Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ All I Ever Needed ❯ Secrets and Lies ( Chapter 1 )

CHAPTER 1: Secrets and Lies

 

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That's the problem with secrets.

Like misery, they love company.

They pile up and up, until they take over everything.

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-Grey's Anatomy

 

Where am I? What's going on? Tohru? Where are you? Why is everything so dark? Help me…I feel faint. I feel myself slipping…slipping away from you. Tohru… But there are so many things I haven't told you. If I had the strength to, I would tell you all about Kunimitsu, and the little orange haired boy. I would tell you about everything…but…I'm slipping too fast…someday you'll know, but…I'm slipping away from you…

Oh, Tohru…I see Katsuya. He smiling at me…he wants me to come with him. He says he loves you, Tohru… he says he's sorry you never really got to meet him. If only you could hear him…if only you could hear me. But Tohru…I have to do this, Tohru…I have to go. I have to go join your father now…Tohru….

* * *

Tohru jerked her head up from her desk. An empty classroom corners shadowed with darkness stared back at her. She laid her head back down on the desk and buried her face in her arm once again.

Oh, Mom… Tohru thought. Another tear rolled down her almost dried face.

May. The cherry trees outside were in full bloom and their petals were dancing in the afternoon wind. Through the window, a lone cherry petal floated in, and landed in front of Tohru on her desk.

This petal is just like me, she thought as she glanced out the window at the trees, it has been carried on the winds of fate…being thrown in many directions, torn away from its family, and other petals. Just like me… Tohru sighed, and just like me, it ended up in the empty classroom…all alone. She laid her head back down in her arms and gradually fell asleep again, dreaming of the petals of cherries, and red butterfly wings …

* * *

“Tohru…” A voice wavered at the edge of her consciousness. “Tohru, wake up,” Tohru opened her eyes a bit to see Kyo standing over her. As her saw her open her eyes, the concern in his face faded.

“Tohru, you alright?” He asked.

“Hmm? Kyo-kun? What…why?” She asked, still a bit dazed from just being woken up.

“I was going downstairs, and I heard you crying.” He explained, the concerned look began to return.

“Wha-I…oh, I…had a dream… a flashback…about…” she bit her lip, “…my mother.” She looked down, suddenly aware of her wet face.

“Oh,” Kyo said softly, sitting down on the edge of her bed. “I…I'm sorry.” Tohru had no idea how much more it meant to Kyo. Tohru looked out the window. Cherry trees; fully blossomed.

“Hmm,” She said almost to herself, “Maybe it's the petals that remind me.”

“What?” Kyo asked, glancing at her from the end of the bed.

“Oh, nothing…it's just… the petals remind me of me. After mom died, I was sitting alone in the classroom, and a cherry petal flew in. And I thought to myself: `This petal is just like me. It's all alone in this room with no one by its side, like me.' That's what I dreamt about…and…and about when Mom died right there in the hospital. I was there…kneeling next to her bed, wishing with all my heart that she would pull through…and…” Tohru drew in a sharp, shuddering breath, trying not to cry, “the monitors went flat, and she was gone…and I…” Tohru choked down a sob, “And I didn't even get to say goodbye…”

Tohru's head fell into her hands as her shoulders shook and tears streamed down her face.

“Oh, Tohru…” Kyo said; the pain in his face clear for once. He scooted over to sit next to her and took her hand in his, and careful not to embrace her, wrapped the other arm around her shoulder.

They sat like that for a long time, no words exchanged, none needed. And after Tohru had cried all her tears, Kyo spoke:

“Tohru…there's something I think you should know.” She gave him a questioning glance. “I…The thing is -

“My, my, what do we have here?” Shigure blurted as he peeked into the room. Then he noticed Tohru's tear-stained face, and the serious look on Kyo's. “Oh…I'm sorry, Tohru-kun, I didn't realize something was wrong.” A little smile spread across his face, “but… if you need a hug to cheer you up, I don't mind transforming,”

“GET OUT, YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN!!” Kyo shouted as he chased Shigure down the hallway.

Shigure-san, Tohru thought, beginning to smile a bit, he always knows how to cheer me up. Kyo walked back into the room.

“Are you all right now?” He asked.

“I'm sure,” she smiled up at him. He turned to leave. “Wait!” she caught his arm.

“What is it?” the shadow of a smile played on his lips.

“I-I…I…Well…” She suddenly jumped to him, flung her arms around him and held him tight, her face pressed against his chest for the millisecond before he transformed into a cat. Oh, it was worth it to feel her arms tightly around his sturdy form, even for a second before his weight disappeared under her in a cloud of smoke. It was well worth it.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?” Kyo roared as a flaming orange cat now, stranding stiffly on the floorboards of her room, his back arched with surprise.

“I-I'm sorry” Tohru hung her head. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Why did she do that? What impulse had made her jump to him like that?

She heard the orange cat sigh and his fur smooth down. He laid a paw on her knee.

“Tohru…it's all right. You've been having a hard time recently. It's all right. I promise.” Kyo reassured. Not thinking he continued: “Besides it-” he quickly clapped a paw to his mouth. Tohru eyed him with a questioning look. He looked away, thankful for the thick orange fur that covered his burning cheeks. “Nothing…never mind. Forget it.”

With that, he scampered out of the room into the hallway, where he tensely made his way to his room. Was he really about to say that? How he really felt? How could he be that much of an idiot?

POOF!

“Crap…” Kyo made his way to his dresser through the evaporating cloud of orange smoke, and pulled on a pair of beige cargo pants and a plain black t-shirt. His favorite. After all, he'd been wearing this outfit the day he'd met Tohru. And the day she'd accepted his true form. The clothes weren't just another pair of everyday clothes. These clothes reminded him of Tohru.

God, why couldn't he stop thinking about her! He grabbed his head as if it was aching, when actually it was his heart. And she'd hugged him today too! Did that mean anything? Or was she just distraught about her mother, and needed some human contact? But whatever it was…and he'd almost said this too, he didn't really mind all that much. Besides…it had felt wonderful.

Her arms tightly around him. Her cheek pressed against his chest…God; I have got to stop thinking about her! He climbed out his window and up the ladder to the roof, the best place in the world to sit and think alone. But this special place was all the more special when he got to sit and think alone… with Tohru.

Tohru…

“Tohru?” There she was. Sitting on the roof, the sunlight hitting her head and making her hair glow a halo on the crown of her head.

“Kyo-kun…? We just seem to keep bumping into each other today, don't we?” She smiled. A warm sensation flowed through his extremities all the way to his fingertips.

“We live in the same house, you dope. Of course we'd run into each other.” He bopped her lightly on the head.

“I guess so,” she smiled again. Kyo leaned back onto the shingles, and laid his hands beneath his head. Tohru too lay back on the shingles but folded her hands over her stomach. They lay in companionable silence for some time, until Tohru said out of the blue:

“The sky is so bright and blue today…” Kyo turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze. He gave one of his `well you sure are random' looks. But it was kind. She smiled back at him. Kyo felt his finger tips tingle. He pulled his hands out from beneath his head. It wasn't that they were falling asleep. No…it was something else. He clasped his hands together tightly.

“Are you all right, Kyo-kun? You knuckles are all white?” She reached over and lightly touched his hand, then pulled her hand back.

“Your hands aren't cold…” She reached over and touched his hand again, as if making sure. But this time, as she pulled her hand back, he, without thinking, caught it in his own, and held it. She did not yank it back immediately; only a deep pink seemed to brush her cheeks.

A deep shiver ran through Tohru's body. Kyo felt it through her hand.

“You all right?” Kyo asked, worriedly pulling his hand back. His expression read: Did I do something wrong?

“No-!” Tohru snatched back his hand quickly. Then, realizing what she'd done, hung her head, and her cheeks burned red. The corner of Kyo's mouth tugged up into one of those amused smile he reserved for Tohru.

“Let's stay up here for a little while longer, and then I'll help you make dinner. Just to make sure you don't burn the kitchen down or anything, alright?” He bopped her on the head with his free hand. Tohru just smiled at him.

“All right.” So they lay on the roof for a while, basking in the sun and each other's company, holding hands in companionable silence. All the while, Kyo's mind whirled in turmoil.

I shouldn't tell her…

Yes you should….

I can't tell her…not yet

She deserves to know!

I KNOW! ...I know…

You can't keep it from her forever…

I'll tell her when we're both ready. Some secrets need to stay hidden for a while.

Some lies don't need to be told to people who always do tell the truth.

Yah, yah, yah…some secrets…some lies.

 

End of Chapter 1

“Secrets and Lies”

 

Author's Note: okay…chapter one…have I captured your interest? I hope so. This is my…fifth fan-fic? …so hope it's not completely horrible. I started writing this and then quit it for about three months, then picked it up again earlier this week and finished the chapter. Oh, and this story is going to be mainly drama and romance (my favorites!). So I hope you enjoyed! Review please, and I really hope you come back to read the next chapter!

 

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

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