50 Fruits in a Basket (A Fruits Basket Fan-Fic)

The "Check-Up"

Alrighty! Welcome to my Fruits Basket Fan- Fic! Thanks in advance to my editor @conjoinedoranges! :) I would never get anything done.... I feel like Shigure saying that... Oh well! Anyways, I hope you enjoy, I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while.

Do remember that I do not own anything from Fruits Basket apart from my personal plot and characters.

I've updated this fic to take place moreso in modern times, like the anime reboot! I think that there are some fun, extra elements I can sprinkle in with that time setting. :)

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15 years. That's how long I've been stuck in the Sohma complex. Akito swore that I should be cursed as a part of the Zodiac like my brothers. He's been bent out of shape about this since he found out about an accidental hugging incident with Ayame when I was a baby, but after all these years, nothing. No Zodiac Curse. Regardless, he keeps me close -- scared that if I stray too far, he'll lose the hold on me he thinks he deserves. 

So I stay. I don't go to school like my cousins; rather, Hatori handles my homeschooling when he isn't attending to the Sohma family as it's physician. I often end up wondering how on earth my family (and then Hatori) got away with homeschooling me -- it's not like it's really something people do in Japan. It's not like I don't see any of my cousins, though. Momiji and Hatsuharu often keep me company, which I think we all need.

"Kasumi, do you want to come play Rich Man, Poor Man with me and Haru after breakfast? We need another person." It was the end of breakfast during the summer holiday, and Momiji was already bored out of his mind. As a result, he's all but moved in at Hatori's, where I live. Hatori took me in six years ago, after my parents blamed me for ruining their reputation and relationship with Akito. Hatori was only in his third year of college at that point. I'm not sure what led him to deciding to take me in, but I'm incredibly grateful for it.

"Maybe this afternoon? Hatori texted me a little while ago. Akito is in a mood and wants him to check for the curse again." I hate these days. Why does Akito expect a change? 

Momiji's eyes harden a bit, but he throws me a massive smile. "That's okay! I don't mind. As soon as that's done, we can play all lots of games with Haru, Kas! You can meet us at my place!"

After cleaning up from breakfast, I slip out of the room to head to the other end of the house, where Hatori's office was, and promptly run into Ayame, who must have dropped by on the way to his dress shop.

"Oh, my dear sister Kasumi!" He gushes, waving and nearly dropping the pile of dress bags on his arm. "How I've missed spending time with my beautiful, sweet sister! Whatever are you planning to do on this fine summer day?"

"I wish I had something grand, Aya, but Akito want Hatori to do another check-up, so I can't do much else while I wait for him to call us to the main house." I reply, rolling my eyes.

"Aaahhhh my sweet sister! How my heart bleeds for you! I cannot see how Akito thinks you'll be cursed sometime when you weren't born that way like the rest of us were."

"Oh, but it's no big deal. It always ends the same way. Nothing ever changes. Maybe someday he'll have a change of heart. Imagine that," I say with a smirk, "Maybe I could even leave the main estate and live with Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, and Miss Honda."

"Ah, quite a marvelous dream!" My brother pats my head, and promptly does the same to the pile of clothes he holds. "Well, I must be on my way! Ta ta! I'll see you sometime soon! I'm making you a beautiful dress! It's going to be simply marvelous!!"

I make my way to Hatori's office and knock lightly on the door before sliding it open and poking my head in. Akito requires me to have what he calls a "check-up" whenever the mood strikes him to check if the curse ever popped up, and every time, the outcome only makes him mad. You'd think he would have given up by now.

"Good morning Kasumi. How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine, as usual, Hatori. Nothing's ever different."

"Yes, but I still need to ask anyways. It's my job. Take a seat."

"Why is he always insisting I get check-ups?" I mumble as I wait for him to finish going through the initial check up.

"You know why."

"So what if my brothers are cursed and I'm not? It's not like it sticks within certain branches of the family. Everyone knows that. Yuki and Aya just didn't end up with the best luck, and now my parents have let the 'honor' of being cursed go to their heads. And the only other mentioned animal in the curse is that legend of the wolf, and that hasn't appeared in the family for centuries! Wolves are extinct in Japan, anyways. No one even knows if that was a real thing! On top of that, I look no different from any other Japanese person."

Hatori sighs and gives me a hard look before listening to my heart. "You say to someone possessed by a dragon spirit. Why does that matter? Some of the Zodiac look like everyone else. There must be a reason why the wolf is more of a legend. It must be unique. Akito just wants to be sure. And judging by his mood this morning, it sounds like he is doubting that there was ever a chance." Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm that Zodiac... You sound like you support the theory. 

"I don't know," I counter, "He's kept it up this long. What's to stop him?"

"That's enough of that," Hatori scolds, "He's the family head. There are limits to what you should say."

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Hatori is finishing up Akito when we get called to the main house. We enter Akito's room as the attendants quickly duck out.

"I don't have all day, you know. Hurry it up." Great. Rumor confirmed: Akito was not in a good mood.

Hatori stepped away from me, and looked over at the head of the family. "I just finished. Nothing unusual. She's perfectly healthy ... and human."

"This just doesn't make any sense!! Something should have happened by now!" He was absolutely livid.

"Akito, maybe she just isn't cursed. Not every Sohma is." Oh, Hatori... he didn't have to say that to defend me...

Akito spun to face me, rage filling his eyes. "That doesn't explain why that annoying snake didn't transform when he hugged you!" 

"Maybe it was just the angle he caught me with --" I begin, before Akito scowls.

He pulls at the collar of my shirt, and searches my eyes for a second before pushing me away. "Why did I spend so much time checking on you?! You're worthless. Not even worth my time, yet I managed to spend years giving you attention I should have been giving my zodiacs all this time. I can't look at you! Your face disgusts me! LEAVE! I want you out of the main house by the end of the day!" At that, he storms out of the room, and we hear another door in the house slam shut moments later.

"I..." I stare at the door in shock for a moment. "I can say I certainly didn't expect him to let me go that way." I mumbled. Hatori sighs and glances at me as he leads me back to our house.

"It was unexpected, but I think it will be good for you to get out. You've barely spent time outside of the estate. I'll take you to Shigure's later. He'll be coming by this afternoon so I'll talk to him and then take both of you out to his house. How does that sound?" I couldn't believe that my wish came true. I've been waiting 14 years for this day.

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~Tohru