YUUMA HONDA:
Tohru's cousin who had inherited enough money to live comfortably and pursue a career in art at the utter behest of his family. The money has given him freedom to do as he likes without a care in the world, but it can't cure the loneliness or the grief he feels for all of the people he lost.
| NAME: |
Yuuma "Shiro" Honda "Shiro" is his pen name, his artist name, that he keeps separate from the rest of his life. The name has the kanji for "four" and "son", but the number 4 has a superstition linked to it because the kanji is similar to "death", so, in Yuuma's mind, "Shiro" means "dead son", and uses it to sever his relationship with his family. |
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| TITLE: | Living in a World of Strangers | ||
| ETHNICITY: | Japanese | NATIONALITY: | Japanese |
| AGE: | 27 | BIRTH-DATE: | March 21 |
| TIME OF BIRTH: | 10:18PM | ZODIAC: | Aries; Ox |
| SEX: | Male | GENDER IDENTITY: | Cis |
| ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: | Heterosexual | SEXUAL ORIENTATION: | Heterosexual |
UNIVERSE:
Takes place shortly after the final banquet in Natsuki Takayama's Fruits Basket, where the Sohma family was cursed to embody the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac animals, and some members would change into their animal forms when hugged by the opposite sex; however the curse was broken, and the members of the Sohma family were free.
HAIR:
Thin shoulder-blade-length straight dark brown hair with a thick density. He usually leaves it down, except if he's tattooing, then he'll pull it back into a high-set pony-tail. If he’s at formal gatherings, he may pull it back into a lower ponytail.
BODY DESCRIPTION:
- 5'9"
- Long torso short legged vertical body type with a trapezoid horizontal body shape and long-lengthed arms;
- II skin tone, according to the Fitzpatrick Skin Tone Scale;
- Large-square hands with a tudor arch, and even spatulate fingers. Has high shell spatulate/triangular shaped nails;
- Large narrow egyptian feet with a medial arch.
FACIAL DESCRIPTION:
- Diamond face shape;
- High prominent protuberance-shaped forehead with a brow bone that’s prominent and has a dip in the center;
- Bushy and messy short low-set soft-angled eyebrows set at a lower inner angle with 1 yin tong line;
- Proportionate, wide-apart, downturned brown multiple eyelid crease mongoloid eyes with perfect sight, and a nevii mutation;
- Small, medium-set, concave nose with a rounded tip and open nostrils;
- Closer to the cheekbones, low-set, different sized wide conch ears with a too tight or firm thin helix, and thick, dangling lobes;
- Closer to the ears, hollow cheeks;
- Long, shallow, philtrum, with a medium, higher on the left side, crooked mouth, a straight line between the full protruding bottom lips. The cupid’s bow has a deep flat V with pointed peaks and a smooth bottom. The arial is puffy, and, when relaxed, the mouth is closed;
- Slack broad jaws with an overbite;
- Very small, straight, dimpled chin.
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CLOTHING:
GENERAL STYLE:
Equally artsy and sophisticated
CASUAL:
If he’s out and about going shopping, or going to get messy painting or working, then a simple T-shirt and worn out straight-legged jeans and a plain-print haori are his usual go-to with a pair of runners. Due to his steady rise in popularity, and being recognized more and more, he also has begun wearing a hat, face mask, and his glasses for his far sightedness.
SEMI-FORMAL:
If he’s working at the tattoo shop, or working on the museum’s mural, or working in general out in public, he usually goes for a turtle-neck or a dress-shirt with a bold-print haori and slacks or dark-washed jeans and casual shoes.
FORMAL:
If the attire requirement isn’t restricted to black-tie events and such, and he has the choice of what he would like to wear, much like the semi-formal clothing, he only adds a tie, leather shoes, with his hair left down or in a low, but neat, ponytail.
MYERS-BRIGGS:
ESTP, ISTP
| Ambivert (E/I): | a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features, concerned with external things and objective considerations as well as concerned with their own thoughts and feelings. |
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| Sensing (S): | a person who predominantly processes information through their five senses, and values facts and what is certain. |
| Thinking (T): | a person who predominantly makes decisions based on facts, with the head ruling over their heart. |
| Perceiving (P): | a person who predominantly lives by improvisation, and keeping their schedule open and tends to juggle tasks. |
BIG 5
| OPENNESS: | Not at all open to new experiences. It’s not that he’s not open to new experiences, if it aligns with his interests, but he believes he’s unlucky when he tries something new—that even if it made him happy at the time of trying it, he ends up regretting it later when it turned out he lost something he cared about. When he hung out with Tohru, Kyoko and Katsuya’s, his parents became stricter on his studies and how he behaved socially. When he went in a tattoo shop to get a drawing of his priced as his mini act of rebellion, he almost gets into a brawl with a pissed off intern. When he moved out on his own with his friends, disowning his parents, he found out his friends had been using him for his money. When he proposed to his girlfriend, she left. |
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| AGREEABLENESS: | Rarely adjusts his attitude or behavior to suit others. He has been controlled by his parents for most of his life, so when he finally broke free from his family’s clutches, the mask he used to wear was left behind. He’s rarely apologetic, and he has a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, unless it’s towards people he values and cares about. |
| CONSCIENTIOUSNESS: | Relatively honest and hardworking. Relatively. If he wants something, he’ll go after it with spite fueling him, but he keeps his motivations to himself. One large example was that he went to medical school—just doing that would have satisfied his parents and his art master he had been secretly seeing at the same time—but he went above and beyond, earning the highest scores among his peers just so he could give his graduation speech to tell his parents (essentially) to fuck off in public. |
| NEUROTICISM: | Rarely ever shows his emotions. He’s had to learn that emotions give away too many secrets, and if he shows the right facial expression, the right tone of voice, he can either blend in or talk up a crowd. It’s how he’s been able to protect himself from those he sees want something from him. The only thing people usually see is a small, humble, smile. |
MORAL ALIGNMENT TYPE:
Neutral - Chaotic Neutral
| NEUTRAL: | May be unsure of their conviction and morals, they see things as they are and act upon each moment in whatever way they see fit. |
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| CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: | They follow their own whims, and mainly focused on their well-being. They aren't evil about it, they just aren't necessarily motivated by the needs of others. |
PEARSON-MARR ARCHETYPE:
Regular Guy - Hero
| REGULAR GUY: | A survivor, and a bit of a cynic. Avoids situations that equate to hurting himself, and demonstrates interdependence, empathy, and realism. They have a tendency towards abandonment, betrayal, and self-betrayal, disillusionment, discrimination, and victimization. Has empathy for others, especially for those in need. |
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| HERO: | Has a high level of assertiveness, fights for what really matters, has courage and discipline. Calls for confrontation of a great challenge or obstacle. |
HOLLAND CODE:
Artistic / Creator - Enterprising / Persuader
| ARTISTIC / CREATOR: | Has artistic, innovating, or intuitional abilities who likes to work in unstructured situations using their imagination and creativity. |
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| ENTERPRISING / PERSUADER: | Likes to work with people, influencing, persuading, leading or managing for organizational goals or economic gain. |
ENNEAGRAM:
Loyalist - Peacemaker
| LOYALIST: | Committed, security-oriented, reliable, hardworking and trustworthy, and can be defensive, evasive and anxious. |
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| PEACEMAKER: | Accepting, trusting and stable, creative, supportive, and be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. |
MYTHCREANTS SIX FLAWS
| ADDICTION: | He has a minor addiction to alcohol. He likes an evening drink as a daily ritual, but strictly one cup. It's just for enjoyment of taste with his meal, not to get drunk and ignore his problems. He’s very strict with the amount of alcohol he has. |
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| AVERSION: | He has a neutral aversion to female genitalia. So that he doesn't go philandering with "uncouth" people, his mother made him read books upon books about sex, pregnancy, childbirth, raising children, and STDs and STIs on top of her complaints about him not being an elite socialite, seemingly not having goals for his future, and wasting his time drawing all of the time. With graphic pictures for good measure. So he's avoided sex completely since the age of eleven when he had to write those book reports and rewrite those book reports. He's mostly moved passed the trauma, but would prefer to be in a stable, committed, married relationship before engaging in sex. Still, vaginas and the thought of having a child is weird for him. |
| FEAR: | He has a major fear that loving someone will lead to them leaving. It seems that every time he's grown to love someone, whether it be familial or romantically, they leave. No goodbye, no note. They just die or leave. This is why he doesn't get too close to anyone, or divulge his feelings. |
| IMMORTALITY: | He has a major belief that divorce is fine. In a society and a social class where divorce is considered shameful, disgraceful, Yuuma is one of the very few that doesn't see why there would be a fuss if a couple decides to split up and divorce. After living with his obviously unhappy parents, he wished they had divorced. |
| INCOMPETENCY: | He has a minor incapability to accepting help. He doesn't like asking for help. He doesn't like needing help. He feels uncomfortable when people go out of their way to help him. He won't stop people helping him because denying help is considered rude in his perspective, but is uncomfortable being in situations where he would need help. |
| POOR JUDGEMENT: | He has a major sense of poor judgment in failing at communication when making a decisions. He often decides to go somewhere without letting anyone know, from going to the grocery store to week-long trips. Sometimes he leaves a note, sometimes he leaves a voicemail, but oftentimes doesn't do anything, and waits on the other person to call him. |
VIA CHARACTER STRENGTHS
| COURAGE (STRENGTH OF HEART): | BRAVERY: While he avoids physical confrontation as much as possible, if he sees something he feels is morally reprehensible, he won’t throw a hit, but he will stand his ground and take the hits. As for facing himself, he knows all too well, and it’s absolutely painful how much he knows, knowing he can’t change. HONESTY: He’s not honest about his feelings, particularly about himself, to others both because he doesn’t want help, and because he doesn’t want others to worry. He does his best to brush off whatever is bothering him, but not all of it comes off onto a painting. PERSEVERANCE: His obsession with his goals keeps his mind distracted away from his inner turmoil, which was how he was able to pursue medicine and art at the same time, and graduating at the top of his class. ZEST: Despite everything, he thoroughly enjoys his job and his art, and being with the people he calls friends. He’s happy doing what he loves to do. |
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| HUMANITY (STRENGTH OF OTHERS): | KINDNESS: He doesn’t need anything from people to be kind and offer support, but whether out of empathy for someone’s situation, or out of a social responsibility to return an act of kindness, he can go overboard. LOVE: With his neglectful parents, it’s no wonder he doesn’t feel any sort of attachment to his parents, or family, in general, and instead focuses on forming attachments with his friends. SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE: He doesn’t at all care what people think of him. Family had called him greedy, other artists called him a snob, and even close friends may consider him cruel at times, but even if he knew absolutely what a crowd thought of him, he would know enough to joke about them to their faces without letting them in on the joke. |
| JUSTICE (STRENGTH OF COMMUNITY): | FAIRNESS: When making decisions and judgments, he prefers objective, black and white forms of reasoning, so as to shut down arguments, and to ensure that no one can question him about his personal biases in any given situation. Even on the few cases where he empathizes with a situation, he doesn’t make a decision until he has other reasons to back it up. LEADERSHIP: While Yuuma may vaguely know the steps on how to get things done, he can in no way inspire people to help him achieve it. That’s why he either works alone, or has someone else take the lead. TEAMWORK:If it’s with people he respects, and views as friends, he’ll sacrifice meals and sleep to make sure the job is done, but if its for his family, or his community, his effort is average at best. But, if it’s something like changing his country’s opinion on any and all artforms, he’ll put in a strong effort to help change their attitude. |
| TEMPERANCE (STRENGTH OF SELF): | FORGIVENESS: While Yuuma does his best to put his past behind him, to move on and find his own happiness, he has trouble forgetting the offenses, and doesn’t make an effort to reconcile with the offender after, even if he received an apology. HUMILITY: While he may not reveal his feelings or be forthcoming with his thoughts, he doesn’t hide himself or present himself as something better or just isn’t. PRUDENCE: When there is a project or commission he’s working on, he puts his focus into it without breaks, often losing sleep, skipping meals, and losing track of time; however, he’s able to juggle multiple projects because he knows how to prioritize. SELF-REGULATION: If something upsets him, it can take him a while to pull himself back together, but once he’s done that, then nothing distracts him from whatever he’s working on. Even if the house was on fire, he probably wouldn’t notice until he was choking on smoke. |
| TRANSCENDENCE (STRENGTH OF SPIRIT): | APPRECIATION OF BEAUTY: He loves the physical beauty of nature, and can even admire how clothes fit on people, but he goes absolutely nuts over other artists’ work, analyzing every brush stroke of an eyelash or how the ornate frame holding the painting was carved and built. What also inspires him is people and their values, and strives to become better somehow. GRATITUDE: He absolutely will repay debts, one, because it’s the right thing to do, no matter how he feels about the person who helped him, and, two, so they have no reason to hang around (if it’s a person he doesn’t like), but doing people favors and helping them without being asked? If it’s someone he cares for or if he sees a stranger needing help pick up groceries fallen to the ground, absolutely, he’ll help. HOPE: While he’s happy with his job as an artist with people around him he respects, he doesn’t have a lot of hope that this happiness is sustainable. He’s feeling loneliness creeping in, and there’s no amount of work that would keep him distracted forever. Worse, there may be a day where even art doesn’t make him happy anymore. HUMOR: That being said, he does have a strong sense of humor, and does try to brighten someone’s day, whether it’s by doing a friend a favor, or making sure a client’s happy with a commission. SPIRITUALITY: Yuuma isn’t a spiritual person, but in some capacity, believes he’s haunted by his past failures, and the guilt of believing he killed Katsuya and Kyoko. |
| WISDOM (STRENGTH OF HEAD): | CREATIVITY: He’s needed to express himself without revealing himself, so he’s had to think a lot of symbolism, if only to get his feelings out on another medium even if only he understands it. CURIOSITY: He’s not in the least bit curious about people or their past, nor is he interested in new things or experiences. He just wants to focus on his day to day, and his day to day is busy enough. JUDGEMENT: He’s pretty fixed in his way of thinking about everything, and doesn’t necessarily go out of his way to dive into researching other viewpoints on some topics, but if he happens to come across something, or if someone points out something about his logic or views being wrong, he’s open to learning more in that moment. LOVE-OF-LEARNING: He loves learning new things, even if it’s not necessarily to do with art. But if it does have anything to do with art, such as a new medium or technique, he’d go absolutely crazy for it. PERSPECTIVE: With his ability to empathize, but making decisions based on objective reasoning, it can be a headache for him as well as others whenever he decides to give advise, both because it could take him longer than others to come to term with his perspective on a given situation, and because the way he frames it often comes across blunt, like an order, or that there’s nothing more to discuss. |
PHILOSOPHIES:
SYMBOLISM - OBJECTIVISM - ECLECTICISM
The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The belief that certain things, especially moral truths, exist independently of human knowledge or perception of them. A person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
HOBBIES:
Art, reading, listening to music, and hiking
FAMILY:
| RYOICHI HONDA and CHIKARA HONDA NEE KAWAKAMI: | They married out of familial and financial responsibility rather than love; although Ryoichi thought they might learn to love each other with time, but it never happened. Chikara continued to work rather than be a stay-at-home mother, so they hired nannies and housekeepers to take care of the home for them. Chikara realized she never wanted marriage, or children, but, now that she had Yuuma, she wanted him to be the best, so whenever she was home, she usually criticized Yuuma’s every effort in order for him to work harder to be the head of the Honda family so she could show off to the rest of her family. But that wasn’t enough for her. She had been having an affair with her lawyer. Ryoichi came home earlier than expected and caught Yuuma out of bed when he was four saying he heard some noises. Ryoichi picked him up and recognized the noises. He tucked Yuuma into bed, and sat in the living room. He didn’t want to know, so didn’t look. He waited for the man to leave, and confronted Chikara, saying, “I don’t care if you’re having an affair. Continue on if you want, but don’t you dare expose Yuuma to your shameful acts.” Ryoichi became torn. He wanted Yuuma to work for him in his company, but became disgusted in his own home, so he stayed at work longer and longer, it becoming an escape. When Yuuma ran away, Ryoichi worked less hours in order to make sure Yuuma stayed on the right track, but with Yuuma’s continued unresponsiveness to him, he eventually gave up on them being father and son. He couldn’t help but feel immense guilt, but he never apologized, and wasn’t even sure if Yuuma would even hear it, so he kept track of his work from afar, commissioning him occasionally through a pseudonym. |
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| (Parents) | |
| SHOHEI KAWAKAMI: | A man who held the world in the palm of his hands, but that world may as well have been sand with how much he cared about it. As proud as he was about what he accomplished, and how much he gained from it, it meant little to him because he couldn’t share it with the one person he truly loved. But that was a different time, and it just simply wasn’t acceptable. When Yuuma showed he wanted absolutely nothing from him or from his family, it intrigued him. If he had enough money to live out his life however he wanted, could he have lived and died with the man he loved? After seeing Yuuma’s work and spoke with him about what he wanted, he decided to give his life’s blood to him. After all, he wouldn’t need it, and he fully believe the rest of his family would squander it. |
| (Maternal Great Grand-Uncle) | |
| SOTA HONDA: | Yuuma and Tohru’s grandfather, Katsuya’s father. Sota tried to be more hands-off in regards to how his children raised their children, but he regrets not being more in Yuuma’s life earlier. Ryoichi and Chikara worked hard and were well-off, so he assumed Yuuma would be well taken care of, but while Yuuma never hungered, or thirsted, always had well-fitted clothes and always had a cleanly home, Yuuma’s heart was neglected. He never saw more proof of that than at Katsuya’s funeral, when Yuuma wailed to Tohru that she was loved, and repeated it over and over, as if he was forcing her to think that way so that no one would ever make her doubt it. He visited Yuuma more often after, but while Yuuma never showed disrespect to him, and seemed to appreciate his gifts, Yuuma kept him at arm’s length, and any kind word seemed to roll off of him like water down a duck’s back. Yuuma couldn’t let himself believe it. He became happy for Yuuma when he was able to pursue his passion and able to live the way he wanted. He continued to keep in touch with him so that Yuuma knew he cared, but he understood why he didn’t call him or the rest of the family. |
| (Paternal Grandfather) |
FRIENDS:
| MICHI MIYAGAWA: | His and Yuuma’s friendship is tenuous at best, but they’re working on it in their own way. Yuuma acknowledges and is grateful that Michi tried to warn him about Niichiro, but that sort of betrayal makes him think that Michi could have also at one point been in on it. He’s also convinced that Michi knows where Umeko is, but he refuses to tell him. At least not until they’re both ready to sit down and have a calm talk. In the meantime, Yuuma hired him to make sure his orphan cousin is doing OK with the Sohmas. |
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| TETSUSHI YATSUMOTO: | Yuuma’s erratic sensei. He’s covered in ink and piercings, but, despite his scary appearance, he loves his wife and children, and would do absolutely anything for them and anyone he cared for. He saw a lot of potential in Yuuma’s skill, but his lackluster attitude made him doubt about his conviction and dedication. What ultimately made him want Yuuma to join his shop was when Yuuma (who was still in high school at the time) noticed he always let the clients choose the colors, and Yuuma figured out that he was completely colorblind. Yatsumoto’s family discouraged him from becoming an artist, or becoming an artist using color, for his entire life, but despite figuring it out, Yuuma told him how impressed he was, and said that must have been why his pieces were so vibrant with a wide range of shades that he sometimes took for granted. |
| MASUYO: | He had always heard his grandfather’s stories and adventures, especially in regards to Shohei Kawakami, that he wanted to host discoveries that changed the world or challenged people’s perspectives, and became a museum curator, but he had to take a break from it to take care of his ailing wife. That was where he met Yuuma, who tried to brighten her last days by brightening her hospital room with paintings of the gardens. It was a small act of kindness, but it meant a lot to him and his wife. To repay that act of kindness, and because he was thrilled to learn that he was a relative of Kawakami, he hired him to paint murals on his museum every year when the theme changed. |
RIVALS:
| ROKURO EGAWA (PREVIOUS INTERN): | He had been trying to run Yatsumoto out of business ever since he was fired as an intern, and even more insult to injury, Yatsumoto practically hired a kid to take his place. From the day Yuuma became an official artist at the shop, Rokuro has tried to discredit Yuuma’s work, but Yuuma has learned to not care, and that pisses Rokuro off even more. |
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ENEMIES:
| NIICHIRO HAMAGUCHI: | Niichiro brought Yuuma out of his isolation, and they used to be best friends, until Yuuma learned he just wanted money, and had assaulted Umeko. They fought, and he pushed Yuuma down into the basement, locking him in. He eventually was charged and is currently in prison. No one calls him. |
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CRUSH:
| UMEKO FUKUI: | Yuuma and Umeko dated in high school. Yuuma thought he would take care of her for the rest of his life, and was happy, but with his aloofness, and discomfort in showing physical affection, she thought he didn’t love her. Niichiro was trying to talk her into using Yuuma to get his money, so they could be together, but she denied him on both points. He assaulted her and injured Yuuma before running. She was scared to press charges, but Yuuma wasn’t, and Niichiro was imprisoned. She was genuinely happy when Yuuma proposed to her, but then she found she was pregnant. She was scared and decided to leave. |
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LOVE ATTITUDE STYLE:
Storge - Agape
| STORGE: | Friendship love |
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| AGAPE: | Selfless love |
LOVE LANGUAGE:
Acts of Service - Gift Giving
| ACTS OF SERVICE: | If he sees a way to make life a little easier for the people he cares about, he has no problem doing favors without any expectation of reciprocation. |
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| GIFT GIVING: | He also enjoys making things for people, especially if it involves making things. |
ATTACHMENT STYLE:
Secure: Has a strong sense of self and he desires close associations with others. He is secure in his independence and in his close relationships.
SKILLS:
Yuuma has his hands on just about almost everything when it comes to art, whether it be sculpting, carving, photography, drawing, painting, tattooing, and more, but his specialty is ink painting, even more-so than tattooing.
GOALS, MOTIVATIONS AND OBSTACLES
| POSITIVE EXTERNAL: | Yuuma doesn’t have a goal besides finishing his commissions and living day by day as his own sort of vengeance against his family, but he does think about if he should be doing anything more or anything else. |
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| NEGATIVE EXTERNAL: | On the other hand, he does want acceptance, love and belonging, whether it be through family, friendship and love because he feels unfulfilled, but he doesn’t feel deserving of it, so procrastinates on pursuing any sort of relationships or maintaining the relationships he has. |
| POSITIVE INTERNAL: | He often forgets to eat because he’s so focused on his work and finishing his commissions, and stress often suppresses his appetite. |
| NEGATIVE INTERNAL: | Yuuma wants respect and recognition for his accomplishments, but his own sense of perfectionism and that feeling that nothing he does is good enough, gets in the way of him feeling any pride or happiness. |
BACKSTORY:
Age 8: It was his birthday, and his parents invited people more as a formality than because they liked them. They invited Katsuya, the respected member of their household, but they despised Kyoko. Something about being ill-bred. But there was something in the way she carried herself so freely that drew Yuuma to her. She was heavily pregnant with Tohru, and was sitting outside on the porch alone to take a break from all of the leering and snide remarks. She caught him peaking at her, and she invited him over to keep her company while Katsuya appeased the family and got them something to drink. They were able to have a brief chat before his parents called him back in, but he knew he liked her.
A few months later, his father thought his mother would call a car, and his mother thought his father would, so there was no one to pick Yuuma up from school. He started walking, wandering. Kyoko had Tohru in a stroller at this time. She recognized him, and invited him into her home. She could “use a man's help” with groceries. On the way, after Yuuma finally got to see Tohru, she asked him why he was alone, he told her what happened, and that it wasn't the first time. He knew the way home, and could walk and take a bus there. Kyoko did the math and calculated how far that trip would take alone, and became annoyed at his parents. She didn’t care if they didn’t like her, but did they not care about Yuuma, or did they hate each other so much, they pushed the responsibility of taking care of their child onto each other.
Kyoko offered him a snack as they talked. She could see Yuuma practically falling in love with Tohru, but he was scared to touch her. Katsuya came home to see his guest. Talked, and Katsuya drove him home to a house with panicked housekeepers. When the father did finally come home, Katsuya talked with his older brother, concerned that Yuuma was being neglected, not only physically, but emotionally. Father balked, telling him to stay out of it. Yuuma was bright and can care for himself, and the housekeepers were there, too. Before Katsuya could speak further, his brother slammed the door in his face. He heard yelling, but nothing more than lecturing him about not letting anyone know where he went.
Kyoko continued to invite him over, and he would accept the invitation, but only because his parents worked late hours. He did call the house to let the housekeepers know where he was though, so they wouldn’t panic again.
Age 11: Almost every day, Yuuma would visit Tohru, Kyoko, and Katsuya, and they welcomed him into their home and into their family. It was a stark contrast between their bright, colorful home, and the dull monochrome of the home he had to return to every night with his parents examining every aspect of his life, while ignoring anything that brought him joy. Yuuma had perfect grades, was well behaved, said what they wanted him to say, but it was never enough for his parents.
Out of desperation to be out of that house, he pleaded for Kyoko and Katsuya to adopt him, promising he would be the perfect older brother. He begged for them to let him stay with them. He didn't want to go home. Kyoko and Katsuya tried to explain that they couldn't just take him, but Yuuma took it as there was something wrong with him. When they tried to tell him that there wasn't anything wrong with him, Yuuma asked why not, then?
Yuuma ran out with his shoes and bag. Katsuya looked all night in the rain with his brother once Kyoko called him. The two yelled at each other, Katsuya telling him that Yuuma wanted them to adopt him, and if he had a choice, he would have because Yuuma's world was bleak, and if he didn't want to lose his son forever, he had to change and show Yuuma that he was loved and wanted. Asked him when was the last time he had seen Yuuma smile or heard him laugh. Had he even seen his son at all that week, with his late nights at the office?
Father stayed home, waiting for the call as instructed by the police. Wife blamed him and blamed Yuuma for wasting their time with this overblown tantrum, and not willing to listen to her grumbling, told her to get out. Go to work, or--and before he could say go see the man she was having an affair with--the phone rang. Father picked up, and it was an elderly man saying his son was with them in a small village on a small island.
Father picked Yuuma up himself, astonished that he had made it off of the mainland, planned to sue the ferry and every transport that allowed a child to travel alone. Yuuma proclaimed he didn't want to go home, and the old couple that housed him told him that they were sorry, that life on that island wasn't a life for him, but he could always come back to visit--with his parents' permission, of course.
Father lectured Yuuma, asking him what he was thinking on the way home. How he and Katsuya spent the entire night in the rain looking for him, worried to death. What do you have to say for yourself? Yuuma stayed silent. Mother wasn't any better, only she slapped him across the cheek, for the very first time. Told him to go to his room. He wasn't going to miss school tomorrow. Yuuma was practically mute from that point. They made sure a one of the housekeepers picked him up every day from school. Yuuma would go straight to his room and do homework or draw, but he would hide his drawings before his parents came home.
A month later, Katsuya died of an illness. Yuuma blamed himself. If he hadn't have ran away, he wouldn't have been out in the rain looking for him. Seeing his body, seeing Kyoko despondent and emaciated, and the thought of Tohru without a father brought the world crashing down around him. And it was his fault.
He heard the adults talking about Tohru, right in front of them, as if she couldn't understand, but he could. He stood up and yelled at them and how shameful they were. Tohru is Katsuya's daughter, she is a Honda, and she deserves to be respected. His mother berated him, but Yuuma ignored her, grabbed Tohru's hand and they went to the park across the street. When grandpa caught up, he saw Yuuma hold Tohru close, crying, telling her she was loved over and over as if it was a prayer that would reach her, reach to God. And as if to reinforce the notion that he wasn't loved, and that he would never be loved. By anyone. Grandpa realized what Katsuya was saying about how Yuuma was being raised, and made it a point to pay him visits, but Yuuma became unreceptive to any sort of affection or words of praise, worried that the words weren’t genuine, they would change their mind, feeling it was undeserved, and more.
Age 15: Yuuma met his mother’s grand uncle half a handful of times before when he was much younger, but this may have been his final birthday due to age. Yuuma didn't even try to cozy up to the guy, which garnered his attention. Instead, he just sat in a corner of the room, sketching, ignoring his mother's admonishments. Uncle wanted a break from the crowd, but requested for Yuuma's company, specifically.
Yuuma obliged, also wanting a break. Uncle requested to see the sketchbook, and Yuuma handed it to him. Sketches of people, plants, animals, and day to day, mostly. But there were a few art pieces. One was full of color with a long dark shadow. Asked him what Yuuma wanted to do with his life. Asked Yuuma if he had the opportunity to do anything he wanted for the rest of his life, what would it be.
Yuuma answered to do art.
“Why?”
Because it was the only thing keeping him there. Yuuma didn’t say it, but he shrugged.
“Do you think your art could impact other people?”
“What do you mean?”
His grand-uncle flipped to the page with a long shadow. ”Can I pay you for this page?”
“You don't have to pay me.”
“Hah! Don't you mean to ask what would a man want with this when he's going to die next week?”
“If it brings you any bit of happiness, why would I question how long you'd be able to look at it?”
A short pause. “This doesn't actually bring me happiness . . . but it is a piece of contemplation. I have lived my life to the absolute fullest, and done whatever it was I felt like, but there was always a secret in the back of my mind. Something I could never bring to light, but I always carried with me. You, on the other hand, haven't yet lived, but seek this colorful, wonderful, garden, but I see you are also tied down. I'll pay you a portion of what this is worth now, and the rest will be given to you in my will.”
“If you insist.” Yuuma carefully tore out the page, and handed it to the frail old man.
“The down payment I'm giving you is my deepest secret.” He reached into his wallet and gave Yuuma an old picture of a man. “I loved him with all of my heart, and I regret marrying and having children with my wife. I should have disobeyed my family's will and had a life with him somewhere in the mountains, even if it meant I couldn't share my discoveries or my knowledge or earning enough money to eat. You're young, so it may be impossible for you right now, but I assure you, when you're older, you'll be able to live your life however you want, with or without your family.”
A few weeks later, The entirety of his mother's family were invited to the reading of his great grand-uncle's will. It turned out the man had given Yuuma, and Yuuma alone, everything. Everything. Property, stocks, cars, furniture, everything the man owned, along with the message that this was the rest of the payment for the picture, of which was given back to Yuuma in a frame much too ornate for the picture. Of course, neither Yuuma, nor anyone else, including his parents, could touch the money until he turned twenty. And if anything happened to Yuuma before that, all of his assets would be donated to various charities instead of given to his family. His mother was in absolute glee, he had never seen her smile so big, but everyone else on her side of the family despised him.
He wasn't even a part of this family, what did he say or do? He must have poisoned the man's mind, yada yada.
Yuuma never revealed what went on in that room, and he still kept it to himself.
Age 16 - 18: Yuuma tested his rebellion and went to a tattoo parlor with his sketchbook. He wasn't ,planning on getting a tattoo right then and there, but wanted some sort of price point or opinion for the future. When he was finally free.
He met the secretary, who was inked and pierced, and began second-guessing his decision, but she smiled so brightly before she had to fuss with her newborn. "I am so sorry, can you hold this for a sec?" Shoved Yuuma a teething ring, which brought memories of Tohru, Kyoko and Katsuya, bringing tears to his eyes, which also caught the secretary's attention. The baby finally burped, and Yuuma handed the baby back her teething ring. Secretary put the baby down and finally asked Yuuma what he needed help with.
Yuuma cleared his throat, and was wondering if he could talk with an artist about their opinion and wanting to price some ideas he had.
All of the artists were busy at the moment, but she asked if she could see. Yuuma was dressed in a button-up and slacks, and was taller than most his age, so while the secretary thought he was young, she was assuming he was barely twenty. She would have asked for his ID if he was planning on booking an appointment, but Yuuma only asked for an estimated price. She was blown away by his sketchbook. He was just as good if not better than most of the artists they employed already. She and Yuuma talked a bunch about tattoos. Yuuma said he just wanted something for himself that meant something only to him, but he wasn't quite sure yet. She told him to keep thinking, and to keep drawing.
Yatsumoto and an intern blast out from a private back room hollering and screaming. The intern was sick of how he was being treated by Yatsumoto, and that he was just as great of an artist as he was, and that he wouldn't be able to find anyone better.
Secretary laughs and said she already found one, startling Yuuma, and before he could stop her, she tossed his sketchbook in Yatsumoto's direction.
Not liking the atmosphere, and with the baby starting to cry again, Yuuma ushers himself out before he could finish saying "keep the sketchbook." When he got home, he immediately realized he must have dropped his wallet in the parlor, and returned there after school the next day.
Yatsumoto and the secretary immediately recognize him and usher him into Yatsumoto's private office. Yatsumoto offers him an internship. Yuuma could hardly believe it, and asked what the catch was. Yatsumoto handed him sketchbook after sketchbook of his own work, which blew Yuuma's work out of the water. Yatsumoto told Yuuma about his family and being an artist of artists, generation after generation, and could see the shift in trends, both artistically and politically. The public is both fascinated and fearful of tattoos or any sort of body modification. The only catch was to study hard, both in art, and in medicine.
“Medicine? You want me to become a doctor?”
“It's the best way to learn about your canvas.”
Yuuma asked why he chose tattooing rather than painting or something else. Yatsumoto does all sorts of art outside of tattooing, even sells some work on the side, but he loves tattooing because he loves to hear people's stories, and how a piece of art can change people's lives and bring happiness. Yuuma gives it some thought, and says he would love to intern, but he's starting highschool soon, and they don't allow jobs or internships, much less one in a tattoo parlor.
"Then let's call this a private art class on the contingency you become my intern when you graduate."
“Do I have to pay for this art class?”
“Only for the supplies you need when I give you your weekly assignments. It'll be during the weekends.”
When Yuuma got home, he told his parents he decided he would become a doctor, but only if he was allowed to continue art as a hobby. With their son finally on a track to success, and with his inheritance, his parents had no problem buying school supplies as well as art supplies, which he had every intention of paying back.
Yuuma's inheritance was big news, and his classmates either wanted a part of it, or was scared of him because he seemed to have a threatening aura. He kept to himself even moreso than before, but with the prospect of hope in his future, a group of rowdy rebels caught his attention, and they became friends. He got to know them, they got to know him. He fell in love with Umeko. Her parents were physically abusive, and he snuck her into his room on more than a few occasions, but she mistook his denial of sex as a full rejection, and when she would get moody, he would think she was rejecting him. Michi fell to the side while Yuuma and Niichiro got close, which gave Michi a new perspective on their friendship, and urged Yuuma and Umeko to keep their distance. Something wasn’t right with Niichiro.
Yatsumoto's weekly classes also helped shaped new perspectives on what was going on. He didn't keep his distance, but we was weary around Niichiro.
Age 20: The day Yuuma turned twenty, he moved out into the empty hotel, barely maintained by the cleaning services his grand-uncle hired until Yuuma's twentieth birthday, to which Yuuma renewed their contract, only not to clean his room and studio. He spoke with his family lawyer about the property and how to manage it, and spoke with accountants about budgeting and the stocks. He found out that Yuuma's wealth grew exponentially by the interest rates alone, and he could live the rest of his life comfortably without having to work a day in his life. Holy shit, no wonder his mother's side of the family was pissed. And his uncle gave it all to him for one measly painting. He made sure to pay back his parents, to set aside a portion for his grandpa's retirement, and he called Kyoko.
When he heard her voice, all of his fears returned, as did the guilt and the blame. Yuuma could hardly tell her his name. Yuuma offered her a home and money, but even though Kyoko didn't blame him at all, she said "I'm glad you're able to stand on your own for you to find your own happiness, and hopefully find a family of your own. It's really a generous offer, so thank you for thinking of us, but I don't need it. I won't object for you to set something aside for Tohru, though.” Yuuma agrees with that. Kyoko said Tohru behaved so much like Katsuya, and she hoped she didn't turn out like her. Kyoko offers for him to pay them a visit again like he used to, and he said he would have liked that, but he was so busy with getting his affairs in order, school and wanting to get his medical degree within a couple of years.
Well, when you feel you need a break, you're always welcome here.
Yuuma thanked her, but in his heart he just could not forgive himself enough to see them. Not until he could finally break free from his parents, who still harped at him from his childhood home.
A couple of months later, Yuuma had moved his friends in for college, and for a safe place to stay, but Niichiro took advantage of it, doing shady things, abusing the cleaning staff, and threatening Umeko, Michi, and him. Ordered him to pack up and leave, or he'd have the police do it for him. They fought, and Niichiro pushed him down into the cellar. Thinking he just killed somebody, Niichiro locked the doors and ran.
Yuuma hallucinated in the dark, but made it up the stairs. Eventually, Michi made it home and found it strange. He heard weak hits on the cellar door, to find Yuuma bleeding and passed out. Yuuma had fractures, and head trauma. He lost memories of what happened that day, but because of Niichiro's sudden disappearance, he was probably the one who pushed him and locked him in. Yuuma pressed charges even though Umeko disagreed, scared that he would come after them if or when he got out.
Yuuma said he just wanted to live, to really live, and live with her, as his way of proposing to her.
Umeko was shocked, Michi was happy for her, and Umeko accepted.
While he was still in the hospital, he met an elderly, hospice lady during his rounds of exercise, and kept her company. He drew her a picture of the gardens she couldn't walk to, which made her happy to tears. Eventually met the husband, Masuyo. Which rang a bell, and, despite the wrinkles and shift in facial features, Yuuma thought he knew the face. Retrieved his wallet and found the old picture. It was the same Masuyo, only, it was his son. Yuuma told him about his grand uncle, and Masuyo's face lit up, saying how often his father talked about him, and all of his discoveries he’d hear on the old radio. They used to be good friends.
Found out Masuyo inheritied his father's museums that would often host the discoveries. Masuyo offered to hire him as a commision to paint murals on the side of the building, and Yuuma was happy to oblige once he got out of the hospital.
When he returned home, he found the engagement ring sitting on the bed. Umeko had left.
Michi kept him company, lived with him for a little while, but eventually moved out too because Yuuma didn’t seem to want him there, and he found someone he loved, but promised he would be there for him if ever he needed it.
So between maintaining his estates, school, his internship and now a professional commission, Yuuma didn't have any room to think about anything else, not the darkness that loomed behind him, nor to visit Kyoko and Tohru, which made him feel even more guilty as time went on.
Age 23: He graduated with a medical license, thanks to his internship with Yatsumoto. His parents, Masuyo, Yatsumoto, and Michi attended his graduation ceremony where he gave a speech. He invited Kyoko and Tohru, too, but they had work and school. "I got a medical license so I could pursue a career in art that makes me happy, so suck it," and left leaving his parents and professors absolutely speechless, and Yatsumoto howling with laughter. The dean told him to never come back onto the property, and he was disinvited from next year's ceremony. Probably for the best.
After that, he was swamped with work, a newfound fame in the artist world for his speech, and frequent commissions and art shows. His life outside was full of life and vigor, but once he stepped in his large empty home, he felt like he was back in his monochromatic childhood. He horrified the cleaners by repainting the house with every room another color, and while the guests' reactions made him chuckle, the bright colors didn't do much to hide the monochrome feeling.
Age 24: Heard through the grapevine about Kyoko's accident, but only after the funeral was over. Devastated he was once again not there for Tohru. Grandpa assured him she would be fine with him, but when grandpa told him about the remodel, and that Tohru said she'd be at a friend's house, he just had to be sure, and hired Michi to spy on her to make sure she was OK. Smiling and living life, despite living in a tent. Michi implored Yuuma to offer her a hand, but Yuuma said no. She was happy with the Sohma's and she was happy, and able to make her own decisions. That was better than anything he could give her.
Age 27: Tohru calls to tell him the Sohma's estate caught fire, and the family needs a place to live. Yuuma accepts and it's the first time he had seen her in person since Katsuya's funeral.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Yuuma’s a few years younger than the Mabudachi Trio, but Yuuma graduated the year after Hatori did at the same school. Hatori had been present at the speech, but had forgotten the face and name. Because Yuuma was dis-invited, Hatori was invited the next year in his place.
Fruits Basket and all original elements, including settings, characters, and plot of the canon material belongs to Natsuki Takaya. This character, fan fiction and all of the additional elements are of my own creation, created for transformative, nonprofit, entertainment purposes only, and not purported to be canon or directly contribute to the canon material.