Categories > Anime/Manga > Fruits Basket > Words of a Wilted Rose

Unwanted Reunion

by KiMoNo-ChIcK 1 review

Momiji and his dad Kaoru go to the funeral of his worker Ayuto. While there they meet Michiko, who needs a place to stay while the lawyer figures out the will and things.

Category: Fruits Basket - Rating: PG - Genres: Drama - Characters: Momiji, Other - Warnings: [!!] - Published: 2007-04-14 - Updated: 2007-04-15 - 505 words

0Unrated
The next day Momiji and Kaoru made their way to a cemetery nearby for the funeral of Kaoru's worker Ayuto. Both of them were dressed in ebony suits, but Momiji had snuck away a colorful hat to wear because he didn't like being dressed in such a melancholy color.

As he and Kaoru walked over to the large group of people gathered near the grave, he pulled it from his left pocket. "Momiji, please...this is a funeral. Put your hat away." Momiji sighed and did as his father said.

There was a man dressed in ceremonial robes, who lit incense and placed the sticks next to a bouqet of lilies on the grave, then read a haiku describing the mysterious place in which the dead are received. Momiji yawned and began twiddling his thumbs as the man continued to talk about loss and several people spoke about their relationships with Ayuto.

Momiji looked around to see everyone's faces. There were many elderly women, who were sobbing hysterically into handkerchiefs as the men merely bowed their heads in respect. "Michiko, would you like to say something?" All heads turned to the women at the front of the grave, who was weeping sullenly beneath a veiled hat. Momiji looked closer, recognizing the blonde locks that were his own. He was staring at his mother.

Michiko shook her head silently, and the man in robes said a final blessing on the grave. Afterward, many gather around Michiko to apologize for her loss. Momiji looked up at his father, who pulled at his hand and joined the group. "Michiko?"

Michiko lifted her veil and smiled meekly. "Kaoru-san. I'm so glad that you could come." Momiji looked at the ground, not wanting to lock eyes with his mother because of the pain in his heart. Michiko dried her eyes with her handkerchief and then proceeded to put it into her clutch purse. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Kaoru-san, I'm just...still in shock."

"Yes, I can understand." "Momo and I have no place to stay, now that Ayuto-san is gone. His mother has moved into his home, and refuses to let us do the same. She is having some trouble dealing with his death also." Momiji raised his eyes to look at his father, who had a soft expression on his face.

"We have an extra room, Michiko. You are always allowed to stay with Momiji-chan and I, it would be our pleasure to help you in this time of grief." Momiji was taken aback by his father's words, and his gaze rapidly returned to the ground at his feet.

Michiko smiled. "Yes, Kaoru-san, but I do not intend to barge in on you and Momiji-chan like that. I will have to look elsewhere for a place to stay." She turned and slowly walked away from Kaoru and Momiji.

Momiji could see the hurt look on his father's face. He turned around and whispered, "Come, Momiji-chan. Let's go back home and have something to eat."
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