Tohru's Demons

Chapter Twenty-One: Of Books, Brawls, and Bonsai Trees


"If you're done eating, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, there's something I'd like to show you two if that's okay."

Yuki looked up from his empty plate at Tohru and slowly nodded, smiling faintly. Kyo glanced at her from the corner of his eye and gave a short nod, wondering what it was.

"Uh, sure, I'm finished... What is it?" Yuki said.

"It's a surprise," Tohru answered mysteriously.

"Can I come?" Shigure inquired piteously. Yuki and Kyo glared, but Tohru nodded.

"Sure! The more the merrier, eh? Actually I think there's something that might interest you, too, Shigure-san," she said delightedly. Shigure rose to his feet and looked at Hatori and Ayame expectantly.

"I believe I will stay here and finish my breakfast," Hatori said graciously.

"Even though I would like nothing more than to spend quality time with my dear little brother—" Yuki shot Ayame a death glare at this. "—I still have Tohru-kun's wonderful potato pancakes on my plate. I think I'll just stay here with Ha'ri. But don't worry, Yuki-kun! There will be plenty of other times to create some wonderful Kodak moments together!"

Yuki grabbed Tohru's hand and all but dragged her out of the room. Tohru paused in the atrium, looking around thoughtfully.

"Let's see if I can remember where... Ah! This way!" she said and led them through a door, that led up a flight of stairs, down a hall, through another door, down yet another hall that led to another staircase.

"How... much... further.... is... it...?" Shigure panted as they descended the stairs.

"Just a little more," Tohru urged as she made her way down a hall. Finally they reached the end and she flung open the double doors.

Shigure caught his breath in wonder. The room he had stepped into was like something from a fairy tale. Two towering columns stood in the middle of the room on either side of the majestic fireplace that was set into the opposite wall. Spiraling staircases wrapped around the columns and reached all the way to the lofty, cathedral-like ceiling. Every thing was decorated with sculptures and paintings, and the ceiling itself sported a collage of pictures so lifelike and vivid that they almost seemed to be moving.

The room itself was mind bogglingly huge. It was the size of a couple of royal ballrooms, and on every available surface there were shelves upon shelves upon shelves filled with books of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Balconies and terraces spanned the walls, and rolling ladders extended to the books that could not be reached otherwise. Shigure could already tell that it would take a fair amount of climbing and monkey-work to get to the very top; and he determined to get to the top as the first thing he did here.

"Welcome to the Royal Library!" Tohru announced, smiling at the over-awed expressions of her companions.

"Oh, wow, Tohru-kun..." Shigure breathed, walking forward to get a better look at the wonderful room.

"Like it?"

"Oh my goodness, words can't describe the sheer joy I'm experiencing right now!" Shigure cried, whirling around to give her an excited smile. "I don't think I've ever seen so many books!"

"That's wonderful!" Tohru replied, her smile jubilant. Yuki and Kyo were staring at Shigure in astonishment, having never seen him so genuinely ecstatic.

"I don't know how many books are here, but this is one of four libraries," Tohru said, and her companions' jaws dropped to the floor.

"You mean there are other libraries like this...?"

"Yes. This library has everything that was ever written from Earth. Everything. Every book, every letter, every screenplay, every E-mail, every gift card, every journal entry, every newsletter, every newspaper edition, every word published or not."

"My God..."

"Speaking of God, the other libraries have everything written in Heaven, as well as in Hell, and in Hirofuriae, where I spent nine years of my child hood when I was kidnapped. This Library is solely for documenting Earth. If you looked hard enough, you'd probably find anything written about or by… the Sohmas." Tohru said, with an acutely significant look at the Dog. He looked confused for a split second before realization dawned on his face.

"OH!" he gasped loudly. "Oh, Tohru-kun, this is wonderful!!! We could find out how the Curse started!" Yuki and Kyo stared at him in shock, then looked at Tohru as if seeking confirmation.

"You may..." Tohru answered slowly. "And you may not. There are no references here that can tell you where anything about the Zodiac Curse or your family is. There is a system of organization, but you'll have to figure that out yourself. And there's no guarantee that you'll even find it."

"Then... Why did you bring me here, if I won't be able to..." Shigure started, his face falling in disappointment.

"Because I'm saying there's at least a chance you'll find something," Tohru said encouragingly. "I mean, there's no harm in looking is there?"

"No, not at all!" Shigure replied happily.

"The chances of anyone finding anything, though, look like zero. If you do find something, it'll be by sheer dumb luck." Yuki said bluntly, looking around the vast room.

"Yeah, looks like a waste of time," Kyo agreed reluctantly.

"But at least we'd be doing something!" Tohru countered eagerly. "I mean, if we can find out how these books are organized, we can probably find out where the information of the Sohmas is, right?"

"Yeah, but that could take days." Yuki replied reasonably.

"Well, we're not going anywhere for a while. I say we give it a try! That is, if you're up to it," Tohru added with a grin, arching a brow and inclining her head at Shigure. That was a challenge. And Shigure would be damned if he backed down from it.

"Why, of course I am!" he replied with a huge, cheerful smile. Then when Yuki and Kyo weren't looking he gave Tohru a wink and she grinned.

"Good. There're still some things I want to show Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun, but I'll be back later. Do you want to stay here, or come with us?"

"I'll linger here awhile. I want to take a look at some of these books. Even if we don't find something on the Curse, it'll still be very interesting," Shigure told them, waving them off. Tohru smiled and nodded and led Yuki and Kyo out the door.

"We have to walk some more?" Kyo demanded wearily.

"It's just a little further," Tohru assured. Soon they had come to another door, not nearly as decorative as the library doors, but when it opened what it had to offer was just as breathtaking, but it was Kyo who was most affected. There were swords, katanas, axes, javelins, halberds, glaives, nunchakus, shurikens, tonfas, and daggers in racks all along the walls. He saw a shelf with martial arts books piled haphazardly into it, stuffed dummies to practice on, a large mirror in which to watch for any mistakes, all he would need to become a better fighter. He even saw boxing gloves and a punching bag in the corner. The room itself was huge, not as big as the library, but it would have given the gym at school a run for its money.

Tohru smiled at his shocked expression and stepped further into the room, looking around with fond admiration.

"I thought you might like to see this," she said, grinning over her shoulder at the Cat, who could only stare in open-mouthed wonder, marveling at everything around him. Yuki also looked quite impressed, though he was not as speechless or immobilized as Kyo was. The Rat walked over and picked up a book from one of the shelves, glanced at the title and flipped through it quickly.

"This one's about the basics on jujitsu. And these others, they're all on the techniques of martial arts, kung fu, karate... And other types of fighting as well: knife fighting, swordsmanship, professional boxing," he paused and chuckled quietly. "There's even a book here on drunken pit-fighting."

"Wow..." Kyo muttered, stepping slowly into the room.

"Can't you say something more than that? Honda-san's gone to all this trouble to please you, and you don't even have the decent manners to thank her properly." Yuki reprimanded, turning a cold and disdainful look upon the Cat. Kyo stiffened and bristled.

"Oh yeah? If you don't like it, why don't you fight me? This is the perfect place for it," he spat furiously.

"Uh, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun..." Tohru sighed, sweating slightly.

"Why should I bother? We both know what the outcome will be."

"Yeah? Well one of these days I'm going to beat you!!! Do you hear me?! I'll beat you and take my rightful place in the Zodiac, you damn RAT!!!" Kyo screamed and launched himself at Yuki. Yuki deftly sidestepped and stuck his foot out. Kyo's foot struck Yuki's ankle and the Cat pitched forward and landed in a pile of cushions.

Wish there was a pile of pillows every time he pulls something like that... Kyo thought as he rolled over to glare up at Yuki. The belittling smirk he saw on the Rat's face sent him flying back to his feet and he threw his fist straight at Yuki's nose, hoping that he would break it.

"So. Shall we go?" Yuki said, dusting off his hands.

"Uhh, um, what about Kyo-kun...?"

"Oh, he'll be fine." Yuki assured her, looking down at the motionless Kyo. "Maybe," he muttered in an undertone. Tohru ignored him and walked over to Kyo, who was slumped against the wall, and looked him over.

"I think you knocked him out... No, never mind." Tohru said as Kyo opened his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. Kyo had gotten worse from Yuki than this.

"I'm fine." Kyo growled, pushed himself up and shot a vicious glare at the Rat.

"In that case, do you want to continue the 'tour'? You haven't seen the gardens or the menagerie yet..."

"Sure, Honda-san," Yuki said interestedly. Kyo hesitated and looked around the room ruefully, reluctant to leave.

"If you want you can stay here, Kyo-kun. After me and Yuki-kun look around the gardens and the menagerie we'll come back, alright?" Tohru offered with a knowing smile. Kyo nodded, glad he didn't have to go just then, or decline Tohru's suggestion. Tohru grinned and opened the door for Yuki graciously. He smiled, blushing, and passed through. As she was about to follow, Tohru glanced back and saw Kyo sinking into position in front of the mirror before the door closed.

"We'll go through the menagerie first and that will take us straight into the garden, okay?" Tohru said as she and Yuki made their way down the hall.

"Okay," he replied. "What's in the menagerie?"

"Actually, I'm not too fond of the place. There're mostly demons there, but also some animals from other worlds."

"Why don't you like it?"

"I can hear them talking... caged animals are hard enough, but the demons... They're almost insane, so..." she trailed off dejectedly.

"Then we'll go around. If you don't like it, you don't have to show it to me." Yuki said firmly, stopping right in the middle of the hall.

"But I'm one of your hosts! It's my job to show you around!" Tohru protested.

"No. I'm not going if it makes you uncomfortable. Besides, I don't like zoos myself." Tohru paused and looked at him.

"No, I suppose you don't... I'll assume you don't take kindly to science laboratories, either?" she asked with a lop-sided grin.

"Hate them with a passion," Yuki replied, returning the grin, and Tohru chuckled. They began walking again, and Tohru led him down a side passage.

"The menagerie isn't essentially a zoo, though. There are big spaces for the animals, and the more docile demons, to roam around in."

"But they're still in cages."

"Yeah."

"What about the demons who aren't so docile?"

"Their cages are a bit smaller, with thick bars instead of barbed wire fences. When I asked Lucifer to release them once he said they'd been incarcerated for crimes against his throne and against other demons. So they're like convicts, except they're on display. All they have to do is a few stupid tricks for onlookers for the rest of their lives and in return they get thrown a few meals a day." They both looked at one another, slow grins spreading across their faces.

"You know..." said Yuki slowly. "Publicly shaming criminals in front of a jeering crowd for the rest of their lives sounds a lot better than sentencing them to death."

"Yeah, you could teach them humility, entertain the public, and make a little money on the side all at the same time!" Tohru exclaimed. "It's a win-win deal. You could call it the Criminal Carnival!" They both laughed. By this time, though, they had stepped outside and walked through the gate and into the garden. Yuki stopped and marveled.

The place was gorgeous, as he had expected. It was a work of art. Flowers of all kinds weaved in and out and around each other like a vibrant and fragrant maze. Yuki saw hedges that had been cut to look like famous statues and sculptures, some familiar and some otherworldly. There were miniature bonsai trees, streams, tiny waterfalls, and even rainbows here and there. It was a truly magical sight. He also spotted vegetables, fruits, and herbs growing among the living art, and even adding to the magnificent scenery.

"This place is wonderful..." he breathed. "Who did all this? Servants?"

"No," Tohru answered with a shake of her head. "There aren't any gardeners here. Most demons don't have the eye to create something as beautiful as this. Lucifer was the one that did it."

"Lucifer?! The King?!" Yuki cried in disbelief.

"He's confined to Hell, and he's been here for a long time now. He had to do something with his time."

"Did he also make the library and the training room, too?"

"No, the lower demons helped him there. You wouldn't know it from looking at most of them, but they can make excellent carpenters."

"How did he get all those books?"

"Magic probably. Come on, I want to show you something."

"There's something else?" Yuki asked, his eyes widening. Tohru nodded and led him through the maze of flowers and hedges and steams and bonsai trees and finally to a little enclosure tucked away in a corner.

Every single inch of the cobbled-stone walls were covered in ivy, so they had to search for several minutes among the vines before they found the small wooden door that led inside, and even then they had to struggle to make it open.

At last they stepped through into an overgrown, chaotic, weed-choked little garden. There was a dried up fountain standing in the middle, clogged over with vines and grass and covered in algae. The small bonsai trees had grown in every direction, free of any restraint, and no longer resembled anything but a leafy mess. And if there were any blossoms, they belonged to the weeds.

"This was mine... But I haven't been here in so long that I guess it just grew out of control," Tohru said, looking around sadly. "It used to be such a pretty little place... Well, actually it still is, in a sort of wild, unrestrained type of way," she corrected cheerfully.

"That's so like you..." Yuki murmured warmly.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Yuki-kun...?" Tohru asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"If you'd like, do you want to help me get this place back in order? We could fix it up and stuff. It could be the new Secret Base while you're here. I know you probably miss home, at least I do, so I thought..." she trailed off at the surprised look on his face, then went on hurriedly. "I just thought we could kill some time, you know, but if you don't want to, that's okay!"

"No, Honda-san, I'd love to help you!" Yuki said. "I was just surprised that you asked, is all. And it would help me to keep my mind off home, and I like this place. It's so... peaceful. I'm glad it's here, and I'm glad to help you," Yuki said, a soft smile touching the corners of his mouth. Tohru smiled back, her cheeks feeling warm, as a small bubble of happiness rose within her.

"I'm happy to have your company, Yuki-kun," she replied and handed him a pair of shears.

To be continued...


Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, but I do own Raha, Ren (NOT TOHRU), Malacoda, Lucifer, Val, Millie, any other characters that show up, and Artemis.

Artemis: Damn it...


I really liked that chapter; I believe it turned out well, don't you? It's one of my favorites, I think. I hope you liked it, too, I put a lot of thought into that one and it's going to tie into the major story, if it turns out how I want it to that is, so log that one away somewhere, and review!

Also, in response to Fox Fire, Hatori is the Year of the Dragon, but he's like the Dragon's offspring, so he looks like a seahorse whenever he transforms. I know... it's kind of weird. In this fanfiction, I think I refer to Hatori as the Dragon... I don't know, I've forgotten if I call him a seahorse or not. Ah, well.

Arrivederci!

-Raha-