Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Everything ❯ The Changing Weather ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: At the moment, I'm exhausted and red-eyed but I'm so appreciative of your encouraging comments, they give me peace of mind in my chaotic life. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your fabulous reviews! I wish I could tell you more of the plot, but then I would give too much away. I like the slow pacing of this fanfic, as my other works always seem to be so quick in getting to the main story, that I leave out parts of the emotional content that makes my fanfics worth reading. I'm happy to know that all of you appreciate the way in which I've written this... I'm babbling, yes? Ok, I will stop. On with the story!




Previously...
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What would he do if he saw her again?



And today, he received his answer.



All he could do was stare and grumble his way through a conversation with her, and possibly manage the occasional smile while he tried to reign in his temper at her absence. The only good thing about her departure nine years ago, was the new-found confidence she seemed to acquire. It was nice to see her so comfortable and relaxed in her own skin; no self-made apologies even parted from her lips, which was always good as it was the one thing that Kyo wished she could have changed about herself.



He watched the mother and son bid him farewell before they walked away into the distance, hand in hand.



The years had been good to her... For that, he was incredibly thankful.



She certainly looked more beautiful than ever. Motherhood suited her. It gave her an extra glow around her aura that seemed barely visible to the naked eye, but it's potency seemed to pull any acquaintance of hers even closer into her orbit.



He did not know if he would ever see her again and that pained him. But there was one thing he knew for certain...



"Her husband is one lucky son-ova-bitch," he stated loudly to the silent trees, swaying in the balmy breeze.





Th e Honke was silent; it was exactly how he wished for things to be.



His poor nerves could not handle the grating noise of chattering Sohmas passing by his open oval window, without a care in the world. What did they know of true pain? They knew nothing! All of them, cowards and leeches, living off of his misery with not an ounce of remorse or thought for his pain, his suffering. Did they think him foolish? He knew, knew that they would feel nothing with his imminent death. They did not care, they did not see him.



Unlike her... Honda Tohru.



She knew the bitter sting of his loneliness, the emptiness that engulfed him on a daily basis. She had seen right through his ferocious behavior and she willingly wished to... Embrace the real him. After all the pain he could have inflicted upon a person, she still returned to him, with open arms and a trusting countenance that almost sickened him beyond belief.



She was a glutton for punishment, with her sparkling innocent eyes and broad, beaming grin that reminded him of a red sun rising in a bitter cold morning, from behind a snow-peaked mountain. It was... There were no words to describe it.



It was sickly sweet, yet so endearing that it almost made him want to raise a fragile hand towards her lips and brush them lightly with his fingers, as though he were stroking the delicate pale pink petals of a freshly blossomed sakura, just to be certain if what he was envisioning was... Real. No-one, no real person, could have such an open, honest smile that seemed to deceive the tragedies that had befallen their life. And yet, she did.



It was ridiculous, it was unbelievable... It was the enigma known as Honda Tohru.



But she had chosen to love another Sohma. He would never see himself as worthy enough to covet and capture her velvet lips in one sweet death kiss... Because she had fallen in love with another. It was the sole reason for his decision, to have her memory erased by the one person she had given her heart to.



Then, she returned. The smile... That smile that had haunted him for the past lifeless nine years of his existence, was back with an outward vengeance.



And so, secretly, he wanted to test her limits. Every person had a limit to which they could endure such pain and heartache. He wondered how far her limit would stretch, how far she could be pulled, before she broke indefinitely.



It would be a challenge, a test of faith. And if she did not break, then he would accept defeat and ultimately, accept the truth that he wanted to love her. To be loved by her. Such a confession was hard for him to surface in his thoughts, and he felt no remorse at casting the truthful secret aside.



"Did you love her, Hatori?" He asked softly before turning to the silent dragon that sat to his side in the shadowed room.



Akito almost chuckled at the confusion written on the good doctor's face.



"Love? Love who, Akito-san?" Hatori replied flatly.



"Honda Tohru."



Hatori blinked before answering, "I.."



He smirked, "Such a tragedy, you know," he rose from his seated position, gliding his fingers across the smooth fabric of his favorite yukata as he straightened the sides, "To lose two beautiful loves in one lifetime, ne?"



The dragon looked on grimly as the demi-god wandered across the room to his large, oval window.



"Takagawa Tohru," he whispered suddenly, shattering the single moment of silence with two, innocent words.



Akito froze, his head tilting slightly at the name uttered by the stoic man as he looked out at the grounds of his estate, "What did you say?"



"Her name is Takagawa Tohru," Hatori corrected flatly, "Not Honda Tohru."



The sudden rage that filled him was insurmountable.



It was blood red with fury, clouding his aura like the misty haze of an unbreakable fog.



"YOUR'E WRONG!" He screamed, whirling away from the window to face the kneeling man once more, "She will always be Honda Tohru. Always!" He reached out in his blinding ferocity, grasping a delicately adorned shoji panel before tossing it against the wall in heated anger. The shredding sound gave him such a sense of grim satisfaction, it sounded as though he were ripping at live human flesh. "Say it," Akito growled demandingly, "Say it, Hatori! Honda Tohru. I want you to fucking say it!"



Hatori barely flinched at the sudden outburst, "Akito-san," he reasoned, "She's married... And she has a child..."



"I don't care, I don't care, I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" His enraged outburst echoed through his private room. All could hear his anger, but none would question it. Nor would they dare to reprimand him for it, if they had any sense at all.



The dragon edged back slightly, fearful of getting caught up in the man's bitter and violent onslaught.



"You loved her, didn't you?" Akito accused, pointing his frail finger at the confused doctor.



"Yes," Hatori replied quickly, to appease him, "I did, and the other Jyuunishi loved her as equally as I did, Akito-san."



He sunk to his knees, suddenly sapped of all bodily strength from his prior outburst, "And she loved you," he murmured, almost to himself.



Hatori rushed to the fallen man's side, checking his vital statistics as any professional would, "She loved all the Jyuunishi," he said slowly.



"No," Akito whispered, turning his steely eyes upon the cursed dragon as he was led to his low bed, "She loved you, Hatori."



"I do not understand Akito-san?" Hatori mumbled questioningly, lowering the sickly demi-god onto the bed.



Akito smiled secretly, "You always were the fool, Hatori," he raised his hand to stroke the jagged ebony lock of hair that fell over the doctor's left eye, "I had you erase her memory because I could see..." he paused, grinning evilly like a cat that had hidden it's daily ration of cream. "I could see," he continued softly and slowly, "That she fell in love with you." Did they think him blind? Nothing could escape his notice, his ever-watchful, burdened iron eyes.



He closed his eyes as Hatori jerked away from his side.



In the blank canvas of his mind, he could faintly here the doctor stumble away, as though he had been punched in the stomach by his spoken words.



How could that woman ever have room to love anyone else if she had given it all to that undeserving, frozen bastard of a doctor..?



In his opinion, doing that, she had outstayed her welcome by offering her love to that cursed, vile man.



Slowly, the various sounds around him faded away as he joined the vast realms of his dark but fitful slumber.




The incoming calls had not ceased in the past hour and a half.



He was at his wits end to attend to all the pressing business matters, but his mind would not stop drifting away into a far away land, where business negotiations were a mere myth and phones had been distinctly banned...



Yuki quickly made up his mind.



He buzzed his secretary on his private intercom, "Sango-san?"



"Yes Sohma-san? Is there anything I can get you?" The helpful voice chirped out, making him grimace slightly.



"Would you please intercept the rest of my calls and tell them to contact me tomorrow?" He paused, "And cancel my meetings for the day, I have other business to attend to."



There was a brief moment of hesitancy on the other side before his secretary finally responded to his request, "Of course, Sohma-san."



Yuki was not surprised at the woman's reaction. Not once in his professional career had he ever put aside his work. He would get things done, and he would get them done in time. But it was all to much... All too much; and the constant ringing of his phone was slowly beginning to drive him closer into the arms of insanity.



He needed to get away, get away from everything.




He felt sick; he needed fresh air, he needed to escape the world of pain and heartache that continuously seemed to follow him wherever he set foot. It was his fault. He was to blame for Tohru's memory loss. He thought that he was to blame because he had carried out the act but in retrospect, it was because of him Akito had taken such an action. It was due to him that Tohru left the Jyuunishi. All because of him.



"Why?" He whispered aloud as he stepped into the bright, exuberant mid-afternoon day, "Why did you have to love me, Honda-kun..."



Without a second thought, he quickly began to walk away from the dark, looming main house; such a stain on an otherwise perfect day.



"Hatori-san!"



Hatori closed his eyes, halting as her urgent voice caressed the folds of his ears. He couldn't face her... Not yet... Not after...



"Hatori-san?" She called out once more. He forced his features to remain blank as he turned to the panicked woman.



"Yes, Tohru-san? How can I help you?"



She looked ready to cry. Hatori frowned as she spoke hurriedly, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I heard that you were a doctor and I really need your help."



Her plea was enough for him to stand to attention, "What is wrong?"



"It's my son, Toshi. I think he has a fever but I'm not sure! He fell sick after we came back from our walk in the morning and I didn't want to leave him but he's been getting worse and I don't know what to do, I tried everything imaginable but then I remembered Ayame-san telling me that you were a doctor and I had to come and find you, even if it mean I left him alone for a little while and I would have told my husband but..."



He blinked. She was definitely babbling. It reminded him so much of how she had been, many years ago. In her stay at the Honke, he had not once seen her looking so displaced and at a loss.



"Calm down," he interrupted, "I'm sure that it's nothing. But it will be more than happy to help."



Any fool could see that she was extremely worried about her son's welfare. Hatori could not really fault her for it. He distinctly remembered Yuki telling him about her father's death... "Please," he insisted, "Lead the way."



She smiled gratefully, turning to direct him back to her family's temporary villa.



The dragon sighed to himself. It was going to be an incredibly long day.





Ayame glanced at his assistant from the corner of his eye.



Something was wrong; he knew it, but why would she not speak to him about it? Was he so boisterous and charming that she could not even trust him to be serious for one moment? It made him feel... Sad, and worthless.



"Mine?"



"Hm?" She looked up from the fabric she was sewing.



"Let's go on a date!" He declared, raising his arms in an extravagant gesture.



Mine looked at him blankly, her mouth slowly opening to an astonished gape, "A what?"



"A date!" He countered with exasperation.



"I... Ayame-san, I can't. I'm sorry."



He frowned, almost pouting as he trounced to her side at the raised counter, "And why not?"



"B-because...!" She exclaimed, blushing profusely, "It would be wrong and-and unethical. What I mean is, we work together and..."



"Oh nonsense!" Ayame patted her arm, before bounding around the shop grandly, surveying the new pieces of fabric that had been acquired from their stockist, "It will be perfectly fine. What time shall I pick you up then, hm?" He asked quickly.



"No," she said resolutely, forcing him to halt in his rambunctious antics.



"What do you mean, no?" Ayame blustered.



"As much as I would like to Ayame-san, there is no way I can go on a date with you."



"Why not?" The snake demanded, slightly offended that he should be refused in any offer, "Do I not suit Mine-chan's preference?" He suddenly said, casting a shameful glance as he winked at her with cunning sauciness. No woman could resist such a look.



Unfortunately for him, that is exactly what she did.



"I already have a boyfriend," she declared stoutly, "It would hardly be right for me to go out with you, when I'm with him, ne?" She reasoned, resuming her work, "I know we're having our problems at the moment but that does not give me lease to go out on a date with another person. So, forgive me Ayame-san, but I must decline."



The albino snake frowned, "As you wish," he said slowly, turning away from the usually bright and bouncy woman. If he did not know any better, he would have to say that this boyfriend of hers was not worthy...



To treat an incredible woman as Mine, in such a callous manner, was beyond unacceptable. If he had been Mine's lover, he would have treated with the utmost reverence and respect he knew that she ultimately deserved. He would have cherished every single day to be with her...



So secretly, he hoped for the boyfriend's sake, that their personal matters would be resolved quickly and that her spirits would once again be lifted, or he would have to step in and personally address the man. And that would not bode well for his Mine's lover.




Rain... It was her solace; her only source of joy.



The warm raindrops dripped down onto her pale skin, soaking and combing her bleached hair like an invisible stroking hand. It reminded her of the earth's beautiful design, of happier times when laughter was shared and friendship reigned.



The silent grave-stone loomed before as she stared at the wet incense, no longer burning from the rain fall.



She missed her... She had once promised to look after her daughter, but she'd been a coward and let one of her only true remaining friend, walk away without a second glance. It was for her, she reasoned, that she allowed her to leave and not come back. It was for her that she did not try and keep in contact; it would only serve as a painful reminder that they were not near one another, sharing each other's pain, sorrow or joy.



"Hello Arisa," the quiet, low voice spoke beside her.



"It's been a long time, Hanajima," Uo said softly, gazing at her idol's freshly cleaned grave as the heavens opened above and poured their tears onto the soiled earth below her feet, "How've you been?"



The dark-haired girl lowered her head, speaking blandly, "Very well, and you?"



"Same old, same old."



They stood together silently, only the sound of steady rainfall could be heard between the pair.



"Why did you call me here?" She asked suddenly, turning to the shorter woman with confusion.



Her dear friend smiled politely, kneeling down to place a bunch of white flowers at the base of the tombstone. "Because," she said as she stood once more, "I have some news."



Uo sighed, smiling quietly to herself. "You haven't changed a bit."



"Neither have you," the denpa countered smartly.



"So..?" Uo prompted, shoving her hands into her worn out trench coat.



"Tohru's here," Hana announced quietly.



She froze, turning to stare at the shorter woman with hope and wonder, "What?"



"It's true," Hanajima smiled, "I felt her. I didn't know whether it was wishful thinking, but looking back on it, I really felt her. She's here."



"Why hasn't she contacted us?" Uo frowned.



"Give her some time, Arisa. She is coming to terms with returning here. She'll come to us, of that I am certain."



"Do you know where she is?"



"No..."



"Hana," Uo warned, "Don't lie to me!"



"I'm not, I don't know where she is. We just have to wait, Arisa. Can you be patient?"



Uo refused to speak, before finally forcing herself to respond, "Yes, I can."



"Good," the denpa said with satisfaction.



Uo cast her eyes back to her surrogate mother's grave. A sense of redemption filled her heart. This time, she would not let her go. She would fight for her to stay, no matter the consequences.



The rain ceased to fall onto her pale skin; she looked up at the umbrella Hana had offered and could not help but smile. It was a long time since she had the courage to smile so openly.



"Let's go a get a coffee," Hana suggested softly, linking her arm with that of Uo's. Together, they made their way slowly out of the graveyard. "I'm sorry Arisa," she whispered.



Uo looked down with a perplexed glance, "For what?"



"For not being a better friend. We both missed Tohru so much, that we ultimately forgot one anothers pain."



"It's ok Hana," Uo sighed, "I'm sorry too... Do you think the Sohmas know she's back?"



"Perhaps," the denpa replied gently. "All we can do now, is hope that she will come to us in good spirits."



The former yankee shrugged, huddling under the umbrella as they made their way down the street, "You know Tohru, she always bounces back."



"Indeed," Hana uttered cryptically.




Tohru peered over the kind man's shoulder as he tended to her fever-ridden son. The specks of rain that had appeared as they made their way to the villa were beginning to fall in steady streams, and it's purpose only served to discolor her mood further.



"How's he doing?" She whispered to the doctor.



Hatori rose up, turning to face her with a gentle smile, "He'll be fine, I gave him an injection so his temperature should return to normal soon enough."



Tohru slowly felt the tension seep out from her shoulders at the soothing doctor's words. "Thank you, I don't know how I can ever repay you," she commented gratefully.



He raised his palm, as though he were blocking her praise, "It was nothing, really. And if you want to do something for me, then I suggest you sit down and relax for the remaining day until your husband is able to join you. Worrying about your son will do you, and him, no necessary good."



"Right, I will."



They quietly walked to the front door together. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Tohru asked hastily, remembering her manners.



She watched curiously as an inner battle took place within the man's deep sea green eyes.



"No, thank you, I should be getting back to my office," he declined gently.



She nodded in acceptance as they reached the door, showing him out reluctantly, "All right, but I insist that you come back. I can cook, really, you don't have to be frightened by my culinary skills," she joked.



Hatori stepped out of the villa and bowed, smiling at her endearment, "I don't doubt your skills Tohru-san," to his surprise, he found himself chuckling, "Very well, I will inform you as to when I am free and perhaps then it would be sufficient for you to test your skills on my palate." He gestured farewell, before making his way quickly through the glistening pebbled pathways of the Sohma estate. Almost as if he could not wait to leave her presence.



Tohru shook her head; she forgot to offer the poor man an umbrella! Of all the idiotic things... She could offer dinner, but even one simple, tiny, insignificant umbrella seemed to be beyond even her thought capacity!




It had started to rain. The warm sunshine was a distant memory in Yuki's mind as he strolled slowly towards the slumbering house nestled in-between the leaves and trees of the private forest.



"Kyo!" He called out, from the bottom of the wooden stairs.



Silence greeted him.



He sighed, knowing that his cursed counterpart disliked entertaining visitors. "Kyo, you stupid cat!"



"What now?" The rowdy cat demanded as he opened the door to his home.



It was the second time that day he had been disturbed. And the continuing disturbances were beginning to annoy him.



"Are you going to let me come in, or will you just leave me to stand in the rain and stare at me all day?" Yuki said, looking up from the bottom step of the raised house. He hid his faint smile as the angry orange-haired man left the door open for him to make his way into the quiet house. As sad as it was, Kyo's home was the one remaining place that Yuki felt remotely comfortable... And unbelievably, it was with his life-long rival that Yuki could peacefully contemplate the meaning of his existence and what his life could have been, if a certain woman had not forgotten him.




Towards the end of my pregnancy, I went through what I like to call, my sad luv-luv song phase. This meant, that every time I heard a song that was remotely 'sad' or a love ballad, I would literally bawl like there was no tomorrow. No, seriously, I would just start weeping for no apparent reason. I would send my husband into an emotional panicked frenzy, all the while laughing my ass off at him, as I shed tears by the truck-load. It was such a joy to see him so flustered and at a loss, as he's usually too calm and collected to let anything get to him... I'm evil, and I know you're reading this from behind my shoulder but... I love you, honest... :)



The idiotic thing about the entire ordeal, was that I had no idea as to why I was crying! Mindy Smith, Eva Cassidy, Leona Naess and Celine Dion were among the main culprits; damn you and your emotional songs ladies (naughty Celine!). The funny thing is, I actually took out my old CDs and put on more songs like that. The Backstreet Boys also made an unusual appearance in my CD player. And when I say unusual, I mean that my husband nearly tore his hair out at the fact that I forced him to go and buy this particular album for me. He told me that the cashier thought he was gay, asked him for his number and a steamy date to boot! To this day, his friends (and I) have not let him forget his humiliation of said purchase and the poor cashier's embarrassment at finding out that my husband is as straight as a baseball bat. So, this is my public apology to him; Sorry darling! :)

I blame the hormones... ©