Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Innocence ❯ Chapter II: Touching Angels ( Chapter 2 )

Gah, I forgot to post this on MM.org… it's more than a month late…

 

Well anyway, thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I love you all! I was worried that I wouldn't get too many reviews or that no one would read this because it was too bland; lo and behold, I have a whooping 20 reviews. I'm touched! While I was writing the rough draft, I kept adding detail after detail and I still felt it wasn't good enough. Even as I was typing it up, it still didn't seem appealing to me, but to know that people are willing to cling to my leg just to get me to update! -coughDarkened Rubycough- thank you all so much!

 

I'm very proud of this fic, so I have no plans to give up on it, however, things might progress a bit slowly. I plan to bring in as many characters as possible from the manga/anime, and there is no curse. It took a lot of intricate planning and mulling things over (and over and over while questioning if anyone would still read…) but I decided that I think I can work around it. The last chapter has been revised a bit, but nothing much; just some spell-checking. For each chapter, I will feature a song whose lyrics fit the mood of the chapter. Granted I won't add the lyrics because ff.net has stupid rules and won't allow me to add copyrighted lyrics without getting my story removed TT.TT Instead, on mm.org, some tid-bits from the song will be included.

 

Replies to reviews…

 

Fanfiction.net

 

NekoBun: Thank you, my first reviewer, for sacrificing your time and millions of dollars for poor little ol' me :) I'm glad you enjoyed!

 

midnight 1987: second chapter…? Maybe ff.net was stupid again and messed something up? -shrug- I'm flattered that I made you cry…as mean as it sounds -.-; To me it just means that it was touching (or something along those lines…) enough to draw a reaction I didn't expect to get!

 

Dragonjewel24: Oh Yuki, why do I torture him so? Well, he's luck he's only seven, otherwise I would've had a lot more fun torturing him… -evil eye- Thanks for the review!

 

red butterfly 16: Thank you very much! :)

 

Lady Of Wolves: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll update as often as possible!

 

chocolate waffle-san: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed!

 

HelloKat: Thank you so much for your review, H'Kat, and please forgive me for not reviewing SOS frequently! I'll try and do so as soon as possible! And yes, I figured that if this fic didn't appeal to too many people, than at the very least, I thought that baby Yun-Yun would rouse some sort of pitying reaction :) HURRAY FOR CHIBI YUKI AND TOHRU! I really thought that Kyoko was a great character, even though I don't know much about her at this point -sweat-drop- I thought it would be fun to mess around with her for a bit! And yes, ff.net's many faults never cease to annoy me either -.-+

 

Kamikaze Tama: Goodness me, my fics have screwed over lots of people in the past; consider yourself lucky that this one doesn't have nearly as much corny angst as my one-shots -rolls eyes- Thanks for the review and I'll pay for the therapy ;)

 

HeartAngel: Wow, I guess that me actually updating must be very exciting! ^^; Thanks for the review and alert!

 

koryu uchiha: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think it's good :)

 

super manako sohma: Don't you worry! I'm going for at least 10 chapters with this fic, if not more! …Unless no one likes it… Any you don't have to worry about demanding too much; I'm always glad to hear what my readers think I should do with my little musings, whether or not keep them one-shots or not. Thanks for the review and enjoy this chapter!

 

Witty Tigress: Thanks very much for the review. I'm happy you think I captured those feeling nicely ^-^

 

Yuuki Toshi: I'm very glad you think so! Please enjoy this chapter!

 

H.E.Y.T.S: -snort- heart problems all around, eh? I can't live without reviews and you can't live without updates! Well then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 

Avril L.: I love your pen name! Thanks for the review!

 

Darkened Ruby: Holy shiznit, no one's ever clung to my leg and begged me to update before, I'm flattered! :)

 

xxAmethystEyesxx: I love your pen name so much! I think about Yuki every time I see it! I'm happy that you think the story is different. That's kinda what I was aiming for.

 

sofia815: I know, isn't he? -happy dance-

 

over-mist: After making so many people cry, I hope that the fluff will make you happy! There isn't too much in this chapter, but there will be a lot in the next few chapters!

 

edge-of-reality: Thank you for your attempt at a good review ;) Just kidding! I appreciate anything that anyone is willing to write for me! :D

 

MediaMiner.org

 

Tohru819: Thank you so very much for that kind review! I'm touched that you think my fic is that good. I tried my very best to keep them as IC as possible, considering the fact that I don't know too much about Kyoko and I've never seen much of little Yuki.

 

demonXslayerXsango: -giggle- You think my fic is emo-ish? I find that somewhat funny. You really think it was that good? I'm absolutely flattered! I find it hard to believe that anyone would abandon something so sweet! I will elaborate on why he was abandoned later on, although I can't really say it would justify the deed…! Thanks for the review!

 

XXX

 

Return To Innocence

 

Disclaimer: Natsuki Takaya owns Fruits Basket, and I never will, no matter how much I ask Santa Clause for it.

 

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

 

Italics - thoughts

 

`stuff' - thoughts in flashbacks

 

Alternate Universe (AU)

 

Chapter II: Touching Angels

 

A tiny young girl wearing a hair bauble and pink pajamas much too big for her and a stuffed orange cat clutched in her pudgy hand stood by the window on her tip-toes, counting the raindrops as the slid haltingly down the chilled window glass, pooling on the wooden pane.

 

Little Tohru Honda rubbed her eyes with her `neko-chan' as she tried to hold back her tears of worry. Several hours ago, Mama had dropped her off at home after school, telling her that she had someone to look for.

 

Mama had promised she would hurry so that they could sit under the kotatsu and then Mama would tell her the story of the Chinese Zodiac, or maybe the story about the moon boy…

 

Those were her most favorite stories in the world.

 

But maybe she was being selfish. After all, Tohru did know what her mother did for a living; she took care of children just like her without homes or a mommy or daddy, and gave them food and a warm house.

 

Mama had told her lots of stories about the children she would find. Some were sick, or homeless, or abandoned, or some were just lost.

 

That's why Tohru was a thankful girl; she was thankful she had a nice cozy home, she had three square meals a day, she had a nice warm bed, and a wonderful school, and a mommy to love her and give her hugs and kisses and tell her bedtime stories. Even though she didn't have a daddy anymore, she was as happy as can be.

 

But still. She was worried.

 

What if Mama got hurt and won't come home? Just like when daddy left…?

 

After all, Mama never stays out too late.

 

After her father had `left', it had been a scary time for Tohru, who had only been three at the time. She remembered finding her mother in front of her father's shrine holding a knife.

 

Tears finally fell down the brunette's face as she buried her face in her kitten plushy as memories with faded edges entered her mind; although fuzzy and grey, Tohru could still recognize very clearly the near-tragedy.

 

Rubbing at her tear-stained face, Tohru forced her thoughts away from such sad days and to happier things like counting all the stars in the sky or all the raindrops on the window or searching through all the faces she could find on the street for the one as pretty as the moon…

 

XXX

 

When she was child, Kyoko had had her own secret garden away from the world, where it was just her and the grass between her toes and the wild flowers that sprouted for miles.

 

Naturally though, secrets aren't meant to be kept, especially when you have a daughter. one clear spring evening, after many subway rides and long walks away from the city, she decided to share with Tohru her little corner of the world.

 

The little girl had been overcome with joy at the sight of the lush green grass dotted with a myriad of colors. Mother and daughter had spent hours into the night picking and weaving flowers of all kinds and colors. After their long hours of chain-weaving and crown-making, Tohru curled up in her mother's lap, too exhausted to do much of anything.

 

As her mother tenderly stroked her hair, she asked, “How would Tohru-chan like to hear a new story?” Feeling tired herself, Kyoko laid down in the grass, still holding her daughter to her chest.

 

“Eh? A new bedtime story?” Her doe brown eyes turned inquisitively to her mother's own chocolate eyes.

 

Kyoko chuckled at the childish question and tenderly kissed Tohru's forehead.

 

“Yup, a new story just for my little Onigiri-chan. It's about a beautiful person whose beauty can only be rivaled by the moon.”

 

“Eh? Really?” Now the brunette was definitely interested. “But how can someone look like the moon.?”

 

“Well,” Kyoko started, “look at the moon and tell me what you see.”

 

Her daughter sat up, staring intently up at the ball of light. The cute look of concentration plastered on her face was almost laughable.

 

“Sometimes, it's pale blue or white…and it has pretty stars all over it.”

Kyoko beamed at Tohru, pride dancing in her eyes. “That's right! Now what else can you see up in the sky? I see dark purple clouds with an even darker sky. Now isn't that pretty too?”

 

“Yeah! And lots of stars too!” Tohru's exhaustion was now completely forgotten. Hugging her mother tighter, she asked, “”Do you think it's a boy or a girl, Mama?”

 

“Honestly, I don't know. What do you think it would be?”

 

“I think that it would be a little boy my age and he would have the prettiest eyes in the world!”

 

“That's so sweet Tohru!” Kyoko gushed. “When you meet someday, I bet it'll be love at first sight.”

 

At this remark, Tohru's cheeks quickly filled with color. “Y-you don't really think that someone as beautiful as the moon would l-love me, do you Mama? Would someone like that really want to meet plain old me?”

 

“Are you kidding me? When you're a little older, you'll be so beautiful that no one could resist you, least of all the moon boy!” the carrot-top stated knowingly. “Even now, I bet he'd fall head-over-heels in love!”

 

Tohru sighed contentedly and once again curled up against her mother, the excitement finally wearing off leaving her feeling drowsy.

 

Hugging her ever-present `neko-chan' she murmured, “Then I'll wait for him.”

 

XXX

 

Not long after, Kyoko followed Tohru into dreamland. The stars were still blinking brightly, the moon shining tranquilly; a faint breeze whispered over the horizon, stirring up flower petals and stray leaves.

 

Tohru was roused from her peaceful sleep when her mother's hold on her became a bit too tight. The little brunette thought she heard her mother mutter `Katsuya' in her sleep, but she was still too drowsy for it to click with her.

 

After tracing the horizon over with her eyes several times, sleep began to elude her. Yawning softly, Tohru quietly wiggled loose from her Mama's death grip.

 

“Such pretty flowers…” she murmured appreciatively, walking over to a patch of grass void of flowers, `neko-chan's paw clutched in her hand and trailing behind her.

 

Tohru's chocolate covered eyes trailed over the grass around her, searching for the perfect flower.

 

`I need to use the perfect flower for this…'

 

Her eyes stopped on a alone flower whose petals seemed luminous against the dark horizon. Slinging neko-chan onto her shoulder, Tohru clumsily weaved her way through the flowers, taking care not to step on any other flowers. Kneeling down in front of the flower, she murmured a quick “thank you, flower-san” before plucking it out of the earth.

 

Holding the flower so that it was level with her eyes, she twirled it between her thumb and pointer finger.

 

Smiling cutely, Tohru plucked one petal, letting the wind carry it away.

 

“I'll meet him…”

 

She pulled off another petal.

 

“I'll meet him not…”

 

The wind stole the next petal away.

 

“I'll meet him…”

 

The petals danced gracefully in the breeze.

 

“I'll meet him not…”

 

A single white petal tangled with the innocent child's hair.

 

“I'll meet him…”

 

Kyoko watched her daughter, pride brimming in her eyes.

 

“I'll meet him not…”

 

One petal remained.

 

“I'll meet him.”

 

Tohru smiled at the moon, a promise now held in her heart.

 

“I promise to meet him one day.”

 

XXX

 

Echoes.

 

Soft voices reverberated hollowly through the inky darkness.

 

Why is it so cold…?

 

Yuki could feel arising panic coupled with an unexplainable relief building inside of him. What was happening?

 

What is this feeling…?

 

Although pale and faint, he could see a small spark of light come to life above him.

 

The hollowness in the voices slowly disappeared, a melodic tone being adopted instead.

 

The echoes were slowly becoming soothing; the light was filling him with great warmth, despite its small size.

 

What were those things circling above him?

 

Why was the light getting bigger and closer?

 

And then suddenly, somewhere deep inside of him, Yuki knew that it was his time to go and that these were angels who were here to take him to a better place.

 

To see Daddy again.

 

Then maybe, just maybe, Mama might be able to smile a real smile again and maybe she'll find someone else to love so that Nii-san could have a little brother that would make him happy.

 

And he knew it was selfish to think of himself while his entire family was in ruins, but maybe it his heart wouldn't hurt anymore.

 

Maybe thinking about the world's prettiest smile wouldn't burn so badly.

 

He reached his small hands out towards the silhouette now in front of him.

 

Daddy…?

 

But why was he pulling away? Did he do something wrong? Was he not allowed to go to Heaven?

 

Come back Daddy, come back!

 

Don't leave me alone!

 

His mother's beautiful smile flashed in his mind for but a moment.

 

Doesn't anyone love me anymore?

 

The light was gone.

 

The echoes faded away.

 

He was alone, just like always.

 

The darkness consumed him.

 

XXX

 

He saw it. He finally saw it! That had to have been Mama!

 

“Mama, come back! Come back please…I'm here!”

 

A little boy no older than seven or eight sat by his bedroom window while all the other children slept. His small hand pressed against the window while the other clutched his pillow, waiting for his Mama to come back and bring him home so that they could all be a happy family again.

 

“Mom, I know that was you…no one else has orange hair…”

 

The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he tried to see through the wet window, but it was no use. All he could see were distorted shapes and blobs of color.

 

The child rubbed at his eyes for the umpteenth time to keep both the exhaustion and tears at bay.

 

“I'll be good, I promise Mama, I won't cry anymore, o-okay?”

 

The little boy laid back down in bed, his unusual yet enticing crimson eyes never leaving the window.

 

“I love you, Mama, okay? I w-won't cry anym-more, I won't c-cry…”

 

He buried his face in his pillow to hide his tears.

 

XXX

 

Kyoko clutched tighter to the small bundle that was Yuki. The poor child had passed out in her arms when she had embraced him. She had piled the towels from her duffel bag around his near-frozen form and was now running home again, the apartment already in sight.

 

Despite being freezing, she could feel waves of feverish heat rolling off of Yuki's small body now that he was pressed so closely against her. His breathing was a bit smoother than before, but his breath occasionally hitched while in the midst of a bad dream.

 

A nightmare, actually.

 

What puzzled and concerned Kyoko the most was the traces of blood she'd found coating Yuki's hands and clothing. A line creased her forehead as Kyoko assessed the situation in her head.

 

Had Yuki been hurt? How did it happen? Was it his blood or someone else's?

 

Kyoko had quickly looked him over before slinging towels around him, but she hadn't seen noticeable injuries.

 

In his sleep, Yuki had unconsciously latched onto Kyoko's jacket as if she were the only lifeline he had left.

 

In reality, she probably was.

 

The ginger-haired woman was pulled from her musings when Yuki shuttered and cried out.

 

“Daddy!”

 

Tears began to slip down from under his closed eyelids.

 

The young woman felt her eyes begin to sting and her throat constrict, her heart wrenching painfully in her chest, as she watched him cry in his sleep.

 

Kyoko's heart went out to the young boy. All this craziness made the mother's thoughts turn to her on child. If something ever happened to her, what would Tohru do? She'd be all alone in the world. If someone found her out o the streets, would anyone care? Would someone want to help her little baby?

 

“It's okay,” she began crooning to the child, “it's all gonna be okay. I promise. Nothings going to hurt you as long as I'm around.” She hoped against hope that somehow, Yuki could hear her words and that they would soothe him. Fortunately, breathing evened out again and he seemed to relax a bit as she gently began rocking him.

 

But something seemed off about him.

 

The usual innocence that most children possessed, especially when asleep, was absent from his face. She'd seen that innocence on every child young enough to believe in Santa Clause, even many from the orphanage.

 

Even on Tohru.

 

Could the boy in her arms have been through worse?

 

And was it possible to return that innocence?

 

She couldn't help herself anymore. When she'd glimpsed the hopelessness that seemed to be tattooed onto his very existence, Kyoko had wanted to hug him tight and promise him everything.

 

That they'd find his mother.

 

That he'd have a family again.

 

That he'd be safe and never forgotten again.

 

More than anything, Kyoko hated making promises because from her experiences in life, she learned that there were times when you just can't keep them, no matter how much you may want to. Oh sure; she could promise little things, like she could promise she wouldn't be late to work, or that she'd get Tohru a lollipop on her ay back from work.

 

A promise has never really been a promise to her; merely a reassurance.

 

Something she could hold onto, whether it was really there or not.

 

But maybe she could make him a promise.

 

One that she could keep.

 

The orange-top gave a sigh or relief as she entered the apartment complex. Shifting the weight in her arms, she reached out to push the `up' button on the elevator. She trained her soft brown eyes back down at the child curled up in her arms as he began to cough harshly, his body shuttering with each spasm.

 

“It's okay,” she began crooning again. “Deep breaths; take deep breaths. It's okay now. We're home now.”

 

The metal doors to the elevator finally slid open and Kyoko stepped inside, jabbing at the numbers with more force than it deserved.

 

All too slowly for Kyoko's taste, the cell began its unhurried ascent.

 

“Gods, Katsuya,” Kyoko began muttering again. “If you ever do this to me again, so help me, I will send you on the bullet train to hell.”

 

Although it would probably be a while before she would ever admit it, deep down she knew she owed her husband a thank you. Yuki probably did too.

 

The mother smiled contently despite herself. When the elevator doors opened again, Kyoko all but ran to her apartment, throwing the door open.

 

“Tohru, I'm home! she shouted louder than she really needed.

 

“Mommy, you're back!” Tohru jumped down from her stool by the window and rushed over to her beloved mother tugging neko-chan behind her, and hugged her mother's leg through the long skirt she wore. Tears of relief began to trail down her face.

 

“I'm so sorry, Tohru.” Kyoko shifted the weight in her arms and reached down to pat her daughter's head apologetically. “I was out looking for someone when and your father decided it would be fun to start messing with me.” You could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

 

Tohru could only blink in confusion. “E-eh? Daddy?” Then she took notice of the bundle in her mother's arms. “What's that Mama?” she inquired curiously getting only a glimpse of what appeared to be tufts of hair.

 

“Come take a look.” her mother replied as she tried to repress the excited smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. When Kyoko started towards the sofa, Tohru trailed quietly behind her.

 

Little Tohru watched inquisitively as Mama placed the bundle on the sofa and began to unwrap it like a present, only to wrap it up again it thick blankets.

 

Shyly peeking her brown eyes from behind her mother, the child stared in awe at what Mama had brought home.

 

A wet, shivering little boy that couldn't have been much older than herself.

 

But she couldn't help but feel she was over-looking something.

 

“Ano…he has…grey hair? was all she could manage.

 

Kyoko suppressed an unladylike snort as she tried to suppress her laughter. “You might find some other unusual things about him, Tohru.”

 

He's so pretty! I wonder what his eyes look like…

 

Gently taking his hand in her own small one, leaning down closer to the slumbering boy, she managed to hear him mumble something.

 

“He says he missed Mama,” Tohru reported in a shushed tone, careful not to wake him up, though just as eager to see him open his eyes.

 

“I know…” the orange-haired woman sighed, her smile faltering, hollowness lacing her words.

 

Sometimes, she flat-out hated this job. It hurt too much to hear children say things like that; things she could never really heal. Kyoko had been doing this job for years, and yet, telling a child that they'll never see their mommy or daddy again didn't really get an easier.

 

“We're going to find his mommy and daddy, right?” The young brunette inquired hopefully, her innocence protecting her from facts she couldn't face.

 

Please Tohru…you're only going to make this harder for us all.

 

In her daughter's eyes, she could do no wrong. After all how could anyone say that a person who opens their home to any child in need could be bad or do anything wrong?

 

Fortunately or unfortunately—it's often hard to tell—so many children under her care were so blissfully innocent to the harsh realities they would have to face sooner or later. After getting over the initial shyness after coming to the orphanage, they would always state how excited they would be when their mommies and daddies came to bring them home.

 

More often than not, those kids never saw their parents walk through the door.

 

And yet, many would refuse to face reality.

 

In fact, there was this one boy with orange hair who wasn't too much older than Tohru back at the orphanage, he pretty much kept to himself, though it was easy to tick him off, who'd stand by the window all day everyday waiting for his Mama to come bring him home.

 

He's still waiting.

 

“Mama? Right?”

 

It then hit the woman that she had been ignoring Tohru for quite some time.

 

“Oh, yes Tohru. Of course!” Kyoko plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile before walking into the kitchen to prepare a well-deserved leftover meal.

 

“Hey Tohru,” she called from the kitchen, “do you want anything to eat?”

 

“No thank you, mom!” she called back over her shoulder. She turned her gaze back to slumbering boy.

 

“Eh? Y-you're shaking!” True enough, Yuki had curled in on himself and was shivering, his face once again contorted in agony.

 

“D-don't worry little boy!” Tohru said resolutely, waving neko-chan in the air. “I'll make it all better!”

 

The statement could've been considered assertive had she not hiccupped.

 

XXX

 

“Gah, when was the last time I cleaned out this fridge?” Kyoko muttered irritably to herself, inspecting various foods for mold before chucking them over her shoulder and into the trash.

 

Managing to scrape together a meal of leftover soba noodles and takoyaki, the ginger-haired woman shoved her dinner into the microwave, jabbing violently at the numbers.

 

Hm, I think I'll grab some onigiri and takoyaki for Tohru and Yuki. Tohru hasn't had anything to eat since I dropped her off and Yuki couldn't have had a decent meal in ages.

 

Kyoko clenched her fists as she felt her anger rising and her blood beginning to boil.

 

“Damn it all; if I ever meet the bitch who abandoned him, I'll kill her with my own bare hands,” the mother muttered between clenched teeth. Of course that probably wouldn't make Yuki feel any better…

 

After the microwave began a series of obnoxious beeping, Kyoko retrieved her food and walked back into the living room. The sight the greeted her doused her anger, pulling a smile onto her face.

 

Apparently, Tohru had wanted to make sure Yuki stayed extra warm as she was curled up against him beneath the mountain of blankets with neko-chan squished between. Tohru was already fat asleep while Yuki seemed both warmer and much more content.

 

“Sweet dreams, you two.”

 

She could see it now; this was the start of a beautiful friendship, and maybe something more…

 

XXX

 

Featured Song

 

If everyone cared, & nobody cried

If everyone loved, & nobody lied

If everyone shared, & swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day where nobody died

 

If Everyone Cared-Nickelback

 

XXX

 

Pocky-Pocky's Prozac Land: Goodness me! Nine pages of angst! And from seven year-olds no less! Ah well, there was some fluff in there! Well, I hope you all enjoyed! So far, this is the longest thing I've ever written. I had actually started this while on a three day vacation to Chicago, but I kinda got lazy and kept putting it off until now :D However, I promise you this. From now on, updates will be bi-monthly, so hopefully, I'll have a new chapter posted on Christmas Evening. I also have another fic planned and I'm hoping to post it on Halloween, although it has nothing to do with such a holiday, if that's what you're thinking.

 

By the way, this is the un-betaed version, so I'll have to read through this chapter and the previous one some other time. I know this chapter was really slow but please bear with me people. I promise, it will get somewhere soon enough. And I surprised everyone with Kyo's early appearance, didn't I!?I didn't really think he'd come in until about chapter four, but inspiration struck and who am I to deny such a blessing?

 

When I first wrote this out, it seemed kinda choppy, but I added onto it and I think it's a little better now, but I'd rather hear what you guys have to say! If you have any questions, comments, constructive criticism, (song) suggestions, or even flames, feel free to post them! :D

 

Remember: `reviews = faster updates' and `reviews + Pocky-Pocky-chan = solution to world hunger'.

 

You want to find the solution, don't you? Please review!

 

♥ Pocky-Pocky-chan ♥