𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Fruits Basket FF

(30)

Kisa nodded shyly.

The female Dragon smiled softly and went to grab a hairbrush. She sat behind Kisa and brushed through her short golden locks. Ichika would have to alternate the braid as the girl's hair was shorter, but nonetheless it would still look beautiful on her.

A few minutes later, Ichika completed the look to satisfaction. She had taken a strand of hair and braided it simply before clipping it down so it would look like a crown.

Kisa beamed a smile in happiness as she looked at her hair excitedly through the mirror.

"You look so cute, Kisa-chan!" Tohru exclaimed after putting away the last set of dishes and leaping towards Kisa for a hug.

Kisa nodded in agreement and a pink tint formed on her cheeks. Ichika smiled softly at the two girls in their embrace. Tohru was growing quite fond of Kisa and has been gushing over how adorable the girl is. Ichika couldn't blame her, Kisa is indeed very cute.

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The sun was now setting. Hatsuharu and Yuki were the first ones to arrive home after finishing their daily routine on a school day. Unfortunately for Tohru, she couldn't see the adorable girl for a few more hours as she had to go straight to her part-time job when the last classes ended.

Having visited Kisa's middle school on the way home, Hatsuharu was given a handwritten letter from her classmates. He was quite skeptical about the contents in the letter, but regardless had given it to Kisa to read for herself.

Ichika was in the kitchen boiling some water to make tea when all was silent as Kisa begun to read the letter. All that was heard was the rumble of the kettle.

"What's it say?" Hatsuharu asked impatiently.

The bluenette turned her head to see the three figures on the open porch of the courtyard house.

Hatsuharu quickly took the letter from her hands when Kisa didn't respond and read the contents aloud as Yuki and Ichika listened intently.

"Sohma-san, how are you? Will you come back to school soon?" He started. Kisa squeezed her hands in her lap as she dazedly looked out towards the courtyard. "The rest of the class is also waiting for your return. You can always talk to me, so why not try a little harder to make friends with everybody?"

The white-haired boy paused and sighed annoyance before handing the letter over to Yuki to continue.

"The most important thing is to learn to love yourself. Find something good about yourself, so you can love yourself. If you hate yourself, how can others love you?"

This time, it was Ichika's turn to squeeze her hand.

"They sound awful." Ichika commented. The others nodded in agreement.

It was as Hatsuharu explained a few days earlier, Kisa had no friends and was bullied by her classmates. This letter was proof that they didn't genuinely care about her or her wellbeing, and acted as if they weren't the reason why she stopped going to school.

"Yep, makes me wanna puke." Hatsuharu added.

"I.." Yuki started hesitantly. "I also had a time when I stopped speaking."

Ichika turned to Yuki, who was still staring at the letter in his hands.

"It was for slightly different reasons, but, like you, I felt embarrassed and hated myself." His hands squeezed the letter tightly. "'Learn to love yourself?' What does that mean? How are we supposed to find something good about ourselves?"

The blue-haired Sohma looked away, her hands falling away from the handle of kettle that she was ready to pour and now at her sides.

She was reminded of her painful past and what she almost did as a result. Trying to disappear from world and leaving everything behind because it was getting too hard. Yuki was right. How are they supposed to find something good about themselves when all they were brought up with was pain, hate and negativity.

"We only hate ourselves because we can only see the parts we hate." Yuki let go of the letter as it slowly cascaded down to the wooden floor. "So forcing ourselves to find good points feels hollow, like we're making things up but.."

He slowly met each and every one's eyes. From Kisa, to Hatsuharu, to Ichika, and back to Kisa again.

"But it's not like that. I think it's only when someone says they love you that you're able to love yourself."

An image of Tohru immediately flashed before Ichika's eyes.

"I think when someone accepts you—"

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, I know this is sudden but," Tohru stammered in a sheepish tone and blushed, "would you like to be friends, Ichika-san?"

"—that's when you start feeling like you can forgive yourself a little.. and start to love yourself."

"Yeah." A small voice agreed.

Ichika's eyes widened as she turned to the now tear-faced younger girl. She slapped her hand over her mouth in an emotional surprise.

"Yeah." She repeated, shutting her eyes and lifting her head up to the sky. The wind made her golden locks dance. "It made me happy."

"Kisa, what do you plan to do? Do you want to stay like this forever?" Yuki asked.

Kisa shook her head and once again used her voice. "No.. I can't. I need to try harder. Or.. Or else I'll turn into an even worse person."

The Dragon's eyes stung with tears and her throat constricted as she listened to the younger girl try speak as through her cries.

"Even if we can't be friends again.. even if they keep ignoring me.. I have to make sure to try a little harder, or else!"

Ichika wiped away the tears that finally escaped her navy eyes. What Kisa said clicked something within her.

Trying harder, huh? She thought to herself before turning back to face the kettle. She, too, needed to try harder. She needed to try her best. To give it her all as well.

Maybe then she'll finally be free from Akito's chains.

***

Hello everyone, here was the new update! My updating game went from 3 chapters a week to 1 chapter a week due to work ;-; but I'll be sure to get some more chapters out!

- Eoraiv