Curse Me
By: Senko Tenrou
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or the song along with it.
A/n: O my dear lord, I am so completely, and utterly apologetic when I say that I am SOOOO sorry for not updating this story! I know I promised to update it when I first got the chance, but my summer ended up extremely terrible for me, and a lot of bad, bad, BAD stuff happened during it that I haven't exactly recovered from yet… and I'm soooo sorry. U.U Please, please, please forgive me… I've been so busy lately, trying to keep my mind off of it that this didn't even come to mind… T.T don't hate me, please—it's the last thing I need right now. I swear this chapter will be good to make up for it if I have anything to say about it…
The song accompanying is Michelle Branch's (I've been using a lot of her stuff lately…) "Tuesday Morning". Hope you all enjoy! Please do!
Review Responses:
Animeprincess1452: Thanks. I'm glad you like it so far. I'm sorry for the wait (and I'm going to repeat this, and repeat this, and repeat this until I'm satisfied that I've made up for it –nod–)
Kitsunedemon: I feel so awful for leaving my faithful reviewers (some that I didn't even know I had) hanging for so damn long. I'm sorry, here's another chapter. I hope I didn't blow it T.T I haven't blown it.
Anonymous: CerasVictoria: Glad you enjoyed it :) This is the kind of stuff I love coming back to.
Kaeru Soyokaze: Thankie for the hug :D They've been a real help lately. Hope you're still sticking with me.
Foxgrl991: T.T I'm so sorry. You've probably forgotten all over again!! Forgive me :'( I hope this makes up for it.
Purtymanagirl58: :) Thank you. Sorry for the wait.
Xeno Angel Mira: Glued, huh? Well, thanks, I suppose n.n Sorry it's taken so long—must have gotten really boring being glued for so long... that is, if you haven't peeled off or forgotten about me by now (which wouldn't be all that surprising actually)
Anonymous: MagicalGirl: DON'T HATE ME PLEASE!
Darkness Sweetheart2000: :) Thanks. Sorry it's taken soooooo long.
Jeweljade: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated, and rather ashamed, actually. :( Sorry I let things get to me—I should have known that reading these make me feel better :)
Anonymous: insaneoveranime: I'm afraid this is "as soon as possible" as I could come up with. So sorry—but I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Youkai Draconas: –shakes head– No Akito bashing –nod– got it :)
Aisha C: Thankies :D
"Now, now. There's no reason to fight right now!" Shigure announced, "Because I have very good news!"
Both the sleepy teens looked over at the dog, a menacing edge in their stare for interrupting.
Shigure replied by laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh. Yes. Good, good news. We, the three of us, are…" He pauses melodramatically, "going to visit Tohru!"
All previous commotion in the room stopped, as the boys comprehended this, and the morning chirping of birds outside the shoji even quieted. Shigure laughed, however, breaking the momentary silence, at their faces—priceless!! Kyou's jaw was half open, food still present in his mouth, while Yuki's eyes widened at the thought of seeing Honda-san again.
"When?" They finally demanded simultaneously.
"Later…" Shigure answered mischievously, voice singsong. "Now, eat."
Stormy weather
The way the sky looks when it's cold
And you were with me
Content with walking
So unaware of the world
Tohru was curled up on her bedspread under an open window, obliviously slaving away over her history books, when Kyou, Yuki, and Shigure arrived at the Sohma Estate. There was a slight chill in the air, and it was palpable that there was rain coming by the heavy smell of the air and the clouds rumbling above her. But she didn't care, not really… She was too wrapped up in her studies, trying to focus her mind on something other than the exciting activity of counting the cracks in the ceiling above her sleeping quarters.
"Come in." She said suddenly, when a tentative knock broke the silence of her concentration. She looked up and closed the book, leaving it in her lap, where her knees were pulled up to her chest. She had found that it was the best way to keep warm, without having the close the window, since the slight breeze that shook the curtains racked her frame with a shiver or two every time.
She looked up with only mild interest, when she heard the door slowly creak open, but her gaze averted to the piece of notebook paper pinned just above her head as the draft from the window put her to tremors of cold again, watching it quake with the force of the wind.
"Honda-san?"
At the familiar voice, Tohru's head whipped around in shock, chills completely forgotten and put behind her. Her hand moved without thinking and she instantaneously, upon sight of the two boys in the doorway, ripped the paper from the wall and stuffed it in her history textbook. Panic rising in her chest with the fear of damaging the precious parchment now haphazardly stuck inside her book, and her heart racing a mile a minute at the sight of them, the only thing she could work up was a small smile.
"Hey." She said softly, speechless for anything more intellectual to start off for them. Tohru slowly pushed the book off her lap and off to the side, crossing her legs languorously to give the two of them space to sit themselves at the end of her bed. They stood there for a moment, in the doorway, looking nervous and a little lost—while Tohru was sure she mirrored their expressions, and the girl took these moments to study them over.
Kyou's features were softer than she had pretty much ever seen right now, and he was looking at her (as was Yuki) with a reassured smile, as if just happy to see her face again. He looked like he hadn't been training for weeks, just by the way he held himself in his black t-shirt and his regular jeans. He had his blue jacket on, and his hands were stuffed deep in his pockets. And he looked tired. Like he hadn't slept well in a long time. She felt responsible for it, too. His red hair had lost its orange tint like she had never noticed before. They must have had a hard few weeks. She doubted they had even made it to school yesterday (since it had been Monday) by the tired look he held… and the fact that she hadn't seen either of them. They were a wreck without her, and she knew it. And, if she didn't know any better, she would say Kyou was coming down with something, but that was practically impossible.
Kyou didn't get sick. Right?
Yuki wasn't in any much better state than his orange-haired cousin, in his black jeans and white sweater. His face was pale, paler than usual at least, and his dark eyes looked worn out, no matter the smile he had forced onto his face—his equally dark hair lost of its shimmer. His shoulders were slumped over with… was that relief? He did look happy to see her, however, just as happy as Kyou.
And they just stood there in silence, watching her, while Tohru stared back, her smile slowly fading once she took them in. She felt awful now.
Cause I don't wanna feel alone
Please don't drive me home tonight
Cause I don't wanna go
Yuki and Kyou, however, had different things going through their minds.
Tohru looked bright as ever, her smile still shining even after it left her face. Her blue eyes were still their same brilliant color, if not a little brighter at the sight of them. Her actions had been curious at first, but his suspicions receded the minute he heard her voice. It was obviously just something that they weren't to see. Her matter, not his—she could hide it if she liked. She was dressed fairly normally, in a plain pair of old blue jeans and a yellow sweater. Her yellow ribbons, the ones Yuki had gotten her so long ago, were still in her hair.
She looked rather content here—but that thought was lost somewhere far when her whole body quaked, her hair musing and falling over her shoulder as a harsh wind ripped through her open window, blowing the plain blue curtains askew.
"Honda-san," he repeated, finally cracking the thick silence in the air with his tenor, "What are you doing?" Asked Yuki, already starting forward to close her window. "You're going to catch yourself a cold. The clan leader simply can't have a cold on her hands."
"It's not like I do anything around here, Sohma-kun." Tohru replied instantly. She stopped herself the moment she realized, though, that that hadn't even sounded like the Tohru she remembered. Tohru Honda didn't become ungrateful when she didn't have things to do; she found other, more important things to do instead.
Yuki paused in the act of pulling her window shut and turned to look at her. "Well, Honda-san, that's no reason to let yourself get sick, now is it?" He responded mildly. He could sympathize with her, however. When Yuki had lived at the Sohma Estate there was nothing to do but sit on the raised floor outside his house, or in his room, and look pretty. It was all he could do, because he was so sick as a child.
"I know, Sohma-kun, but… the air is just so nice, and I don't want to be locked up in some stuffy room." Tohru protested as the window clicked shut, and she watched him lock it. She sighed. There was no reason arguing. Yuki was probably right, anyway.
He smiled down at her and her encouraged grin, hoping that he would open the window back up when he saw it—which he didn't. He did, however, sit at her feet, already tempted to lean over and hug her. He had heard from Momiji-chan, when he had come over to visit last week, that he had hugged Tohru without even a slight effect from the Zodiac curse.
In the dark
I was finding out who you are
And that was when the said usagi bounded in the door. "Tohru-chan, Tohru-chan! Did you hear – the prince and Kyon-kyon… are… here." He trailed off when he took in the redhead still leaning against the door and Yuki, at the foot of Tohru's bed. He blinked large eyes. "Oh, 'afternoon, Kyou, Yuki." Greeted Momiji, with a nervous smile. He'd never used the nicknames he'd anonymously given them around them, only around Tohru and the others, and Tohru had once warned him that they were going to find out sooner or later… Anyhow, not to worry now… All he needed to do was weasel his way out of it like usual.
Kyou stared down at the little brat in front of him. "Kyon-kyon?" He growled. "You've got to be kidding me. The prince, I can understand… but Kyon-kyon?" Kyou socked the little boy across the head, not hard enough to do any real damage, but Momiji burst into tears anyway, while Kyou sighed. How many times had he seen this act before?
"WAAH!! TOHRU-CHAN, KYOU HIT ME!!" He bawled. He dived onto her bed, surprising her when his little arms hugged her stomach, while the rest of the little boy simply curled in her folded legs. He wailed into her stomach, leaving Tohru completely and utterly surprised when he transformed in her lap.
While you were sleeping
And then I paced around the room
If I had known then
That these things happen
Would they have happened with you
- Akito's Home -
Akito clenched his hands in his dark hair, sitting on his knees on his raised floor compared to the usual slouched languid position he had, as he bit down another groan or pain when another electric like twinge lanced under his skull. His mind was pulsing so badly, and his brain felt like it was going to explode at any waking moment. Both of his eyes were clenched shut but his face towards the ceiling as if seeking answers elsewhere.
After a few moments, he let out a long exhale of breath, his sigh laced with relief of the pressure still receding in his mind, and he stooped forward, his head pillowed in his knees. His breath came in heavy gulps by the time he was able to pry his hands from his scalp. He had felt like pulling out his hair, if anything just to try and match the pain he felt whenever someone of his clan transformed like that.
He'd lost this time, though. He was too weak to fight it this time—he hadn't had time to recover.
Cold sweat trickled down his temple when he finally regained control of his breathing, when his eyesight stopped focusing in and out, and when he was sure that it wasn't going to happen again. Akito let out another long, steadying breath, and pushed himself to his feet. He then stumbled over to the water basin at the end of the raised floor and splashed the cool water on his face.
That Tohru woman had better understand quickly.
Please don't drive me home tonight
Cause I don't wanna feel alone
Please don't drive me home tonight
Cause I don't wanna go
Poof!
Momiji was still in her lap, but he was… a rabbit. Tears were still rolling down his cheeks, though, as if he never noticed the change, which he probably didn't.
'That damn liar...' Kyou found himself thinking. His arms were folded across his chest, and his face was narrowed in annoyance. A fingertip tapped his upper arm rhythmically, as he tried to keep his irritation towards the usagi in check for Tohru's sake. That little brat had lied! Kyou had been looking forward to hugging Tohru without worry of—well, not worry… more like having to deal with the annoyance of—transforming into a cat in front of her… and then the embarrassment of changing back stark naked.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come. He knew it would be too hard to leave, knowing that he still couldn't hold her. Looked like he would have to work up the courage to leave, unfortunately, because he still wasn't able to touch her.
Yuki and Kyou looked equally mournful, both watching Tohru and Momiji, though Kyou's stare had an edge to it, revealing the anger brewing behind those maroon depths. But, Tohru… Tohru was just plain surprised. She hadn't been anticipating this effect, having already convinced herself that it wouldn't happen after Momiji had hugged her once in the garden.And, before they knew it…
Poof!
Momiji's big brown eyes blinked this time, tears dried – gone and forgotten, as he witnessed his bare arms. He blinked again, letting the whole nakedness register in his brain. "Oops!" He said laughingly, a moment later, with pink cheeks, and he collected his garments in his arms. He bounced out of the room, leaving an embarrassed-looking Tohru and two overly exasperated young men behind.
"Well… um…" Tohru had one thing decided already. She needed to visit this issue with Akito later, and she was determined to do it. She wasn't going to back out because the ex-leader looked a little menacing in her eyes—no way. "How have you two been…?" Tohru ventured, dreading the answer.
"Yuki's been trying to cook… again." Kyou grumbled from the doorway, his back still pressed against the wall, and his arms still folded. "So… lucky to be alive."
And, of course, this initiated an immediate retort from Yuki. "Well, next time, you can go hungry, if you don't like it…" He answered snippily. Apparently, his mood definitely had not improved without Tohru around, as she had partially hoped it would.
'Ah, just like home again…' Tohru sweat-dropped visibly.
In the dark
I was finding out who you are
And if you turned around to see me
And I was gone
Should have looked outside your window
Cause the sun was coming up
The sun was coming up
- Later -
Conversation had died quickly into an awkward silence, and they had sat in that silence for a long time, each one of them fearful of cutting through the thickness of the air between them. Tensions were still flaring between Yuki and Kyou (as usual) as they glared between each other viciously, only keeping their comments silenced for Tohru's sake.
"You know…" Tohru began. "I have a lot of work to do tonight and…"
It was right about then that Tohru tried to make a discreet escape for a chance to visit Akito. "I'm really happy you two stopped by… really, but I'm going to be pretty busy." She was sure she was contradicting her earlier comment of "nothing to do", but, frankly, she didn't care, and just hoped they didn't realize.
Yuki seemed to take in this information slowly, and took a few quick moments to nod to it. "We'll let you get to your work then, won't we, baka neko?" He asked, throwing a frosty stare the redhead's way.
"Sure, whatever…" He hadn't even heard Tohru. "Kuso nezumi." Kyou quickly added as an afterthought, not to be upped by the rat. But, stuffing his hands in his blue jacket pockets already, he pushed off the wall and made way for the door silently. Yuki followed.
The girl immediately offered to show them to the gate, since the boys decided that Shigure could surely get home by himself. And she did so, bidding them off from Akito's house, the closest apartment to the gates. It wasn't suspicious in the least, and she was enthusiastic about the hugs she wanted to deliver to the both of them.
They didn't protest this time, though, about changing forms because they wanted to hold her that badly. But… as fate would have it, they didn't change this time.
Strange.
Cause I don't wanna feel alone
They hurried off, and that was when Tohru heard an agonized growl emit from Akito's cracked-open window. Alarm filled her—what if Akito was sick again? She hurried around to the door, and threw it open without remembering to knock and kicked off her shoes. She rushed into the room she suspected Akito was in… and stopped in surprise.
Akito was there, all right, but he was doubled over, both hands clamping so tightly at the sides of his head like he wanted to tear off his scalp. She stared for a moment, watching him curl into himself further, and actually tug and pull at his dark hair. What on earth—? She forgot that thought and hustled over to him, not even thinking about calling Hatori-san, and kneeled at his side when he groaned with anguish again.
A hand went to Tohru's mouth when he flinched violently, and she considered trying to speak to him, licking her dry lips—
"Argh!" Akito grunted, and Tohru started when he swayed to the side, hands falling from his hair, and slumped into a surprised Tohru.
Her eyes were like saucers, and her arms immediately went around the young man to support the new weight literally placed on her shoulders. And that was when Akito's eyes snapped open, and his head whipped up to her. His mouth worked for words that didn't seem to form, his azure eyes incredulous.
And that was when, all of the sudden, Tohru found a headache growing and pulsating in the back of her mind.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to understand first!! Akito searched the Honda girl's face for a moment, before letting his head drop in exhaustion, his face drenched in a cool perspiration.
"Girl, you have just made… the biggest mistake… of your entire life." Was the only thing he could muster.
In the dark
We were finding out who we are
Tuesday morning
In the dark
We were finding out who we are
Who we are
Who we are
A/n: Don't be angry with me. I think I may have contradicted one of my earlier statements in finishing this part that way… but it just seemed like the only way to go. Anyway :) I hope you enjoyed, and please leave me a review that tells me what you think :)
Senko Tenrou