Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Every Single One ❯ Pained Waves ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Eight: Pained Waves

 

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, but this chapter just turned out much longer than I expected and I went to places that I had not been planning on going. The event surrounding Hiro (excluding Kisa and Kagura) actually happened in the manga as well as the event surrounding Akito, the rest is all mine own stuff though. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it meant a lot to me! : D Enough of this author note, I'll let you get on with the story now! : )

 

(-)-(-)

(Unknown time)

 

Her eyes, they were always so dark and always so cold. Her lips had been hardened into an almost continuous frown. The voice that came from those full lips was hardly ever sweet, only extremely sharp.

 

But…

 

There were times when those tough features broke and melted away. Only Haru was able to do that to Rin. He could make those ice eyes of hers catch fire and burn, make her delicious lips crack a smile, and make that icy voice become quiet (sometimes even silent) with pleasure.

 

That was what was happening at the moment. Haru was running his hands freely and slowly through her newly (and unwillingly) obtained short hair. She didn't like it, but he did, and sometimes…Sometimes that was all that mattered. This was one of those moments when sometimes was enough.

 

A moment when his tongue on her pale skin felt like small flames of heated passion, which sent a chill of life through Rin's deadened body. For, you see, shocks of electricity were never enough to ignite a moan of feeling in such an iced soul.

 

Locked up, that was what Rin was constantly doing to the part of her that wanted to live. The part of her that longed for Haru, yet, it was only when she was with Haru that the key was placed into the keyhole, turned, and then all her feelings and thoughts got exposed.

 

Rin closed her eyes and had let each quick and simple touch ignite her senses. Letting the waves of pleasure spread over her senses like warm light creeping over a dark alleyway. She felt her eyelids press over her eyes, making any emotions she may have had, become impossible to see. Almost as if the heavy layers of deep purple and black eye shadow she wore covered the windows to her soul, becoming two closed curtains. Her skin was tingling-caught one fire-and her lips responded by opening and letting out a cry of pleasure. This was what she used to escape the curse that haunted her thoughts. To momentarily forget about breaking the curse and becoming an emotionless ice princess. She would loose herself in the moment, in the moment when time seemed to have stopped. Rin could and would get drunk off her love for him…for her love of Haru.

 

She would close herself off to him, for him, but she hadn't been able to do that lately. It confused Rin; she had been trying so hard to get the curse that had tortured her family so long lifted, but then that drive had vanished. The almost obsessive factor of breaking the curse before even love was flipped around. As of late, Rin only wanted her time spent with Haru. Why this sudden change? Even she had not been sure. It had seemed like a voice had been in her heart, telling her that her tale was done. That she no longer had to be involved with breaking the curse. With the loss of her long and flowing hair was the loss of her will to interfere with her family's business. Now, all she wanted was Haru. She knew, as her naked body intertwined with Haru's, that someone else was handling it all. That someone else had willingly taken the pain and burden upon their soul. That someone else was also letting out cries of passion, though instead of pleasure, they were of pain.

 

(-)-(-)

(Present time)

 

Hana was running, a physical activity at which she was neither good at nor enjoyed, in actuality…she despised it. Yet, Tohru's well being was on the line, and so, running was not going to kill her.

 

Though, after a while the physical exertion had started to get to Hana; a fact that anyone could have easily spotted because of her heavy breathing. It was hard enough to move in the lacy outfits that Hana wore, meaning that it was growing nearly impossible to continue running. The only thing that had kept her running was that Hana knew that the graveyard was so close.

 

So close…So close that it was beginning to take shape in her eyes. Dark and bleak was how the graveyard appeared to her and she knew that Uotani saw the same-felt the same. After all, their waves were practically identical.

 

Hana and Uo were at the graveyard, so they went from running to jogging. The two worried friends were only concentrated on finding and helping their friend-Tohru. So, Hana had her mind set on Tohru's mother's grave and could feel the haunting waves of Tohru's heart growing stronger as the two grew closer to where Tohru was thought to be. That was, until Hana felt another wave…an unusual wave…a Sohma wave or, to be more precise, a Sohma Kyo wave. And his wave signals matched Tohru's perfectly as far as Hana could tell.

 

Sadness…pain…grief…love. Such emotions were being displayed in both human beings, though Kyo's had the odd emotion in his waves, the one that all Sohma's had. What it was, Hana was unable to tell, though she could feel a revelation in the air.

 

The two friends came upon Tohru sooner then they had expected and with an (un)expected companion. All Hana had felt she could do at that moment was watch and listen, but not interfere, not yet. It wasn't until she heard Tohru tell an unconscious Kyo that she loved him. What the two where doing to each other was only hurting them, Hana could feel the cry for help coming off of both Tohru and Kyo's waves. There was something that they were both hiding from Hana and Uo, for this Hana knew. So, this secret…This dark aura hanging over both of them was finally going to be let out, and Hana was going to be the one to do something about it.

 

After all, the two had been dancing around each other long enough; hopefully…Hopefully this “they keep missing each other” behavior was going to come to an end. Now, all she had to do was go over to Tohru.

 

(-)-(-)

(Previous day)

 

He could feel the embrace and the tears, but why? Why was he crying and why did he feel so empty? He always thought he would be happy; so happy to finally be rid of it. Why was his mother right? Why did she have to say that good-byes are hard…sad? When she said those words, she reminded him of someone. A female just as ditzy, just as happy, just as annoying…and just as loving.

 

Yet, any further thought of this other female disappeared. The further he tried to recall anything, the more about this person he was finding himself forgetting. The thought was lost in the embrace.

 

He rarely felt embraces and when he did they were only with the other cursed members such as Kagura, Rin…but more importantly, Kisa. Yet, their hugs, he had them memorized, the way those three hugged and what those hugs felt like, he knew them so well…They weren't special.

 

This hug was special, not just for him, but for his Mom as well. This was the first time his mother had been able to feel her son in her arms. It was such a warm embrace and one that he was unable to describe. It was a hug that only a mother could give-a mother who he loved, though at times this love might not be easy to see. So there he was, his arms wrapped tightly…almost desperately around the comfort that surrounded his mother. Between the two of them, now sleeping comfortably was his baby sister. The warmth that surrounded him, helped to dull the confusion.

 

Finally, with tears still sliding down from his eyes, he reluctantly let go of his mother and baby sister; a sister that he could now be a good older brother to. He would be able to be an older brother that would be able to give his little sister a hug if she got hurt or was sad or happy. He would be able to be a normal older brother. The thought was so odd an alien to him and the question of why he got freed from the curse was starting to haunt him.

 

He dried his trailing tears, and just in time, as he heard the sound of small and delicate feet walking towards the room in which his family was in. The footsteps were tiny and fragile and he automatically knew who they belonged to. His heart skipped a beat when he thought about who it was-Kisa; his princess.

 

Just as Kisa came into the room, Hiro felt his mother wrap her arms tightly around him. He looked toward the doorway when he heard a small gasp. There was Kisa looking the same, the only slight difference was that her hair had grown just a little; her wide and innocent eyes looking at him in complete shock and a glimmer of happiness…and even a small sliver of envy.

 

Making his way out of his mother's hug, he slowly made his way over to Kisa.

 

(-)-(-)

(Previous day)

 

Kagura didn't know how she felt at the moment. If she had to say how she was feeling-she would say that she felt indifferent. But why she felt such indifference was beyond her. She wanted to know the reason though, why…

 

Why didn't she want to go and show Kyo how much she loved him? It was something that she was known to do quite frequently. So why did she get this feeling of just giving up on Kyo recently? In her heart, Kagura felt as if Kyo's heart…already belonged to someone else, but her mind was unable to think of who that someone could be.

 

Her kitty backpack's tail swung back and forth as she walked toward Hiro's house, with those thoughts overcoming her mind. She had been told to go and pick up Kisa from school, and so, she did. Yet, at the moment Kisa had ran ahead toward Hiro's house (she had wanted to visit him). The younger girl vanished into the house while Kagura was still a ways away.

 

Kagura took her time to get to Hiro's house and was sticking with he slow pace. That is, until she heard Kisa gasp, at which point she let curiosity and concern overcome her. Once she hurriedly made her way to where she had heard the gasp come from. She saw Hiro being held lovingly in the embrace of his mother; His mother who was not cursed by the zodiac. Why?

 

This question was constantly on her mind as of late, and as she watched a scene that she thought was impossible, happen in front of her eyes…she finally knew the answer.

 

Kagura left had let her body quickly fall to the floor. All of the questions had one answer. She felt her kitty backpack fall from her shoulders and onto wood beneath her. Her soul knew this answer to be the right one, even if her mind didn't. Her arms reached out behind her as her eyes stayed glued to the picture in front of her. The answer was…Her hands found their target (the straps of her orange cat backpack) and thus, she wrapped her arms tightly around it. The answer was that all of this was happening because of the unknown…unremembered girl who had stolen Kyo's heart from her. She felt the ripping pain of something heavy leaving her heart. Kagura began to cry.

 

For in that unwanted moment both the curse and the imagined love she had for Kyo left her.

 

(-)-(-)

(Present time)

 

She was almost directly above Tohru, with Uotani at her side. Yet, Tohru was completely unaware of their presence. She just held Kyo tightly though, Saki noted, Tohru had her arms wrapped around his shoulders and no further.

 

Since Tohru was still “out of it”, or so one could say, Hana felt it to be a good time, if any, to do a complete examination of Tohru and Kyo's waves. Tohru's were distraught, panicky and she was calling out to someone (most likely Kyo) to…to remember her…to love her…to not leave her alone. Her heart was screaming out, “Please don't leave me, not after taking my heart. Please! Don't me like my father did…Don't leave me like mother did…”

 

“Don't leave me broken, Kyo-kun! I need you here with me to pick up all the scattered pieces. Oh, mother, you had father leave you as well (thought that was through death) b-but still, mother, what should I do?”

 

Hana was getting ready to say something, but right at that moment Arisa began to cry. Seeing Tohru in such a state must have brought the crying upon Uotani. Hana felt a pang of sadness sting inside her, but tears never came-tears never could come. She wasn't one to cry, even when she had been younger.

 

“Uo-chan! Hana-chan! W-what are you doing here?” Tohru's eyes were wide and her voice slightly high pitched from surprise. “You two…Y-you shouldn't be here!” By now Tohru was going into her panic mode.

 

“We shouldn't be here! Tohru, look at you! What's going on here? I've had just about enough of the secrets!” Hana watched as Arisa let all the pent up anger out.

 

“Please, Uo-chan and Hana-chan please…Just leave. I'm sorry, but I don't want to do to you what my mother did to me.” She was pleasing by then and her voice sounded broken.

 

“Why?” Hana felt herself ask, for even she could not find the answer just by looking at the flow of electrical waves.

 

“She…My mother, after my father died…She just forgot about me.” Hana felt herself gasp, after all, that didn't sound like Kyoko at all. “My mother, she hadn't always been the perfect mother that you, Hana-chan and Uo-chan, knew. At one time my mother had been young and just lost her husband. Meaning that she was by herself to raise a child, it had been all too much for her, and she had gotten lost in the sadness. Her being lost and not having anyone to help guide her…is how I am able to forgive her…for almost committing suicide and leaving me behind.” Both friends felt their minds freeze, so this had been the true Kyoko, the flawed Kyoko-it just didn't seem real. Tohru continued, “If it hadn't been for a mother with her child walking by, my mother would have jumped off that bride she was standing over…”

 

“And she would have left my side forever a lot sooner than she did. Everyone thought that I was too young to remember what I had felt at that time in my life, but I do remember. And-Hana-chan, Uo-chan…I never want you to feel unwanted and unneeded by someone you care about. That's why…That's why…”

 

Yet Tohru was unable to finish the sentence. Her arms had wrapped themselves tighter around Kyo's shoulders throughout the telling of her story. Uotani and Hana stopped Tohru in mid-sentence by bringing her into a warm hug.

 

“Tohru, you really are silly, aren't you?” Arisa asked half-serious and half-joking with a flow of (now) slowing tears. “We are going to stand by you through every up and every down. That's what best friends are for, right Hana?”

 

“Yes, right, Tohru-chan?”

 

Tohru didn't answer right away. It seemed as if everything had been too much for her too take for a second. So she had just sat there, stunned, but then she snapped out of it and answered, “Yes.” A small and true smile made its way onto Tohru's deadened face.

 

“So, what exactly has been up with you and the Sohmas, Tohru-chan?” Hana asked in her soft and passive voice, her eyes straying to the passed out form of Sohma Kyo. “What's the secret surrounding them?”

 

The two best friends stayed silent as they watched Tohru look downward at the unconscious boy in her arms. Her faced looked as if her mind was in conflict. Until, it seemed that Tohru's mind came to a conclusion.

 

“They're curse.” Her voice was sad and dark, a tone that was never heard from Tohru before and so, neither one felt that they should interrupt her. “If…No, only thirteen…No…” Tohru seemed to have trouble starting. But then she took a deep breath and tried again.

 

“Not all the Sohma's are cursed, just a select few. Though, all the Sohma's you have met are cursed or at least know about the curse. If any of them are hugged by a person of the opposite gender (who is not cursed) then they transform into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac.” Tohru stopped for a few minutes to catch her breath and hold her somber eyes on Kyo. Both Hana and Uotani were stuck in a surprised silence.

 

“Then there is Kyo-kun. He's cursed, but he isn't considered a member of the zodiac or a member of the Sohma family. Kyo-kun transforms into the cat…the cat that had been left out of the Zodiac fest. Kyo-kun has another curse on him though; he is cursed with the spirit of the cat…the cat's true form. A form…” Tohru once again paused and her eyes glazed over as she thought. “A form that us so scary…so ugly…so retched smelling, and yet, it is still Kyo-kun in there. So, how could I not accept it?”

 

Arisa and Saki thought that she was done. Both thought that there could be not another thing to add to this horrid curse. “Then there is Akito-san. She has a bond with each member of the zodiac and is the head of the family. A bond that makes her burden so heavy…A little lost girl inside a woman's body…A woman's body that has to be hidden behind a man's…How…How can I break it? How can I break this horrible curse?”

 

“Hana-chan, you know a lot about curses, how can I break it?” Tohru glanced at her friend and Hanajima saw hope in her eyes. Hana did know a lot about curses and she knew the answer the moment Tohru started to speak of it.

 

“The curse to the curse on is that the curse will weaken and eventually disappear all together, but most curses are set to last for thousands upon thousands of years. The other alternative…is hope. If those who are cursed get or are given hope, then defiance upon the curse begins to happen, and the curse starts to weaken at a much faster pace. Thus, the curse will eventually break. It all comes down to hope-hope embodied in one person.” Hana's black, emotionless eyes landed on Tohru and stayed on Tohru as she said every single word.

 

“How can I be their hope when no one remembers me anymore?” Tohru sounded defeated.

 

Saki felt herself begin to talk again, while Arisa stayed quiet, seeming as if she was weighing something heavy on her mind. “How do you know that they have all forgotten you, Tohru-chan? Why do you think Sohma-kun came here? You are their hope and they aren't going to easily forget you. Now, it is only a matter of how, Tohru-chan. How are you going to ensure that you come through as their shinning bit of hope, even through all the dark layers of erased memories?”

 

Tohru hardly moved, her hand just slowly crept downward, until it clutched Kyo's hand and squeezed. “I'm going to become who I truly am, just as Kyo-kun told me to.”

 

“That's right, Tohru-chan, just think like that and the curse will be broken, and I and Uo will help. Now, let's go and bring Sohma-kun back to his home.”

 

Not your home…His home…

 

Hanajima knew that those words were probably wrong and that they stung Tohru's heart. But what else was she suppose to say?

 

While lifting up and supporting Kyo, Tohru and Saki started to make their way out of the graveyard, but were stopped by the sound of Arisa's voice. “Wait! Kureno, he's a Sohma, isn't he? He's cursed, too, isn't he?”

 

“Yes, he is a Sohma, but the physical part of the curse left him years ago. Now, Kureno-san only has the mental affects of the curse on him.” Tohru grew quiet and her eyes became blank as she told her friend the hurtful truth.

 

Hana and Tohru were making their way out of the graveyard once again, only to be stopped (once again) by Arisa's voice, “Which animal did Kureno turn into, Tohru?” Tohru and Hana could see the worry and anguish as it made its way plainly across Uotani's eyes. What was causing Arisa such sadness was unknown to them both.

 

Tohru didn't answer right away, something inside told her that when Arisa received the answer, all would not be well, and that the answer her and Hana would get back would do neither one any good. Yet, after spending a whole minute of just looking at her friend's dread filled face, Tohru answered, “Kureno-san turned into the Rooster of the Zodiac, Uo-chan.”

 

“The Rooster, so, that would be like the bird, right?” Arisa's voice quivered slightly, as if she hoped the answer would be no, even though she knew it would be yes.

 

“Yes. Why did you want to know, Uo-chan?”

 

“That bird…The other night, right before we were going to close up the store…a bird dropped down to the ground for no reason at all, right outside…” Arisa said nothing at all as she took off, not quite sure where she was going. Besides that, Tohru knew what was running across Uotani's mind, as did Hana. Uotani was thinking that something horrible has happened to Kureno.

 

Tohru had wanted to go after Arisa, but with the weight of half of Kyo's body on her and the gentle touch of Hanajima's small hand; this reminded her that she had to bring Kyo back to…his…house. So, the two (while carrying an unconscious Kyo) finally got out of the graveyard and headed in the direction of Kyo's house. No one would bother to look back, for they would have found that Arisa had long since gone.

 

(-)-(-)

(Previous day)

 

He once again found himself in an embrace, though this one he was familiar with. The warmth of Kisa's body was barely enough for him to feel, but that was how it had always been. The way her body fit so perfectly in his arms, the way her slender frame was able to be completely engulfed by his arms, these arms that held Kisa so tightly, and his hands meeting at the middle of her back. At first he felt as id he was holding her in an embrace too tight, yet soon realized that the embrace he was receiving from her was of the same strength. Neither wanted to let go of Hiro's new found freedom.

 

As they continued to embrace Hiro had let his warm lips be placed upon Kisa's cool cheek. A cheek that heated up in a blush the moment his lips left it. Then, very slowly and with a hot blush upon his face, watched as his nervous eyes grew closer to Kisa's glazed ones; both of their breathes grew shallow. They slowly grew closer to one another and both watched as the other's eyes began to close. Finally, their lips met, just a short and sweet brush of their lips. But, that had been enough for the Hiro and Kisa to be filled with a temporary moment of complete happiness.

 

As to not destroy the tranquil mood in the room (a room in which the two young Sohma's forgot anyone else was in) Hiro gingerly moved his lips from Kisa's and toward her ear. For a brief second or so he just stayed there, and snuggled his face in Kisa's medium length dirty blonde hair. Hiro noted that her hair smelt like caramel candy. Placing his mouth up against her ear, so close that he knew she could feel his breath, he whispered, “How…Who?”

 

Kisa, while still in the hug, moved to whisper the answer she had into Hiro's ear; an answer that consisted of one word…one person, “Onee-chan.”

 

(-)-(-)

(Present time/Evening)

 

It was late in the evening and it would have been dark out even if the rain clouds weren't forming. A day…A whole day, that was how long it had been since she ran. Since she ran and left him in such a state; a day in which she had felt another rip at her soul, as she felt another one of her animals leaving her.

 

She had known that everything up to this point had been her fault, but she was like a child, and a child never blames themselves for anything that goes wrong. Just like she twisted her mind to let that spoiled child stay inside her, that scared child…That scared child that still called out for her father. A father who had loved her and told her that she was special; a father whose presence she always kept near her in that empty box. That empty box that had made her come running into the room, a knife had been clutched so tightly in her hands as she rushed forward, ready to strike. Only to be shocked to find that the box was empty this had made the knife drop. To think…

 

To think that she could have killed that sluttish bitch-that horrid woman…That pitiful mother whose name was Ren. She could have been so happy, could have killed the one person who never believed in her and never believed in the bond; so ignorant.

 

Yet, no matter how much she wanted to blame someone (anyone) else, she knew it was all her fault. Everything. This thought kept flowing through her head as she had lay curled up and hidden in the woods surrounding Shigure's house. As large water droplets began to fall at a timed pace, she quickly let the thought of how he was enter her mind. As that thought came and the passed, the rain became small and fast moving droplets. The thought once again pressed through Akito's mind on the well being of Kureno. For, Kureno's blood wasn't getting washed off the knife by the rain fast enough.

 

(-)-(-)

 

A.N: There you have it everybody Chapter Eight. I thought that I would never stop typing `cause 28 pages (written) is a lot to type up! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you think. :3 Take care everyone and I leave you with a preview for chapter nine:

 

Chapter Nine: Conscious Decision:

 

Tohru goes to live with Hana and with her help begins to divulge into who she truly is. Arisa finds Kureno, but his condition is not happy one, and Momiji contemplate why he chose to not inform his family of his new found freedom. Meanwhile Akito finds herself wanting comfort in the form of her most loyal (and selfish) zodiac-wanting to loose herself in her “love” for Shigure. And, to round this whole chapter up, a little look in on how Kyo is doing and on the fact of if he can remember anything that had taken place at the graveyard. If you want to know, you will just have to wait and then read.

 

Until next time,

 

-Lily-