What's Important Is . . .

Note: This is one of my favorite episodes.

(Kazuko's POV)

It has been a a few weeks since our shopping trip with Arisa, Saki, & Ichiro. Today, I was out shopping with Tohru & Yuki. But we had to take shelter in a bus station when it started raining. We had been standing for a about an hour when Yuki held out his hand to check*

Yuki: Looks like the rain's dying down, but let's wait here a little longer.

Tohru: Kay.

Kazuko: Sounds good.*none of us said anything for a minute*So . . . finals are fast approaching.

Tohru flinched. Then tears came out of her eyes*

Tohru: Yeah . . . *she quickly perked up* But I almost forgot. Before that, we have the Student Council elections.

Yuki quickly lost his enthusiasm at that*

Yuki: Yeah . . .

Tohru: And from what I understand, President Takei wants you to take his place after he graduates. But it looks like maybe you would rather not.

Yuki: No. I wouldn't. Not at all. I don't know what he expects of me. What they all expect. But they've got the wrong idea. Cause the real me is more . . .

He got quiet*

Tohru: More what?

Yuki: Nevermind. Forget I said anything.

Tohru: Sure.

Kazuko: Yuki, you'd make an amazing President. Everyone loves you. They all know you'll work hard to make our school a better place. You just need more confidence in yourself.

Yuki looked surprised at what I said & was about to open his mouth when Tohru interrupted him*

Tohru: Look. It's tapered off enough. We should be good to go. You ready?

Kazuko: Yep.

Yuki suddenly looked like he was kicking himself*

?*off-screen* Oh. Hey, Yuki.

We all turned & saw Hatsuharu standing in front of us with his jacket in his arms*

Yuki: Haru.

Tohru: Hatsuharu?

Kazuko: Haru? What are you doing? *I went up to him & grabbed his arm* It's raining and you're not even wearing your jacket. Get over here.

I pulled him under the station*

Hatsuharu: Why are you out? It's raining.

Yuki: I'm not the one whose soaked. Why are you out? *Tohru brought out a handkerchief & started drying Haru* Did you get lost again?

Hatsuharu: I've been searching. For her. *he unwrapped his jacket to reveal a tiger cub* It took a while.

My eyes went wide. Could this . . .*

Tohru: Aw! What a cute little kitty!

Kazuko*in her mind* I knew that was coming.

Yuki: Miss Honda, she's actually a tiger.

The cub opened her eyes*

Hatsuharu: This is Kisa Sohma. Careful, her teeth are sharp.

Tohru: Oh, wow! I didn't expect to run into the Zodiac tiger spirit today. *she turned to Kisa* Um, it's nice to meet you. I'm Tohru Honda. May I . . .

She started to reach out to pet her*

Kazuko: Tohru, wait. You shouldn't -

Suddenly, Kisa bit her fingers. Then she fainted*

Yuki: Miss Honda!

Kazuko: Tohru!

Haru sighed*

(Fruits Basket - Opening Theme 2 - Chime)

(Kazuko's POV)

As soon as it stopped raining, we made our way back to Shigure's house. Haru started bandaging Tohru's hand*

Shigure: Oh dear. You got nibbled on?

Tohru: Yes, um . . . Maybe I should've expected it.

Yuki turned to Kisa, who was curled up in one corner*

Yuki: Kisa. Come here and apologize.

She didn't say anything or turn to face him*

Kazuko: Yuki, it's okay. She was probably just scared by the sudden approach.

Yuki: Kisa!

Shigure: Yuki, that won't work. She doesn't talk.

Yuki, Tohru, & I turned to him*

Tohru: What?

Hatsuharu: Kisa can't talk. She stopped all together shortly after she entered middle school. She's mute. According to Tori, it's psychological. She's locked all of her words up inside. With everything that's happened, she stopped talking. Stopped going to school. Then today, she ran away from home. *Tohru gasped* That's why I was looking for her. Didn't expect to find her in tiger form, thou.

Kazuko: Did she bump into a boy?

Hatsuharu: Seemed like she was just exhausted.

Yuki: So, what happened to make her stop talking and leave school?

Hatsuharu: Kids.

Tohru: Kids?

Hatsuharu: Bullies.*Tohru, Yuki, & I gasped at that. Just then, Kisa jumped into the table & bit Haru on the arm. Tohru started freaking out. he turned to Kisa* That hurts. What? Are you pissed at me? Telling me not to shoot my mouth off. Well sorry that's too bad. You have any idea how worried I've been about you? And I'm not the only one. Your Mom's been looking for all over for you too.

Kisa let go of him & ran out of the house*

Tohru: Wait, Kisa! *she saw the bite marks on Haru's arm* You're bleeding! Your bleeding and Kisa ran off! What do we do now!

Shigure: It'll be okay, Tohru. I'm sure she won't go too far.

Tohru: Okay, I'll get Kisa and then I'll stop the bleeding!

She ran after Kisa*

Shigure: Calm down.

Hatsuharu: Maybe you should give a crap once in a while.

Shigure: Oh my. Did you quietly turn into Dark Haru while I wasn't looking?

Hatsuharu: Uh-uh. Just not a fan of tiger bites. Wish I knew what to do with her. *I started to bandage his arm, but I didn't meet his gaze* You didn't like what I said, did you?

I sighed*

Kazuko: She's going through a rough time, Haru. It's nice that you're worried about her, but you need to understand her feelings. The bullying probably got so bad, she reached her breaking point. And now she's confused and frustrated. *once I finished, I got up* I'm going to go help Tohru.

I went outside*

I made my way behind the house & found Tohru kneeling in one corner*

Tohru: There you are. *Kisa flinched* I've been looking all over for you. *she reached out her hand* Why don't we go -

Suddenly, Kisa whipped around, her fangs at the ready.

Kazuko: Tohru!

I pushed her out of the way, only for Kisa to bit my hand instead*

Tohru: Aaah! Kazuko! Kisa, please let go!

Kazuko: It's okay, Tohru. It doesn't hurt.

?*off-screen* Kisa.

We both turned around & saw a woman with straight, free-falling dark brown hair with bangs covering her forehead, & a pair of tired, but calm light brown eyes*

Tohru: Um . . . Hello.

Kisa's Mother: Kisa, I've been looking everywhere for you. Shigure called. He wanted to let me know you've been found. Please, why are you doing this? You're causing trouble for everyone. Did you even stop to think for one second? Do you enjoy making things hard for me?

Just then, I remembered what Momiji told us awhile back*

(Flashback)

Momiji: The Mother's usually react one of two ways. They're either extremely overprotective of their kids, or they end up rejecting them completely.

(Present Time)

Kazuko*in his mind* So, she doesn't regret Kisa. She's just overprotective. That's a relief.

Kisa's Mother: Well? *she kneeled down next to us* Why didn't you tell me about those kids who were bullying you? Why did you run away from home? Why won't you say anything? I'm so tired. I can't take this anymore.

Kazuko: Ma'am, she's your daughter. You can't just give up.

She turned to us*

Tohru: She couldn't tell you. When you're being bullied like that, it's hard to talk about. I know. It happened to me. I couldn't tell my Mom either. *I remember. she didn't tell me or Mom about it. I found out on my own. I wanted to confront the bullies & tell Mom, but she begged my not to. I didn't for her sake. but that day, when she disappeared & found her way home, she had to tell Mom* She found out eventually though. And when she did, I started crying and apologizing l like crazy.

Kazuko: I was crying and apologizing too. I wasn't the one getting picked on, but Tohru made me keep what happened to her a secret. And I hated it not telling Mom about it. And I felt like a bad son and brother.

Tohru: We both felt so ashamed. For different reasons, but we both felt the same. I felt pathetic and worthless for being bullied. And I hated the idea of my Mom knowing it has happened. I thought once she knew, she might not love me anymore. I was so scared. Instead, our Mom took out faces in her hands & said "It's okay." Then I could breathe again. When she said that there was nothing to be embarrassed about, we cried again. This time in relief. Maybe that's how Kisa feels. Maybe she's scared that you'll hate her. So she couldn't tell you what was happening. Because she loves you.

Suddenly, her Mother started crying. Then Kisa transformed back to her human form. I now saw she had large amber eyes, fair skin, & golden hair that falls to nape length with two long fringes framing both sides of her face, her sniffling & tears in her eyes as she held my hand, which now had bite marks on it*

Kazuko: I don't know what those kids told you, Kisa. But you're beautiful.

I took off my jacket & draped it over her shoulders. Then she threw herself into Tohru's chest. We both wrapped our arms around her, me careful not to make her transform again*

(Third-Person POV)

Later, that evening, Kyo came home*

Kyo: What? Kisa's staying here?

Shigure: She's having a a different time lately. And I thought a change was scenery might help.

Kyo: Why? What's going on?

Hatsuharu: It can't hurt. Her Mom seemed she was about at the end of her rope too. Spending some time apart might help them heal.

Kyo: I've got no clue what you're talking about. Okay, so where is Kisa?

Shigure: She's with the Honda twins. Stick to them like glue.

Kyo: Huh?

(Kazuko's POV)

Me, Yuki, & Tohru all sat in Tohru's room. Kisa was fast asleep, her head in Tohru's lap with a blanket over her. She was also holding my hand*

Yuki: She asleep?

Tohru: Yes.

Yuki: Well then, I hope you don't mind being her pillow and comfort toy. Is she heavy?

Tohru: Uh-uh.

Yuki turned to me*

Yuki: Is she squeezing too tight?

Kazuko: No. Not at all.

Yuki: You're lucky, Kisa.

Tohru: Huh? *just then, he put his head on Tohru's shoulder* Um! What are you doing!?

Yuki: Resting. Please just . . . Let me rest.

Kazuko: Three days went by since Kisa started staying with us. And she hasn't once left Tohru's side, following her everywhere she went. Whenever Tohru's not around, she starts following me everywhere, but at a bit of a distance, so she doesn't bump into me & transform. It most likely means that she really likes us, so we don't mind in the slightest.

I looked up from the book I was reading & watch Kisa follow Tohru into the kitchen. I smiled with Shigure*

Shigure: Aw, she's like a little duckling. It warms my heart.

Kyo: It's gotta be super annoying though, right?

Kazuko: Uh, I think you're forgetting this is my sister you're talking about.

Tohru turned to Kisa & pulled her into a bear hug*

Tohru: I love you!

Shigure: She seems happy to me.

Kazuko: Told you.

Kisa melted into my sister's hug*

Kyo: Maybe I'm missing something. Hey, what's for dinner?

Tohru: Oh. One sec. Kisa, is there anything special you'd like to eat.

Kisa just looked down*

Kyo: Come on. You could at least tell us what you like so you don't starve. *I hit him on the head with my book for that comment* What the hell was that for!?

I ignored him & went up to Kisa*

Kazuko: It's okay, Kisa. There's no rush and you can talk whenever you're ready. I bet your voice is really pretty though. Like bells. *she just gave me a small smile*in his mind* It's been three days already and she still won't say anything. What exactly did those kids do to her to make her like this?

Tohru: Wait! *she took the Garbage Collection Notice off the fridge & started writing something on the back. then she turned it to Kisa to show a Fortune Ladder Game* Ta-da! Let's play this game.

Kyo: Huh?

Shigure: Ah, interesting. We'll leave dinner up to chance then.

Tohru: Yep. Kisa, why don't you point to the route you want? *she pointed to the ladder in the middle* Perfect choice. *she went to the table* Let's let's see what we've got.

She went down the ladder, singing a little song*

Kyo: Is that supposed to be a song?

Kazuko: Oh, just let her do her thing.

Soon, Tohru reached the bottom*

Tohru: There. We have a winner. Dinner is . . . *she opened the folded part of the paper, which showed "Scrambled eggs and chives"* Eggs and chives.

Kyo looked like he was about to be sick*

Kyo: I feel personally attacked right now. Always chives.

Tohru started freezing out*

Tohru: Oh no! I didn't even think about that! I was random I swear! I'm so sorry. I can make something else!

Kyo: Just make sure the eggs taste good.

Shigure: Having a lover's spat over a silly thing?

Kyo: Shut up!

I leaned towards Kisa & whispered in her ear*

Kazuko*whispering* Don't worry. This is normal for this crazy family.

Kisa gave me a cute smile, making me smile back*

The next day, Tohru & I were having lunch on the school roof with Yuki, Haru, & Momiji*

Momiji: But wait. Kisa can't stay at Shi-chan's house forever. She'll have to leave. Won't she? So where will she go after? Home?

Hatsuharu: That's probably what on her mind right now. From what I can tell, she's the kinda girl who over thinks things. Bet that's how she even got to this point in the first place.

Yuki: Of course. There's her Mother.

Tohru & I looked at Momiji, who looked sad. Probably thinking about his own Mom*

Tohru: Don't worry, Momiji. *he turned to us* I think things are going to work out great with her Mom.

Kazuko: Me too. She actually called us last night.

(Flashback)

*Tohru & I shared the phone as we listened to her Mom talk*

Kisa's Mother*off-screen* Is Kisa doing okay over there?

Tohru: Yes.

Kisa's Mother*off-screen* She can be picky with food sometimes, so please make sure she's eating. She loves scrambled eggs and chives though.

(Present Time)

Momiji: So, that must mean . . . Kisa's Mutti . . . Has been thinking about her and is worried. Otherwise she never would have called you.

Tohru: Right!

Momiji smiled*

Momiji: I'm so glad!

Yuki: That's all good. But why was she being bullied in the first place?

Hatsuharu: I forget.

Yuki: Come on.

Momiji: I know why.

Hatsuharu: Really?

Momiji: I heard some ladies at the estate gossiping about it. Kisa never would have told me herself. They said it started out because of her appearance. Her hair and eyes. That sort of thing. The other students didn't like them. They said her looks were unnatural and wrong.

Hatsuharu: Strange hair color is often a side effect of being possessed by a Zodiac spirit. People made fun of mine all the time.

Yuki: Yeah, but you would just go dark and knock the bullies out, so that kind of teasing never lasted long for you.

Hatsuharu: At least I'm not Kyo. He almost killed his bullies.

Tohru looked stunned at that*

Kazuko*in his mind* Why am I not surprised?

Hatsuharu: The very definition of a problem child.

Momiji: But the women said Lisa tried hard to fit in. She told the kids she couldn't help how she looked. After that, everyone started ignoring her completely. Until she'd get the courage to say something in class, and they'd just laugh at her. No matter what she classmates have never done anything like that to me before. So I can only imagine what it would be like. It's sounds painful. Unbearable. Just think about how it would feel if people snickered at you every time you opened your mouth. That would make me . . . So sad. *tears started to form in his eyes* I don't know what I'd do.

Then Tohru started to crying with him*

Listening to him talk, the pieces all started to fall into place. typical bullies. always looking for flaws in other people to exploit & make fun of. Always makes me sick. This time I felt worse because the curse was to blame for Kisa's misery*

Kazuko*in his mind* The more I hear about the curse, the more angry I get. What did the Sohma family ever do to deserve this?

Just then, the bell rang. Yuki got up & started wiping Momiji's eyes*

Yuki: No tears. Class is starting.

Haru started walking away*

Hatsuharu: Yuki. I'll be at your house later today. I want to see Kisa. I have something for her. A present. *he held up a piece of folded paper* A note. It's from her homeroom teacher. So, it'll probably make us wanna puke.

Momiji ran after him, still crying*

Momiji: See you soon!

Tohru wiped her eyes as she waved then goodbye*

Yuki: I believe being weak should be considered a good thing, but *we both turned to him* I don't think stronger always means better. You've probably heard of survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom. Thing is . . . We're humans, not animals. That goes for all of us. The Zodiac as well.

Tohru: Well, yeah. You are.

Kazuko: And don't ever forget that.

Yuki smiled & stretched*

Yuki: That's encouraging.

After school, me, Yuki, & Haru were sitting on the porch as Kisa read the note from her teacher*

Hatsuharu: What's it say? *he took the letter* "Sohma, I hope you're well. Do you think you'll be coming back to school soon? I'm awaiting your return along with the rest of your classmates. I want to know you can always talk to me and I think of you participate more in class, you can be friends with everyone."

He groaned as he read the rest & handed it to Yuki*

Yuki: "The most important thing you can learn is to love who you are. Find something good about yourself and look to it if you're feeling down. If you hate yourself, how can others appreciate you? Self love is the most important love we have. I hope of all my lessons, you remember this one."

Hatsuharu: I was right. I wanna barf now.

Yuki: Kisa, I get it. I'm the same as you. There was a time when I stopped speaking. *she looked at him* For different reasons. Regardless, I talk to no one and . . . I felt so embarrassed those days. I truly hated myself. I was so lost. So, I'm not site your teacher's actually right. What does self love even mean? How do we begin to try and find something good about ourselves when we're trapped in darkness. The whole reason we despise ourselves is because we can only see the parts we hate. So forcing ourselves to find good things feels pointless. Like in e we'd just be making them up. *he dropped the letter* It's a nice sentiment. But that's not how life works. Instead, I think it when someone else says they love you. That you're finally able to start loving yourself. When someone truly accepts who you are . . . That's when you can start to forgive yourself and suddenly see the good things you had all along.

I sighed*

Kazuko: Kisa, *she looked at me* it's very important that you love yourself. That's something very important for everyone. I know it doesn't solve all your problems, but it always helps you to be positive when things are bad. It's always helped me and my sister through tough times. It's one of the things our taught us growing up. But the point is, that we all love you, Kisa. Me, Tohru, your Mom, we all love you very much and we want you to be over yourself too and try your very best in everything you do.

Tears formed in her eyes*

Kisa: Yes. *we all turned to her in surprise* Your right. *she began to shed tears* Yes. It made me glad.

Hatsuharu & Yuki: Kisa.

Haru looked at Yuki*

Yuki: What will you do? Moving on. Do you still want to be silent?

She shook her head*

Kisa: No. I can't. I need to be better. Or else . . . I'll feel like a even worse person than I do right now. Even if we aren't ever friends. Even if they keep ignoring me. I have to try. I have to change. Or else!

Yuki moved to her side & kneeled down to her side*

Yuki: You're right. Let's try. I will too. Promise. And if you get sag again, or life gets too painful, you can come back. She and Kazuko will be here waiting for you.

Hatsuharu: It's been so long. *he pulled her into a hug* I've missed your voice, Kisa.

I took her hand*

Kazuko: Kisa . . . *I gave her a big smile* Your voice is even prettier then I imagined. Just when I thought you couldn't get any cuter.

She smiled at me again*

That evening, me, Yuki, & Kisa all went to go pick up Tohru from work. We caught her just as she was coming out of the building*

Kisa: Please wait. *she turned around to Kisa running up to her* Hi Tohru.

Tohru gasped, dropped her bag, & ran to hug Kisa. Tears streaming down her face*

Tohru: Kisa!

Yuki & I both smiled as we watched the two girls*

The next day, me, Tohru, Momiji, & Haru all stood at the station as we watched Kisa enter it, me & Tohru waving at her*

Kazuko: And so, Kisa went off to school the next day. Even though she was still hesitating to speak. Tohru & I are little sad she's leaving, but we know it's for the best. Because she's finally found her courage and is going to keep moving forward from here on out.

Momiji: Yuki should have come to see her off with us.

Hatsuharu: He said he had something we had to do today.

Kazuko*in his mind* Good luck, Kisa. We're all rooting for you.

Turns out he went to meet President Takei & tell him that he had accepted his nomination for Student Council President. I'm going to be rooting for him too*