Believe In Me, a fruits basket fanfic

Fruits Basket

Believe In Me

Hatsuharu Sohma walked the block dejectedly. He sighed as he watched the snow fall to the ground and pile up throughout the Sohma estate. "Same old season, same old weather." He mumbled under his breath as he looked down at the snow that had fallen before him. The snow sent back to many memories Hatsuharu felt wrong for thinking about. He tried not to, but they just kept popping into his mind. He decided he would go for a stroll, to clear his head, but by then, the snow was coming down heavier than before. That was the reasoning behind his sigh.Isuzu Sohma. She was in his memories. That was why he did not want to think about them. Ever since she had dumped him, she had made I clear she did not want anything to do with him. And he only wanted to keep her happy, so after his last taste of her lips, which he had stolen right in front of 'Sensei's' house, he decided to give her the freedom she desired. After all, 'Rin', the nickname he called her by, was a wild stallion who could not be tamed. She was an uncontrollable flame that brightened his world whenever it was dark. But that was…all in the past.

Which was where his mind seemed to rest. In the past, when they were together. Especially whenever she was in the hospital. He may never have acted on it as much as he could have, but he was always worried about her. And whenever she wanted to get out of that 'hellhole', as they had called it, he would oblige to her request. He just wanted to make her happy. So maybe, just maybe he could see one of her rare smiles.

He hated the fact that her parents had forced her into the lifestyle she had to endure. Her life had been filled with angst and depression the moment those curious words left her mouth. Maybe she thought the saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat' did not apply to her since she was a horse. Maybe now the saying should be changed so that any child born under a sign of the Zodiac can think twice before risking everything peaceful in their life with a single question.

But he was happy whenever he was able to help bring that 'I-am-happy-at-this-moment' smile to her face. It may have been only for a moment, but every moment in that setting stayed permanently etched into his memory for as long as he lived. And his favourite one…occurred in snow. It was a cold, snowy day when it happened…

But, no! He would not think about it since not remembering eased his pain and made Rin happy. That was all he could do for her now, in order to make her happy, he had to stay away. Even if it meant he had to lose his mind worrying for her safety or get in trouble for daydreaming in class, hoping she was in class to so he could picture her calm for once. He was not even sure if she even bothered with school. She never did before. But maybe now, since she did not think about him visiting or about her parents, she found a reason to go to school. How he prayed she did. He wanted her safe in life, and school could keep her safe. Because he was not there to bother her.

At the Sohma estate, he could bump into her and ruin everything he had protected or avoided the last while. He knew if he saw her again, he would not be able to control himself. He had actually pictured that moment a couple of times, but that was long ago. He was sure, however, that if he happened to turn a corner right now and collide into her on her way home, in her school uniform or in any of her provocative outfits, he would grab onto her like a child and whisper in her ear he will never let go. He would toss her in the snow and…

Snow…

Everything seemed to be coming back to that. That was why he was unable to stop one flash back from breaking through…

! Flashback !

"C'mon, Rin! I promise, you'll love it!"

"NO! Snow is cold and I could get sick! Do you want me to get sick, Ha'ru? Do you want me to end up in the hospital with knee-mo-ni-a?"

"Of course not! But playing in the snow is so much fu-UH-AHHHHH!"

THUD

Ha'ru sniffled as tried to push himself up. He had been running through one of the many winding paths in the Sohma 'cage' and slipped on a patch of black ice.

"Oww…that hurt. Who the heck's job was it to salt the grounds today, huh? I'll go knock their head off!…Huh? Rin? gasp Rin! What's wrong? Are you crying?" Hatsuharu squealed, sliding over to her, unable to stand from the pain in his lower back.

Her hands covered her face, so he could not see anything. But after a few more shakes from her shoulders, she dropped her hands just below her nose, and he could see unshed tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Rin! It's okay! You didn't fall! And I'm fine, really! So please stop crying! Try laughing instead! Yeah! Then you'll feel…"

"B-b-but," she interrupted, "I giggle, giggle am laughing! Ha ha ha!"

She pulled down her hands to hold her sides. Her body was racked with more laughter than Hatsuharu had ever seen before, especially from her. He was, needless to say, confused at was so funny. And something had to be really funny in order to make Isuzu Sohma laugh, even more so like what he was witnessing. But she kindly explained through one open eye, while she cleared the other of tears.

"Oh, Ha'ru! Your hair just flew up in the wind. You looked like rose bush! And your necklace hit you in the cheek. Look, there is even a red mark! Ha ha! And your expression was priceless. I have never seen anything so…funny! That must have hurt. Both your back and pride! Oh, I have to sit down."

She turned, heading for the steps of her house, but was stopped when a hand grabbed hers and pulled her down. Her high heel boots, and her shock, made her fall to her right, right into the snow. She screamed with such a high pitch, she heard her good friend hiss from the sound. Snow now slept in her hair and down her dress, inside and out. She was freezing and mad!

"HATSUHARU SOHMA!" she growled as she prompted herself up into a sitting position, "HOW COULD YOU? NOW I AM FREEZING AND MOST LIKELY GOING TO GET KNEE-MO-NI-A! I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE FOR YOURSELF BEFORE I BURY YOU IN THE SNOW!"

She saw a huge grin on his face and chuckles spilt out in gallons by the second. He knew he had better explain himself soon or should just bury him without reasoning.

"Same reason…you laughed…at me. Y-y-your hair! It just…FLEW! Omigosh! I never thought, in all my life, I would EVER see Rin Sohma look so…so…mes—OMPH! Hey! What was…"

"Shut up! You looked stupid too!"

"Oh yeah? Not as stupid as you're about t—OMPH! STOP WITH THE SNOWBALLS!"

"NEVER!"

So, the two of them ended up in a snowball fight. Rin was obviously winning because her arms and fingers were longer. Plus, she had two free shots to begin with. After a half an hour of flying snow, and somehow a rock, the two shook hands for peace. Huffing and puffing, they laid down on their backs in the snow.

"I thought…you said…you…you didn't…want to play…in…the sn…snow."

"Well, it's too…late now…to bring…that up…don't you…think?"

They turned their heads to look at each other and smiled.

! End of Flashback !

By the end of his flashback, Hatsuharu ended up at home. He had not been that far away to begin with, but the memory depressed him. He wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and dream the rest of the day away. He would never be able to ask her about their memories or create new ones with her. So, he did not want anymore memories. He wanted his whole life to stop. Just so he could preserve the ones he has a little longer. To keep them as fresh as possible. Because he would never get another chance at any again.

He headed straight for his room once he discovered no one else was home. He dropped his the thin extra layer he had worn on the stairs and dragged himself the rest of the way to his bed. Upon arrival at his destination, he jumped onto his bed, landing on his torso, using his remaining strength. He placed his head in the center of his pillow and took in a deep breath. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to block off the world so he could enter his dreams. But after two and a half minutes of trying, his radio turned on.

His eyes shot open in shock and he jumped up slightly to face it. He realized it was just his alarm clock he set last Friday to wake him up the following afternoon. He wanted to stay up late to watch 'M.M.M. Threat' (monster movie marathon), which ran late into the morn. So he set his alarm, which he rarely did, to wake him up at four o'clock the next day. It had not gone off the whole week, as far as he could recall, so he was caught off guard when it turned on.

He wanted to turn it off, but it was on his favourite station and he was so tired. He decided to let it go and just wander into dreamland, which was now easier then before.

! After An Hour of Sleeping: Flashback Dream… !

…Her unique alluring voice ringing through the woods…

…His feet racing off in the direction of the sound…

…The sight of her…

…The fear in her eyes at the sight of him…

…Her retreat at the scene of his approach…

…His words to her…

…The look of pure fear in her eyes…

…The boldness of his actions. He did not know what he was doing, all he knew was what he wanted…

…The feel of her skin, the sensation of her lips…

…The peace he felt when she stopped resisting…

…The pieces of his heart that fell and broke when she slapped him and ran off…

! End of Flashback Dream… !

"RIN!" he whispered in an exasperated voice as he jumped up out of fear. Sweat was visible over his brow and because of the open window that could not close, heavy clouds of breath escaped his lips every millisecond. After moments turning into minutes of 'calm-down-time', his ears turned on to the sound of the radio announcer.

"HELLO, caller! What can I do for you?"

"I want to request a song." Demanded a feminine voice.

"Alrighty then! What can will it be?"

"I'm not sure if you have it in your collection, but…" She was right. Whatever song she named, he had never heard of before.

"Okay! Let me see…do de-do de-da de-do…ah-HA! I found it! Here you are li'l miss!"

"I am not a li'l mi—"

"Thanks for listening! Bu-bye!"

Hatsuharu, needing to calm down, decided that listening to a song could help calm his nerves. So he took a deep breath, let it go and listened to the tune on the radio. But what he heard bugged him. It sounded too much like a song you hear when you are watching a super hero movie and the super hero is heading off to save something. That lasted for about twenty seconds before a calmer and more…rock-y beat kicked in. Once he heard this, Hatsuharu decided to listen.

We had our life, we had our love
But you don't know what you got 'til you lose it
Well that was then and this is now
And I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry?
(How many times…?)
Ooh, yes, I'm sorry

Hatsuharu immediately became interested in the song. He reached over to turn up the sound so he could listen to it more intently.

How can something so good go so bad?
How can something so right go so wrong?
Well I don't know, and I don't have all the answers
But I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry?
(How many times…?)
Well you know

You can run and you can hide
But I'm not leaving unless you come with me
We had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need
Please believe in me

The more he listened, the more it could see this song describing him. This was nothing like the music he listened to, but it let it carry on.

I only wanted someone to love
But something happened on the way to heaven
You got a hold of me and wouldn't let go
And I want you back

How many times can I say I'm sorry?
(How many times…?)
Ooh, yes, I'm sorry
(Sorry)
But you know

You can run and you can hide
But I'm not leaving unless you come with me
We had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need
Please believe me
You can run and you can hide
But I'm not leaving 'til it's all over
We had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need
Let me show you

They say you can't take it with you when you go
And I believe it
But taking what I got or be here with you
You know I, I'd rather leave it

"Yeah!" Hatsuharu shouted, "This is exactly what I'm talking about! If only I could tell it to Rin just like this…"

The song was over. It lasted four minutes and fifty-one seconds, ending sooner due to the ending instrumental, yet it summed up his romance with Rin for the past few years. It amazed him. And how he wished she—…

Be careful what you wish for…

Hatsuharu looked out his window, because of the opening with the cold wind blowing through, and saw on the other side of the yard the same girl he was thinking of. "RIN!" he said in the same fashion he had when he woke up from his dream. In less than three seconds, without turning off the radio, he ran down to the main level, ignoring his extra layer on the stairs, and was out the door. He ran faster than he had ever in his whole life, even without his shoes. Nothing else really mattered to him except the long black haired beauty that was strolling past his house across the courtyard.

She did not seem to notice him coming. Good. That was how he wanted it. But as he moved, his breathing became more rigid and louder, he tried to get more air into his lungs. So, his wishful thinking came to an end when her strong, now shocked, feminine eyes met his bold dark blue orbs. One plan out, another one in. He charged at her even faster, not giving her a chance to move. And in seconds, one hand around her back and the other behind her head, they ended up on the snowy ground.

His head landed on her stomach. Unlike her, he was not stunned by what had occurred, and inhaled the scent of roses from her stomach deeply. This seemed to snap her out of her trance because in one quick second, she sat up, him tumbling to her left slightly, and a bump from a fist on his head.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" she growled. De ja-vu or what? "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU TACKLE ME LIKE THAT? I'M NOT ALLOWED TO WALK HERE NOW, IS THAT IT? YOU COULD HAVE JUST SAID SO! KNOCKING ME TO THE GROUND WON'T GET YOUR POINT ACROSS, DUMB ASS! AND STOP STARING…At…me…what?"

"Do you remember when I fell on black ice when we were playing one day?" he asked, as if ignoring her earlier statement.

"WHAT HAS THAT GOT TO DO WI—"

"Just answer me." He said rather sternly. She had never seen him like this before, at least around her. So she answered.

"…Sort of. Why?"

"You laughed at me," he smiled and let a laugh go himself, "Really hard. You laughed at my hair, the mark on my cheek and my bruised back and pride. You were almost choking from laughter, so you went to sit down. But before you could, I—"

"You pulled me down in the snow too! You laughed at me, you rude idiot!" This earned Hatsuharu another bonk on the head, "So? What's your point?"

"You got so mad at me for that," he went on, "you started a snowball fight. It went on for a long while. But eventually, we got tired and came to a truce. Then we both collapsed into the snow. We were breathing hard from the fun we had,"

BONK

"Don't make it sound so dirty! And get off m—"

"But through all that, I reminded you how you said you didn't want to play in the snow. You said you would get 'knee-mo-ni-a', I think you called it, if you even touched snow. You tried to make me feel guilty so I wouldn't ask you to come play with me. You said,"

"Don't you care if I end up in the hospital, or something like that."

"Right. And I told you I would care. Anyway, you told me, through your puffs of air, it was too late to mention it. Then we turned to each other, and—"

"—and smiled." She finished his sentence in a soft voice. Or at least, softer then usual.

"See? You do remember. I knew you would." Now he smiled at her like a little kid saying, 'Thanks for the chocolate!'

"..S-so? I still don't see the point of your rambli—MMPH!" Her word was cut off, leaving her sentence unfinished, as (her) Ha'ru charged up at her and claimed her lips for the second time she could remember.

His lips felt so strong and nice, yet they trembled slightly from the cold, she assumed. He came at her with nothing more than a sleeveless muscle shirt and a pair of black jeans. For all she knew, he wore that to school. But she did not really care. As much as she tried to hide it, she missed him so much. It hurt to be alone, even more so when the only one she wanted to keep her company was her Ha'ru. And even if it was just for this once-in-a-life-time moment, she wanted to feel him again.

Her lips, to him, were like his pillow. So soft and warm, but he would much rather kiss her than it. He would enjoy even more if she was resting her head on his pillow, but that would have to wait. Right now, he had her. She was in his arms, her lips on his, and this time, she was not resisting at all. He slipped his hand from under her back to trace up and down her arm, trying to keep her warm. After all, they were in snow. The second collision of the day had knocked them down again.

They stayed attached by the lips for about two minutes before Isuzu came to her senses and pushed back. Hatsuharu allowed her to move him, since he had been running out of breath, and used his palms in the snow to balance him up. He looked down at the beauty beneath him and could still feel her chest rising and falling against his, for their breathing was in sync. Her eyes were slightly droopy and she had her lips parted to a small amount. After gazing at each other for a bit longer, she could not stand the eye contact and turned her head to her left.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a voice that did not relate to anger, "I thought I told you. I don't want to…huh?" Ha'ru had taken the chance to fall back onto her and tease her neck. She gripped his shoulders and began to shake him violently.

"Hey! HEY! Let go of me this instant! Are you listening to me? Ha'ru, if you don't let go, I'll…I'll…I'll have no choice but to—" His hand reached up and turned her head so that their lips met once again.

However, Isuzu pushed away and now glared at the calm male over her. "Now listen up!
She barked, "Stop acting foolish RIGHT NOW! Can you imagine if anyone saw us like this? How much trouble we'd be in? I am only telling you once, so listen good! I DO NOT NEE—"

"When are you going to stop hurting yourself, Rin?" he asked a little to calm for her taste.

"What are you talking about?" she gripped the collar of his shirt just below the collar bone itself.

"I know you need me. You can't lie to me anymore. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. You act differently when I'm around. And if you didn't need me, you wouldn't have responded to my kiss."

He got her. She had nothing to say after that. He was right. How would she be able to get out of this one? Simple answer: she couldn't. She had lost.

"…Why?…Why are you doing this to me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Because I wanted to see you in the snow. I wanted to relive that moment, if only once, with you again. Because it was back then, in that time, that I got to share my fun and joy with you. I want to share that with you always. But…now, there's not a chance. Or so you believe."

"What is that suppose to mean?" She shot at him with unshed tears in her eyes.

"It means, Rin my dear," he bent down to her ear, nibbled on her earlobe, "that you can run and you can hide. But I'm not leaving 'til it's all over. We had problems, but so does every good, long lasting couple. You are all I need. Please believe in me when I say," he moved his head so that his lips rested over hers again. The look in her eyes was clearly telling him she wanted to know what he was going to say next. So he obliged to her request, "I love you, Isuzu Sohma. I always have and I always will. No matter what you try or what you do, I will always love you."

And to prove his sincerity, he kissed her with all the strength he had remaining in him. She finally gained the courage to kiss back with the same amount of effort and wrap her arms around his neck. Hatsuharu instantly felt his nerves relax and he just melted into her embrace. Because he knew that was where he wanted to be for eternity. With her. And she, in turn, with him.