Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Cursed Words, Cursed Lives ❯ Idle plans ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: For those of you wondering, yes, this does have spoilers to a certain point. It’s definitely post chapter 108, but it goes a bit AU from there. Still not sure if I’m going to have anyone besides Kureno be freed prior to the story; I’ll leave it ambiguous for now.

Once more, the interior of the cat’s room grew silent, it’s sole occupant slipping off to sleep. Tohru called his name softly, testing to see if he’d react. Given no response, she smiled sadly and rose, dusting off her knees.

She was more nervous tonight then the previous, only because she knew what kind of hell she might be put through. Her cheek still stung when she thought about the abuse she’d received from Akito, and yet she was still going back - she knew that this was her last option for information, and that the verbal beating she’d taken paled in comparison to what the Juunishi had grown up with.

She was tired. After spending last night crying and thinking, work had been a struggle. She’d tried to catch an extra hour’s sleep before her daily ritual, but had found herself too restless to sleep. That fatigue was catching up to Tohru now, causing her to stumble on occasion as she made her way through the Sohma grounds.

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Chapter 3: Idle plans

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Not once did going home appear as an option in her mind.

Finally, she reached Akito’s house. The Goddess was not outside to greet her this time, and Tohru was admittedly grateful for that. Tentatively, she tapped on the door, waiting for a moment as she listened for any movement inside.

It was one of Akito’s servants who answered. Recognizing the girl, she tried to shoo the visitor away, as much for Tohru’s own well being as to avoid irritating her master.

But the Goddess already knew that someone was there. She’d expected Tohru to be stupid enough to come back for more.

“Leave us,” Akito said to the servant, who quickly obliged, seeming to vanish as she ducked out of sight. Everyone who served Akito was the same way; quick to please, quicker to get away from their master. Tohru was barely conscious of the retreat; her thoughts left her for a moment as her gaze met the Goddess’s, then fell to the floor, avoiding eye contact. Even to one who wasn’t mercilessly tied to the great head of the family, Akito held an unbelievable amount of power. Tohru, like most others, feared her and what she could do.

A moment of silence passed as the Goddess looked her over, before finally speaking, her tone demanding. “Why are you here again?”

“I...” she paused, considering her answer carefully - not to be sure she said something that would not upset Akito, but rather to ensure she said what she meant. “I’m here to ask if there’s any way to free the Juunishi from the curse.”

“They’re not yours to decide what to do with.”

Tohru wanted to scream. To fight back, to shout, over the words that hurt her the most every time. They weren’t hers, but they weren’t Akito’s either, and she wanted to tell her that, wanted to so badly. Instead, she simply whispered, “I don’t want to do anything with them. I just want them to be happy.”

“Your stupidity disgusts me,” Akito snarled, closing the door.

“Wait!” Tohru called after, but this time, the Goddess dd not turn her attention back to the intruder; only the night responded to Tohru’s desperate cry. Her head lowered, eyes shutting as she allowed herself to be discouraged for the moment. She was too tired to keep trying for the night.

She’d be back the next, though.

Morning came, the light taunting Tohru through the blinds. She whined, rolling over and rubbing her eyes before giving the clock a glance. It was the weekend, which meant no work for a change, and any other person would have been in no hurry to get up. Today, even the industrious Tohru felt like just going back to sleep, but she forced herself awake anyway, sitting up and yawning as she stretched out her arms.

The apartment she’d moved into after graduation was tiny, but fitting for her. The main part was one large room, with a table in the center and her bed and dresser tucked into the corners. Toward the front was the kitchen on one side and the bathroom on the other, a hall between the two leading straight to the door. While not spotless, the place was tidy and fairly organized, the only real mess being the pile of clothes she’d tiredly strewn off the night before.

It was already nearly ten, and she needed to go shopping today, as evidenced by the dwindling supply in her fridge. There was still more than enough to make breakfast though, and so she began to cook, instinctively wishing there were others around to cook for so she had an excuse to make more food. She loved cooking; it allowed her to take her mind off things, especially when someone was around to talk with.

On a whim, she pulled out the phone, dialing Isuzu’s number. There was no surprise when Hatsuharu answered the phone, and he managed to distract Tohru for a couple of minutes, obviously not wanting her to disturb his precious Rin. After a moment’s teasing, he finally gave up the phone to let the girls talk, though Tohru was certain he was sitting in the background giving his girlfriend a bored pout.

“Hello, Isuzu-chan,” Tohru greeted, enjoying a few minutes of formalities and chit-chat before getting to her point. “I had an idea... Yes, about that,” her words were careful, as were Isuzu’s; while most the Juunishi knew the girls had been trying to break the curse, they didn’t like alerting anyone, especially not the temperamental Haru, to their plans. “Do you think we could meet somewhere so I could tell you about it...?”