Hi, everyone. Welcome to my new Fruits Basket story, The Way Forward. I'm a long-time fan of the manga, and I just recently finished a rewatch of the anime reboot. For whatever reason, I just felt compelled to write, so here I am.

Just to get this out of the way, this is a ShigurexOC-centric story, so if you aren't a fan of OCs, there's your warning. The story takes place months after the original series, and is a bit of an AU - one in which Akito turned down Shigure at the end of the story instead of choosing to be with him. I'm doing this for fun because, while I always thought Shigure was an entertaining character and his relationship with Akito quite fascinating, them getting a fairytale happy ending never sat right with me.

I expect this fanfic to give me some opportunities to just mess around with Shigure's character and some of the others a bit, and maybe explore the possibility of a Shigure who was not rewarded in the end for meddling in everyone's lives for his own benefit.

Anyway, here it is. Maybe someone will get some enjoyment out of this, who knows!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Chapter 1: Change

"I thought I should tell you now..." Akito Sohma said, her voice quiet but resolute. Shigure Sohma glanced up from his book to find her standing in the doorway with a solemn expression. He suspected immediately by the sound of her voice that this wasn't something he wanted to hear, but he was so stricken by the beauty before him that he was temporarily rendered speechless.

She stood perfectly still, hands folded in front of her, the red kimono he gifted her adorning her body so gracefully that he briefly mused she might be a vision from a dream. Almost overnight, it seemed, she had blossomed into the woman he always imagined she would be—and yet, what he failed to predict was how much stronger she looked. Akito the God seemed to him someone weak and fragile, desperately grasping for something intangible and indomitable. But Akito the woman—she was someone else. And he realized he didn't know her at all.

All these thoughts swam through Shigure's mind in a matter of seconds, until Akito's voice drew him back to reality. "I can't be with you."

Shigure calmly closed his book and pushed it off to the side, then turned back, silently seeking clarity in Akito's eyes. Inside, he could feel his heart constricting. He had accepted this as a possibility, but he was not prepared for it. Normally, he might have had something dry and witty to say. But for once, he came up empty, and Akito continued.

"I've been thinking a lot recently," she told him, turning her gaze out toward the garden as a breeze blew by. "When you came to me and I thought you were leaving—I got so angry... no, I was terrified. My whole life, I've been part of something so much bigger than myself. And when the curse broke, I was faced, for the first time, with just being me. The problem is, I don't even know who me is."

"So, you need to find yourself," Shigure murmured. "Is that it?"

"I've always been afraid of being alone," Akito replied. "But I wonder now if—if maybe that's exactly what I need. Every fiber of my being wants to rush into your arms right now, but I don't know that I should. Not now, after everything we've been to each other."

Shigure lazily rested his elbow on his knee and asked, "You haven't forgiven me, have you? For Ren."

The mention of her mother's name darkened Akito's eyes, and she turned away from him. "If I'm being honest with myself," she said with a sigh, "No." Then, when he didn't reply, she added, "Don't get me wrong. I'm well aware I'm in no position to judge you. Not after what I've done—and all the pain I've caused. But..." She returned her gaze to his, her eyes pained. "I can't look at you without thinking of how I felt that day. I can't forget the anger—the hurt. It's too much."

"If an apology is what you're looking for—" Shigure began, but Akito cut him off.

"I don't need your apology, Shigure. It doesn't matter. It won't change anything. But I want to change. I need to. I'm just not sure I can do that with you around. I've always been drawn to you, but I find myself questioning now—is it because I truly have feelings for you? Or is it just because you've always been so... unattainable to me?"

Akito fell silent, and Shigure could see she was at war with herself. He observed that he probably could have worn down her resolve with a bit of extra effort. But even for someone like him, that seemed—unfair. He didn't want to pressure her into seeing things his way. He wanted her to choose him.

She didn't continue, so Shigure exhaled and pushed himself to his feet, book in hand. "Well, it certainly does seem like you've been doing a lot of thinking, lately. Far be it for me to get in the way of your personal journey. If that's your decision, I'll get out of your hair."

He turned to walk past her, but before he could get far, she whirled on him and snapped, "What, that's it? You're not even going to try to argue? To fight for me? Don't I mean anything to you at all?"

Shigure stopped. He smirked. Selfish as ever.

"Is that what you want?" he asked. "You want me to argue—to tell you I love you, to beg you to stay, to promise you we'll figure things out together? Would that change your decision?"

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Akito said, "I—I don't know, but—"

"No, you just want to prove you still have power over me," Shigure told her. "You should know though, that I do love you—more than anything. But it's not in my nature to beg, and I'm not going to try to convince you with words of reassurance that don't mean anything. If you feel like you need to figure things out alone, that's your right. I won't try to stop you. I did tell you I'd give you a chance to reject me, after all."

"You're impossible," she said in little more than a whisper.

"Believe me, I've been made aware," he replied, a cold smile spreading across his face.

Akito glared at him, looking like she was close to tears, but he didn't react. "I'm not ready, Shigure. I—I know it's likely that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it to this point—and we wouldn't be talking like this now. But—I'm just not ready. I don't know if I ever will be."

As he looked down at her, he could feel his own expression softening despite himself. Her eyes were shining with a ferocity he had never seen before. It thrilled him, and yet—it made his heart ache.

"Like I said," he murmured, "Do what you have to do. Just know..." He reached out with one hand to gently cradle the side of her face. "I will never give up on you. If you do change your mind—well, you know where to find me."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but couldn't seem to get the words out. With one more smile, he took her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles before turning and making his way out of the Sohma house.

Several months later...

"Do you want me to head to the restaurant and wait there for you?" Mayuko Shiraki asked over the phone. "Or should I head home and wait for you to pick me up instead?"

On the other end of the line, Hatori Sohma sat in his office tapping his desk with a pen using one hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other. There was no hint of frustration in her tone as he feared. After all, this type of situation had become a bit too common of an occurrence in recent weeks. But she was as gracious and patient as usual, leaving him feeling both relieved and a bit guilty.

"I don't think this will take long," Hatori said. "But just in case, I don't want to make you wait at the restaurant. Go on home, try to relax a bit, and I'll be along to get you shortly."

"Roger," Mayu said. "Let me know if you need me for anything. And give Shigure a kick in the ass for me, would you?"

Hatori chuckled. "You know I will, and I'm sure he'll appreciate your concern."

"Oh, I don't count on it," she said. Then, with a sigh and a grumble, she added, "Listen, if you get there, and he seems like he needs it, maybe you should invite him to dinner with us."

Hatori paused. Mayu in inviting Shigure to hang out with them was the last thing he'd expected. "You sure about that? Every time you two end up in a room together, I think hell freezes over."

"I'll behave myself if he does," she responded defiantly. "If that's what it takes to get his head out of his ass."

"All right, well, I'll ask him," Hatori said. But while he didn't say so out loud, he highly doubted Shigure would have any use for spending quality time with Hatori and his girlfriend, other than possibly for the pleasure of making them both uncomfortable.

Then again, this was Shigure they were talking about. Perhaps the chance to antagonize his friends would be just the thing he needed to lift his spirits.

"Okay," Mayu said, sounding satisfied. "Drive safely—I'll see you soon. And, um... I love you."

A small smile crept up on Hatori at the sound of those words, and just how foreign they seemed coming from Mayu's lips. This was still new to them both, and the phrase didn't come naturally to them yet. But since the day she told him for the first time, his heart skipped a beat every time he heard it. He never thought anyone would make him feel this way again—not after Kana.

Standing up from his chair and tossing his pen to the side, Hatori softly said, "Same to you—get home safely. And I love you too, Mayu."

Hatori packed up and headed out shortly after that, taking the drive to Shigure's remote residence. After getting out of the car, he checked his watch and made his way to the door. He knocked. But after a moment, there was no answer.

"Oh, Shigure, why are you putting me through this?" he muttered. Letting out a sigh, he took it upon himself to open the door and stepped into the quiet house. He still wasn't used to Shigure's residence being so empty. The presence of Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo had made it feel much more alive. It was no wonder Shigure was lonely here—but it might have helped if the man got out more often.

Hatori briefly scanned the living room and kitchen, noting that Shigure must have had takeout the night before based on the stray wrappers left out on the table. There were only a few dishes in the sink, but Hatori assumed that likely meant he wasn't using many. And when he passed the fridge, he saw the postcard Tohru had sent Shigure a few weeks ago. It made him smile and shake his head—Shigure had never been terribly sentimental, but he always had an unusual affection for that girl.

Finally, he made his way into Shigure's room, where he found the scoundrel on the floor by his desk... sound asleep.

"Shigure," Hatori said in a low voice. The sleeping man made a noise and rolled onto his back, but showed no sign of consciousness. So Hatori crouched down and grasped his friend's shoulder. "Hey—Shigure. Rise and shine."

In response, Shigure let out a deep groan and threw his arm over his face, then peered up at Hatori with half-lidded eyes. "Hatori, hmmm..." he murmured. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 5 pm," Hatori said as Shigure slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. "I know you've always been a night owl, Shigure, but this is a little ridiculous."

"Mmm, I was trying to write," he murmured in response, "And I guess I just started dozing off."

"You haven't been answering my calls. I was worried."

Shigure smiled sweetly—a little too sweetly. "Aw, worried about little ol' me? I'm flattered, truly. I always knew you loved me."

"Oh, just stop it. Take something seriously for once."

"Ooh. Mad at me, are you? Hari, I am my own man and I don't need anyone keeping tabs on me."

Hatori's jaw tightened, but as usual, he refrained from losing his temper. "Based on your behavior lately, I would argue that you do. You know, your editor reached out and she's been out of her mind because you haven't been answering her calls either."

"Well, I rarely answer her calls, so that's nothing new," Shigure said with a laugh. "Although—like I said, I have been trying to write. Inspiration's been a little flat lately, unfortunately."

"Maybe that's a sign you need to get out more," Hatori suggested dryly.

"You say that like I've turned into a hermit or something. I was out with Aya just last week and I went to pick up takeout last night. Anyway, my motivation has been a little low. I don't think it's the cause for concern you think it is."

"Right, you're depressed."

Shigure didn't say anything in response to that. So Hatori sat down more comfortably on the floor next to him and said, "What gets me is the fact that you're the only former member of the Zodiac who is somehow more miserable now than before the curse was broken. Figures it would be you."

Shigure sighed wistfully and leaned against his desk. "You and I both know the curse wasn't what mattered to me."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Hatori said. "The Sohma curse ended, but the result wasn't quite what you wanted. I get that. I just—I've never seen you look so defeated, Shigure. It worries me."

Shigure chuckled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair. "I'm not sure 'defeated' is the word I would use to describe it," he murmured. "I've spent my whole life waiting—what's a little longer?"

Hatori's first thought was to ask Shigure what he would do if Akito never changed her mind. But in the next instant, he thought better of it and instead replied, "I think it would be easier on you if you weren't all alone in this big house. You know Ayame and I don't mind checking in on you, but I'd like to see you making an effort. Why don't you come have dinner with me and Mayu? It might do you good."

Shigure's smile widened. "You want me to come on your date with Mayu? I won't lie—I'm impressed you would suggest that."

"Actually, it was her idea."

Pause.

Sudden laughter burst from Shigure's lips. Amid his chuckles, he asked, "Are you kidding? I don't think I've ever heard anything more out of character in my life!"

"Well, believe it or not, I do think she actually cares about you."

Shigure shook his had. "Oh, Mayu... always too kind and too earnest underneath that rough exterior. I always knew you two would be perfect for each other."

"If you're expecting a thank you for meddling in my life, you're not getting one."

"Oh, all I did was give you a little nudge. And it worked out for the best, didn't it?"

Perhaps it was his own stubborn pride or arrogance, but Hatori didn't want to give Shigure the satisfaction of an answer. Instead, he pushed himself to his feet and said, "You still haven't answered my question. Come with us. I'll even foot the bill if you promise to be nice."

Shigure laughed. "I think we both know that's not in my nature."

"You could change that if you really put your mind to it."

"You're wrong, Hatori," Shigure said, grunting as he stood up. Hatori silently followed him out of the room and down the hall. "People don't change because they choose to. Events change people. Experiences change people. And even then, their inner nature tends to stay the same. They learn to adapt—that's all."

They came to a stop outside the bathroom, and Shigure pushed the door open. He turned his attention to Hatori, who said, "Look, if you don't want to come with us, fine. But I still want to see you go out at least once this week—and not just for takeout. I know I've been working a lot, but call someone to get a drink with. Buy something for yourself. Run to the library. I don't care, just stop moping and get out of the damn house."

"Wow. Okay, Mom, I'll get right on that," Shigure said in a mocking tone. "If that's all, I think I'll excuse myself. I'm gonna take a nice bath, and then I'm gonna call my editor. 'Kay?"

He stepped inside the bathroom and shut the door, effectively dismissing the issue entirely. Hatori glared at the door for a few seconds before sighing and turning to head back out. "You're not gonna call your editor," he murmured under his breath.