Categories > Anime/Manga > Fruits Basket > We Can Fall Apart or Fall Together
AN: This story will be based entirely off the anime, which means that there will be no Kureno or Rin, and that Akito will be male. There will be spoilers throughout the story for the entire series, so if you haven't finished watching it yet and don't want any surprises, don't read any further! That being said... Enjoy.
"I never thought I would wake up in bed,
watching the world coming down on my head."
-Yellowcard, 'Down on My Head'
-Chapter One-
-Crux-
No one really, least of all Yuki, knew exactly how it came to be. One day it was the regular trio, Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, and the next the Cat and the Riceball were a couple, and the Rat was the odd one out.
There was speculation amongst the Sohma family. Those who looked upon Kyo with disdain suggested that he forced Tohru to be with him. Others, those with more open minds, said that perhaps it was because the kind hearted girl felt sorry for the Cat.
Whatever the reason, they were together, and Yuki was devastated. He felt as though his heart had been torn out through his chest and stomped upon. Through the painful haze in his mind, he could just barely register the sad truth that even though he felt betrayed, Tohru had never meant to hurt him. He doubted Kyo meant anything by it, either.
And really, who was he to feel bitter, when he had wanted so badly to be with Tohru, himself? Had that come to be, would it not have left the Cat alone and despairing? And though they hated each other, despite constantly trying to prove who was the better man, they had never truly tried to hurt one another, had they? No. There was no question, if given the opportunity to crush each other, heart and soul, they would not take it. Neither of them had enough malice and spite to do such a thing. Yuki proved that, himself, when he went after Kyo on that night, so long ago it seemed, when Tohru had finally learned the secret of the Cat.
Some would argue, though, that the Rat now had the initiative to harm Kyo. He was hurting, heart-broken. But Yuki couldn't bring himself to hate Kyo any more than he already did. It wasn't the Cat's fault, anyway, was it? And, if Yuki was honest with himself, he just didn't have the will to fight him anymore. It had been lost, along with his heart.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hatsuharu was at a loss. His precious Yuki was devastated and seemed to be slipping into an abyss so deep and vast that if he went too far he would never come back. But what could the Cow do? Consoling the Rat was in vain; Yuki had grown deaf and blind as he had grown sad. Nothing penetrated the fog that surrounded him. The fog that was entirely Kyo and Tohru's fault.
More than anything, Haru was furious at the couple. Kyo, who had done nothing but fight with Yuki since the day they met, had now delivered the final blow to his life-long opponent. And this, stealing the person who mattered most to Yuki, was a hit below the belt.
And then Tohru, who had promised to take care of them, who had sworn to do her best to keep them happy, had gone back on her word. She was as bad as the damned Cat. To hell with them both, Hatsuharu thought. And good riddance.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Kisa couldn't really help but be happy for Tohru. Her 'Sissy' was finally getting the love and attention she deserved. But Yuki seemed sad, and that was not good. Young though she was, the Tiger was no fool. She could see the similarities between herself and her older cousin.
Like her, he strived to fit in and feel welcomed. He was quiet and shy, exactly the way she was. In this way, she thought maybe she could understand him. Except the person she loved wasn't with someone else, and in realizing that, she was back at the beginning, just wishing she wasn't so useless all over again.
~~~~~*~~~~~
What bothered Momiji the most about the present state of affairs among the Sohmas was not that anyone was upset or hurt. Some broken hearts could mend, if given time and love. Yuki, and Kagura even, had enough of both of those things. The problem was that there were whispers among the main house that Akito was angry, and his displeasure usually resulted in one of two things: violence or memory loss. Neither sounded like a good thing.
If the head of the family were to order that Tohru's memories be erased, Momiji feared the damage caused to the Cat would be irreversible. After this incident, no one would be willing to offer Kyo any moral support. No one who mattered, anyway. Except, perhaps, Kazuma.
But the Rabbit doubted that even the Master could fix Kyo's tattered soul if Tohru was permanently banished from their lives. The Cat had been hurt one too many times, denied the warmth that a welcoming smile could bring far too often. And even the best repairman could not mend something that was shattered into a million pieces.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hatori had failed again, in protecting those that he swore he would. He told himself he would make sure that his younger relatives grew up not ever having to experience the loss that he had.
And the one girl who had tried her hardest to save them had also managed to damn them all. Tohru's relationship with Kyo had turned the entire house against itself. Arguments everywhere you looked, angry words muttered back and forth; it was chaos.
And to top it off, Hatori suspected he might have to relieve the girl of her memories, which was the very last thing he wanted to do. While it may have been bad enough already, somehow he knew that if she were gone their situation would be thousands of times worse.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Never before had the Snake felt so entirely worthless in his whole life. Unable to do much more than sit back and watch as his only brother sunk deeper and deeper into a hole, Ayame wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and rage and just completely let go.
This time around, as the rift between himself and Yuki widened at an alarming rate, he couldn't even seek out Tohru's counsel, because she was the reason his sibling wept.
What was worse, she, whom Ayame had trusted so much, had done the same thing to Yuki that the Snake had so long ago. The Rat, so terrified of rejection that he never asked for help, had held his hand out to her the entire time, quaking in fear, just like he had as a child. And she had turned away from him.
Tohru, he knew, who was not a hurtful or heartless person at all, hadn't meant to disrupt things like she did. But the fact remained that no matter how sorry she was, the deed was done, and there was no going back. Maybe that was what scared Ayame the most. The irrevocable, the chasm between Yuki and himself expanding to the edges of the universe, so widespread that if he were to shout into the darkness at the top of his lungs, not even his echo would answer.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hiro wouldn't have much cared for the situation at hand were it not for Kisa. She was confused and upset, and that made him angry. How dare that annoying, pathetic Tohru girl mess things up so badly. Couldn't she tell that all she was doing was hurting everyone?
And that stupid Cat. He was always causing trouble for everyone. Didn't he know when to stop? The two of them were really grating on his last nerve. Idiots.
~~~~~*~~~~~
For once, nothing was Ritsu's fault. No, this time, everything was entirely out of his hands. He didn't know what to make of that, either, and whether or not it made him feel happy or sad. In the end, he decided on the latter.
Tohru was unhappy. Yuki was unhappy. Everyone was unhappy. And Ritsu couldn't help. Not to say that he hadn't tried. He went out and bought the Rat a whole dozen jelly buns. Yuki had just looked at him with his big, purple eyes, seeming for all the world as though he had somehow let the Monkey down by being unable to smile at the gift. That made Ritsu especially forlorn. But all he could do was mutter a half-hearted farewell and leave, defeated but not to blame.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Shigure watched as the world came crashing down, all over one teenage girl. This sensation of hopelessness and conflict and anger and pain and dismal sorrow and so many other things was utterly unbearable.
The Dog, who was always, always looking out for his loved ones despite the carefree façade he constantly wore, was unable to produce a clever scheme for solving the whole matter. For once he didn't have a wise or noble quote to spout from his memory. He didn't know how to advise anyone, and it scared him. Being without answers, unsure of the future, was one of his greatest fears.
And this time knowing things was crucial. Without any sort of knowledge he couldn't help Yuki see that there was still a light at the end of the tunnel he'd gotten lost in. He couldn't reassure Tohru that everything would be all right, because he wasn't sure if it would be. He couldn't offer any sort of support to either of his best friends when they needed it most. He was without use or cause. This, he knew, was worse than any Zodiac curse could ever be.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Though she always proclaimed it aloud, and would gladly declare it to anyone who asked, Kagura never really expected to marry Kyo someday. Then why was she so shocked when she learned that her childhood love was with Tohru? Maybe, she mused, she had never expected for Kyo to be with anyone. The thought was harsh, she knew, but really, who could blame her? Yuki was the perfect picture of a gentleman. He was everything any woman would adore, and Tohru was no exception. In the end, everyone had thought it would be the handsome prince who would sweep the timid princess off her feet.
It didn't make sense to the Boar at all. Kyo, the one person she had ever truly loved, and Tohru, the one girl who had managed to snag Yuki's heart simply because she didn't seek it like other females, were together. But it wasn't supposed to be that way... Was it? Then how should it have been, Kagura couldn't help but ask herself. Sure, she pictured the Rat being with Tohru, but what of Kyo? And herself? If she didn't think she would marry him, then who would she marry? And did she really think she would allow herself to see the Cat alone for the rest of his life? Why couldn't she put the pieces together? Nothing was clear except one thing: she was hurt.
Everything she had been sure about had been falling apart in front of her, yet she hadn't noticed until it was far too late. What was she left with? Confusion, sadness, and anger that she couldn't make sense of.
The breaking of her heart was a painful thing, practically physical. She could have sworn that if she listened carefully, she could hear the pieces of it shattering and falling at her feet.
~~~~~*~~~~~
This chapter is dedicated to SnowyBlackOwl, who has been a darling friend and "sister."
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are property of Natsuki Takaya. I do not claim any rights to them whatsoever.
~ The Neko Kami of the Fruit Loops
"I never thought I would wake up in bed,
watching the world coming down on my head."
-Yellowcard, 'Down on My Head'
-Chapter One-
-Crux-
No one really, least of all Yuki, knew exactly how it came to be. One day it was the regular trio, Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, and the next the Cat and the Riceball were a couple, and the Rat was the odd one out.
There was speculation amongst the Sohma family. Those who looked upon Kyo with disdain suggested that he forced Tohru to be with him. Others, those with more open minds, said that perhaps it was because the kind hearted girl felt sorry for the Cat.
Whatever the reason, they were together, and Yuki was devastated. He felt as though his heart had been torn out through his chest and stomped upon. Through the painful haze in his mind, he could just barely register the sad truth that even though he felt betrayed, Tohru had never meant to hurt him. He doubted Kyo meant anything by it, either.
And really, who was he to feel bitter, when he had wanted so badly to be with Tohru, himself? Had that come to be, would it not have left the Cat alone and despairing? And though they hated each other, despite constantly trying to prove who was the better man, they had never truly tried to hurt one another, had they? No. There was no question, if given the opportunity to crush each other, heart and soul, they would not take it. Neither of them had enough malice and spite to do such a thing. Yuki proved that, himself, when he went after Kyo on that night, so long ago it seemed, when Tohru had finally learned the secret of the Cat.
Some would argue, though, that the Rat now had the initiative to harm Kyo. He was hurting, heart-broken. But Yuki couldn't bring himself to hate Kyo any more than he already did. It wasn't the Cat's fault, anyway, was it? And, if Yuki was honest with himself, he just didn't have the will to fight him anymore. It had been lost, along with his heart.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hatsuharu was at a loss. His precious Yuki was devastated and seemed to be slipping into an abyss so deep and vast that if he went too far he would never come back. But what could the Cow do? Consoling the Rat was in vain; Yuki had grown deaf and blind as he had grown sad. Nothing penetrated the fog that surrounded him. The fog that was entirely Kyo and Tohru's fault.
More than anything, Haru was furious at the couple. Kyo, who had done nothing but fight with Yuki since the day they met, had now delivered the final blow to his life-long opponent. And this, stealing the person who mattered most to Yuki, was a hit below the belt.
And then Tohru, who had promised to take care of them, who had sworn to do her best to keep them happy, had gone back on her word. She was as bad as the damned Cat. To hell with them both, Hatsuharu thought. And good riddance.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Kisa couldn't really help but be happy for Tohru. Her 'Sissy' was finally getting the love and attention she deserved. But Yuki seemed sad, and that was not good. Young though she was, the Tiger was no fool. She could see the similarities between herself and her older cousin.
Like her, he strived to fit in and feel welcomed. He was quiet and shy, exactly the way she was. In this way, she thought maybe she could understand him. Except the person she loved wasn't with someone else, and in realizing that, she was back at the beginning, just wishing she wasn't so useless all over again.
~~~~~*~~~~~
What bothered Momiji the most about the present state of affairs among the Sohmas was not that anyone was upset or hurt. Some broken hearts could mend, if given time and love. Yuki, and Kagura even, had enough of both of those things. The problem was that there were whispers among the main house that Akito was angry, and his displeasure usually resulted in one of two things: violence or memory loss. Neither sounded like a good thing.
If the head of the family were to order that Tohru's memories be erased, Momiji feared the damage caused to the Cat would be irreversible. After this incident, no one would be willing to offer Kyo any moral support. No one who mattered, anyway. Except, perhaps, Kazuma.
But the Rabbit doubted that even the Master could fix Kyo's tattered soul if Tohru was permanently banished from their lives. The Cat had been hurt one too many times, denied the warmth that a welcoming smile could bring far too often. And even the best repairman could not mend something that was shattered into a million pieces.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hatori had failed again, in protecting those that he swore he would. He told himself he would make sure that his younger relatives grew up not ever having to experience the loss that he had.
And the one girl who had tried her hardest to save them had also managed to damn them all. Tohru's relationship with Kyo had turned the entire house against itself. Arguments everywhere you looked, angry words muttered back and forth; it was chaos.
And to top it off, Hatori suspected he might have to relieve the girl of her memories, which was the very last thing he wanted to do. While it may have been bad enough already, somehow he knew that if she were gone their situation would be thousands of times worse.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Never before had the Snake felt so entirely worthless in his whole life. Unable to do much more than sit back and watch as his only brother sunk deeper and deeper into a hole, Ayame wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and rage and just completely let go.
This time around, as the rift between himself and Yuki widened at an alarming rate, he couldn't even seek out Tohru's counsel, because she was the reason his sibling wept.
What was worse, she, whom Ayame had trusted so much, had done the same thing to Yuki that the Snake had so long ago. The Rat, so terrified of rejection that he never asked for help, had held his hand out to her the entire time, quaking in fear, just like he had as a child. And she had turned away from him.
Tohru, he knew, who was not a hurtful or heartless person at all, hadn't meant to disrupt things like she did. But the fact remained that no matter how sorry she was, the deed was done, and there was no going back. Maybe that was what scared Ayame the most. The irrevocable, the chasm between Yuki and himself expanding to the edges of the universe, so widespread that if he were to shout into the darkness at the top of his lungs, not even his echo would answer.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Hiro wouldn't have much cared for the situation at hand were it not for Kisa. She was confused and upset, and that made him angry. How dare that annoying, pathetic Tohru girl mess things up so badly. Couldn't she tell that all she was doing was hurting everyone?
And that stupid Cat. He was always causing trouble for everyone. Didn't he know when to stop? The two of them were really grating on his last nerve. Idiots.
~~~~~*~~~~~
For once, nothing was Ritsu's fault. No, this time, everything was entirely out of his hands. He didn't know what to make of that, either, and whether or not it made him feel happy or sad. In the end, he decided on the latter.
Tohru was unhappy. Yuki was unhappy. Everyone was unhappy. And Ritsu couldn't help. Not to say that he hadn't tried. He went out and bought the Rat a whole dozen jelly buns. Yuki had just looked at him with his big, purple eyes, seeming for all the world as though he had somehow let the Monkey down by being unable to smile at the gift. That made Ritsu especially forlorn. But all he could do was mutter a half-hearted farewell and leave, defeated but not to blame.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Shigure watched as the world came crashing down, all over one teenage girl. This sensation of hopelessness and conflict and anger and pain and dismal sorrow and so many other things was utterly unbearable.
The Dog, who was always, always looking out for his loved ones despite the carefree façade he constantly wore, was unable to produce a clever scheme for solving the whole matter. For once he didn't have a wise or noble quote to spout from his memory. He didn't know how to advise anyone, and it scared him. Being without answers, unsure of the future, was one of his greatest fears.
And this time knowing things was crucial. Without any sort of knowledge he couldn't help Yuki see that there was still a light at the end of the tunnel he'd gotten lost in. He couldn't reassure Tohru that everything would be all right, because he wasn't sure if it would be. He couldn't offer any sort of support to either of his best friends when they needed it most. He was without use or cause. This, he knew, was worse than any Zodiac curse could ever be.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Though she always proclaimed it aloud, and would gladly declare it to anyone who asked, Kagura never really expected to marry Kyo someday. Then why was she so shocked when she learned that her childhood love was with Tohru? Maybe, she mused, she had never expected for Kyo to be with anyone. The thought was harsh, she knew, but really, who could blame her? Yuki was the perfect picture of a gentleman. He was everything any woman would adore, and Tohru was no exception. In the end, everyone had thought it would be the handsome prince who would sweep the timid princess off her feet.
It didn't make sense to the Boar at all. Kyo, the one person she had ever truly loved, and Tohru, the one girl who had managed to snag Yuki's heart simply because she didn't seek it like other females, were together. But it wasn't supposed to be that way... Was it? Then how should it have been, Kagura couldn't help but ask herself. Sure, she pictured the Rat being with Tohru, but what of Kyo? And herself? If she didn't think she would marry him, then who would she marry? And did she really think she would allow herself to see the Cat alone for the rest of his life? Why couldn't she put the pieces together? Nothing was clear except one thing: she was hurt.
Everything she had been sure about had been falling apart in front of her, yet she hadn't noticed until it was far too late. What was she left with? Confusion, sadness, and anger that she couldn't make sense of.
The breaking of her heart was a painful thing, practically physical. She could have sworn that if she listened carefully, she could hear the pieces of it shattering and falling at her feet.
~~~~~*~~~~~
This chapter is dedicated to SnowyBlackOwl, who has been a darling friend and "sister."
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are property of Natsuki Takaya. I do not claim any rights to them whatsoever.
~ The Neko Kami of the Fruit Loops
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