Blissful Ignorance

Disclaimer: Me no own Fruits basket. Otherwise, Akito would have stayed as a frikkin boy.
Note: This fanfiction is based on the anime with a fe sprinkling of manga events. Any further developments in the manga will be, unless neccessary, ignored.

Chapter VII: The August Princess


Tohru Honda was roused from her dreamless sleep at the sound of heartbreaking, muffled sobs.

At first, Tohru thought she was dreaming again of that strange, disturbing dream–of a mysterious voice that cried for a someone named Haruna.

She slowly and painfully opened her eyes, squinting slightly at the sudden brightness. She expected the sobbing would stop, but it only grew louder. Troubled, she glanced around. Her vision was a little blurred, and she had a hard time seeing her surroundings, but she saw a flash of orange, a color familiar to her. For a moment, she thought her heart would stop. Mother? Am I dead then? No…could it be…Kyou-kun? she wondered silently. She focused her gaze at that orange patch. As her sight cleared, she realized with a start that it was Kyou. His head was buried in her bed sheets and she could hear his soft sobs, could see his shoulders trembling. "Kyou-kun?" she said in a hoarse voice.

Tohru saw the trembling of his shoulders abruptly stop. Kyou lifted his head and gazed at her with tear-filled eyes. Tohru could clearly see the tear tracks on his cheeks, glistening against the light. Kyou's eyes widened at the sight of her, awake and alive.

In one swift movement, Tohru was gently swept into Kyou's arms for an equally gentle embrace.

Then there was a soft 'poof!'

*******

"Kyou-kun's taking a long time in the bathroom," Momiji remarked with a serious frown on his young face. They were in the hospital's cafeteria, eating.

"I agree. I wonder if he went back to Honda-san's room," Yuki mused as he drank his tea.

"I think we should go back to Tohru's room," Arisa Uotani suggested, glancing almost nervously around. "I don't feel like leaving her alone for a long time, even in this hospital."

The rest of the teenagers nodded in assent. Shigure sighed and gave Hatori a wry look. "All right, let's go to Tohru-kun's room. Kyou's probably there, anyway." He glanced sadly at his bowl of noodles. "And I didn't even get to eat," he murmured as he got up.

As they headed for Tohru's room, Yuki glanced around. A flash of gray caught his eyes. Turning, he found himself almost colliding with a man wearing a dark blue yukata. "Shishou!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw Kazuma Souma's kind face.

Kazuma's eyes widened slightly. "Yuki? What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Ah! Kazuma-dono!" Shigure exclaimed. "This is an unexpected surprise. How did you hear about what happened to Tohru?"

Kazuma frowned, a confused look on his face. "Honda-san?" Then he looked alarmed. "Something happened to Honda-san?"

"Honda-san had an accident. She's currently recovering in this hospital," Hatori explained calmly.

"I see. Is Kyou with you?" Kazuma asked, the frown still on his face.

Yuki nodded. "Hai." Then he noticed Arisa and Saki standing beside him, looking at Kazuma, a speculative gleam in their eyes. "Uh, by the way, Shishou," he began, indicating the two girls, "these are Honda-san's good friends. The blonde is Uotani Arisa-san while the other is Hanajima Saki-san."

"So, is it true you're orange head's father?" Arisa asked as she bowed. She looked at him, a puzzled frown on her face. "You two don't look alike that much."

Kazuma laughed as he bowed back. "No, we truly don't look alike." Then he turned to Hanajima, who was blushing slightly as she bowed. "I am pleased to meet Honda-san's friends. How is Honda-san?"

"She's going to live," Momiji replied, a slight smile on his face. "Though both her legs are broken."

"Then we will pray for her quick recovery." Though Kazuma said this with a smile on his face, Yuki could see he was a little troubled by the small frown creasing his forehead.

"We're going to her room now. Orange head's probably there, too. Are you coming with us?" Arisa asked.

Kazuma nodded. He glanced at Shigure. "How long has she been in this hospital?"

Shigure thought for moment. "Nearly a week, I think." He gave Kazuma a wry smile. "We've only just found out about her accident. We don't really know what exactly happened to Tohru-kun, only that a car hit her."

"Who's her doctor?"

"Oh, I believe she identified herself as Dr. Masako Hojo–ah, there she is!" Shigure exclaimed, pointing at a redheaded woman.

Masako Hojo stood not far away from them, talking to one of the nurses, a serious expression on her face. She was not wearing a white coat of a doctor that she had worn earlier, but instead wore a deep blue ankle-length coat. Her reddish brown hair was tied into a stylish chignon. At their approach, she turned to them.

Suddenly, Kazuma bowed deeply, then dropped to one knee, his head still bowed. "Hime-sama," he said to Masako in tones of profoundest respect. Everyone looked at him, startled.

Just as suddenly, Masako laughed–a gentle amused laugh much like the tinkling of small glass bells. "There's no need to bow, Kazuma. It's not like we haven't known each other for years," she chided.

Kazuma rose slowly, a strange smile on his face. "It's been a while since we met, Masako-san."

Masako smiled back with a mysterious smile of her own. "Yes, it's been a while." She then faced the bewildered group behind Kazuma. "Kazuma and I have known each other for a long time now, We're old…friends," she explained with another laugh.

"Ah, sou desu ka." Shigure smiled brightly at the two. "Old sweethearts?" he asked, an innocent expression on his handsome face.

"SHIGURE!" Yuki exclaimed, shocked at Shigure's temerity.

Masako didn't seem to mind. The mysterious smile remained on her lips. "Oh, not really. I'm not exactly Kazu-chan's type."

Kazu-chan? What the hell is going on? Yuki thought, bewildered. He glanced helplessly at Hatori, who only gave him a calm, cool look.

Masako faced Kazuma. "Are you here to visit Honda-san?" she asked, a strange look in her eyes.

Kazuma nodded a little hesitantly. "Hai. Is Kyou with her?"

Tohru's doctor frowned. "Kyou? Oh, you mean the orange-haired boy. He's with her. Care to come with me? I'm just on my way to check on Honda-san." She smiled brightly at them.

Everyone agreed and they began walking again. They were just a few meters away from Tohru's room when Arisa suddenly said, "Uhm, lady doctor, can I ask you a question?"

Masako looked up from the chart she was reading and glanced at Arisa. "Of course."

"Why did orange head's father call you 'hime-sama'?" Behind Arisa, Yuki nearly choked at her directness.

"It's my formal title as the head of the Hojo clan," Masako replied calmly, glancing back at the chart. "The August Princess, or something similar to that."

Yuki suddenly stopped walking, his eyes widening as a suspicion entered his mind. "Hojo?" he said in a low voice. "Um, Masako-sensei, uh, when you say Hojo, do you mean the historical Hojo?"

Masako smiled at Yuki. "Why, yes. I am the clan head of the same family who ruled as Regent for the Shogun* of the Bakufu** during the Kamakura era," she answered casually. She shrugged, as if what she had said was of little importance. "In fact, I was named after the wife and later widow of the Shogun Yoritomo Minamoto, Masako Hojo, known at court as Masako Taira and later as Ama-Shogun***."

Yuki's eyes went even wider. "But wasn't the Hojo clan wiped out when they lost power near the end of the Kamakura Era a few years after the war with the Mongol Army?"

The mysterious smile again. "Mere propaganda." She laughed gently at the expression on their faces. "You might not know, but in the past, your clan, the Souma, used to be one of our vassals." She turned to Kazuma. "That's why Kazuma bowed–which isn't necessary. It's a good thing feudalism's a thing of the past, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Momiji said. He gave Yuki a troubled look. Things were getting increasingly worrisome. Momiji glanced at Masako. Who really is she?

When they arrived at Tohru's room, Masako paused at the door. She gazed steadily at Hatori. "By the way, a young man visited Tohru while you were eating." Her eyes were penetrating when she added calmly, "I believe his name was Akito."

Yuki felt like an ice-cold hand had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart tightly. He could not breathe, and his whole body went cold with fear and alarm. Akito had somehow found out about Honda-san!

Momiji turned to Yuki, a frightened look in his amber eyes.

"I see," Hatori said coolly. Yuki had to admire the dragon's self-control. "Did he stay for a long time?"

Masako shook her head. "No. Actually, I had to have him escorted out. He was causing quite a ruckus. His…tantrum disturbed some patients, including Honda-san. He's the head of your clan, isn't he?"

"Hai," Shigure answered.

Masako tsked. "Well, he is in sore need of several lessons in manners." Did Yuki imagine it, or was there a malicious gleam in Masako Hojo's eyes as she spoke of Akito. Yuki could not tell as Masako turned away to open the door.

They found Tohru leaning back on her pillows, awake. Strangely, there was a flushed look on her slightly bruised face. Cradled in her arms was an orange cat.

"Hey, where did that cat come from?" Arisa asked, staring at the cat curiously. "How did it get here?"

Tohru reddened. "Um, anou…ah…" she stammered out. How could she explain the situation without giving away the fact that the cat was Kyou?

"It must have slipped in a while ago. There are lots of cats in this area," Masako said. She stared at the cat as well, but said nothing.

Shigure smiled cheerfully at Tohru as he approached her bed. "Ne, you're finally awake, Tohru-kun. We thought you were going to sleep forever." When he reached her, he kicked Kyou's 'discarded' clothes underneath her bed and winked at Tohru, who only blushed harder.

"Where's the other Souma? The one with orange hair?" Hanajima asked, looking around. Her gaze suddenly settled on the cat in Tohru's arms.

"Uh, Kyou-kun probably went out to get something to uh, eat," Momiji supplied.

"He shouldn't leave Tohru alone like that," Arisa snapped. She petted the cat, which gave a little growl, its ears flattening back. "Cute kitty," he remarked.

Shigure laughed. "Hear that, kitty? You're cute!"

The cat shifted his gaze to Shigure and hissed angrily at him. Shigure only laughed harder.

"How are you feeling, Honda-san?" Masako asked, looking at her with a slight frown.

Tohru managed a small smile. "I feel a bit better, Masako-sensei."

"Good." Then she glanced back at her chart. "I just want you to answer some of my questions. Will that be all right?" When Tohru nodded, Masako continued, "It says here your mother died just recently. Your mother's name was Kyoko, am I right?"

"Ha–hai."

Masako's violet eyes were suddenly penetrating. "Did she have orange hair? Was she formerly known as the Red Butterfly? Did she use to belong to some motorcycle gang?"

Tohru's eyes widened with astonishment. "Ha–hai. But how did you know? How did you find out?"

Masako smiled. "Quite easily, actually. You see, Honda-san, Kyoko is–was, my niece."

~T.B.C.~

I hope the characters didn't seem OOC to you.

Masako Hojo: Oh yes! If you check out Japanese history, there was a woman named Masako Hojo who lived during the Kamakura Era. She was one mean bitch (bitch being a compliment here).

Masako and Kazuma: Oooohhh…do I sense something here? What is their relationship with each other?

Tohru's 'aunt': Would you believe her luck? Masako's a relative of Tohru…hmmm….

Next chapter: Akito is in a rage. Meanwhile, Tohru finds herself in the lap of luxury!

*shogun- head of the military government

**bakufu- military government

***ama-shogun- nun-shogun; a title bestowed on Masako Hojo later in her life for her devotion to the Amida cult and as a follower of Honen Shonin

::gasp:: How old IS she?!

Great story, btw.