Fruits Basket One-Shots

Shigure: Mother's Day

//For context, Akito died during childbirth, leaving Shigure behind to somehow find a way for her to still be in their lives.//

"Dad.. where's my mom?"

The boy that held his father's hand seemed curious but also sad. Everyone else at the gathering had a mom, yet he seemed to have none. Maybe that was why is papa seemed so sad while looking at him.

The former dog zodiac knew that one day he would be old enough to ask questions. He just wasn't ready for them. He didn't know how to answer. So instead, he stared out to the other children. Eventually, he caught the eye of his friend who flashed him a sympathetic look. "..later, son.. okay?"

He couldn't help but frown at the boy who's gaze was immediately crestfallen. Gently, he pushed his son towards the other kids. "Go and play, Shiki."

The friend from earlier had joined the saddened man, standing with him. "You need to tell him, Shigure."

"I know.. but looking at him reminds me of her and I just can't bring myself to do it. How do you tell your son, who looks just like his mother, that she was dead? How do you look him in the face and say that? Tell me, Hatori."

Hatori didn't have to use his medical skills to know that he was lost. "I wouldn't know. But I do know is that she was happy when she finally had him. She didn't care if she was dying, as long as her son was safe. In fact, she told me that she knew her time was over. She also said that her son's time was not. She left him in your care because she loved you. Not because she didn't want to take care of him." The doctor sighed softly before putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "She loved you, Shigure."

"Still.. I don't think I ever could. He's only five. And I'm.. not ready."

"You'll have to be when the time comes. You can't keep chasing her ghost forever."

🥀

"Shii-chan.." it was mothers day then when the man finally opened the door to his son's room. The boy had grown up, sprouting into a proud fifteen year old. He couldn't be more prouder when his son started to be more open and gain friends.

"Dad?" Shiki looked up from a book, noticing his father carry an old photo album.