Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Ichi ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Author's Note: Hello all! I've finally updated! ^_^ I just wanted to see everyone's reaction to the little "trailer" I put, and I'm glad you're interested!

Just to clear up a few things:

* Yuki will age every day until he stops at 16.

* Each age Yuki turns; it will be like something totally new. Like, at 5 he was quiet. But at 6, this and this had happened, so he's more like this and this.. Get it? Probably not? Yeah.. I know.. -_-

* I'm not entirely sure of what age Yuki learned to fight, so I'm just going to assume that it's 9, and Kyou learned at 10.

* I'm not entirely sure of what age Yuki stopped liking Ayame really.. So I'll put that at a much older age.

* Just bear with me! This is my FIRST Fruits Basket Fic!

Also, before you continue, the Tarot Cards I mention and describe are REAL. I own my own deck. ^_^ But, I did have to alter the description of the boy. He's really playing a drum and not a flute.

~*~

This chapter is dedicated to: Red! I owe her so much! She's always stuck by and helped me with Fruits Basket information! THANK YOU RED! And go read her story! It's divine! ^_^ You can find her profile link under my Favorite Authors.

~*~

It was a cool afternoon, the slight breeze toying with their hair. The sounds of laughter, running, and all that came with carnival fun, flitted through the air as a group of six walked along the booths. Who are these people you ask? Why, Yuki, Kyou, Shigure, Tohru, Uotani, and Hanajima! Summer vacation had just started for the students, and by Tohru's suggestion, they all headed to the carnival.

Unfortunately, Tohru would leave the next day with her two best friends on a trip. She had been very reluctant to go, but the others assured her she deserved this vacation.

As they walked, the three girls were talking about the trip the next day. Shigure was busy teasing Kyou about something or other, and Yuki was left alone. He had to turn his head away occasionally to hide his yawning, due to recent nightmares dealing with Akito. It was all about Akito taking him back to the Souma estate, and needless to say, it resulted in lack of sleep. And lack of sleep made Yuki feel prone to being quiet and drawn. However, he could still give his gentle smiles. 'Even if they are fake..' Yuki thought sardonically.

He just didn't want anyone to ask about him, because it would inevitably lead to what exactly was troubling him. This meant telling about the dreams. And speaking about Akito. And-- you get the idea. He just didn't want to deal with it at present.

"Oh! Look over there!" Tohru suddenly called, catching everyone's attention. "A fortune teller! Do you want to go?"

Everyone nodded, and they all headed in the direction Tohru lead. Soon, the place caught their eye. There stood a medium sized tend, royal purple in color, with silver embroidery. A sign was hung over the two drawn flaps, reading:

" ~*Madam Yumi*~

One Person At A Time"

Yuki turned his face Tohru. "You should go first Honda-san." He gave a tired smile. Tohru hesitated, but she was lightened when the boys insisted. "Go ahead, Tohru-chan. I will not go." Hanajima spoke.

"Demo.. Hana-chan! Are you sure?"

"Hai."

Yuki felt a shudder run through him, and he, like the others, didn't bother trying to convince the girl to go. After about ten minutes, Tohru came back out, gushing about how mystical it seemed and how the woman was very good.

"Ne, Tohru-chan! Nani ga atta no?"

"Gomen ne, Shigure-san. I can't tell."

Shigure blinked but shrugged, nonplussed and not losing his smile. "That's okay. It makes it much more mysterious."

"Hai! It does!"

One by one, everyone went in. Only Yuki was left, but Kyou was still inside. The neko came out quickly, his face puzzled. "Wakara nai.." Kyou whispered to himself, walking slowly.

"Sou desu ne, baka neko? I'm not surprised." Yuki drawled softly.

Yuki gave a sarcastic grin when Kyou glanced at him sharply, not anticipating Yuki to have heard. He glared at his back as he watched him walk inside.

~*~

Kyou's Flashback

"The Death." she spoke, though there was a small hint of a smile in her voice.

Kyou looked at her, wondering if she was joking about the card he pulled out.

"This card almost never indicates literal death." She supplied.

Kyou inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Instead, it refers to transformation or to casting aside former convictions or beliefs. The demise of deeply held beliefs can be quite painful. But it is a necessary loss to pave the way for a new state of being."

Her eyes met his narrowed ones. "Give not the mouse your apathy, but your empathy."

End of Kyou's Flashback

'What was she talking about?' Kyou wondered.

~*~

The smell of herbs and spices assaulted his nose, including the jingling of chimes. In the middle of the tent, stood a lone circular table with an empty chair for him to sit on. A surprisingly young woman sat at the other side, elaborately garbed in gypsy fashion.

She held out a hand, prompting him to sit. He did so nervously, because she kept staring at him. "You are like the other two." She stated softly.

Yuki didn't need to ask who she was referring to and chose to remain silent. He averted his eyes from hers and stared down at the table. What was once a bare top when he came in, now was covered in rich velvet with a long deck of cards atop it. He didn't remember seeing she put them on the table.. But then again, he might've just overlooked it. Shrugging off the sudden sense of paranoia, he waited to see what she would do.

She picked up the deck of cards, and split it four times, letting him pull out one card and laying it on the table.

"The Emperor." she said softly. "Strengths in leadership, building, and organizing. This card in your life says you should be thinking not about going off on your own, but about joining or forming a group."

Yuki kept his face perfectly blank, but inside, he felt just a tad bit contemptuous. 'This isn't real anyway.. Nothing she says is the truth.' he told himself consolingly, alarmed that he felt his chest constrict. 'She knows nothing about me.. I don't always go off on my own.. It was all Akito's fault.. If I weren't having these dreams…'

"The Lovers." her voice cut him from his thoughts. He hadn't remembered pulling the card, but apparently he did. He felt a rise of suspicions but squashed it down, telling himself that this just proved he was getting paranoid.

"This card simply indicates love." Her voice slowly drew out the words, as if measuring them. "Love for another, love for humanity, and most importantly, love for ourselves. However…"

She gazed at the card shrewdly. "It also indicates the need to make a difficult choice. The key to choosing wisely is to recognize the importance of the choice and to make it lovingly."

He gave a shaky sigh, idly wondering why this was affection him so much. "Are you alright?" Madam Yumi asked, concern evident.

"H-hai.." he wordlessly reached out and pulled the next card, wanting nothing more than to just get it over with.

"The Strength." She stared at him, and forced himself to stare back unflinchingly. "The Strength card may be an indication that your life is out of balance. You may be thinking too much and not feeling enough." Her eyes gleamed oddly. "Denial and deception, whether of others, or yourself, can only come back and haunt you in the end."

Yuki blanched at the ominous words, prompting Madam Yumi to smile. It immediately lighted the mood.

"One last card, Yuki." She held out the deck.

He hesitated, staring at her distrustfully, questioning her silently on how she already knew his name. She remained unaware of his discomfort, simply holding out the deck. With confidence he didn't feel, he reached out and lay down the final card.

"The Sun." Her smile widened. "The Sun appears in a reading, we are being advised to set aside the burdensome concerns of adulthood and allow ourselves to experience the natural, instinctive energy of childhood."

She arranged the fours cards together on the table, so Yuki could contemplate them. Impulsively leaning in to get a closer look, he took his time regarding the cards. His gaze stopped at the last card, The Sun.

It showed a massive and glorious sun that dominated the image on the card. The Sun's expression was blank and rather cryptic; it was neither friendly nor hostile. Below the sun, walked a young boy playing a flute. To Yuki, the boy does not seem to notice the sun that looms over him and instead looks ahead with an innocent, joyful expression.

Yuki blinked, and suddenly, the boy in the card moved. He could only watch in fascination as the boy turned to him, and in a hauntingly childish voice that reminded Yuki of his own at that age whisper: "Tetsudatte kudasai… ikitai.."

Yuki drew back as if he was burnt. Did he just imagine that? He looked up, ready to ask if she had heard that too but she was nowhere in sight. He stood abruptly, his violet depths scanning inside the tent for any sign of her.

"Oi! Are you done yet?" Kyou called from outside.

Rubbing his arms unconsciously, as if to comfort himself, he quickly walked out. The others were standing, and they continued walking once Yuki joined. Yuki lagged behind, and seeing this, Shigure walked slower, so he could be in step with him. "Kita dake… what did she say Yuki?"

Keeping his eyes on the ground, Yuki shrugged. "Shitenai."

Shigure stared back at him, his normally joking behavior subdued, but he made no move to question him further. The carnival day passed by quickly, and everyone left happy.

~*~

The sun streamed through the slits of the curtains. Clouds lazily drifted overhead, and the sounds of birds chirping reached the ears of the inhabitants in the house.

"Do you have everything packed Tohru?" Shigure asked, as he handed her the last duffel bag she'd packed.

"Hai… demo.. I won't be back for a long time.."

"Mundai nai, Tohru! Just have fun!"

"Hai. I will!" She turned to Kyou who was standing beside Shigure. "Do you know where Yuki-kun is?"

"Kini shin masen.." Kyou muttered quietly.

Shigure nudged Kyou painfully, giving a loud laugh to distract Tohru from asking Kyou to repeat himself. "Eh.. Don't worry. Our Yuki probably slept in late."

Tohru brightened. "I see. Please tell him I said goodbye, I don't want to wake Yuki-kun from his sleep."

Shigure nodded, and the two waved goodbye as Tohru walked off towards the car waiting. When she was out of sight, the two walked back in, Kyou managing to hit Shigure for elbowing him earlier. "You're so aggressive Kyou! Maybe you need Yuki-kun in the morning to let of some tension.. Ne, Kyou?" He tapped his chin as if in thought, unaware that Kyou was getting angry. "It certainly explains a lot, you know? Alama! That is why you always challenge Yuki, ne? And--"

Shigure blinked, staring at a now red-faced Kyou. He gave a nervous smile, "Kyou? Eh? Shitemasu!" He grinned wickedly. "Have I prompted Kyou to think evil thoughts of Yuki?"

"NANI!?" Kyou's fury spilled over, and he started yelling threats and swearing, while chasing a manically laughing Shigure around. "Bukkoroshite yaru zo!"

"ARGH! KYOU!! CHOTTO MATTE KUDASAI!! AAARGHH!!"

"Kocha koi!"

"N-Now.. Kyou--"

A yell tore through their heated argument, and both froze. 'Yuki..' The two immediately abandoned their argument and sprung into action.

Kyou took the lead in running ahead of Shigure, and both sprinted up the stairs. Kyou defiantly admitted to himself that he didn't care about the 'damn nezumi' and that he just wanted someone to beat up because they distracted him. Without wasting time, Kyou easily kicked down the door and stepped in.

His eyes scanned the Yuki's room gaping when he saw that the sheets on Yuki's normally neat bed were strewn around as if he had no regard to the mess it created. "Who's that?" Shigure called, pointing.

Kyou's eyes widened further when he saw a small boy trying to clamber through the window. Immediately, without thinking, he shot forward and grabbed the boy from behind, around the waist, and dragged him back inside. Kyou didn't waste any time in turning the boy around, ready to demand who he was and where Yuki was--

And froze.

The boy's shocked face immediately struck him with familiarity.

"Yuki…?"

~*~

END! OF THE CHAPTER! YAY! ^_^

So, what do you all think? I know it's not the best, but I hope you enjoyed it! Did I mention I really appreciate reviews? ^-^; Don't hold back, and review! Even if it's only one word or just a smiley face! ^_^

Now for the Japanese Glossary:

Demo - But

Hai - Yes

Nani - What

Nani ga atta no? - What happened?

Gomen - Sorry

Wakara nai - I don't understand

Sou desu ne - Is that so?

Baka neko - Stupid Cat

Tetsudatte kudasai - Can you help me

Ikitai - I want to go

Kita dake.. - I am just asking..

Shitenai - I don't know

Mundai nai - It's not a problem

Kini shin masen.. - Don't care..

Alama! - Oh my God!

Shitemasu - I know!

Bukkoroshite yaru zo! - I am going to beat you to a pulp!

Chotto matte kudasai! - Hold on a minute!

Kocha koi - Come here and get your ass kicked!

Lol.. sure used a lot of Japanese words! But think of it as your Japanese lesson for the day, ne? ^-^

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