Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ The Other Side of Fruits Basket ❯ Lost and Found Love ( Chapter 4 )

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I couldn’t believe my ears. Hearing the story being told, I couldn’t believe that my world was so close to the Sohma’s. It made me wonder now.

Was it really just pure coincidence that I ran into Shigure-san’s house and was able to reside in the Sohma household?
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Michiru set down her cup of tea, finally able to remember her high school life. She had a sullen look on her face and she was afraid to look up and look at Shigure’s face. She didn’t want to see his expression, even though they were adults now it still hurt. Chiharu shifted her position and looked all over the table. She took a sip of tea and continued on with the story. “Hmmm… now I remember, it was on the third week before the seniors graduated from Kaibara High and the rumors of Shigure and Michiru already died down. I remember at lunch Hatori wanted to know where Michiru was…”

Third week before graduating day…

“Chiharu!” cried out Hatori as he ran to the older sister. She was preparing the clothing for the graduating seniors as the Fashion Club president.

Chiharu turned her head. Her nose and eyebrows wrinkled as if someone disturbed her from a peaceful nap. “What is it?” she asked, obviously stressed from the seniors sudden requests.

Hatori apologized for disturbing the blonde girl. He asked where Michiru was. Chiharu raised her brow as if asking him if he was busy with other important things. Hatori seemed to have caught Chiharu’s look and shook his head. “No. I finished the work that needed to be done today,” he said. He seemed pretty urgent in Chiharu’s eyes. The blonde girl shook her head and told Hatori that Michiru was at the school’s garden. She also pointed out that Michiru was meeting someone. Hatori nodded, keeping what Chiharu said in mind.

He hurriedly ran towards the school’s garden, afraid of missing Michiru. He heard from Shigure that Michiru denied him and said that she liked someone else that she couldn’t say. That gave him a spark of hope and confidence. He knew he waited to long for her, but now he won’t let anything stop him. It was all thanks to Ayame that he was able to get away from all of his work. “Go talk to your woman, Hatori!” was what Ayame said to him before he got shooed away. “You must go and tell her! For the sake of MAN’S ROMANCE!” Hatori couldn’t help but smile to himself.

There, he needed one more corner left and he would be at the school’s garden. “I like you very much!” Hatori halted to a stop and pressed his back against the corner wall. That was Michiru’s voice. He peeked a bit and saw a shy, sheepish looking Michiru standing in front of an average boy. His hair was black and it was combed neatly. His dark-rimmed glasses covered his hazel eyes. Was this the boy Michiru liked? Hatori could hear his temples beating. He himself was afraid that the two in the garden would be able to hear.

“I…I like you very much, Akira-senpai!” Michiru exclaimed.

Hatori’s heart stopped. He knew Akira. He was a second year and was a pretty smart guy. After every exam, he would be at least in the top five. But, Hatori couldn’t believe it. Why Akira? He didn’t want to seem selfish, but he just couldn’t help it. He had loved Michiru ever since he saw her play her violin, but her eyes only saw Akira.
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“Graduation day was so much fun. The orchestra played for the graduating seniors and I was given props for my graduation outfits,” Chiharu sighed as she finished the story. The kids stared in awe as they couldn’t believe how close their worlds were to the Sohmas, or to the Hondas. Michiru felt a sudden rise of guilt in her body. She didn’t want to be with Ayame and Shigure at the time being. She stood up from her seat and asked if anyone would like seconds. Thankfully, Haru and Momiji gladly wanted seconds.
Shigure’s eyes didn’t leave Michiru’s. He remembered now. He was glad he remembered. Shigure propped his elbow up and sighed to himself. He wondered if Hatori also remembered. Boy, have I got great news for you, Hatori, Shigure thought.

Moving the topic along. Momiji wanted to know more about Tohru’s cousins. He popped in a block of potato and after swallowing it properly, he looked over towards Ryoko. “Ryoko-chan?” he asked.

Ryoko turned her head to the small, blonde boy. “What is it?” she asked.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you living with your parents?” he asked, afraid that he even asked that question.

Ryoko gave a sad smile. Tohru felt pained. She didn’t really know much about her cousins, except that they’ve played with her during kindergarten while her father was still alive. “Um, if you don’t want to say, Ryoko-san… it’s okay….” Tohru butted in. She knew how painful it was to talk about your parents, even about the ones who no longer took place in the world.

Ryoko shook her head. She said it’s okay and Momiji had to ask her if it was really alright. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you…” she said. She looked beyond the clouds and into the vast blue sky above them. She twirled her chopstick between her fingers, as if trying to figure out where to start. “My parents abandoned me,” she blurted with no real emotion. “My mother and father were already arguing by the time I was born. They didn’t want to get a divorce because they didn’t want to look bad in front of the neighbors or their business partners. My mother and father finally blew up when they saw me playing with Falcon, and Falcon didn’t really have a very good reputation with the Honda adults…”

“I still don’t,” Falcon butted in, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yeah… my parents couldn’t stand me. After the second grade, they stopped looking at me. And when I was eight, they left me here while they went to America. Michiru and Haruka were the ones who took me in and I found out by Chiharu where my parents lived. My last year of junior high, I went to America with Falcon to visit my parents. I said hi to them, but they didn’t remember me. I think they didn’t want to remember me. They just asked, “Do I know you?” and a kid was right there beside them, as if they started a new family… without me. Of course, they had different spouses,” Ryoko said, “That’s my story.”

Momiji looked like he was about to cry. “I’m so sorry for asking you, Ryoko-san!”

Haruka rolled her eyes as she picked up the empty plates. The older adults already went inside the house to talk about adult stuff. “Momiji, this is Ryoko. She’s over it already. Besides, she did say it was okay.” Ryoko nodded her head in agreement.
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I hate sharing my past and hearing Ryoko share her past just made me want to gag. My past has nothing to do with other people and yet they find some way to see it. That’s why I hate sharing my past. Yuki, Kyo, Haru and the little kids looked at me as if asking me the same question they asked Ryoko. I rolled my eyes and smirked proudly to myself. “Sorry, but you’re not getting a story out of me,” I simply said.

“Aww, but it would have been so much more interesting if we got to learn more about Falcon-nii,” Kisa complained.

I took a hold of her chin. “Don’t worry. All you need to know Kisa is that I’m a very flirtatious boy.”

“Get your hands off her!” I heard Hiro yell. I quickly did what I was told. I didn’t want the tiny piranha to bite me.

“Falcon’s just sensitive and shy about his past,” I heard Ryoko whisper. I quickly kicked her chair. “Who’s sensitive about what now?” I asked, a bit angry.

Ryoko quickly stood up and grabbed me by my shirt collar. “You wanna rumble, man hoar?!” she yelled.

I shrugged my shoulders and gave my cousin a smirk. “If you can hit me.”
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Michiru smiled slightly to herself as her two twins warned her that Ryoko and Falcon were brawling in the back yard. She set the dirty dishes in the sink and let the water run. Her hands were now covered in soapy suds. Her mind was now back to the time ten years ago when she first met the Sohma cousins. She didn’t want to lie to herself and say that she had never met her but her last days with the Sohmas was the day she locked them up. She locked the Sohmas away in a little orchard.

Her one question was. Why?
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Images of his high school life flashed before his eyes as he walked out of Akito’s room. Images of a long, lost love left a heart aching impression on him. Hatori didn’t know why he suddenly began to remember. He walked towards his office, which was just a few yards away from the main house. He needed some time to think for himself and with Akito snoozing off into dreamland, he was glad he was given the time. Hatori opened the door to his bare office. All was in it were the cabinets that stored all the needed supplies, the gray desk and the small bunker to let the patients lie down on. Taking a seat on his chair, Hatori looked at the picture of Kana. No, that wasn’t the girl he yearned for. He really did love Kana, but it was because of a love earlier than her that made his heart froze up. That made him want to erase painful memories.

Kana melted him, but she didn’t quite restore him. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t love her, but yet he’d be lying if he said that he did love her. Kana was his everything, but only for a short moment. Even though he felt regret and guilt for making her ill, he didn’t really feel like chasing her.

Michiru. He remembered her name. He wondered if Shigure and Ayame, too, remembered. Hatori propped his elbow up and leant his cheek against his hand. “Why did you suddenly pop into my mind?” he asked himself. He really wanted to see her. He wanted to see if she remembered him. Probably not. Then THAT time popped into his mind. Hatori didn’t want to start thinking if they had kids together or something.

Suddenly, he wasn’t in such a good mood. Hatori frowned. “Good job, Hatori,” he growled to himself.
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Hikari and Mitsuki waved happily good-bye to her cousin and to the people they just met. The twins loved them very much and hoped to play with them again some day. Michiru leaned against the doorway, smiling happily to herself. Thanks to Usagi, Michiru lost the awkward feeling she felt when she were close to Shigure. They began talking to each other as if nothing never happened.

Michiru felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw the comforting gaze of her older sister. “Chiharu… did you tell that story on purpose?” she asked.

Chiharu gave a slight, playful smirk. She shrugged her shoulders, letting her blonde hair bounce. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
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Shigure told to Tohru before he left with Haru and Momiji that he would go and visit Hatori. Tohru gave a nod and after that Shigure turned his back towards the three kids. He wanted to see Hatori and tell him about his day. Shigure chuckled softly to himself. I fell in love with Michiru the first time and now I made the same mistake this time, he thought to himself.

Momiji noticed Shigure’s facial expression and decided to ask his question. “Shii-chan, do you like Michiru-san?”

Shigure made a face that looked like he had spitted something out. “Of course not!” he chuckled nervously to himself, averting his gaze away from Momiji, “Whatever gave you the slightest clue.”

Haru and Momiji exchanged glances with one another. After a few seconds they disregarded the fact and quickly apologized to their older cousin, and gave an excuse like they were curious. Shigure watched as the two boys dismissed themselves. The dog walked himself to Hatori’s office, he didn’t feel like seeing Akito and he sure didn’t want to get contaminated by her germs. Shigure made himself at home as he sat down on Hatori’s chair. He noticed the picture of Kana on his desk and Shigure shook his head. Seeing a small book, Shigure wondered why there was a book there. Hatori would be so busy that he didn’t really have time to read a book.

Picking the book up, Shigure began flipping through all the pages. It seemed like a really boring book. Like those classics with the old English that just make you feel like a zombie. A small picture caught his eye, however. Before Shigure was able to look at the picture, he could hear the door knob turn. Without hesitating, Shigure grabbed the small picture and stuffed it into his pocket. He quickly closed the book and stood up from his seat. There standing in the door way was Hatori and he had a very disgusted look on his face.

“Burn my seat,” was what he said and closed the door behind him.

Shigure ran after him like a puppy who just made his owner mad. “Hatori! Wait up!” he pleaded. Finally Shigure grabbed onto Hatori’s arm. “Don’t you want to know how my day turned out and who Tohru’s aunts are?” he asked. Hatori, being a very curious person, gave up and nodded his head..
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I couldn’t believe it. Tohru’s aunt is Michiru Johnson. I also found out that she married Akira and they had four children. That gave me shivers. That was the last thing I wanted to know. Shigure began describing her to me in a very vivid way I was able to almost picture her. I felt regret for not going with them.

“Well, Chiharu did say that all six of us should meet up and catch up on old times, while she’s still in Japan,” he said.

I nodded my head and leaned back against my chair. “So, Chiharu became a fashion designer, huh? I kinda knew that. How bout Haruka and Michiru?”

“Haruka owns a motorcycle repair shop and Michiru didn’t say what her occupation is. She’s probably just a stay-at-home mom,” Shigure replied. He then wrinkled his eyebrow. “You know what’s funny? I never once saw Akira.”

I grew excited. Maybe they got divorced? Was what I thought. A faint light of hope came into me. It was like I was given a second chance. However, my thoughts flew back to my condition. What if she saw me as my zodiac animal. I didn’t want Michiru to go through the same thing Kana had to go through. And then it struck me. Zodiacs would never get their second chances.
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The crisp, spring morning lighten up Hatori’s mood. He just finished giving Akito’s medicine and because of her, he got into a really grumpy mood. He decided to take a walk and found himself in the grocery area of town. Many people were bustling about and the happy-go-lucky atmosphere changed Hatori’s mood from bad to good. He smile happily to himself. Something he hadn’t done in a long time.

Suddenly, he felt his heart thumping. He knew he was seeing things. There he saw Michiru walking out the grocery in front of him. She was carrying two paper bags and she was alone. He didn’t know what he was doing. Quickly, he walked up to her in long strides. “Let me help you with that,” he said. He felt his heart flip as he saw Michiru’s soft, blue eyes. Then, all of a sudden. A light flashed in front of his eyes. It was like a miracle took place. Michiru smiled softly at him with her kind eyes gleaming with delight.

“Hello, Hatori”