Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Punishment ❯ Within the Interzone ( Chapter 1 )

Type: Chaptered; Alternate Universe
Genre: Drama / Angst / Romance
By Runic Pange
Rating: PG. May raise to PG-13 later

Punishment
Chapter 1: Within The Interzone

       The bright morning sun streamed through the slats in the window shade, casting shadows across the room. Lying in bed in the centre of the room was a raven haired girl. A warm comforter covered her entire body as she slept. She finally woke when the sun's rays became too much for her, and she turned away from the bright light. Another Monday morning. Mondays meant school, and school meant she had to get up early. Familiar noises of breakfast made their way from the lower floor of her average-sized house up to her ears, so she climbed out of bed to get ready for the day. Even after weeks of being out of school, Hanajima Saki could remember the routine well.

       Saki could hear a bit of white noise crackling around her in the room, the angry voices of people in the city, but she tried to tune it out. She sighed as she closed the glass window and blinds, and the room became dark once again. It was easier to hear herself think without the obscure distractions from outdoors: birds chirping, cars driving past their house, and young children already using their time to play before school began.

       School was always a chore, keeping away from the other children. Recently, she had been transferred to a new school because of an accident that had occurred. It was more than an accident. She hated thinking about it, but the thoughts crept into her mind nonetheless. The students at her old school didn't accept her, and were constantly torturing her. They didn't understand what it was like to be alone and scared every minute of the day. They couldn't hear the dark voices that came at her, pestering her. They would never understand her, and that was Saki's 'curse.' She should always be alone, that was what the voices meant.

       When the bullying got worse, Saki's life fell apart. She was ridiculed by everyone, and was subjected to cruel jokes. She was the 'witch' that all the other children feared, and for that she was burned. Witches should be burned at the stake, they had proclaimed, so that is what they wanted to accomplish with her. Several children held her down against her desk after school, the teacher already gone, while a memorable boy in a green sweatshirt held a burning match against her arm. It was a slow and searing pain, but Saki closed her eyes and endured it until a teacher walked past the open door to discover them crowded around her. They escaped from reprimands by saying that she was trying to burn herself. They convinced the teacher that they were trying to stop her from hurting herself. It was too easy to believe that the girl who spoke to no one would be suicidal. Saki didn't tell the teacher otherwise, merely staring at her assaulters and the teacher who was shaking her head in dismal disapproval. Saki found that her words always made everything worse in past situations, so she said nothing.

       But in her head, much was going on. That boy who had hurt her that day had an accident on his way home from a friend's house. He was found alone and hurt in an alleyway. It wasn't a physical beating, it was something else. He was nearly dead, yet there was no explanation for the injuries. Saki had wished for the worst to happen to him with all of her being, and it had happened. It was her cursed powers that had nearly led her to be a murderer. That wasn't what she had wanted to accomplish, and that thought tormented her. She had been so close to taking a life away, and it hurt.

       That wasn't at all what she wanted. Life is precious. Even the life of a heartless person is important.

       From then on, all she could do was warn people to stay away. She would never hurt a person, no matter what happened to her. It was her self-inflicted punishment to stay away from everyone. It was her curse.

       Now, she had to start a new life at a new school. Her mistake couldn't be repeated, she would make sure to control her mind. After a few weeks of being out of school, her mother told her that it was time to go and try again.

       * * * * *

I've never felt this so alone.

Was nothing sacred I've been shown?

I feel I'm sinking like a stone in the interzone.

       * * * * *

       She slipped on her new uniform. It was a simple blue sailor top with a pleated blue skirt. She twisted her hair masterfully into a long braid which fell down her back. She would never have picked this type of outfit willingly; she had worn mournful clothes since the accident. While wearing the combination of an expressionless smile and black clothes, people were always frightened to be near her. She picked up a small dark container and unscrewed the lid. With a small brush, she swept the contained liquid across each nail until every surface was covered. Her nails, now painted black, would warn everyone to stay away. It was the proof of her sin.

       "Goodbye, Mother," Saki called out as she pulled on her long cloak. It was a monstrosity in comparison to what was considered to be fashionable attire from the eyes of her peers, but it served its purpose well. It isolated her and told everyone she was 'different.'

       "Saki-chan, wait, wait!" An older woman carrying a tiny little girl in her arms practically flew down the stairs. "Are you sure you have everything read? Why don't I drive you to school today, hm?" She shifted the little girl in her arms and plucked her car keys off a hook on the wall.

       "Thank you," Saki said, grateful to receive the ride. She knew why she was being offered it. A few months prior, on her walk to school, a neighbour noticed that she had been pushed to the ground by one of the other students, and notified her mother of what had happened. Since then, her mother tried to arrange a ride for her to school. It was sometimes difficult, for she was raising five children practically by herself, only with the help of Saki's grandmother. Her father seemed to be constantly working in order to pay the rising costs of their household.

       They headed down their driveway and into the van. Saki was the eldest child in the family, but her mother seemed to worry about her the most. She knew that Saki was different from the others, and she really wanted to help her daughter overcome her troubles. Saki watched out the windows as trees of all kinds zoomed by in front of her eyes, all living symbiotically together at the side of the roads. Why couldn't she be like those trees if that was what she wanted? Pine trees mingled with spruce and shared the nutrients in the soil, did they not?

       "We're here!" her mother announced, stopping the car in front of the school. "Are you ready? I'm sure that you'll be all right today."

       From the backseat, her four year old sister uneasily called out, "Goodbye, 'Nee-san." Naru had always been afraid of her, but Saki didn't blame her. Sitting beside Naru, her only brother Megumi nodded goodbye, a slight smile of understanding on his face.

       "Yes, Mother, I'll be okay. Sayonara." Saki forced out a smile and slid the van door shut behind her. The tall building of Kaibara High loomed ahead of her - a new start, but for Saki everything always seemed to end the same way.

       Around the property behind the chain link fence, uniformed students stood in small groups discussing their weekend activities. Some were heading on their way inside the building to their homerooms. Saki looked back expectantly at her mother who was still parked out in front of the school, and gave her a discreet wave. Finally, her mother pulled out of the parking lot and headed on her way to drop Megumi off at his junior high school, Naru at her preschool; and finally home to take care of the two younger children who remained at home with Saki's grandmother. She was a busy woman with such young children to care for.

       Saki walked up the steps, unsure where to start. She followed the crowds of students in the halls until she passed a room which was clearly marked 'Office.' Inside, she saw a secretary sitting behind a counter. Even though school hadn't started yet, the woman was flooded with paperwork to deal with. Saki waited patiently to be acknowledged, but it seemed that she wouldn't be so easily distracted from her work. She coughed slightly, and the woman looked up from a form.

       "Yes?"

  &n bsp;    "I'm Hanajima Saki. I believe I'm supposed to pick up a schedule from here to begin school today."

       "Oh, you've just transferred in, have you?" The woman adjusted her glasses and eyed Saki's extravagant coat with distaste. "We have a dress code here - that coat is not appropriate. Didn't you receive the school uniform in the mail?"

       Strike One. "Yes, I have it on right now." She parted the overlapping portion of her cloak and pulled it open to reveal the hidden uniform.

       "Well, take off that coat right away. Here," she set two slips of paper on the edge of the desk, "this is your schedule for this semester. These are your homeroom number, assigned locker number and locker combination. Since you're a late arrival, your locker isn't going to be near your new classmates, but you'll have to live with that. Now, off you go, you don't want to be late on your first day of class." She gave a fake looking smile and returned to her work.

       Saki walked out of the office, still wearing her cloak as she stared at her schedule. On the back of the sheet was a vague map of the school showing where the classrooms were in relation to each other. Her homeroom was on the first floor, but her locker was on the second. Looking around her, she could tell that class was about to start - the hallways were starting to clear as students filtered into their classrooms. There was no time to find her locker now, so she instead focused on finding her homeroom. The voices of the lingering students echoed of the walls and magnified in her head. The halls became emptier and a glance at the clock told her she didn't have much time left. Where is room 108? It has to be somewhere. The voices came to a rest once she realized that she was alone in the hall. The bell rang shrilly and everything became quiet.

       Thankful for the peace, she studied the signs above each door. She eventually found it at the end of the hall, by then a minute and a half late for class.

       She turned the doorknob slowly and peeked into the room. She had interrupted the rhyming off of the attendance list, and all eyes travelled towards the distraction at the door. "Excuse me. Is this room 108?"

       The teacher looked up from his attendance sheet, realization hitting him. "Come in, come in. You must be Hanajima-san. I got a notice from the office about you. I just need to check your schedule to verify." He smiled warmly.

       Saki walked to his desk, ignoring the curious stares she was receiving from her new classmates. It must be the coat, she suddenly understood. I shouldn't be wearing this, I forgot I had still had it on. "Here."

       He read over the details on the bottom of the paper, and handed it back. "Yeah, this looks right. Why don't you take that seat over in the back?" He pointed towards the back left hand corner. "Oh, by the way, you can't wear that black nail polish here. It's just your first day, so you won't get in trouble or anything. Just for future reference."

       Strike Two. Saki looked down to her fingers and moved them a little bit. "Sensei, I need them. They show that I have sinned," she stated in her most serious voice. A voice that invoked a bitter combination of pity and fear in her teacher.

       He paused, giving her an odd look, but he didn't want to waste all of the short homeroom session arguing with a new student. "Well, just sit down for now." He resumed calling out the other students names as Saki took her place at the back of the room.

       Some of the students seemed to study her as she passed their desks. Others simply paid her no attention, much too busy chatting with their neighbour than to worry about her. There were others who smiled welcomely, and others who sneered in her general direction. She sat without saying a word and removed her coat. She sat and watched how the members of the classroom interacted with each other. The room was filled with such a variety of spiritual waves - some gentle and understanding, coming from the direction of a bubbly brunette; others hiding mysterious concealed secrets, coming from a refined violet eyed boy; and still others who seemed to have a protective nature under a visage of strength, those waves coming from a sturdy blonde who stood by her simple friend; plus everything possible in between. The diversity of energy was wondrous, although some people in the room appeared to have an extra thick superficial layer in their personalities - those waves came from the three girls who had surrounded the mysterious boy.

       What strange combinations of waves in the atmosphere. Almost smothering, yet not as strong as my old school. Such an enigma.

       The following classes went by fairly smoothly. Besides the strange looks she received at times, the morning had gone well. When the lunch bell rang, she wasn't quite sure what to do. The other students had rushed out of the room, obviously headed to the cafeteria or outdoors to eat with their friends. As she watched the mass of bodies wearing identical clothing, she felt suddenly like she was just another person in the school. She slipped her cloak back on; it may not be 'acceptable' but it made her feel safe. Saki stood up and decided to use the time to find her locker.

       * * * * *

In this place, all unconscious could collide.

And still, religion divides.

It's a sad excuse, such abuse, I tell the truth.

All is won, but still nothing seems the same.

It's a mysterious game.

So now on your mark, from the start - let's fall apart.

Have you ever felt this so alone?

       * * * * *

       She headed up the stairs, already hearing the sound of ethereal laughter from the floor above. As she turned off of the stairs and into the second floor corridor, she could see that the three frivolous girls from her homeroom were huddled in a group around an older looking girl by the long row of lockers. She could also see the distant outline of two figures walking in their direction. Ignoring them all, Saki searched for the locker number 2015. It happened to be the very same locker that the older student was leaning against.

       "Oh, Motoko, that's hilarious! I can't believe that she said that! How dense!" A black haired girl exclaimed as she searched extensively through her purse.

       "Yes, it's true, it's Minami! I saw it with my very own eyes. It was almost too much to bear, seeing her with my - er, our - beloved Yuki!" The older girl, who Saki presumed was Motoko, nodded convincingly, her long pigtails bobbing as the girls gathered closer. She noticed a glimmer of gold on each girl's shirt; they were wearing pins with a letter 'Y' with a crown on top.

       "I can believe it! She's such a strange girl, and with that Yankee friend of hers too.... Some people, I tell you. I still don't know how she's gotten so close to Sohma-san lately. I mean, who's closer to him than we are?" With her hands on her hips, the strawberry-blonde girl stated it like a fact. She shook her head to move her long bangs out of her face.

       "Obviously that witch Toh-" Motoko said, practically fuming from her ears. She stopped mid-word with her mouth open when she noticed Saki walking towards her. Her footsteps were slow and graceful, but she had a determined air about her. Quickly, Motoko motioned with her hands for the group to stop talking amongst themselves, and then started a new subject. "Wasn't that trigonometry test today so hard?"

       "Motoko, you know we aren't in the same grade as you!" A girl with short red hair announced.

       "Shut up, Mio!" With a blur of green fleece, the black haired girl wacked her with her frog purse. Under her breath, she muttered, "You are so dense."

       "Ow, Mai! What did I do to deserve that?" Mio clutched her left arm in her hand, leaning in to examine it.

       "Excuse me," Saki stated in a polite tone. They looked up from their bickering.

       "What do you want from us?" Motoko asked impatiently.

       "You're blocking the path to my locker," Saki explained. "Let me pass?"

       "Oh no, just a minute. This locker section is for second years, how come I've never met you in any of my classes?" She pointed at herself dramatically, as if she were in charge of locker assignments herself and felt greatly offended that someone would receive a locker without her knowledge. "If you were anyone important, I would have met you before."

       Strike Three. I'm out. Do I really not belong anywhere to the extent that I can't do something as simple as getting a locker without being bothered?

       "This is the locker I've been assigned. I can see that the locker behind you is not in use. It's not even closed properly," she stated, using a calm, eerie tone of voice. "Just a space for my belongings, is this really so difficult for you?" She stared at Motoko while leaning her head to the side slightly as if examining her, and Motoko stared right back at her. The one called Mio tugged on the sleeve of one of her friends, and stepped back slightly. The three girls seemed frightened, and Saki was glad - it would be easiest to stay away from people and stay uninvolved if they were already afraid. There wouldn't be need for them to get hurt.

       Although her followers were sending their leader mental messages (Saki could feel the screaming waves directed at Motoko for her to escape right away), she made no movement of backing down. She straightened up, making herself seem taller than before. The glint in her eyes showed fear, but she wouldn't step down so easily. A petty fight it was, over something as silly as a locker, but Motoko always felt that she had to show that she had some sort of power over other people. It was matter of defending her principles! She did want to impress her three main disciples.

       "Not really difficult," Motoko turned, placing her hand on her chin as if she were thinking. "But I don't think that this is what this is really about, is it? Isn't there something more to it than that?"

Author Notes: Chapter 1; Completed July 5th 2003, Revised and Uploaded August 1st 2003.
Ah, the thrilling conclusion of chapter one. O_O;; Exciting, no? *coughs* Well, I tried to have a cliff hanger, at least. Even if it's just a confrontation for a locker, lol. Sigh.
A good thing: Tokyopop is releasing the manga to North America! I'm so excited; I'm going to make sure to buy as much of it as I can, hehe. Reading online scanlations is alright, but it's just not the same as holding a book in your hands. *feels giddy thinking about it*
This story does not fit quite within the time line of the anime / manga series since it is an Alternate Universe tale! Some aspects of their lives have been changed for the sake of the story, but the members of the Juunishi will remain under the curse in this story (you know, people turning into cute, fuzzy animals will be just too cute to resist later in the story!). Although it was inspired by the manga, the story is easily understood even if you've only seen the anime episodes. I mean, I've only read a tiny bit of the manga myself (a bit of vol. 5, vol. 7, and chapters here and there), so you should be fine. ^_~
* * * * * Altered Excerpts from "Interzone" by The Tea Party; Fruits Basket characters to N.T. of Hana to Yume Comics