I don't own Ayashi no Ceres or Fruits Basket

Start: October 29, 2005

Chapter One

Silence echoed in the dark hallway waiting. Soft quick footsteps could be heard heading toward this particular followed by many thunderous ones. A young woman entered the hallway panting and gasping while she cradled a bundle in her arms. Frantically looking behind her, she accidentally tripped and prepared for impact while trying to protect her most valuable and precious possession, however, nothing came. The bleached haired woman looked up and saw another woman with long brownish orange hair keeping her from falling. She opened her mouth, but the long haired women put her finger to her lips silencing her. Then helping her into one of the rooms, she gently gave the poor panting female a cup of water. The ones chasing after her had finally arrived where the first woman first stood. They heard cursing in a growling low voices fill the air, then groaning knowing what was to become of them. The women heard them leaving with disappointment. The bleached haired women opened her mouth to thank her but her bundle began to cry. The other older woman eyes showed sadness while she heard the child crying.

"Your child?" the older woman asked.

"Yes, her father died," the younger one said with grief and held the baby tightly, as if she was separated with the little one then she would die.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said," my name is Kyoko, Honda Kyoko."

"Thank you," her eyes shone with appreciation," my name is Aya, Mikage Aya."

"Do you mind telling me why those men were after you?" Kyoko asked. Aya remained silent, with the any happy emotions gone from her eyes. She started to hug her child again with tears in her eyes." You don't have to tell me," Kyoko said gently.

"They killed my husband," Aya said choking back on her tears," and now…now they want my, no, our child." Kyoko widened her eyes in shock, what kind of bastards where these men?

"Ah," was the only thing she could say as she tried to imagine the terrible feeling of being chased and the terrible thing to lose a husband. Her husband had passed away recently as well and with him was their unborn child." My own husband passed away as well, he had a disease." Aya tearfully looked up to her while rocking the baby.

"My family's name…can you recognize it?" she whispered as if it were a taboo to speak of such things.

"The wealthy Mikage family," Kyoko answered her," of the Mikage Corporation?"

"Yes, my family for generations had passed down series of traits from our ancestor," Aya started caressing her child lovingly, "Our ancestor was a tennyo whose robes were stolen by a man, and could not return to heaven. She bore him children and they both died. However, the tennyo returned through the daughters of the Mikage family whose genes match her own. At age 16 her powers would awaken and as a ceremony they were killed at the main house." She shuddered deeply and continued to stare at the sleeping form of her youngling.

"Continue," Kyoko slightly encouraged her. She didn't want to believe this story yet she was so curious and she somehow believed this story.

"I was one of those girls, but I survived and was rescued by another descendant only with less power than myself. Together we met more people like me and lost all of them. Even the man I loved," Aya shut her eyes as if she was shutting away all those memories of the past two years," there is a reason why I am telling you this. I escaped from the labatory that the Mikage Corporation used to experiment on those people like me called C-Genome. Then today they had injected some sort of poisonous substance in my body." Aya sighed," My child I didn't want them to get her and I wanted a home for her. I was going to let her go here, but time is running out." She looked pleadingly to the older woman staring at her in shock. "Please, take her in with you," Aya pleaded, "I have a letter written for her on her 16 birthday and my diary I've been keeping. I know she is going to be like me, please keep Tohru safe." Her voice got weaker and she used the support from the wall.

All Kyoko did was nod. She couldn't do anything else. Aya smiled and gave the baby a final kiss and the little forehead. Finally she closed her eyes and whispered words of gratitude, wishing for the best of luck.

Kyoko raised the child to herself and said," I guess it's just you and me now. Tohru is it?" Honda Tohru…that has a nice ring

End of Chapter

End: November 2, 2005

Well…I was debating on having Tohru being Aya in disguise or Aya being Tohru's cousin, but this idea just came out randomly. I hope you readers enjoyed it….and I'm not quite sure about the title, if you have any other suggestions I would like to hear it.