Oneshots | Fruits Basket | 1192131999

Thirteen Strings | The Horse: Isuzu Sohma

Fireworks blasted into the sky, lighting up the river below the bridge. You leaned by the rails, watching the colours cascade in a stream of twinkling lights that fizzled out quietly in the breeze. It was a small festival filled with laughter and joy, smiles littering the crowds.

All except for one.

"How long are we going to stand here?" Asked Isuzu with a bored look on her face, her arms crossed from within her kimono.

"Until Hatsuharu arrives?" You replied. "I thought that was the plan."

"I mean, yeah sure."

Isuzu pouted while she turned her eyes away, slightly embarrassed about her oversight. You couldn't help a smile on your face while you stared at the back of her head, her long hair catching the wind that carried the fireworks above. There was always something amiss about the older girl, you thought, watching her stand with conviction. As if a brick wall shielded her from the world.

Still the festivities coloured the streets, inwardly surprised about your invitation here by the Sohma family to begin with. You just happened to bump into Isuzu while she was waiting for the others.

"Shame, he's missing the fireworks," you commented, eyeing the sky still sparkling with light and colour.

"That's Hatsuharu for you," she murmured, still with her back to you.

"Well, I guess he's still on his way with the rest from Kaibara. Taking their time?"

You still eyed Isuzu's back without a peep from her. She showed no reaction to your words, only standing there with her eyes cast somewhere else. Not any effect made her flinch, the thought of it soon passing by before your eyes were drawn to the crowds that walked by instead. They enjoyed the festival at hand. Many from different walks of life attended, from friends congregating, families celebrating, and soon your eyes landing on couples embracing each other. You turned to Isuzu once more, unable to notice her mood still with her back to you, but your curiosity was getting the better of you, leaning against the railings by the bridge.

"So... you and Hatsuharu..." you started, wondering how to present your question. "You're a thing, right?"

Suddenly, a blur of black caught your eye, the whip of Isuzu's mane casting itself into the wind with her dark eyes on you, scarily so. "What about us?" She questioned intimidatingly.

You almost jumped from your skin at the sight, her eyes peering through you almost with a quiet menace. You backed away slightly from her intense stare. Her eyes, despite the depths of their dark pools, glowed in the festival light. She bore into yours, almost inspecting your intentions.

"We are. What of it?" continued Isuzu, dry and cold in her speech.

"Nothing! I was curious!" you exclaimed a little loudly amongst the crowd that a few eyes were drawn to the exclamation. "I mean, I've noticed the way he looks at you sometimes. It's really sweet."

The expectation of receiving a silent and deadly punishment from the girl was a thought that crossed your mind a thousand times over now in this brief conversation about her relationships, but instead you were met with something flustered. Isuzu merely huffed under her breath, her eyes turned away towards the river below the bridge, hiding herself from your gaze. It wasn't often that you found Isuzu in this kind of mood, if not at all, discovering a moment of embarrassment that she was hardly ever known for.

You were content, unable to avoid the smile that slowly formed on your lips at the sight. Having met Hatsuharu and realising both his gentle and his unpredictable natures, it was rather poetic to find that he fancied Isuzu, who by all accounts had a similar nature herself. Strange things in the Sohma family only brought you to recollect on each of them, every person with their own faults and their own strengths, as it was for many everywhere you stepped.

"You smile too much," Isuzu bluntly commented, her deep eyes on you that broke you away from your meandering thoughts.

"I do?" You questioned in kind.

"Yeah, it looks... cheesy, Smiles."

A slight snort only made way for a loud chuckle before you burst into laughter. You couldn't help at the observation that dark-haired beauty made, only to earn a strong pinch of your cheeks from her while she berated loudly.

Aggressive care, you thought. Despite her less than irate side of her, revealing a little of her loving nature, Isuzu was a different sort. Many people came in different ways, and you've learnt Isuzu was just that.