Fruits Basket: Legend of the Zodiac
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. Slight TB/Fruba X-over.
Chapter 7: Interlude
Freya yelled in anger and several ofuda flew from her hands towards Tohru who elegantly arched an eyebrow and sidestepped out of the way. The ofuda flew past her and changed into black ravens and swerved around to attack Tohru from behind. Tohru turned her head slightly and her hand gripped the hilt of her katana as she moved her right foot back, turning at her waist, before putting her left foot in front of her right, drawing her katana as she did so. Her sword cut apart the ravens, and she ignored the blood that splattered over her shikifuku.
She straightened and flicked her sword, sending the blood flying from the blade with a snap. "Predictable," Tohru said calmly as she sheathed her sword. "You're predictable to such a point that it's utterly pitiful. Your shikkis aren't even worth the effort of destroying."
Freya began to shake, her eyes widening in fear. The Phoenix had risen; it was obvious by the changes in Tohru. Her calm blue eyes had turned into an icy amethyst, and her chestnut hair was blood red, and not because the blood from the shikkis had soaked into her hair.
Freya's eyes narrowed and her hands curled into fists. She lunged forward, her left fist loosening into claws. "I will not be defeated by a silly bird that is there for the decoration of the arts of Omnyoujitsu!" she yelled.
The Phoenix shifted slightly, just a fraction of an inch. Freya's hand plunged into her shoulder.
The last demon had fallen by now, and dimly, Freya and the Phoenix could hear the other Guardians gasp.
From a corner of her mind, Tohru could hear some one cry, "Phoenix!" and "Tohru!" Dimly, Tohru could feel the hand in her shoulder.
Warm and soft plumage stroked her face. "Rest… You'll be alright… I promise…" the voice was sweet and soothing. Tohru could trust it, and so she closed her eyes…
The Phoenix cocked her head, studying the hand in her shoulder. A pale and slender hand rose and took Freya's wrist as the Phoenix raised her head and smiled gently.
"You missed," the Phoenix said. Her voice was warm, calm, gentle, even soothing. "You should have aimed…"
Freya's eyes widened in shock as the Phoenix pulled her hand from her shoulder and pressed it against her chest. Freya could feel the Phoenix's heart beating.
"Here." The Phoenix's smile widened fractionally and her violet eyes softened. She didn't seem to notice the blood pouring from her shoulder or that Freya's bloody handprint was soaking into her robes. "You know I'm right. Break this part of me, and I will die."
Freya gasped an wrenched out of the Phoenix's grasp, staring at the sixteen year old girl in horror. "You… You're insane!" Freya gasped.
The Phoenix's expression became motherly. "Perhaps." The Phoenix raised her right hand and grabbed Freya's neck. Her smile became sad, "You never know, but time's up, Freya." her arm rose to shoulder height before bending at the elbow to a forty-five degree angle. "Shin ne!" The Phoenix drove her hand through Freya's heart.
Freya's mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes widened further. She could feel her heart trying to beat against the Phoenix's hand, and the pain… the pain was unbearable... Freya could feel the darkness rising around her. She dove into the welcoming arms of the darkness, and knew no more.
The phoenix extracted her hand from the body and allowed it to fall to the ground. She snapped her fingers and the body burst into flame. Ten seconds later, the body was gone, no ashes remained and the floor was not even scorched. There was no sign of conflict at all in the hall.
"Tohru… Tohru…" the voice called. Tohru could feel the warm plumage of the Phoenix, her alter ego and ancestor shifting. "It is time to wake, little descendant… Do not worry… You will learn…" the plumage of the Phoenix vanished, and Tohru's consciousness rose to the surface.
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Her eyes opened, and the violet was gone, replaced by Tohru's calm and blank blue stare. The red faded from her hair, returning to the usual chestnut brown. Her right hand rose and tore off the two veils which she wadded up against her wound under her shikifuku. "Let's go," Tohru said, and she led the other Guardians out of the Sohma main hall.
Tohru left the hall, and studied the Guardians remaining outside. Haruka was casting angry glares at Akito while Kotori was healing Tenshi, who had a nasty gash along her back. Her face was grey from overexertion.
"Ninmou kanryou?" Tohru said calmly. The other guardians nodded, telling her that they had indeed finished the tasks given to them. Tohru nodded in approval. "Let's go," she said.
The fifteen Guardians leapt onto the roof of the building and jumped from the roof onto the top of the wall and over. Silently, they vanished into the night, leaving the conscious Sohmas to stare, perplexed, at the spot where the fifteen Sumeragis once stood.
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By the time they returned to the Honda Estate, Tohru was nearly reeling from blood loss. Subaru frowned and sent the Honda head straight to her room to rest. Kotori left for her clinic to collect some things before going to Tohru's room to tend to her wounds.
Tohru was forced to stay in bed for the duration of the New Year festivities. Subaru only allowed her to leave her room when the presence of all seven Heads were required, although he kept a wary eye on her at all times.
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Subaru studied the seven Heads and the twelve Main Guardians seriously, his eyes tired.
"The Sakurazuka clan is moving faster than expected. Our family, sworn by Fate to guard the Zodiac throughout the generations, has failed to protect seven out of eight Zodiac families, resulting in their demise. We have only one Zodiac left, and unfortunately, that family is well hidden. In the meantime, the Sakurazukas are targeting the Sohmas, a family that is known throughout the magical realms as the family cursed by vengeful spirits to take on the form of the thirteen animals of the Zodiac when in contact with a member of the opposite sex. It is true that the Sohmas are not a true Zodiac family, but because of this curse, they are connected to the Zodiac, and we as Sumeragis have an obligation to protect them. Heads of Sumeragi, and Guardians of the Zodiac, when we part ways tomorrow morning, realize that we must search harder than we had in the past. We no longer have time on our side. We must protect the Zodiac, and through the Zodiac, the Earth, at all costs!"