It took me forever to get around to adding an intro to this world. This is where I keep all my Fruits Basket fanfics. There are so many of them (and hopefully many more to come), I thought they needed their own world. 
My favorite characters from Fruits Basket are: Rin and Akito.
Fan Words contests I participated/will participate in:
"*Your* Story" by Haru93
"Your Best Friend" by Sangome
"Character Creation By the Numbers" by Markus Wolfe
Check them out!
Enjoy!
Ok, I just want to point out that there are SPOILERS in this one. Well, one big one. I’m just going to say this-if you haven’t learned Akito’s big secret yet, then it has a spoiler in it. This only shows up in the manga, NOT in the anime. I’m assuming that everyone who reads this knows Akito’s secret. If you don’t know it and want to read this anyway, look it up, because the whole story is based on it. I would write it here for you guys, but I don’t want to ruin it for anybody. Oh, and this is from Akito’s perspective as a little kid. Well, hope you like it!!!!! Let me know what you think!
I giggled at the mirror, delighted by how funny I looked. The sound bounced around and around the empty room, echoing through the hallways. My breath quickened, and I glanced around anxiously, alert to every noise. I hoped nobody had heard me laugh. It would be very, very bad if someone caught me in here. I stayed still, not even daring to move until the sound had passed entirely. After a moment I relaxed, alone again in the desolate room. No one had heard me.
I returned my full attention to the reflection in the mirror. It was so unfamiliar, I barely recognized myself. But I liked the reflection. It was so much prettier than I normally was. Mommy’s fancy kimono hung from my bony frame, the bright colors and patterns making my sun-deprived skin look even paler. “It would look SO much prettier,” I whispered to myself, turning this way and that before the mirror, “If my skin wasn’t so pale. I wonder why Mommy’s doesn’t look as pale as mine…”
I cast my gaze around the room, trying to come up with a way to add color to my complexion. Suddenly, I saw what I was looking for; a drawer of Mommy’s usually locked dresser was slightly ajar, and I rushed toward it, knowing what I would find. I had been in here many times before, and I had once knocked over the dresser by accident and found this. I hadn’t had any time to use it then-Mommy had caught me- but I had time now! I pulled makeup out by the handfuls. I loved playing with all of Mommy’s girly stuff. It was so much fun! I could spend hours in this room, just trying out all the different combinations of clothes and different kinds of makeup and finding out what looked best on me. I only wished that my hair was longer so I could style that, too. Mommy had never let me keep my sleek black hair long; I bet it would have looked nice. Maybe it would have even been as long as hers!
“Akito-san! Akito-san, where are you?” I heard my nurse’s distraught cry. I couldn’t be caught in here again! I was going to get in so much trouble. Mommy was going to be really mad at me. I knew that she hated it when I played dress-up and makeover, but it was just too much fun to pass up.
Suddenly footsteps pounded towards the door, and Mommy burst in. She looked mad; her long raven hair swirled over her shoulders, and bracelets jangled on her wrist. Her expression oozed an indescribable anger that my eight-year old mind could not comprehend. I ignored her expression, focusing instead on her jewelry. I wish I had thought of wearing jewelry like that! The bracelets and necklaces made her look even prettier. I bet it would have made me look better, too. “Mommy?” I asked, trying to ignore her glare. “Will you help me? I wanna grow up pretty like you, Mommy. I need your help!”
Mommy’s expression changed from anger to hate. I looked into her eyes, and all I could see was my reflection, my hair cut short like a boy’s, her fancy clothes barely covering my skinny body. I didn’t see love or kindness; all I saw was a little girl forced to act and dress like the boy she had never wanted to be.
It scared me.
I broke down and started to cry. I knew what was coming next. I didn’t even try to resist as Mommy ripped her clothes off of me, forcing me into my traditional male kimono. She washed off the makeup, scrubbing hard at my skin to make sure there wasn’t a trace left. When she finished, she leaned back and studied me critically. When she appeared satisfied by my male appearance, she shoved me out the doorway and retreated into her room, slamming the rice screen behind her.
I ran screaming and crying past my frantic nurse, back through the hallways, and lunged into my room, slamming the rice screen shut. I threw myself down on the pillows, still sobbing. Within minutes I heard the rice screen door of my room sliding open and Sigure, Ayame, Hatori, and Kureno walked in, softly shutting the rice screen behind them. I let them comfort me, telling me how pretty I was, and how sad Mommy would be when I grew up and she realized how she had wasted all of my beauty by forcing me to be raised as a boy. They passed me around, each holding me in his arms, telling me how I was the most important thing in his world. I clung to them all, clung to them because they were my lifelines. They were the only real things in my world.
They promised me that they would never leave me. My zodiac members promised me that they would never leave me, and I was never going to let them go.
Tohru sighed heavily and scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. She tugged at the pearls around her neck, adjusting them. The pearls gleamed a warm pink in the light, matching the soft rose tones of her dress. Mom would have been so happy for me, she thought dully. She would tell me I looked beautiful and helped me put on the pearls….
The pearls. Mom’s pearls.
With one final glance at the mirror, Tohru left her room and shuffled down the stairs, down to the room where she knew Yuki was waiting. After what seemed like an eternity, the hallway opened into the main room. Yuki stood near the doorway, watching the hallway expectantly. He wore a dark suit with a crisp white shirt, looking every bit the gentleman he was. His face lit up as she walked into the room, and his excitement showed as he strode over to where she was standing.
“You look beautiful, Honda-san,” Yuki leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’m so happy we are going to the prom together.” Leaning down, he took her hand in his and pressed his lips gently to it.
“Yes,” Tohru murmured distractedly, not looking at him. How could she focus on Yuki when he was in the room? He was dressed in a black suit as well, but he wore a gray shirt underneath with the collar undone, and he wasn’t wearing a tie. She stared at the top of his head, watching as he leaned over something she couldn’t see. His hair fell in his face, but he didn’t seem to notice. She longed to push it out of the way so she could see his deep brown eyes, eyes that held a gentleness that only she could see.
“Honda-san?” Yuki’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Are you ready to go? It’s almost time for the prom to start.”
“Oh…yes, I am. I’m coming.” Tohru forced a smile. Yuki smiled back and headed to the door. Within seconds, he was gone.
Tohru sighed heavily and made to follow him, even though she knew in her heart they shouldn't be going to the prom together. She knew they weren’t meant to be together, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him.
“Tohru?” A voice called out from behind her, and her heart leapt at the sound. “Before you go…”
“Yes!?” she squeaked, rushing over to his side. “What is it, Kyo-kun?” She gazed eagerly into his face.
“I…I, um,” he stammered, shuffling his feet. “Before we go to the prom, I…I wanted to…to give you something. “ He turned away again, and when he turned back around, she saw that his fist was clenched around a small object. He smiled at her, and she watched his nervousness melt away. “Close your eyes.”
She obliged, wondering what he could possibly want to give her. She heard him moving behind her, and she felt the soft stroke of his sleeve as he reached past her head. Then something cold slid around her neck, and she opened her eyes. A gold chain hung around her neck, and a small orange cat hung from it. The cat sat with its tail wrapped neatly around its paws, and to Tohru it looked happy and excited, waiting for a feast it would never attend.
“Shishou gave it to me,” Kyo said from behind her. “He said it belonged to his grandfather, as a symbol that not everything in the cat’s life has to be miserable, that the cat can find happiness, too. He thought I might want it. It made me think of you. Besides Shishou, you’re the only person who ever really believed in me. I wanted you to know that I’m not gonna give up fighting, I’m gonna prove myself to everyone, even Akito-san. I wanted to let you know how grateful I am that you believe in me, I wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and I wanted to say…I wanted to say, I love you, Tohru.”
Slowly, Tohru turned around. I can’t believe he just said that to me. I’ve been waiting for so long, hoping, and he said he loves me. ME. I can’t believe it. Kyo stood looking at the ground, bright red, his face hopeful under his embarrassment. “Kyo-kun?” Tohru whispered. Kyo looked up, his eyes bright and gleaming as they met hers. “I…I’m so happy. You’ve made me so happy, Kyo-kun! I love you, too!” The confession burst forth from her, as naturally as breathing. The second she said it, she knew it was true. She knew that Kyo was meant to be her forever.
In an instant, Kyo was standing in front of her, just inches away. He put his hand on the back of her neck, warm against her skin. His head was angled down towards her, his chocolate eyes on hers, his bangs in his face. He was smiling at her, a happy smile she had never seen him give to anyone, not even his Shishou. “Tohru?” he said again. “Would you come to the prom with me?” And just like that, her fantasy crashed down around her.
Yuki-kun.
She wanted nothing more than to say yes to Kyo. But how could she do that, with Yuki waiting outside for her? He was the Prince, and he could have any girl he wanted. But, he had chosen her. Tohru didn’t understand why he would ever choose her, but she knew in her heart that he loved her. She just didn’t know how to tell him that she didn’t love him in the same way.
“But…but what about Yuki-kun?” she cried, horrified.
“Damn rat,” he muttered. Kyo’s face hardened, and he looked away, anger and hurt swelling in his eyes. Even as he became angrier, Kyo’s grip on her neck never tightened, and he held Tohru as gently as ever. She mumbled, “I promised him I’d go with him! He’s been nothing but nice to me, and I’m going to break his heart. Oh, I’m such a terrible person!” Tohru put her face in her hands.
Kyo took her hands and pulled them away from her face, cradling them in one of his. With his other hand, he pulled her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Shhh, shhh,” he crooned. “You’re not a terrible person. You can’t control who he loves. It’s not your fault. Besides,” he whispered, “He has his whole life ahead of him, the whole world at his feet. I’m not going to let him take you away from me.”
“I…I know,” Tohru said. “But I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I can break his heart. Of course Yuki is important to me,” a shadow passed over Kyo’s face, “but, I don’t love him, not the way I love you. Just give him one more night. He’s just so happy. I’ll tell him tomorrow. I…I promise.”
Kyo closed his eyes and leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. “Okay,” he whispered. “I understand. I guess I don’t have a choice. I can tell see you aren’t ready to tell him.”
Tohru fought the urge to hug him, to let him hold her and keep her safe away from the world, if even just for a minute before he turned into a cat. Just for one minute, before she left him for the night and her world turned upside down…”I love you, Kyo-kun,” she whispered, unwilling to move.
He smiled, and his glee was evident. “I love you too, Tohru,” he whispered back.
A creak in the floorboard shocked Tohru and Kyo from their whispered confessions. Kyo’s head shot up, and she saw the faint glimmer of anger and disgust in his eyes that signified Yuki’s arrival. Slowly, she turned around, unwilling to face him just yet.
When she saw Yuki’s face, Tohru almost lost her composure. She let out a strangled sob, and she wished that he didn’t love her the way he did. Yuki looked lost, his eyes wide and empty except for the shock of what was in front of him. He opened and closed his mouth, gaping as he tried to put his feelings into words. After a minute he gave up and his face fell, defeated. His eyes closed and he hung his head. Tohru watched, and she wished for the umpteenth time that he didn’t love her, so he wouldn’t mind as much that she loved Kyo, loved him more than anything, loved him in a way she had never thought possible. Yuki didn’t deserve this kind of hurt. But she needed Kyo, and she had made her choice; there was no turning back now.
After an excruciating minute of an unbelievably loud and painful silence, Yuki looked up. He gazed into her troubled eyes, taking in the worry and the sadness she felt on his behalf. He forced a smile, but it did not reach his eyes, did not replace the love and hurt in his gaze. A single tear rolled down his cheek, falling to the floor. A puff of smoke concealed his figure, and Yuki was gone.
All that was left was a pile of clothes on the floor, and a small white rat, sobbing as he burrowed himself deeper into the empty clothes.
End
