A/N: Alright folks…now it's MY turn to ramble! I am the co-author of this fic, along with my friend LuvinAniManga, whose page we decided to post this on. My penname is MuGgLeNeT27, and I usually stick to Harry Potter fics, so this is a new experience for me. Brace yourself.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time! You all are too kind. And congrats to Meagan for a wonderful chapter (claps)! We've officially read up to volume 9 now (thank heavens for friends who have all the books!), so we hope things will get better from here on out.
The pairings for this story need to be cleared up slightly. We aren't quite sure whom Tohru is going to end up with…it could be any of the following guys: Yuki, Haru, or Momiji. The other pairing is Kyo x Kagura.
Disclaimer: WE don't own Fruits Basket and "Wheel in the Sky" belongs to Journey and neither of us.
NOT WHERE YOU BELONG
LuvinAniManga and MuGgLeNeT27
Chapter 2:
Defiance
Akito sank against the wall, resting from the overexertion he had endured. He would have to call Hatori soon, yes. As he sat there, his thoughts drifted back to his conversation (or would you call it a fight?) with Tohru Honda.
"You blame everything on "the Curse," Akito! But you know what? Nothing bad has happened to them yet because of this curse! NOTHING! Everything would be fine…if not for YOU! You know what, Akito? It's you! YOU ARE THE CURSE!"
How dare she? She had only incensed him further, and now…now he would make sure that the Sohmas would never see their precious flower again.
Winter is here again oh Lord,
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer
Yuki stepped out of his shoes as he entered Shigure's house, which was oddly silent. He slipped into the living room.
"Shigure?" No reply. "That's odd. Maybe he's out." He then walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Shigure and Kyo siting there in silence, staring down at their hands.
"Shigure? Why did you not reply when I called for you?" He still did not answer.
"Is something wrong?"
Shigure raised his head. The happy-go-lucky look that was usually plastered there, was not, something that greatly shocked Yuki.
"What is wrong?"
Kyo glanced up at him, his eyes narrowed.
"What did you do, you dang rat?" He stood and walked over to Yuki. Kyo stopped right in front of him, just barely taller than he was. His face, which was bright red, contrasted sharply with his hair.
"What do you mean, what did I do?"
Before a fight could erupt, Shigure stood and walked between them, "Tohru-kun is gone."
The college schoolbag that still rested on Yuki's shoulder fell to the ground with a large thud.
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
Kyo rolled his eyes, "Honestly, how stupid are you? She's gone. She left. She is no longer here. Must I spell it out for you?" He took the opportunity to smack him upside the head, but he was too overwhelmed to pay the stupid cat much attention.
"Then we should try and find her, yes?" Shigure nodded enthusiastically while Kyo barely ducked his head; oddly enough, they both missed her just as much as the other.
"It's settled then. Kyo, see if she's at Hana-chan or Uo-chan's homes. Shigure, you can check her grandfather's home."
Kyo turned toward him angrily, "And where will you look?"
"…The hospital."
Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I've been runnin' down this dusty road
Tohru grabbed her bag and walked through the revolving doors of the airport. With a sigh, she headed to the desk to get her ticket. A young girl smiled at her, even though the clock read 3 AM.
"Welcome. How may I help you?"
Tohru felt her breath catch in her throat, "I need to p-pick up a ticket for t-the 4:30 flight to N-New York. One way."
The woman typed furiously on the keyboard, the clicking noises echoing in the nearly empty hall.
"And what would be the name?"
Tohru gasped. She didn't know. Would it be under Akito's name? …Or her own?
"T-try Honda, please."
The typing started up again, and was soon followed by a distant humming sound. More passengers were arriving.
"Here you go. Enjoy your flight!" The girl smiled brightly at her once again, and Tohru sighed.
Right…enjoy it. Like that could ever happen.
She was about to walk away when a sudden though flashed through her mind.
"This is not where you belong."
Well, if there was one thing Akito had right, it was that. This wasn't what she should be doing. He could very easily come to her in America and erase her memories, the last thing she had to cherish from the Sohma family. She would not let that happen.
She walked back to the desk and smiled at the girl, "Excuse me, but may I exchange this for another flight?"
"Yes, you may. Where is it you would like to go? I'll check to see when the next available flight is."
Tohru racked her brain. Where could she go? Japanese was her native language, another reason she didn't want to go to America. She was not the best speaker of the English language. She knew very little of any other language, really. Except…
"What about Germany?"
I guess being around Momiji really will come in handy now!
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
Ayame shivered. He had been in here for far too long. This was cruel…cruel and unusual. But what else was new with Akito? Slithering underneath his pile of clothing, he tried to remain as warm as possible.
After hour or so, the door cracked open and a beam of sunlight fell into the room, particles of dust swirling in the light.
"Ayame…have we learned our lesson?" Akito plucked the jacket off the top of the snake.
"Yes, Akito. I will not speak a word."
The "God" of the Sohma family's face twisted into an evil grin, "Perfect."
I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can't take this very much longer
"What do you mean, Tohru-kun is gone?" Arisa's eyebrows furrowed together as she grabbed the front of Kyo's shirt.
"Why does everyone keep asking that? What do you think I mean? She's GONE. I came to see if she was over here."
"NO! BUT YOU BETTER FIND HER OR I'LL-"
"YOU'LL WHAT, YANKEE?" Kyo was right up in her face, their noses practically touching.
She unclenched Kyo's shirt from her hand and fell to her knees, "She's really gone? And you have no idea where?"
Kyo scoffed at her boisterous display of emotion, "No, but we're searching."
"Promise me you'll find her." Arisa Uotani brought her head up and stared him in the eye, begging him to find her best friend of so many years.
"I can't promise that. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be. But that doesn't mean we aren't going to try our hardest. We won't abandon her, if that's what you think."
"Good. If there's any way I can help, let me know."
The cat stared her down, "Yeah, you can help look too. That's all anyone can do right now."
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The mornin' sun is risin', It's kissing the day
Shigure sank into the couch, "She wasn't at her grandfather's house."
"She wasn't at the hospital either, and for that I am truly thankful." Yuki managed a small smile.
"She wasn't at the Yankee's house or the wave girl's house either. It's like she just disappeared."
Shigure stroked his chin, a sign of thought.
"We should call some of the other family members and see if they know anything. If we get no information, at least we can get them to help us look."
Yuki nodded as he took a sip of tea.
"Speaking of tea-"
"No one said anything about te-"
"Well, yes, but Yuki's drinking it. The first person I shall call is….Aaya!"
"NO! CALL HIM AND DIE!" Shigure was now on the receiving end of Yuki's death glare, and had a bump on his head from Kyo.
"But I thought we were going to call the rest of the family?"
"…True. Can he at least be last?"
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
Tohru stepped gingerly onto the plane. It was still practically empty, save for a few early birds like herself. After finding seat 14 B (at least it was a window seat), she put her carry-on bag in the compartment above and sat down, wondering who would end up next to her.
It was then that her mind started whirling with thoughts.
I can't believe I just had to up and leave like this. How could Akito do this to people! How could he find it within himself to break up everything good that his family ever had? Look at poor Hatori-san, having to suffer all his life just because Akito got angry. And little (well I guess he's not so little now) Momiji-kun! And what about Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun! And every other member of that family! He takes pleasure in other people's pain.
I tried being nice to him.
I tried accepting him.
I tried loving him.
But you know what?
I can't stand that type of person.
With this final thought, she buckled and turned toward the window, shutting her eyes for the entirety of the trip.
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
Tohru awoke to the woman sitting next to her gently shaking her shoulder.
"Miss? Miss? The plane has landed."
Tohru groggily opened her eyes and noticed that she and the woman were the only two left on the plane.
"W-where am I?"
The woman smiled, "Shouldn't you know that? You're in Leipzig, Germany!" Indeed, she noticed the woman had a strong accent.
"Oh." She stood and grabbed her carry-on from the overhead compartment and walked off the plane.
Wow, I really made it here! After going against Akito's wishes…here I am…in Germany, of all places!
She grabbed a taxi and made her way into the town, where she decided to try and familiarize herself with it. After walking down a small side street, she noticed an apartment building with a For Rent sign in the window. She made a mental note to check back there later.
Walking a little bit further, up and over a small hill, a tower that seemed to be looming over everything else came into view.
"Wow…what a place! Wonder what kind of person would have to work to have a building like that!" Her eyes shined from the reflection off the multi-windowed building.
Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she walked closer to the building. It was when she was almost there, that her heart practically stopped.
"No…It couldn't be. Not here, of all places!" She gasped. That familiar head of hair-
And all of the sudden, he was gone. Vanished…like he had never been there….
I must be imagining things, Tohru told herself, There's no way…no way he would have found me here...it's too much of a coincidence…. My mind is playing tricks on me! I…I miss home too much. This place is so…so foreign. No matter how much our culture has been reborn here….
She turned and continued walking along the street, which was indeed lined with Japanese restaurants and shops, back towards the office building, all the while wondering if her mind really had been playing tricks on her.
A/N: Success! I have finished a decent length chapter in a decent amount of time!…It truly is a miracle.
Now, we need your help! Who should Tohru end up with?
Yuki
Hatsuharu
Momiji
Give us your vote in your REVIEW (please?)!