Author's Note: man! How can Christmas be only a few days off?! The year is passing WAY too quickly... After this is exams (sob) so I don't know when I'll be able to update again... probably not till February... (this makes me angry!) Well, after this chapter FINALLY comes the real beginning of the story. Lots of touching goodbyes and so-forth. Hope you like it, read on.
Disclaimer: I don't own fruits basket. I don't own fruits basket. I don't own fruits basket. I don't own fruits basket. I don't own fruits basket. (Takes breath in) I_ DON'T_ OWN_ FRUITS_ BAAAAAASSSSSKKKEEEETTTT! (thunk! (passed out from screaming.))
Warnings!: CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!! (I shall always have this up now.) Oh, and a... the rating has gone up to T for some swearing... It's not bad, but I feel safer this way. (how many swear words in here... one? and it's not even very bad... I can't type swear... heh, heh.)
Endless Curse
Chapter 4 – Goodbye
Even when you leave something... you find something new! Go ahead and say goodbye. What comes next is "nice to meet you"!
Naohito Sakuragi
The day that had started so calm and happy... had turned to despair. It was the same day; the sun still shone, people who knew nothing of what happened still chatted with each other and sometimes even laughed. Even the other zodiac families lived their lives, though they all felt down for some reason. The morning was passing, yet to Akito, horror had made time stand still.
"What happened?" Akito kept repeating those whispers to herself. It felt like the world had ended again.
Drip, drip.
Shigure woke up, blinking away sleep from his eyes. He slowly sat up, stretching. Rubbing the back of his head he looked at the clock on the far wall, 10:30...
'Ah... 10:30 already? Oh well, at least later on today I can pretend not to have finished it!'he thought, darkly to himself. Mitchan had retired from her job as an editor after she married Ristu, it was kind of sad when she left but... Shigure's new editor was even more fun to tease!
He stood up, seeing as he did that the door to the other room was open and someone inside it. He smiled, it must be Akito. He then cantered in, joking in his usual way.
"Ah! As ever the beautiful head-of-house has been doing bone grinding work since early this morning! Aren't you the least bit jealous that I, being a novelist can sleep or eat... and possibly do some kind of writing... whenever I plea..." He stopped, his wife had not turned around, she didn't seem to have heard him either... Something was wrong. He quickly strode to her side, gently cupping her face with his fingertips, he saw that it was wet with tears. Akito didn't say anything, but silently handed him a piece of paper. He read it.
"Oh..." he said queitly, shocked. Akito then started shaking, she collasped againist Shigure and cried. He didn't say anything, he just held her in that poision whilst gently stroking her hair to calm her. They stayed like that for a few minutes.
"W... we have... to call a... meeting." Akito sobbed against his chest, yet they still stayed together like that. Shigure slowly nodded.
"Yeah..." he said, staring at nothing in particular.
***
It was now night time, the entire zodiac families had managed to come. Kagura and her boyfriend Senri took the longest to get there since they lived on the other side of Japan. But now everyone was here, all the adults were in a big room in the main building while the children were in a different part, the maids watching over them as they slept. Akito and Shigure hadn't arrived yet, so all the adults were talking anxiously among themselves.
"Does anyone have even the slightest clue of what's going on?!" Hiro demanded, his arm draped over Kisa's sholders, who looked nervous. Nearly everyone else else shook their heads, both Haru and Kyo were pacing nearby, growling at the closed door.
"Well obviously, none of us know what the hell's going on, do we!" Arisa snapped from across the room, while Kureno was unsuccessfully trying to calm her. They had all been urgently called to the room hours ago, and still the head-of-house didn't show up. Haru was starting to walk more quickly as he paced, his eyes turning thunderous and was about to turn black. Machi and Tohru were just sitting in the corner, both twisting the napkins they had in their hands. Yuki, Hatori, Mayuko and Senri quietly stood by, watching everyones' else reaction. Mine and Momiji were just casually talking about different fashions they liked.
"Don't fret!" Ayame suddenly commanded. "Whether or not the stars and sea will bestow the knowledge we seek, is up the mighty queen and king of the ever growing Sohma family. Or shall we wither here, forever seeking peace as the sands of time bring forth..."
"Shut up or I'll kill you!" Kyo shouted at him, halting in his tracks to glare daggers at him.
"...the worlds of dreaming and truth that will answer one day in the far future. But of what that truth will reveil..." Ayame continued, as if nothing happened. Kyo looked as if he really was going to kill him. But before anything more could be said or done, the door finally opened and Shigure and Akito came in.
Everyone could see that some thing was wrong right away; Akito had long tear tracks down her face and was being supported by the grim faced Shigure. Every one fell quiet and waited for the head-of-family to speak.
"I'm sorry that I had to call all of you in like this." She said, her lips barly moving but was able to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. "I have grave news to tell you."
Drip, drip.
"WHAT?!" Yelled everyone at once. Horror on each and everyone of their faces. Tohru had gone white with the returning memory of her dream, Kyo had also gone the color of death and quietly held her, too scared to do anything else. Rin looked as if she was going to be sick while Haru stood still, no one sure if he had just turned black or not. Yuki slowly sat down on the floor looking as if all his strengh had gone, Machi keeled beside him looking scared. Ritsu and Mitsuru were silent for once. And everyone else betrayed their grief in their own way at how horrified they were of hearing their childrens' fate.
"How... how can we stop this?" Kisa asked in a whisper that carried across the room, since becoming engaged to Hiro she had been thinking of the family she would one day have with him, and was now scared. Anyone who wasn't to numb with shock to answer, just shook their heads. The silence spread out like a cancer, as it dredged on the feeling of panic mounted in everyone.
'We must leave.'Everyone realized, closing their eyes in despair.
***
"Those of you who are not going too far away, should change their last name from Sohma... Just to be safe."
"It may also be just a fluke that Ren is trying to pull... If no-one or the police can't find her, after some years you could maybe come again."
"What about the children? They don't realize that this isn't a game... Should... Should their memories of this place be... erased...?"
Mirai who was playing with Katsuya in the grass nearby, didn't understand one bit of the adults' behavior these last few days. At first it was very fun, him and all of his cousins were having a sleepover in the same house! But after that, all theirs parents were packing everything in boxes. When Mirai asked his mom why she was doing that she just when on with her rant that she wasn't... but actually was, and wasn't going to tell him the reason. Then he asked his dad, but he was unable to answer too.
"They're crazy." He said absently to Katsuya, tilting his head to look at their parents.
"Yeah..." Katsuya said, plucking at more blades of grass. Suddenly his eyes filled with mischievous delight. "Wanna go to the stream and catch frogs?" he said, leaning towards him. Mirai also devilishly smiled and nodded. It would be much more fun then just sitting here in their parents' view. They both got up to leave, but before they could sneak away someone came up behind them and scooped them into his arms.
"Hey!" Both Mirai and Katsuya yelled at once, but Kakeru just smiled brightly back at them. Mirai's uncle always had that smile... and still had the messy mop of hair of his, it was the one of the many traits Mirai knew of his uncle. He just gently threw them onto his shoulders, walking back towards the adults and explaining as he did.
"Hey... It's just about time to leave soon! Before you can go charging after frogs we still have to pay a speical... visit to Uncle Ha'ri..." For the first time in Mirai ever knowing him, Kakeru's voice seemed... a bit somber. Before he could even ponder on this, Katsuya was handed to his father. Mirai could also see that the orange headed man that gently held his best friend was also... sad. 'What is going on?' he thought.
Kyo casting his eyes down, gruffly said "Nearly time to go... Better say goodbye." At which point both three-year-olds stared in surprise at the two adults.
"We're not going together? We're leaving? Goodbye?" They both started at the two adults, but their faces were if a bit... grim. So they both shrugged and said their goodbyes, sadly waving to each other.
"See you later Mirai." Katsuya half-hearted said.
"Yeah, see you soon." Then said Mirai, both children voicing out how they thought this would just be a trip and not possibly forever.
"Best friends?"
"Best friends."
"..."
"ALL RIGHT!" They both then yelled, both doing a thumbs-up to each other. It was a trick taught to them by Shigure and Ayame, their ever inspiring uncles. Both parties then walked away from each other, Mirai back towards his family and Katsuya toward the Sohma's doctor clinic where Hatori worked. Mirai could see Mayuko walking out of there, her son asleep in her arms with a blank expression on his face.
'What's going to happen?'Mirai asked himself, feeling a small flicker of fear for the first time at the adults' strange behavior.
***
Machi quietly close the car door, her son sleeping in his booster seat inside, his memories of the Sohma just surrpressed. Their family was one of the last to leave. All the other families had already changed their last names and were on their way to different parts of Japan. Kagura was just going to now marry her boyfriend and receive his last name, Hinamori. Momiji surprisingly was going to move all the way to Canada! He had been planing it for a while... he wanted to play violin there and be famous. Machi, Yuki and Mirai were all going to live with Kakeru and his wife komaki in a big house, in a small city, in northern Japan.
Machi then walked over towards Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Shigure and Akito, who were all saying their last parting words. She joined them, and soon afterward ended up crying like the rest.
"You take care, of you and the baby, won't you." she said to Akito, who nodded sadly. Only the zodiac knew that Akito was a couple weeks pregnant, but since Akito had to stay on as the head-of-house she and Shigure couldn't leave with the others.
"We'll raise it in secret." Shigure said, while waving goodbye to them as they walked back to their car.
"Be safe!" Tohru called to all of them, and then they all were in their cars. Driving out of the Sohma, and hopefully away from the curse.
Author's note: my longest chapter yet! You know it's HARD writing for eccentric characters like Kakeru and Ayame!!!! (I really didn't do well on Kakeru...) I'll try harder next time! I don't know when I'll be able to update again with end of semester coming up, but soon! (I hope.) Okay, next chapter is... I don't know what. I guess random chapter about how all the families are settling into new homes. I'll go with that. (It may not surprise you but I have only vague ideas what will happen in the story... the ending is a mystery to both you and me! (heh, heh.)) See ya someday! R&R.
