Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket in any way whatsoever and am making
no such profit off of this either; it is strictly for entertainment
purposes. The copyright belongs to Natsuki Takaya as well as other well
respected associates.
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I was surprised when Akito said I could come to the New Year's Celebration. The New Year's Celebration was a party for the Sohmas only, but this year, Akito decided to make an exception on my part for some mysterious reason. This year, we would be celebrating the year of the snake.
And so, here I am, New Year's Eve. I'm a bit nervous and anxious, and hope I make a good impression. I mean, the Sohmas are a large and prestigious family; I may seem like an outsider to those who don't know me.
I looked down at myself in the mirror. I wore a light blue blouse with a matching skirt, nylons, and a pair of brown shoes; my hair was tied in the back. "Wish me luck Mom," I said, and hurried downstairs where Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo were waiting, each in a distinguished suit.
Around 20 minutes later, on foot, we arrived at Sohma House. A host greeted us at the door. We had come to a large hall with tables and chairs set up, and a large center in the middle for the dane of the Zodiac animal. Not many people had arrived yet, so it was still pretty empty. We saw Ayame in the hallway. "Heellloooo! How do I look Gure-san?" he asked. Ayame was wearing the traditional dress for the Zodiac member of that year. "Very nice Aya," Shigure commented. "Thank you! The last time I did this it was twelve years ago! I haven't worn this thing in such a long time! I'm so happy! Oh, do you remember how Hatori was last year?! He looked so cute with this dress on!" Ayame said. Shigure laughed. "Yes. By the way, where is Hari?" "Oh, he's making arrangements out in the hall and running errands for Akito," Ayame replied.
We went into the hall, where a few more people had arrived. We saw Ritsu, and Kagura (much to Kyo's fright), as well as Hiro and Kisa too. I also saw Akito on the other side of the large hall in beautiful white robes that really complimented him, despite its great contrast to his features.
The ceremony eventually got under way after everyone had arrived and was seated. I sat with Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, and Hatsuharu in a far corner of the hall. By this time, there were so many people I could barely count them anymore! I knew the Sohmas were a very large family, I just didn't know that they were this large!
The ceremony began with gentle, melodramatic music playing as Ayame entered in his dress. He walked into the center of the hall and paused for a moment before he began a slow, rythmic dance flowing gracefully with the music. Each year had a specific dance and this one, the dance of the Snake, was a very beautiful, intricate one. His hair moved with his body, always flowing behind it in his movements across the floor.
The spirit of the Snake seemed to fill the room and cause great awe and amazement among everyone. I was completely entranced by Ayame's movements and unaware of everything else around me. I was captivated by him as he moved throughout the floor, the fabric of the dress, flowing in back of him.
Then, when I least expected it, a voice whispered in the back of my ear, like the hiss of a snake. "Come with me." The voice urged me to stand and come with it. I hesitated, but stood slowly, subtly, from my seat and saw Akito in back of me in his elegant, white robes. He touche dmy sleeve as if to usher me alomg and then exited the hall through a door, I following.
His robes brushed the floor as he walked down the lavishly decorated, empty hallway covered in images of the Snake. He stopped by a door and slid open the fusuma. As I entered after him, I could still hear the music playing in the hall behind us.
I sat on the floor before him and bowed. He was calm and confidant as he stood above me. "Miss Tohru Honda," he began infamously. I swallowed nervously. What could Akito possibly want with me?
"Do you know why you are here?" he asked me. "No," I replied, looking down at the mats covering the floor. He smirked. "You don't. Well then let me tell you," he said in a sinister tone. That unnerved me a bit. He was still calm, but seemed to be angry with me, though I had no idea why.
"You told them, didn't you?" Akito's voice said angrily. "T- told who, what?" I asked. "You told them exactly what you swore not to." There was a pause. "We thought we could trust you. We were all warming up to you like we had finally found someone who cared enough about us to keep our secret and not expose us. I, myself, was even beginning to trust you, and then you told your little friend our secret. We can never trust you again, Tohru Honda," he told me. "You betrayed us. You hypocrite! You are just an imposter!" "But, Akito, what did I do?!" I asked desperately. "I swear, I never told anyone about the curse, I swear! And I never will! You can trust me!" I pleaded with him. "They're lies!" he yelled. He was obviously becoming angrier and I became frightened. "You told someone, didn't you? You thought it would be a cute little joke that no one would ever find out about, but I did. You thought it would be fun to tell you're friend our little secret. This is the end of the line. You've been found out, Tohru Honda, and we cannot forgive you."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had never told a single soul about the Sohma curse; I vowed I never would. So how could Akito suspect that I had? I had kept the secret locked up inside all this time, never telling a soul. I even went out of my way to make sure no one found out. So, how could he...even think...that I could...possibly...have told someone? Because I never had.
"You realize we'll have to erase you as well as your friend's memories too, you know?" he said. "I know what the bargain was, and I upheld my part of it. I don't know what else I can tell you, except, that I would never tell anyone about your family's curse, Akito. I am so grateful to the Sohmas for all they've done for me; telling their secret is out of the question," I said. "LIES! I don't believe it!" "But Akito-" "SHUT UP!" A second later my skin stung with the harsh pain as he hit me. "Aahhh!" I cried and fell back. I looked up at him, sad and afraid.
Help me Mom, was all I could think. Help me.
I gave a sob. Akito seemed undisturbed by my tears and seemed to not care that I was afraid. "You're afraid, aren't you? Well, good. I could care less. This is the punishment you have to pay for what you've done," he said cruelly.
"Akito, what do I have to do to make you believe I didn't tell anyone?" I asked. "What would even make you think that I had told someone?" I asked. There was a silence.
"Because, no one has ever...kept...our secret. You are no different. No one can bear to keep such a secret for so long," he said. "I know that that may have been the case in the past, but not now. I kept your family's secret, all along. And I vow to never tell a soul in my lifetime. I swear before God. I couldn't," I tried to convince him. "Shut..up. How can you possibly expect me to believe you?" he asked. "I can't. I know that you and your family have been hurt many times before, so I can't expect you to trust my intentions fully, but as long as there's that small bit of trust, we can build upon it, and make it grow, right?" I said. There was a short pause. "So, Akito, do you trust me?" I asked him. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "No, Tohru Honda. I don't trust you. Never," he said.
To tell the truth I wasn't sure how to react to that. He had just told me bluntly that he didn't and never could trust me. I sat there almost stunned for a moment. Seeing that now there was no way I could get him to even remotely trust me, I nodded solemnly. "May I please excuse myself?" I requested. "Go," was all I heard.
I stood and bowed low, before leaving the room. The dance that Ayame had been performing was long over by now and my absence seemed missed by Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo. "Where were you?" Yuki asked me. "Oh, uh, I had to go somewhere," I replied quietly. Yuki, being the way he was, just nodded. "Okay Miss Honda," he said.
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Yay! The end of ch. 1! *triumphant music plays* Stick around for other chappies as they come! Bye!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
I was surprised when Akito said I could come to the New Year's Celebration. The New Year's Celebration was a party for the Sohmas only, but this year, Akito decided to make an exception on my part for some mysterious reason. This year, we would be celebrating the year of the snake.
And so, here I am, New Year's Eve. I'm a bit nervous and anxious, and hope I make a good impression. I mean, the Sohmas are a large and prestigious family; I may seem like an outsider to those who don't know me.
I looked down at myself in the mirror. I wore a light blue blouse with a matching skirt, nylons, and a pair of brown shoes; my hair was tied in the back. "Wish me luck Mom," I said, and hurried downstairs where Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo were waiting, each in a distinguished suit.
Around 20 minutes later, on foot, we arrived at Sohma House. A host greeted us at the door. We had come to a large hall with tables and chairs set up, and a large center in the middle for the dane of the Zodiac animal. Not many people had arrived yet, so it was still pretty empty. We saw Ayame in the hallway. "Heellloooo! How do I look Gure-san?" he asked. Ayame was wearing the traditional dress for the Zodiac member of that year. "Very nice Aya," Shigure commented. "Thank you! The last time I did this it was twelve years ago! I haven't worn this thing in such a long time! I'm so happy! Oh, do you remember how Hatori was last year?! He looked so cute with this dress on!" Ayame said. Shigure laughed. "Yes. By the way, where is Hari?" "Oh, he's making arrangements out in the hall and running errands for Akito," Ayame replied.
We went into the hall, where a few more people had arrived. We saw Ritsu, and Kagura (much to Kyo's fright), as well as Hiro and Kisa too. I also saw Akito on the other side of the large hall in beautiful white robes that really complimented him, despite its great contrast to his features.
The ceremony eventually got under way after everyone had arrived and was seated. I sat with Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, and Hatsuharu in a far corner of the hall. By this time, there were so many people I could barely count them anymore! I knew the Sohmas were a very large family, I just didn't know that they were this large!
The ceremony began with gentle, melodramatic music playing as Ayame entered in his dress. He walked into the center of the hall and paused for a moment before he began a slow, rythmic dance flowing gracefully with the music. Each year had a specific dance and this one, the dance of the Snake, was a very beautiful, intricate one. His hair moved with his body, always flowing behind it in his movements across the floor.
The spirit of the Snake seemed to fill the room and cause great awe and amazement among everyone. I was completely entranced by Ayame's movements and unaware of everything else around me. I was captivated by him as he moved throughout the floor, the fabric of the dress, flowing in back of him.
Then, when I least expected it, a voice whispered in the back of my ear, like the hiss of a snake. "Come with me." The voice urged me to stand and come with it. I hesitated, but stood slowly, subtly, from my seat and saw Akito in back of me in his elegant, white robes. He touche dmy sleeve as if to usher me alomg and then exited the hall through a door, I following.
His robes brushed the floor as he walked down the lavishly decorated, empty hallway covered in images of the Snake. He stopped by a door and slid open the fusuma. As I entered after him, I could still hear the music playing in the hall behind us.
I sat on the floor before him and bowed. He was calm and confidant as he stood above me. "Miss Tohru Honda," he began infamously. I swallowed nervously. What could Akito possibly want with me?
"Do you know why you are here?" he asked me. "No," I replied, looking down at the mats covering the floor. He smirked. "You don't. Well then let me tell you," he said in a sinister tone. That unnerved me a bit. He was still calm, but seemed to be angry with me, though I had no idea why.
"You told them, didn't you?" Akito's voice said angrily. "T- told who, what?" I asked. "You told them exactly what you swore not to." There was a pause. "We thought we could trust you. We were all warming up to you like we had finally found someone who cared enough about us to keep our secret and not expose us. I, myself, was even beginning to trust you, and then you told your little friend our secret. We can never trust you again, Tohru Honda," he told me. "You betrayed us. You hypocrite! You are just an imposter!" "But, Akito, what did I do?!" I asked desperately. "I swear, I never told anyone about the curse, I swear! And I never will! You can trust me!" I pleaded with him. "They're lies!" he yelled. He was obviously becoming angrier and I became frightened. "You told someone, didn't you? You thought it would be a cute little joke that no one would ever find out about, but I did. You thought it would be fun to tell you're friend our little secret. This is the end of the line. You've been found out, Tohru Honda, and we cannot forgive you."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had never told a single soul about the Sohma curse; I vowed I never would. So how could Akito suspect that I had? I had kept the secret locked up inside all this time, never telling a soul. I even went out of my way to make sure no one found out. So, how could he...even think...that I could...possibly...have told someone? Because I never had.
"You realize we'll have to erase you as well as your friend's memories too, you know?" he said. "I know what the bargain was, and I upheld my part of it. I don't know what else I can tell you, except, that I would never tell anyone about your family's curse, Akito. I am so grateful to the Sohmas for all they've done for me; telling their secret is out of the question," I said. "LIES! I don't believe it!" "But Akito-" "SHUT UP!" A second later my skin stung with the harsh pain as he hit me. "Aahhh!" I cried and fell back. I looked up at him, sad and afraid.
Help me Mom, was all I could think. Help me.
I gave a sob. Akito seemed undisturbed by my tears and seemed to not care that I was afraid. "You're afraid, aren't you? Well, good. I could care less. This is the punishment you have to pay for what you've done," he said cruelly.
"Akito, what do I have to do to make you believe I didn't tell anyone?" I asked. "What would even make you think that I had told someone?" I asked. There was a silence.
"Because, no one has ever...kept...our secret. You are no different. No one can bear to keep such a secret for so long," he said. "I know that that may have been the case in the past, but not now. I kept your family's secret, all along. And I vow to never tell a soul in my lifetime. I swear before God. I couldn't," I tried to convince him. "Shut..up. How can you possibly expect me to believe you?" he asked. "I can't. I know that you and your family have been hurt many times before, so I can't expect you to trust my intentions fully, but as long as there's that small bit of trust, we can build upon it, and make it grow, right?" I said. There was a short pause. "So, Akito, do you trust me?" I asked him. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "No, Tohru Honda. I don't trust you. Never," he said.
To tell the truth I wasn't sure how to react to that. He had just told me bluntly that he didn't and never could trust me. I sat there almost stunned for a moment. Seeing that now there was no way I could get him to even remotely trust me, I nodded solemnly. "May I please excuse myself?" I requested. "Go," was all I heard.
I stood and bowed low, before leaving the room. The dance that Ayame had been performing was long over by now and my absence seemed missed by Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo. "Where were you?" Yuki asked me. "Oh, uh, I had to go somewhere," I replied quietly. Yuki, being the way he was, just nodded. "Okay Miss Honda," he said.
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Yay! The end of ch. 1! *triumphant music plays* Stick around for other chappies as they come! Bye!