A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I've come down with a bit of a cold and a bad one at that! Been stuck in bed and all, but then I go on FanFiction! I'm so glad readers are enjoying my fanfics. That just makes me so happy and I don't want to disappoint! Thanks again! Enjoy and don't forget to review!
In a Fruits Basket - Chapter 6: Missing
Recap:
"Grandpa, hi! How are you?" I said sweetly. I felt a sudden connection, as if I knew him my whole life.
"Good news, you and Mai are welcome to move back with us. Our renovations are done."
After Grandpa told us the news and hung up, Mai's hand found its way to my wrist and her grip was cutting off my circulation. I tried to break free of her iron grasp.
Where the heck did she get this strength all of the sudden?
I squirmed and moved my wrist around, desperately trying to escape. I finally gave up and took a deep breath.
"Gosh, Mai! Will you please let go?" I hissed, whacking her on the back with my free hand. Some people in the halls were staring. I ignored them.
She snapped back into reality, not even realizing how tightly she was holding me. She looked back at me in shock, then released me. I sighed in relief and began to rub my wrist, trying to soothe the throbbing pain until it faded away.
She spaced out again and said in a dull voice, "I didn't know... Uh, I'm sorry." She turned away and walked faster.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" I asked, starting to notice her concerned face. I adjusted my backpack and caught up to her.
"Mai!" I yelled and slapped the back of her neck.
"Hey!" she snapped and turned around. She placed a hand over her neck. Her eyes lit up. "Right. Sorry."
"What's the matter? You seem a bit... off."
She inhaled deeply, then began, "Didn't you hear what our 'grandpa' said? We're moving back with him! What'll happen to those three? How are we going to..."
Darn, she actually thinks we're never going to see the Sohma's again? This is what she gets for not knowing the story!
"... I mean, what if they start to realize that maybe-!" She rambled on.
"What?" I said and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shh! No, nothing's going to happen!"
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling away.
I slapped my forehead. Ow. That actually hurt. It hurts more than usual. Maybe I am getting a bruise there...
"Mai! Don't be so clueless!" I snapped, as if to scold her, "This is supposed to happen! Don't get so worked up!"
The Fruits Basket character's feelings must've been affecting her. Maybe that's how Tohru was feeling.
We slowly slid the doors open, and silently entered, trying not to disturb anyone in the house.
"There you girls are!" A voice sang in a high vibrato.
"AAH!" Mai and I screamed together and threw our arms around each other in fear.
Shigure walked into the room and began to laugh, "Oh, how cute! Sorry to scare you."
I pushed Mai away from me and straightened my shirt. I panted, "Shigure, are you busy?"
"Not at the moment. Do you need me, Arya?" he asked innocently. A bit too innocently.
I shiver ran down my spine. Damn Shigure! While he's a funny guy, I never know when to take him seriously! I shrugged it off. "We need to speak with you," I said firmly.
"Aah, so the renovations are finished," Shigure repeated after our explanation to him.
"What renovations?" Kyo asked.
"Oh I guess we never told you, Kyo." Shigure sighed.
"So what? Tell me now," he ordered.
Okay, don't be too wordy or he'll snap at you. Like Shigure said... He'll be an ass. "Before we lived with you guys, we were living in a tent, but since the renovations are done, we can move back with our grandpa."
"Why'd he have to make renovations?" he asked.
"It's not just us living with him. Turns out our aunt and uncle are going to be moving in, too. So he decided to renovate to make more room for everyone," I explained. I faced Mai, then nodded at Shigure. "I guess we better start packing then." I bowed. "Thank you for letting us stay here, Shigure."
"You're welcome to stay a bit longer until you can get everything ready," he offered.
"Thanks, but it's fine. We'll be done soon," I replied, beaming.
We stood up, and walked to our rooms.
"Yuki!" Mai smiled. Yuki looked back at her, and his eyes lit up. I clenched my hands in a fist. Since when were they so close?!
"Alright," I forced a smile, gritting my teeth. "Let's go, Mai, let's go! We better get packing!" I tried to push her towards our room. She didn't budge.
"I want to thank you as well, Yuki. You've done so much for us. Thank you," Mai said.
I peered over her shoulder, and grinned nervously. "Yes, thank you, Yuki!" I added.
"Uh..." he began, which was odd for him, "Anytime."
"Hey," I spoke out, as I folded my clothes and put them in my bag.
"What?" she asked, stuffing her toothbrush in a container.
"What's up with you?" I responded, clenching my teeth.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Stop acting dumb," I snapped. "What's up with you and Yuki?"
"Oh," she sighed, finally realizing what I meant. "Why, because I went shopping with him?"
"No," I lied, suddenly feeling awkward. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"Because he spends more time with me now?" she teased.
"Okay, enough already, dammit!" I hissed, then sighed. "Whatever."
I reached for my forehead. My fingers traced along the creases that formed when my eyebrows narrowed. My face grew hot. My forehead... It made the red on my face deepen. The memory of Yuki and how close his face was to mine... I shook it off.
I finally got all my bags down to the front door, where Shigure and Yuki were waiting.
"Here," I said, breaking the silence. I passed Shigure a slip of paper. "This is our address. If you ever have trouble with the house, you know where to find us."
"Thank you, Arya. You really are a clever one." Shigure beamed.
"We should be thanking you, Shigure, Yuki. You've done so much for us." I smiled weakly.
"By the way, where's Kyo?" Mai asked.
"Probably on the roof," I mumbled. I faced the two. "We'll be going, then. And don't worry, your secret is safe with us."
"There's some leftover soup from yesterday in the fridge. Make sure to heat it up," Mai added, then picked up her bags.
"Well, bye," I said and opened the door. "See you at class, Yuki."
"See you," Yuki said softly.
We walked outside and I gave Mai a supportive pat on the back. I looked over my shoulder and squinted my eyes, trying to get a better view of the roof. I saw a person, sitting down, watching us walk with an angry look on his face. He had orange hair.
"Bye, Kyo," I muttered to myself.
"Arya! Mai! Welcome home!" Grandpa exclaimed, greeting the both of us.
"Hi, Grandpa," we both replied and bowed. I looked up, and saw our aunt and uncle. I felt my blood boil.
"How are you doing?" I managed to say nicely.
Our uncle just smirked, then walked off into the kitchen.
"Good, thanks. You girls certainly didn't waste any time to get here," our aunt said. She gave us a small smile.
We began unpacking. Our room was larger than the one we had back at the Sohma house and it had a big window that had a view of the city lights. It was very pretty. The walls were coated with a pale pink and the carpet was a soft brown. I felt like I was inside a chocolate covered strawberry. A strange feeling, but it was true!
"Oh no!" Mai gasped in horror.
"What, what?" I replied, rushing over to her.
"I forgot... I forgot my towel! It must still be hanging in their bathroom!" she said, placing her hand over her mouth.
I sighed. "I'm sure we have extras here. And, maybe Shigure will notice and tell Yuki to give it back to you or something." I suddenly shuddered at the thought of Shigure having Mai's towel and for some reason I imagined Kyo's voice yelling, "That sick bastard!"
Days passed and we were already living comfortably in our new home. We couldn't get used to it though. I always found myself looking in the wrong cabinets, putting clothes in the wrong place, and Mai was cooking the wrong meals! I couldn't get them out of my mind, out of my thoughts, and just seeing Yuki or Kyo during class sent a pain in my chest. A small conversation, a quick glance... All made my heart ache. I missed them so much.
"Arya..." Mai said, gazing out the window. She stared at the moon. "Do you think they're looking at the moon right now? Are they looking at it with me?"
I got up, running a hand through my hair. "Mai, it's -" I looked at the clock. It was midnight. "It's late."
She laughed softly. "Usually you'd be the one to be up at this hour. I noticed that... ever since we came here, you've been sleeping earlier than usual." She turned and smiled, the moonlight shining on her pale face. "Is it because... you want the days to pass already, in hopes of finally returning to the Sohmas? Is that it?"
Her words struck me. I gasped and hid under the blanket. "I don't know." I held my breath, waiting for her next remark, but there was no reply.
I peeked and watched my sister. She leaned against the window, as if she was trapped inside the room. She stared into space, like she was waiting for someone to save her. She must have missed them too.
"Mai," I whispered.
"Yeah?" She continued to gaze at the sky.
"Let me tell you a story..." I sat beside her. "It's about a game Tohru used to play, called Fruits Basket."
It was another long day. School just ended and I was finishing up my homework. Mai walked into our room and sighed, jumping face first on the bed.
"Mm..." she blubbered into the pillow. "When are they coming? I already got scolded by our aunt today. She keeps nagging on and on about how we were living with the Sohmas." She rubbed her face side to side, revealing the tears that rolled down her face.
"Mai, I don't know," I replied.
"You should know!" She snapped, "You read the story!"
"I don't want to argue, Mai," I warned her, losing my patience.
"Ugh, I hate this!" she shouted.
"Mai? Arya?" a soft voice called behind the door.
Grandpa walked in, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Dear, Mai! Please don't argue with your sibling."
"Grandpa, are we really what they say we are? Are we reckless, and stupid, and dumb..." Mai sniffled.
Okay, I'm pretty sure they said reckless, but the rest she's just making up! I scoffed, then continued with my homework.
"Oh, Mai, please understand. This family is dear to me. Please forgive them," he replied sadly. "However, I don't want my granddaughters to put up with it, especially since it may be affecting your relationship as sisters. If there's somewhere you'd rather be, darling, you can go."
I looked at him, twirling my whole body around. "Grandpa... You've given us so much. We sound so ungrateful."
"No, I know you are grateful, Arya. But I know you are also unhappy," he replied.
"But -"
"I care a lot about you two. You are my blood! You are my family. If you are not happy, I am not happy. If there's somewhere you to need to be, then I want you to go," he said and smiled. "I'm not chasing you out of the house, I just don't want you always caged up in here, understand?"
I nodded a bit. "Truth is, we are so lucky to be here, Grandpa. And we thank you for that, but leaving our other home... We just... miss them terribly."
"We wanted to stay," Mai admitted, sitting up.
"In that case," Yuki said, walking in. He took Mai's hand, and pulled her up. "Why not come home?"
In that moment, I breathed a long, tired sigh. Finally, the Sohmas were here to bring us back.
Wait, nonononono! Why couldn't Kyo take Mai outside? Why me?
It was just Kyo and I outside. We were waiting for Mai and Yuki to pack up our things.
"Kyo," I said, trying to pull my head away from his hand. His fingers were tightly holding onto the side of my head, digging through my hair and into my skull. He dragged me out of the house and outside by the pavement.
He let go. "So you missed us, huh?" he said coldly.
"Kyo, I -" I began, not knowing how to reply.
"We heard your conversation. So why the hell did you leave in the first place if you wanted to stay? We wouldn't have to be in this mess!" he snapped.
"I'm sorry. You didn't have to come get us," I said quietly, hiding my face.
"Eh, that's not what I meant - I mean - No -" He grunted and rubbed the side of his head in frustration. "I'm doing this because - Ugh, I don't know why I'm doing this!" he blurted out, trying to find the right words.
"Then why did you come?" I said through clenched teeth, suddenly feeling offended that he only showed up to argue and scold me like some child.
"It's just..." He sighed. "It's just for some reason ever since you left I've been getting pissed off about everything, and I couldn't figure out why so it just pissed me off even more!" He ran a hand through his hair, and turned away.
My heart lifted. So, he did miss me - I mean, Mai and I.
"Oh. W-Well, thank you, Kyo," I said softly. I felt a few tears trickle down my cheek. Tears of relief and happiness.
"Are you crying, Arya?" He teased. He put a hand by my eyes and caught a tear in his fingers. He watched it drip off his finger, then hit the concrete.
"No." I sniffled, swatting his hand away. I stared at the ground. "Just... bring me back to the house. Please."
He looked at me for a moment before taking my hand. "So walk already, I'm not going to drag you the whole way there."
I felt my hand tingle and the warmth of his hand spread throughout my arm. I didn't know whether to just leave my hand for him to hold, or hold it back. I walked beside him, blinking the last few tears away.
"So... you missed me too, right Kyo?" I murmured, but was just loud enough for him to hear.
"What?" he asked, but gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Close enough." I smiled to myself.
It was a festival at our school and we were in charge of making the riceballs. It was Yuki's idea for a "Hit or Miss" theme for the customers. Mai even volunteered to help out. It felt great seeing everyone together.
"What the hell..." Mai gasped, seeing Yuki step into the room, dressed in a pink dress. "Is Yuki g-?"
"No!" I quickly replied, before she could finish the rest of her sentence.
"Yuki!" A light voice said. It rang in my ears. A small boy with wavy blond hair jumped and landed on Yuki's shoulders.
"Yuki," the boy giggled, his chocolate brown eyes wide with curiousity, "You look like a girl!"
Momiji! He's so cute! I felt my heart race at the very sight of him!
"What the hell," Kyo said in shock. "What is that little brat doing here?"
"Y'mean the most adorable little boy to ever live?" Mai squealed, rushing up to us. "Kyo, you know this kid?"
"Momiji, you're not to go running off by yourself. Yuki, Kyo, I see you're looking well." Hatori stepped in, a serious look on his face.
"So, are they Sohmas?" I asked softly, enough for only Kyo and Mai to hear.
"Yeah," he replied, glaring.
"That Momiji is so cute!" Mai sighed, "He's so tiny!"
"Never mind Momiji, what's that bastard Hatori doing here?" Kyo hissed.
"I'm sorry," The little rabbit said, snuggling up against Mai. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to hug them!"
"Leave 'em alone, it's your own damn fault! Don't go blaming it on them!" Kyo snapped.
"I'm not blaming them," Momiji whined, his bunny ears drooping down to his eyes.
"It's okay, Kyo. You don't have any authority to scold him," Mai said and picked Momiji up, making kissy faces at him. "So cute, so cute!" She cooed and began to pet him.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Momiji. We're only lucky Yuki was able to distract them," Hatori said, holding Momiji's clothes.
"Very lucky," I agreed.
Yuki stepped in and nodded. "Momiji, you really do have to be more careful." He sighed.
"I think it's time we should be going. Come, Momiji," Hatori said plainly.
"Aw, Hatori, you're no fun!" he whined.
"It's okay, we'll see you some other time, okay?" I smiled and stroked his ear. Momiji looked back at me.
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot something very important," Hatori said. "Yuki, Kyo, stand over there, please."
"What?" They both said.
"I want you to both give me a simple answer to this question. What is the last letter of the alphabet?" he asked.
"Zeee." They answered, accidentally falling for it. The letter caused them to smile awkwardly.
Click!
Hatori held the camera in front of him. "Akito wanted me to take a picture of you while I was here. That should be a very nice shot. So long, then."
"Buh-bye!" Momiji called out, waving his paws at us.
"Hatori!" Kyo yelled, "Come back here!" He chased them down the stairs.
"Kyo, it's just a photo!" I shouted, running after him. I knew this was going to lead to some more trouble.
"Dammit, they got away!" Kyo clenched his hand into a fist and slammed the wall.
"Kyo!" I grinned, "It's just a silly photo. Who knows, maybe ten years from now you'll look back at that picture and laugh."
"Laugh? With that damn Yuki?" He scoffed. "Never."
"Other than him being the rat, what do you have against him?" I asked.
"Well, that's the way it always been, ever since we were kids. He's always been better at everything. Everyone tells him how good and talented he is and stuff. He doesn't even have to try and they all look up to him. It just like martial arts. I've been training way longer than he has yet he's still better than me. It pisses me off." He burst out.
"I know how you feel." I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "Being sisters with Mai, sometimes I have to reach everyone's high expectations, y'know? She set the bar real high for me."
"But what's that gotta do with it?" he snapped. "It's not like you're actually bad. You get good grades and you're okay with people. You just don't realize it because you're always so worried about reaching everyone's expectations."
"Mhmm." I smirked. "Thanks. Nice reasoning, Kyo. Maybe you should listen to yourself."
"What?"
"That's what you're dealing with too. You don't even realize your skills and talents because you're so worried about beating Yuki." I smiled. "Cheer up, Kyo."
I walked back upstairs, to where Yuki and Mai were. I felt like I was missing something.
"You'd be very cute, Mai," Yuki complimented, smiling up at her.
No, she talked to him already! I hid behind the door, and peeked at them. They stared at each other for a long time. Mai held a piece of his clothing, slightly kneeling in front of him.
Crap, I missed it. I missed that moment with Yuki and gave it to Mai!
