DISCLAIMER: Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya. I do own this story, and the non-Fruits Basket characters too! Yippee!
Goodness, high school has been INCREDIBLY busy! I am so sorry for not having written in like what, a million years? I hope I still have readers when I post this up…I got a ton of reviews, so that's what's coming at you all first! It took me longer to get this chapter out because I had reviews from like, a billion people, and before I posted this, I realized that now lets you reply to reviews….so I had to go back, send everyone their correct reply, and then post this! That was a wee bit hard because some people changed their names, so I had to go back to my email, look in my archives, and match the comments to the one I responded to. So, that took a while, but I finally have this out now! Please forgive me if I accidentally missed some people….I only left the anonymous peoples' review responses here (or people whose name I might've skipped over and didn't find), but let me know if you don't get a response!
Animeluvers – Haha, vote processed! I've seen the anime, and it leans towards Kyou and Tohru at the very end, but it seems to suggest Yuki and Tohru. Volume 15 is not even out yet here in the U.S.! Did you find it online somewhere! Could I have the link if you still have it! Lol. Thank you for the review!
Blizzardgrl – Sorry, I've been busy these past three months…!
EverlastingWolf – Thanks for reviewing! Your vote has been added!
Fish R Slimy – Haha, I love your username! Well, your vote has been counted, so thanks for reviewing and voting! –Smiles –
Izzy – Okie dokie! Thanks for voting!
Kitsune-san/chan – Haha….your review made me laugh sooooo much! –Wipes tears from eyes from laughing so hard– I'm glad you enjoy my story – that was a very nice review ;
Kurokawa – Thanks for voting and reviewing!
Lauren – Thank you! I do like originality! –Winks–
Person – Thank you! Oh man…I haven't updated in so long that I fear I may have lost you! I am truly flattered that you enjoy my story though! I suppose you are a Yuki/Kyou + Tohru fan, eh? Well, that's one more vote for each of them!
Person – I'm incredibly sorry if you're the same "person" as above – I don't know for sure when people use indefinite names, so I sincerely apologize! Yeah, Tohru-chan is not a trophy! Another vote for Yuki and Kyou…. –scribbles on notepad– I'm deeply flattered by your thoughtful comments! I do enjoy writing every bit out – I don't like stories that jump form one thing to another because often times it leaves me confused!
Person - Erm, sorry if it's the same "person" again…Can I have your name or a pen name or something if it's been the same "person" this whole time: Well, because you support both of them, I'm going to add your vote for both of them again…lol. I'm considering the perverted idea, so do keep up hopes for that!
Some one – Haha, another vote, then!
To lazy to log-in – Ooh, scary! I don't want death threats!
Tommymoose888 – Another Kyoru fan, eh? No worries, it shall be Yuki or Kyou easily and by far, since they seem to be INCREDIBLY popular…Perverted, huh? That's an interesting thought…I like that idea! Hmm….
Yoshiru – Haha, Mitsuo definitely meant Mikuni – they're rivals for her love, so Mikuni is supposed to be jealous that Tohru went on a date with Mitsuo and not with Mikuni…of course, Mikuni's quite confident in himself and isn't the least bit fazed, but ahh well!
Current Poll Results:
Yuki x Tohru - 26
Kyou x Tohru - 22
Mitsuo x Tohru - 1
Mikuni x Tohru - 4
Tohru stays single - 4
I'm much too lazy to check who voted or not already, so if I double count people's votes, I'm sorry…..
Anyways, the story of my life: band practice 3:30-7PM every Monday and Wednesday, a football game every Friday, cramming in tons of homework from all my Honor's classes….it's hard. I mean, my season is over, but I have been bombarded with stuff from my other classes, so there has been no time for me to relax!
Okay, so people have been complaining that my story seems like a Yukiru/Aoe brothers x Tohru type. I am going to call for a new poll, so everyone please vote again! This time it will be a choice of either Yukiru or Kyoru! Because I got votes for the others, I will add one or two fluff chapters to appease those reviewers of mine and still hang onto all my other reviewers – I respect everyone's opinion, and I don't want to be biased and lose reviewers! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
RECAP:
Shigure tried to clear things up. "So she means absolutely nothing to you, Akito-san? There's no way you would ever save her life?"
"Of course not, what am I, stupid?"
"No, you're just afraid she'll rob you of your control over the Sohmas. She's the only person who ever treated you – and the rest of us – with good care. You hate her because she's different, and because you think she might be a better leader than you are," Hatori said, closing his eyes and sighing before standing up and leaving the room, Yuki and Shigure following right behind him. Akito remained passive and stared at the closed door, thinking about all that Hatori had said without room for an argument. He thought of how strongly Yuki had reacted, how his eyes showed no signs of fear. Was he losing control over them? Tonight would undoubtedly be a long, long night for him, with lots of thinking and little sleep.
Missing Princess
Chapter 8: Discovering What's Really Inside
"Ano, arigato gozaimasu, Mitsuo-kun! Today was lots of fun, and you bought me so many things!" Tohru said happily when they had returned to the mansion.
"My pleasure, princess," Mitsuo said as he smiled warmly at her and bowed. Tohru flushed deeply. Why is he always calling me princess and bowing to me and kissing my hand!
Being the typical gentleman, he escorted Tohru to her room while a few of the servants took all of their things from the car and took them upstairs, placing the clothes in the drawers and the charm bracelets in top of the dresser on cushions. Mitsuo took his time taking her upstairs, knowing that the servants would take a few minutes to put away everything. "So," he began conversationally, "what was your favorite part about today?"
Tohru looked thoughtful and put her finger on her lips, thinking hard. God, she looks so cute! Mikuni thought. "I liked the whole day!" she said at last.
"Everything?" Mitsuo said, puzzled. He'd never met a person who liked every moment of their day.
"Hai, everything! Everything was fun, and I made lots of good memories today with you!" Tohru smiled happily at Mitsuo. A pink hue appeared on his cheeks, but before he could say anything, Tohru said, "You know, Mitsuo-kun, I am happy here. Everyone here is so nice, but…" She trailed off into a melancholic silence and stared at the floor.
For a moment, Mitsuo's heart leaped. "But? But what?"
Sighing, she finished, "But I miss my family. I miss the Sohmas. I miss Kyou-kun, Shigure-san, and Yuki-kun. I miss Kisa-chan, who is like a little sister to me. I miss Momiji-kun's playfulness, and…a-and…my two best friends, Hana-chan and Uo-chan…" She couldn't say more, for tears had filled her eyes and she had begun to sob. She wiped her tears on her hand, trying to hide her tears, but they kept coming out. "It's been so long since I saw any of their smiling faces or heard their loving voices. They all care about me so much, and I haven't even been able to tell them where I am…"
Mitsuo pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears gently. "Hey, it's okay for you to miss your family, and cry all you want. I'm here to listen to you," he said softly, giving her a warm smile.
Tohru look at him in the eyes for a moment, and then she stared at the floor. "I haven't seen Okaa-san in so long. I don't know why, but I even miss Akito-san a little bit…"
"Okaa-san? Didn't you say you lived with your grandfather before you left to live with the Sohmas? And who is this Akito-san?"
"Okaa-san died last year…and Akito-san is the head of the Sohma family. He is cruel and cold, and he has hurt me before, but I want to help him. Even if it's just a little bit, I want to show him what spring is like!" She remembered that day when she had gone to visit him, and a small frown appeared on her face. She remembered telling Akito that she didn't know why she had gone to visit him, and how Akito had pulled her hair and told her that she had simply wanted to tell him that she wanted to stay with the Sohmas. Akito said he would make her regret being involved with the Sohmas, that he would make her suffer and make her bow down to him. She remembered that she had cried, but she never forgot what he felt. It was his actions that made her want to help him. To her, he was like a caged bird that had forgotten how to live life and smile. She was determined to help him as much as she would be able to.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life, Tohru-kun…," Mitsuo said quickly, seeing her frown. He didn't need to make her cry any more than she already had.
"Iie, it's okay," she said, smiling at him. She wiped the last of her tears off of her face and said, "Well, I'm going to rest now for a while, so I will see you at dinner!"
Mitsuo nodded. "Sleep well!" He closed the door to her room and went off to his room to reflect on his day. Most of all, he wanted to get Tohru home. She was happy here, but inside she was miserable, and that much he could tell.
Tohru was not the only miserable person; Akito lay on the porch, sunbathing, while brooding over what Hatori had said. Am I really afraid of losing power to that girl? Answering his own question, he shook his head and said, "NO WAY! I'll never lose to that stupid girl!" But Hatori's words echoed in his mind. "No, you're just afraid she'll rob you of your control over the Sohmas. She's the only person who ever treated you – and the rest of us – with good care. You hate her because she's different, and because you think she might be a better leader than you are." Could it be true? Did he really feel that way? He could not deny that she had somehow made him feel cared for – she was indeed different, maybe special.
And then, he remembered more. That day when she had come to see him, she had said, "It must be painful, Akito-san, to be surrounded by death since you were born." She had said that the Sohmas were scared and would be sad if he died, though he doubted it. And yet, he felt something inside of him, struggling to break free and yearning to live once more. She had said that he was alive, and that it was okay to get angry and go through hard times…because he was alive. She said that she was happy that she met him, that she would never regret knowing the Sohmas. She was incapable of understanding Akito's fear, and yet she was the only person who had listened to him, the only person who wanted to know more about the way he felt, the only person who made him admit that he had never asked to die young and bear the full weight of the Sohma curse. She was an unfathomable being to him. He remembered her tears and the sincerity with which she had said everything to him, honestly and truthfully without regrets.
Me? She wants to hear more about me? She wants to talk to me? I was so mean to her…and yet, she never regretted meeting me? How is that possible? Even now, Akito could not understand her. She was a mysterious being to him. She's too stupid, too naïve, too ugly to ever be able to take over this family from me. His mind said one thing, but his heart made several other questions ring in Akito's mind. But why do I want to talk to her, to tell her how I feel? Why do I not want her to be gone forever? Why do I feel that she shouldn't lose her innocence from these kidnappers? Why am I being so worried about her – I thought she meant nothing to me. What did I miss?
Akito closed his eyes for a moment, and then sat up. I will let the family save her. I'll make them all suffer later! Yeah, that's what I want – to make them suffer! I don't care for that idiot girl! He could not fully admit to himself that he was shaken by her words from that day, that he wanted to have some attention. He stood up and walked outside of his room over to where Hatori worked. "Hatori," he called in a soft yet commanding voice.
Startled, Hatori looked up from his work. He swiveled in his chair and turned around; seeing Akito, he stood up and walked over to him, his hands in his coat pockets. "Yes Akito? Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a fever again?"
Slowly, Akito asked, "How is that girl supposed to be saved?"
"We're supposed to put up 12 flags, and one must be yours. The kidnapper's servant or someone will see the flags at the end of the week and deliver the next letter. Why do you ask?" Hatori added curiously.
Akito turned around and smirked. "Well, that's 14 flags up by the end of the week, then."
Stunned, Hatori said, "You mean, you want to save her as well?"
"Isn't that what it sounded like?" Akito snapped. He walked out of the room. He walked back to his room, shut the door, and slid down the wall. God, I cannot believe I just did that…He thought to himself, holding his head in his hands. He felt a strange warmth inside – he liked it, and yet he was afraid of it, and he didn't want it to consume him. For the first time in his life, he was confused about his motives, about the way he felt about everything. He was unknowingly becoming a living being once more, and yet he was afraid of it all. He slid his right hand down from his head and touched his chest gingerly, wanting to discover the location of the warmth. "What the heck is this feeling?" Akito wondered, whispering to himself.
Hatori peered from a crack between the wall and the door. He collected his thoughts, and smiled at Akito for the first time in his life. He smiled with renewed hope as he phoned Shigure to tell him the good news.
"Hmm, he's succumbed to his own true feelings in the end. This bodes well! We're lucky he's still confused, otherwise he might refuse again…" Izumi said to himself, having listened to the whole conversation between the two and watching Akito's bewilderment.
"Excellent work, Izumi," Reiji praised, stepping into Izumi's room. "I'll have the second letter ready, and you can deliver it Friday night."
"Thank you, sir! I look forward to Friday, then!" Of course, these two had yet to discover that Akito was not as simple at they thought. Attaining land from them was going to be a lot tougher than they thought, especially since the obstinate Akito always liked things done his way.
Missing Princess – Chapter 8: Discovering What's Really Inside / END
Ah, finally, I've written another chapter! I do hope you find it to be to your liking. Since I haven't written in so long, in comparison to how my other chapters were laid out and the pace of chapters, how was this one? Also, here is the new poll – please vote!
POLL:
1. Yuki x Tohru
2. Kyou x Tohru
Oh yeah, the title didn't fit in the little dropdown thingy, so I just shortened it to "Discovering What's Inside" on the dropdown thing….
So, I hope nobody thought Akito was falling in love with Tohru or anything. She's bringing him back to life by not being there! In a way, she's helping him become more human and less of a cruel monster. I'll appreciate it greatly if my fans still review me! Lots of love! Until next time, ja ne!
- ( Tohru-tan ) -