Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket/Fubura. -.-' I'm tired of saying that. I whish I owned good drawing skills. Unfortunately, I don't. Grr.
Ok, I know a while ago I said I wouldn't be able to keep putting chapters up because the story was coming to an end. That was not the case then. It is the case now, though. Oh, the vote was unanimous. You'll have to find out what it is unanimous to, though. I was only expecting one person to review when I only got one yesterday. I got two more today. I certainly didn't need to recount, that's for sure. -.-' Anyway, I'd like to say thank you to my voters: princessofslythindor, Serinity's angel, and hend. Let's see if I can ge this right... domo arigatou gozaimasu. If anyone knows, can you tell me if it's wrong? if it's right, don't bother. Anyway, here's the 19th chapter.
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Chapter 19
"I-I can't wake up… That means I'm going to die…" Amaya was lying down in the paper flowers that filled the field. In anger, she stood up and threw her sword which was strapped to her waist. "Oh…" Amaya remembered that her katana would just keep flying on until it lost momentum, because there was nothing to stop it. "Dammit."
Eventually, the blade flew out of Amaya's eyesight. By then, the cat girl had calmed down and felt very weak. She hadn't let the pain disable her, but now that she believed she was going to die, it didn't really matter to her anymore. "Who needs protection in an imaginary land, anyway? I'm just going to die, anyway." Letting her hope escape her, which was the only thing that held her up, Amaya crumpled to her knees, her legs splaying about like a young fawn's.
There was a knocking sound coming from the sky, as all real world noises came. Amaya had been trying to forget the real world and had automatically put herself into unconsciousness in unconsciousness whenever there was a sound heard, which was quite often, so often that she had completely lost track of time, not like she had been able to keep track of it. But now, she couldn't tell you even how long it seemed that she was in there. She was about to let herself dose off again when she heard Tohru's very sad voice. This must be important, and abnormally sad, for Tohru was never sad.
"Hatori-san, is Amaya awa- She isn't…" Soft footsteps were heard rushing around, and soon slower, louder footsteps came in.
"I'm afraid she isn't… Though I cannot go on supporting her with the vitals she needs, she will eventually die if she doesn't awake. She also can't seem to awaken right now." Amaya's eyes widened. She was going do die, so soon!
"She must get better! She must or… everyone will grow sad! Megumi-san is so sad all ready; he won't even say her name!" Amaya's head dropped, she didn't want to hear this anymore. She was causing Megumi pain, but she couldn't stop! She always caused him pain, she might as well be gone, so he didn't have the pain she brought.
"He would be happier if- No! Mother said I should wake up. But it might- No!" Amaya hissed at her own pessimistic thinking and fell forward, banging her head on the ground (believe it or not, that was on purpose, and it didn't hurt. In there, Amaya could shove her katana through her head and it wouldn't hurt in the least, though it wouldn't look very pleasant…).
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Tohru walked over to Amaya's bed, tears welling up in her eyes. She walked over to the foot of the bed where a chair was positioned and sat down. She felt two strong arms rest on her shoulders and pull her into a one-sided hug. Tohru sighed and gently put her small hands on the arms, which snaked away and their owner sat down next to Tohru.
"Kyo, tell me again, is Amaya going to live?" Kyo sighed and planted a kiss upon his girlfriend's cheek.
"She might, and she might not. It's her choice." Tohru closed her eyes tightly to get the teardrops out of her sapphire (or brown, it depends. Sometimes in the show her eyes are brown, and sometimes they're blue. In the manga they're blue) eyes.
As she spoke, Tohru's voice wavered a bit. "K-Kyo… what do you think she will choose?" Hearing the sadness in her voice, Kyo hugged Tohru, after pecking her lips gently.
"She'll choose the right thing. I know she will." Hatori watched the hugging couple. He wished that he could have protected Kanna as Kyo did Tohru and as Megumi and Amaya tried to from Akito. He knew that he couldn't do anything about it, because Kanna was married now, and that she didn't remember a thing about what they had had before.
Soon after that, many other came in (to be precise: Momiji, Kisa, Hiro, he was dragged there -.-' evil little basta- I mean… goat, Shigure, Yuki, and, unfortunately for Yuki, Ayame). The room was loud and full of well-wishing, concerned people. This showed how much they really appreciated what Amaya had helped them to do (break the curse) and that they cared for her as a family ordinarily would.
Among the ruckus, Hatori was trying to check Amaya's vitals, which wasn't going so agreeably (the crowd in there was so large it was hard to move around, especially with Momiji bouncing around like the little bunny he used to be, and Kyo and Yuki fending off, or beating up, Shigure and Ayame as well as each other, and Kisa hugging Tohru while Hiro scowled and stole stuff from "onee-chan").
Eventually, it grew dark outside. The darker it was, the more people there were in the room. Even in the huge crowd, Megumi wasn't there, which was very surprising because Hanajima was. Everyone quieted down as they felt midnight (which was when Hatori had to let her rest in peace) draw near. By 11:30, everyone was deathly silent; even those who cried kept their weeping soundless.
Hatori bowed his head and stood by the head of Amaya's bed, ready for anything. Truth be told, he had believed Amaya would have awakened by now. He had never expected that he would actually have to cut off her support.
Kisa clung to Tohru, who had one arm around her, and the other around Kyo's neck, who was holding her close to him. Hiro had a gentle grip on Kisa's arm, which he wouldn't let ago for the world. Even Rin, who was not exactly fond of Amaya, was gripping Haru's shirt tightly. Ayame had placed his hand on Yuki's shoulder, and it had not been swat away. Akito was gripping the edge of Hatori's desk so tight that the wood was splintering. Uotani was being held tight by Kureno, who as well as everyone else, looked rather apprehensive, though he had never met the child with silver-like hair and feline features.
Eventually, no matter how slow time seemed to go, it became 11:35, then 11:45, and next 11:50, followed by 11:55. Everyone held their breath as the minute hand on the clock ticked to 11:59. All was silent, until there was a loud bang of the door swinging open and hitting the wall (as well as Kagura, who was behind the door. Sorry, I just detest Kagura as much as I do Akito). Megumi stood in the doorway, panting.
"Amaya!" He ran over to the side of the bed, still panting. "Wake up! You have to wake up!" Megumi exclaimed, so unlike his calm, quiet self. In fact, tears were streaming his red (because he was running) face, staining it with sorrow. "You just have to…" Megumi broke down crying, laying his head down on Amaya's mattress, his arms sheltering his head from seeing anybody look at him. It didn't matter, though, because he was also blinded by tears.
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Amaya saw her imaginary landscape flourish into view. But she didn't really look around, but focused on the sobbing she heard coming from the purple sky, from the real world, where her body laid.
"Y-you have to wake up!" A sad, weak from crying, voice came from the heavens. She could barely tell, but she knew this voice belonged to Megumi. She heard more weeping, which she presumed was coming from Megumi.
"Hai, I must wake up!" Amaya closed her eyes, huffing in determination, once again focusing very, very hard on the sound of Megumi's crying and the pain she felt. She knew this was important, more important than anything else she had yet encountered.
She didn't feel herself in the real world, so she thought of everyone she cared for, and everyone that cared for her. They would all be affected by her death. She thought of Megumi and Saki, and Tohru and Kyo, and Hatori, and Shigure, and Yuki, and Arisa, she even thought of Akito (mostly because he would be charged of murder if she died). She thought of Kisa, Hiro, and Momiji, who she would not be able to befriend of she died. She thought of Haru, Kagura, Kureno, Ayame, Rin, and Ritsu, who she could never get to know. She thought of Mi Nami and her mother, who she would disappoint if she didn't wake up.
Amaya suddenly saw light shining through her closed eyelids. She smelt the freshness of air, like the air would be in a hospital. She felt herself pressing against the mattress. She tasted the delicious air seeping into her mouth slowly but surely. She heard Megumi sobbing beside her. She was awake!
Amaya sat up, opening her eyes and watching Megumi cry into the sheets on the bed she was laying on. He looked so sad; she just had to comfort him. So, she put her arms around his head lovingly and whispered sweet words into his ear.
"Hush, don't cry. I'm here; please don't stain your face with tears." Amaya took her arms from around Megumi's head as he lifted it up to stare at her. Everyone held their breath (including Amaya) for the longest time, watching Megumi stare at Amaya intently. They stayed that way for minutes upon end. Eventually a smile appeared on Megumi's face, as did one on everyone else's (except for Amaya).
Megumi wrapped his arms around Amaya's waist in a gentle, loving hug. Amaya just sat there shocked, until Megumi began to pull back. Then she hugged him around the neck and tucked her head into the hollow of his shoulder, and he returned the hug. Feeling rather bold, Megumi turned his head a bit, still in the hug, and pecked her cheek. Amaya's eyes flew open and she stiffened in shock, but eventually relaxed back into the embrace.
Amaya's ears jolted and she felt herself shaking softly. She couldn't hold in any longer, so she burst out in tears, which were dried by Megumi's shoulder. Megumi frowned. Hadn't she just told him not to cry? He let go of her, pulling away, but she kept her head the same, and kept on crying.
"Amaya, why are you crying?" She lifted her quivering head, and a smile was on her face, which flabbergasted everyone.
"I-I'm so happy… I'm alive, I'm alive! And… you just kissed me." Tohru laughed because she had overheard what Amaya had said. She watched as Kyo hugged Tohru lovingly. "T-the curse is broken!"
Akito pushed his way through the crowd to get over by Amaya. "Yes, it is, thanks to you." The room became deathly quiet again. Was Akito mad! The cat girl gasped half because the curse was broken, half because Akito had told her. "And for that, you deserve to carry the katana. Your samurai ancestors would be insulted if you didn't." Akito patted Amaya's head before laying Amaya's freshly polished, stain-free blade, complete with her sheath, in her lap gently.
"I wouldn't want them to be offended, now would I?" Amaya laid the sword by her side and reached out towards Akito. He sensed someone close to contact with him and turned just as Amaya wrapped her arms around his waist. Was she going too far? Apparently not, because Akito (uneasily) returned the hug. The two separated rather quickly, however.
A long pause traveled throughout the room, until Momiji bounced in between Megumi and Hatori and hugged Amaya around the middle, smiling merrily. Amaya laughed and hugged Momiji back (who wouldn't!). Taking this as a cue to hug the living daylights out of Amaya, Kisa and Tohru joined in without delay. Ayame, as idiotic as he is, decided to hug, too. Only, he didn't hug Amaya, he hugged Yuki. Let's just say Ayame ended up needing more medical attention than Amaya at the moment did.
Other than that, the room was full of happiness (it seems as if no one cares if Ayame is hurt…) and cheering. Amaya had quite a welcome back to the realm of the living. In fact, everyone was so happy no one noticed a figure standing outside the door watching, until everyone went to leave.
"Kisa and I have school tomorrow, so we must leave now." Hiro frowned and grabbed Kisa's hand, pulling her along. Kisa just waved goodbye to everyone. They all watched as the two walked over to the door.
"Goodbye, everyo- oof!" Kisa had collided with Hiro, who just stood still, looking shocked out the doorway, staring at someone. Everyone looked out, and out of the huge crowd that was stuffed in the room, only two people knew who it was.
"Hello, family."
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I wonder who that could be. It's almost as much a mystery as to whose girly eyes watched Kyo run into the forest to save Tohru in chapter I-don't-really-care-because-I'm-too-lazy-to-check. Anyway... sayonara until the next chapter, which I presume will be the last. Wow, I never thought I would actually wrap this up so soon...