Well, the story concept for this started out way differently than it has turned out. Originally, the psychiatrist was going to be a female, but as I started writing it, I realized that this had to be changed, since it would be very unlikely that Akito would allow the rest of the jyuunishi meet with another woman. Therefore, the psychiatrist became a man and turned out to be Kazuki, a character I've really grown fond of (I guess since I write him in first person, I've grown rather attached). What's more, in my mind, I had planned for it to be just a humorous parody or sorts, but it kind of turned out to be something else. I think some of it's comical, still, but there's a more serious tone than I originally intended, and more character analysis, which turned out to be interesting to write formed. Oddly, Akito, who I hated when I first began writing, has really grown on me and now I like her a lot despite all her craziness (go figure, hey?).
As for my source material, I have seen all of the Fruits Basket series and have read part of the manga, as well as researched on some of the characters' history. Therefore, the story is kind of a blend of that information and is, hopefully, accurate (I guess I should mention, though, that I'm sure Frasier had some influence on this, as I tend to watch it a lot). If something is not correct, just think of it as literary license. FYI, as in the manga, in this story Akito is a girl, Kyou's fate after graduation is known by the rest of the Sohma family, and Shigure and Akito did have their relationship.
In addition, at this time, I don't think Kureno or Rin will have sessions (although will be mentioned, particularly Kureno for obvious reasons), since I don't feel entirely comfortable writing their characters yet, and I doubt I'll do much with Kisa or Hiro (but that's more so a personal preference, as I don't find them too interesting and I don't feel they'd fit in quite right).Characters outside the Sohma family also become difficult to insert, for obvious reasons, but I'm sure Tohru will definitely make an appearance.
It's important to note, too, that there is discussion of Christianity in this, and I hope the way I use it does not offend. Please keep in mind that Akito's interpretations are meant to be wrong and unsettling, though, and in no way does that mean I endorse such a view; in fact, I myself am a Christian and feel very strongly about my faith. I am just trying to be true to the characters.
Anyhow, I really hope you all enjoy this, because I've really like writing it. As for my disclaimer, I don't own Fruits Basket - the only thing I own is Kazuki, his mother, Tomiko, and any other minor characters that might show up. Let me know what you think!
Lastly, I combined the prologue and the first session into one chapter; in the future, most likely I'll separate all the sessions into individual chapters.
Prologue
I know who truly bears the burden of the Sohma family curse. It is not one of the jyuunishi, the twelve whom have been cursed by the vengeful animal spirits of the zodiac. It is not their families either, as miserable as they might be. Nor is it Kyou, the young man cursed with the most vengeful spirit of all, the cat, who in the legend was left out due to the sneaky rat. And it certainly isn't Akito - God no, it isn't that one.
It is I who really bears the true weight of this family's curse. I am quite serious about this, too. Or at least, I've convinced myself of it anyway. Perhaps I'm being a bit melodramatic, but the mind works in funny ways (I should know, after all).
I was born a little over twenty six years ago in December. Admittedly, the circumstances surrounding my birth are a bit shady at best; I was born out of wedlock. From what I gather from my loopy, although quite good-intentioned, mother, my father was an American (or Englishman or Australian; she doesn't actually remember as she doesn't think it was that important) visiting Japan on a short business trip. Evidently, they had a very brief affair (it's important to note that his visit was barely three days) and from the whole sinful ordeal, I was conceived.
Before I continue, let me explain something about my mother; you see, she has these "visions." I believe they might stem from her need to justify the often impulsive actions she takes in order to fulfill her whimsical desires, thus easing her guilt for acting out on her physical wants without regards to morality or consequences. In any case, according to her, these "visions" are prophetic, although she says she can't always interpret them correctly, hence rationalizing why they often seem to turn out to be less than accurate.
Returning then to the circumstances surrounding my conception, the family was very upset that my mother had shamed the Sohma name by having some lowly fling with a foreigner and the head of the family initially wanted the pregnancy terminated. If only such things had come to pass, but unfortunately my mother saved me from my merciful fate by explaining that the reason for her seemingly immoral liaison was that she had received one of her "visions" (from who or what remains a mystery), which foretold that she would eventually give birth to the child who would one day grow up to save the Sohma family. Yet, in order to do so (according to the "vision," anyhow), she had to make love with the strange foreigner first, thus becoming pregnant and fulfilling her "vision."
Although I suppose I'm rather cynical and skeptical about the whole thing, I must admit I really do appreciate my mother's ridiculous but loving attempt to spare my life. It worked, too, which is the truly surprising part about all this. Of course, most of the family was and still is just as cynical and skeptical about it as I am, but it seems as if the head of the Sohma clan felt some sort of pity for my mother. Hence, I was born the humiliating illegitimate bastard of the Sohma family and my mother's reputation was forever ruined as she became known as the family's resident "crazy." Despite this, my mother clung to her "vision" and named me Kazuki, which carried three meanings, all which she found exceedingly significant and appropriate. The first was "shining one," for I was, as she saw it, the special one chosen to save the long suffering Sohma family. The second meaning was "first of a new generation," since I would be beginning a new generation of Sohmas, one which was no longer cursed. The last one was "pleasant peace," which I would be bringing to the whole family by saving them. As I think about it now, I find my name sickeningly ironic and all together meaningless.
Fortunately for me, my status in my family didn't remain so lowly and disgraceful as it started it out to be. The reason for this was simple; although born without a father, I was not, thankfully, born without his brains, for I doubt that my intelligence came from my mother. It was soon discovered what a quick learner I was, and I excelled greatly in school, to the point where I far surpassed my peers. Yet, despite my exceptional intelligence, I suppose I lacked common sense, and was a very idealistic and naïve child. As a young boy, my mother told me about the "vision" she had of me and of my destiny, and, as a result of my aforementioned idealism and naivety, I quickly believed that I could - somehow, someway – save my cursed family.
At age sixteen, over ten years ago, I made the best decision of my life; I left Japan to study abroad. Although having grown up some by that time, I still subconsciously clung to the hope that my mother gave me when I was a child – that I could free my family of it's terrible curse – and I came to the conclusion that the way I would do so was by acquiring as much knowledge and wisdom as possible. Those eight years were the greatest time I ever knew. I studied at both Oxford and Harvard. During my breaks, I traveled wherever I could (fortunately, us Sohmas aren't cursed when it comes to finances), whether it be in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and even North Africa. I encountered so many new ideas, cultures, and people; it truly was a refreshing and enlightening experience. Best of all, I was away from my miserable, suffering family.
It didn't take long for me to have my own revelation as I embraced my studies, although it didn't stem from some mysterious "vision," as my mother's revelations tended to do. Instead, reason, so pure and logical, was where my revelation came from. Simply put, I became very skeptical about our family's supposed curse, or at least parts of it. Sure, there was no denying people were turning into animals, as unscientific and impossible as it was. But the suffering of our family members – their tragic lives, which supposedly came from the curse as well – that was the part that I became doubtful of. Surely, a person couldn't truly lose his free will or be denied the opportunity to pursue happiness. In England and America I was pretty much suffocated with notions of independent thought and liberties, individuality and ambition, all of which a person was said to be born with. What's more, as I began to study more and more, I soon started to see their problems – namely, all their apparently predestined misery - in quite a different and perhaps new light.
And so, this leads me back to my, I admit, rather exaggerated conclusion; that I truly bear the greatest burden of the zodiac curse. And the reason for this is simple – I am the Sohma family's psychiatrist.
Honestly, it seemed like a good idea when I was abroad, it really did. After all, the more I studied psychiatry, the more and more it seemed to apply to my truly disturbed family. I had thought that if I could correctly guide my relatives through their emotional problems by using reason and applying the science of psychiatry, then maybe they could free themselves of all their misery, or at least start to work through it. As a result, they would begin to live happier lives with fresh and positive outlooks. Certainly, if necessary, I could prescribe the proper medication to help fix those chemical imbalances that I was sure some were suffering from. It was such a brilliant notion overseas; through therapy, I could save my family from the true curse – the emotional burden that each and every one of them carried. In essence, I would be their savior for I would teach them how to finally, at last, love and respect themselves and thus, others.
And yet, it didn't take long after returning to Japan and beginning my family practice for me to realize that things would not work out as I had so idealistically thought they would. Simply put, things grew sourer rather quickly. Most of the problems originated from Akito, who had been suspicious to begin with, but participated despite this. Yet, Akito soon rejected most of my "evil" western ways and my practice soon deteriorated into some sort of unorthodox, ridiculous counseling session that for some unknown reason Akito has me continue with. Don't worry; you'll see what I mean soon enough…
Patient - Sohma Akito; Session # 211
I gazed out the window, trying to occupy myself with the pleasant early autumn weather. The session was growing increasingly stifling, as the uncomfortable silence reached the fifteen minute mark. Akito laid on the couch staring at the ceiling as if in deep thought while I sat at my desk in my comfy leather office chair. I glanced over at her for a moment to make certain she was still awake and then returned to staring out the window. To be honest, I was so tempted to initiate dialogue once more, but Akito made it clear that she would be the only one to begin any sort of conversation during our sessions.
It's a tough thing to deal with when your patient thinks she's a god.
"But Kazuki," Akito said finally, turning her head slowly toward me, "Certainly there's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"Hmm?" I tried to regain my concentration, but to be honest, I had not a clue as to what she was talking about, "What?"
"You're the one who brought it up!" Akito snapped and she looked at me with perturbed eyes.
It took me a moment, but I finally remembered where I had left the conversation; "Oh, yes…" I trailed off, for I knew I had to handle the question delicately, and then said, "I think, Akito, that you perhaps have expected them to become a bit over-dependent – "
"They need me!" Akito interrupted, sitting up and glaring icily at me.
I frowned; I knew I said something wrong. At the same time, I couldn't bring myself to just humor her, so I said, "Now, Akito, perhaps now would be a good time to review some of the anger management exercises we went over last week, hmm?"
Akito gritted her teeth but then fell back against the couch and complied, "Fine."
"Great," I stated with a small, forced smile, and then asked, "So, how do you find they are working for you?"
"I don't know," she muttered, crossing her arms and looking bored, "I haven't really needed to use them."
"Oh, no?" I questioned as innocently as I could.
"Do you think I need them?"
"Well, you did have a bit of a small outburst just now, didn't you?" I knew it was a dangerous question, but at the same time, her voice had just sounded mellower, softer even. At those times, she always seemed so oddly and uncharacteristically receptive.
"Yes, I suppose so," she admitted. "Next time I'll do the stupid counting…"
"That's good, Akito. Very good." I hesitated for a moment, and then added, "And do you remember Akito, when one does something she shouldn't do, what is the most constructive way for her to rectify it?"
I knew immediately I had gone too far. Akito sprang to her feet and pointed a long finger directly at me. "I don't have to apologize to you! Not to you! Gods don't apologize, you insolent fool!" Her breathing became labored and she soon, weak, fell back onto the couch. I could see her then begin to count softly to herself; I didn't bother to tell her that she was supposed to count before she got angry and it didn't help after the fact.
So I muttered, "I see…" and began to scribble down some notes to myself.
"What are you writing?" She at once ceased her counting.
"Just some notes."
"About me?" I didn't answer. "About me!"
"I have something for you," I quickly changed the subject. She looked at me with an intrigued eye.
"You mean, a gift?" She grinned strangely, that kind of sick twisted grin of hers.
"You could say that," I said, picking it up off the desk and crossing the room to hand it to her. As soon as she saw it was a book, she grimaced, looking exceptionally disappointed.
"I don't want a book."
"Here, take it," I ignored her, handing her the leather bound text.
Sneering, but curious, she gazed down at it. Instantly, she was suspicious, "The Bible?"
"Yes. I thought maybe you'd gain something from reading the New Testament," I explained. You see, recently, I had begun to study philosophy and theology, particularly Christianity. Admittedly, I would not describe myself as a religious person – perhaps agnostic, if anything – but at the same time, I had found something quite enticing about the Christian religion. Most of the interest, I assume, came from the fact that I found many of its elements quite applicable to the Sohma family.
"Is this a joke?" Akito interrogated.
"No, not at all," I assured her. "As I said, I thought you could gain something from it. You see, it's just sort of like western folklore, if you will." Akito raised an eyebrow. "The New Testament is pretty much a story, kind of like a fable. The main character is Jesus Christ, and he is a god who happens to have come to this world as a human. As you can see, I thought it was someone you might be interested in."
"Go on…"
"Well, Jesus also has twelve loving followers, which he calls his disciples."
Akito smirked slightly, "Twelve? Really?"
"Yes," I nodded, "And Jesus loves them very much and teaches them all sorts of lessons."
"What kind of lessons?"
"I'm glad you asked, Akito. Jesus taught his disciples and all he met moral lessons. For instance, Jesus taught acceptance of others, even for those considered outcasts by society. There are many stories about him healing lepers and letting them eat at his table. But, I won't spoil it for you anymore. You should really read it."
"It sounds boring," Akito commented, albeit a bit unconvincingly.
"Well, give it a try first, won't you?"
"Fine…"
"So, then I suppose we're finished for the day, then…?"
"Are we?" Akito snapped, narrowing her eyes. The young girl surely did have some control issues.
"Well, what is left to talk about? Is there anything on your mind, Akito?"
"No…"
"So…?"
Akito stood up now. "I guess we're done for the day, then."
"Good," I remarked. Smiling slyly, I added, "Oh, I have something else for you, Akito." I returned to my desk, snatched a manga from under my desk, walked back, and handed it to her.
"What's this?" She read the cover "'Urusei Yatsura?'"
This time, it was a joke, one I was taking a gamble on by hoping that she wouldn't get it. "Nothing really," I explained, trying to suppress my laughter, "Just some light reading. I thought maybe you might get something out of the character of Ryuunosuke…"
Her eyes flickered with inquisitiveness. Yet, she simply said, "I don't like that you're giving me all this reading."
"Well, you don't have to read it."
"We'll see…" she mumbled and then left my office.
So ended yet another mostly unsuccessful session. Maybe she'd get something out of the Bible. Lord knows (no pun intended), so many others have. I returned to my desk and reviewed my notes for the session. We had begun discussing her confusion over her gender identity, went into self-esteem and trust issues, attempted to tackle the superiority complex and her violent urges (that one was pretty messy), fell into our awkward silence period (as indicated by the doodles) and then pretty much ended on anger management, Jesus, and a 1980s manga.
I really had hit rock bottom.
Author's note: For those of you who don't know Urusei Yatsura was created by the same person who created both Ramma ½ and Inu Yashu. UY is actually her first work and was both a very popular manga and anime in the eighties and continues to be today. There's a lot to it, but for our purposes, Lum (who has become quite an icon in Japan and elsewhere in the world) is an alien princess who can fly and electrocute people. She idolized and worshiped by all the men at Tomobiki High School, except by Ataru Moroboshi, a lecherous, unlucky idiot (to put it bluntly). Ironically, though, Lum is in love with Ataru and believes they are husband and wife (long story there), much to Ataru's unhappiness. As a result, he resists and comedy ensues.
As for the character of Ryuunosuke (she's one of many in the large cast of characters), she has been forced ever since she was born to be a boy – she has a boy's name, has to dress like a boy, fight like a boy, etc – because her father always wanted a son but was given a daughter instead. At Tomobiki High School, everyone believes she is a male student and all the girls love her because she's so handsome, strong, smart, and sensitive. In fact, only Ataru knows realizes she's a girl. However, despite her popularity, all Ryuunosuke wants is to be able to behave like a girl and wear female clothing, etc. It's presented very humorously, but if you think about it, it is kind of sad.
Anyhow, hope that clears stuff up for those who were confused!