𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | Fruits Basket FF

(31)

"Fine. But I'm going to have to ask Akito for permission, and you have to tell Hatori about this as well, Ichika-chan." He finally said with a sigh. The room lit up with cheers and the nervousness dissipated. Kisa and Tohru highfived each other while Yuki smiled and Kyo nodded in satisfaction.

Ichika was stunned at his answer and she glanced down to her intertwined shaky fingers that rested on her lap. She felt weight lifted from her chest and shoulders.

Could she finally start living like a normal person now?

Her eyes watered and a few escaped her eyes, dropping down onto her pale hands. She heard the room quieten down as they come to realise that she was crying, not in sadness but in joy.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her body and before she knew it, Tohru had gently pulled her in for a hug, stroking the back of her head. Tears continued to pour down her face and she closed her eyes, letting them flow freely.

"Thank you," She whispered.

Some time had passed after that and Ichika had finally decided to call Hatori. She told him everything from start to finish and of her truthful decision to go to college. She expected him to disapprove but he was very much content and supportive about it, even recommending good colleges. Although Ichika was homeschooled her entire life, her grades and education was more than acceptable to make it into any college of her choosing.

After that they found themselves speaking of his own college days and how it was for him. Hearing him speak of the experience had her excited and they shared a few laughs between them of the silly memories he had.

The sun begun to set and the two bearers of the Dragon Spirit had to cut their call short once again as a client had come into his clinic and he needed to attend to them. She hadn't realised he was still working throughout their call and immediately felt bad that she was distracting him from work. She loved speaking with Hatori and it often felt like time goes by too fast when she's with him. It was an indescribable feeling she had whenever she was with him.

Sighing, she glanced down at the phone on her hands in a happy daze. Then a thought crossed her mind, snapping her from her dreamland. She had almost forgotten their existence.

Her shaky fingers hovered above the numbers. Her mind was conflicted as she debated whether to dial the familiar set of numbers.

It has been a while since she last saw them, let alone heard from them. They were eerily quiet since she abruptly left, and now that she was able to recognise that she's in a better environment, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she left them. Why? She didn't know an answer to that. She spent her childhood vying for their love and it never reciprocated. On top of that, she had every right to be angry at them, yet here she was with a part of her feeling guilty for being happy with her new family and forgetting her old.

Squeezing the handle of the phone, she quickly slammed it back onto it's holder. The thoughts of them still lingered in her mind.

"Ichika," She turned to the call of her name to find Shigure leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face, "You're finally done talking?"

She pushed the thoughts of them to the back of her mind and she responded with a nod. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hog the telephone to myself. Did you need to use it?"

"No, I just finished one of my scripts and just came out to check on you. What did Haa-san say about your decision?" He questioned.

She smiled. "He was happy about it."

"Happy?" Shigure pondered. He tried imagining his brooding friend's face replaced with joy, only to shudder and immediately regretted imagining the sort.

Happy and Hatori did not mix, was what Shigure initially thought after the whole incident between Akito, Hatori and Kana. But now Shigure wasn't so sure. Things were different now.

"You seem to smile a lot when it comes to our Haa-san, Ichika-chan." Stated Shigure.

He stifled his laughter when the girl turn completely into a tomato at his observation.

"I-I do?" She stuttered.

Shigure's lips hooked into a smirk once again and he feigned dramatic innocence as he said, "Don't tell me you don't realise!~"

"R-Realise what, Shigure-san?"

"Well, don't you find yourself growing warm at the mention of their name?"

"Well yes—"

"Or when you touch them, you never want to let go?"

"I-I guess so—"

"How about when you're constantly thinking about them? Or when you constantly miss them? Or when you desire to see, hear and be near them?"

Ichika's expression contorted into confusion but she nodded regardless, although she didn't understand where he was going with this.

Seeing her confused expression, he let out a dramatic sigh and stepped towards her. Now towering over her with his hands in the sleeves of his yukata, he stared down at her with a crafty glint in his eyes.

He leaned down to her so that they were eye-level but his eyes remained unmoving on her.

"That's love, Ichika-chan." He uttered, making her eyes widen as a result.

***

Here's yet another chapter! I can't believe we've already done 31 chapters and we're only just getting started >:))) This is such a commitment for me but it's definitely worthwhile.

There will be more progress in the next future chapters, and I am currently slightly following the timeline of the original series but with my own twist as I have to incorporate my OC in them!

This will have to be a 50+ chapter book or even more as there are many things I want to explain about my OC throughout my storyline.

I will see you all very soon!

- Eoraiv.