Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Innocence ❯ Chapter I: Death Wish ( Chapter 1 )

Return To Innocence

 

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

 

Everything else in my fanfic are merely figments of my over-worked and over-active imagination.

 

Italics-thoughts

 

Pre-anime/manga.

 

Chapter I: Death Wish

 

The hurried click of footsteps reverberated softly through the columns of buildings lining the uncharacteristically silent city streets. Ginger-colored hair flayed through the air behind her as she rushed through the thick sheet of rain, harsh winds whipping at her face.

 

“Damn,” Kyoko Honda muttered as she finished searching through the streets, “Poor Tohru will starve at this rate; that other kid is gonna have to wait till tomorrow.” She glowered down at her watch as if it would make time stop for her. Unfortunately, defying the laws of physics was not something within her range of capability. Instead, it seemed that the second were ticking by even faster, mocking her as she sprinted home. The single mother picked up her pace as cold rivulets poured mercilessly, raining down on the earth below, the wind temporarily blinding her; she tightened her grip on the umbrella so hard, her knuckles quickly paled as the skin stretched around her fist.

 

“Geeze, it's a good thing I don't have to feed the entire orphanage. I can barely support Tohru and myself as it is.” After working several different odd-jobs, Kyoko made a partnership with a friend of hers and opened up a non-government funded orphanage. She had decided to turn her life in this direction after seeing several groups of homeless children while she was still with her gang not too long ago while living in the `bad' part of Tokyo.

 

There had been a rumor going around that there was one child, seven years of age—no older than her own daughter—that had been abandoned six or seven months back, left to wander the city alone. Kyoko's heart broke at the mere thought of such a young child out on their own. So, seeing it as her obligation as the president of an orphanage, the single mother took it upon herself to search for the child, mindful to pay attention for any other children in need. Ironically, it was then that the rain chose to crash down on her. Thankfully, she had enough sense to pack an umbrella and some towels in case she did manage to find the child out in the rain.

 

It was no surprise that god would be against her, but now an innocent child was left out on the streets suffering under the cold shower and her little Tohru was home all alone without her mama!

 

As it turns out, Kyoko had no success in finding the child but she did manage to gather that he or she came from a very influential family. The orange-top hadn't the faintest idea how any parent could be cruel enough to just abandon a child; it was inhumane after all.

 

Such untainted innocence didn't deserve that heartless kind of treatment.

 

But Kyoko couldn't lie to herself; she had witnessed terrible things happening to children back in her days in a gang, abandonment seeming to pale in comparison. She was absolutely ashamed of behavior when she was a teenager; she was to ignorant to have cared what happened then. Now, however, she was trying to repent for her blissful ignorance.

 

As the mother jogged up the sidewalk, still several blocks from her apartment, the proposal ring that was all but embedded on her finger was now thoroughly coated in a slick layer of rain water, easing the ring slowly down her finger. It was sheer dumb luck that the young woman noticed before its trip south abruptly ended and was left forgotten in some alley.

 

Doesn't look like god was the only one against her.

 

“Jesus Katsuya! Even you're against me now?” she stopped her frenzied marathon back to her apartment with a screeching halt to glower menacingly down at the golden ring resting loosely at the end of her finger. She treasured her marriage above everything else in the world (although her adorable little Tohru could definitely compete), but that husband of hers always knew just how to push her buttons, present or not.

 

The glower slowly ebbed away, a faraway look bleeding into her brown eyes as she experienced something meant only for her eyes and ears. Coming back to herself, Kyoko heaved a sigh of exasperation and shoved the ring into her jacket pocket. She lovingly fingered the gold band before she pulled her hand out.

 

“All right, we'll talk another time,” she muttered as a goofy grin plaster itself onto her face, seeming to completely contradict the situation she was in. A mock-helpless look replaced the lop-sided grin. “After all, my little Tohru must be scared and hungry without her mama!”

 

A cacophony of thunder rang out through the air as if to emphasize her point; a frightened sob barely carried over the harsh winds, yet another emphasis on her situation. Kyoko once again cut short her stride and whipped her head around, trying to spot the origin of the terrified noise. She quickly poked her head into a nearby alley. When she failed to see anything other than trash and the occasional alley cat, concluded it was merely a figment of her over-active imagination.

 

“See Katsuya? I can already hear poor Tohru.” the orange-top gave one last glance at the alley before hurrying off, keeping a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Again, Kyoko glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. “Damn it's getting late,” she muttered, racing off yet again.

 

Kyoko was so caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her ring was no longer in her pocket, nor hear small child calling after her

 

XXX

 

A little child sat huddled in the corner of a dark and damp alley, muffled sobs wracking his tiny body as he tried in vain to wipe away the trails of tears and raindrops running lines down his face into the puddle that coagulated beneath his shivering body.

 

Tragically beautiful violet eyes were framed by rain-slicked silver tresses as he repeated but one word over and over as if it would help him ground his sanity, turning his thoughts away from the death he so desperately wished for.

 

“Mama, Mama, Mama,” the sickly child chanted, his soft voice cracking from the constant tears. It truly was a heart-breaking sight, a child of seven years, abandoned and wishing for death. The trembling boy pulled his knees closer to his chest in a futile attempt to warm his frozen flesh; this only forced out choking coughs, his chest constricting painfully.

 

Then something tore inside of him.

 

The pain was almost too overwhelming and it took everything he had to bite back a cry of pain. A bitter metallic-tasting liquid filled his mouth as he coughed into his hands; peering down at his hands hazily, he didn't fail to register the blood blossoming through his fingers.

 

It was no use; no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer keep the tears at bay. It had been so long since he got lost, since his mama smiled at him and told him stories and tucked him into bed. The little boy could still remember the tendrils of warmth his mama's hand gave of when she held his own.

 

Just another precious memory beginning to fade with time.

 

But after having so much time to think, the boy began to realize that those motherly never quite felt as tender and loving as they appeared. Nii-san once told him something about “motherhood being an obligation” to their Mama, but he didn't understand what that meant.

 

Why were Mama's bedtime stories always rushed?

 

Why did he never get hugs and kisses?

 

Why didn't Mama say goodnight when she tucked him in for bed?

 

Why were her knuckles always white when she `held' his hand?

 

Even so, the child cherished those memories because they were the only ones he had.

 

He held the memories of the world's prettiest smile close to his heart and refused to let go.

 

After all, why would anyone want to forget the world's prettiest smile?

 

Everything around him seemed to be getting dimmer and hazier now; maybe now his weak lungs would let him die. It was about time, after all. The maybe, just maybe, the angels would let him see daddy again.

 

Just then, at the mouth of the alley, a frenzied blur of orange and a hysteric voice rushed by. He distinctly heard a small clatter accompany the rush of bright color.

 

What was that…? Curiosity, anxiousness, and eagerness coupled together at the realization that he might've found help. He quickly scrambled to his feet, ready to pursue the orange rush.

 

As he pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, a sickening crack tore through the air as lightning drowned the earth with a sheet of eerie white. The little boy let slip a cry of fear, collapsing on the ground, huddling back into the corner and began to sob. He covered his ears and buried his face into his knees in an attempt to drown out the frightening noises. The terrifying crack of the thunder sounded suspiciously like the familiar crack of a whip, making the tears flow even faster. Once the crashing dulled down to the constant but soothing white noise of the rain, only then did the child release himself from the protective cocoon he curled up in.

 

Pulling himself together, he pulled himself up once again, edging his way to the mouth of the dark pit.

 

But what if that was a bad person who might try to hurt me? His Nii-san had warned him about those bad people after all. It soon became clear to him that it didn't matter; clearly no one was going to find him or help him of their own free will, so he may as well ask for it.

 

He ignored the little voice in the back of his head telling him that Mama no longer cared what happened to him.

 

A soft glint near his foot caught his attention just as he was about to round the corner out of the alley. Quickly wiping the blood lingering on his hands, he knelt down and gently scooped up the ring.

 

A ring…?He reasoned that it must have been a woman who had passed by if she were the one to have dropped the ring.

I should return this before I lose her. The boy resolutely thought to himself.

 

Heart now swelling with hope, he quickly rounded the corner and began searching for any sign of orange. A familiar yet obscure blur of orange was up ahead of him; he was positive that it was indeed a woman. Unfortunately, she seemed to be running her own marathon.

 

“Wait!” he cried weakly, breaking into a run after her. The boy's malnourished body ached from the sheer effort it took and his lungs burned painfully inside him.

 

The thought of the blood was not forgotten, but he urged on.

 

XXX

 

“That stupid car had better be working now, “Kyoko bit out, her grip on the umbrella handle growing vice-like in an attempt to douse her frustration. She forgot her cell phone at home so she couldn't call the orphanage's private driver. She'd been running a little low on cash as well, so she didn't want to spend what little she had in her purse on a taxi, even if it summed up to being soaked to the bone, courtesy of cars driving into puddles on the side of the road in addition to the storm. Thankfully, the worst had passed and the heavy rains had died down to a gentle drizzle with the occasional breeze.

 

Her apartment building was only a few blocks away now. The mother sighed in relief, contenting herself with the thought of some miso soup and left-over onigiri upon her return home. She reached her hand into her coat absently to finger the ring. She could only blink stupidly as she watched her finger pass right through the up-until-now unnoticed hole in her pocket; it didn't register with her instantaneously but when it did, Kyoko immediately felt the color draining from her face. She leaned the brunt of her weight onto a nearby wall, not trusting herself enough not to collapse.

 

Oh god…the ring… where is it? The voice in her head shrieked. The mother frantically searched the surrounding area for any sign of the ring.

 

I have to find Katsuya… but I can't leave Tohru home any longer…

 

The image of an adorable girl with teary brown eyes and a cute hair bauble appeared at the forefront of her mind. Torn between rushing home to her precious daughter or searching through heaven and hell and the things in between for her ring, tendrils of icy numbness ghosted their way up her spine.

 

She almost didn't notice that the sobs the muffled sobs floating through the air were her own.

 

What was she to do? For all she knew, her ring could be in a sewer somewhere or even on someone else's finger.

 

The endless scenarios that could've befell Katsuya made her run even faster.

 

At that moment, it didn't matter that the rain stopped falling.

 

It didn't matter that she probably caught the flu.

 

It didn't matter that her car broke down.

 

It didn't matter that a child had been abandoned.

 

It didn't matter that thousands of children had been abandoned or a whole scenario of other things.

 

Italmost didn't matter that her daughter was home alone.

 

Hell, it wouldn't have mattered if the world stopped spinning.

 

All that mattered was finding Katsuya.

 

“Katsuya!” she screeched, tears and raindrops running down her face, mingling together. “Where are you, Katsuya!?” She tore back down the street she had been so determined to get off of. Her voice was laced with desperation and anguish.

 

Just moments ago, the thought of being at home with her little Tohru at home, sleeping under the kotatsu was all that had been on her mind; now, she was the furthest thing from it. She vaguely felt something collide with her but it never registered with her.

 

She didn't know how much time passed by but soon she found herself staring down at a child huddled at her feet.

 

Kyoko hurriedly brushed away her tears and peered down at the boy. Hazy, dusk-colored eyes stared worriedly at her, silently pleading for help. After along drawn out sniff on her part, Kyoko rubbed at her damp face with her sleeve, and offered the child a shaky yet sunny smile.

 

This had to be the child she had previously been searching for. The orange-tops heart went out to him; his skin was paper-white, hands dappled with blood, he was soaked to the bone, shivering, and his face was flushed with fever.

 

“Hey there,” the mother crooned lovingly, kneeling down to his level.

 

What mother in her right mind could let this happen? How could someone be so damn cruel, leaving such an innocent child like this?

 

Kyoko pulled him underneath the umbrella, protecting him from the constant spray of the drizzle. Shuffling through her small duffle bag, she pulled out a towel and gently rubbed him down.

 

“So what's your name, kiddo?” she asked tenderly, draping the towel over his heaving shoulders.

 

The boy was silent for a moment, save for his wheezing as he tried to regain his breath. “…Yu…ki.” he managed to wheeze between breaths.

 

His difficulty breathing didn't go unnoticed. “Yuki, you weren't chasing after me, were you?”

 

For a moment, the child feared that this stranger was angry with him; he didn't answer for a long time. Instead he answered by opening up his fist, revealing a ring.

 

Her ring.

 

“I-is this y-yours…?” he stuttered shyly, almost too soft for Kyoko to have heard.

 

The orange-top's breath audibly hitched and her heart leapt into her throat, the sight of her ring cradled in Yuki's blue-tinted fingers. Tears once again gathered into her eyes and it took all she had to keep the dam behind her eyes from breaking.

 

Seeing that Yuki was still having difficulty breathing broke her heart. Not only that but she felt an insurmountable amount of shame flood into her. This child whom didn't even know her, a complete stranger, was selfless enough to come after her in his shaky frame of health to return a lost article of jewelry and she, who didn't even have enough of her priorities in order, was prepared to leave her 7 year-old child home alone.

 

Gratitude filling her being, she gave the boy a 500-watt smile and pulled him into loving embrace.

 

The first he'd had in years.

Thank you.

 

XXX

 

Featured Song

 

Left in the pieces that you broke me into
Torn apart but now I've got to
Keep on rolling like a stone
Cause it's gonna be a long, long way to happy

 

Long Way To Happy

 

-Pink

 

XXX

 

Well, you can figure out whose thought that was.

 

See, that button down there? Press it to win a million dollars.

 

Please review or my heart can't take it.