Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket in any way. I do however, own this fabulous fanfiction which you will all reply to. :)

CHAPTER 1

The chilling autumn wind whipped through Tohru Honda's silky almond hair. She pulled her sweater closer and hugged her warm arms against her body. "Why did I wear a skirt today?" she thought to herself as the chilling wind blew upon her bare legs.

Late the night before, Hatori-san had called Shigure-san's house and said that Akito had requested to see Tohru the following morning. Shigure-san went along with Tohru (just in case something happened, you see.). They had left a note saying that they were visiting Momiji and Kisa for a little while; why worry Yuki and Kyo over nothing, they thought.

They walked down the tree-lined road in silence, each indulged in their own thoughts. Shigure was the first to speak, making Tohru jump and almost fall.

"Are you nervous about seeing Akito, flower?" he asked, his face shadowed with worry.

"A little bit. But it can't be too bad. If it was, then he would have been more specific whether somebody could accompany me or not." Tohru answered, face flushed by the wind and voice sounding pleased at the excuse she found for Akito.

You don't know Akito half as well as I do, little flower, Shigure thought. He's up to something; I can feel it in the air.

As they walked up to the front doors of the Main House, Shigure turned to Tohru and said, "You know Tohru, you can walk away from this right now. We could say that I forgot to give you the message."

Tohru looked up into Shigure-san's eyes. A wave of guilt washed over her as she saw the worry etched into his face.

Creakkk... went the door as the doctor of the Zodiac opened it and beckoned the two nervous figures inside.

"It's too late now." Tohru said, more to herself than to Shigure.

Hatori led Shigure and Tohru down a dark hallway and into a large chamber. "Akito will only be a moment," Hatori said, then added, "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Akito just said he needed to ask you something and that you would be home by noon at the latest." Although Hatori tried to sound calm, Tohru could still see the fear in his face.

The three sat together in an uncomfortable, stony silence. Shigure, who was usually cracking jokes at his little flower while laughing heartily, was now being eerily silent - much unlike himself. The twinkle that was usually glowing in his eyes was now clouded over with worry as he slumped against the wall and stared down at the dusty floor. Occasionally he would absently run his fingers through his wind-blown hair and mess it up even more. It was normal for Hatori to be silent and withdrawn, but now the life was hidden from his eyes as he too, leaned back upon the dark wall. Tohru noticed that he was fiddling with something in his pocket. Did Akito really have the power to have this great affect after only one phone call?

Young Tohru Honda was the only remotely calm person in the room. She had come to learn that the head of the Sohma family, Akito-sama, feeds off of hate and pain. He had a secret talent for making people believe that everything was their fault and making them feel guilty. This thought led her to bury her pain and fears deep down into the empty corners of her heart. "He's lonely," She often thought to herself.

After a few more moments of nerve racking silence, Tohru was called into Akito's chamber. Hatori and Shigure stood up to go with her, but were stopped short.

"Just the girl." Akito drawled, showing up in the doorway. His skin looked eerily pale next to the simple red kimono he was wearing. Etched into the silk was a peaceful scene of leaves falling from newly autumned trees. He paused, and then seeing a look of distrust on Hatori-san and Shigure-san's face, added, "Don't worry. You can wait out here and if you hear anything you don't like, come on in. Until then, I assure you, she'll be out in a little while." Reluctantly, Shigure-san and Tori-san slumped back against the wall and let Tohru enter Akito's chamber on her own.

Akito-san lay down on the floor beside the sliding doors that led to the inner garden. The wind tossed his midnight black hair around and the sun made his skin glow and eyes shimmer. Scents from the garden came flowing through the open doors. Tohru caught the fragrance of newly cut roses and it seemed to cling to her clothes and her hair.

"Ms. Honda, do you know why I have asked you here today?" Akito asked, his voice calm and smooth.

Tohru bowed her head so her silky hair flowed over her shoulders and said, "No Akito-sama." There was a moment of silence where Tohru found her heart beating faster and faster. Insecurities flew across her mind. Why wasn't Akito talking? Should she say something? She bit the insides of her cheeks and a moment later Akito said, "Dear Tohru-kun. Do you like living with the Sohma's? Are you happy with the life I am letting you live?"

"Yes Akito-sama, I am very happy." Tohru said, and bowed again to show her respects.

"Ms. Honda, I have no disrespect for you, as I have come to know that you have no disrespect for me. You have opened my family's hearts. But when you are part of the Juunishi, open hearts lead to pain. There are many secrets of the Sohma past that you don't know. You don't want to know of the things that have gone on within the walls of this family. I won't let you." He paused again and then stood up and walked over towards Tohru. He sat down in front of her and stroked her cheek. "Dear little Tohru-kun. Little flower," he mocked, "If you love us Sohma's as you say you do, you have to leave. Break the curse and leave for good. It'll mend their hearts; it'll break the curse. But you must do it my way. Otherwise it won't work."

There was a moment of silence as Tohru's eyes shone brightly and her mind whirled. Break the curse! I'll do anything! She thought. A spark of insecurity flickered in Akito-san's eyes before Tohru stated, eyes shining with joy, "Yes Akito-dono. I'll do anything."

"Dono"? Akito thought. Not even my dear Juunishi have ever called me "dono". This girl is the real thing, He paused for a moment. Pity it has to end this way.

They talked in hushed voices over the next hour. The blueprints in Akito's mind now dripping from his lips like poison. His words entered Tohru's sunshined mind and blackened her soul. Tohru was now Akito's puppet, but she'd do anything to help her beloved Sohma family. They had suffered long enough, yet they could still make it through their days with smiles. Sometimes Tohru could see them forcing themselves, but over the few short months she had been living with them their smiles had become more genuine. They, more than anyone else, deserved to share those smiles with somebody they love. With those thoughts in mind, she pushed out her pain and created a small hole in her heart which she now filled with a concrete determination to break the Sohma family curse.

"Honda-san, are you okay?" Yuki's worried voice collided with Tohru Honda's thoughts, snapping her back into reality. Tohru shook her head to get rid of her dazed thoughts and stood up.

"I'm sorry Sohma-kun," she said, her face still a bit blank with daydreams. "I'm fine, just a little tired."

Shigure stood up and, while stretching, said, "Well, you had a pretty tiring day today. It'd be best if you get to sleep early so you're fit to help me tomorrow."

"Help you..?" Tohru said and then exclaimed, "Oh! Shigure-san I'm so sorry! I forgot I was supposed to help you rake the leaves tomorrow! Well don't worry; I'll be up bright and early!"

The oldest Sohma laughed and said, "Don't worry little flower. Just get a good night's sleep and see if you're up to it in the morning."

Tohru nodded and bade the dog and rat goodnight before heading upstairs to wash up. On her way to the bathroom, she spotted a ladder leaning against the outer wall of the house. So that's where Kyo is, she thought to herself, I had wondered where he'd been hiding.

Tohru-kun placed her towel on the bathroom sink and climbed up the ladder. It was a crisp and peaceful night. A light breeze glazed upon the treetops, causing the dead leaves to fall to the ground. She watched the leaves dance and swirl through the air before sweeping the pavement. Snow was in the air. That thought brightened up Tohru's now blackened mind. Snow would be coming any day now! It was already early December.

"Kyo-kun, what're you doing up here? You must be starving, would you like me to heat up the leftovers?" Tohru said to the stiff cat sitting cross legged on the hard shingles. She stood uncomfortably on the ladder, knee leaning on a sharp shingle, while she watched Kyo sit there stonily.

After a few moments if silence she said, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, I'll leave you alone now." And turned to descend back down the ladder.

"Where were you today?" Kyo suddenly asked, making Tohru slip down a few rungs of the ladder and bang her knee.

"I was with Momiji and Kisa." Tohru said, keeping her voice even. "Me and Shigure left you a note."

"I got the note," Kyo said, "But - funny... Momiji came here around eleven asking if you wanted to go to the movies with him and Haru. I told him that you had left hours ago, but he said he had no visitors. Where were you?"

"I-I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Kyo asked, turning towards Tohru.

"You'll understand in a few days. Shigure will fill you in on the details when the time comes. It's okay though, nothing's wrong."

"What do you mean 'nothing's wrong'? If you say that then something obviously is wrong!" Kyo asked, looking more worried than mad.

"Don't worry Kyo-kun," Tohru said smiling. "It'll be over soon. It's okay."

"What are you talking about?" Kyo snapped. "What'll be over soon?"

Tohru paused for a few seconds before answering, "Your pain." And then descended down the ladder.

After a few moments, when Kyo was sure that Tohru was nestled safely in her bed, he hurried down the ladder to interrogate Shigure. He walked down the dimmed hallway and into Shigure's office.

"Shigure! Where were you and Tohru this morning?" Kyo questioned while stepping towards a dazed Shigure-san.

"Whatever do you mean, Kyo-bozu?" Shigure said, "Me and Tohru left you a note explaining that we were with Momiji and Kisa earlier today."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Kyo shot at him, brushing of the "bozu" part, as he watched Shigure shuffle through stacks of worn papers. "Momiji came here around eleven," Shigure-san's hand paused in the air as Kyo continued: "He wanted to know if Tohru wanted to see a movie with him and Haru. I said that you and her had left hours ago. Momiji thought you both had gotten hurt. We both thought you died."

"Kyo," Shigure said evenly, "You're meddling with things you're not involved in. Let it go."

"I will not let it go! Something's going on with Tohru! I deserve to know, dammit!"

"Why are you so concerned? Not even I know all of the details. There may be nothing wrong."

"Dam you Shigure! Why don't you just open your eyes? Stop shutting out reality! Life isn't all about laughter and flowers!"

"Not when my flower is concerned. She doesn't deserve any more darkness in her life."

"Yeah?" Kyo huffed, "Well neither do I."

Kyo dashed out of the room, leaving the aging author alone in his office with only a growing blanket of silence curling him up in his own darkened thoughts.