𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Fruits Basket FF

(24) Part 1.

TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️ ATTEMPT ⚠️ YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

unrevised.
/ chapter 24 /

Ichika wore a smile on her face as she turned a left corner and headed down the stairs.

"There you are Ichika-chan! I was looking everywhere for you, are you alright?!" A brunette frantically came towards her and held her arms.

The blue-haired Sohma blinked at her surprised before a small smile played on her lips. "I'm sorry I ran off like that, I'm fine now Tohru-chan."

Tohru looked at her up and down suspiciously before sighing. She linked one of her arms with Ichika and gently lead the way. "Don't worry me like that! Now come on, Shigure-san is cutting us watermelons!"

Ichika followed her lead where she was led out of the cabin and towards the lake. She took in the majority of the beautiful surroundings.

The earthy smell of the air and the vibrant green trees that stood tall and had completely closed them in from each side. The sounds of the crickets distinctive chirping, and that was when she came upon the lake. The water glistened from the sun.

The lake was the most beautiful out of everything she had seen before. It was radiant as if it was glitter.

"Hey! Over here!" A familiar white-haired man called out to them, flamboyantly waving to them with a charming wide smile.

The girls headed over to him to see four other figures around them. Kyo was setting up the table whilst Shigure, on the other hand, was debating on which watermelon he should cut, only to be scolded by Hatori who simply told him to 'pick a damn one'. Yuki was preparing the plates just as Kyo had finished and set them upon the table.

She was going to miss this.

Ichika suddenly felt a cold hand upon her forehead. She turned to her side to find Hatori had moved from his previous spot and was immediately beside her. She had to steady her heart upon the sudden skin contact and felt her cheeks becoming slightly warmer by the second.

"You look pale. You're not catching a cold or anything, are you?" Hatori queried, eyeing her as he checked her temperature.

Ichika shook her head and answered, "I think it's just the heat that's getting to me a little."

Hatori immediately snatched a cold water bottle from Shigure's hands without him noticing and swiftly handed it to her. She looked at it surprised before gratefully taking it with a blush on her face.

The two were silent as she took a sip from it. Her eyes remained on the beautiful scene of the lake and Hatori followed her gaze, but with the occasional sneaky glances back to her as the others around them were busy.

There was something different about her now, but he couldn't tell what exactly. She seemed older. Mature. Or maybe she was relaxed, at peace. He couldn't really tell.

Hatori couldn't believe how much time had already passed since their first meeting. Leaving her under Shigure's roof was better than leaving her at the Estate. He had already seen much of an improvement despite how rocky the journey was. She reminded him of Yuki. The little boy that was endlessly trapped in the Estate had finally found a way to escape took the chance and never looked back.

He was free.

Just like she was now.

"Hatori-san, look!" He heard her melodic voice call his name, and his heart skipped a beat.

Huh? Why would it?

Hatori turned to her and found a butterfly with blue wings had landed on her index finger. His eyes slowly widened. It was truly a beautiful insect, but that wasn't what stood out to him the most. It was her smile that did. She shared a captivating smile that melted his walls. A ray of sunshine painted over her face, her teeth were showing and her navy eyes sparkled with joy.

He felt his heart skip another beat.

The butterfly was as blue as her hair. It matched her perfectly.

He watched her silently as the butterfly played with her. It would circle her and then settle on her finger again and then moved to sit on the tip of her nose. Her curtain bangs would occasionally fall into her eyes, and she would push it away with her pale hand.

She looked ethereal, even unreal. And he didn't realised he was staring at her instead of the fluttering little thing until the butterfly had flew away and she caught him staring.

She tilted her head to the side and look up at him just as he remained speechless.

When was the last time he looked at someone like that?

"Hatori-san?" She started. "Was the butterfly that beautiful that it left you speechless like that?"

Without even thinking, Hatori answered in a daze. "Yes. It was one of a kind."

Ichika raised her eyebrows slightly and blinked. Then she giggled into her fist. "It was, wasn't it."

Hatori clenched his fists behind his back in quick attempts to stop his pounding heart. Even her laughter was cute. Being near her was making him feel all sorts of things.

He was then saved by Shigure's call for everyone to gather. The two Dragon Spirits joined the group as watermelon slices were passed out to one another. They sat at the table side by side and took a bite out of the sweet melon.

"Oi! That's my piece! Get your hands off!" Kyo yelled.

"You get your hands off, I touched it first." Yuki retorted.

"Now, now boys.." Shigure sweatdropped. "There's enough for ev—"

"Shut up!" They yelled in unison.

"K-Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun sure are energetic today, huh?" Tohru added as she was stuck in between them.

"Well, energetic equals fun for all!" Ayame commented.

Hatori watched over the group with a ghost of a smile.

He hoped it would stay like this forever.

But maybe he'd wish for too much, like he always did.