer door and its view of the koi pond. 'I felt the curse stir while she was doing her Delving. It has… receded. I feel much better, more alive, than I have in years. She does indeed have strong spiritual powers.
'And there can be no doubt she is related to Tohru Honda. They have the same eyes…'
His finch stirred in its cage and let out a quiet trill of song, sensing the change in atmosphere and hoping for the better.
~*~*~*~*~*~