Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Diminishing Ripples ❯ Sickness and Time ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Sakura02 
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.17.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 602 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.17.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 602 | Status: Completed
Diminishing Ripples
I noticed that the only time I actually get around to writing in this is story is when I myself have a cold. Weird, right? I guess it's because I can better relate to the character, or maybe it's because that's the only real time I feel inspired to write this (seeing as I don't watch much of the anime anymore and the manga just confuses me). Yet, here I am once again with a half-empty box of tissues and a bottle of cough medicine.
- - -
When Shigure awoke the next morning he felt like he was drowning. He lay with his cheek pressed against his pillow, an instinctive action during the night in an attempt to cool his fevered skin. It had helped for all of five seconds, and he remembered rotating his cheeks back and forth between his pillows so as not to let one get too warm.
As realization hit him, it was almost as hard as Akito's ashtray that had caused the still swollen bump on his forehead. He wiped at his nose, pulling back to see his fingers dripping with snot.
"Ugh...," he moaned disgustedly. He wanted to gag. The thought was more repulsive than finding his pillow covered in drool.
Shigure reached for the tissue box beside his bed, wiped his nose properly, and then proceeded to scrub at his pillow with a handful of fresh tissues. His shams were definitely going to need a good cleaning later.
After removing all the sheets from his bed and throwing them into a pile beside his desk, and washing up for breakfast, Shigure walked out into his house to find the place completely deserted. He found a note on his living room table saying that everyone had left to visit Akito, and that his breakfast was waiting in the fridge whenever he was ready to eat. The note was signed by Yuki. Shigure knew that the "we" mentioned in the letter had definitely meant Yuki and Kyo, but had they included Tohru too? If they had, the poor girl was bound to come back an emotional wreck.
In the refrigerator, he found a labeled tray topped with a small bowl of white rice and an equally small portion of takuan, or Japanese pickles.
"Good morning."
Shigure looked around, startled. Tohru was standing in the kitchen doorway, Shigure's pile of dirty sheets in a basket with the boy's laundry. Shigure was relieved to see that she hadn't been a part of the group to visit Akito.
Tohru made a face when he smiled at her. She put down her basket of laundry and lithely made her way across the small kitchen. She stared at Shigure's forehead curiously, prodding the bump with her index finger. Shigure grimaced; it was still pretty tender.
"It's starting to bruise around the edges," Tohru said removing her hand. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a band-aid. She removed the plastic ends from the adhesive, sticking the bandage on Shigure's forehead. She smiled warmly at him. "Hatori said that it doesn't serve any medical usage, but that it will cover the bump pretty well, and I agree."
After Shigure had left the Main House yesterday, he had returned home cold, bruised, and in the shape of a dog. He had a difficult time trying to enter the house because he couldn't figure out how to slide the door open with his paws, but when he finally managed it, he was greeted by Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, all of who had been sitting at the kotatsu table enjoying a late lunch. He remembered how great it felt to be inside his own house, which was heated from using the kotatsu.
Yuki, who had been closest, sitting with his back to the door, had been the first to reach him. He noticed that Shigure was trembling and ushered him closer to the kotatsu. When asked by Tohru how his meeting with Akito had gone, Shigure said nothing and buried his head between his paws. It was a very dog-like thing to do, but all the same, he didn't feel much like talking about it.
Kyo had been the one who had seen the forming bump on Shigure's right temple. He asked about it casually or as casually as he could manage, and when Tohru pressed her hand against it to get a better look, Shigure whimpered pitifully--he had not realized how tender it would be.
"Obviously something happened over at the Main House," Yuki had whispered to the other two. He should have known that Shigure's sense of hearing was heightened in this other form.
"But he's not talking so we have no idea what happened!" Kyo had sounded frustrated that day.
In the end, the three teenagers had decided to call Hatori to come take a look. They knew Shigure was sick, and the fact that he had come back transformed and injured had made them worried. Normally, Shigure would have felt bad for having to have his friend come over for Hatori always made house calls for the most trivial of things, but he had been so exhausted from his morning that he barely remembered anything at all.
When Hatori had finally made it over, Shigure had still not transformed back into a human. Hatori, not being a veterinarian, stayed at the house, patiently waiting until Shigure was normal again. An hour and a half after his arrival home, Shigure finally transformed back. He was shivering again, his protective fur coat now gone, and because of it, Hatori had a difficult time examining him.
In the privacy of his own room, Shigure told Hatori everything that had happened with Akito over at the Main House. Hatori listened intently while he examined Shigure and the side of his swollen forehead.
"I thought I told you to take it easy," Hatori said finally, slapping a cold pack against Shigure's head.
"But I--" Shigure coughed. The cold air from outside had made his throat burn.
"You've got a fever, you stressed yourself to the point of transformation, and now you have Akito upset with you."
Shigure received a scolding from his friend before being advised to keep his activity level low, along with getting some rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Hatori had told him that his fever was a sign that his cold had gotten worse, and to make sure it didn't develop any further, he would instruct the other occupants of the house to make sure Shigure followed doctor's orders.
"Shigure?"
Shigure shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present. He was still standing in front of the open fridge, and now Tohru was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. He apologized for spacing out and thanked her for his breakfast.
"I'm going to take this to my room and eat it there," Shigure said, smiling. "I figured I'd get a couple of pages done on my manuscript while I'm at it. Thank you again, Tohru."
Tohru watched him retreat into his bedroom. She picked up her basket of laundry, and then sat at the kotatsu waiting for Yuki and Kyo to return.
- - -
Shigure got the call he had been dreading the very next night. Since his last visit with Hatori, Shigure had been locked up in his room, buried beneath his quilt and feeling miserable.
He had actually been asleep when the call came through; he never even heard the phone ring. Only when he felt Yuki gently shake him did he awaken. Although still groggy from sleeping, he could see that the Rat looked grave when he handed over the phone, telling him who was on the other end, and silently leaving the room.
"Hello?" he asked, his voice hoarse and nasally from coughing and his sinus congestion.
That's when he got the news about Akito. It was no mystery to the Sohmas that Akito was in poor health, and they all expected the worse when they found out that his already bad health was deteriorating. In fact, funeral plans had already been in the works, just so everything would be prepared when the time came. Akito had looked sick when Shigure had lasted seen him, but the sight was so common that sometimes he just forgot what it really meant.
Apparently, Akito had been on his deathbed this morning, but Hatori claimed that he had looked better around mid-afternoon, and he figured that he would pull through. He told Shigure that he had just checked on him mere hours ago and found him lying in his futon, already deceased. He proceeded with telling Shigure any other details, but Shigure was already sick to his stomach and asked to be told at a later date.
"Shigure, are you all right?" Hatori asked for the Dog had fallen silent after that.
"I-I don't know," he answered truthfully. He was already weak from his cold, but the new shock of Akito's death made him feel like his trembling knees were just about to fall out from under him.
Hatori sighed. "Fine, let me talk to Yuki."
Shigure nodded. He sat down on his bed knowing that his legs wouldn't be able to support him for much longer. "R-Right.... Yuki," he whispered.
Yuki entered the room almost as if he had been summoned there. Dazed, Shigure looked up at him wondering if he had been standing outside his room this whole time. Absentmindedly, he handed the phone over to Yuki who swiftly took it from his outstretched hand. Already talking to Hatori, he stepped out of the room, sliding the shoji shut behind him.
It was the sudden chill that woke Shigure from his stupor. He shivered all over before climbing back under the covers. So, Akito was really gone, and he honestly didn't know how he felt about that. He had known the boy his entire life, and although he knew he should be feeling some sort of sadness or remorse, he felt nothing, almost like he was empty.
Coughing softly, he buried his head between his pillows and closed his eyes, feeling another fever coming on.
- - -
Well, when I started writing this I was still sick, but...I'm all better now!
So, I totally do not like how the Fruits Basket manga turns out near the end, so that's one reason why I decided to kill off Akito (and keep him male), etc, etc. The story should pick up pace with the next chapter before hitting its climax and ending. I don't know for sure, but this story shouldn't be more than five or six chapters.
Also, while writing this chapter, I was really tempted to write honorifics (since I've been using them so much lately), but in the end I decided against. I didn't use them in the first two chapters, and I want to try and keep everything consistent.
I noticed that the only time I actually get around to writing in this is story is when I myself have a cold. Weird, right? I guess it's because I can better relate to the character, or maybe it's because that's the only real time I feel inspired to write this (seeing as I don't watch much of the anime anymore and the manga just confuses me). Yet, here I am once again with a half-empty box of tissues and a bottle of cough medicine.
- - -
When Shigure awoke the next morning he felt like he was drowning. He lay with his cheek pressed against his pillow, an instinctive action during the night in an attempt to cool his fevered skin. It had helped for all of five seconds, and he remembered rotating his cheeks back and forth between his pillows so as not to let one get too warm.
As realization hit him, it was almost as hard as Akito's ashtray that had caused the still swollen bump on his forehead. He wiped at his nose, pulling back to see his fingers dripping with snot.
"Ugh...," he moaned disgustedly. He wanted to gag. The thought was more repulsive than finding his pillow covered in drool.
Shigure reached for the tissue box beside his bed, wiped his nose properly, and then proceeded to scrub at his pillow with a handful of fresh tissues. His shams were definitely going to need a good cleaning later.
After removing all the sheets from his bed and throwing them into a pile beside his desk, and washing up for breakfast, Shigure walked out into his house to find the place completely deserted. He found a note on his living room table saying that everyone had left to visit Akito, and that his breakfast was waiting in the fridge whenever he was ready to eat. The note was signed by Yuki. Shigure knew that the "we" mentioned in the letter had definitely meant Yuki and Kyo, but had they included Tohru too? If they had, the poor girl was bound to come back an emotional wreck.
In the refrigerator, he found a labeled tray topped with a small bowl of white rice and an equally small portion of takuan, or Japanese pickles.
"Good morning."
Shigure looked around, startled. Tohru was standing in the kitchen doorway, Shigure's pile of dirty sheets in a basket with the boy's laundry. Shigure was relieved to see that she hadn't been a part of the group to visit Akito.
Tohru made a face when he smiled at her. She put down her basket of laundry and lithely made her way across the small kitchen. She stared at Shigure's forehead curiously, prodding the bump with her index finger. Shigure grimaced; it was still pretty tender.
"It's starting to bruise around the edges," Tohru said removing her hand. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a band-aid. She removed the plastic ends from the adhesive, sticking the bandage on Shigure's forehead. She smiled warmly at him. "Hatori said that it doesn't serve any medical usage, but that it will cover the bump pretty well, and I agree."
After Shigure had left the Main House yesterday, he had returned home cold, bruised, and in the shape of a dog. He had a difficult time trying to enter the house because he couldn't figure out how to slide the door open with his paws, but when he finally managed it, he was greeted by Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, all of who had been sitting at the kotatsu table enjoying a late lunch. He remembered how great it felt to be inside his own house, which was heated from using the kotatsu.
Yuki, who had been closest, sitting with his back to the door, had been the first to reach him. He noticed that Shigure was trembling and ushered him closer to the kotatsu. When asked by Tohru how his meeting with Akito had gone, Shigure said nothing and buried his head between his paws. It was a very dog-like thing to do, but all the same, he didn't feel much like talking about it.
Kyo had been the one who had seen the forming bump on Shigure's right temple. He asked about it casually or as casually as he could manage, and when Tohru pressed her hand against it to get a better look, Shigure whimpered pitifully--he had not realized how tender it would be.
"Obviously something happened over at the Main House," Yuki had whispered to the other two. He should have known that Shigure's sense of hearing was heightened in this other form.
"But he's not talking so we have no idea what happened!" Kyo had sounded frustrated that day.
In the end, the three teenagers had decided to call Hatori to come take a look. They knew Shigure was sick, and the fact that he had come back transformed and injured had made them worried. Normally, Shigure would have felt bad for having to have his friend come over for Hatori always made house calls for the most trivial of things, but he had been so exhausted from his morning that he barely remembered anything at all.
When Hatori had finally made it over, Shigure had still not transformed back into a human. Hatori, not being a veterinarian, stayed at the house, patiently waiting until Shigure was normal again. An hour and a half after his arrival home, Shigure finally transformed back. He was shivering again, his protective fur coat now gone, and because of it, Hatori had a difficult time examining him.
In the privacy of his own room, Shigure told Hatori everything that had happened with Akito over at the Main House. Hatori listened intently while he examined Shigure and the side of his swollen forehead.
"I thought I told you to take it easy," Hatori said finally, slapping a cold pack against Shigure's head.
"But I--" Shigure coughed. The cold air from outside had made his throat burn.
"You've got a fever, you stressed yourself to the point of transformation, and now you have Akito upset with you."
Shigure received a scolding from his friend before being advised to keep his activity level low, along with getting some rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Hatori had told him that his fever was a sign that his cold had gotten worse, and to make sure it didn't develop any further, he would instruct the other occupants of the house to make sure Shigure followed doctor's orders.
"Shigure?"
Shigure shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present. He was still standing in front of the open fridge, and now Tohru was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. He apologized for spacing out and thanked her for his breakfast.
"I'm going to take this to my room and eat it there," Shigure said, smiling. "I figured I'd get a couple of pages done on my manuscript while I'm at it. Thank you again, Tohru."
Tohru watched him retreat into his bedroom. She picked up her basket of laundry, and then sat at the kotatsu waiting for Yuki and Kyo to return.
- - -
Shigure got the call he had been dreading the very next night. Since his last visit with Hatori, Shigure had been locked up in his room, buried beneath his quilt and feeling miserable.
He had actually been asleep when the call came through; he never even heard the phone ring. Only when he felt Yuki gently shake him did he awaken. Although still groggy from sleeping, he could see that the Rat looked grave when he handed over the phone, telling him who was on the other end, and silently leaving the room.
"Hello?" he asked, his voice hoarse and nasally from coughing and his sinus congestion.
That's when he got the news about Akito. It was no mystery to the Sohmas that Akito was in poor health, and they all expected the worse when they found out that his already bad health was deteriorating. In fact, funeral plans had already been in the works, just so everything would be prepared when the time came. Akito had looked sick when Shigure had lasted seen him, but the sight was so common that sometimes he just forgot what it really meant.
Apparently, Akito had been on his deathbed this morning, but Hatori claimed that he had looked better around mid-afternoon, and he figured that he would pull through. He told Shigure that he had just checked on him mere hours ago and found him lying in his futon, already deceased. He proceeded with telling Shigure any other details, but Shigure was already sick to his stomach and asked to be told at a later date.
"Shigure, are you all right?" Hatori asked for the Dog had fallen silent after that.
"I-I don't know," he answered truthfully. He was already weak from his cold, but the new shock of Akito's death made him feel like his trembling knees were just about to fall out from under him.
Hatori sighed. "Fine, let me talk to Yuki."
Shigure nodded. He sat down on his bed knowing that his legs wouldn't be able to support him for much longer. "R-Right.... Yuki," he whispered.
Yuki entered the room almost as if he had been summoned there. Dazed, Shigure looked up at him wondering if he had been standing outside his room this whole time. Absentmindedly, he handed the phone over to Yuki who swiftly took it from his outstretched hand. Already talking to Hatori, he stepped out of the room, sliding the shoji shut behind him.
It was the sudden chill that woke Shigure from his stupor. He shivered all over before climbing back under the covers. So, Akito was really gone, and he honestly didn't know how he felt about that. He had known the boy his entire life, and although he knew he should be feeling some sort of sadness or remorse, he felt nothing, almost like he was empty.
Coughing softly, he buried his head between his pillows and closed his eyes, feeling another fever coming on.
- - -
Well, when I started writing this I was still sick, but...I'm all better now!
So, I totally do not like how the Fruits Basket manga turns out near the end, so that's one reason why I decided to kill off Akito (and keep him male), etc, etc. The story should pick up pace with the next chapter before hitting its climax and ending. I don't know for sure, but this story shouldn't be more than five or six chapters.
Also, while writing this chapter, I was really tempted to write honorifics (since I've been using them so much lately), but in the end I decided against. I didn't use them in the first two chapters, and I want to try and keep everything consistent.