Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Where Your Shadow Falls- Part 1: Darkness, My Old Friend ❯ Long Live the Car Crash Hearts ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Long Live the Car Crash Hearts

 

 

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“Let's pretend I'm everything you want me to be

Complicated breathing

You never had the guts just to throw me away

Life moves slow

When everything's a worse version of what you need"

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-Lullaby By: Armor For Sleep

 

“What the fucking hell do you mean?!” Rin shouted.

“Your curse has been broken, Rin. The horse's spirit no longer resides within you. You're free.”

But if I'm not the horse…who am I? Rin thought, staring down at her hands, her eyes wide in shock. I've always had a place here. It was torture…it was hell…but I belonged. No house was a home; where Akito was…was where home was…but now I'm not so sure. Life is so simple when everything is decided for you. But when you're in control of your life so suddenly…how do you find your way?

“G-G-Gure-nii…” she spluttered, staring up at him with frightened eyes, “…help me….”

“Shigure? What are you doing in here?” Hatori's smooth voice accompanied the squeak of the opening door. “Isuzu…what's…?” Hatori looked over at the dog standing in the shadows, eyes wide. “You didn't.”

“I have no clue what you're talking about,” Shigure said innocently. Hatori marched up to Shigure and took him by the collar of his yukata.

“You've ruined everything, you stupid dog! She wasn't supposed to know. Akito ordered her to be put on medication to suppress the realization! She wasn't supposed to know!” Rin stared on with uncomprehending eyes. She didn't register…just observed.

“Well you should have told me that before you confided in me,” Shigure said.

“You were the one who promised not to tell anyone! Least of all her!” This was the closest she had ever seen Hatori to shouting. He shook Shigure by the collar. “And who do you think will get blamed for this? Me! You always get away with everything because you're one of Akito's favorites!”

“Oh, you know that's not true, Hatori,” Shigure said, eerily calm, “Akito hates me.”

“You're a liar, Shigure. You've always been. But you've never been a backstabber,” Hatori accused.

“Before today, it was never your back that was turned towards the knife,” Shigure whispered.

“You son of a bitch!” Hatori shouted, throwing Shigure to the ground and turning to face Rin. She could feel the look still frozen on her face. “Come with me, Isuzu, there's something we have to do.” He took her wrist and pulled her out of the still opened door.

“Tori-nii…” she started.

“Don't speak. I have to get you out of here before Akito finds out you know,” he said, his eyes scanning the hallway.

“Know what?” Rin asked.

“That you're not one of us anymore.”

...not one of us anymore…

“But why…?”

“Don't you realize?” Hatori said, looking over his shoulder to meet her gaze, “even if Akito hates you and you hate him, you were part of the zodiac. That was the thing he clung to the most. Now that the threads have started to unravel, he didn't—he won't want to let you go.”

“But Tori-nii, I still don't get it,” she said, and cried out as they sped around a corner, her shoulder slamming into the wall. He pulled her into a dark room, shutting the door behind them. She could hear his hand fumbling around above them, and suddenly, a naked light bulb flickered on, temporarily blinding her. Hatori's eyes glowed.

“Akito will kill you before he even thinks about letting you go.” Hatori turned around, looking through the contents of the shelves. It looked like they were in some sort of medical storage closet. “He knew this would happen. He had a feeling. That's why, when you came yesterday, he made sure you wouldn't leave before the curse lifted. That's why he hurt you so badly. And now that there's nothing left tying you to this family, I urge you to get away.”

Get away…did that mean…?
“But if I'm no longer the horse…who am I? Where will I go? I—I don't think I can go out there and face the world like this, Tori-nii. I've been like that so long that I don't know what it feels like to just walk down the street, meet someone in the eye, and think: You're just like me. I don't know how not to be a freak. I don't think I can live like that. Besides…”

Besides…I don't think I can live without Haru.

“Isuzu, you'll have to. If Akito catches you, either he'll end up killing you or you'll be forced to stay by his side for the rest of your days. Just like Kureno.”

“Kureno?” She asked, puzzled. His eyes reflected the light bulb swinging eerily in the cramped space.

“Surely you didn't think you were the first.” Kureno was also…? How could this be happening? “I told you things are starting to fall apart.”

“I won't go,” Rin said firmly, and Hatori looked up at her.

“What?”

“I won't leave. I won't leave him—” Rin pressed a hand over her mouth. I won't leave Haru behind.

“You must, Isuzu. I won't let you be hurt.”

“I can't,” she insisted. His face became an emotionless mask.

“Then I'll have to make you,” his cool voice became the edge of a razor blade. It dawned on her.

“Please,” she whispered, “please, Tori-nii, no.”

“None of the rest of us has the chance to get away. You do, and yet you won't take it. I can't allow that.”

“Tori-nii…”

“You said you couldn't live without the curse…not knowing how to be normal. But I bet you wouldn't have that much trouble being normal if you didn't remember being cursed.” His face was still an expressionless mask. He stepped forward.

“Please…no, please! Tori-nii!”
“It'll all be over in a minute or to. You won't feel a thing. Or if you do, you won't remember it.” She could see a hint of Akito shining through his eyes. The cunning, powerful dragon taking him over. She could also see the fear in her face; reflected in his eyes.

“Please, Tori-nii. NO!”

 

But I never got a chance to tell you I still love you…

HARU!!

* * *

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“I'm gonna make it bend and break

Say your prayers but let the good times role

In case God doesn't show (let the good times role…)

I want these words to make things right

But it's the wrongs that make the words come to life

Who does he think he is?

If that's the worst you got, then put your fingers back to the keys"

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-Thnks Fr th Mmrs By: Fall Out Boy

 

Haru ran. Ignoring the protests of he parents, he grabbed his coat from the hook by the front door and sprinted down the street.

Faster, faster…something's happened to Rin!

He arrived at the main gates and pushed through them.

“Hatsuharu?” One of the maids asked. He shoved past her; not even registering there was someone there. “How rude!” She exclaimed. Haru didn't hear. He ran inside to the rooms where they had kept Yuki and Kureno when they had been small children, and found Shigure sitting, sprawled out in the hallway, smoking a cigarette. It didn't help that Haru was out of breath. He coughed, pulling the collar of his shirt up over his mouth.

“Oh, sorry, Haru-kun,” Shigure said, snuffing out the cigarette on the wooden floor, leaving a burn mark.

“Have—” Haru coughed, “Have you seen Rin?”

“Did you feel it?” Was Shigure's response. Haru only nodded. Shigure just jerked his head left down the hallway. “I'm pretty sure Hatori took her to the medicine closet down the hall.”

“Thanks a bunch, Shigure,” Haru said, starting to take off again, but halting in his tracks when Shigure uttered his next words in a whisper.

“Maybe if you hurry, you'll get to say goodbye…” Haru looked back, staring wide-eyed at the dog, but he didn't stick around to respond. He took off down the hallway, and wheeled around the corner, almost slamming into the wall. He saw the medicine room, and heard voices inside.

“Please, Tori-nii! NO!”

That was her!

“RIN!” Haru shouted, taking the doorknob in both hands and pulling so hard he wrenched the door of its hinges. The white light emanated from the place where Hatori's palm was sealed over Rin's eyes. Hatori, startled by Haru's appearance, yanked his hand back before the light faded all the way. Instead, it winked out like a snuffed out candle.

“Ha—Hatsuharu…” Hatori stuttered.

“What,” Haru panted, “What the hell were you doing to her?”

“I—you—you don't understand. Akito—”

“Fuck Akito,” Haru interrupted, kneeling down beside where Rin had collapsed. Her eyes were shut, but he placed her head in his lap. “Rin…Rin…say something, Rin…please. Please wake up. Rin, Rin!”
“It takes a while to wake up after memory suppression.”

...after memory suppression… Haru started up at Hatori, his eyes as big as saucers before they narrowed into slits of rage.

“You didn't…”

“Hatsuharu, I—”

“Get the hell out of here,” Haru growled, “or I fucking swear I will KILL YOU!” Hatori rushed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving Haru and Rin alone in the closet. “Rin…Rin…please, no, please…Rin, honey, wake up. It's me, Haru. Can you hear me? Please wake up.” Haru stroked her pale cheek, brushing the stray strands of liquid black hair out of her eyes.

“It's because I'm bad! It's my fault!”

“H—Haru…Haru…thank you…”

“I'll try some…Is it hot?”

“You have an interesting logic, Haru…”

“Rin, honey, please wake up,” Haru pleaded, continuing to stroke her face. “Please wake up…”

And please remember me…

“Wh—what…?” A frail voice croaked. Haru looked down. Rin's eyes were open a fraction of an inch; staring up at him.

“Oh, Rin, you're alive!” Haru said, his thumb rubbing across her face. “You're alive!” Relief washed over him. But then something seemed horribly wrong. Haru looked down at Rin…into her eyes.

The truth that you can never be
The one person that won't ever forget me

 

“Who—” Rin whispered. “Who are you?”

 

End of Chapter 5:

Long Live the Car Crash Hearts

 

A/n: OMG! YAAAAY! ^_^ (that's all I have to say for this chapter except:) Thank you Fall Out Boy for writing the awesome song Thriller from which I sorta stole the title for this chapter ^_^

Me: I LUV U GUYS!!

Rin: Why did you have to make me forget Haru!? T_T

Me: Because it's part of the plot line! Deal with it.

Haru: You're evil, you know that?

Me: It makes life more fun! ^_^

( See ya next chapter! ^_^)

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Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!

 

 

End of Part 1:

Darkness, My Old Friend

 

PART TWO WILL BE UP SHORTLY, SO PLEASE COME BACK FOR THAT! ^_^