Well, I just got another chapter of my new fic up, (well, a couple days ago, anyway) so I figured it was time to update this one! Especially seeing as people seem to actually review this one, hehe. Yay!
A/N: A bit of a spoiler in this one, not much, but just a tiny one.
As of 8/22: Revised a bit of this because I used the word 'smiled' all together too much.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, nor anything associated with it…pout nor the proverb in here, or, well, anything else.
On to Chapter 5!
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Chapter Five: Missing Memories
Kyo woke to the stars twinkling above him. He stretched lazily on the top of Shigure's roof, and swung himself into a sitting position. Carelessly glancing around, his eyes fell upon a plate of cooked salmon, along with a few rice balls, sitting next to where he was lying. He smiled at the food, and took it in his hand, staring at the sky. So she did care after all…that thought alone was enough to keep him grinning through his fish.
As Kyo was eating soundly on the roof, Tohru was finishing the last of the dinner dishes. As she was humming a small tune to herself as she dried the last plate, she didn't even notice the gray-haired boy coming up behind her.
"Honda-san?" The soft voice made her jump.
"So-soh-ma-kun!" Tohru stuttered, eyes widened, as the princely figure approached her from behind.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you," Yuki sounded genuinely concerned in his sentiment, causing Tohru to turn slightly red.
"Oh, no, it's fine Sohma-kun!"
"I wanted to thank you for dinner, and for the work you've put in this evening. I'm sorry we weren't able to treat you as a guest, Honda-san."
"Don't apologize Sohma-kun, I'd rather not be treated as a guest!"
Yuki was taken aback at this statement, and aptly acted so. "Huh?"
"Sohma-kun, I…" Tohru looked for the right words to explain herself. "I'd rather feel like…like…" She didn't quite know how to express herself without seeming selfish.
Luckily, Yuki nodded with understanding eyes, as he began to comprehend what she had tried to say. "It's alright Honda-san. You're always welcome here, as…" Yuki hesitated, as if unsure that he should say what was on his mind. If Akito ever found out…he shook off his concern. "…as a member of our family."
Tohru's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "Yu-ki…kun?" She tested it out carefully. When her efforts were received with a smile, she met his with one of her own. "That means the world to me."
Yuki touched her shoulder gently as he exited the room, causing Tohru's face to resume the appearance of a cherry. She took up her towel, and continued to dry her last dish. She set it carefully in its cabinet before turning to face the window. The stars were brilliant tonight. Despite her effort to keep it in, a small tear rolled down her cheek.
'I'm so happy,' she thought to herself, 'that I really can belong here.'
She wiped the happy tear from the spot it had traveled to on her chin, and walked back into the family room.
"Our darling Tohru-kun!" Shigure exclaimed happily. "Quite the little housewife!"
Tohru smiled again. "It was no trouble."
"Dinner was delicious Tohru!" The bubbly Momiji smiled at her widely. Haru simply nodded in agreement.
Tohru was just about to respond as the paper door was flung open. Kyo stalked into the house, empty plate in hand.
"Kyo-kun! Was dinner alright?"
"It was fine." He grumpily responded, before entering the kitchen and tossing his dish in the sink.
Yuki seemed about to argue Kyo's rudeness, but Tohru interjected. "Thank you so much for having me over. And thank you Yuki-kun for helping me study." Kyo winced when he heard how Tohru addressed the rat.
"I suppose I should be getting home now," She looked out into the dark night, but looked back to the Sohmas with a grin.
"It' a bit late…" Yuki trailed off, concerned for the girl's safety. "Will you be alright?"
"Oh, I'll be fine! I've walked home later than this before," Tohru cheerfully responded. There had been plenty of times that she had to work double shifts.
"I don't like it," Kyo muttered from the kitchen. He took a swig from a carton of milk he had retrieved from the refrigerator, and came to stand in the doorway.
"Kyon-kyon is right!" Shigure replied bubbly, ignoring Kyo's protest about his nickname. "It's not safe for a young, susceptible teenage girl to be walking alone at night!" Kyo and Yuki both shot the dog suspicious looks. "Its only reasonable Tohru-kun spends the night here with us!"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose!" Tohru began to rant. "I mean, you've already had me over…"
"Oh, it would be no trouble at all!" Shigure countered her attempt.
Tohru looked concerned. "Well…I don't really have any clothes…and I'd have to call my grandfather…"
"We have a phone right down the hall." Shigure grinned. "It's not a school night, so I doubt he'll have much of a problem with it. And as for the clothing…" Shigure grinned mischievously, "I'm sure we can call Ayaa up…"
At Shigure's idea, Yuki and Kyo promptly hit him on the head, each muttering, "Pervert."
Shigure pouted, tears streaming down his cheeks, before mumbling something about an outfit Tohru had forgotten to pack. With that, he disappeared into the nearby laundry room.
Yuki turned to Tohru with kind eyes. "We would have no problem with you staying, Honda-san."
Tohru smiled and nodded slightly. "Thank you, Yuki-kun."
Kyo stormed to his room in silence when he heard that. He'd liked it when she was more formal with the rat. It made him feel…well…special.
Tohru looked worriedly at the unexpected departure. "Don't worry Tohru-kun!" Momiji smiled brightly and grabbed her hand. "Kyo is just jealous!" The girl blinked curiously, but smiled all the same.
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After Tohru had called her grandfather, and said goodnight to everyone present, she climbed the stairs and returned to her old room. It was just as she had left it, with a giant, pink bed in the corner. She sighed happily and jumped onto the edge, looking around again. It was just as if she had slept in there the past night.
She rummaged through her old drawers, as she had neglected to mention to Shigure that she needed pajamas to sleep in. With a bit of effort pulling it out from the corner it was buried in, the girl grinned triumphantly as she held up an old nightshirt bundled up in a corner.
Tohru was one to always fold her clothes, clean or dirty, so she was slightly confused as to what a bundled up wad was doing in her drawer. She took it gingerly, as if it might bite her, and carried it over to the bed. She laid it down and, gently, unrolled it, hoping to inspect it further.
Tohru gave a small gasp when she found what the shirt had been housing. A small orange cat figurine was nestled in the folds of cloth. She picked it up gently, fearing that it was fragile, and inspected it more closely.
With a smile, she remembered when she had first met Shigure, and the zodiac figurines he had left to dry in front of his house. Had someone else made a set?
"I always did want to be the year of the cat," Tohru spoke softly to herself as she set the small figurine on her windowsill. Satisfied, she located a pair of pajama pants and began to get ready for bed.
Just as she was heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth, Kyo bumped into her. With a small poof, a cat appeared on the floor, among the pile of his clothes.
Luckily, Tohru had been more interested at examining the pajamas she was wearing, wondering if she should iron them before bed. When she looked up to see what had caused the noise, nothing met her eye. Looking down, a small orange cat was at her feet.
"Oh!" Tohru was a bit surprised. "I didn't know the Sohmas got a cat!" She leaned over and gingerly petted a panicked Kyo. "And just like the figurine!" At that, Kyo gave a small start.
"What are Kyo-kun's clothes doing here…?" Tohru looked around at the mess that surrounded her. "Were you playing with his clothes?" she asked the cat with a smile.
Kyo, worried that he might transform back, darted away from the girl and around a corner, directly into his own room. Just as a precaution, afraid that she might walk in after him, he ran into his half open closet, and waited to turn back.
Tohru looked startled at the animal's sudden departure, but smiled all the same. Gathering Kyo's clothes in her arms, she headed towards the bathroom.
In his own room, Kyo changed back, and pulled on the nearest clothing he could find. He stood and walked out of his closet, and then made his way to his own bed.
'Figurine…' Kyo thought to himself, pondering what she had said. 'Could she have found…?' His thoughts wandered to the figurine he had hidden away when she had left. He'd tucked it in the drawer in her room. His eyes widened, and he stood from where he had been sitting. Determined, he made his way down the hall to Tohru's room.
He smirked as he peered in the doorway at the already sleeping girl. He noted her soft breathing, and the smile on her lips. Drawing his attention away from her features, he looked about the room, until he spotted it on the windowsill.
The figurine. The one he'd hidden.
When Tohru had left, the family had made sure to throw away any personal items that could potentially jolt her memory. This, to Kyo's dismay, included the Zodiac ornaments she had so lovingly crafted.
He had made it to the ornaments before the others had the opportunity to. He remembered that he had observed the rat with disdain, before turning his eye to the cat.
Gently, he had removed the figurine from the others, and wrapped it in an old shirt Tohru had forgotten in her closet. As he heard Yuki ascend the stairs, he had shoved it in a nearby drawer, and dumped the others carelessly into the garbage bag he had with him.
Now here it was again.
Seeing it sitting on her window stuck a chord with the boy. He gently closed her door, hoping not to disturb her.
That night as Tohru slept, she dreamt of a talking dog, a perturbed rat, and a fuming orange cat.
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"Good morning Tohru-kun!" Shigure exclaimed as Tohru descended the stairs to the kitchen. She looked rather flustered.
"Ah! Shigure-san! Wha-at….I-I, I'm so sorry! I must have woke up late! I haven't even made breakfast!" Tohru flailed wildly as she made her best attempt to run for the kitchen, tripping on a stair.
Kyo, sitting nearby on the couch, saw her begin to fall. He started for a moment, not enough for her to notice, yet made no motion to move. If he caught her he would transform.
As he watched her drop, Kyo couldn't help but hear another voice hauntingly in his own mind.
"I'll never forgive you…"
His eyes widened as Tohru hit the floor, somewhat stunned but all together fine. Kyo jumped from his perch on the couch and ran outside, leaving both the dog and the girl in a state of confusion.
"O-ow…" Tohru mumbled slightly from her place on the floor.
"Tohru-kun, are you alright?" Shigure stooped down and helped her up carefully. With a smile he led her to the couch Kyo had previously occupied. "Perhaps you should rest for a bit longer today."
"No, I can't! I haven't even made breakfast yet…and Kyo-kun…" She stared out the door.
"Kyon-kyon will be fine!" Shigure beamed cheerfully. "And as for breakfast, well…" Tohru followed his gaze to the kitchen, and gasped. The room, which had been spotless the night before, was now covered in takeout boxes and a new layer of grease.
"Yuki-kun tried cooking but…ehh…" Shigure smiled brightly. "You can worry about that after you rest though. Perhaps I should call Hatori over then? That was quite the fall."
"O-oh, n-no! I couldn't possibly trouble him!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure it would be no trouble at all!"
"N-no, it's nothing! I'm fine, really! I was just a bit tired, and I wasn't paying attention…"
"Oh?" Shigure looked a bit surprised. "You didn't sleep well last night? I'm sorry."
"I just had a bit of a fitful sleep."
"Ah, but the interval of sleep is Paradise!"
Yuki, who had been in the kitchen attempting to tame the mess he had made, muttered softly, "Once a novelist…"
Shigure looked at Tohru thoughtfully. "What was troubling you?"
"Oh, nothing really! Just a few strange dreams!"
"Ah? Such as what?"
Tohru blushed slightly at the ridiculous nature of her reveries, but responded back. "Quite a few talking animals. They were all arguing…e-especially an orange cat…" she trailed off, thinking about her visions, and not noticing the strange look of panic mixed with remorse on Shigure's face.
"Well then, perhaps I should go call Hatori…" His voice turned heavy, Shigure retreated into the hall. Tohru looked to the kitchen, where Yuki had reasonably stiffened.
"Yuki-kun?" She called out to him. "Are you alright?"
"Just fine Honda-san," He walked nearer the entrance, facing her with a forced smile. "I'm just fine."
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"Hatori." Shigure spoke into the receiver.
"Shigure? What's the matter?" Hatori knew his tone.
"It seems Tohru-kun is beginning to recover some of her memories." There was silence from the other line, so Shigure continued. "Not much, just bits of conversation while we were transformed."
There was another pause, and finally Hatori spoke. "If Akito finds out about this…"
"I know." The two were silent, and then Shigure added, in a bit of a lighter tone, "Tohru-kun has managed to trip and hit her head. I was hoping you could come over and take a look at her."
It took the doctor another moment to respond. "I'll be over shortly." A quick statement, and the line went dead. He looked into the living room from his spot near the phone, where Tohru was smiling cheerfully at Yuki. They all knew what it would mean if Akito found out.
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Yay! Another chapter done! Sorry these are going to start taking a bit longer, but school is fast approaching… :( Please review!