That's a Secret

(Kazuko's POV)

*One morning, Tohru & I approached Shigure*

Tohru: Shigure. Is there anything you need us to do around here on May 1st? We'd like to go out for a few hours in the afternoon.

Shigure: Oh, take all the time you want. I'll be out on an errand most of the day myself. What's the story? Hanging out with friends?

Kazuko: Yes. It's the anniversary of when our Mom passed. We're visiting her grave. And our Dad's if we have time.

*Shigure & Yuki looked surprised to hear that*

Shigure: Good kids. First anniversary, yeah?

Tohru: That's right. But we're not doing anything too special for it.

Shigure: I'm sorry. I can't go.

Kazuko: It's fine. I know our parents would understand.

Yuki: Would it be okay if I joined you?

Tohru: You want to?

Yuki: I'd like to pay my respects. If you don't mind the company.

Kazuko: Thank you so much. I know Mom and Dad would love to meet you.

Shigure: And Kyo? Surely you've got nothing better to do. You should tag along with them.

*Kyo didn't say anything*

(Fruits Basket - Opening Theme 2 - Chime)

(Kazuko's POV)

*Later that day, Tohru & I were walking the halls of our school with our friends*

Arisa: Say what? The Prince is coming with us? What about Kyon?

Tohru: Well, we don't really know. He didn't give much of an answer.

Ichiro: Oh man. Kyoko would've had so much fun messing with that guy! I'm talking serious hardcore torture!

*It was true. I could just imagine Mom messing up Kyo's hair, teasing him about the color*

Saki: Then right when a though he couldn't take anymore torture, she'd pull him into a bear hug strong enough to pop his back.

*My face paled as I imagined Mom hugging him & then him turning into a cat*

Kazuko:*in his mind* That would be terrible! For lots of reasons!

Saki: It's odd. This doesn't feel real. A whole year as past since that day.

Arisa: I know what you mean. I still feels like she'll pop out of nowhere looking just fine. Apologizing to us because this was all some twisted joke. *Tohru & I looked a bit sad* Sorry. I being a total downer, huh? I guess . . . That just goes to show what a bad*** Kyoko was.

Ichiro: Yeah. The legend of the Crimson Butterfly of Route 7 will never be forgotten!

*Tohru & I both chuckled. Suddenly, I felt something grab both of us from behind*

Momiji:*off-screen* Tohru! Kazuko! *we turned around & saw Momiji**on-screen* Please, you gotta hide me!

Kazuko: Huh? From what?

Momiji: Classmates! We're playing Cops and Robbers! And I'm the criminal!

Ichiro: Well, you'd better skedaddle because they're catching up.

*Suddenly, a male student appeared at the bottom of the stairs*

Boy #1: There you are! No use running now!

*Momiji headed up the stairs*

Momiji: Tohru, you work today, right? I'll see you then!

*The student ran past us*

Boy #1: Stop, you thief! Hey you guys, I found him! Second floor! Hurry!

*Tohru looked a little nervous watching them run*

Tohru: Oh no, not good . . . Please slow down. Watch where you're going.

Arisa: That kid. I wonder which one of his parents is from Germany.

Kazuko:*in his mind* Now that I think about it . . . We've hardly heard any of the Sohmas talking about their parents.

*I remembered when when Tohru told me, that Yuki told her, that he never even laughed in front of his parents*

*Suddenly, Momiji came by us again*

Momiji: Whoops! Sorry!

*The male student came after him*

Boy #1: Gaining on ya!

Tohru: Momiji! Please stop!

*Tohru & I went after him*

Kazuko: There's going to end up being a total mess!

(Third-Person POV)

*Saki, Ichiro, & Arisa watched their friends go after Momiji*

Saki: Look at them. They've worked so hard.

Ichrio: Hm?

*They watched as the twins tried to stop Momiji from running around like crazy*

Saki: Even if they're worried right now, they're still cheerful. To get to this point, they must've talked each other out of countless dark moments. But I think, if either of them died, I wouldn't be able to smile for a year. Maybe much longer. Or ever again. I might even wish I'd never met them. So that I wouldn't have to feel their absence. *she thought back to Kyoko's funeral* They've put in so much effort to get to this point.

(Kazuko's POV)

*That night, I finished my shift at the cafe & headed to the office building where Tohru worked to pick her up. I walked through the halls until I found Tohru talking to Momiji in the hallway*

Kazuko: Hey, guys!

*They both turned to me & smiled*

Momiji: Kazuko!

Tohru: Hi, Kazuko. Done with work?

Kazuko: Yep. You?

Tohru: I have a few more hours. Momiji was showing me pictures of his family.

Kazuko: Cool. Can I see them?

Momiji: Sure.

*Tohru handed me a framed picture of a very beautiful woman with long blonde hair & green eyes*

Kazuko: Wow. Is this your Mom, Momiji? Is she the parent from Germany?

Momiji: Yep. That's my Mutti.

Kazuko:*in his mind* Momiji definitely takes after his Mom.

Momiji: She met Papa, oh, he's a Sohma of course. Anyway, they met when they were in college. Then they got married. I don't know how he managed to attract such a beautiful person.

Tohru: Oh, is that so?

Momiji: And guess what? I have a little sister too! Her name's Momo. She looks just like Mama.

Kazuko: Wow. That's amazing. You better make sure you protect her from all the bad boys out there.

Momiji: Don't worry. I will. She's just in second grade though. Oh, and she's not one of the Zodiac spirits. *he & Tohru each picked up a bag of trash & carried it down the hall* You wouldn't believe how spoiled she is. She follows Mama everywhere like some kind of baby duck. And she's not very great at speaking Japanese, so when she does, it's a little clumsy and jumbled.

Kazuko:*in his mind* He's sounds so happy.

Momiji: It's pretty much the cutest thing. Mama and Momo usually come here to pick Papa up after work. So, they're probably around.

Tohru: It's so great you all get to go home together.

Momiji: Ya well. That would be wunderbar. But Mama doesn't know anything about me.

*That left both of us confused. Suddenly, we heard a voice behind us*

?:*off-screen* Oh, Momiji. That is you, isn't it?

*We turned around & saw the woman from the picture. Holding on to her dress was a little girl with wavy, shoulder-length, dirty-blonde hair with straight, evenly-cut bangs that cover her forehead, light brown eyes, & wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair & a pink dress*

Momiji's Mama: What are you doing here of all places and so late in the evening?

Kazuko:*in his mind* Whoa . . . It's her. She's even more beautiful in real life.

*The woman stepped up to Momiji*

Momiji: Mu friend works here, so I came to keep her company. No one likes to clean alone, right?

Momiji's Mama: That's very kind, but remember, this isn't a playground.

*Momiji bowed to her*

Momiji: You're right. I'm so sorry.

*The little girl ran up to her Mother & hugged her waist*

Kazuko:*in his mind* I guess this little girl must be Momo. Momiji definitely looks more like his Mom then she does.

Momiji's Mama: Think of your's poor Mutti. She'll be so worried if you're not home for dinner.

*I blinked. What was she talking about? Her son was right in front of her*

Momiji: Oh, it's okay. I'm leaving now.

Momiji's Mama: Straight home. Don't take any detours.

Momiji: I won't.

*The woman turned to her daughter*

Momiji's Mama: We should get going too, anou. Papa must be waiting. *she started to walk away, but stopped in front of Tohru* Thanks for your hard work.

Tohru: Yeah . . .

*Then she turned to me*

Momiji's Mama: And you are?

Kazuko: Oh, I'm her brother. I came to pick her up and take her home.

Momiji's Mama: I see. Well, have a good night.

Kazuko: Thanks, you too . . .

*She walked away, still holding her daughter's hand. Momo stopped & looked back at us*

Momiji's Mama: Come on, Momo.

*Soon, they were out of sight*

Momiji: Oh, glurk! What a pain! Today is not my lucky day! I'll have to apologize to Papa later.

Tohru: Momiji . . .

Momiji: Ya. Like I said, she doesn't know me. She forgot.

Kazuko: What do you mean "forgot"?

Momiji: She had her memories erased. *we both flinched* She obviously knows what my name is, but thinks I belong to a different branch of the Sohma family. Children's possessed by a Zodiac spirit are born two months before full term. And that's only the beginning of the problems. Just think. You meet someone you love, get married, and then you find out you're going to have a child together. You want everything to be perfect. But they when you hold you're newborn in your arms, it turns into a strange tiny animal. Imagine how devastating that must be for a Mother. To cradle your baby and have it turn into something inhumane. The Mother's usually react one of two ways. They're either extremely overprotective of their kids, or they end up rejecting them completely. Mutti . . . Fell into the second category. She rejected me, body and soul. She wouldn't even look at me. When she wasn't sleeping or hiding, she was always on edge. Sometimes screaming hysterically. Thinking about it now, I think it emotionally broke something in her. Like Kana. *he told us how she had tried to commit suicide. then she made a decision that came seem to come naturally to her. she chose to have Momiji erased from her memories* And that was it. I was erased from Mama's memories. *I clenched my fist. another person made to suffer because of the curse* It wasn't long before she started getting better. After two months went by, she was even smiling again. *Tohru & I went up to the window & watched with Momiji as his family left the building, hand-in-hand. Tohru had tears in her eyes* Mostly, I just hope that I really was able to save Mama.

Kazuko:*in his mind* All this time, he's just been watching her from a distance. Longing to be apart of the family again.

*Tohru tried into the picture of Momiji's Mom & I hugged her*

Momiji: Anyway, I'm never going to be like her. I've decided to live my life keeping every one of my memories close to my heart. Even sad ones. Or memories that only seem to hurt me. Of times I sometimes wish I could forget. *I thought back to the day of Mom's accident. Tohru & I ran down the hospital hallway. we opened the door to Mom's room, only to find her already dead* I've promised myself i won't let them go, no matter what. Because if I can stand up and face those memories. *I remembered Tohru sprawled out over Mom's body, crying & me holding Mom's cold hand, holding back tears* If I can learn to accept them, then I believe one day I can become a person who isn't beaten down by things that have hurt me in the past. I want to believe I'll be stronger. I want to believe there isn't a single memory that it's okay to forget. And that's why . . . In truth. I never wanted Mama to forget anything. I wanted her to try to get better. To not give up. To try and love me. Which . . . Is just me being selfish, I know. So that's a secret.

*Suddenly, Tohru rushed towards Momiji, tears flowing down her cheeks, & hugged Momiji. He turned into a rabbit, but neither of us cared at the moment*

Tohru: That's me . . . I'm the same . . . I wanna be like that . . .

*I knelt down to them & put my hand on Momiji's head*

Kazuko: Me too. I also want to be that way. *in his mind* I want to keep all my memories close to my heart and keep believing. Just like Momiji. That way . . . I won't let anything beat me. And someday, I can find the good parts in the hard times.

*A few days later, me, Tohru, Kyo, & Yuki were at the grave site. Ready to visit Mom and Dad. We were all dressed in black*

Yuki: Fortunately, the weather cleared up. It's been so gray lately. But this is nice.

Tohru: I think maybe it's because Mom and Dad are happy today. After all, they've got a few new people coming to say hi to them.

*Kyo didn't say word and just looked lost in his thoughts.

Arisa:*off-screen* Tohru!

Ichiro:*off-screen* Kazuko!

*We both looked ahead & saw our friends up ahead. Arisa was wearing Mom's old black riding jacket, Ichiro was wearing his old middle school uniform, & Saki was wearing a long black dress & a black veil over her face. I blushed, imagining if that would be her wedding dress someday*

Kazuko: Hey, guys! Thanks for coming.

Arisa: Yeah, of course. Perfect weather to visit a grave, huh?

Tohru: It is!

*Kyo & Yuki looked a little astonished and their clothes*

Kyo: Why the heck are you three dressed like that!?

Ichiro: You got a problem with this?

Saki: Yes, my dress is too plain, isn't it?

Kyo: Are you crazy!?

Yuki: Um . . . Excuse me, but . . . That's the kind of coat biker gang's wear, right?

Arisa: Huh, you know you're stuff. Yep. This belonged to Tohru and Kazuko's Mom before she passed it on to me. *she turned around, showing the red butterfly on the back* It's the esteemed coat of the Crimson Butterfly.

Yuki: Uh . . . Of course. What's that?

Kazuko: Oh, that's what they called Mom back when she when she was still a member.

Ichrio: Okay, the gang's all here, let's get this party started!

*We arrived at Mom's grave, only to find it already clean*

Arisa: Oh, hey. Looks pretty clean.

Saki: Did someone already stop by?

Tohru: It must've been Grandpa. *there was a package of kashiki mochi on Mom's grave* See? Look. He knows what Mom's favorite food is.

Kyo: Oh, yeah. That guy.

Kazuko: Yep.

Kyo: What's his deal? Was he your Mom's Dad?

Tohru: No. He's out Father's Father.

Ichiro: Yeah, Kyoko and her folks weren't really on speaking terms.

Yuki: And what about your Dad?

Kazuko: He caught pneumonia and didn't get better. We were around three at the time, so we don't remember much about him.

(Yuki's POV)

*I thought back to when I caught a cold*

Yuki:*in his mind* No wonder they were so worried when I felt sick.

(Kazuko's POV)

*Tohru, I, Ichiro, Saki, & Arisa both knelt down to Mom's grave*

Tohru: Hi, Mom. It's us and our friends.

Saki: Greetings.

Arisa: There's not much to do. The old man cleaned it up pretty good earlier. The flowers even look new too.

Ichrio: Well, we can still put in our own.

(Yuki's POV)

Yuki:*in his mind* Their Father died . . . And then their Mother. I don't understand. How is it that they can still smile and be cheerful? Even if they have each other . . . Why aren't they radiating despair instead? I remember the day when it happened. A teacher came to get them. Then we're obviously surprised. And after they spoke a little, the twins ran from the classroom. Their three friends immediately went after them. And of course, the other students all gossiped. I remember wondering for a second if maybe one of their relatives had gotten into an accident. But . . . I didn't give it much thought. At the time, I was only they clearly aware of that two people named Tohru and Kazuko Honda even existed in this world. Yet now . . . They live beside each other in the same house. And they're always close by.

Tohru: Hey, Yuki! *her voice snapped me out of my thoughts* Look at these flowers! Aren't they wonderful?

*Kazuko was just smiling at me. I smiled back*

Yuki:*in his mind* Somehow, against all odds, I can't help but smile when they do.

( Kazuko's POV)

*Kyo walked away from us while we set up the flowers*

Tohru: Oh, not good. I messed up the arrangement.

Ichrio: Give em here. Prince, you hold these.

Yuki: Okay.

*Saki walked away from the grave. She talked to Kyo for a bit before her veil blew away in the wind. Tohru & I went up to them after we got everything set up*

Tohru: Hey, you two. What's up?

*I gave Kyo the stink eye*

Kazuko: Hope we're not interrupting anything.

Kyo: No, you're good.

Saki: Indeed.

Tohru: In that case, *she grabbed Kyo's arm* please come with me. We're all set up now.

*She pulled him back to Mom's grave. I offered my arm to Saki*

Kazuko: Shall we?

*She took my arm, making me blush*

Saki: Yes.

*When we got back to the grave, Kyo was shocked over the picnic we had set up*

Kyo: You shouldn't have a picnic in a damn cemetery!

Arisa: Get a grip, loser. The rowdier we are, the happier Kyoko is.

Kyo: And what are we gonna do if the Priest sees us?

Ichrio: We'll just apologize. Chill out.

Arisa: Will you sit down already? I can't relax with you hovering over me.

*He sat down on the blanket*

Kyo: Ah, fine. Here. You happy?

Tohru: Hungry? What can I get for you to eat first?

Kyo: Whatever.

Tohru: Kay. *she started putting food on his plate* Here you go.

Yuki: From what I can tell, it sounds like you were all close with the twin's Mother.

Ichiro: Yeah. She was real good to us.

Arisa: Plus, such a big deal, that I looked up to her before ever meeting her in person.

Yuki: A big deal?

Ichiro: Geeze, have you not been listening? She was the legendary Crimson Butterfly!

Arisa: They say whenever she rode her motorcycle, the red tail lights looked like wings fluttering in the wind.

*Once we finished eating, Tohru and the girls began to clean up. Ichiro & I went to Dad's grave. He & I cleaned the grave, put my flowers on his grave, & put a package of his favorite food on the grave (salmon rice balls). Then I called over the others & we all said our prayers*

*Before we knew it, the Priest rang the shrine bell, meaning it was time to go home. We waved Saki, Ichiro, & Arisa goodbye & headed home. When we did, I sat at the desk in my room & looked at my picture of Dad*

Kazuko:*in his mind* I'm glad I got to introduce Kyo and Yuki to Mom and Dad. You see, Dad. They're always helping out me and Tohru. Even when they don't realize it. Hopefully, next time, we can introduce you and Mom to Shigure. Everyday we spend with the Sohma family, is a great day. And we always look forward to tomorrow. So you and Mom can watch over us without worrying. I promise. We're just fine. Okay.

*I went downstairs to get ready to make dinner. Just then, I saw Kyo leaning down to my sister's ear*

Kyo:*whispering* I'm sorry.

*That left me confused. What was he apologizing for*