𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙚 -𝘼𝙣 𝙄𝙨𝙚𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘-

The Meeting

'Man my back, aches.' Koharu groans as we walk out of the mostly empty school. Who would have thought cleaning up one classroom would take what felt like decades!

'Mine too! And now I have to walk all the way back to Sobo's (Japanese word for Grandma) apartment.' I whine.

'You live with your Sobo?' She asks, looking around the street.

'Uh....'

'Oh there those dummies are! You got time to meet some family members of mine?' Koharu cuts me off.

'Sure.' I'm glad she did, I didn't want to explain that my Dad decided to be a total jerk and have me move in with my Sobo.

'Well, then come on.' 

I'm not even looking at whoever these dummies are. So when I nearly smack into one of them if it weren't for Koharu, I'm embarrassed.

'Sorry.' I quickly spurt out, finally looking up, at eyes way too familiar. Dark hair, dark blue eyes. Looks that could make any girl fall in love.

'I'd watch where I was going, if I were you.' A teenage Hatori Sohma tells me. 

'Yes. It's uh, just... it's nothing.' I take three steps back from him, and get to be blessed by a young Shigure and Ayame Sohma staring at me like I'm some freak.

'Don't mind Tanaka. She's just a bit clumsy.' 

I'm so glad I didn't walk into him. I'm sooo glad I didn't walk into him. I might have accidentally turned him into a seahorse. 

'That's not being clumsy, Koharu, that's being dumb.' Shigure chuckles.

'I wasn't doing it on purpose okay? It just happened.' I state. 'I'm very use to looking down all the time. So, it happens a lot.' 

'That's sad.' Koharu whispers.

'That's just depressing.' Hatori winces.

It's not that depressing. And I don't do it that much compared to my past life. I'm so often having to look up, because I play volleyball. Which is one of the few things I'm good at. Volleyball, giving good advice occasionally, and staying quiet. That's all the things I seem to be good at. Oh, and Sobo insists I'm good at poker. 

'It's not depressing. Not compared to other things people I know have gone through.' I say, avoiding Hatori's dark eyes. 

He doesn't know it yet, but he'll have to erase the memories of the one he loves. He'll have to suffer through all of it, and she won't remember squat. She won't have to suffer. She'll melt, and he'll stay like snow. Sure, maybe in the end he'll find love with Mayu, but first he has to go through so much. 

All of these guys have to go through so much. And what about Koharu? She's not in the original Fruits Basket story. What happens to her? 

'I can't let that happen.' I whisper, a hint of determination. 'I can't.'

'You can't what?' Koharu asks.

'Nothing.' I look back over at Hatori. It hurts to look at someone, know there whole future. And know all the pain they'll go through. 'Well, I have to get back. Sobo is probably worried sick about me.' 

'Yeah, we should be heading back to.' Koharu agrees. 'It was nice getting to meet you Tanaka, I'll see you tomorrow!'

'Yeah, it was nice getting to meet you, Hashi.' Shigure snickers. Aye joins in with him. I don't know what they think is so funny.

'Whatever.' Hatori sighs, turning away from me.