Retrieve what has been lost : Chapter 4
Honesty
A few days went by; I didn't have another break down like the other day which I apologized profusely for. Even though I said I should go, Tohru insisted that I stay upon Shigure's approval naturally. I tried to make myself scarce but she always found a way to find me. But I found myself enjoying hers and Yuki's company.
I adjusted the make shift dress I made of Tohru old dress. She had given it to me saying that she didn't really wear it anymore. I had asked for a sewing kit to alter it some. I did have a sewing kit inside my pouch but then again, she would've of asked questions. I altered it into a nice tent dress. I slipped it on once I got out of the shower. I brushed my hair with my borrowed brush. I patted at it, noting that the rainbow streaks were gone, leaving white black hair behind. I sighed, perhaps I could cut it? I wondered as I pulled my hair into a high bun. I slipped out of the bathroom and made my way down the stairs, noting how quiet it was. Right, Tohru and Yuki were at school. I made it to the kitchen, seeing a small plate with a note on it.
-For Harmony, have a nice day! Love Tohru-
I chuckled as I removed the plastic wrapping and went to settle at the table to eat.
'How is our patient this morning' I almost choked on my bite as I startled. I looked up to see Shigure leaning against the doorway. I patted my chest to make the bite pass and coughed.
'She is fine thank you' I offered, smiling lightly. He took a seat on the other side of the table with a sigh.
'What is it?' I asked before taking a bite of rice.
'Seems like my inspiration went away again' He pouted, his hands toying with a pen his hands.
'Ahh writer's block, tell me about it' I found myself chuckling' boy do I know how that feels'
'You write too?' He asked curiously.
'More like used to, the inspiration went away a long time ago' I said sighing, man I used to write all the time but then I went to Equestria and with being a knight and all, I didn't exactly had the time to actually sit down to do that.
'Maybe I could help you, what are you writing?' I asked curiously and he suddenly looked me embarrassed.
'I don't think it's something a young lady your age should write' He said which made my eyebrow tick.
'FYI I'm 22 years old and I'm not a little girl anymore' I said ,sticking my nose up.
'My , I thought you would be Tohru's and Yuki's age' He said in disbelief' well some say that this will come in handy later'
'Pfft if I had a dollar every time someone said that to me I'd be rich' I snorted and chuckled.
'Very well then, I'm writing a new series of smut novels but I'm stuck at a very important scene' He said, sounding dismayed, taking out the script from inside his yukata.
'Oh my, smut, it's been a while since I've read that type of novel' I said then froze, I didn't just say that. How come it was so easy to talk to them!
'Oh Harmony, you have a hidden side of you that we don't know about yet uh?' Shigure said with a smirk. Yeah hidden side of me…I blushed and snatched the script off the table and roughly went over the story. I hummed when I got to the part that he was stuck.
'How about, we make it a realistic first time hmm? Not like all these showy romance from the movies but from real experiences you know? Like she could trip while trying to act sexy, they could bump heads, make embarrassing noises and all' I began to say, feeling like I was on a go, feeling a passion I haven't felt in so long. I froze as I saw Shigure stare at me. I ducked my head, my cheeks heating up.
' But that's just my opinion you know… you can do what you want it's your book after all…' I said meekly, sliding the script back to him.
'That's actually a great idea' I heard him click his pen and I heard the sound of the pen starting to scratch at the paper. I looked up and saw that he had started to write.
' Yes I definitely like the idea, maybe you could become my assistant, that could be the way to pay for your room and board' He said with a smile. Although it made mine fade.
'Why do you want to keep me around…I'm nothing but a stranger here…' And I'm dangerous, but that part went unsaid. Shigure gave me a serious look, the first I've ever seen on his face.
'Let me tell you a small story Harmony, did you know Tohru was a stranger too when she first started living here? She was Yuki's schoolmate but still a stranger and we openly invited her here and the same goes for you. Tohru seems awfully fond of you and I think she could use the feminine touch don't you think? She is living with three men all the time, she could use some female company' Oh the sly dog, he had me by the feelings. Sweet sweet little Tohru, I had grown fond of her too over the few days but I grew fond of the two male as well. I felt…better too, I don't know if it's what Tohru told me during Hatori's visit that gave some of my strength back but I was immensely grateful.
'So you accepting the position or not' Shigure asked, taking me out of my daze. I nodded with a light smile.
'Perfect! Would you be a dear and go make some tea, we got a long task ahead of us' He asked and I gave him a look. He better not take me for his maid though…I stood, taking my dirty dishes with me. I put the kettle on the oven and took out some cups. I reached into the fridge for some milk for my tea and saw a wrapped bento. Oh Tohru, you forgot your lunch… I shook my head gently.
I took the bento from the fridge and peeked my head into the living room's doorway.
'Hey Shigure, would you mind telling me where Tohru's school is? She forgot her lunch.' I said holding up the wrapped box. Shigure chuckled and wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
'What's that? 'I asked as I took it with my free hand.
'A list of things to get for me and the address of Tohru's school' He said and handed some cash to buy his items.
I hope I won't get lost. I told myself as I got ready to leave. Maybe I could tap into my magic and used the changeling stone to shape shift? No I had to conserve my strength.
'See you later Shigure' I called over my shoulder as I passed the door and closed it behind me.
It took me some time but I did find the school. Man it has been a while since I've been to school, not that I missed it or anything. I made my way inside meekly; ready to ask around if I didn't find them. I clutched the bento to my chest, feeling self-conscious as people stared and whispered to each other. I bumped into someone and apologized quickly.
'Hey watch where you're going' the girl snapped. My eye twitched but I bit my tongue.
'I was wondering if you knew where a certain Tohru and Yuki were.' I asked, might as well ask.
'Who gives you the right to approach Prince Yuki!?' The girl with pigtails snapped suddenly.
Excuuuuse me?
'What?' I asked frowning as two other girls came to flank the first one. What was this all about?
'You think you can just ask around like that and approach him, what gives you the right-'I held up a hand to interrupt her.
'What give YOU the right to call Yuki yours hmm? He can see anyone he wants , as far as I know he's his own person and you don't really have the right to objectify him like that, he isn't an object but a person, so he doesn't belong to anybody got it!?' Pfft the nerve of those girls, I've spent 5 minutes in here and I wanna slap someone already. The girls seemed at loss, making me smirk. 'In your faces' I thought smugly.
The girl with the two pigtails spluttered' wh-who do you think you are uh? You come from an another school or something, some snobbish school? You had to have an extravagant uniform uh?' That girl was clearly grasping at straws here…
' Well at least I don't have the fashion sense of an old potato, so now if you'll excuse me I have people to find' I said, pushing past them and caught sight of Yuki and Tohru who held each other's hand and were with a tall blond and a shorter black haired girl. The blond was laughing her ass off, the black haired girl had a stoic expression.
'Oh there you are you two, I looked for you everywhere' I said , trotting over to them.
'Harmony! What are you doing here?' Tohru said in a surprised tone. I wordlessly held out the bento. She looked at it in confusion.
'You forgot your lunch at home silly' I said with a small smile.
'Oh gosh! You didn't have to come all the way here for that! I could of skipped it, it's no big deal! I shook my head and patted her head, making her stop her spazzing.
' you need those nutrients darling, your still growing, it was my pleasure to come out here and give it to you, it made me explore the city a bit, I was beginning to feel a bit stir crazy anyways, I needed to come out of the house' I reassured and took the bento from my hands.
The blond finally stopped laughing and gasped for breath.
'Wow, I've never seen someone roast them like that, can I have your autograph' the blond joked with a smile.
'Oh! Harmony those are my friends Uo and Hana, Uo, Hana this is my new friend Harmony, she's living with us' Friend… there was that word again.
I bowed politely and smiled at them' Nice to meet you, now that I gave you your lunch, I'd better go, I have to run some errands for Shigure on the way back.' I said turning around to leave. I waved over my shoulder' see you two love birds later' I called and saw both of their faces lit up with a blush. I snickered to myself before leaving. The store wasn't that hard to find. I got Shigure all of the items on his list then headed back home… Could I really call this place my home yet? No…stop kidding yourself, maybe it's just temporary, maybe they'll get tired of you eventually, like everyone else…
'Don't downplay yourself like that' The shadow's voice rang in my head.
'You've been silent for a few days, I thought you were gone' I said back, my grip tightening on the paper bag I was holding.
'You were already in distress and I didn't want to distress you any further' the voice said softly. The voice normally helped most of the time, its soothing voice often easing my mind.
'I'm feeling a lot better now' I thought and it wasn't a lie, I did feel better than I had a few days ago.
'I'm glad, it's surely the first step to happiness, moving on' It said wisely and fell silent. Yeah moving on, better said than done.
I slipped into the house.
'Shigure I'm back!' I called, removing my shoes and walking up to the living room, seeing Shigure balancing the pen between his nose and mouth.
'You didn't write anything since I left?' I asked, setting down the bag in front of him.
'Nope, I was kind of waiting for you, did you make it to the school alright?' He asked, the pen dropping into his lap.
'Yeah it was relatively easy to get there' I answered, leaning against the doorway. Having a strong sense of smell helped a lot too.
'The thing I didn't know was Yuki's fan club' I held back a laugh at the idea. I had been kind of mean to them; maybe the fashion comment had been a bit too much. Shigure gave a chuckled of his own.
'By the way Harmony, Hatori called and he wants you to come and meet him at the Sohma estate, don't worry I'll walk you, I need the fresh air' He said as he stood. I suddenly felt weary, why would they want me to go there?
'Um ok then, we can go now?' I suggested as he brushed past me to head to the front door.
' sure lets go'
The walk there felt tense. I didn't feel good at all. Why did they want me there, what did they want from me.
'Relax, nothing bad is going to happen' Shigure said, trying to break the tense silence. For some reason that wasn't reassuring at all…
We finally reached a huge gate with sign that read 'Sohma' on them.
'Here we are' Shigure announced, tucking his hands into his sleeves.
The door opened to reveal a little boy with blond hair and caramel eyes.
'Oh hello Shigure! You must be Harmony, Hi! I'm Momiji Sohma' He greeted cheerily. I offered a smile back; it was hard not to smile at that cute face.
'Come inside, I can give you a tour of the place!' He said tugging on my hand.
'Momiji, you can show her around later, but right now she has an important meeting with Akito' Hatori's voice cut through the blonde's chattering.
'Awww but she just got here; can't I show her around a bit ?' Momiji begged with a whine. Hatori only had a stern look.
'Later' He said with finality as Momiji pouted, letting go of my hand.
'I'll be glad to take that tour later Momiji' I offered a weak smile before walking over to Hatori so we could step inside the house.
'I take it that you feel much better now Miss Harmony?' Hatori questioned, his tone seeming uninterested.
'Yes much, thank you for asking' I said softly, trailing behind him, not really knowing where we were going.
' You must be wondering why you were summoned here' The stoic man asked, turning to me when we reached a set of sliding doors. Of course I was wondering what I was doing here…
' What you are about to find out will have to stay a secret , if you were to talk about it, there will be dire consequence, do you understand?' The severity in his tone made me gulp and give a light nod. He opened the door and motioned me inside. I slipped into the dark room ,the only source of light being a large circular window, where someone was leaning against, looking out the window. He wore a kimono, his dark hair covering his eyes. I felt suddenly chilly, as if the degrees in the room had dropped. I didn't like this at all.
'Are you familiar with the story of the Chinese zodiac, Miss Harmony?' The person at the window asked out of nowhere.
'I can't say that I have' I replied honestly.
Long long time ago, Got told the animals, 'Tomorrow I'll invite you to my banquet. You must not be late.' After hearing the news, the rat, who likes practical jokes... told its neighbor, the cat, that the banquet was the day after tomorrow. On that day, the rat rode on the ox, and jumped off into get to the banquet first. The ox followed then the tiger and everyone else. The celebration lasted until the next morning. Except for the deceived cat..."
'Poor cat' I thought with a frown.
'Be careful of her…she's dangerous, I don't like the air she has around her' I heard the shadow whisper in my mind. She? It was a woman, well, her kimono did hide everything well.
' I felt a shift in the air a few days ago and the day after, Hatori arrives with the news that Shigure didn't transform upon your contact with him' Akito trailed off as she slowly stood up, making her way over slowly. What transform? What was she talking about.
' You see my dear Harmony, this curse has been in our family for generations and upon the contact with the opposite sex, they transform into their zodiac animal' She explained, slowly walking over to me as I knelt on the ground. I felt the mark on my chest quiver making me wince. Her energy stifled me, choking me, she had a certain magic around her.
'But when you touch them, it doesn't happen and I wanna know-' she grasped my hair and made me look at her in the eyes. My scalp stung at the harsh treatment, making me grunt in pain.
'Why it doesn't happen with you, you have a special air around you Harmony; I sincerely don't like it…' She tugged some more, almost making me grasp her wrist to make her stop.
'And let me guess, you are like that idiotic little girl Tohru aren't you? ready to do anything to break that curse' Her voice got more and more angry her grasp tightening until I couldn't take it anymore. I grasped her wrist with both of my hands. What was her problem?! That woman was insane.
'listen here you little pest, I give you and other whore a whole year to break the curse or else , you both get your memories erased and that wretched cat gets locked up' She spat venomously.
'Let me out, I'll take care of her!' I heard the shadow hiss in my head. I fought to control her; I don't know what she was capable of.
'Then let me help you' I felt heat spread through my muscles and bones, fuel my strength and allow me to push her off making her stumble and fall on her butt. I stood, letting air out of my nose like a bull. Before I knew it received a vase to the head. I cried out ,closing my eyes out of reflex. Ok that's it, I had enough of that woman's shit. I grasped her kimono and lifted up in the air. I heard the sliding doors slam open.
'Akito, Harmony!' I heard Hatori yell. I made the shadows glue his feet to the ground, no he wouldn't interfere, I had a few words I had to say to dear Miss Akito
'You listen to me you piece of trash!' I hissed, my voice distorted as I fought for control over the shadows. I dug my now black eyes into hers, staring deeply into her eyes.
'If I break the curse, it'll be for them not for you, the last thing I want is them to be stuck with a vile, cruel person like you any longer!' I said, venom dripping from every word.
'You know… a monster isn't defined by appearance but by a person's mind, whoever or whatever that Kyo person is, he's not the monster here! You are!' I spat, pushing her onto the floor roughly. I felt anger licking at my insides, threatening to overcome me but I remained as passive as possible. I felt warm blood trickled down my forehead and gradually down my face, a few vase shards must of imbedded themselves into my scalp. She went to move but I pointed at her, trying not to smirk at the way she flinched.
'You won't raise your hand on me or on anyone else in this family ever again do you hear me?! I won't let you hurt those poor innocent people any longer! If you honestly think that's how a family works…then you're gravely mistaken' I panted after my rant, feeling the shadow back down slowly. I finally felt the pain welling up in my head but I didn't care.
'I'll free them from you and that's a promise…' I said, my voice sounding tired to my own ears. I turned around and saw Hatori stare in shock. The shadows released him and he was able to move again.
'Don't touch me' I whispered harshly went he went to grab my arm.
'But your head…' He said softly.
'I don't care, I'm going home' I then ran off, rushing past Shigure and Momiji, who appeared to be making their way over. I took off into the woods, knowing it was a quick route to Shigure's house. However I faltered half way, my strong courageous façade suddenly dropping as the dam broke, tears streaming down my face, mixing with the blood that was now drying on my skin. I whimpered, hugging myself as I leaned against a tree for support as I sobbed. I felt a head ache starting to form as the pain kept lingering. I made my way home, sniffling and sobbing pitifully all the way. The sobs started anew when I saw Yuki on the back porch. I shakily made my way across the backyard. I heard Yuki gasp and run over to me.
'Miss Harmony, tell me what happened?!' His lavender eyes wide with concern as he grasped my arms tightly to keep me up. I collapsed into his arms, the both of us crumpling to the ground.
'How can you live with someone so cruel?' I cried, a new wave of tears coming out as I met his sad eyes.
'You get used to it' He said sadly as he wiped away my tears with his sleeve. I sniffled pathetically, pressing my forehead to his shoulder.
'No, you don't have to! How can a person be so vile to his own family?' I said in disbelief, clutching the material of his shirt tightly.
'I-I'll break this curse, for all of you! I don't how yet, but I'll do it!' I cried in determination, looking at him in the eyes. I hugged him tightly and felt his body tense then relax, feeling his hands rub circles on my back.
'I promise' I whispered and his grip tightening momentarily.
'I believe you' I felt something spark in me at his words, as if a piece of my soul came back to me.
'Honesty' I heard in my head.
Yuki gently pulled away and offered a sad smile.
'Let get this wound cleaned up' He said softly, helping me up. I saw the huge stain on his normally pristine shirt.
'Oh no your shirt I-I'm so sorry' I said sheepishly, lowering my head.
'It can be cleaned or I'll throw it out, your wound is more important at the moment, let's go inside' He said motioning to the house. I meekly followed , climbing up onto the porch and into the living room. I sat down as dizziness began to hit me.
'Stay there, I'll go get the first aid kit' He ordered softly.
-Fruits Basket-
'Akito did this to you?' Yuki questioned as he took out the shards of the vase from my scalp very carefully and set them down on a piece of gauze that was on the table.
'Yeah, didn't take the fact that I pushed her of me, for a sickly woman, she had one hell of a grip, nearly ripped my hair out…' I said , wincing as he took a particularly large shard out. I felt his fingers gingerly touch my scalp, parting the hair to make sure he had gotten everything.
'I can't believe he made you go' Yuki said, his voice holding an angry undertone. 'Akito is extremely dangerous' He said as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and a cotton swab and soaked it with alcohol. He was about to dab it on one of the wounds when the front door slammed open and we heard the thundering of feet. I got ready to bolt when the door slammed open. Both Shigure and Hatori stood there panting.
'You have some explanations to give us young lady' Hatori said sternly.
'Let's just wait until Tohru comes back ok? I don't want to tell this story twice.' I said tiredly.
'very well, now let me have a look at your head' He said walking over and switched place with Yuki, who went upstairs to wash up.
-Fruits Basket-
The silence stretched itself till Tohru arrived. We heard her cheerful 'I'm home!' She peeked her head through the door and saw all of us sitting around the table. Before she could begin to fuss about the bandage on my head we made her sit down. I told the whole story, I didn't hold back. I told them the whole truth; they would either believe me or think I'm crazy and intern me into an asylum.
Uh! You can do magic?!' she said in fascination as she stood in the doorway with fresh tea and snacks. Of course she would be the one to believe me without questions.
'That's pretty ama-uuuh!' She tripped over one of the cushions, sending the tray flying. Without thinking, I caught the tray with my magic and put a cushion for Tohru to fall on. She landed with oof and looked around in confusion. They all stared at me in shock. I sighed as I gently set the tray on the table, distributing the cups and filling them with tea. I folded my hands in front of me.
'I have a certain theory about how you don't transform when I come in contact with you' I said trying to change the subject.
' Your magic is negative magic since it's a curse and mine is positive magic, so my theory is that both magic nullifies each other' I only got blank looks. Figures.
'What happens when you take a base and acid and mix them together?' I asked and Yuki perked up.
'It becomes a neutral' He answered' but I don't see…oh' He finally caught on.
'Exactly, it neutralizes one another upon contact, but that's just a theory, I'm not that much of an expert' I said sipping my cup.
'How will you be able to break the curse then?' Hatori asked over the rim of his cup.
'Probably a counter spell but I need to make some research first, I got to see if there's a way that it can break on its own but I'll need everyone's help' I said biting my lip. I had one tough task ahead of me but I will do it.
It's a promise…