Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ The Butterfly Effect ❯ The Best Laid Plans ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Summary: They had a good plan. Really, they did.

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya/HAKUSENSHA - TV TOKYO - NAS - Fruba Project.

Warning: Rated R for language, implied rape, torture, and adult situations.

Chapter 2: The Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

- variation on Robert Burns

When Tohru turned eighteen, she discovered that she had inherited a trust fund. Apparently her mother's mother had set aside a good sum of money, not for her daughter but for any children her daughter might have had. Becoming the Red Butterfly gangster had apparently not made Kyoko's mother happy with her. The first time that Tohru heard of the money was when she received the letter from her Grandfather on her birthday, forwarding the letter from her Grandmother's trustees.

That had been the start of the Plan. Sohma accounts were rigorously monitored, especially those of the younger Jyuunishi. Although they had a generous allowance, Yuki and Kyou both had no financial freedom. Ever since Tohru had learned of what waited for them following graduation, she had been desperately trying to come up with a plan to get them away. The money suddenly opened a world of possibilities. When she first approached them about leaving, both boys had been reluctant to either take her money or spend time with the other boy. But after three years with the Sohmas, Tohru had started to come to understand some of her power over these men. When her gentle words wouldn't convince them, her heartfelt sobs made them promise her the sun and moon. Strangely, once they had accepted the idea, both boys dove into the planning with an unparalleled enthusiasm.

There had been so many things to do. To truly escape Akito, Tohru and the boys needed to vanish completely, as if they had never existed. Surprisingly, Shigure had started the ball rolling. They had never discussed their decision in front of the dog, but somehow pamphlets about identification changes and establishing joint bank accounts started showing up on the breakfast table shortly after Tohru got her letter.

They were able to start both a legal name change process and joint account signing power after talking to the attorneys for Tohru's trust. The lawyers' fee was more than enough to ensure their silence. As a thank you to the woman who had given them the freedom to leave, they decided to take on her maiden name. Thus, Himura Yuki, Himura Kyou and Himura Tohru were born.

But having a new identity was pointless if they didn't have somewhere to go. They hadn't mentioned Tohru's new wealth to anyone else, but somehow Hatori seemed to have found out. Although the boys were suspicious of the man who could erase Tohru's memories, Tohru trusted Hatori on an instinctive level. When he asked her to join him on the porch while he smoked one evening, Tohru willingly agreed.

Hatori went through three cigarettes before he got to the point. He didn't even look at Tohru when he started speaking. "If I were hypothetically looking for a property that was… somewhat distant from the existing Sohma properties, I'd probably try looking in Western interior or Northern Japan. The Internet often has listings that you can view without going into a real estate office. Hypothetically if I wanted to protect my privacy and I didn't want the transaction to be traced, I would go through a housing agent in a different town that I paid very, very well."

When Tohru went back into the house she was nearly attacked by Yuki and Kyou. The boys had been terrified that she would be memory-less when she returned. After they had calmed down, they reluctantly agreed that Hatori's suggestions were good. It was easy for Student Council President Sohma Yuki to gain access to the school computer labs on a regular basis. Soon he had sheets of carefully hidden printouts that he shared with Tohru and Kyou in the evenings. With three very different personalities it should have been impossible to find a compromise. Therefore they were all completely shocked when all three of them latched on to the same property.

"Yard space for fighting practice."

"Yard space for a garden."

"A long gated lane for privacy."

"Ten miles out of town on the only private lot in a forest reserve. Can't top that kind of privacy."

"Four bedrooms and a full kitchen and bathroom."

"The town's in the middle of nowhere, but it has a branch of a major university and a technical college."

"Transient residents because it's a bit of a tourist attraction in the summer and for the winter festivals. We can be practically anonymous."

They decided that there was no point in wasting time when it would take a miracle from the gods for Kyou and Yuki to ever agree again.

It was surprisingly easy to conduct business when you had a lot of money. And Tohru and the boys now had an awful lot of money. Even their age wasn't a factor if they could ensure that the funds were transferred. As Hatori had implied, a local agent had been more than happy to purchase the property for them- for a price.

Over the winter recess, Kyou had gone to the property. He had used the excuse that he wanted to use his last days of freedom to travel, and even Akito had seemed unable to deny him. During his time away he had managed to get the house furnished and stocked with Tohru's list of dry goods and some of their clothing and personal items. He had even managed to buy a second-hand four-seater for the ten mile drive to town. Even Yuki had offered a grudging "thank you" when he had returned. Tohru had beamed like a small sun and made his favorite foods for a month.

The paperwork for their new identities, credit cards and other identification had finally finished processing just before graduation. Akito, in an uncharacteristic burst of generosity, had allowed the boys to have the summer before she collected them. They should have been suspicious. But really, it had been so perfect. Tohru could keep going to her job and they could wait for a few weeks after graduation. No one would even notice when they finally left. If Shigure continued to cooperate they might even be able to delay the pursuit for a week or two. They had never planned on calling a taxi in the dead of night, carrying a broken Tohru to the car. The boys had certainly never planned on having to delay their departure to dress a naked Tohru because she couldn't use her hands.

As Tohru recalls their naïve optimism, she realizes that they allowed themselves to become overconfident. Tohru refuses to assign blame for this. Akito could not have been predicted and what is done is done.

And maybe, the butterfly whispers, as Tohru cuddles against Yuki's chest, there might be some advantages to your new situation.