Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Ebony and Ivory ❯ Taking a Risk ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Natsuki Takaya owns Fruits Basket, not me. If I owned Fruits Basket, it would get translated into English a lot more quickly.

 

AN: I know you are probably waiting very impatiently for me to bring Kyo into the story, but you will just have to wait a little longer. I promise I'll post the next chapter very soon, and that that one will at least have a lot of stuff about Kyo.

 

AN 2: I'm not exactly sure how the New Years dance works at the Juunishi banquet, but I think it's how I describe it, judging from the fact that a manga picture shows Hatori and Momiji dancing together in the New Years costumes (Dragon follows Rabbit), and another one has Rin and Hiro (Ram follows Horse).

 

AN 3: You might be wondering why Saito-san knows about the Sohma Main House. I just figure a place that big would be pretty conspicuous to the rest of the world, and that a lot of people probably know about it. Kind of like those really huge old mansions that people hear about but never visit.

 

 

CHAPTER 7: Taking a Risk

 

It had been a month and a half since Saito had last seen Yuki. A long month and a half of worrying what had happened to him and wondering whether he would ever come back. A month and a half of hating whoever this Akito was, and wishing he could report the family to… someone. But the curse would be a problem. Yuki certainly couldn't go into foster care if he turned into a rat whenever he was hugged by a girl.

 

Now it was Sunday again. The seventh Sunday since Kureno had caught Yuki. That had been in the middle of November, and now New Years had come and gone with no sign of him. Saito sighed, and walked over to his wife's piano. He had had it tuned, just in case. It had badly needed it. He was about to sit down and play when the doorbell rang.

 

Hoping against hope, Saito quickly went to the door and slid it open. His heart leapt. “Yuki!”

 

Yuki smiled shyly. “Hi. It's been a long time. Sorry for coming without calling first.”

 

“No, that's not a problem. It has been a long time. Come in, come in.” He ushered Yuki inside, and then took him by the shoulders. He looked like he was all right. “I was worried about you.”

 

Yuki laughed. “I'm sorry. You don't need to worry about me. Kureno-san never told Akito apparently, so I'm safe, for now at least. And no one else knows.”

 

Saito sighed a little, relieved. “Well, have you figured out what you want to do? Here, come in, we can talk about it over tea. Unless you'd like to play the piano first?”

 

Yuki smiled. “Tea sounds good. I'm out of practice, so…” He shrugged. They went into the kitchen, and Yuki sat at the table while Saito made tea.

 

“So how have you been?” Saito asked after a moment. “How is your family?”

 

“Same as usual, I suppose. I wanted everything with New Years to be over with before I came back. That gave Akito a chance to look me over and make sure I wasn't doing anything crazy.” Yuki shrugged. “I don't like New Years. I had to go back to the Main House, and dance again, this time with Haru, and of course he acted all weird.”

 

“Dance?” asked Saito, totally confused.

 

“Oh…” Yuki blushed. “It's just… this dumb family tradition. Whosever year it is has to do this dance…”

 

“But this is the year of the Ox.”

 

“Right. The old year begins the dance, and is joined by the new year, and then the new year takes over.” Yuki smiled a little. “But it was better than last time. Last time I had to dance with Kagura.” He made a face. “Both of them are so weird. But I more pity Hatori, because he has to dance with nii-san.”

 

Saito smiled a little. “So what happens exactly, for New Years? Nothing bad, I hope?”

 

“Not really. Besides being at the Main House and walking on eggshells for a few hours because of Akito, it isn't all that bad. I don't like parties generally, but I know some of them enjoy it. And I got to talk with Haru. I said hello to Kyo, but he just yelled at me.” Yuki shrugged. “I guess he probably doesn't like New Years very much. He's excluded from the Juunishi banquet, and that puts him in a bad mood. If he'd just listen, I could tell him he's not missing anything good.” He took a sip of his tea.

 

“Anyway, I talked with Shigure about getting a job. He said I had to ask Akito, and that was the main reason I had to wait until New Years. Anyway, Akito said he thinks I'm too young, and said that if there's anything I need, he would be happy to give it to me… and on and on in his way.” Yuki sighed. “But Shigure talked with him about it, saying he thought it would be a good opportunity for me, and Akito finally agreed. He had me give all the details, so now he knows your name… I hope that's okay.”

 

“I don't have a problem with it.”

 

“Okay. Well, he seemed like it wasn't a problem, since you're just one man. And I think I managed to act convincingly like I didn't know you from before. So… everything should be fine. I just hope he doesn't decide to visit me at work.” He sighed a little. “So essentially I'm defying him right under his nose.” He shivered, but then straightened himself a little. “I'm worried about you, though. If he finds out you knew, and nobody said anything… I don't think he'd hurt you exactly, but… he'd definitely have your memories erased.”

 

“I understand,” Saito replied. “I would say the much greater risk is on your side.”

 

“Yes, but this is something I want to do. I mean, you're not getting anything out of this, so…”

 

“What do you mean?” Saito asked. “Yuki-kun, I like being with you. You're the first friend I've had in years.”

 

Yuki looked surprised. Had he really thought all this time that he was a charity case? “Are you… sure?” Yuki asked.

 

“Absolutely. Now, how do you want to do this? If you came for about… say, four hours a day, and two hours of that we worked together on the yard, and the other two you could play.” Saito paused, feeling a bit shy for some reason. He had used to teach piano, but hadn't for a very long time. “Perhaps… perhaps we could work together on that too. I'm not exactly an expert, but… I could give you some pointers.”

 

Yuki looked up from his tea, and his face lit up. “Really? I mean, if it's not too much trouble… you could take money out of my pay, or… or something, but… do you mean it?”

 

Saito smiled. “Absolutely.”

 

Yuki blushed a little. “Sorry, I just… I've always wanted a teacher, so… and you're the best I've ever seen.”

 

Saito raised his eyebrows. “You've had a poor sampling, then. There are famous pianists much better than me. But I believe I can help you to some extent. Anyway, how do you want me to pay you?”

 

“Not very much,” Yuki said firmly. “You shouldn't have to pay me anything. That's ridiculous, and I feel bad accepting it.”

 

“You shouldn't. I want you to come, and I'm willing to pay for it. Besides, I need help with the yard.”

 

Yuki sighed. “Okay, fine. Paycheck. It has to look official, or Akito will get suspicious.”

 

“I'll need your full name then.”

 

Yuki hesitated for just a second. “Sohma,” he said at last. “Sohma Yuki.”

 

“Sohma?” The name sounded familiar. “You mean like the Sohma estate, not too far from here?”

 

“Yes. That's the Main House, where I used to live.”

 

“That place is huge! It's like a self-contained village!”

 

Yuki nodded. “Self-contained being the operative word. For some people… that might be a good thing, always being surrounded by family, but… but our family…” He sighed. “Our family is cursed. And on the inside, you can't ever get away from it. Everyone knows who you are, and judges you based on your place in the zodiac. Everything revolves around the zodiac.”

 

“But… then everyone is judged by the old story? But then you would be considered the literal rat of the zodiac…”

 

“You mean the one who got there first, through trickery and stealth? I am, Saito-san. I'm the clever, blessed rat, didn't you know?” His voice was thick with sarcasm. Suddenly he put his head down on the table. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I just… sometimes wonder how different from my zodiac I really am. I'm so good at lying it's scary.” He paused for a moment. “But then, Akito taught me to lie, so…”

 

“What have you lied about?”

 

Yuki paused. “I've never lied to you,” he said at last. “And I never intend to.”

 

Saito didn't bother to point out that there was more than one way of lying, and Yuki did plenty of omission. Direct dishonesty was probably a way of life for him at home. It usually was in abusive families. “Do you know, sometimes I wish you could just come and live with me,” Saito said suddenly. He meant it, too. If there were some way to get Yuki permanently away from all of that… he would jump at the chance, curse or no curse.

 

Yuki looked up at him, his expression unreadable. Then he looked back at the table and put his forehead in his hand. Saito froze. Had he said something wrong? “Yuki-kun?”

 

“I'm okay,” Yuki whispered, but his voice betrayed him. He was crying. “I… I wish… I could too.” After a moment, he seemed to master himself, and he wiped his face with his sleeve. “Forgive me,” he said softly. “I just… I never thought anyone outside the family would ever really like me, especially if they knew about the curse, so…”

 

“What gives you that impression?” Saito asked.

 

Yuki sighed a little. “Saito-san, I'm a freak. A boy who turns into a rat when he's hugged by a girl? It's too strange. I can't even accept it.”

 

Saito suspected that not all of these ideas were Yuki's own. Had his parents rejected him because of the curse? Or abused him? Saito winced at the idea. He sighed a little. “You don't like yourself very much, do you?”

 

Yuki closed his eyes and shook his head. Of course he wouldn't. Not after being abused by his own family. Saito put a hand on his arm, and Yuki looked up. “Well then,” Saito said gently, “we'll have to do something about that, won't we? We'll help you find something about yourself that you can like.” He smiled a little. “For the record, I like you already. I admire your pluck.”

 

Yuki smiled a little, and looked down again. “I don't feel brave.” He paused. “But I suppose… taking a risk for something important is a kind of bravery.” He smiled again, and looked up. “Can we… play piano now, Saito-san?”

 

Saito smiled. “Of course.”

 

They went to the piano room. Yuki stopped when he saw the piano. His eyes were wide. “It's so… big. It's like the one at the Main House that I used to play at, only nicer.” He approached it hesitantly. “Are you… sure it's okay for me to play it?”

 

“Of course,” Saito said again, laughing.

 

Yuki gave him a nervous smile of gratitude, then tentatively sat down. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and moved his hands to the keys. Was he afraid to use it because it reminded him of the Main House? Or was it only shyness? He tried a C major scale, the simplest, and then a few chords. “It's so beautiful,” he whispered. He sounded slightly choked. “I didn't realize how much I missed it lately.”

 

“I understand,” Saito said. “Why don't I let you play for a while, while I dig out some of my old piano books from the attic, okay?”

 

“All right,” Yuki said with a smile. He began to play familiar pieces, in order to get the agility back into his fingers. Saito couldn't help being surprised again at how much Yuki knew about what it took to be a good musician. He listened for a moment, then remembered his promise to get his music books.

 

The attic was dusty, and hadn't been opened in a while. Saito found himself reminiscing as he looked for his box of sheet music, looking at old furniture and books. His wedding album. His wife's rocking chair. The cradle and baby clothes that were never used. He picked up the album and blew off the dust, and cracked the cover. His wife smiled up at him from their wedding picture.

 

“Oh, darling,” he said softly. “I hope you can forgive me for neglecting you for so long.” He sat down in the rocking chair for a moment. “There's a boy who comes to see me. His name is Yuki. He really reminds me of snow, sometimes. He's quiet, and calm, and hides so many things.

 

“But you know… the piano somehow gets through to him. I hope… I can help him, somehow.” He smiled a little. “I wish you were here to give me advice. You were always better at that sort of thing than I was.” He sighed. “Maybe you would know what to do about his family, and that curse.” He sighed again and closed the album, and finally found the box of music. But he brought the album out with him, and set it up on a shelf. If he was going to be having visitors… he wanted this house to look a little more like a home.

 

Saito paused at the doorway to the piano room, watching. He realized that Yuki was not the only one who had changed since they'd met. Odd, how Yuki had reintroduced him to his wife, in a way. “Saito-san?” Yuki said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

 

Saito smiled, and nodded, then pulled up a chair to sit beside the piano. “I'm okay. I just… suddenly realized, I never said thank you.”

 

Yuki blinked in surprise, and then furrowed his brows in confusion. “Thank you? Why?”

 

Saito shrugged a little. “I'm not sure exactly,” he replied, and sighed in content. “You make me feel like I'm human again.”

 

Yuki laughed a little. “Saito-san, you're very strange.”

 

Saito grinned, and shrugged again. “Maybe.” He reached over and tousled Yuki's hair, making him laugh again. “Now let's get to work.”