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Tohru Honda
Tohru is the girl who started it all, really. She's the one who discovers the secret curse on the Sohma family, and one of the very very few people who was able to cope with it and continue on knowing the Sohmas. For some reason, Akito didn't want her memory erased at first, and the reason for that may never be known. Tohru brings a wonderful feeling to almost anyone she meets, and she loves trying new things and meeting new people. She's kind and friendly, and sort of a push over, but she always tries her best to get along with everyone and do the right thing.
Her father passed away when she was very little, and her mother died in a car crash a few years later after Tohru got into highschool. Now Miss Honda has to finish high school in memory of her mother, who never finished it herself. She's determined to make her late mother proud, and it shows a lot. Tohru carries around a portrait of her mother that always cheers her up, and she can be heard talking to her mother at times; it seems to give her courage. Before she came to live with the Sohmas, Tohru lived with her mother. But after her mother passed away, she went to live with her grandfather. Not long after she started living with him, he decided to have his house redone so there would be more room for the people moving in--his son and his family--so he asked Tohru to go live with her friends while the repairs were being done. Not wanting to trouble her friends in such a way, Tohru went off into the woods to live in a tent by herself. That way, everyone would be happy! Right?
Wrong. One day before school, Tohru spots the Sohma house as she's on her way to the high school. There she meets Shigure, the owner of the house, and his cousin Yuki, who happens to be very famous at her school. The two walk to school together in nervous silence, and then back home in the same manor. But it turns out that the tent Tohru was staying in was on Sohma property, and Yuki and Shigure stumble upon her that night after going out to eat. They invite Tohru to stay with them, and that's when the fun all begins. After she meets Kyou and discovers about the Sohma family curse, she tries her best to make the Sohma's comfortable with her knowing about their secret. She especially tries to get Yuki to open up to her, and as she progresses through the relationship she has with him, she discovers things about the "Prince" of her high school that no one else could ever see. Tohru also tries to get Kyou to open up to her, which takes awhile at first, but she eventually finds her way into their hearts. It's not easy to dislike Tohru, though Hiro, the sheep of the Zodiac, gave it a darn good try. Momiji, the rabbit of the Zodiac, loved her from the start, and though Kisa didn't like her at first, she turned out to be the one who admired Tohru the most overall. Like I said, it's not easy to dislike Tohru. She has two friends, Hana and Uo, who are always looking out for her and spending time with her. They're an odd trio, but the three are loyal and understanding of eachother to a point where no one else can touch what they have. It's admirable, really.
She does the cleaning and cooking for the household, and also adds a bit of cheer wherever she goes. She's overly interested in finding out which person is which animal in the zodiac, and she tries to find the good in everyone, even Akito. Her loyalty to Kyou and Yuki doesn't waver, no matter what, even when things turn ugly for Kyou in the last few episodes. Quick to cry for others and always willing to lend an ear or give advice, Tohru is the ultimate example of the goodness in people. She definatly puts other people's needs before her own.
