Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ The New Akito ❯ Momiji's Legacy/Understanding ( Chapter 14 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: MitchellsPrincess42405 
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.02.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 287 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.02.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 287 | Status: Completed
Chapter Fourteen/Epilogue: Momiji’s Legacy/Understanding
15 Years Later…
It was a beautiful summer afternoon, with flowers blooming everywhere and a gentle breeze blowing down the back of Kiri’s neck. It was a hot day, but she continued to work relentlessly in her garden, refusing to give in to temptation and go inside for a cool glass of lemonade. It had been almost fifteen years since the day Kiri’s little world turned upside down, and she found she had adjusted quite well.
Finally, with a sigh, she finished planting and sat back on her heels. Kiri looked skeptically down at her enormous belly and thought exasperatedly, ‘Damn circle of life!’ She was seven months pregnant and it was driving her crazy. Now none of her pretty frilly dresses would fit anymore. What was she supposed to wear?
“Kiri! Where are you darling?” Kenji called from their back porch.
“In the garden!” she called back. He was at her side in a flash with a small boy clutched frantically onto his pant leg.
“Honey, you know Hatori said you shouldn’t exert yourself. You’re the head of the family, and besides, I really don’t want you getting hurt,” Kenji scolded lightly, grabbing her gently by one arm and helping her pull herself up.
“Kenji, darling, I’ll be fine. Be careful, you’re scaring Takato.” She dismissed his fears quickly. Even as a child, she had hated people mentioning her job as the center of the family. Now that she was about to have a child of her own, people kept binging it up more and more. It was frustrating. She couldn’t understand why they kept reminding her. It wasn’t like she could forget.
“Don’t make me call the doctor,” her loving husband threatened somewhat playfully. “I really am worried about you, though,“ he said seriously.
Kiri sighed and allowed him to lead her into the house. The house they lived in was really huge, with three stories, nine bedrooms and six bathrooms. Basically, it was her dream house. The downside was that it was conveniently located right next to the Main House.
But at least it easily held Kenji and herself, their adopted son Takato, and a random assortment of children who lived with them whenever they needed a place to stay. Most of them were Sohma children who were orphaned or just need a better family to stay with for awhile. Besides, Kenji had grown up as one of eight children so chaos was really just the kind of home environment he was used to. Still, Kiri liked to think their household was a little more organized then Hana and Haru’s had been.
Kiri had quickly grown to love large families as well. She had always felt a little alone in her family of four, especially once Tamaki had graduated high school and left her alone with their parents. A big family fit her surprisingly well.
Kiri went inside the giant house and found herself ushered off to an empty room for some “quiet time”. As soon as she sat down, she began to think about the last half of her life. The past fifteen years had been good and bad, glorious and horrible. Life was a mixed blessing, but she thanked God, and even Akito, for the life she led every day. And no, she never forgot him, yet she hadn’t heard from him since that summer day fifteen years ago.
As a teenager, Kiri had been popular and beautiful, and there had been more than a few guys who had lusted after her. But, in the end it was always the same; none of them could compare with her one perfect man. Through her whole life, Kenji had been there for her; letting her cry when she needed, drying her tears when she didn’t, and always loving her. Kenji had never made her unhappy; well, not like Akito had been, at least.
All her life, Kiri had know she was a little “different” than most kids, but with Kenji she had always felt like a normal girl. They had been in love for so long it was only natural that they ended up together. No one was really all that surprised.
Tamaki, on the other hand, had gone through many men. All through her school years, and early twenties, Tamaki had skipped from man to man, never settling down for more then half a year. Then, she, too, fell in love, which surprised the hell out of pretty much everyone.
After years of running, Tamaki settled down with the reserved and unpredictable Sousuke. When the two of them went to Kyo and Arisa to tell them, Arisa had just looked Tamaki up and down, and then welcomed her wholeheartedly into the family. “Hey, any child of Tohru’s is welcome here any time,” Arisa had said.
Tami and Sousuke had gotten married when he was twenty-two and she was twenty-six. Since then, they had one brilliantly redheaded son, Michito, who was spoiled crazy by doting grandparents.
Uncle Momiji had found some good times too. He had gotten married and lived happily for a few years before he had a heart attack. He died almost instantly, leaving his wife and daughter, Momoka, alone. They had joined the Sohma Main House not long after, and were well taken care of. Kiri had made sure of that, at least for awhile.
Tohru had cried for weeks over the loss of Momiji. He was gone, but like Akito, he was not forgotten. It had taken all of them a long time to accept that. Kiri had found it hard to accept that bad things could happen as well, but whenever grief began to overwhelm her, she and Kenji sat down and talked about all the good things in their lives. She knew her life was good, and she planned to keep it that way. She swore that she would never end up like Akito. Anger would not control her.
Other sad things had happened to the family as well. Momiji’s wife had run away a year after her husband’s death. Momoka, who was five, ended up in Kiri’s house, where she was a beloved daughter.
Hatori had found peace as well, accepting what he was, but never fighting back. He had never married or left the Main House. He remained an obedient servant, even when Kiri tried to force him to go out and live a real life. He said he was happy to stay as the family doctor. She had said she was happy as long as he was, but it hadn’t quite been true. Truthfully, she had wanted desperately for him to fight back.
Haru and Hana had managed to successfully send all of their children out into the world, and all of Kenji’s brothers and sisters were out on their own now. Kenji frequently said in his “elder brother voice” that he was scared for the world now that his siblings were loose in it. And then he would laugh.
The other animals from Yuki’s generation had all had very strange lives. Rin had run off and wasn’t heard from for years, not until her son, who was Kiri’s age, showed up at the Main House one day. It had been a very interesting time in Sohma history. She laughed as she remembered…
~Flashback~
He had barged into one of the official buildings and said loudly, “Hey, I’m Genki. My mom used to live here, and I figured since you were her family, you’re mine too. So, do you have a place I could stay for a while?”
Kiri had started laughing right there. She couldn’t help it.
Genki looked over at her and said, “What, do you work here?” Kiri had laughed again, and the secretary to whom Genki had been talking looked uneasily between the two of them.
“I’ll handle this personally.” Kiri had said to him.
“But, Mrs. Sohma, please, I’ll take care of it. This isn’t your problem. I’ll escort him out,” the secretary said, rising from his desk. Genki stiffened and held up his fists, ready for a fight.
“I said I will take care of it!” Kiri said, standing between the two young men. “I am the head of this family, and this seems like a family matter to me.”
She escorted Genki to her office. He sat down and looked appreciatively around.
“Mom was right. You guys are loaded,” he said. “So, you got a place for me here? I figure it’s my birthright or whatever.”
Kiri smiled her business smile and said politely, “And just how is that? Who is your mother, Mr. Genki Sohma?”
“Rin Sohma. You may have heard of her. Loud, mean, turns into a horse, you know the type. I suppose that’s pretty common here, though.” He stopped to smirk. “So what are you, a snake? I saw the way you handled that secretary.”
“I am not a Zodiac animal.” Kiri said, folding her hands patiently. “I am the Head of the Family, and if you want a place here, you better damn well earn it. The Sohma name is not simply given away. We are a class of the elite, and no one who bullies my secretary gets a penny from me, got it?”
He laughed. “Damn, girl, you’re fun. Too bad you’re married. I saw the ring. Plus, we’re probably, like, cousins or something anyway. So, how can I earn the Sohma name?”
“You get a job, and you work for me, and I’ll let you have a house,” Kiri knew she sounded a little mobster like, but hey, it got the point across. She was a ‘whatever works’ kind of girl.
“It’s a deal,” Genki had said, and all in all it had worked pretty well. It was only after he had moved in that he mentioned his family. He had a two-year-old son and a divorced wife who wanted nothing to do with them. Rin was dead, and Genki’s son, Genji, had inherited his grandmother’s curse. The two of them lived well and visited Kiri and her family quite frequently. Both were welcomed into the family.
~End of Flashback~
Kiri finished reminiscing, and thought instead of everything that lay ahead. She had to put her children through school, for starters. Kiri stood up slowly and began to hobble off to see how the family was doing.
She stopped in the stairwell and looked down at the perfect scene spread out before her. Kenji was serving dinner to the kids, who all sat around the table, entertaining themselves each in their own way. The eldest girl, Sarina, was holding a little brother on each knee and telling them some story which seemed to hold their attention well. Her next eldest was teasing his sister about boys and tickling young Momoka mercilessly. Kenji, bless him, was trying to maintain order, but was obviously outmatched; still, he was laughing.
“Boy, am I lucky to have you all,” Kiri said after observing for a minute, announcing her presence.
There were many cries of “Mommy!” a few “Kiri’s” and then a lot of, “But s/he did this!” and “Make him/her stop!”
Kiri laughed, taking a toddler up in each arm, “Calm down, kids. Daddy’s trying to make you dinner!”
“Thanks, hun,” Kenji said, serving the last plate.
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, jokingly whispering, “Now I remember why I married you.”
They all sat to eat, but not for long. Half way through a hectic dinner, Kiri stood up and said loudly, “Honey, I think it’s time to go to the hospital.”
Everybody leaped into action. Sarina jumped up and ran to the phone to call Hatori, the other kids burst into excited chatter, and Kenji rushed to help her out to the car and drove her to Hatori‘s hospital.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kiri was given a small, rather loud, cleaned up bundle of baby and told by Hatori that she held a “rather healthy bundle of joy.”
Kenji was in shock. They had all been thinking that the baby wouldn’t be here for another month or two. Kiri sighed; life was always full of surprises. The kids had been left with Tohru and Yuki, who loved every second they could get with their grandchildren. Now it was just them.
“I’ll go get you the birth certificate for you two to fill out,” Hatori said mildly. “You can have a moment alone.” He left them then, closing the door meekly behind him.
Kiri looked at the pink, squirming, baby in her arms. She hadn’t quite come up with a name yet.
“Well, it’s a girl,“ she said to Kenji. “Give me a moment to think of a name.”
“I concede the honor of naming our first born to you,” Kenji said. “After all, you did just go through a little bit of work.”
He smiled down at her. She smiled back up at him. They both knew it hadn’t been too easy.
After a moment’s thought, Kiri said decisively, “Her name shall be Akiyo. May she live a long, trouble-free life.”
Kenji laughed good-naturedly at the name and smiled down at his first daughter. She was beautiful.
“She's perfect. You know, I think we should keep this one,” he joked, hugging Kiri gratefully.
Carefully, Kenji held Akiyo to him in a hug; she promptly turned into a fluffy yellow rabbit with barely opened eyes. They both stared at their baby girl.
After a minute, Kiri laughed, “Well, she’ll still have a good life. Heck, cursed lives aren’t so bad.”
Kenji smiled. “I’ve always liked rabbits,” he said cheerfully, petting his daughter gently between the ears.
Suddenly, tears filled Kiri’s eyes. Everything was all so perfect. She had a loving husband, who was at her side and very supportive, a kid who was cute and fluffy, and a whole family who loved her for herself.
“I’m fine,” she reassured a worried Kenji. “I’m fine.”
And for the first time in all her twenty-six years, Kiri knew it was really true. All the pain and sorrow she had suffered was a world away, but without that she wouldn’t have grown to be the person she was now. Everything that had made up her life so far had been bittersweet, and that probably wouldn’t ever change.
And for the first time, she really didn’t care. Pain was just a part of life, as was love, joy, and the everyday aches and pain of being a Sohma. This was her destiny, and she accepted it with open arms.
“Thank you, Akito. I understand now,” she whispered. “I’ll never give up.”
15 Years Later…
It was a beautiful summer afternoon, with flowers blooming everywhere and a gentle breeze blowing down the back of Kiri’s neck. It was a hot day, but she continued to work relentlessly in her garden, refusing to give in to temptation and go inside for a cool glass of lemonade. It had been almost fifteen years since the day Kiri’s little world turned upside down, and she found she had adjusted quite well.
Finally, with a sigh, she finished planting and sat back on her heels. Kiri looked skeptically down at her enormous belly and thought exasperatedly, ‘Damn circle of life!’ She was seven months pregnant and it was driving her crazy. Now none of her pretty frilly dresses would fit anymore. What was she supposed to wear?
“Kiri! Where are you darling?” Kenji called from their back porch.
“In the garden!” she called back. He was at her side in a flash with a small boy clutched frantically onto his pant leg.
“Honey, you know Hatori said you shouldn’t exert yourself. You’re the head of the family, and besides, I really don’t want you getting hurt,” Kenji scolded lightly, grabbing her gently by one arm and helping her pull herself up.
“Kenji, darling, I’ll be fine. Be careful, you’re scaring Takato.” She dismissed his fears quickly. Even as a child, she had hated people mentioning her job as the center of the family. Now that she was about to have a child of her own, people kept binging it up more and more. It was frustrating. She couldn’t understand why they kept reminding her. It wasn’t like she could forget.
“Don’t make me call the doctor,” her loving husband threatened somewhat playfully. “I really am worried about you, though,“ he said seriously.
Kiri sighed and allowed him to lead her into the house. The house they lived in was really huge, with three stories, nine bedrooms and six bathrooms. Basically, it was her dream house. The downside was that it was conveniently located right next to the Main House.
But at least it easily held Kenji and herself, their adopted son Takato, and a random assortment of children who lived with them whenever they needed a place to stay. Most of them were Sohma children who were orphaned or just need a better family to stay with for awhile. Besides, Kenji had grown up as one of eight children so chaos was really just the kind of home environment he was used to. Still, Kiri liked to think their household was a little more organized then Hana and Haru’s had been.
Kiri had quickly grown to love large families as well. She had always felt a little alone in her family of four, especially once Tamaki had graduated high school and left her alone with their parents. A big family fit her surprisingly well.
Kiri went inside the giant house and found herself ushered off to an empty room for some “quiet time”. As soon as she sat down, she began to think about the last half of her life. The past fifteen years had been good and bad, glorious and horrible. Life was a mixed blessing, but she thanked God, and even Akito, for the life she led every day. And no, she never forgot him, yet she hadn’t heard from him since that summer day fifteen years ago.
As a teenager, Kiri had been popular and beautiful, and there had been more than a few guys who had lusted after her. But, in the end it was always the same; none of them could compare with her one perfect man. Through her whole life, Kenji had been there for her; letting her cry when she needed, drying her tears when she didn’t, and always loving her. Kenji had never made her unhappy; well, not like Akito had been, at least.
All her life, Kiri had know she was a little “different” than most kids, but with Kenji she had always felt like a normal girl. They had been in love for so long it was only natural that they ended up together. No one was really all that surprised.
Tamaki, on the other hand, had gone through many men. All through her school years, and early twenties, Tamaki had skipped from man to man, never settling down for more then half a year. Then, she, too, fell in love, which surprised the hell out of pretty much everyone.
After years of running, Tamaki settled down with the reserved and unpredictable Sousuke. When the two of them went to Kyo and Arisa to tell them, Arisa had just looked Tamaki up and down, and then welcomed her wholeheartedly into the family. “Hey, any child of Tohru’s is welcome here any time,” Arisa had said.
Tami and Sousuke had gotten married when he was twenty-two and she was twenty-six. Since then, they had one brilliantly redheaded son, Michito, who was spoiled crazy by doting grandparents.
Uncle Momiji had found some good times too. He had gotten married and lived happily for a few years before he had a heart attack. He died almost instantly, leaving his wife and daughter, Momoka, alone. They had joined the Sohma Main House not long after, and were well taken care of. Kiri had made sure of that, at least for awhile.
Tohru had cried for weeks over the loss of Momiji. He was gone, but like Akito, he was not forgotten. It had taken all of them a long time to accept that. Kiri had found it hard to accept that bad things could happen as well, but whenever grief began to overwhelm her, she and Kenji sat down and talked about all the good things in their lives. She knew her life was good, and she planned to keep it that way. She swore that she would never end up like Akito. Anger would not control her.
Other sad things had happened to the family as well. Momiji’s wife had run away a year after her husband’s death. Momoka, who was five, ended up in Kiri’s house, where she was a beloved daughter.
Hatori had found peace as well, accepting what he was, but never fighting back. He had never married or left the Main House. He remained an obedient servant, even when Kiri tried to force him to go out and live a real life. He said he was happy to stay as the family doctor. She had said she was happy as long as he was, but it hadn’t quite been true. Truthfully, she had wanted desperately for him to fight back.
Haru and Hana had managed to successfully send all of their children out into the world, and all of Kenji’s brothers and sisters were out on their own now. Kenji frequently said in his “elder brother voice” that he was scared for the world now that his siblings were loose in it. And then he would laugh.
The other animals from Yuki’s generation had all had very strange lives. Rin had run off and wasn’t heard from for years, not until her son, who was Kiri’s age, showed up at the Main House one day. It had been a very interesting time in Sohma history. She laughed as she remembered…
~Flashback~
He had barged into one of the official buildings and said loudly, “Hey, I’m Genki. My mom used to live here, and I figured since you were her family, you’re mine too. So, do you have a place I could stay for a while?”
Kiri had started laughing right there. She couldn’t help it.
Genki looked over at her and said, “What, do you work here?” Kiri had laughed again, and the secretary to whom Genki had been talking looked uneasily between the two of them.
“I’ll handle this personally.” Kiri had said to him.
“But, Mrs. Sohma, please, I’ll take care of it. This isn’t your problem. I’ll escort him out,” the secretary said, rising from his desk. Genki stiffened and held up his fists, ready for a fight.
“I said I will take care of it!” Kiri said, standing between the two young men. “I am the head of this family, and this seems like a family matter to me.”
She escorted Genki to her office. He sat down and looked appreciatively around.
“Mom was right. You guys are loaded,” he said. “So, you got a place for me here? I figure it’s my birthright or whatever.”
Kiri smiled her business smile and said politely, “And just how is that? Who is your mother, Mr. Genki Sohma?”
“Rin Sohma. You may have heard of her. Loud, mean, turns into a horse, you know the type. I suppose that’s pretty common here, though.” He stopped to smirk. “So what are you, a snake? I saw the way you handled that secretary.”
“I am not a Zodiac animal.” Kiri said, folding her hands patiently. “I am the Head of the Family, and if you want a place here, you better damn well earn it. The Sohma name is not simply given away. We are a class of the elite, and no one who bullies my secretary gets a penny from me, got it?”
He laughed. “Damn, girl, you’re fun. Too bad you’re married. I saw the ring. Plus, we’re probably, like, cousins or something anyway. So, how can I earn the Sohma name?”
“You get a job, and you work for me, and I’ll let you have a house,” Kiri knew she sounded a little mobster like, but hey, it got the point across. She was a ‘whatever works’ kind of girl.
“It’s a deal,” Genki had said, and all in all it had worked pretty well. It was only after he had moved in that he mentioned his family. He had a two-year-old son and a divorced wife who wanted nothing to do with them. Rin was dead, and Genki’s son, Genji, had inherited his grandmother’s curse. The two of them lived well and visited Kiri and her family quite frequently. Both were welcomed into the family.
~End of Flashback~
Kiri finished reminiscing, and thought instead of everything that lay ahead. She had to put her children through school, for starters. Kiri stood up slowly and began to hobble off to see how the family was doing.
She stopped in the stairwell and looked down at the perfect scene spread out before her. Kenji was serving dinner to the kids, who all sat around the table, entertaining themselves each in their own way. The eldest girl, Sarina, was holding a little brother on each knee and telling them some story which seemed to hold their attention well. Her next eldest was teasing his sister about boys and tickling young Momoka mercilessly. Kenji, bless him, was trying to maintain order, but was obviously outmatched; still, he was laughing.
“Boy, am I lucky to have you all,” Kiri said after observing for a minute, announcing her presence.
There were many cries of “Mommy!” a few “Kiri’s” and then a lot of, “But s/he did this!” and “Make him/her stop!”
Kiri laughed, taking a toddler up in each arm, “Calm down, kids. Daddy’s trying to make you dinner!”
“Thanks, hun,” Kenji said, serving the last plate.
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, jokingly whispering, “Now I remember why I married you.”
They all sat to eat, but not for long. Half way through a hectic dinner, Kiri stood up and said loudly, “Honey, I think it’s time to go to the hospital.”
Everybody leaped into action. Sarina jumped up and ran to the phone to call Hatori, the other kids burst into excited chatter, and Kenji rushed to help her out to the car and drove her to Hatori‘s hospital.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kiri was given a small, rather loud, cleaned up bundle of baby and told by Hatori that she held a “rather healthy bundle of joy.”
Kenji was in shock. They had all been thinking that the baby wouldn’t be here for another month or two. Kiri sighed; life was always full of surprises. The kids had been left with Tohru and Yuki, who loved every second they could get with their grandchildren. Now it was just them.
“I’ll go get you the birth certificate for you two to fill out,” Hatori said mildly. “You can have a moment alone.” He left them then, closing the door meekly behind him.
Kiri looked at the pink, squirming, baby in her arms. She hadn’t quite come up with a name yet.
“Well, it’s a girl,“ she said to Kenji. “Give me a moment to think of a name.”
“I concede the honor of naming our first born to you,” Kenji said. “After all, you did just go through a little bit of work.”
He smiled down at her. She smiled back up at him. They both knew it hadn’t been too easy.
After a moment’s thought, Kiri said decisively, “Her name shall be Akiyo. May she live a long, trouble-free life.”
Kenji laughed good-naturedly at the name and smiled down at his first daughter. She was beautiful.
“She's perfect. You know, I think we should keep this one,” he joked, hugging Kiri gratefully.
Carefully, Kenji held Akiyo to him in a hug; she promptly turned into a fluffy yellow rabbit with barely opened eyes. They both stared at their baby girl.
After a minute, Kiri laughed, “Well, she’ll still have a good life. Heck, cursed lives aren’t so bad.”
Kenji smiled. “I’ve always liked rabbits,” he said cheerfully, petting his daughter gently between the ears.
Suddenly, tears filled Kiri’s eyes. Everything was all so perfect. She had a loving husband, who was at her side and very supportive, a kid who was cute and fluffy, and a whole family who loved her for herself.
“I’m fine,” she reassured a worried Kenji. “I’m fine.”
And for the first time in all her twenty-six years, Kiri knew it was really true. All the pain and sorrow she had suffered was a world away, but without that she wouldn’t have grown to be the person she was now. Everything that had made up her life so far had been bittersweet, and that probably wouldn’t ever change.
And for the first time, she really didn’t care. Pain was just a part of life, as was love, joy, and the everyday aches and pain of being a Sohma. This was her destiny, and she accepted it with open arms.
“Thank you, Akito. I understand now,” she whispered. “I’ll never give up.”