Fruits Basket Volume 5 Manga Translations
Manga by: Takaya Natsuki
Translations by: Mei Eden (cjpangel@m...)

Act 27

Yuki lifts one hand to the sky to test the air.

Yuki: "The rain.. seems to be stopping!"

Tohru clasps her hands together.
Tohru: "That's great.. A moment ago I was really worried.."

Yuki, smiling: "Well then, shall we wait a little longer?" 

The two of them are standing under cover of a little inlet into a
building in order to avoid the rain.

Yuki: "The Gold Holiday passed by so quickly. (translator's note: I have
no idea what gold holiday is..help?)"

Tohru: "I know.. Those few days in the country house were really fun."

Yuki, sweatdropping :" But I only feel like it was all very complicated
and messy."

Tohru: "Everyone together making lots of noise and activity was a very
happy thing!"

She flashes back to the townhouse with everyone eating (including Hatori
and Ayame) together. There's a little ribbon with the words "Scroll Day
(?)" on them.

Tohru: "Everyone can be together and eat and talk about things.."

"Now that we're talking about it.. I kind of don't want to go back..[to
school]"

Yuki smiles a little. 
Yuki: "... Really?"

Yuki: "But don't forget that when you go back, it'll soon be time to
take midterms. "

Tohru cries: "Um."

Tohru suddenly becomes happy: "Ah! Before that!"
"Isn't there a student council presidential election?"

Yuki, his head to one side, a little as if he didn't want to be
reminded.

Yuki: "....En.. (noise of affirmation)."

Tohru: "President F--- (the current student council president-
sorry..don't know his Jap name) already said that Sohma-kun should be
the next dutiful student council president.. Yuki.. you don't like
it..?"

Yuki: "En.. (affirmation."

Yuki: "That person.. and other people, "
"I don't know what they hope to see. I don't want.. everyone to
misunderstand."

Yuki turns, the back of his head to the reader in a shadow.

Yuki: "Actually..increase.."

Tohru, clueless: "Increase?"

<Ah!>

Yuki turns around to face Tohru.
Yuki: "It's nothing.. It's nothing.."

Tohru: "Ok.."

Yuki puts his hand up to his head. "My head hurts."

Voice: "Oh.."

"Ah.."

Haru appears, dripping wet with rain.
In his arms, there is a bundle of blankets.

Haru: "Yuki.."

Tohru: "HATSUHARU-SAN?!"

Yuki: "Haru."

Haru, soaking from head to toe: "What are you doing here, it's raining
pretty hard.."
(noise: da-ra-da-ra= the sound of dripping)

Yuki, his hand on his hip: "I'd like to ask you the same question."

Tohru puts her handkerchief to Haru's cheek, wiping it dry.

Tohru: "You're body is soaked through! Could it be that you got lost
again?"

Haru: "I found something.."

Tohru:"You found something? Bicycle? "

Haru moves to unwrap the bundle of blankets.

Haru: "A little while ago, I was looking for this person."

The blankets uncovered reveal a little tiger asleep in Haru's arms.

Yuki and Tohru: "!"

Tohru clasps her hands together in excitement.

Tohru: "WHAT A CUTE LITTLE KITTEN..!!"

Yuki: <I knew she would say that..>

The little tiger opens its eyes.

Haru: "Honda-san, this is a tiger!"

Tohru: "Ah?"

Haru: "Sohma Kisa- 'Tiger'"
"If you get bitten by her, it'll hurt."

Tohru: "This tiger is one of the Juunishi (12 zodiac animals). the tiger
from the Juunishi?"

She reaches out to pet Kisa.

Tohru: "Nice..nice meeting you, My name is Honda Tohru.."

Kisa (tiger)'s eyes open and she bites Tohru's extended hand.

Tohru falls backwards, her fingers bloodied with bite marks, and her
eyes wide open in surprise.

Yuki, concerned: "HONDA-SAN!!"

Haru looks surprised.
Haru: "Ah.."

Kisa snuggles back into the blanket nonchalantly.
Later, Haru, Tohru, Shigure, and Yuki are in the living room. Haru is
mending Tohru's hand, and Shigure is leaned over, observing.

Shigure: "Ahhh.. Were you bitten by her?.."

Tohru, sweatdrops everywhere: "Ye..yes.. I was sca-sca-sca-scared to
death."

Yuki, to Kisa who is in tiger form huddled in a corner: "Kisa, hurry and
apologize."

"Kisa!"

Tohru: "Actually..I'm really ok.."

Shigure: "Yuki."
".. Kisa can't talk."

Yuki turns, surprised.

Tohru: "Eh?.. she can't talk?"

Haru: "Ever since after she entered junior high..she suddenly.."

"Hatori-san said .. it's a sickness of the heart."

"She sealed away her ability to speak."

Yuki:"."

Haru: "In the beginning she wouldn't talk..and then she refused to go to
school, and finally, she won't even return home."

"Therefore, I came out to search for her. When I found her, I was
scared too, she had already turned into a tiger."

Haru flashes back to when he found Kisa in tiger form hiding under a
bush.

Haru:" Did you run into someone of the opposite sex..?!"
"It looks like she just became weak.."

Yuki, his chin on his hands, thoughtful: "Then.. how did she become like
this.."
"What in the world happened?"

Haru sighs: "... eh?.."

Torhu: "eh?"

Kisa's ear perks up.

Haru: "She was bullied."

Tohru looks horrified. Suddenly, Kisa comes and bites Haru on the arm.

Tohru: "!"

Tohru (in Tohru-shock mode) "Hatsu, Hatsu, Hatsu.."

Haru looks a little bit annoyed.

Haru: "That hurts.."
"What?"
"You're not happy?"

"You're meaning is.. 'don't say unnecessary things'?"

Suddenly Haru becomes stern. "STOP MESSING AROUND.."
"Do you know how much we worried about you?"

Kisa lets go and looks at him.

Haru: "Your parents are still looking for you right now!"

Kisa, who was standing on the table, jumps off and runs away.

Tohru spins around in surprise.

Tohru:" Wha..what.. aaaahh! Hatsuharu-san, you're bleeding.. we won't be
able to find Kisa.." (She's in super Tohru-shock mode..)

Shigure, calmly: "Relax, Tohru. She won't run far."

Tohru going crazy: "AAH.. well then, I'll go help Kisa stop the
bleeding."

Shigure: "Calm down.."

Haru is examining the bite marks on his arm, and Shigure is leaning over
him, looking at the wound curiously.

Haru: "Sensei.. you're being quite unnaturally calm about this.."

Shigure: "Haru-kun.. could you have become "black" again?"

Haru: "no.. although I am hurting and angry... That Kisa.. really is
hopeless."
Yuki:".."
Yuki to Haru: "You seem to..really care about her! Were you two always
so close..?"

Shigure, clueless: "eh?"
"Are you jealous?"

Haru looks over at Yuki suspiciously. 

Yuki, popping a vein: "NO!"

Shigure:" Cold and unfeeling."

Haru: "That's right."

Yuki, exasperated: "These people.."

Haru: ".. because it's too similar,"

"so I can't just look on without lifting a finger. (meaning: can't just
stand by and watch without taking action.)

"..before..Yuki also experienced a time when he wouldn't talk.."

Yuki's eyes open wide in shock, shadows flickering across his face.

Haru: "Gradually..holding onto the silence..and ceasing to speak..."
"Using this method to protect herself, she's too similar to.."
"The Yuki of the past.."

Yuki slams his fist on the wall. 
Yuki:".. DON'T SAY ANYMORE.."

Shigure looks at Yuki: "..You don't have to get this angry..right?"

Yuki: "Of course I'm angry."

Shigure, a strange smile on his face: "Are you ashamed?"

Yuki's face is half-shadowed; he looks upset. Then he briskly walks
away.

Haru, leaning against the table carelessly: "Sensei, you always.. like
to say a few words to irritate the situation and cause others to become
annoyed!"

Shigure poses: "That's my personality!" (text: hahaha)

Meanwhile, Kisa is still in tiger form crouched in a corner around the
house.
Tohru pops up behind Kisa, scaring her to death.

Tohru:"Kisa-san!!"

Tohru's on her hands and knees.
"So you were here? At least I've found you."
"Kisa-san.."
::GABU::(sound of Kisa biting Tohru's hand)

Tohru still smiles: "."

Tohru is in her shock mode with tears coming out of her eyes as Kisa
bites as hard as she can.

Tohru: "AH! .."
"It doesn't hurt at all..not at all.."
"I'm really not at all in..not at all in pain.."
"My pain isn't important.."

Someone walks up from behind. "..."

Voice: "Please come home first and then we'll see what we can do..
Kisa.."

Tohru turns around surprised: "?!"

A woman with short dark hair crouches next to Tohru.

Woman: "Kisa..?"

Woman: "Kisa..."

Tohru, flustered: "May..May I ask..?"

Woman: "Kisa.. it's Mother.."

Tohru looks at the woman.

Kisa is still biting Tohru's hand.

Mother: "Shigure-san.. he called me by phone..um.."
"What are you trying to do?"
"Why are you always causing so much trouble for the people around you?"
"What are you thinking?"
"Today Mother was very worried,..are you happy about that?"

Tohru remembers: <"The mothers of those children possessed by vengeful
spirits..,
Basically either were extremely protective of their children..
Or else they couldn't face up to reality.">

"Um.."

Mother:" Why didn't you tell mother you were being bullied? Why'd you
have to run away from home?"
"Why won't you say anything?"

Yuki stands by, watching this.

Mother: ".. I'm already.. "
"..very tired.."
"I already.."
"..can't take this anymore..."
"..you can't say it.."

Tohru looks down, sad.

Tohru:"When you're being bullied,.. it really is hard to open your mouth
and speak.."
"When I was young,.. I also couldn't open my mouth and say it.."

Tohru flashes back to when she was young. Chibi Tohru is crying, and her
mother is crouched before her, comforting her.

Tohru: "But after a while, Mother found out about it. At that time..
"I don't know why..I was like a silly girl, apologizing without end."
"I really was very pitiful."

"To be picked on was too pitiful, too shameful."
"If I let Mother know, I would feel even worse."
"If.. Mother thought I was useless,..what would I do.."
"I was scared."

Yuki listens to this, deep in thought.
< "I was scared.">

Tohru:" I didn't want Mother to think I was useless, so I kept on
keeping silent, covering up the truth.."
"The me like this.."
"was even more pitiful."

Yuki recalls when he was young, burying his head in his hands.

<I was ashamed>

Tohru: "When mother told me 'Don't worry'."
"I really felt at peace."
"When Mother told me 'This kind of thing is nothing to be ashamed
about.' I really felt much better."
"I was so moved that tears began to fall."
"Kisa-san also.. her feelings must be the same as those of me back
then."

Kisa is still biting onto Tohru's hand.

Tohru: "..She just doesn't want.."
"Mother to think she's useless."

Yuki clenches his fist.

Tohru smiles softly.
Tohru: "Because she loves her mother,"
"Therefore she can't speak."

There's suddenly a poof of smoke.
Tohru: "!"

<Sorry>
<Sorry>
<But..>
<But..>

The small hand of a child reaches up to touch Tohru's bandaged hand
which Kisa had previously been biting.

Tohru flashes back to when her mother leaned close and held Tohru's
crying face between her hands, smiling kindly.

Tohru: <She just wishes Mother will say.. >
<"It's not your fault.">

<There's nothing wrong!>

Kisa, as a small little girl leans her cheek against Tohru's bandaged
hand, tears overflowing her eyes.

Tohru: "Oh."

Tohru: <I always felt so ashamed. >
<Why was I so weak..>

Yuki watches as Tohru hugs Kisa to her and smiles kindly. A small smile
touches his lips.
<But..>
<I drank in Mother's comfort,>
<Only once was enough>
<It didn't matter if it was a lie.>
<Because one comforting statement from mother is the needle needed to
strengthen the heart>
<it's the source of courage.>

Kyou, a little while later: "She's living here temporarily? Kisa?"

Shigure: "A lot of things happened today, so I decided to temporarily
let her stay here."

Kyou: "A lot of things?"

Haru, reading a book: "What's wrong with it?"
"Her mother has reached the limit of her patience."
"Everybody separating for a while, is good for both parties."

Kyou, still confused: "..I really don't completely understand. So where
is Kisa now?"

Shigure: "Staying with Tohru-kun <3"

Kyou pokes Haru with his exercise tool (?) : "The why are you also
here?!"

Haru looks up from his book: "eh.."

In Tohru's room, Kisa is sleeping on her lap, and Yuki is sitting next
to Tohru.

Yuki:".. she's asleep?"

Tohru: "Yes."

There's a close-up of Kisa's head on Tohru's lap.

Yuki:" She really seems like she doesn't want to leave your side by even
a little bit!.. Isn't it tiring for you?"

Tohru: "Not at all."

Yuki smiles kindly: "..How nice.."
"Kisa.."

Tohru turns, her face innocently questioning him: "Hmm?"

Yuki lays his head on her shoulder. Tohru freaks out and goes into her
shock mode.

Tohru:" EHH?"

Tohru:" Ano..ano..Sohma-kun.."

Yuki:" Just a little.."
"Just a little please,"
"Let me stay like this.."

His eyes are closed as he leans on her shoulder.

Yuki: <[I'll] let your comfort..>

<Let your support..become>

There's an image of Kisa holding her hands to her heart.

<my courage..>

End of Act 27