A/N: Just want to thank everyone for the reviews! Reading them made my day! You guys are awesome!


In a Fruits Basket - Chapter 8: Vivid

Recap:

"We'll be back soon." Mai smiled, and grabbed her purse. Yuki nodded, and got out his jacket. Everything was happening too fast. Why did Mai always have these moments with Yuki? It wasn't fair.

"No!" I blurted out, "No, I'll go!"

Yuki and Mai froze, giving me a confused look. I clapped my hands over my mouth, and turned a beet red.


"I- uh- I mean... Um..." I stammered, swallowing the huge lump in my throat. I tried to ignore the stares I was getting as I desperately tried to find the right words. "I'll go instead because Mai might forget the ingredients," I said dumbly.

What a stupid save! Everyone knows she's the one who cooks!

"We'll be fine, Arya. No need to worry." Yuki smiled.

"But if you'd like to come..." Mai began.

"Uh, no, it's okay. Sorry, I'm holding you guys up." I sighed and gave up. "Better go now."


"So what's your problem?" Kyo scoffed, as he polished the first shelf. He looked down at me, as I cleaned the bottom shelf.

"Nothing, butt out!" I hissed, standing up to face him.

"Hey!" he shouted.

I paused, feeling guilty for snapping at him. "I'm sorry. It's just... the dust, that's all."

"Allergic?" he asked, and continued to clean.

"Yeah," I replied honestly. I moved to the next shelf, and let out a sneeze. Perfect timing. I sniffed, then asked, "So, what do you guys do?"

"What do you mean?" he replied, focusing on the shelves.

"I mean for New Year's. Do you watch the sun rise? Stay up 'til dawn? Have a countdown? Make a wish? All that crap." I joked. I added, "We usually eat noodles and New Year's cakes while playing board games. Y'know, four player games. It's narrowed its way down to two, though. But we have you guys, now, yeah?"

"Oh," he began, "we uh- We go to the Main House." He walked to the back of the bookshelf to clean.

"You- You're going out," I concluded, following so I could see him. I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice.

"So you're telling me that damn rat didn't tell you?" he snapped. I shook my head. He mumbled a, "Sorry".

"Well, it's alright! I've got Mai!" I managed a smile. "And besides, if it's a tradition for the Sohmas, then I don't want to interfere."


"Oh, wow, Mai! New Year's cakes!" Arisa smiled.

"Do you think there'll be enough for the five of you?" Saki asked, inspecting the two that were prepared. All the girls were in the kitchen, having a small chat as we got ready for lunch.

"Yuki and the others are seeing family tonight," Mai answered.

So he must've told her as well...

"That's sad to hear." Saki sighed. "How about you two come celebrate at my house?"

"It's okay, Hana, we've got each other!" Mai smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"You're just gonna end up arguing over the board games. Who's going to referee?" Arisa mumbled.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" I grinned nervously.

"Forget I said that," Arisa replied quickly. "But hey, are you guys sure?" She ran a hand through her blond hair.

"Positive. Thanks," Mai answered.

Arisa's green eyes narrowed for a moment but then her face softened. "Okay then."


"Lunch is almost ready. Go tell them that, Arya," Mai ordered, as she set up the plates.

Saki and Arisa stepped outside, as we finished preparing lunch. I overhead their conversation as I walked towards them.

"It's their first New Year's together - without Kyoko. I wonder how they'll manage." Arisa sighed.

Saki added, "They said they have each other, but I don't think 'each other' will be enough. You know how emotional they get. They miss her terribly."

I hid behind the door, and continued to listen. Kyoko? I felt something hit me in the gut. What's this feeling?

A woman was lying down in a hospital bed. The walls were a dull beige and the lights were dim, with little sunlight shining through the windows. The woman was dead, with her cheeks wrapped in bandages. But it looked like she was sleeping. The image moved, as if the eyes I was looking through moved to the side. There, beside me, was a younger looking Mai, crying at the edge of the bed. She sobbed and didn't say a word.

"Mai," the person said. It sounded like my voice. "Mai, don't cry. Please. Mai, look at me!"

That sudden vision was so vivid. It felt like I expirienced it before. Like it was a memory. It seemed so familiar. Was that... what happened before? Was that woman Kyoko? Our 'mom'? That's what happened when she died.

I felt hot tears stream down my face. I quickly wiped them away, then inhaled deeply.

Is this how Tohru secretly felt? It was her first New Year's alone. She had no family to go to. She had it much worse than I. At least I have a sibling, Mai.

But, still, I could feel her pain. It was horrible. Finally, after what seemed like forever of hiding behind the door, I walked in, and said in a firm voice, "Lunch is ready."


"We thank you for this food," everyone said, clapping our hands together.

As I ate, I eyed Saki, who was deep in thought. She stared at her food. Just watching her made me do the same. I found myself gazing into my spoon, which held some steamed rice.

"Arya?" Shigure asked.

I flinched, causing my hand to jerk up, the spoon to go flying into the air, and the rice to land on - well, I'll be damned - Kyo's head! Yuki muffled his laughter with his napkin. I gasped. "Sorry!" I ran up to him and began to pick the rice out of his hair.

"I got it, Arya!" Kyo hissed, then swatted my hand away. He brushed the rest of the rice off. I sat back down, blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh, Arya, that reminds me," Shigure said, raising his eyebrows. "I found this on your shelves while I was cleaning and almost broke it! Luckily, nothing happened." He got up and disappeared for a few minutes. He came back, with a picture frame in his hands. "Here. Just check if it's still okay."

He passed it to me. I stared at it for a long time. It was the picture of Kyoko. The one Tohru always carries with her.

"Thank you," I finally said. "I wouldn't want Mom hurting herself." I felt uneasy after saying it. I let the feeling pass.

"Oh," Mai said softly. "Right. Yes, thank you Shigure."

I thought for a bit. Mai probably felt the same way too.

"So you were in their room, huh?" Kyo asked suspiciously.

"Yes, just cleaning, nothing more!" Shigure grinned.

"Sure," Yuki mumbled.


Arisa held me in a tight squeeze. She cradled my head as she hugged me. "Enjoy yourselves, and I'll see you next year!" She smiled.

Saki nodded and smiled. "Yes, I wish you pleasant electric signals this year."

I beamed. "Thanks! You too! And thanks so much for helping us clean."

I hesitated, then decided, what the heck? I reached for Saki and gave her a hug. I felt her tense up, then relax. She placed a hesitant hand on me and stroked my hair. They waved as they walked away, back to their houses. I kept a smile on my face until they left and were out of sight.


"Oh, girls, it's terrible!" Shigure whined and began to stomp his feet like a bratty child. "Neither one of these two wants to go with me back to the Sohma house!"

"Dammit," Kyo said, slamming a fist on the table, "quit whining, you're supposed to be an adult!"

"How come?" Mai and I said in unison. We sat down beside them. The t.v was on, quietly playing in the background.

"I haven't been in that place in four months! I'm not going to go now just because of some stupid New Year's thing," Kyo explained.

"I've had my reasons for leaving home. They'd seem almost meaningless if I went back tonight," Yuki replied and calmly sipped his tea.

"Aw, why do you have to be like this? You've both gone every year before now, haven't you?" Shigure sighed. "You see, New Year's is a big night for the Sohmas. It's the one holiday that the entire extended family gets together to celebrate."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Mai exclaimed, "I can't see why these two refuse to attend!"

"I'd have to say the real highlight of the evening is the Zodiac banquet!" Shigure smiled at the thought, placing his a hand on his chin.

"A banquet? Like in the legend?" Mai asked, smiling brightly.

"Precisely. It's the banquet for only the Zodiac members to attend. The other extended Sohma members will just have a separate party of their own. And best of all, the Zodiac of the New Year performs a dance. This year it's Momiji's turn!"

"So cute!" Mai squealed, "Make sure to tell me all about it!"

"Who said we were going?" Kyo grumbled.

"Aah, yes," Shigure sighed, "but nothing can compare to the beautiful dance Yuki did three years ago."

"Okay, now that's something you have to tell me about!" Mai commented. Three pieces of food slapped Shigure's face. To my surprise, they stuck.

"I told you never to talk about that," Yuki glared.

I snorted and told him, "Nice throw."

"But honestly, why don't you want to go?" Mai asked, "If I were you, I would! It sounds amazing! A banquet with the Zodiac members - just like the legend!"

"So... what about Kyo?" I added. Something in everyone's minds clicked.

"Right," Shigure said. "Just like the legend."

"Nah, I can't. It doesn't matter to me," Kyo snapped.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," I said softly.

Kyo paused before he replied. "Eh, it's nothing you gotta be sorry about. I don't care, it's not the reason why I'm not going back. I-"

"You two should go!" Mai cut in. "I'm hearing your excuses and they suck!" They two boys looked back in shock.

"What she's trying to say is," I began, sighing, "she's really jealous and she wants you to go for her."

"Shut up, that's not what I meant!" she protested. She calmed down. "Anyway, you should go. Enjoy yourselves. It's the Sohmas' big night. I feel like it's also because of us that you're not going. Don't worry about us, okay?" She tried a small smile. "You'll see... You'll see your parents there, right? I'm sure they're all looking forward to seeing you."

"Yes," I agreed, "go have fun. And we'll see you next year!"


Mai and I waved as they left. Like before, I forced myself to put on my widest smile. A whimper suddenly escaped Mai's trembling lips. She let out a choked sob, then shut the door.

"Uh, hey! Mai, I was still saying bye," I said.

Tears rolled down her pale face. She let out another sob. "Why- why am I crying?"

"Mai, don't cry. Please," I said, echoing the words that were said in the "memory". I shook it off, then tried to smile. "Let's get ready for New Year's. For... For Kyoko."

We dressed into nicer clothing. Instead of baggy jeans and sweaters, I decided to change into a more formal outfit. I slipped on a pale blue blouse, that was decorated with silver beads at the neck-line. It was slightly loose. Even the slightest inch of movement caused the top to sway and dance. I put on some tight, dark-washed jeans. Since we were at home, I just went bare-foot.

Mai came out of the washroom, dressed in a white long-sleeved top. It was fitted, but the sleeves were large and when she opened her arms, they looked like wings. She wore golden bracelets that jingled when she moved her arms.

She reached for me. "Arya. You look pretty."

That was something she rarely said to me. I nodded and responded, "Thanks, Mai. You too."


We sat down in the living room with our New Year's cakes, noodles, our board game, and the picture of Kyoko. "What game is this?" Mai asked, observing the box.

"I believe it's..." I began and read the name out loud. "Brain Teaser."

"Sounds... stupid." She sighed.

"It's a four player game," I commented.

"Even stupider," she said dumbly.

"Is that even a word?" I muttered.

"Don't give a crap," she answered plainly.

I found my fingers tracing along the frame of Kyoko's picture. I began suddenly, "Mai... Um, about our 'mother', Kyoko... She was a hard-working woman. She was strong, even after out father's death."

"She died... by a car accident?" Mai replied.

"How'd you-?"

"Not sure how I figured it out. I just saw images. Like... they were memories or something. My memories. I 'remember' seeing her in the hospital bed. I 'remember' crying my eyes out after hearing what the doctor had to say about her. The feeling's terrible."

"I saw that too," I murmured, already feeling the tears coming. Some began to sit at the corner of my eyes. I blinked, causing them to roll down my cheeks. I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

"But you... you comforted me, Arya." Mai sniffled, "You were there when I lost hope." She covered her face and sighed. "I feel so bad. Poor Tohru. Poor Kyoko." She hugged the picture. "I feel like I knew her my whole life. I miss her. And now... while we're here all alone, without her... I can't-"

SLAM!

The door swung open, with two boys gasping for breath. Mai gasped and wiped her eyes before she could show any more tears. I stared back in shock and blinked, which caused yet another tear to fall. Yuki caught it on his finger and held it in front of me as if to ask, What is this? Wordlessly, I pushed his hand away from me.

"It's nothing!" I replied quickly. "It's my allergies and you know how -"

"Miss Nadeshiko, Mai," Yuki said, trying to catch his breath, "we need to watch the sunrise."

Kyo's eyes wandered, then he added, "And we'll eat soba noodles." He panted and looked straight into my eyes. "Then play the board games until dawn."

The two looked at us, then fell to their knees before collapsing in front of us. Their faces were flushed after running.

"Oh..." Mai muttered, then smiled a bit. "Thank you."


"Brain Teaser!" I yelled loudly and slammed the big red button you were supposed to press when you got a riddle right.

I rolled the dice and sang, "Aw right! Five!" I took my game piece and moved it five spaces. I landed on the "Free Riddle" space. That meant if I answered a question right, I could get another free roll. This was the second time in a row I got it and I haven't got a wrong answer yet!

"That makes... sixteen for Arya," Yuki said, writing down the score, "fifteen for me, eleven for Mai..." He smirked, "And two for Kyo."

"Aurgh, shut up! I hate these stupid riddle games!" Kyo exclaimed, throwing his cards down at the table.

"Does this mean I win?" I smiled.


"Were you two... lonely?" Kyo asked, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, we were okay, really," I answered nervously, hiding my face by hunching my shoulders over.

"Are you sure?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"I'm glad you came back, actually," I admitted. "But are you sure you don't want to be back at the Main House?"

"I'm okay here with you," he replied casually. He then realised what he said and we both turned a faint pink.

"With you and Mai," he corrected himself.

I nodded slowly. "Thanks for coming back, Kyo." I was about to go back to the living room, where Mai and Yuki were cleaning up.

"Arya?" Kyo called out.

"Yes?" I replied softly. I turned to face him.

"You look... You look okay," he stammered.

"Uh, thanks. You too," I said awkwardly.

I look "okay"? It wasn't the best compliment, but I still ended up finding myself blushing a deep crimson.


The sun was rising. The sky was a soft pink colour, with clouds the colour of lavender, reflecting off the sun, being tinted with an orange. It was an amazing sight to see, watching the sun rise slowly above the horizon. A big shadow began to creep in on the ground below us, like a thin blanket.

"I've got my wish." I sighed, staring at the view. I wish this whole thing in Fruits Basket turns out well.

"I wish for a thousand more wishes!" Mai joked, spreading out her arms. She looked like a bird about to take flight.

"You can't do that," I mumbled.

"And why not?" she snapped.

"Wishes like those don't count," I said plainly.

"Yes it does! I just found a loophole!" She scoffed.

Yuki and Kyo nervously smiled back at us. Kyo suddenly stood up, raising a fist. "This year I'm going to beat that damn rat!" he exclaimed to the sky.

"You're wishing, are you?" Yuki muttered.

I began to laugh. I felt so happy, just being together with Mai, Yuki and Kyo. I felt like I belonged, like I was at home. I closed my eyes, wrapping my hands around my waist, and continued to laugh. It echoed. I looked back and saw Mai and Yuki smiling back at me. Kyo's jaw dropped a bit, with an odd look on his face as he watched me laugh.

Mai giggled softly. "It's the beginning of the new year and you're already acting crazy."


New Year's was over and so was Winter Break. We just started our third term in school.

"Girls first! Everyone, wait by that corner over there!" Our teacher called out, gesturing us to line up.

We were having our endurance run today, but Yuki and Kyo saw it more as a race. I felt worried and I wanted to run with them to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately, we had the groups divided by gender.

"Ready! Set-!" The teacher yelled and held the gun at the air. He pulled the trigger and the gun went off.

All the girls began to run, chattering away. After dealing with Saki's running problem, she told me to run off without her. I nodded slightly, then continued to run, trying to catch up with the other girls.

It was windy and cold today and didn't help with my running and breathing. My lungs burned and the cold air made it painful. I stopped to take a breather and began to rub my legs and thighs for warmth. The wind howled.

As I got up, I noticed something at the bottom of the hill beside me. White hair. I gasped and ran down the hill, but I was careless, and stumbled. At the very last moment, when my eyes met with the stranger, I began to roll down the rest of the way, and crashed right in front of the white-haired man. Correction: White-haired teen. He stared down at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and helped me up.

My face flushed, then I brushed the dirt off my knees and shirt. "Sorry, lost my balance there."

"You really have to be careful," he said. He gave me a look then asked, "Have you ever heard of a place called 'Sohma house'?"