Fruit Basket
Beginnings and Endings
((Author Note: Yeah I know I'm late. Sorry guys. With finals and stuff it sort of just wore me out so I took a week or two off so I could relax. Anyways, I'm back in the game and I'm planning on releasing sneak peaks of the chapters at the art place I'm at in my journal so you guys may want to look for it in my journal entries. I'll put up the sneak preview section this weekend. If you're curious the page is at http/skypilot. also I'm going to reply to everyone's comments from the last chapter at the end of this chapter. I think I should reply to the comments like I did before. I write this stuff for you guys so it's only fitting that I reply, right? Anyways this chapter is a bit of a set up for what's to come. Kyo doesn't really show up in this much, but the next chapter will be all about him))
Chapter 39
Imagine losing all your memories. Everything and everyone you hold dear and true lost to the ever-expanding darkness that lives within your own beating heart. For within each and every one of us, there are shadows that lurk to corrupt their unspoiled host. Light and goodness cannot exist without the shadows, however, and thus we are beings who constantly search for the light and fight off the darkness. The shadow of doubt grows with every good deed and every act of kindness. Some resist, but others are consumed by the darkness as their lights fade. Soon the light will slowly dim and the hope of finding that light will be lost forever…
Shigure felt his eyes begin to open when a cold trickle of water ran down the side of his cheek. Water was beginning to fall from the darkening sky, which was a major problem since his house was now missing a wall, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He wasn't sure how long he had been knocked unconscious, but he felt like he had been asleep for years. His hands moved to push some of the debris off his bruised body, but he heard a low growl rumble in the silent air. Shigure froze immediately, thinking he had been spotted, but the growls soon began to fade as the towering creature moved away from the broken house and into the shadows of the forest.
"Too close," Shigure said with a small sigh, until he felt someone grab him by the shoulder and pull him straight up out of the debris. His voice yelped in a terrified sound with his eyes shut tightly, "Don't kill me! You have my house already."
"As much as I'd like to do that…now isn't the time," Yuki said in a soft voice as he kept his gaze towards the forest line.
"Yuki?" Shigure opened one of his eyes to see the young prince keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. Once he was sure they were safe, he threw his arms up into the air to hug Yuki who promptly stopped him before he was to take two steps, "I'm saved! Let us rejoice!"
"How can you be so scared one moment and then happy the next?" Yuki had an annoyed look on his face as he stood up completely, keeping Shigure back. He figured Shigure was free of injuries if he was able to act like his idiotic self.
"As my saying goes…"
"We don't have time for your moronic sayings," Yuki snapped.
Shigure chuckled lightly as he brushed the dust off his clothes. He looked around at the damages, and a frown slowly spread across his face - not because of the mess his house had become, but because of the fact that Tohru and Rin weren't in sight, "Yuki, where are…?"
Yuki was silent as his hands clutched together in an attempt to keep himself composed, "I…I don't know, however Miss Uotani and Miss Hana are quiet fine, besides a few bumps on the head. Lucky for us, they were knocked unconscious. We need to think of an excuse for why your wall fell down."
"Ah, leave that to me," Shigure said as he tapped his head. "Making things up is my specialty. After all, I am a novelist."
"Yes, I know…you've been saying that for the past several years now," Yuki brushed aside his wet hair as he surveyed the damages. Lucky it was just Shigure's wall and nothing more. The rest of the house seemed fairly stable, and Yuki didn't suspect it would collapse. As his eyes swept across the damages, he couldn't help but wonder: how Kyo could do something like this? Sure the cat was an idiot, but even this was too much for his feeble brain. He knew Kyo would never intentionally hurt Miss Honda, but perhaps Kyo wasn't as they thought.
"Wake up…Tohru, wake up now."
"A voice?" Tohru felt her mind call out as her eyes remained shut. She could feel something cold pressed against her forehead, but her senses were dull and non-responsive. Her mind couldn't see anyone within her thoughts, but the voice sounded as if someone was standing right next to her.
"You're the one, then. The one Kyo cares for...I never thought I'd see you."
"Kyo?" Tohru repeated as her mind began to remember what was going on. "Is that you, Kyo?"
"No…but I am a part of him, or I was."
"Your voice. It sounds like Kyo's, but sad."
"I'm sorry...my time is short, but in time I will explain everything. The time of the cat is drawing near, and its powers have begun to grow. Its jump in power took over Kyo's mind. He no longer sees his human light. You must help him, or he will lose his human self inside that twisted body. I have failed him, but maybe you can pick up where I have failed…"
"Wait! Who are you? What are you talking about?" Tohru cried out in the darkness of her mind as the voice began to fade from her conscious.
"I am the cat." The voice managed to whisper before there was nothing more but silence.
"Tohru…are you all right, Tohru?" Haru said as he pressed a cold towel against her head. His careful fingers pressed against her cheek to make sure she wasn't running a fever since she was soaked to the bone from the rain.
Tohru slowly opened her eyes to be faced by the calm and collected white Haru. His hair was dripping wet against his face, but he seemed more concerned about her than his own health. "Haru?"
"Hmm?" Haru responded as he stared at her as if everything was ok.
"Uh, what are you doing here? Wait…." Tohru looked around for a moment, realizing she wasn't at Shigure's house. She quickly sat up from the bed she was in, causing Haru to stumble back, "Where are we?"
"Master's house," Haru replied as he pressed the warm cloth against her forehead again and she faced him. "Master said to keep this on your head."
"I didn't mean so literally," Kazuma said as he set down a pot of warm tea. "So, you're awake. How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, but what about Miss Rin and Kyo! What about Shigure and the others? We can't sit here; we have to do something," Tohru stood up on her feet, but quickly felt her legs buckle under her, and she tumbled backwards. Kazuma was swift to catch her with one graceful movement.
"Now, now," He sat her gently back against the bed he had made for her, "You mustn't push yourself. Allow me to explain a few things for you, so everything will become clear." Kazuma glanced towards the ox, "Haru, may we have a moment alone?"
"Yes," Haru responded with a small bow as he made his way into the next room.
Kazuma watched him leave with a proud smile across his face, "Haru was the one that brought you here, along with Rin. After Kyo chased you and Rin through the house, he was mildly distracted by something in the woods. This gave Haru a chance to search for you and Rin in the mess Kyo had created. Luckily he found you both quickly, though it seems the curse has been set back in place. As soon as he picked you up, he transformed into a cow. Imagine me answering my door." Kazuma said in a light-hearted voice, trying to lighten the mood up as he offered Tohru a warm drink.
"I see," Tohru's eyes wandered towards the room where Haru had gone off to. She had to remember to thank him when he returned. "Miss Rin was ill when I found her…."
"Yes, she seemed to have been quite malnourished. I have yet to find the reason for this, however; Rin is a bit difficult to get clear answers from," Kazuma sighed lightly as he took a small sip of his tea, "Even for me. After a good meal she seemed to perk up, but it's best to leave her be. I'll be sure to keep her in bed for a few days."
Tohru nodded her head slowly. She always hated it when someone was sick. It always brought back bad memories from when her father was sick. She was a young child then, but those deep feelings were still there. As she brought her hands up to her face, she realized she was holding something in her hand. Her eyes slowly looked down to see the object she was carrying, "Kyo's beads? But how did I - "
"Hmm? Ah, Kyo's beads. Did he drop them, perhaps?" Kazuma suggested as he looked at her hand with a curious expression.
Tohru shook her head, "No, but maybe…he gave them to me."
"From what Haru told me, Kyo seemed quiet focused on catching you."
"No, Kyo isn't himself," Tohru said while she tried to get up again, except this time she used the wall to hold herself up. "Master Kazuma, tell me about the cat."
Kazuma seemed a bit reluctant to speak, in fact he was acting far too calm to Tohru. She knew he was a master, but Kyo was very close to Kazuma. As Tohru stared back at him, she realized he was struggling to come up with the right words. He finally took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Not much is known about the real cat; however, it was said that a long time ago that if a person died with a strong attachment to this world that they could become a spirit. Some had traumas in their lives that they wished to correct, while others sought revenge…but whatever the reason, the spirits would seal themselves into objects, since they need an anchor to this world. I have long suspected that the original cat guardian sealed himself into that bracelet."
"But why?" Tohru said as she studied the bracelet. "What could have happened?"
"Only Kyo would know that. The bracelet should only be able to communicate with him, since they share a common curse and a blood connection."
Tohru blinked lightly, "But it spoke to me."
"Oh dear," Kazuma rubbed his chin slightly.
"Is that bad? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do anything wrong!"
Kazuma waved his hand, "Oh no, no. It's not your fault. I simply didn't expect that to happen, is all. Things have certainly taken an interesting turn." Kazuma set his tea down and stood up. "Rest now, Miss Honda. I will look into this more and come back to speak to you. Kyo will be all right, I promise you."
Kazuma left Tohru to be alone in that tiny room. She brought Kyo's bracelet up to her chest as she felt its warm presence, "Please keep Kyo safe."
Before Kazuma left, he saw Tohru hold the bracelet tightly in her hands. He brought his hand up to rub his face as he spoke to himself, "I'm sorry, Kyo. Peace will come soon, but everything is out of my hands. That book I gave you opened the door to knowledge, but it also opened the door to the twisted shadows living within you. Now it's up to you to close that door…please forgive me."
Kyo sniffed the air, but the scent was gone. Everything had gone silent in that dark little forest, but he couldn't be tricked for long. He knew where everyone lived, and it would only be a matter of time until he found them. He tilted his head to the sky and let out a tarrying roar as he leaped into the shadows.
"It's been done…Master Akito," Kureno said as he stepped through the bushes. A few sticks and leaves were in his hair, but Kureno seemed rather pleased with himself. He approached Akito who was standing on the rocky ledge that overlooked the forest. "You bought them some time. It was a good idea to distract Kyo while they gathered themselves."
"It was you who did the distracting," Akito said as he jammed his hands into his pocket and headed towards his car.
"It was your idea," Kureno corrected as he opened the door to Akito's car. "You probably saved Miss Tohru's life."
"Humph," Akito ducked his head down as he got into the car, "We need her. That's all."
Kureno bowed his head slightly while Akito got into the car, but he knew Akito had had a change of heart about Tohru. Of course Akito wasn't going to help them anymore than he had now, but it was an improvement. In time perhaps Akito would be able to grace Tohru's presence without a sinister look upon his face.
"Master said you should be resting," Haru said as he stood in the doorway of Rin's room.
"I didn't say you could come in here," She said in an annoyed tone as she kept her focus on the rain outside of her window.
"I know, but I wanted to see you."
"I didn't want to see you," She said bluntly as she turned around with a cold look. "That girl is close with Kyo."
Haru's brow wrinkled slightly since he wanted to speak more about their own issues, but he nodded his head. It was best not to go against Rin's will when she had her mind focused elsewhere.
Rin quickly turned back around as she stared out the window, "I saw it…when I was locked in the cat's house. When almost all my strength had left me, I still was able to find it. I saw it with my own eyes…the original cursed cat."
Review Response:
Miss Yukishiro: Everyone is just running around in all there crazy forms. I hope this one was worth the wait too. If not then you can have Akito beat me up or simply toss me out a window. ;D
blvd: I build up a lot of suspense all the time. I can't help it. I'm so evil.
Anonymous Human: I don't know? Heh, to sum it up in a few words, Kyo had a freak out.
Geraniums: Perfect comment. lol. I love those.
GirlWaterShaman : I don't think I'm ever going to end this, eh?
Flame Ivy Moon : I'm happy that you do or I'd be kicking myself.
Infinitis: I'm constantly writing unless I'm being lazy. I can't tell you if Kyo will wake up or not, but who knows what will happen. I'm so crazy.
BlackYankee: I get a lot of praise? Nah…ok I'm just kidding. Funny when this first started people weren't very taken with it. It took a few chapters. I tend to turn a blind eye to when the characters change in some fanfics. Sometimes its ok and other's its just to odd so I mostly allow the characeres to run the story. To be honest I don't plan any of this stuff out. I do have one general idea I want to do and the rest just comes out as the characters are running around.
Mysterious Bearer of Life: Akito has a heart afterall! Or does he? evil laugh
Paranoid Stalker Loves Slash: I'm pretty up to date with everything that goes on in Fruits Basket. I read most of the latest chapters though I think I missed the latest one that came out on May 20th from Japan. Gah. More RinXHaru. It isn't going to be a main focus but its there still. Rin rubs me the wrong way sometimes so its hard for me to actually include her, but I'm starting to like her more now.
mitora jesus-freak: Three days? Wow, that's a long time to read all these. This is actually a year worth of work. I just realized, lol. The entire sequel thing came up because the story was suppose to end because I thought things were pretty tied up but its really not. So I changed my mind and decided that the other Fruits Basket story I have is simply a sister to this one.
Tohru-Uotani-Hanajima: Die Tohru! Just kidding. I do like Tohru just so you guys know, lol.
Silver Eyes Bright: I'm evil, what can I say.
Angel81: Thank you very much.
ximmortalrain: Yes , yes I am evil aren't I?
Inuficcrzy: Some crazy stuff, eh?
Amanda: People say that a lot. I don't think it's as good as the manga, but I'm the writer so I'm often blinded to what the story actually sound likes. I re read the first chapter the other night and the first thing that came into my mind was, "Who the hell wrote this? It wasn't me…wait it was!" lol.
Chrono4747: Ah thank you very much.
Thanks for the reviews and comments guys. I'll be sure to up my efforts on the next chapter.
