Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Diminishing Ripples ❯ Death and a Secret Fatigue ( Chapter 1 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Sakura02 
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.18.2004 | Updated On: 12.17.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.18.2004 | Updated On: 12.17.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
Diminishing Ripplesby: Sakura
A/N I’ve gotten myself re-addicted to Fruits Basket, so I decided that I must rewrite this fic. Interesting...
J J J
“I’m going to start dinner now,” Tohru said from her place by the stove.
“I think I’ll skip for today,” Shigure called; he was in his room down the hall.
The sound of Tohru’s padded feet caught the dog’s attention. He listened as the door behind him slid open. Turning, he saw her poke her head in. Shigure bent back over his work, continuing to scribble furiously on the pieces of parchment in front of him.
From where she was standing, Tohru could tell he looked exhausted and overworked. She was just about to ask if he was all right when the phone rang. With a swift motion of his hand, Shigure had his ear to the receiver. He listened to the man on the other end, and then lowered his voice to a hush whenever he spoke.
“...I see.” There was a pause as Shigure listened intently to the caller. “Make sure he stays well in the main house; his life is in your hands, Hatori.”
After hanging up the phone, Shigure looked back at Tohru, smiling weakly. He sighed, sagging his shoulders, and returned to working on his nearly-due manuscript.
“I can just leave your food outside the door. You can eat it when you’re ready,” Tohru said. She thought for a moment, before adding, “Oh, but what if Yuki and Kyo knock it over? They’re always fighting. Or if that doesn’t happen, it’ll surely get cold; you look like you have so much work to do. I heard it isn’t healthy to eat cold food–”
“Tohru, it’ll be fine,” Shigure said, without looking up. He sounded irritated.
He listened as the defeated Tohru left the room, laying the food tray in the hallway outside the door. As she made her way back to the kitchen, Shigure decided to lay his head on the desk a while. He wasn’t going to fall asleep; his eyelids only felt like lead. No, he was going to be fine. Even if he wanted to sleep Yuki and Kyo probably wouldn’t allow it.
“This is ridiculous,” Shigure said to himself. He got up from the floor, opening his sliding door and looking down the hall. Tohru had only left him with a snack of two onigiri, so maybe if he was quick, he could still get her to make dinner for him too.
J J J
Dinner had not been pleasant. Poor Tohru had forgotten to buy groceries on her way home from work, therefore leaving the Sohmas with nothing but the leeks and other veggies from Yuki’s garden. This had upset Kyo more than anything.
Luckily enough, Momiji and Hatsuharu were kind enough bring them leftovers from the main house. It still wasn’t much, but compared to the leeks, it was stupendous.
“Hatori told me about Akito,” Shigure said to the rabbit and cow. As far as he knew, they, along with himself, were the only ones at the dinner table who could possibly know the head Sohma’s current condition.
“What are you talking about?” Yuki asked, putting down his food.
The room grew quite after that. Kyo, half-knowing what the dog meant, turned away. Tohru nervously began biting her finger nails–an old habit. Shigure, meanwhile, had taken to his ramen noodles, so Hatsuharu spoke for him.
“Ayame’s already preparing funeral arrangements.”
It was amazing how Hatsuharu could be so blunt with something such as this. He didn’t stutter, or even try and change the subject. That’s the thing about the cow, you see; they’re thought to be tactless.
Tears begin developing at the brims of Tohru’s eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she said sympathetically.
She knew that Akito’s death would affect the rest of the group, but Shigure had always been close to the leader of the Sohma. He had been transforming into the dog almost on a regular basis, and Tohru wondered if this was a key reason. It was strange though: Shigure had only found out about Akito’s current situation not even half an hour ago.
Sensing the saddened tenseness of the room, Shigure put down his bowl of noodles, excused himself from the table, and walked off to his office down the hall.
J J J
It was a few hours later when Shigure finally awoke. He looked up at the clock and saw that it read 11:45am; it was already the next day. Funny, he hadn’t remembered even falling asleep. He had been working on his latest novel for Mii...
A sudden knock on the door brought the dog back into full awareness. He stretched half the length of the room, and slid the door open for his guest. It was Hatori.
Instinctively, a light bulb went off in Shigure’s head. “Oh no,” he said, half-sadly, half-surprised. “Is Akito–?”
Hatori shook his head, still keeping his offhand look. “Not yet. I was here earlier for Yuki’s monthly checkup.”
“Oh,” Shigure muttered, embarrassedly. “Is it that time already?”
“While I was heading out, Tohru asked me to check on you too. She said you’ve been transforming a lot lately, and that you’re not eating much. I have to agree: I’ve seen your better days.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Shigure said, holding up his hands defensively. “Honestly, I’ve never felt better!”
Being seen by a doctor was never one of Shigure’s favorite things, even if the doctor happened to be one of his best friends. He just found it very unpleasant and boring.
“Quit acting like a child, Shigure. If something’s wrong with you, tell someone... Now, open your mouth and let me check your throat.”
Shigure rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. Hatori was making him feel like a little kid again. He was even secretly waiting to be rewarded with a lollipop.
Hatori removed his small flashlight from his friend’s mouth, and placed it back into his bag. He placed his hand on the dog’s head, and waited a moment.
“I’m sorry,” Hatori said, turning away.
Shigure’s face fell. Had something serious been wrong with him this whole time, while he suspected it was just exhaustion? He looked up, hoping for an explanation from the dragon.
“You have a simple cold.”
“...Har’i, you’re so cruel! I thought something was really wrong with me! I should really kick you where it hurts, you liar.”
Inwardly, Shigure was overwhelmed. With the looks he had been receiving from Hatori, he thought he would surely be joining Akito in the grave. And though he was a dog, being six feet under was not somewhere he desired to be.
“You’re rushing to meet another deadline, aren’t you?” Hatori asked.
Shigure nodded.
“Really now, Shigure, you should know to take better care of yourself. Though you have only a cold, if you don’t watch it, it can easily develop into something serious. You need to stop overworking yourself and get some sleep. Eating something wouldn’t kill you either.”
J J J
A/N Hello all! I am back from the hells of writer’s block. Yeah, I picked myself up some muses and together, we worked on revising this chapter. I recently read the original version to this, and thought about how naïve and stupid I was. Sheesh.
Anyway, I just found out that this fic has the perfect title ever! It totally matches with Shigure and the events of the story. In volume 10 of the English manga, someone compared Shigure to a ripple in the water, and I was like BAM! Er...yeah.
Like I told y’all in the original author’s note (for those who read), this fic’s gonna be mucho short. I don’t have a lotof time to write anymore, and plus, I don’t want this thing to go on forever like Torn Apart, Drinking Baby, and 20 Firsts and Alcohol.
A/N I’ve gotten myself re-addicted to Fruits Basket, so I decided that I must rewrite this fic. Interesting...
J J J
“I’m going to start dinner now,” Tohru said from her place by the stove.
“I think I’ll skip for today,” Shigure called; he was in his room down the hall.
The sound of Tohru’s padded feet caught the dog’s attention. He listened as the door behind him slid open. Turning, he saw her poke her head in. Shigure bent back over his work, continuing to scribble furiously on the pieces of parchment in front of him.
From where she was standing, Tohru could tell he looked exhausted and overworked. She was just about to ask if he was all right when the phone rang. With a swift motion of his hand, Shigure had his ear to the receiver. He listened to the man on the other end, and then lowered his voice to a hush whenever he spoke.
“...I see.” There was a pause as Shigure listened intently to the caller. “Make sure he stays well in the main house; his life is in your hands, Hatori.”
After hanging up the phone, Shigure looked back at Tohru, smiling weakly. He sighed, sagging his shoulders, and returned to working on his nearly-due manuscript.
“I can just leave your food outside the door. You can eat it when you’re ready,” Tohru said. She thought for a moment, before adding, “Oh, but what if Yuki and Kyo knock it over? They’re always fighting. Or if that doesn’t happen, it’ll surely get cold; you look like you have so much work to do. I heard it isn’t healthy to eat cold food–”
“Tohru, it’ll be fine,” Shigure said, without looking up. He sounded irritated.
He listened as the defeated Tohru left the room, laying the food tray in the hallway outside the door. As she made her way back to the kitchen, Shigure decided to lay his head on the desk a while. He wasn’t going to fall asleep; his eyelids only felt like lead. No, he was going to be fine. Even if he wanted to sleep Yuki and Kyo probably wouldn’t allow it.
“This is ridiculous,” Shigure said to himself. He got up from the floor, opening his sliding door and looking down the hall. Tohru had only left him with a snack of two onigiri, so maybe if he was quick, he could still get her to make dinner for him too.
J J J
Dinner had not been pleasant. Poor Tohru had forgotten to buy groceries on her way home from work, therefore leaving the Sohmas with nothing but the leeks and other veggies from Yuki’s garden. This had upset Kyo more than anything.
Luckily enough, Momiji and Hatsuharu were kind enough bring them leftovers from the main house. It still wasn’t much, but compared to the leeks, it was stupendous.
“Hatori told me about Akito,” Shigure said to the rabbit and cow. As far as he knew, they, along with himself, were the only ones at the dinner table who could possibly know the head Sohma’s current condition.
“What are you talking about?” Yuki asked, putting down his food.
The room grew quite after that. Kyo, half-knowing what the dog meant, turned away. Tohru nervously began biting her finger nails–an old habit. Shigure, meanwhile, had taken to his ramen noodles, so Hatsuharu spoke for him.
“Ayame’s already preparing funeral arrangements.”
It was amazing how Hatsuharu could be so blunt with something such as this. He didn’t stutter, or even try and change the subject. That’s the thing about the cow, you see; they’re thought to be tactless.
Tears begin developing at the brims of Tohru’s eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she said sympathetically.
She knew that Akito’s death would affect the rest of the group, but Shigure had always been close to the leader of the Sohma. He had been transforming into the dog almost on a regular basis, and Tohru wondered if this was a key reason. It was strange though: Shigure had only found out about Akito’s current situation not even half an hour ago.
Sensing the saddened tenseness of the room, Shigure put down his bowl of noodles, excused himself from the table, and walked off to his office down the hall.
J J J
It was a few hours later when Shigure finally awoke. He looked up at the clock and saw that it read 11:45am; it was already the next day. Funny, he hadn’t remembered even falling asleep. He had been working on his latest novel for Mii...
A sudden knock on the door brought the dog back into full awareness. He stretched half the length of the room, and slid the door open for his guest. It was Hatori.
Instinctively, a light bulb went off in Shigure’s head. “Oh no,” he said, half-sadly, half-surprised. “Is Akito–?”
Hatori shook his head, still keeping his offhand look. “Not yet. I was here earlier for Yuki’s monthly checkup.”
“Oh,” Shigure muttered, embarrassedly. “Is it that time already?”
“While I was heading out, Tohru asked me to check on you too. She said you’ve been transforming a lot lately, and that you’re not eating much. I have to agree: I’ve seen your better days.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Shigure said, holding up his hands defensively. “Honestly, I’ve never felt better!”
Being seen by a doctor was never one of Shigure’s favorite things, even if the doctor happened to be one of his best friends. He just found it very unpleasant and boring.
“Quit acting like a child, Shigure. If something’s wrong with you, tell someone... Now, open your mouth and let me check your throat.”
Shigure rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. Hatori was making him feel like a little kid again. He was even secretly waiting to be rewarded with a lollipop.
Hatori removed his small flashlight from his friend’s mouth, and placed it back into his bag. He placed his hand on the dog’s head, and waited a moment.
“I’m sorry,” Hatori said, turning away.
Shigure’s face fell. Had something serious been wrong with him this whole time, while he suspected it was just exhaustion? He looked up, hoping for an explanation from the dragon.
“You have a simple cold.”
“...Har’i, you’re so cruel! I thought something was really wrong with me! I should really kick you where it hurts, you liar.”
Inwardly, Shigure was overwhelmed. With the looks he had been receiving from Hatori, he thought he would surely be joining Akito in the grave. And though he was a dog, being six feet under was not somewhere he desired to be.
“You’re rushing to meet another deadline, aren’t you?” Hatori asked.
Shigure nodded.
“Really now, Shigure, you should know to take better care of yourself. Though you have only a cold, if you don’t watch it, it can easily develop into something serious. You need to stop overworking yourself and get some sleep. Eating something wouldn’t kill you either.”
J J J
A/N Hello all! I am back from the hells of writer’s block. Yeah, I picked myself up some muses and together, we worked on revising this chapter. I recently read the original version to this, and thought about how naïve and stupid I was. Sheesh.
Anyway, I just found out that this fic has the perfect title ever! It totally matches with Shigure and the events of the story. In volume 10 of the English manga, someone compared Shigure to a ripple in the water, and I was like BAM! Er...yeah.
Like I told y’all in the original author’s note (for those who read), this fic’s gonna be mucho short. I don’t have a lotof time to write anymore, and plus, I don’t want this thing to go on forever like Torn Apart, Drinking Baby, and 20 Firsts and Alcohol.