Author Note: You know they say that writing is therapeutic, well that's what I'm doing it for. I don't promise anything, but I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket

Isuzu felt the sand between her toes as she played with Kagura in the sandbox, the two of them had just started school and had instantly joined together. They were both girls. They were both of the Sohma family, and more than that, they were both cursed. Isuzu leaned back, her dress flowing freely on her free spirited, five-year-old body. "Do you think that we should make the castle bigger?" she asked gently, gesturing to the top.

Kagura gasped, pressing both of her hands to her mouth, "Wow, you're right Isuzu! We need to make it bigger! Hey, maybe your doll can keep watch, I can't believe how attached you are to her. You're five now Isuzu, that's too old to be carrying around dolls." She stared at the sky and then thought to herself how many turrets she should make, it really did make a difference whether it was four or six turrets.

"I like her!" Isuzu replied, holding her doll tightly, "Mama gave her to me." Jumping up she grabbed Kagura's shoulder and lightly held her arm, "Come on, I want you to show me how to draw eggs in the sand! You said it was fun!"

"Well Kyo, the cat, said it was fun; to me it's pretty silly," she laughed, obviously not caring too much about Kyo's feelings; he was the cat after all, he might not even have true feelings. Picking up a twig she walked over to Isuzu, bent down, and then

SMACK!!

Both girls' eyes widened greatly, they could hear someone attempting not to cry and they looked around to hear where it came from. Kagura looked around, half bored by the sound, but, Isuzu jumped up, curious to know where that sound had come from. "That crying, someone's hurt, we should help them Kagura-chan!" Hearing the sound Isuzu dashed out of the area.

"Isuzu! Get back here! We should tell the sensei!" Kagura yelled chasing her, she was stopped dead as the two viewed the crying boy before them. Kagura's stomach gave in as she looked at the small white haired boy with the huge red mark on his face. He looked familiar, had she seen him before somewhere? Was he part of the Zodiac?

"Please don't cry," Isuzu spoke gently, her heart reaching out for the small boy, he was so defenseless and his mother didn't love him the way hers loved her. Kagura instantly slapped a hand over Isuzu's mouth and pulled her back so they could watch; the mother hadn't noticed yet.

"Just listen," Kagura whispered to her as the two of them heard what the mother was saying.

"So now Hatsuharu! So now you know what you get," she told him, glancing down at him in a very strict manner, "Do you get why you're never going to get into the best private schools, or why Yuki is always talked about. Why Yuki is closest to Akito's side?"

The three year old didn't speak, he tried to dry the tears off with the back of his hand. He gripped to his arm, trying very hard not to embarrass his mother and then heard another girl laughing at him.

"Look at his hair!" she yelled at him, "It's so funny!"

Haru shuddered as he heard that, he looked down trying his hardest not to cry, he didn't want to hear that he had humiliated his mother, he didn't want to hear his mother and father talking about how some girl noticed Haru's hair and then like someone stupid he had cried. He had already humiliated his mother at lunch with her friends and their "uncursed" children when he held his menu upside down. That story was probably going to circulate for a long time. "Mama," he whispered, grabbing her leg, "Can we go home?"

He looked up and then silently freaked out, his mother was already talking to someone else, he had been forgotten about again. Taking a deep breath he looked at his mother and heard all the usual jokes she made about how weird he was, about how different he was. "Mama," he tried again and then found his mother to walk away.

"Hatsuharu, you know your way back home don't you?" she asked with a fake sense of kindness as she walked off not even bothering to look back at him and before Haru knew it she had disappeared with her new friend. He was alone now, Haru choked slightly, he was lost! Now that he was without his mother in this strange place he allowed tears to flow down his cheeks.

Isuzu gazed from behind the wall and then ran out to the young boy, she recognized him, maybe he was part of the Zodiac because his hair was so strange, but in case he wasn't she wouldn't hug him. "Are you alright?" she asked kindly, reaching down to him and found the small boy jump up, he stared at her shaking his head side to side.

"No, no, don't hug me! Don't hug me!" Haru yelled freaking out, that would be bad, for him to get hugged and memories having to be erased. Still, before he knew it, Isuzu had taken him in her arms and was holding him, she sighed relieved. "You are animals too?" he asked looking at Kagura and Isuzu. He felt warm and secure in Isuzu's arms as she rubbed his back.

"Yep," Kagura laughed, rocking back and forth on her toes, "I'm the boar and Isuzu's the horse, you're Hatsuharu the ox right?"

Haru looked down, he screwed his face up trying hard to keep himself from crying and gave a weakened nod. "Cow," he spoke softly, before shaking due to his overwhelming emotions, he kept everything bottled up, but here in Isuzu's arms he found a new source of strength, he wanted this kind of strength forever.

"I like cows," Isuzu smiled at him, she held him tightly and Haru cried until her blouse. Suddenly the two of them were broken apart as the sensei called. "Sensei," Isuzu spoke before looking to Haru and then to the teacher, she knew her parents weren't as bad as the other Zodiac's parents but she didn't want to disobey them. "I have to go, but we can play later at the Sohma Estate alright?" she asked as Haru held her hand.

"But, but I don't know my way home without mama," he tried to tell her, almost begging her to stay. Isuzu bit her bottom lip, her gaze alternating between the school building and the young three year old in front of her.

"I'll take you!" Kagura volunteered, "Isuzu, you go back to class! I'll take Haru-chan home," she grinned, grabbing Haru's hand and pulling him. Isuzu watched them go, smiling as she found Haru looking back to her. And then she remembered...her doll!