Key to a Forgotten Past

Disclaimer: Isn't this kind of redundant? Hmmm… well, anyway, all of Fruits Basket's plot and characters are property of Natsuki Takaya-sensei… NOT me.

Chapter 3: The Fourth Partner in Crime

Tohru did not realize how quickly the morning had flown by until one of her students informed her of how late it was. The mousy-haired young boy tugged on her blouse shyly to gain her attention, which had only moments before been taken by coloring her own 'nametag' in a variety of rosy pinks and reds. He said in a nervous whisper, "Um… Honda-sensei? It's five after now and… shouldn't we going to go to recess?"

Tohru turned to face him with an expression of disbelief in her eyes. She glanced upwards briefly at the clock sitting upon the classroom wall, its hands lying well past ten o' clock, the set time for recess. She let out a soft gasp, not having realized how late it was. Immediately, she jumped up from her seat, startling the small boy, exclaiming hurriedly, "Oh no! I completely forgot! Hurry everybody! Leave your nametags here… we'll finish them later. It's time for recess!"

Excited cheers were heard from every student, when they heard those wonderful words come from their teacher. Immediately, their coloring tools and nametags were left abandoned, as they scurried out of the classroom, buzzing with hyperactivity and excitement. Tohru felt so overjoyed. The delighted smiles she saw on her students' faces – this was what she taught for, what brought her back to the classroom far after she had graduated high school. After all, the happiness of others was that of her own… in it, she knew no sorrow.

Trailing closely behind the ecstatic children as they raced down the hallway, Tohru followed them to watch over their play. Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the playground. She watched as the students dispersed throughout the area, climbing onto the metallic structures to engage in various activities of play. The sights that lay before her once again astonished Tohru. Even the playground was nearly as breathtaking as the school itself, composed of an array of bright colors radiating brilliantly in the soft light of the sun.

Tohru sat down on a white bench in the cool shade of a Sakura tree beside the playground. The soft breeze flowed through her hair and onto the surface of her skin. The atmosphere seemed so relaxed, almost seeming to hypnotize her with its serenity… when could have been the last time she had been outside in such a peaceful atmosphere like this, letting her worries blow away with the gentle flow of the wind? Ever since she began high school and even until now, nearly a decade later, all life had done was to take from her. Her loved ones… even the many memories she had made in high school… all were lost as the steady flow of time progressed. Before she knew it, she figured, she, too, would be gone – left to float away within the cool breeze, alongside all those who had departed before her. Within it, would be her own playground, in which she could stay with her dearest deceased.

However, as she sat there, gazing at the students frolicking throughout the playground and feeling the peaceful atmosphere with joy, she was thankful that through all she had lost, she had still gained so much. If she never did fully remember her high school days ever again, she would not regard her heart as feeling completely empty, no matter how empty it seemed. She only wished that, somehow, she could find that last piece of the puzzle that she so eagerly sought for… to fill that empty gap in her heart that she so yearned to fill. Yet, such seemed impossible… those memories were so distant by now that they could belong to a separate lifetime. She always wondered what had kept her holding on to the prospect that those precious memories could somehow be recovered once more, although it seemed so clear that the key to unlock the closed door in the back of her mind would never be found.

It's because… I don't want to let go. There's always a hope that they will return again! I just know it! I just know it…

She had barely noticed how far from reality she had drifted, until she realized that several students had gone missing from the group. All students were present in the play area, except for the three little girls that she remembered as having exchanged smirks with each other upon her entrance earlier that morning. Tohru's eyes widened in horror, as she thought about the possibilities of their being absent. What if they were lost? Wandering around a school as large as this, becoming lost wouldn't be too difficult a possibility. Of course, Tohru did not know the school nearly as well as any of the students (most who had been enrolled in Tsurumaki Academy for a few years by now), but she knew the campus well enough to determine that one could easily get lost in its confines.

Oh no! What am I to do? Tohru thought nervously. They must be in such a panic! Wandering through the halls, not knowing where to go… I have to find them! She stood up from the bench hurriedly, ready to go look for the missing girls, until she remembered, B-but… what about the others? I can't leave them here alone… That would be so irresponsible of me!

Well, I suppose if I just leave the kids here for a few minutes, it won't make too much a difference… I'll just have to find them as quickly as I can! Tohru cast a look of determination on her face as she set off past the playground and into the halls of the school. She dashed through the dimly lit hallway, in search for the three missing students. It felt to her as if she was traveling through an interminable maze, in which every turn she made brought her no further than the last. She looked all around her Could they havebeen near the classroom? Or, perhaps, they were near the entrance of the school? Could they have gotten that far? Tohru's heart raced in panic. It looked as if she was going nowhere… and would soon become lost, herself.

Suddenly, she heard a chorus of subdued voices from a short distance down one of the many hallways. Her heart leapt as she heard what she recognized as voices belonging to three young girls – perhaps the same three which she wanted to find. They seemed to be discussing something… their voices small and incomprehensible in the distance. As Tohru approached closer and closer, the topic of their discussion became more and more clear to her. They seemed to be talking about that little girl that Tohru had marked as absent only a few hours previously. In curiosity, Tohru stopped to listen, in effort to hear what they could possibly be talking about. It was wrong to eavesdrop, she knew. However, her curiosity about the girl's absence overpowered her better judgment… She had to know what happened to the poor girl to make her not arrive to class on the first day of classes.

The first voice, a rather bossy, commanding one, asked her peers in a half-voice, "What could have made Hinata absent anyway? The Partners in Crime can't be without their pivotal fourth member on the first day of school! Imagine all the mischief that we can't cause because of it! An outrage!"

A second sounded, quite a bit softer and very sweet. It cried faintly, "Sohma Hinata-chan…? I don't know… she didn't feel very well when I came over to her house last… but, she didn't mention anything about not going to school today… I'm sure she'll be fine, Yomi-chan… we'll just have to fill her in on the details once she returns—!"

"—If she returns, that is," interrupted a third, more serious, voice darkly. "Kokoro, you're way too optimistic sometimes. I heard she came down with a bad case of pneumonia, and won't be able to go to school for another week…"

The second voice, belonging to the girl named Kokoro, cried out in horror, "Pneumonia…? Oh no! Is that really true, Kimiko-chan? But… isn't that supposed to be lethal?"

Yomi cut in forcefully, "Of course not! Stop making her worry so much, Kimiko… Yeesh, you two are so annoying! No wonder half of the time our pranks don't even work… You guys spend half of the time worrying about gosh knows what, and we never get anything done!"

Kimiko retorted angrily, "But we managed to get that dictionary underneath Honda-sensei's desk this morning, remember?"

"Yes… I guess so," Yomi admitted grudgingly. "But… I hope that Sohma girl gets all nice and cured soon… because otherwise we're one partner in crime short for prank pulling… and Honda-sensei is such a ditz! The possibilities are endless for her…!" The three giggled softly. Tohru watched from behind as they moved away and rounded the corner. She was too stunned to go after them – once again lost in a trail of thought.

That name… "Sohma"… where had she heard it before? She was nearly positive that she had never known anybody by that name, yet it sounded so very familiar, almost as if she had heard the name many times before. However, from all her recollection, this was the first time she had ever heard the surname, so what was it that caused this nostalgic feeling that gripped her heart at that instant?

It must be a common name, she convinced herself, shaking her head to wear the thought away. I've probably read a book by a Sohma… or maybe heard it in passing… It's nothing. Forget about it, Tohru… Just… forget… However, she could not forget. She felt an inscrutable pain in her heart. That empty feeling took hold of her stronger than ever. Deep within the confines of her mind, she wondered what the sorrow she felt when hearing the name could really be, and – even farther within – what wonderful and horrible secrets could be concealed in her lost recollections. There was a key to that door… there had to be…

…And, somehow, as she walked back to gather all of the students so that they could return for the second half of their morning class, she felt that the so-called "Fourth Partner in Crime" had unknowingly brought her one step closer to finding it.

Neko's Rambling Corner Part 4: Yay for updates! In case you happened to notice, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual… Why, you ask? Well, in my original outline, I was intending to have this be a part of chapter 2. However, when I added a scene to that chapter, I found that it would be way too long if I put this in there as well, so, I had to cut all of this out of that chapter and somehow figure out how to make this scene long enough to be a chapter on its own… I find I do that a lot when I'm writing… that's why my outlines very rarely ever turn out resembling the chapters they were meant to outline.

Tohru teaches third year elementary students, just in case you were wondering. When writing some of my early drafts, I had originally intended her to teach second years. However, when I looked through the only possible Sohmas I could have put in her class, the only possibility (as there was no way that any of the jyuunishi's kids if they were allowed to have any to begin with would be old enough for primary school yet) would be Hinata, Hiro's little sister, who would be eight by the time this fanfiction takes place. In effect, I had to go through all of my earlier writings, and change any mention of the grade level she would be teaching. Unfortunately, I overlooked a mention of her teaching second year in chapter 1, and didn't realize until yesterday that I had done so. Silly me! I'm going back and changing it now, though, so, it shouldn't be too much of a big deal… but still…

The nextfew chapters are where the plot really starts. (or… at least… they should be… unless I decide that I need to add an extra scene somewhere in the process and postpone those two chapters' events until a later time…. Which, unfortunately, happens very often…) So… I'll be sure to update as soon as I can. And, thanks for the positive feedback! –hugs the ultra-nice readers- 'Til next chapter!