Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Mute to the Touch ❯ Nothing Wrong With Being Different ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha or it's characters, I don't own pigeon sign language, it's kinda like a dialect.

 

I'll describe the signs unless it's finger spelling, once I describe the sign once, I'll just write the word when I use it later on, unless one of the characters knows the sign.

 

Shigure hung up the phone and sighed as Tohru called out to them that dinner was ready. Slowly walking over to the table Shigure kneeled down on the cushion and looked up over at the three teens. “Yuki.” Said boy looked up at Shigure, “Your sister will be staying with us, Hatori found her in a dumpster after your mother closed her in there, Akito thought here would be best for her.” Yuki glared at Shigure accusingly.

 

“You have a sister? What's she like?” Tohru asked excitedly, “I don't remember you talking about her.”

 

Kyo rolled his eyes, “Please, Yuki treats her like Ayame treated him. That's why he's been living here for so long.”

 

“That can't be true though, Yuki would never do something like that.” Yuki shut his eyes as he took a bite of soba.

 

“Tohru, I'd rather not talk about it.” Yuki slowly stood up and put his dishes in the sink before heading for the front door and walking out.

 

“… was it something I said?”

 

“No Tohru, Kyo was right. Kohana knows this too; Ayame and Yuki avoid her, they always have. Anyways, she'll be coming later today so I was hoping that our wonderful flower would help prepare a room for her.”

 

“I'd love to!” Tohru thought about the three rooms that still weren't occupied and chose the room closest to Kyo, but across from Yuki's. Tohru's mind was racing over how Yuki could do this to his sister after feeling abandoned by his own brother.

 

The three of them ate in silence. Tohru went to check on the room after remembering they didn't have any beds to put in there; she began to make a list of everything that they would need.

 

Yuki just got back when a knock was heard on the door. Looking up, Yuki watched as Tohru answered the door from the couch.

 

“Hello Tohru.” Hatori's hand lay solidly on the six year old's shoulder. Tohru watched the girl squirm, her black hair held securely in a braid. Shigure and Kyo entered the room at the sound of Hatori's voice. “Anything you need will be brought here tomorrow evening, she does have clothes with her now though.”

 

“She looks so small!” Tohru squealed as she kneeled down to be face-to-face with the little girl. “Hi, I'm Tohru! You're so cute! How old are you?” The little girl held up her index, middle, and ring finger. “Three? Really?”

 

“She's six Tohru, and she's mute.” The girl tried to wiggle out of the grasp Hatori had on her. “She uses pigeon sign language. She can hear everything you say to her.”

 

“Wow! I know some letters! My mom's friend taught me.” Tohru smiled. Kyo punched Yuki and Shigure watched as Kyo drug Yuki to see Kohana.

 

She brought her pinky to her chest and looking at Hatori when Yuki grabbed her hand and placed them flat on her chest. “Yuki, do you really not want her here? I can keep her at Akito's if you want.” Yuki winced at the thought before pushing past them and walking outside once again. “I called Ayame, he doesn't know she's here though. He should be here in an hour. Not what were you saying earlier? You what?”

 

`I' she brought both hands out in front of her, palms up, and looked like she was pulling something towards her, she then touched her left index finger to her right before moving them and pointing them off to her left.

 

“No, you're staying here, we already talked about this.”

 

“What did she say?” Tohru asked curiously. Kyo looked off into the distance and asked her to repeat herself before looking up at Hatori.

 

“She said she wants to go.” Hatori refused to let her go out of his grasp. “May we come in?”

 

Tohru's eyes widened, “Of course! I'm so sorry I forgot to invite you two in.” Hatori walked into the house making the girl sit down.

 

Kyo looked confused but stood across from the girl. `Me too,' he signed shakily, `I want to go, freedom.'

 

Tohru helped bring in Kohana's bags and put them in her room, she had three boxes and a futon, which they had laid on the floor by the window.

 

“Hatori?” Tohru looked at the doctor, “Why can't she talk, what else can't she do?”

 

“Tohru, when she was born, her brain never developed correctly when she was in the womb. Her mother didn't have enough Iodine in her diet, and her mother didn't listen to me. By not having Iodine, a particular hormone never formed from the thyroid gland in the neck. People like this are called hypothyroid. This condition somehow damages the developing auditory system. So in turn, she became mute. She's unable to talk, sing, laugh, or make any noises involving her auditory system.”

 

“She can't even scream though? Wow… that's so sad, not being able to communicate easily… I know! Do you know anywhere that teaches sign language?”

 

“I'll talk to Hiro's mom, she should be able to teach you.”

 

“Thank you so much Hatori!” Tohru clasped her hands together in excitement.

 

Kyo sat down next to Kohana, she pointed at Kyo and then brought her left hand up to her temple. She then moved her hands rotatingly before making an L shape with both of her hands and bounced them sideways, away from eachother.

 

`I know a l-i-t-t-l-e sign language.' Kohana watched Kyo's shaky hands and face as he attempted to talk to her. She opened her backpach and took out a notebook before turning to a blank page and took a black marker from her bag.

 

Feel free to talk if you want, it will be easier for you.

 

“You write well for a six year old.” He joked as she wrote more on the line; my mommy had me learn to write when I was 3. “That's a long time.” She nodded her head and quickly shoved the notebook and marker into her bag when she heard voices coming down the stairs.

 

“Kohana.” Hatori waited for her to look at him before continuing, “I have to leave now so be good, and you'll be understood if you finger sign slowly, I'll be back tomorrow with Hiro's mom, okay?”

 

She held up her left hand and shook it up and down.

 

“I'm glad you understand, Kohana. Souma san will test you so you can finally go back to real school, she agreed to be your interpreter.” Hatori bowed to them all before leaving.

 

Yuki came back downstairs when he saw his sister signing to Kyo. As soon as she saw Yuki though, she immediately stopped signing and looked down at her feet.

 

“K-o-h-a-n-a?” Tohru attempted to talk to her while finger spelling. Kohana looked at her and made the sign for the letter K, and then rested it on the palm of her hand before wiggling it around. Tohru looked confused.

 

`M-y n-a-m-e i-s Kohana.' she signed as slow as she could as she re-signed her name in sign language quickly.

 

“D-o y-o-u w-a-n-t t-o g-o s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g w-i-t-h u-s?” Tohru looked at the girl excitedly. Kohana looked over at Yuki who was putting on a jacket and glared at her. She quickly moved her index and middle finger to her thumb and repeated the sign twice while shaking her head. “Well, okay! Maybe next time.” Tohru smiled big and attempted to hug her, but Kohana ducked down and wiggled in the spot she was in to avoid the hug.

 

Tohru and Yuki left as Shigure came out holding what looked like another one of his trashy novels.

 

“Hey Kohana,” Shigure said as he saw her, “How do you sign understand?” the girl, still sitting on the couch, flicked the air close to her eye with her left hand with her index finger and thumb. “Thanks!” Shigure watched her intently and smiled to himself as he walked back upstairs only to rush back downstairs when Ayame burst through the door.

 

As soon as Kohana saw him, her eyes went wide and she ran upstairs before Ayame could see her.

 

“Shigure, it was so lonely without you. When Hatori said you needed me I knew I could stay away no longer.”

 

“Oh Ayame, I knew I could count on you.” The two friends embraced.

 

“You scared her off.” Kyo stated as he went to go look for the young girl.

 

“Who did I scare Kyon-kichi?” Ayame began to follow Kyo into his room. Kyo turned on the light and saw Kohana curled up in a corner. Her hands flew wildly in fear. Kyo walked over to her and told her to calm down. “Who is this?” Ayame asked from the soor.

 

“Your sister.” Ayame watched Kyo calm her down without transforming, luckily Kyo didn't hug her.

 

`W-h-a-t-s w-r-o-n-g Kohana?' Kyo asked her after sitting across from her, Ayame sat on the bed and watched Kyo's hands move into foreign shapes unknown to Ayame.

 

`D-o-n-t l-e-t h-i-m h-u-r-t' she quickly pointed to herself.

 

“He won't hurt you. The stupid snake is too messed up to even thread a needle.” Kohana smiled big and threw her head back. Kyo glared at Ayame, whom avoided eye contact. “Why would he hurt you?”

 

`H-e h-a-t-e-s me. I d-i-f-f-e-r-e-n-t.'

 

Kyo looked her in the eye; “There's nothing wrong with being different.”