Disclaimer for the entire story: I don't own Fruits Basket!

Edit: First chapter heavily rewritten on 11-6-13. For those who read this before, you may want to take another read through!

A really long A/N!: Hello! Fruits Basket has always been a favorite, and what fascinates me the most about the series (besides character interaction and issues dealt with) is the curse. After reading the entire manga, I still feel hazy in just how the Sohma family became cursed, why they were cursed, and even how they became un-cursed.

So here is my take on it. While I gave God's Menagerie a semi-serious plot line, it could get goofy, and it was fun to write in general. Comatose, however, is going to be more involved as to the background of the curse, how it became, why it happened, and how it may get resolved. So bear with me, for a few chapters may seem a little AU, but it will all tie into the Furuba universe. And I promise any OCs will not be major characters, but will be here mainly to push the story forward.

With that said, please enjoy the first chapter of Comatose!

Comatose

- Slipping Under -

((Her sharp ruby eyes stared into his cool gray ones as she whispered, "Is this really the end?"

He frowned, feeling the familiar buildup of wetness that blurred his vision. His throat constricted as he took in her appearance for the final time, not able to voice a word of comfort. His eyes followed the blood that dribbled from the corners of her mouth and down her chin to her tattered robes, the pure-white tainted with a red that seeped through the fabric. And her complexion, once fair, now a sickening palette of dark blemishes. She stood bruised and beaten, but still beautiful. Always beautiful in his eyes. But then his gaze fell on the weights chained to her ankles, and the tears leaked out, knowing what he had to do.

"I'm scared," she spoke, reaching for his face and wiping it dry. "Does this really have to happen? Can't you say something? Do something? Anything? Anything but this?"

He tried to ignore the trembling fingers touching his cheek and slowly, he shook his head, choking back a sob. "You know I have no power." Twisting out of her grasp, he couldn't bring himself to meet her pleading gaze. "I'm sorry."

The rejection rattled her body, and she dropped her hand to her side in disbelief. But he told her...he told her he would protect her! Her breathing increased while her heart thudded violently inside her chest. As she opened her mouth to speak, she swallowed her fear, her voice accusing. "I trusted you."

The words lashed at him like a whip, stinging him to his very core, but still he could do nothing, ducking his face in shame. "I love you," he whispered, his hand resting on the lever.

She stared at him with disgust, muttering, "Coward." She straightened her posture, trying to gather the little dignity she had left. "Your love is a lie."

Then without hesitation, he pulled the lever down. The trapdoor on the platform she stood upon opened up, and with a scream, she splashed into the water below. With tears running down his face, he watched her struggle, watched her sink until he could see her no more.))

His pale hand suddenly shot to the bedside, groping wildly until his fingers curled around familiar plastic. Popping off the cap, Yuki lurched forward and brought the inhaler to his lips, simultaneously pressing down on the medical container and inhaling forcefully. The cool mist fluttered down his bronchial tubes and Yuki fought the urge to cough. He took another puff, just focusing on trying to breathe. Slowly, the constricting feeling lessened, and after a long minute, his spasms ceased.

With a relieved sigh, Yuki let himself rest against the headboard, cherishing the air passing effortlessly through his lungs. Still clutching his inhaler, his hands dropped into his lap and he closed his eyes. Soon, Yuki reopened them, frowning in irritation as he tried to kick the covers off that were wrapped around his body, feeling overheated. Sweat beaded his forehead and his nightclothes felt damp. Untangling himself from his sheets, he padded down the hall to the bathroom.

He never slept well after having that dream. Splashing water onto his face, Yuki looked into the mirror, meeting his own gaze. It was always the same man and woman, always the same conversation, but usually he'd wake up halfway though. Reaching for the towel, he dried himself off. With a sudden shiver, he couldn't shake off this weird feeling he had. Her hurt, her anger, it all felt so real.

But...who was she?

Tohru's excited voice chimed over the clatter of dishes. She was talking fast, hardly giving Kyo any time to respond. Under normal circumstances, Yuki would consider the noises way too loud for so early in the morning, but today he welcomed the exuberance that seeped from the kitchen. Walking in, he noticed the conversation - or really the lack of one - came to an abrupt halt.

Tohru stopped mid-sentence and blinked, staring at him with mild surprise, spatula in hand. Then, finding her voice, she exclaimed, "Y-Yuki-kun! You are up very early!"

Yuki opened his mouth to respond when the pan in front of Tohru started to sizzle loudly, accented by a few small pops, and Kyo immediately nudged her arm, "Oi, you gotta flip them now or they'll burn."

Directing her attention back to the stove, Tohru nodded, "R-right!", and set to work flipping the pancakes to their other sides.

Leaning back against the countertop once more, Kyo took a swig from the milk carton and watched Yuki open the refrigerator and pull out the orange juice. The rat turned towards Kyo, eyes set on the cupboard behind the cat's head. With a sudden uncharacteristic act of kindness, Kyo reached behind himself and flipped open the cupboard. Grabbing one of the glasses, he held it out towards Yuki.

Yuki automatically extended his arm forward to accept the offered glass, but then caught himself halfway. The rare act of benevolence left him feeling off-kilter, and the rat knew he needed things to remain normal.

Kyo arched an eyebrow at his behavior. "Yo, I'm not going to hold this all day. You want it or not, Rat-boy?"

Scowling, Yuki retracted his hand before shoving the cat out of the way. He took his own glass from the cupboard and then regarded Kyo's surprised expression. Nodding towards the cup in the cat's hand, he said, "It's good to see you're capable of holding one of those. Maybe you should use it instead of drinking from the carton. Not everyone wants to drink your backwash."

Kyo gaped at him before spluttering, "W-what the hell! I was actually trying to be nice for once and you go and be a jerk about it?"

Knowing Kyo hated to be ignored, Yuki purposefully turned his back on the cat and set his glass on the table. But when he tried to pour the orange juice, his hands began to tremble causing some of the liquid to spill. Grabbing a napkin, he wiped up his mess and then closed his eyes briefly—

((Ruby red eyes full of malice stared back, boring into his very being, and he was falling, falling, falling into them, a voice dripping venom spitting taunts and jeers, burying him in self-doubt, wailing at him as he watched her sink, farther and father, drowning in a black abyss, "Coward!" she cried, "Coward!"))

—instantly he snapped them open again. Yuki felt his breath hitch in his throat and he mentally scolded himself to calm down. He resumed pouring and once the glass was full, he took a sip. The juice tasted off; it was wrong. Everything was wrong. He could feel his stomach knotting up in anxiety.

Miffed, Kyo watched Yuki out of the corner of his eye as he took another swig of his milk. The damn rat sure was asking for it this morning, but instead of taking the bait, Kyo slunk back towards Tohru to check on breakfast.

Tohru gave Kyo a proud smile. "Kyo-kun is finally being nice to Yuki-kun!"

Making a face, Kyo stared at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? He's usually asleep for another half hour. There's no way I'm pissing him off this early in the morning." His fingers began clenching around the carton. "Though it pisses me off that he's been holding back on me!"

Yuki left his orange juice untouched and took his seat at the table. Despite the long sleeves of his uniform, he felt cold. Checking first to make sure no one was looking, he felt his forehead. His skin was burning and Yuki was certain he was running a fever. Sighing to himself, he propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. Glancing back into the kitchen, he caught Kyo peering at him over his shoulder, so he glared, prompting the cat to hiss in return.

Tohru slid the remaining pancakes from the pan onto the waiting plate, chiming, "Breakfast is ready!" As she carried them to the table, Kyo stashed his carton of milk back into the refrigerator.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru started as she sat down, "You got up so early today, you surprised me."

Yuki took one of the pancakes. Clearing his voice, he responded, "Ah, yeah... I had a bit of trouble sleeping. Kept waking up throughout the night." He pushed his food around his plate, not bothering to look up.

Tohru frowned, but brushed off his behavior as still being tired. Then her eyes widened, "Ah! I forgot the syrup!"

Yuki opened his mouth to say he didn't need any, but met only empty air as Tohru had already scurried back into the kitchen. Resuming his slouched position, Yuki poked at his food with his utensils until he felt the cat staring at him again. He glanced across the table at Kyo. Their eyes met for a split second before the cat scowled and ducked his head, refocusing on his food. Yuki averted his own gaze and waited for Tohru to return. He perked himself up as she walked back in, and Yuki accepted the bottle from Tohru's outstretched hands, forcing a smile as she resettled down next to him. After a few minutes, he spoke, trying to retain normalcy. "You seem happy this morning, Honda-san. I could hear you as I came downstairs."

Tohru swallowed before answering, "Oh, Uo-chan and Hana-chan are taking me into town after school today!" Setting her chopsticks down, she punched the air as she squealed, "We're going shopping!" Not noticing the boys' amused smiles, she added, "Would you want me to pick anything up for you, Yuki-kun?"

He chuckled lightly at her enthusiasm, "No thanks, Honda-san. It was thoughtful of you to ask, though."

Kyo couldn't help but roll his eyes. The guy was night and day, freaking out in the kitchen one moment and then being as-pleasant-as-could-be five minutes later. Pushing his empty plate away, Kyo spoke, "Oi, you can get me somethin'."

"Eh?" Tohru turned her attention to Kyo, a smile growing on her face. "What can I get for you, Kyo-kun?" She clasped her hands together, eager to help.

The cat stood, collecting his plate. Casually, he answered,"One giant ass mousetrap to help the Rat Prince sleep." With a grin that could match the cheshire cat, he continued, "Wouldn't have any trouble if that neck was snapped, would you?" Then without waiting for a response, Kyo took his dishes to the sink.

Tohru frowned and immediately looked towards Yuki. Ignoring Tohru's concern, he let the insult slide, hesitantly trying a bite of his pancake. But as Kyo came back towards the table, he smirked, his voice taunting. "A mousetrap wouldn't be necessary if the house cat could do his job."

The said cat bristled, his fists clenching, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to control his temper. Tohru fidgeted uncertainly, watching the two boys, afraid they were going to fight. But then Kyo's shoulders relaxed and he exhaled deeply before walking past and muttering under his breath. Before exiting the room, however, he paused and glanced over his shoulder, glaring directly into Yuki's eyes.

Yuki froze mid-bite, paralyzed under the cat's penetrating gaze.

And for the first time, he acknowledged their color: Red.

Such a deep red.

Instantly the room felt like it started to spin, and all at once he clutched his chest, feeling his heart race as he struggled to breathe. The crimson was consuming him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block it out, but still all he saw were those red eyes full of fury and accusation.

His breaths came in quick, hot pants, and he felt like no matter how much air he got, he couldn't calm down. He felt Tohru flutter immediately to his side, grasping his shaking shoulders. Her face was etched in worry and her lips moved, but he couldn't hear, a high-pitched buzzing overtaking his senses. He looked vaguely in the direction of the door, and knew that he just wanted to get away, but felt too faint to move. His face scrunched up, straining, and he could feel his neck burning. Tears trickled from Tohru's eyes and she shifted her attention from Yuki to over his shoulder. He saw her panicking, then suddenly she was pointing and shouting, but he could only focus on inhaling and exhaling. Inhaling and exhaling...

Suddenly he felt the familiar plastic in his hands, but he pushed it away. It wasn't an asthma attack, he knew that much. The air was getting through, he just wasn't getting enough. He felt small hands rubbing circles into his back, trying to calm him down. Tohru sat close, but not close enough to make him transform. Then finally, after what felt like ages, he could feel his heart begin to slow back down, and his hands didn't feel so clammy. His eyes squinted open, and Yuki saw an orange blur leaning overtop him. He thought he saw concern in those reddish-brown irises, but quickly the worry was gone, replaced by annoyance as Kyo huffed away.

Crossing his arms, Kyo glanced towards the wall with a frown. "Damn rat, you shouldn't make Tohru worry so much."

Suddenly, Yuki became aware of Tohru's frantic pleas, asking if he was okay. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly let it out. "I'm okay, thank you Honda-san." He strained a smile at her. "It, I think...I think it was a panic attack." He looked into her questioning eyes and answered before she even had to ask. "I don't know why," he lied.

And as Kyo retreated out of the room, Yuki couldn't help but stare.

Those eyes...

Her eyes.

Trudging up the stairs, Yuki let out a frustrated sigh. He never had a panic attack before, and to have one because that stupid cat looked at him? Lost in his thoughts, he tried to shake off his dream, but all he accomplished was failing to notice Kyo emerge from the bathroom. Bumping into him, Yuki looked up suddenly, cursing himself for not paying attention.

Wary from Yuki's earlier display, Kyo just tried to keep things normal. He jumped back and snapped, "Watch where you're going, you damn rat!"

But Yuki didn't so much as flinch, continuing to his bedroom.

Kyo huffed he was blown off, as usual. He reached for his door, but paused, watching Yuki retreat. His mild annoyance slowly faded, and suddenly he scoffed, trying to convince himself that he didn't care about the rat's health, but he'd be lying if he said that weird panic attack thingy didn't scare the shit out of him. Something definitely wasn't right with Yuki this morning. Maybe they should give Hatori a call?

As Yuki came back with his book bag in tow, he found the cat still standing there and watching him, unnerved by those slanted red eyes. Glowering, he spat, "Stop staring at me, stupid cat."

Kyo recoiled slightly, spluttering a comeback without thinking. "Shut up, I can stare at whatever I want!" He paused, grimacing as his words hung awkwardly in the air. "And I wasn't staring at you," he quickly added, "Don't be so damn conceited."

Yuki scoffed, "Yes you were, you've been doing it all morning."

Kyo bristled, unable to prove the rat wrong. "Well then quit acting so weird!" Attempt to mask his own worry, he stated, "You're scaring Tohru."

Yuki felt the weight of those red eyes on him again, and he began to feel the oncomings of another panic attack. He needed to get away, to get out from under those eyes. His vision blurred, and he forced himself to blink as he shook his head. He felt as if he was seeing double as the image of the woman from his dreams started blending with Kyo. Abruptly he shouted, "Stop looking at me!"

Taken aback, Kyo's mouth dropped in surprise as Yuki slapped his palms overtop his face, yelling, "Stop looking, stop it! Stop staring at me!" He tried to block her out, but it was all in vain. She wouldn't go away.

Backing up a step, Kyo glanced quickly down the stairwell to see if Torhu was nearby to help calm Yuki down, but as he turned back, Yuki had returned his arms to his sides.

Pure rage seeped into Yuki's voice as he screamed at the cat, "You're still looking! Stop it!" Clenching his hand into a fist, Yuki dropped his backpack and ran forward, charging, "I said stop!"

Kyo had a split second to register what was happening before Yuki was on him, fists swinging. He tried to deflect them, but the sudden onslaught made him lose his balance and Yuki's knuckles caught him on the side of his mouth, snapping his head to the side. The cat stumbled back and instantly brought a hand to his mouth, wiping away the blood that leaked between his lips.

Yuki pulled his arm back to strike again, but suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he watched the blood trickle down Kyo's chin. He felt his heart speed up again as his vision blurred further, reality merging with the memory of his dream and all he saw was

((Blood bruises fear shock rejection anger malice screaming, her voice echoing inside his mind...

Is this really the end?

I'm scared.

I trusted you.

I trusted you.

I trusted you.

Your love is a lie.))

Pain burst inside his skull, and suddenly he felt himself falling...falling...and with a thud, he connected with the floor. Eyes rolling upwards, the last thing Yuki saw was Kyo staring at him open-mouthed and wide-eyed, his arm still extended forward.

Then his vision dissolved into black.

A.N: Oh. Oh my. Yuki what happened? Well now...things are going to get interesting...

So who's all with me? Let's hear some r&r!