The Four Musketeers (Fruits Basket)

Prologue

"Do you think...someone could ever be free?" 

"Hm?" 

The young woman hummed and leaned back against the bench as she stared at the twinkling stars above. An unexpected question from the boy prompted her to recall some of her own memories. Unhappy ones. 

Her gaze turned to the young boy sitting next to her. His smooth and silky silver hair blowing in the summer's wind. Contrary to the boy's pretty appearance, the woman noted his dim grey eyes and desolate expression that seemed to scream his inner turmoil. His small hands squeezing and wrinkling his shorts.  As she read his facial and body expressions, she knew in that moment that this boy was lost. 

She knew that feeling so well. He was lost...or better words would be trapped. 

With a soft sigh, the woman moved her gaze back towards the sky and closed her eyes. Her chest beat rapidly as she recalled her bad memories but smiled when she thought of the good ones. 

"Yes. I think someone could be free." She began making the boy flinch and widen his eyes at her response. He expected nothing from the lady as he was simply mumbling to himself. As he turned to look at her, his breath was caught in his throat. 

"I think everybody has their own invisible chains, whether we know it or not. We're all stuck in one place...waiting for someone to help us. To pull us out of our misery, pain, and suffering. But I found that sometimes you need to be the one to make the first move." The woman further talked as she opened her eyes and turned towards the boy. 

The two stared at each other and the woman gave him a warm smile. "Sometimes that attempt may fail but when its successful it'll feel like a breath of fresh air. Though my first attempts were small and slow. But I'm sure that there will be a time when you will write your own path; free from anybody's jurisdiction. No one but us can write our path, its our decision to move away, to be with someone, etc. Even when things seem so impossible, there will always be a way for you to move towards the future you want." 

The boy looked at her with wide eyes. The woman's hair seemed to glisten in the star's light and her eyes seemed to shine. Her words struck a cord within the boy. He clenched his fist tighter as he was lost, scared, and unsure about the world and where he belonged. The boy looked down at his fingers, playing with the hem of his shirt. The bubbling feeling was rising as he recalled the memories with that person. Could he ever find someone? Be free? 

The woman took a deep breath in as she recalled her past. "Sure, there will be bumps along the road and times where you feel utterly hopeless and lost. But in this world we - you and me - everyone is stumbling, crawling, and searching for something. We are all lost. But when the time is right, things will all fall into place." 

"How do you know it will ever come? How will someone ever be free when they are locked and can't move? What happens when they have no meaning?" The boy's voice cracked and wavered as he spilled his inner most thoughts. He felt afraid letting someone else know. He was scared of rejection, disgust, and abandonment.  

The young woman widened her eyes slightly to the kid's words. The cool breeze blowing their hair and creating a short silence. The woman smiled warmly, tucking her light brown hair behind her ear, and placing a comforting hand on the boy's head. 

"Everybody has meaning. There is a reason why both you and me are breathing. Even though you may not know the reason at the moment. But I'd like to think of it like this: even though the world doesn't need us, we live for those who need us." 

He never thought that he would be opening his heart and emotions out to a mere stranger. One who doesn't know his secrets. His sufferings. His darkness. But somehow within his chest he felt warm and comforted by her words. 

"There is someone out there, waiting for us. After all, we are searching for them and they are searching for us. We are all looking for someone to understand us, hold us in their arms, and love us." 

 "Will that day ever come?" 

"It will. When that day comes I'll expect to see you happily smiling when I run into you again, kiddie" The woman chided as she soothingly stroked the boy's silver hair. 

The wind blew again and this time the boy's heart felt lighter as he stared at the person in front of him. He ingrained the wise words that she spoke and kept them locked in his heart. With clenched hands, his cheeks became slightly tinted red. 

"Hm..." The boy hummed out, his eyes seemingly to have a bit more light to them. 

The woman giggled in joy seeing the boy's face. 

'I hope you can smile and find joy in your life. Your path may be rocky and difficult, but I'm sure you will find happiness.' 

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