Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Sentium ❯ Frame 05: History ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer:

I don't own fruits basket, although I would really appreciate a small credit for having stolen so much of the characters' time. Goodness me, you'd think we could all learn to share and share alike. Come on socialism! Whoohoo...let's forget the individual in hopes of becoming a faceless and personality-less mob. Yea!

Sentium

60;Carpetfibers

Frame 05: History

____________________

Dedicatum: a june lily

You shouldn't be so hysterical, love.

I only did it the once!

Just one small, wee sip-

That's all!

I promise,

Soldier's honor!

Come on, love.

No cold shoulders this night,

After all, where'd you be without me?

All alone,

Maybe caught up in one of those places.

So try smiling.

No man likes a girl who frowns.

Might feel like leaving.

And then,

Who'd you cry over?

_______________________

60; "I first met Saki and Arisa in middle school. We had all been sort of loners- lots of acquaintances, but few friends. I had been carrying far too many books and missed the bottom step; both Saki and Arisa jumped into catch me. Instead of it helping though, we all ended up sprawled on the floor, my books thrown everywhere. From that moment, we simply came together. It was that way all through high school."

60; She sipped gingerly at the strong tinted liquid, its thick fragrant taste filling her mouth with more than the scorching fluid. She breathed deeply as she drank, the scent tickling at her nose. Tohru had never liked to tell stories, especially ones that focused around her.

60; "After high school, Arisa began to work as a writer at the local journal. She hated doing the grunt work, but she had to start somewhere. Saki soon joined her, working part time as a photographer while she went to night school."

60; "What about you?" He asked softly, his eyes mindfully on the table and not on her face. Her eyes fluttered slightly.

60; Yes, what about me? Indeed, there's a question.

"I was offered a position at a private school where I could work as a cook while I went to school. I didn't see much of Arisa or Saki, though; the job and school were up north, almost 300 kilometers away. But six months after we graduated, just three weeks before-" and her voice caught in her throat. She had thought for sure she was over that by now. Surely...

60; "Before?" Haru prompted, refilling her cup silently. She sighed and continued.

60; "Three weeks before my mother died," she said shortly. But thankfully none of the usual comments came. Although Tohru knew that the sympathy was well meant, she didn't want it. It made her feel distasteful, dirty even. Why- she wasn't sure, but that's how things were.

60; "Six months after graduation, Arisa called me, begging for me to come down for a weekend. I had been missing them, so it hadn't been too hard to convince me. So I bought a train ticket and packed. It's funny, but..." she lifted her brown eyes and met his, a little surprised at the understanding in them. "...I remember that train ride so clearly. I can even describe to this minute what the passengers next to me had worn and the perfume the train custodian had carried. Sometimes, when I look back, I wonder if perhaps some part of me had known that a great event was going to happen. That a great importance was about to happen. Does that make sense?"

60; Haru stared at his fingers, noticing for the first time that he had started biting his nails again. When did that happen? But of course, he knew just what she meant. Before his sister-

60; But she continued on. "Saki met me at the train station. She was smiling for once, and actually wearing something other than black. Saki had always been an independent spirit." Tohru could picture her friend as she had arrived at the train station perfectly. Her skirt had been a dark red, the color of rose ashes or sodden bricks, and her black hair had been tied back with a matching ribbon. The normally stoic girl had been practically trembling with excitement, but had refused to tell Tohru what it was. She had promised Arisa to wait.

60; "Back at their apartment, Arisa had bought a cake and had made coffee. After we had all sat down and caught up on the missing months' news, they finally told me what it was that had them so excited." A short laugh escaped her lips. Not entirely bitter: there was a balance of sweetness to it, a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. "They had been given an undercover assignment. At the time, they wouldn't tell much about it, except that they would be going to this big city in the south- Chiyo."

60; "It was mostly Arisa who did the talking. She wasn't allowed to go into specifics, but according to her, this was their 'big break.' With a story like the one they were going to do, they could make the front page. No more running coffee and making copies for her. Saki would speak only to mention the possibilities for photographs."

60; Just as everything else about that day, the dinner out on the tiled patio stood out perfectly. She remembered how thick the air had felt that night; how the sun had clung tenaciously to the horizon, seemingly refusing to move on; how the mosaics of broken dishes and cracked tiles that made up the table top felt beneath her fingers; but especially how happy her friends had been- how they had- excuse the cliche- positively glowed.

60; She remembered all of it so perfectly simply because that was the last time she saw her friends.

60; "I left the next morning to visit my mother. She had started dating again. I only saw the little bit of him that showed through the crack in the door that my mother opened. I had surprised her a bit too much, it seemed..."

60; "You don't have to do this all tonight, you know." He stood up from the table, taking their empty cups with him. She didn't answer, watching as he skillfully washed the cups beneath the sink, using the soft side of the sponge. She was struck silent by his motions. When was the last time she had seen someone care about such a tiny detail as not chipping a cup's surface?

60; And the answer came immediately. The last time she had seen her mother...just hours before she died.

60; Hurriedly, she began again, wanting to finish the story before it became impossible to do.

60; "Three weeks later, my mother was killed in a car accident. I hadn't seen either Arisa or Saki at the funeral, so I went to find them. I suppose I was a little angry, but mostly confused. It hadn't even occurred to me that they mightn't have known. So I went to their apartment. When they didn't answer, I spoke to their landlady who told me that they had been gone for the past three weeks and had paid the rent for the next six months. It was then that I remembered their mystery assignment, their 'big story.'"

60; Tohru sighed and drew into her jacket, pulling strength from its warmth. "I don't know why it became so important to me, but I couldn't just leave it at that, so I went to the journal office. At first the editor refused to see me, but finally, after waiting too long, he called me into his office. From the moment I stepped into his office, I knew. I knew that something had happened. I stared at his seaside watercolor print, with its rolling blues and greens, while he tried to convince me that although he hadn't heard from either Saki or Arise in over two weeks, that they were just fine."

60; She remembered how the polished man had folded his manicured hands and stared at her earnestly, all while lie after lie poured out from his full lips.

60; "I finally managed to get the key to Arisa's work desk from him. I forget what it was that I had said that convinced him to let me, but...I got the key and that was that." Subconsciously, she began to tug on the end of her hair, pulling at the uneven pieces, wrapping strands around her thin fingers. The motion grew harried as she went on. "Arisa's desk was just as messy as I expected to find it, but her files were immaculate. I searched through every one of them, staying in her small cubicle until well after midnight. But I wasn't able to find a thing. I moved on to Saki's photos. They were almost all black and white, although there was one in color- the only one she hadn't taken. I hadn't recognized the man, but a word written in the back struck me and once again, I knew as I knew in the editor's office. This man was the key!"

60; "Who was it?" Haru asked carefully, his voice controlled.

60; "Akito Sohma," she answered simply, the tugging on her hair stopping momentarily.

60; "I made up my mind that night. I packed up a few things, emptied my bank account, and bought a bus ticket to Chiyo. I didn't know what I was doing, or even what I would find, but I knew- do you understand what I mean?- I knew that my friends were in trouble and I would find my answers here in Chiyo."

60; "It took only a week for me to learn that there would be only one way to find my friends, and that would be through the Sohmas. So that's what I've been doing- breaking into their buildings and trying to find out where the runaways are being taken."

60; "What makes you so sure that it's the Sohmas behind the kidnappings?" Haru asked, his eyes intent on Tohru's face. She reddened slightly at the question, a little embarrassed by how foolish her answer would seem.

60; "It felt right; it felt right, that's all." She suddenly wished that the cup of tea was back in her hands so she had something to do with them. They twiddled nervously, betraying her worries and anxieties openly. She tucked them into her sleeves, gripping at her wrists tightly. She waited for him to answer, to belittle her reasoning. Instead though, he nodded, a shock of white hair falling into his tanned face.

60; "Your 'feeling' is right." And he left it at that, handing her a blanket. "That's enough for tonight. We can talk more in the morning; you need to sleep."

60; Tohru felt her need to disagree disappear as a wave of weariness over took her. She forgot for the moment that she hardly knew this guy with the intense eyes and strange personality- like his hair- dark one moment, light the next. She forgot that she was supposed to keep up her defenses and not let anyone close. She forgot this all, and let him lead her to small loft bed and a mattress that held an unfamiliar but comforting scent. She faded into sleep as he spread the blanket over her. She slept the sleep of the dead, and all was quiet.

__________________

Interlude .14: summer storms

Skip along little dogies!

Skip along!

The road awaits ye...

Thou hast patience yet.

Thou hast patience yet.

Tra la la de da,

And a half pence to the lot of you!

Sweet chariot,

Comin' round,

And it's a hard day's night.

We all should be dying like dogs.

So skip along.

Skip along.

Thou hast patience yet...

O death.

Thou hast patience yet.

________________ ; � 160;

60; He had awaken hours earlier than he should have, at least that's what his logic told him. A person of his age needed at least 8 hours of sleep a night. The statisticians would argue this fact on late night talk shows. The 'Factoid' at eleven! His parents had thought it wise for him to brush up on such affairs.

60; "Know what the people are thinking about, Hatsuharu! Know what concerns them! That should be what drives a politician. Remember that, son."

60; Remember that? Hardy har har. Statisticians didn't account for the kind of worries that made sleep impossible, or for the energy that comes from a desperate need. And they certainly didn't account for parents who give up on their child without even trying.

60; Not that he was concerned by it. Not that it hurt or anything like that. His parents were just made that way. Nothing he could do about it, so why waste energy or time worrying? It was needless, and besides, the only person Kisa needed was him. He was more than enough to find her. And especially now that he had this girl to help him...

60; Involuntarily, his eyes went back to her sleeping face. She had all but fell asleep in his arms last night when he showed her the bed. How many hours had she gone without rest? Real rest? Her face seemed too pale, even in the early morning light with its warm tangerines and seashell pinks.

60; He didn't want to admit it, but last night, as he had listened to her speak, and watched as her hands did their fluttering, he was reminded of his sister. Kisa had always been too quiet, but her hands did much of her speaking. In the movements and cadence of her fingers, he could see the feelings of her heart. So even when she had claimed to be happy, he would know the truth. This girl... this Tohru Honda...she was like that.

60; But he had to keep things in perspective. He couldn't get too close to her; this was to be a symbiotic relationship, win-win, and all that good stuff. He would keep her around until she was no longer useful, and then move on. He had only enough energy and time to worry about one person, and besides, this girl had said it best. She had been fine on her own this long; she didn't need anybody. She could go back to that way after-

60; Well, after, all this was done with.

60; His rationalizing didn't help much though, to be honest, because Haru could almost hear his sister's voice chastising him gently for being so cold.

Haru! You should be nicer...she's a good person; I know!

60; Well, screw that.

60; He wouldn't worry about anything except Kisa for now. And that's that.

60; Still though. His brown eyes rested on Tohru's pale cheeks. She didn't look so tough now. She looked...lost, lost and lonely. He thought over her story. At least he had a family waiting for him- well, supposedly 'waiting.' She had lost everything, and was now trying to find the few ties left to her life. He supposed it was noble in a way, but mostly, it was kind of sad. Especially seeing her act all tough and then...

60; Fuck. He was doing it again. Damn...sometimes Haru pitied even himself. His whole big brother complex was like the proverbial baboon on his back. Made him want to play savior to every other girl. Frickin' A!

60; Haru smoothed back his hair, the motion doing little to keep the unruly strands from his face. He should probably go make breakfast or something. He pulled himself from the armchair where he had spent the night and padded into the small kitchen, pulling down two bowls and mugs. He set a slightly rusted kettle on the stove top to boil and grabbed some eggs from the cupboard. He didn't know if she liked eggs, but they were filling and nutritious and all that other stuff that health classes taught about.

60; He paused, two eggs in hand. If she graduated last year then that made her at least a year older than him. A smirk crawled across his face. What would his dad say if he knew that his son had an older woman in his bed?

60; "What time is it?" The egg fell from his fingers, spiraling yolk across the worn linoleum floor. Tohru winced and crept out from beneath the warm blankets.

60; "Sorry..." she apologized, shivering a bit in the noticeably colder room air.

60; "It's not your fault; I was just surprised," Haru said shortly. At her voice he had immediately tensed and even now, as she stood beside him, he couldn't get his shoulders to relax.

60; "Breakfast?" Tohru asked, her eyes having taken in the eggs and boiling water.

60; "Sort of..." She took the eggs from him wordlessly and with an ease he wouldn't have guessed started to make her way about the kitchen. Haru stepped back and shrugged; apparently she knew what she was doing.

60; "I suppose this is as good a time as any to give you my side of events." He pulled out one of the wooden chairs from behind the folding table. He watched as she began chopping a tomato she had found in the fridge.

60; "There's only ever been me and Kisa; she's my younger sister. She was born with a heart condition that made her very weak. Even while growing up, she had two surgeries, both of which did little to help. Kids picked on her at school, making fun of her scars and how shy she was. So it was always up to me to take care of her. But I didn't mind." H watched as she moved the knife skillfully across the plump tomato, cutting thin even slices. When had she learned that?

60; "Our parents were very protective of Kisa, and even went so far as to have her home schooled. But she grew lonely, especially as she grew older. I wasn't enough anymore, but I understood. I mean, she was a girl after all, and I was just her older brother. She fell behind in her studies, even with the home tutoring. She even began to lose weight. Our parents grew pretty desperate, so-" Desperate his ass. They felt useless so they tried to pawn her off on someone else. Get rid of problem. No longer their problem, but someone else's. "So they started sending her to a therapist. Within just a few sessions, Kisa was smiling again, eating the right amount of food, and her studies were caught up in matter of weeks. It was a complete transformation."

60; Whatever Tohru had mixed with the tomatoes began to sizzle on the stove top, the fragrance causing Haru's mouth to water. Having the same old boiled egg day in and day out could, admittedly, get old. He turned his head to look out the window. The docks were swarming in the morning light. The sailors who had leave the night before traded off with their mates; towering crates and wooden boxes marked with 'this side up' were being loaded and unloaded, the men's muscles bulging through their canvas shirts. Haru thought it might be interesting to work on one of those ships sometime. Sometime.

60; "Her doctor was a young woman who's heart it seemed would probably lead her into making a mistake eventually, but with Kisa it had proven itself well. Her name was Kana and she had a younger brother named Hiro who was just a year younger than Kisa. What my parents didn't know, and what I didn't know, was that during these sessions Kana simply let her brother and my sister talk and do whatever it was kids do. So this whole transformation thing- it came from Kisa having a friend. Who knew, right?"

60; "How old was your sister then?" Tohru asked suddenly, brushing aside a piece of her hair and smearing her cheek with tomato juice in the process. Haru looked away.

60; "Just turned 16."

60; "Oh." And then it was back to good ol' story time! Come on kiddies, gather round! Haru felt an inane urge to laugh out loud, get the good old timorous stuff out of him and gone. He always felt like laughing when his heart hurt. Sick stuff, huh?

60; "This went on for a good couple of months, until Kisa asked to invite Hiro to dinner. It never occurred to her that our parents would be angry, but they were. Angry at Kana for allowing someone to socialize with their daughter without their permission, and angry at Kisa for keeping such a thing from them for so long. They forbid her from ever seeing or speaking to Hiro again. And that was that."

60; One of Tohru's thin hands placed a steaming plate before him. She had transformed the meager contents of his fridge into something truly appetizing. He took a bite, careful of the heat. Delicious. He opened his mouth to say so but stopped at the expression on her face. Damn it all...his complex was going to be the death of him.

60; He rushed on, stuffing in another bite of the omelette. "Kisa knew enough about our parents by then to know that they were serious in their demand. I wasn't much help either."

60; There was an understatement. He was no help at all. He had been angry at her as well for keeping such a secret from him. He had yelled at her, and for the worst reason, too. He had been jealous.

60; "The next morning Kisa had disappeared. Surprise, surprise, but Kana's little brother was missing as well. Hiro and Kisa had run away. My parents hired detectives to find her, but the trail always hit cold once they reached this lovely little haven. Those two had decided to disappear in the glorious surrounding of Chiyo. Almost six weeks after they ran away, Kana received a call from a hospital in the Dayu district. Hiro was in their ICU, in a coma."

60; He pushed the plate away from him, every bit of food licked clean. Omelettes and story telling; how very fitting. " When we all arrived, the doctor said that Hiro had just hours left. He had been struck in the back of his head and there was a huge amount of swelling on his brain. And so we waited. Kana hoped for a miracle, and my parents hoped that the little brat would wake long enough to tell them what happened to their daughter."

60; He leaned back, cupping the back of his head with his hands, and closed his eyes. That damned hospital scene had been the setting for a good many of his nightmares. Dreams where instead of Hiro lying between white sheets, his arms and legs hooked up to machines and pumps, it was Kisa who laid there. And Kisa who died.

60; "He did finally wake up, but his words helped little. At least little for my parents. For me, they were worlds enough. Hiro had whispered just seconds before he died, 'They took Kisa. The Sohmas- they took Kisa!' And then he died. My parents left, Kana cried, and finally there was only me. I haven't left the city since, and I won't leave until I've found her."

60; "So...we're kind of the same then, aren't we?" Tohru lifted her eyes and met his. He nodded slowly, bringing his feet back to the floor with a muffled thud. He crossed his arms and rested his head on them, peering at her from beneath his bangs.

60; "Then that makes us a team." No question there, just statement of fact.

60; "Yeah."

60; "Your omelette was good."

60; "Thanks."

60; "You're welcome."

60; Outside, the sailors pushed more of their crates and the seagulls dive bombed as they swooped in for forgotten sandwiches and half drunk coffees. A lovely morning, wouldn't you agree?

_________________  0; & #160;  0;

Interlude .15: black cherry soda

She sang in twos and threes,

Bitter symphonies,

Songs of old.

She cried in blues and greys,

Sodden summer haze,

Tales long told.

She waits, waits in silence,

For a dawn that never comes.

And I'll dream forever,

As the dawn gently comes.

So sing the twos and threes,

Forget the harsh rhapsodies.

Makes no difference, blues or greys,

Winter has its own shade of haze,

And songs sung,

And tales told.

Forget them both.

Dawn comes.

And so much more.

Lady, so much more.

___________________ & #160;  0; & #160;  0;

AuthorR 17;s notes:

Ok, yeah, this was all dialogue, but hey, you learned important stuff here, ok? Got it? So shut up. Gr. Lol; just kidding!