Key to a Forgotten Past

Disclaimer: You know… the usual… All of Fruits Basket's characters and its original plot are owned by Natsuki Takaya-sensei…

Chapter 4: Wandering

Over the duration of the next few days, nothing was heard about Hinata Sohma. Aside from the limited amount of information that Tohru had gained about the girl from overhearing her friends' conversation, her whereabouts were virtually unknown to Tohru, and as the days wore on, an anxious Tohru began to wonder what could have occurred to promote such a prolonged absence. A look of concern crossed her expression, as day after day, the attendance sheet marked everybody present except for Hinata… Always Hinata… This was getting serious. Tohru figured that soon, she would have to call the girl's parents, to find out about this illness. All she could hope was that everything would get better soon, in fear of how horrible the child's condition could really be.

However, as she heard the cheerful banter of the students filing out of the classroom on Saturday afternoon fade away into the distance, excitement in their voices as they discussed their weekend endeavors, Tohru finally came to the conclusion that she must find out for herself what had become of the missing student. With a concerned expression on her face, she drew open the cabinet in her desk and groped through it to seek out the school directory that she had received only three days previously. Once she finally found it, she pulled in from the cabinet, shutting it as she began to flip through the pages of the directory.

Her delicate hands thumbed through its many pages, while her eyes scanned quickly through the many names listed to find that which she desired. Saito Kaede… Sakaki Inoue… Shizuhara Kosuke… Shiragame Junko… Suzuki Komare… Setsuki Ryo… Wow… they don't seem to end! There were so many… how on earth was she to find "Sohma Hinata" in this mess? She kept flipping through page after page, searching diligently for the name, until finally she spotted it lying in the center of the page. Right above the name and contact information of a high school student named "Sohma Momo" (Could there be a relation? Tohru wondered with mild curiosity, as she briefly overlooked the name), the kanji for "Sohma Hinata" was written in fine print with a phone number and address provided below.

Tohru reached over the neatly stacked folders on her desk for the phone. As she picked it up from the receiver, she hesitantly punched in the number "665-4903". A soft ring came from the other line, as Tohru waited patiently, hoping that, for whatever reason, it would not be such a bother for her to call.

Suddenly, a boy's voice came from the other end, with a huge attitude written thoroughly through its tone, "Hello? Who is speaking?"

Tohru answered nervously, "Umm… That is… May I speak to the parents of Sohma Hinata?" She could almost hear a quiet sneer coming from the other line, as the boy uttered a low, snide remark, "Oh gosh… Another genius trying to waste my time…"

The boy replied impatiently, obviously annoyed, "Yeah, whatever… But would you mind telling me who's speaking?"

"Aaah… Yes… this is… Hinata's teacher, Honda Tohru." There was an uncomfortable silence from the other end.

Finally, the boy answered, "…Um… okay then… I'll go get Mom…" Some movement followed on the opposite end, as the boy went to search for his mother to give her the phone. After a few minutes, another voice sounded into the receiver, this time, belonging to a woman.

"Hello," it said with gentle caring. "This is Sohma Satsuki… You were wishing to speak to me?"

"Yes! It's about your daughter, Hinata…" Tohru replied, her voice shaking slightly. She had not had to schedule a parent-teacher conference since her preschool teaching days. "She's been out for the whole week, and I was wondering if I could come over to discuss things with you and deliver missing work for her? If it's not too much of a bother, that is… I wouldn't want to--"

"Oh! I'm so glad you called! So, you're Hinata-chan's teacher, I assume? She came down with a horrible case of pneumonia sometime last week, and has been in bed ever since… It would be wonderful if we could talk sometime soon about it."

Tohru recalled the conversation she had overheard the previous Monday. So the girls were correct… she really is… "Sick with pneumonia? That's absolutely terrible! I really hope she gets better soon… Is there any possible time that you would like me to deliver the work?"

"Well… you could deliver them today… or, well… maybe tomorrow would be best? Does tomorrow at noon sound fine? We could talk over lunch, and I can inform the main house of your arrival in order to avoid… complications."

Eh…? Complications? "Okay! I'll be seeing you then… And, before I go, may I have some instructions to reach your home?"

"Ah yes… Here, I'll explain…" As Tohru frantically hurried to get every last direction down on paper, she couldn't help but notice how dauntingly complicated they seemed. Of course, this was understandable, being that they were located in an area of the city that Tohru was absolutely foreign to. She would be lucky to even find her way to what Satsuki referred to as the "Main House", let alone actually finding the home of Sohma Satsuki in the midst of it all. However, with the massive detail that Satsuki had put into the directions, it would be much less likely for Tohru to get lost – or so she hoped, anyway.

As soon as Satsuki finished her explanation of how to get to her house, they bode each other farewell, and Tohru hung up, placing her phone back onto the receiver. She looked through the pile of papers on her desk, compiling all of Hinata's missing work into a manila folder. Wish me luck, mom… Wish me luck!

---

Tohru gazed at the majestic entrance of the Main Sohma House, greeting her from far ahead along the tree-lined path. As she came closer, its grandeur intimidated the onigiri, who had scarcely come across so beautiful an entrance. The border of the old-fashioned Japanese gateway had, carved onto its surface, a skillfully crafted collection of finely detailed depictions of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Each animal shined brilliantly in the sunlight, with a slight golden pigment. As she looked ahead at the entrance that stood before her, Tohru couldn't help but feel as if long ago, in a very distant past, she had seen this very same property. It seemed so familiar, yet she could not identify where this nostalgic feeling came from.

As she approached, she passed beyond the entrance to enter the estate. As she peered into her surroundings, Tohru felt that something was not right here. Not a soul was in sight, and the only disturbance in the serenity was the occasional rustle of trees as the gentle wind danced among their leaves. However, this so-called "peace" was not a happy one. Instead, there seemed to be a heavy pall shrouding the atmosphere, a dark, sinister stillness that alarmed her as she walked towards the compound. No, a voice told her from within the far depths of her mind. There is nothing peaceful here.

Walking through the area, she felt as if she had suddenly taken a step into the past. All around her, the architecture of the buildings was very traditional and reminiscent of another era long past. As she traveled onward, she began to notice the familiarity of the surrounding buildings. In her distraction and fascination by the strange area, she began to wonder whether she had been wandering around this maze of a compound and lost herself. Quickly, she searched through her pockets for the directions that she had been given the previous day. However, as she soon discovered in her desperate search for directions, they must have fallen out of her pockets in her wandering.

Tohru began to worry. Suddenly, her surroundings seemed even more unwelcome and ominous to her. Not a soul to speak of was around to help find her destination – she was truly alone, left to find her way on her own. A feeling of foreboding and desperation gripped her heart. The sun may have been shining from above, but in the dark shade of the trees, it was just barely peeking through the branches. Where was she? What was she to do now? Confusion blinded her, as she stared out into the distance… What can I do? I'm so scared… Is there anybody that can help me?

From deep within the recesses of her mind, she heard many voices calling her name, none of which she knew. They flooded her mind; a sea of unidentified voices… all calling out for her… She begged of them, What is this? Who are you all? Tell me… please… Tell me!

Can you help me find my way in my wandering?

---

A small, distant whisper came from far away, breaking the silence of her sleep, "Tohru… Tohru…? Is that really… you?"

Tohru slowly opened her eyes. A sea of blurred colors broke through the darkness that had engulfed her vision before, as the surrounding milieu slowly took shape before her once more. She felt the dusted ground below her, discovering that she had been sprawled out onto the dirt pathway. As she finally regained full consciousness of her surroundings, she realized that a young man, who appeared to be not much younger than herself, was kneeling before her, his golden locks elegantly falling above his shining chocolate colored eyes, which gazed at her with great concern. She had seldom before seen such a beautiful person. Somehow, she felt as if his was a face she knew, but that made no sense, as Tohru was sure that she had never before seen such a person. Yet if this was true, she wondered how the stranger could know her name.

An uncomfortable silence befell the two. "How…?" Tohru responded faintly, slowly sitting herself up and looking at him with eyes filled with intrigue. "How… do you know my name?"

The stranger widened his eyes. After a minute's hesitation, he replied, his expression morphing into a whimsical smile, "Your name? Of course… I don't know your name! Why would I know your name? I've never met you before!" He let out a lighthearted laugh. "My name is Sohma Momiji. I saw that you had fainted… and I ran over as soon as I could…."

Tohru thought to herself, gazing the young man who introduced himself as "Momiji", Of course… I must have been hearing things… There's no way that I have met him before or he could know my name. She answered, still slightly bewildered, "Aaah… Of course, I was being silly… My name is Honda Tohru. I am quite honored to make your acquaintance, Momiji-san, and am sorry for having worried you in any way."

Momiji replied, as he stood up from his kneeling position, "Don't be sorry! I'm perfectly fine with that! I just wanted to know… whether you needed any help."

Tohru regained her balance and brushed the dirt off her skirt. She looked at the sympathetic eyes of the young man that stood before her. Despite his outward happiness, they conveyed a slight, impalpable sorrow. She answered, "There is… one thing… Do you know where I could find the house of Sohma Satsuki and Sohma Hinata?"

"Sure… of course, I know! Would you like me to take you there, Tohru?" he offered kindly, holding out his hand to her.

Tohru bowed her head lowly in respect, and responded accordingly, "Yes… if that isn't too much trouble, that is to say… I hope I am not bothering you in any way by having imposed on you like this, Momiji-san. After all, you are a total, complete stranger, and you don't have to be so nice to me…"

Momiji answered simply, winking sweetly towards her way, "…Not so much of a stranger as you think, Tohru." Tohru was puzzled by this comment. What could he mean? I don't know him… I've never known him… He is a stranger, isn't he? However, before she could even open her mouth to respond, he veered the subject away from that, with another lighthearted grin as he looked her way, "So, anyway… here! I'll show you where Satsuki-san lives!" He gripped her hand, and led Tohru through the compound with the levity of a young child leading his friend to a park or an exciting secret play place, rather than a young man leading a total stranger to her desired destination.

After several minutes of walking through the Sohma estate, Momiji relinquished his grip and stopped right in front of a beautiful Japanese-style home. He told Tohru, "Here you are, Tohru!"

Tohru, who had been entranced by the elegance of all of her surroundings, turned to him, smiling. "Thank you so very much for your kindness! I am greatly in your debt…" she said, slowly walking towards the building, stepping onto the platform and approaching the sliding, paneled doors to enter.

"No… not at all, really, it was a pleasure to help you… Goodbye, Tohru!" He waved back at Tohru, who in turn returned with a wave and a smile, as she disappeared through the door, soundlessly, but cheerfully.

Momiji looked at the young woman, who had once given him and the other Sohmas so much happiness whenever they saw her. She was still there… Still Tohru. Neither the slow passage of time, nor the erasing of her memories could change that.

It's still there, Tohru… Somewhere, deep inside, I know you can remember me… all of us. Your memory may have been erased, but no matter how hard anybody could have tried…

There's no way the love and caring you felt for us from within your heart could have been erased as well.

Neko's Rambling Corner Part 4: Wow… last chapter was really short… but this chapter…. It's so LONG… and I even had to cut it, too! (because if I didn't… it would be about 4000-5000 words long) Sorry for the long wait… Lots of homework… and there is that hurricane… But anyway, after next chapter, the story completely shifts focus. Up to next chapter, it's all been in Tohru's point of view (except for that one part right at the end of this chapter), but as the plot thickens, you'll be hearing from other characters as well… Including a certain neko who I've been eagerly wishing to write since the moment I started the planning of this fanfic. Just a hint, you know….

Oh… and Neko's really happy… because…

She finally got to put her favorite rabbit (or… should I say ex-rabbit? -wink-) into one of her fanfictions! I'm so happy! You'll be hearing from him again in a few chapters but anyway as for next chapter, you'll get to encounter Hinata, Satsuki, Hiro, and possibly Kisa (for very briefly)… So, as always, feedback appreciated… (Thanks so much for your comments! hugs) And… Ja ne!