long and useless

Title: "Round the World Goes"
Author: demeter918
Series: Fruits Basket
Pairing/Character: Sohma Akito
Word Count: 1,983 words.
Warnings: Set post-end.
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket does not belong to me. Alas.

Summary: One partial moment in a peculiar family.

Notes: Unbetaed. This isn't exactly whole. It's a bit of an experimentation. I'm testing my post-manga!Akito out and seeing what voice I'd give her. This short piece is what turned up; I’m still working on the kinks of her character and I'd like to explore what it's like for Akito in her future, so this is like some weird universe that's not dominated by much of anything but mundane happenings.

Yay for mundane!

( Link )

Constructive criticism would be greatly loved!

I can't believe I was reading the last chapter of Fruits Basket! I can't believe I spent twenty minutes last night taking in the chapter!

It was! It was! It was!

... strangely anticlimatic.

( spoilers ahoy! SAP! )

So now, Fruits Basket has come to an end. There's no discounting of a future standalone manga volume since it's still somewhat a cash cow even with its declining popularity. Who knows? Maybe we'll get a manga series that follows Akito or one of the other members? Wouldn't that be absolutely fabulous?

Anyways. It's over, it's done, and now I want to get drunk. But I can't. Because I'm at work. And I'd throw all the alcohol up before it made me anything more than tipsy. I HAVE NO TOLERANCE.

Fruits Basket; you've given me a lot these past few years! I watched my favorite characters grow and change and I watched your style weave in and out. You gave us countless characters of interest and you gave me Akito, one of those rare characters who has garnered my love and loyalty to an-almost fanatical level. I'll remember the characters, the history, the relationship, the curse (which I still don't quite understand!). I'll remember Akito (oh, especially Akito!), Kagura and Momiji and Hatori and Shigure and Kurenoa and Tohru! I'll remember the little girl's tears and the woman's madness. I'll remember the founding of the altar_of_akito and the eventual slowdown and apathy I had. I'll remember the sexy hand-sliding-up-the-tie move and the fact that Kakashi and Hatori have the same Japanese voice actor. I'll remember the cheery song and Chapter 97. I'll remember Akito's kimono and Akito's smiles.

You gave us vases, curses, porn, angst, wangst, hilarity, love, and too many things to count! I'd give you my kidney, but I think I need that, so I'll give you my heart instead! You know! The metaphorical one that doesn't need an electric pulse to keep going!

... I think it's time for me to get off this computer. ;)

To commerate! My first Akito and Fruits Basket icon ever! Made by the incomparable nemkess!

VIVA FRUITS BASKET!

Edit: Reread and added some more things in! Not so important, but one very important thing about Akito and Shigure.

Okay, I give up. WE NEED A SEQUEL. I GIVE UP MY DIGNITY. I WANT A SEQUEL.

*dies* The new Fruits Basket chapter was SO EFFING CUTE.

Tohru/Kyo are rapidly becoming a favorite pairing of mine! Akito and Shigure's moment? SCREAM.

... and you know what? I picked up V.22 of the new Fruits Basket manga and the image of Ren on the cover and the image of Akira on the back actually filled me with some pity for her. I don't like her, I don't think I ever will. She was a terrible mother but before Akito, before everything went downhill, you had to wonder what kind of woman she was. It makes me wonder about what is it about regular people being completely destroyed and annhilated when they enter the Sohma family?

Think about it. Momiji's mother almost went insane because she couldn't deal with the fact that her child was a Zodiac animal and had to have her memories erased. Takaya-sensei was fairly careful to NOT demonize the woman. She showed that Momiji's mother was just another regular person who got into a very unusual situation and found that she couldn't handle it. Takaya also was clear that the woman tried to accept Momiji and it wasn't until a few years after his birth that she became so terrible. I don't know if I can condemn her, mostly because I don't know how I'd react in that situation. Obviously, people like Hiro's mother and Kagura's mom were stronger and could handle the stress of being a Juunishi mother, but people are different and I can't hate someone simply because they're weaker.

It was the same way with Kisa's mom, who managed to get through it and Kyo's mom, who didn't. And that maybe why I'm actually glad Kana got out even if it made Hatori miserable. Kana was a really gentle and kind person; she loved Hatori with all she had, but with the way the Sohma family is, she would have been crushed within a couple years. And Hatori would have lost her anyways.

As for Ren... I feel like if she hadn't been a maid in that house and that Akira and her hadn't fallen in love, perhaps she would just be another woman in the world. Someone who might be petty at times, someone who might be kind at others. She might have a cat or she might live alone. She might frequent bars or join a knitting club. Who knows?

That said... she was an absolutely terrible mother. And I hope she realizes that someday.

And here is the full, no-holds barred reaction to Chapter 132.

( spoilers? me? )

( And then there was a bit of Kagura )

( and we go back to Akito! )

( me GO MADCRAZY! )

Who said this was the end? There's still more chapters because the description of this chapter had been that this was finally near the end? Next chapter maybe? Or maybe it's the beginning of the last few chapters? I don't know.

Either way.

I'm happy.

Because I'm looking at what I've wanted since volume 4.

HOLY MOLY SHITE! I picked up hanatoyume today and...

( fun for the whole family! )

Overall, beautiful chapter that tied up that last relationship thread. Didn't excite me as much as it would have a year ago, but I think it's because I know the story is finally winding down and I'm going to cry buckets over the last chapter because, well, it's a rare occasion when I'm actually there for the final release of a chapter when it's actually released. =)

On a separate note, I was rereading the last few volumes of Fruits Basket and I came upon the chapter with Kagura, Rin, and Tohru. And jeez, my heart just fricking broke. Because I love Kagura so much and it made me wish, somehow, that Kyo had loved her. Yes, yes, I know Kyo loves her in his own way, but she had wanted it so much and it was such an enormous unrequited love and it made a lump (several) in my throat.

It was the chapter where she hit Tohru for not telling Kyo and Rin had a terrible reaction to it and Kagura was level-headed enough (Kagura! My Kagura! Level-headed?) to hug her and apologize. But it wasn't that part, oh no. It was the part where Kazuma comes in and Kagura turns to him with this half-broken, half-defiant expression on her face and I realized that he'd seen her grow up with Kyo and Haru. She was as much his as any of them and I suppose that Kyo and Haru being boys, it made it easier for people to connect them with Kazuma... but Kagura's insane strength is not just from her curse; she's trained under Kazuma and she's a pro at martial arts.

And the fact that she broke down in front of Kazuma, but not anyone else, tells me just how much she trusts him.

Oh, Kagura. I love you much!!!

Akito? Who's Akito?

( le ending is near )

In other news, I get to go to Tokyo three times in the next two months. And every single one, including hotels, will be comped. =) I feel happiness bubble up in me!

Title: "Her Dark Materials"

Author: Demeter

Disclaimer: All rights and privileges of Fruits Basket characters, objects and plots are property and trademarks of Takaya Natsuki and associated parties. The author claims no legal responsibility for problems associated with using this work. The original story, relationships, and characters found within the fic are property of Demeter.

Series: Fruits Basket

Rating: PG13

Characters: Akito, ?

Notes: spoilers up to ch.115

Warnings: more angst.

~*~*~*~

( a few moments can last a long time )

xposted to demeter918, altar_of_akito

I managed to pick up a copy of hanatoyume from a combini when I got back from Korea and...

( spoilers and thoughts )

Am so pleased with Furuba right now...

Well...

Hm...

Yeah...

( eXpLoSiOn!!11 )

All said and done, I liked the zigzag of Takaya-sensei. I am now waiting feverishly for the next part.

I ganked my friend's computer to essentially screech about how I went into hysterics after reading this chapter. I rushed to the bookstore immediately after work to pick up today's issue of Hanatoyume and DEAR FUCKING GOD.

...

One of my favorite chapters in recent history.

( why this chapter rates so high on my list and yay, I can read some of the Japanese! )

But yeah.

*weeps*

More reactions later. I think.

I also picked V.19 of Furuba today, and it was pretty and light and kind... it was a rather sharp contrast to all that happened in this chapter.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

Love Akito with me, people.