Defying Heaven 
3rd Perception: Crucial Resolve
by Ina-chan
First Posted Online: December 27, 2001
History: Ina-chan's first Fruits Basket Fic

 The light of the morning sunshine smiled generously over the chilly day. A child sat by a window, letting its warm breath stroke and envelop him. This was one of his few pleasures in life, sitting and basking under the light of the sun from this quiet spot of the house. Being under the warm bright light of the sun seemed to energize him, most especially during this time of the year…  

… most especially after a day like yesterday.  

The boy shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts from remembering the events that happened the day before. Instead, he focused on what was going to happen on the days ahead. New Year’s was just around the corner. In his family, celebrating the New Year has always been the most important event of the year. Soumas from all over the country, even those who lived abroad, most whom he only saw during New Year’s, have already started to arrive to the Main House.  

This was actually one of the reasons he retreated to this quiet isolated spot. Some of his relatives, his cousins in particular, can be too… ‘energetic’. In fact, he just barely escaped a hyper-talkative hyperactive rabbit a few moments a go. Being around a lot of people had always taken a lot from him. Being around hyper-energetic perpetually moving balls of energy sapped his strength right away.  

And he still hasn’t fully recovered from yesterday.  

The child ground his teeth in frustration. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, his mind keeps on going back to what happened the day before… to what was said the day before. He should be used to it by now. Akito had been tormenting him for as long as he could remember. He tried so many times to figure out why Akito hates him so much. What was it that he had done, for Akito to treat him the way that he did? He never did come up with an answer. So his logic simply concluded that, Akito was simply mean.

[“You’re so pathetic.”]

Deep in his heart, he knew he wasn’t. But sitting here now, he definitely felt that he was. He had lost count of all the times he wished he had done something else when he faced Akito. He lost count of all his daydreams of how he would stop Akito from pushing him around and locking him in that room. But somehow, whenever he actually sees Akito…  

[“Being afraid of the dark…”]

The warmth of the sun suddenly didn’t feel adequate enough to warm the air anymore. The boy clutched the hem of his yukata and pulled the material tighter around him. It wasn’t really that he was afraid of the dark. He only feared that one particular lightless, windowless, suffocating dark room. Everything about that dark room reminded him of Akito… everything about Akito reminded him of that dark room, forming an irrational vicious cycle of fear that he simply could not break away from.

[“Mice like the dark, and that’s what you are.”]

“But I don’t, I’m not,” The boy whispered to no one in particular as he hugged his knees and tried to curl into a tiny tight ball, “I’m not a mouse. I’m not a mouse. I’m a person. I’m Yuki. I’m Yuki.”

[“You’re abnormal”]

“I didn’t ask to be born this way,” The boy started to rock back and forth and covered his ears with his hands, attempting to block his thoughts

[“No matter how hard you try… YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE.”]

/SHUT UP!/ The child mouthed in a silent scream  

“I HATE YOU!”  

The child opened his eyes, startled at the sudden cry behind him.  

“I’M A LAUGHINGSTOCK BECAUSE OF YOU!! YOU FILTHY COWARD, IT’S YOUR FAULT, IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!! THAT’S WHY EVERYONE SAYS    THAT I’M… STUPID…!!”

 The boy straightened up from his curled position. He felt the corner of his lip twitch involuntarily in irritation. It would seem that yet another person hated him as well. Not because he did anything wrong, but simply because he’s the mouse from a stupid folklore. “…is that so?” He paused, carefully thinking of the right words to say, “Are YOU like that?” He slowly turned his head to make sure his voice was heard clearly, “…truly stupid?”  

Silence.  

“No… No, I’m not…  I’m… not stupid… not stupid.”

/That’s right./

Despite of himself, a small smile found its way on the boy’s lips.

/I’m not the only one who feels that way. Though my body turns into a mouse, I’m not the manipulative dirty heartless mouse of the Jyunishi.

No matter what Akito says…  

…no matter how hard ANYONE tries…  

They can’t change WHO I am.  

I’m a person.  

I’m Yuki.

   “Yes.”

 The boy finally turned around to completely face his accuser, his intense purple eyes, once again clear.

 “I understand.”

End of 3rd Perception
End of “Defying Heaven”
Return to 2nd Perception: The Guardian Witness  

Ina-chan’s squawk:  

WAAAAAI! I finally finished it! My FIRST “Fruits Basket” fic! ^_^. Haaaaah! Well, until inspiration hits me once again (heh-heh… I’m one of those types of people who needs to be inspired to write a fic…), looks like I will be concentrating on finishing up the rest of volume 1. Hmmm… I dunno if I can finish it, but there’s still three more days until the New Year and one more day before I go back to work! GANBARU! Ina-chan FIGHT-O! ^_^.  

Thanks for reading this fic and all your wonderful support (along with the FURUBA Project). Uhmm… just a little reminder though... My sister, Jessi-shcn, is my partner-in-crime with this project. And the message board is actually her baby. So if anyone is interested with the FURUBA Message Board moderator or the RPG thingy she’s starting… please feel free to contact her. I’m not sure what e-mail addy she’s using, but I think she already put up her address in the website.

Okay… Usual stuff with the… Comments, criticisms, bricks… you know where to send them!

Ja!
Ina-chan