Author's Notes: I haven't been updating for like, forever. Contains spoilers up to pretty recent chapters. And oh yes, Furuba is not mine.
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Scherzo.
Sohma Momiji.
Everyone thinks that Momiji is a happy child because he is always smiling and hopping about like a rabbit, and singing his strange songs. They also think that he is a little queer, because he likes to dress like a girl, and it doesn't help that his facial features are rather feminine and his voice hasn't broken yet.
They compare him to Hatsuharu and wonder why the two Sohmas are so different in height, in character, in everything. They are confused by him, and therefore they keep away from him, because he is unnaturally hyper, but unnaturally distant at times.
They also know vaguely, that his real mother and sister don't know of his existence, or perhaps they just do not want to know. This drives everyone further away, because the human instinct of keeping away from unknown things causes them to do so.
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But Momiji continues smiling, hopping around like a rabbit, singing his strange songs, and dressing like a girl. This is way of warning others to keep at bay, because he views himself as an oddball, a tainted one who doesn't deserve the care of others.
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Then, he meets Honda Tohru, and figures she'll be the one who'll probably break their curses, one by one. He likes her, and she likes him too. They are of the same kind – taking sins upon themselves and being weighed down by tremendous guilt, but smiling throughout the whole process because they don't want to cause anymore trouble to anyone else. He tells himself that he's finally found a true friend, one who can understand him through and through.
She's one of the few who knows he can play the violin very well, and the reason behind his cross dressing, and his fear of Akito and hurting others. She's one of the few who can actually heal his wounds just by being there for him. She's also one of the extreme few who can hug him without him twitching just a little bit in discomfort. Poof, he turns into a yellow rabbit. But he is smiling, genuinely, in the arms of Honda Tohru.
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What he doesn't expect, is for himself to start seeing this Tohru in a very different way indeed.
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It is known, among the Sohmas, that the kind brown-haired girl, who has been unfortunately bound into their fates, has a special kind of affection for the outcast of the Juunishi. He, they believe strongly, reciprocates that special kind of affection. Or, perhaps, he wants to, but feels that he cannot, in case he hurts her too. But that is another story, which will be uncovered when the music plays once again, and the game of musical chairs continues, with one less player.
Momiji is well aware that Tohru is in love with Kyou, and wants to break his curse the most out of the thirteen of them, because humans, no matter how selfless they are, will still have to be self-centered, to a certain extent. This, in the case of Tohru, is a very small extent, but still a significant small extent. He cannot help but feel the pangs of pain in his small heart when he sees her glance at the orange-head, and the glances she receives back from him. Perhaps Yuki can empathize. But lately, the rat seems to have let go, and seems to be happy about it, as Momiji can tell from his speech, and his posture.
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And so, the rabbit is left alone, once again.
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Then one day, he seems much taller than before, wearing the boys' uniform. Is that Momiji? many ask in astonishment. He hears the question and turns, smiling and waving. Yes, they are definite. It is still the rabbit-y soul within. What they don't know is that the yellow rabbit is gone, forever, never to appear again if he was hugged by someone of the opposite sex.
Momiji meets Tohru and they make a lot of noise, as usual, clapping in delight. Then he sees the awkward sidelong glances she shares with Kyou, and frowns just a little but reprimands himself for it later. He is freed of the curse, but unhappy. Tohru would've been happier if Kyou had been the one.
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Now he truly feels that he is alone. The cursed ones had been a special group of people, a group that he had belonged to, however terrible the experience had been.
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It sure beats being left out there in the dark, without a single soul to cling to.
end.
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To readers: Ah, the Momiji angst. It's a pity we won't get to see the cute yellow rabbit anymore. Please pat the poor boy and give him some love by reviewing his chapter. Thankies.