Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Tohru's Curse ❯ Their needs ( Chapter 2 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Tohru holds a secret. A secret linked to the Zodiac Curse. Soon the curse will be broken, but at what cost to everyone?

Chapter Two

Rin took in what Tohru had told her on the way back to the hospital. If it was true then there really was a way to lift the curse. She was almost afraid to hope. She ignored the orderly that demanded to know where she went.

She stared down the nurse that stood between her and her bed. She knew they were all a little afraid of her, and she preferred it that way.

“Home,” she said finally, “I went home.”

“Oh, and where's that? The main house?”

Rin didn't answer. She took off her shoes and slipped into bed. Was Shigure's house home? No. Home was wherever she was. She tried to keep her distance, but there was something about Tohru. You couldn't help but like her and want to be around her. She had a soothing affect on everyone. Rin looked out the window. Soon. With Tohru's help she'd be able to break the curse and free Haru. She had to believe that. She wasn't alone, not anymore.

(-)(-)(-)

“I still don't think you should go to school today, Honda-san,” Yuki said, for the fifth time. Tohru smiled, and adjusted his tie.

“At least don't go to work tonight,” Kyo told her. “We don't need you fainting again,”

She slipped into her sweater and went over her mental checklist. Did she forget anything?

“Are you even listening, Tohru?” Kyo demanded.

She looked up from her bag. “It's heartwarming. The fact that both of you are worrying about me so much. Thank you, for taking such good care of me,” She straightened. “I promise to be careful. Okay?”

They sighed. There's really no stopping her, they thought

“Shigure-san, we're going to school, now,” Tohru said.

Shigure placed a hand on her head. “Take it easy today, okay Tohru?”

Her smile warmed. But he ruined the fatherly gesture by saying, “I want my future bride to stay healthy.”

She blushed and Yuki and Kyo glowered at him. They left him rubbing the large lump on his head.

“I must be so behind,” she said, cheerfully, “How was the test in Calculus, Kyo-kun? Was it hard?”

“No, everything was pretty much on the review sheet.”

“Oh, that's good. And Yuki-kun, did we start anything new in Chemistry?”

“Not really, you haven't missed much, Honda-san”

“Still, I hate missing school. Ah, there's Uo-chan and Hana-chan. I'm going to go say hi.”

They watched the two girls embrace her. She seems fine, but…

“She's hiding something,” Kyo said.

“Yes, you'd almost think that nothing was wrong,” Yuki mused grimly.

“She'll tell us eventually.” Kyo decided.

“She usually does,” He agreed.

They frowned at each other. Were they getting along?

“Hey!” Uotani called. “You guys just gonna stand there all day, or what?” The five made their way to school, unaware of the strange events awaiting them.

(-)(-)(-)

The moment Yuki step foot on school ground, he registered that people were staring, more than usual. Everyday, for as long as he could remember, the girls and some of the boys, would gaze at him when he walked through the halls. He had just learned to ignore them, but this was different. Their attentions seemed to be focused on Tohru.

“Whoa, it's Tohru Honda. Was she always so—“

“Hey, yeah, there's something different about her. Do you think I—“

“As if, she is so out of our league.”

“Grrr. Now, the witch has cast her spell over the other boys in school.”

Upon, hearing this, Yuki stopped abruptly. Honda-san? He turned so quickly that Tohru almost bumped into him.

“Oh, Yuki-kun. Are you alright?” She peered up at him intently, “Did you forget something?”

He must have been hearing things. He smiled reassuringly. “No, I'm fine, Honda-san. Can I walk you to class?”

She blushed and nodded eagerly.

“Did you see that, Minami-senpai?” a girl demanded, furiously. “The witch is—Yuki-kun just—“

“Yes, Mio-kun, I saw. The wonderful Prince Yuki smiled at the witch and very kindly offered to take her ugly scheming persons to class,” Minami clenched her fists as she watched them walk away together. “As President of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, I will do all that it takes to get her away from him,”

“It won't be easy. Yuki-kun is very protective of her already. And her friends will do anything to keep anyone from hurting her. Anything short of a boyfriend would be—“

Mio bumped into Minami. She had stopped in her tracks and turned to stare delightedly at her. “That's it! We'll bribe someone to go out with the witch. Her fickleness will show Yuki what a vain and shallow creature she is and she'll be so preoccupied with her new boyfriend that she'll forget all about Yuki. Ha! We must find someone suitable for the witch!”

Hana-jima closed her locker. So the Yuki Sohma fan club meant to make things difficult for Tohru-kun did they? The two girls were talking excitedly down the hall. Find someone to keep Tohru away from Yuki Sohma. Well, two can play that game. She sent them violent denpai waves and walked away as they ran screaming in the opposite direction.

(-)(-)(-)

“Honda?”

Tohru looked back from the window. “Yes, Sensei?”

“Can you answer the question on the board?” Mayuko knew she was spacing out and couldn't possible give an answer. She had to learn to pay—

“Seven,” Tohru said, unblinkingly.

Huh? Mayuko looked at the board and mentally did the calculations.

“Yes…very good” How the hell did she do that?

Tohru stood up. “Sensei, may I be excused?”

“What? Oh, sure,” she said absently, assuming she was just going to the bathroom. Was it drugs? Was there a drug that could turn a ditz into a genius? Where could she get some?

Tohru breezed out of the room, moments later Kyo and Uotani saw her walk off school property.

“Where the hell does she think she's going?” Kyo demanded. “We gotta follow her,”

“Relax, she'll be back,” Uo assured him.

“How do you know?”

She handed him the note Tohru passed her.

Don't worry. I'll be back at lunch. There's something that I have to take care of. -Tohru

(-)(-)(-)

Tohru crossed the street to the middles school. She didn't know what possessed her to come here, but it was important. A feeling. A very persistent feeling had been poking at her all through class.

The students were all outside. Some were eating, some were talking, and others were playing games. A bolt of nostalgia struck her. They were nearing their last year. Even now she missed the simplicity of just sitting in the sun, talking with her friends, not having to worrying about anything. She sighed. Enjoy it while it lasts, she thought silently.

Then the feeling kicked in. Panic, fear, urgency. Tohru ran across the grounds, letting her mind's eye lead. She went to the far side of the school. She ducked behind a tree, so they wouldn't see her.

Three boys had a girl cornered against the wall. It was…Kisa! She sat on the ground, her knees drawn to her chest, and her shoulders trembling. Her first instinct was to go to her, but something held her back.

“Get up, Kisa-chan,” she said softly. “Stand up to them.”

Though she was too far for Kisa to have possible heard, she looked up and met Tohru's eyes. She blinked in confusion, and then a determined look set over her face. She stood up, fist clenched. She stuck her face close to the tallest boy. The boy backed up, surprised. Kisa's mouth was moving. After a moment, he lowered his head, a light shade of pink on his face. She turned to say something to the other boys. They also backed away from her, hands upturned in surrender. Tohru smiled when Kisa put her hands on her hips. Her little tiger could take care of herself. When the boys ran off, Tohru turned to leave.

“Onee-chan,” the girl threw herself at Tohru. Tohru spun her around.

“I'm so proud of you, Kisa-kun.”

“I was so nervous. Inside I was trembling, but a part of me was just so…angry. I couldn't take it anymore.” She babbled as they walked back to the front side of the school. “I've known those kids since kindergarten. For so long they've been teasing me. But I stood up to them didn't I?”

“Yes you did,” Tohru squeezed her hand. “And more importantly. You gained their respect.” She bent her neck and kissed her on the forehead. “I'll see you later, Kisa-kun.”

Tohru had just turned around when, Hiro burst open the school doors. His eyes saw Kisa first, and they softened, then they narrowed again when they saw her. “What is she doing here?” He demanded.

Tohru waved to him and made her way back to school.

Stupid woman! Hiro thought. I'll pay her a visit later.

(-)(-)(-)

Hiro waited in the office building for Tohru. He checked his watch impatiently. It's been half an hour already. When will that stupid woman show up? It was time she knew her place. He turned his head to the sound of footsteps. “It's about time!” He said. “ You're one of those girls aren't you? Speed, thought, whatever. Slow. Slow. Slow! I can't stand-—“ He broke off when Tohru ruffled his hair.

“Hello, Hiro-chan,” She smiled.” If you're here to talk to me, you'll have to do so while I work. Three days is a lot to make up for.”

Hiro fumed silently as he followed her. “What were you doing at my school?” He demanded. Kisa was smiling more in class and it bothered him that this girl had done something to cause it.

“Hmm? Nothing really. Just visiting Kisa.” Tohru unlocked the supply closet and took out her cleaning cart.

“So, you just do whatever you want whenever you want? You skip class often on these selfish whims? I don't think you're a very good influence on Kisa. Pretty soon she'll be skipping class just to go do whatever she wants. She'll never graduate. All because of you.”

“Hiro-chan, we really need to work on this habit of yours of taking out your frustrations on others.”

He stared blankly at her. “Kisa-kun doesn't give her love sparingly.” She said, wiping down the tables of the conference room, “You shouldn't be afraid that she would give less to you than she would to other.” She replaced the bags in each trash container, “You want to protect her, be the only one to make her happy and that's only natural for anyone in love. But you need to accept that she has to learn to protect herself and find happiness for herself first. Before she can be anything to you, she must be something to herself.” He hopped up on the counter when she took out her mop, “She needs friends. There are some things she could never explain to you, things you wouldn't know how to understand. You'd be a selfish brat, Hiro-chan, if you tried to force her to love you and only you.”

Hiro clenched his firsts. What did she know about it? She didn't know what it was like to see the one you love suffer because of you. But in his heart, he knew that what she was saying was true. “But don't think for a moment that you should give up on yourself.” He looked up at her, confused. She smiled “I still see the prince in you. Despite the smart mouth and the tough guy act, you are a good person and anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend.” She wiped the sweat from her brow. “There, finished with this floor.”

Hiro was stunned at how sparkly she had made the dull tile flooring. “Why do you do all this by yourself? Shouldn't you be studying or something?”

“I won't be living with Shigure forever. I need to save up so I can buy my own place and stop being such a nuisance. Besides, there's this pride of knowing you did good by working hard.” She smiled, “So, do you plan on sticking around while I work or don't you have to be at the dojo about now?”

“I…” try as he might Hiro couldn't think of a thing to say. He hopped off the table and ran out. The point of coming was to make that stupid woman spend less time with Kisa, but somehow she had known what was bothering him all along and even more surprisingly she had comforted. I guess that's why Kisa and everybody like her. She'd even gotten Rin on her side. “Maybe she's the one.”

“Who is?” Kisa asked, greeting him at the gate.

“No one.” He hesitated before taking her hand on his.

They both reddened, but smiled shyly at each other.

“Yo! Lovebirds, practice starts now!” Kyo yelled from the dojo, rolling his eyes as the couple came in hand-in-hand.

(-)(-)(-)

Tohru stepped out of the building at around eleven. She smiled when she saw Yuki waiting for her across the street.

“Hello, Honda-san,” he said, straightening.

“Yuki-kun. Have you been here long? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting,”

“I've only just got here,” he assured her.

They walked in silence for a while, taking in the peacefulness of the city as it slowed down.

“Hiro came to see me today,” she said.

“Oh, he didn't say anything to offend you did he?” Hiro tended to do that.

“No, not at all. In fact I think we've come to an understanding.” She remembered how thrown he'd looked earlier. “He still has some growing up to do, but I believe he'll be as wonderful a prince as you.” She giggled a little when he flushed.

Yuki didn't know what to make of the secret smile on her face. She cocked her head to one side and looked up at him intently. He shifted when she began to search his eyes in concern. “Honda-san? What is it?”

“Yuki-kun…” she hesitated, looking for the right words, then changed here mind, “nothing. It's nothing, Yuki-kun.”

“Something is troubling you, Honda-san. What is it?” He reached for her hand and twined his fingers through hers. He did it so often that she didn't blush anymore.

“Yuki-kun, what would you do if you were free?”

He blinked not expecting that question. “You mean free of the curse?”

She shook her head. “I mean, if you had the freedom to go after you heart's desire. Be that a dream or an idea or a wish. Where would you go?”

Yuki never really had any hope of the curse ever being lifted. He had long ago resigned himself to the fate of the juunishi. It had always seemed foolish, almost painful to think otherwise, but when she was around there were more possibilities than he was taught to see. “To tell you the truth I don't really know. I've never been much of a dreamer. What would you have me do, Honda-san?”

“Hmm…I want you to build a life where you can be happy doing something you love. Maybe own a…flower shop. Meet someone as wonderful as you are, raise a family and grow old together. During your last few years I want you to be able to look back and never regret a moment. That's what I want for you, Yuki-kun. Curse or no curse, you'll always have the freedom to live your life on your own terms and no one can take that from you, ever.”

Overwhelmed, Yuki pulled her into his arms. “Thank you, Honda-san” he murmured into her hair. For everything, he added silently.

(-)(-)(-)

“Quiet, everyone! This meeting of the Prince Yuki fan club is now in session,” Mio-san said. She looked at her clipboard and called off the names of each member.

“Now, second-year representative Lyni Satomi-chan,” Minami waited for the girl to come to the front of the room. “Share to the members what you saw.”

“I-I can't.” She said, her voice quivering.

Mio and Minami swooped down on her. “Are you or are you not a member of this club?”

“Y-yes.” she stammered, crying.

“Did you or did you not vow to protect the beautiful Prince?”

“Yes, but—“

“Then it is your duty to tell us what you have witnessed.” They stared at her with cold, unyielding eyes.

“Alright!” She cried, caving. She took a deep breather. “Yesterday after school, I saw Sohma-kun and that Tohru Honda-san walking together.”

A unified gasp of outrage filled the room. “Let her finish,” Mio ordered.

“And-and then Sohma-kun…h-he reached for her hand,” her voice broke, “Honda-san smiled, she didn't blush or stammer or anything. She didn't try to pull away at all.”

“Of course she wouldn't. It would be an honor to hold hands with the wonderful Prince Yuki.” One member said.

“But he had the softest look in his eyes when he looked at her,” she sighed, at the memory, “as if he'd be content to never look away. Every girl dreams her whole life for a boy to look at her like that. Honda-san has no idea how lucky she is.”

“That's enough, Satomi-chan!” Minami snapped, refusing to accept it.

“We can still save him from the witch,” Mio said, vehemently. “Has anyone come up with a name? A boy that can sweep Honda-san off her feet? A boy so perfect for her that even the Prince can't compete? A boy—” She was cut off by the knock on the window.

A boy stood outside, eyes on Mio. Everyone turned as she went to open in. “We happen to be in the middle of a meeting,” she said, her voice cold. “If there's anyone here you need to speak to it will have to...” she trailed off as he reached out to cup her face.

“You've been in there all day,” he said, softly. “Let me take you away.” He pulled back and held out his hand. Mio looked at Minami-san. If she went with him she might never be allowed back. She looked back at him and took his hand. So be it.

Minami stared, shocked, as her vice president slipped through the window frame and walked away. “Senpai, Sohma-kun looked at Honda-san just like that boy looked at Mio-senpai,” Satomi said, “Senpai, what will we do?”

Minami clenched her fists. “Divide yourselves by grade and write down the names of every boy in your class. We aren't leaving until we've narrowed our search.” As the girls scrambled to organize themselves Minami was seized by grim determination. The difference between Mio-chan and Honda-san was that Mio returned the strange boy's affection, while Honda-san was far too slow to see the way Yuki looked at her. There was still hope.

“Senpai, we have one,” a girl called in triumph, hours later.

-Minami looked at the picture they had found and smiled. “Yes. Good work, girls. He is perfect. Honda-san won't know what hit her.”

The orange-haired boy scowled back at her in the photograph.

(-)(-)(-)

Kyo waited for Shishou in the empty dojo. Practice was over and everyone had already gone home. He, however, still had something to learn.

“Kyo-kun?”

He turned to see Tohru slip off her shoes.

“Tohru? What happened? What are you doing here?”

“I've asked her to come. Find a spot by the wall, Tohru-kun,” Shishou said.

“Shishou,” Kyo hissed, “I don't want her here,” He watched Tohru tuck her feet beneath her skirt, take out her books and settle down to study. “She'll distract me.”

“Exactly.” Shishou smiled when Kyo reddened. “You aren't one to fight in cold concentration, Kyo, and it's nearly impossible for you to win when you are angry. My theory is that your body doesn't need you to tell it how to move. I want you to concentrate on Tohru. Lose yourself in the memories you have with her. From the first moment you met. Think of only her.”

Kyo thought back to how shy he was with her and how mean he acted because of it. The shock of seeing her for the first time after hearing so much from her mother… she was just like her, too. He could always talk to her and she was more than willing to drop everything and listen. He'd yelled at her, made her cry, and she'd even seen his true form and still she was there for him. He didn't deserve her, but he'd be damned if he let Akito or anyone else take her out of his life, not without a fight.

“Kyo!” Shishou shouted, snapping him from his thoughts.

Kyo blinked. Shishou was on the ground gasping. He raised his foot from his throat and helped him up. “Shishou? Are you okay?” Kyo was confused. Had he even moved? He wasn't tired at all and training with Shishou usually left him more than a little sore. What just happened?

Shishou smiled. “I feel like I've been hit by a train. Twice.” He laughed at the mixture of confusion and horror on Kyo's face. “But this is wonderful, Kyo.”

“I could have killed you.”

“Yes, but we'll work on that. The point is that you fought and won by only thinking of the one thing that makes you happy. She's good for you, Kyo. She's not only healed you, she made you stronger. We'll work on your unconscious control and you'll be ready. I'm so proud of you.”

He shifted, pleased, but embarrassed. “I would be nothing without you, Shishou.”

Shishou smiled and ruffled his hair. “We'll pick up again tomorrow.” He looked to the wall. “It seems Tohru has fallen asleep. Why don't you take her home?” He watched as Kyo went to wake her. One day, Kyo, you will be free to tell her how you feel. One day, Tohru-kun, you will understand how much you've done for this family, whether or not you lift the curse. And on that day we will all be free of the shroud of darkness that has loomed above us for so long.

(-)(-)(-)