Tohru Honda (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
breakthecurse) wrote2013-03-22 10:47 pm
breakthecurse) wrote2013-03-22 10:47 pm
Entry tags:
♥ Application ♥
Name: Koji
DW username:
losers_dayE-Mail: timefortags[At]gmail[dot]com
IM: goodhotcocoa
Other Characters: Wirt (
singloversing) and Stanley Pines (charlastan)Character Name: Tohru Honda
Series: Fruits Basket
Timeline: Chapter 82
Canon Resource Link: Tohru Honda wiki • General Series Wiki • The Manga itself
Character Background:
To thoroughly explain Tohru, we should go chronologically in terms of her life, and not in terms of when the reader learns things in the manga. Which means that her background actually begins with her parents’ lives.
Tohru’s mother, Kyoko, came from a less than caring household. Before she even made it to middle school she had joined an all-girls’ gang, and was known for being tough and violent. She barely ever went to school, and when she did she barely ever went to class. But through a chance encounter after being scolded for wearing street clothes to school, she met Katsuya Honda, the man who would eventually become her husband.
To make a long, adorable story short, Katsuya changed Kyoko’s life and her outlook on the world. She began coming to school more often and even made an attempt to leave her gang. Unfortunately, that attempt led to her being beaten so badly that she had to be admitted to the hospital, and missed her high school entrance exams. When she went home, her father already had her things packed for her, and declared that she was no longer a member of his family. Katsuya showed up at just the right moment and told off her father for disowning her because she hadn’t turned out the way he wanted her to, and then asked him for permission to marry Kyoko. Her father had no objections, since she was no longer a member of the family, and Katsuya escorted her away.
Their lives were very happy from then on, even though very few people in Katsuya’s family approved of the marriage. The only one was his father, who was just happy that his son had found love. They even had a daughter. Katsuya named her Tohru, saying that boys’ names added a hidden flavor to girls – like adding salt to something sweet. The three of them often went out together and they were all very, very happy. There was even talk of trying to have a little brother for Tohru.
Unfortunately, Katsuya went away on a business trip with a minor cold, despite Kyoko’s objections. While he was gone, it complicated into pneumonia and he passed away. At the funeral, Katsuya’s family gossiped loudly about how Kyoko had obviously neglected him and that Katsuya should have never married a former gang member. For a long time afterwards, her grief left Kyoko in a trance-like state, unaware of the world around her. Tohru, who was only three, often had to take care of herself (with a little help from her grandfather, who came by to visit frequently). One day, Kyoko disappeared, declaring that she wanted to meet Katsuya again, and Tohru was left on her own once again. Thankfully, Kyoko was snapped out of it by seeing a mother and daughter while she was gone, and remembering that she had Tohru to live for. Tohru stayed up and waited for her to come home, greeting her formally at the door even though she was still just a toddler. Tohru still remembers this period of her life, and how difficult the isolation and solitude was for her, though she does not blame her mother for it.
From then on, Kyoko was an attentive mother, and she and Tohru were almost inseparable. Tohru took after her father in looks, and adapted his old speech patterns to herself (he was always excessively polite in conversation). She was a happy and cheerful little girl, though she was often bullied in school. Her classmates would play games and deliberately exclude her in ways that would leave her sitting alone, waiting for someone to include her. There was also one time when she was young that she found herself separated from her mother, and a mysterious boy in a red hat led her home. He put the hat on her head before running away, and Tohru has cherished that hat ever since.
Flash forward several years to Tohru in middle school. This is when Tohru met her two dearest friends, Uo and Hana. Uo was first – she was in a gang much like Tohru’s mother was, and they still told legends about the infamous Red Butterfly (Kyoko’s old nickname). When Uo learned The Red Butterfly’s daughter attended the same school as her, she was extremely excited to meet her hero, but was ultimately disappointed when she met Tohru and Kyoko. They were so domestic and normal and nice! Still, Uo found herself hanging around them very often, and grew fond of them both. Eventually, Uo tried to leave her gang just like Kyoko did, and her fellow gang members started beating her. But Kyoko showed up in time to save her, and ever since then Uo and Tohru have been the best of friends. The two of them met Hana the next year, when she transferred to the school. They were nice and welcoming, and invited her to sit with them at lunch since she would have no one else to sit with. Hana thought they were kind of strange at first, but they were also the first people to ever accept her, even when they learned the truth of why she transferred schools.
Kyoko was never able to continue school, so it was always very important to her that Tohru graduate high school. Tohru gladly took on this task and went to the same high school as Uo and Hana. Things were going very well, until the first day of May. Tohru was tired because she had stayed up all night studying for a test, and was not able to see her mother off when she left for work. She didn’t say "See you when you get back!" like she always did. Later that day, Tohru was pulled out of class with terrible news about her mother – she had been struck by a car on her way to work. Kyoko did not survive that accident, and Tohru was left alone. She still blames herself for her mother’s death.
Since then, Tohru has carried an image of her mother everywhere she goes. She has a framed photo that stays on her desk and accompanies her on longer trips, and she has a small green notebook that she always has on her person, and she speaks to her mother’s image when she needs comfort, or just to tell her about her day. She’ll often talk about the pictures as though they actually are her mother, when mentioning them to others.
After her mother’s death, there was some conflict over where Tohru would live from then on. Neither her mother’s family nor her father’s wanted anything to do with her because they never approved of the marriage or of her mother in the first place. Tohru was a burden to them, so she was taken in by her grandfather, who had gotten in the habit of calling her Kyoko by mistake (as a way to keep Kyoko in his thoughts). Eventually though, her grandfather’s immediate family (her aunt, uncle, and cousins from her father’s side) decided to move in as well, and renovations needed to be done to the house. They took in Tohru’s grandfather, but not Tohru, and when he asked if she had a place she could go until they were done she said yes, even though she didn’t. Uo has a very small apartment with her father, and Hana has a very big family, so Tohru didn’t want to impose on either of them.
So, she decided to take this as an opportunity to be somewhat independent! She took some of her work money, bought some camping supplies, and secretly pitched a tent in the woods. Unfortunately, she didn’t know that it was Sohma property, so she kept running into the most popular boy in her class Yuki Sohma, and his cousin Shigure. They live in a large house out in the woods, and were surprised to discover they had a new neighbor. Eventually though, they came back from dinner one night and found her tent. They caught her when she crawled out to go wash her face, and Shigure pointed and laughed for like, ever.
She had a fever though, so they insisted she come to their house to rest for the night. But then, there was a landslide out in the forest (that Shigure mysteriously knew about), and Tohru panicked because “Mom” was still inside the tent and started trying to dig the picture out herself. But the Sohmas brought her back to their house, so she could sleep off that fever first, on the grounds that her mother would want her to take care of herself, and she would still be there in the morning. Tohru reluctantly agreed. Overnight though, Yuki snuck out and dug out all of her possessions, including her mother’s picture. Neither of the Sohmas wanted her to go live in the woods again, so they invited her to live with them in their home. Tohru accepted, but only on the grounds that she would cook and clean and earn her keep.
The same day though, as they were getting her settled, a third Sohma family member crashed through her roof. This was Kyo, and Tohru slipped and fell onto him and...he turned into a cat.
A cat.
Naturally she freaked out, and this freak-out caused her to bump into Yuki and Shigure, who then…turned into a rat and a dog respectively. This didn’t really help her panic, but then they suddenly began to talk in their own voices. …What?
Anyway, they explained that they’re cursed members of the Sohma family. Their curse is any time they’re hugged (or bumped into or crashed on – any chest-to-chest contact really), they turn into one of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. They’re possessed by the animals of the zodiac, and no one seems to know the exact nature of the curse (as far as Tohru knows at this point). Kyo in particular is doubly cursed because he’s the Cat, and the Cat isn’t a member of the Chinese Zodiac. Tohru is only allowed to stay with them so long as she keeps their secret, and she swears she will. Yuki is concerned because the last time friends discovered he was cursed, the Sohma family had their memories erased. Tohru still vowed to keep the zodiac curse a secret, and asked that if her memories do get erased, will Yuki please still be her friend? This touched Yuki.
Tohru was very happy in her new life – there was one brief moment where she almost returned to her family when the house is renovated, but everyone missed her so much that Kyo and Yuki went to go fetch her, and found her family talking terribly about her. One of them even hired a detective, who found out she had been living in a house full of men, and grilled her about that. But her grandfather smacked him in the face and gave Tohru permission to go with the Sohmas.
She made many new friends of the Sohmas in rapid succession, so let’s recap that quickly – she met Kagura (the boar), who is deeply in love with Kyo to a frighteningly obsessive level. Tohru admires that about Kagura though! She also met Momiji (the rabbit), an adorable younger boy who is often seen around Hatori (the seahorse). Hatori is the Sohma family’s doctor, and he is the one who has the ability to erase memories. He warned Tohru to stay away from the Sohma family, but it wasn’t out of dislike or even worry that the curse would be exposed. It was because he fell in love with someone very much like Tohru, and when he asked the head of the house, Akito, for permission to marry her, Akito flipped out. Akito threw a vase at Hatori and then blamed his girlfriend for the damage. She continued to blame herself, and grew mentally ill to the point where her only hope of recovery was for Hatori to erase her memories of their love. This story pained Tohru, but it also caused her to finally question just what the curse is. Shigure’s answer was a dismissive insistence that she didn’t need to worry about it – she just needed to be herself.
She also met Hatsuharu (the Cow) around this time, who was a year younger than her. But it turned out that Momiji was actually his age (surprise!) and the next school year they would both be going to school with Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo. At the entrance ceremony, Tohru also finally met Akito. Akito’s presence was triggering for Yuki though, and even though Tohru didn’t know what was going on, she instinctively shoved Akito away. Later, Akito confided in Shigure that he thought Tohru was an ugly girl, and that he wasn’t worried about her at all.
Time went by quickly, and soon it was the first anniversary of Kyoko’s death. Uo and Hana accompanied her to the grave, and they had a picnic there. Kyo and Yuki came along as well, which pleased Tohru because she was sure her mother would love to meet them. Uo insists that Kyoko would have loved teasing Kyo, and this makes him uncomfortable for some reason. Tohru also learns more about Momiji’s situation – his mother was so disgusted by his birth that she had her memories erased – and bonds with him over just how precious memories are, even if they’re painful.
Continuing the trend of meeting more zodiac members in rapid succession, Yuki’s brother Ayame (the snake) comes to visit and Tohru gives him advice on becoming closer to Yuki. She also meets Kisa (the tiger), and when they first met Kisa would not speak at all. She was being bullied severely in school, and her classmates would laugh any time she tried to speak. Tohru knew a little what this was like, since she was bullied at school as well, and eventually through bonding, Kisa gained the strength to speak and to start going to school again.
After this, Tohru was able to meet Kazuma Sohma. He wasn’t a zodiac member, but he is Kyo’s master and his adoptive father. It was also the first time Kyo had seen Kazuma since his training immediately before the series began. But, it turned out that the reason Kazuma came to visit Kyo was to test Tohru. Kyo always wears a bracelet made of juzu beads, and Kazuma tore it off in front of Tohru. This caused Kyo to turn into a horrible, disgusting monster – neither entirely cat nor human. This is known as Kyo’s true form, He ran off into the woods, ashamed of the inevitable rejection. Tohru chased after him though, not out of pity, but because she genuinely wanted to help him as her friend. She refused to run away, even though she was afraid of him. This allowed Kyo to change back into himself, and Tohru carried him back to the house in his normal cat-form.
She met two more Sohmas after this – Hiro (the sheep), who was at this point in time a terrible little brat with a crush on Kisa, and Ritsu (the monkey), who has terrible self-esteem issues, Ritsu often wears women’s clothing because he feels more comfortable in it, but he was so ashamed of himself when Tohru discovered he was a boy that he almost threw himself off the roof.
The high school began to focus on helping the students prepare for their future careers, both in school and in the workplace. Tohru is, and has always been, adamant that she wants to graduate high school and get a job right away. The subject of what to do with their futures is hard for all of the Sohmas though, for a reason none of them really want to explain. Kyo came the closest though, confiding in Tohru that he hopes to take over his master’s dojo, but doubts that the Sohma family will let him, because he’s the cat. But he pointed out that Tohru’s probably just as uncertain, and he was absolutely right. Tohru was actually filled with anxiety about her future as well, and about whether she could really get a job and support herself without her mother. But Shigure is actually the one to calm everyone down. He advises Tohru to take things slowly, and tackle big problems by taking on what lies at her feet first.
Then summer vacation began! Tohru was invited by the Sohmas to their beach house, and she accepted. She was terribly excited to find stag beetles and smash open watermelon with everyone. Hiro made her feel self-conscious though, by saying that she talks about her mom waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much. Knowing that some of the Sohmas have very difficult relationships with their families, Tohru began to worry that she was causing them trouble by talking about her mother so much, and went to extreme efforts to avoid mentioning her at all. Kyo called her out on this behavior though, and told her that it was worse that she felt like she needed to walk on eggshells around them.
Not long after that, Akito decided to join everyone on their summer break, and stayed down at his own beach house. However, he kept deliberately ordering the zodiac members to spend time with him, so that Tohru would be forced to spend her vacation alone. Ultimately, it just gave her more time alone with Kyo, but Akito was sure that didn’t count – what’s so great about being with a monster? During this time, she also met Rin (the horse) briefly, but she ran off soon after she transformed back into herself. Tohru assumed that this meant that Akito was the bird, because he was the only major figure left in the Sohmas. Akito then ordered Kyo to visit the next day, really leaving Tohru by herself. Tohru was happy for him though, because the cat is never called to the banquet (even though this isn’t really a banquet). He returned with a mark on his face that he wouldn’t explain to her though.
The next day, everyone stayed at the main beach house to let off fireworks, and Tohru overheard Momiji and Kyo talking about how spending so much time with Akito was a way to protect Tohru from him, which touched her heart and made her wish she could help them more. But then, that night, Akito came over to meet Tohru. Momiji refused to let Akito see her, but when Akito started fighting and screaming at Momiji, Tohru ran over and stood in the way. Akito then called her rude, since he was coming to see her, and gave her some information so she wouldn’t feel so high and mighty. He told her that she wouldn’t be able to save anyone, and that Kyo in particular was going to be imprisoned forever in the cat’s house as soon as he graduated high school. All of the Sohmas were going to live in the main Sohma house together, and Akito told her there’s nothing she can do to change any of it. They’re going to live together happily forever, and Akito will not allow Tohru to join them. Tohru questioned Akito about whether this is really happiness, and what this makes Akito to the zodiac members. Akito revealed then that he is closest to being God.
Let’s talk about that a bit more specifically, because there’s a lot that Tohru realized with that one reveal. The truth about the nature of the zodiac curse is that the cursed members of the Sohmas can’t break the bond they have with God – with Akito. They all live in fear of him, and very few are brave enough to disobey him, and they aren’t even really allowed to have their own lives without him. None of them can plan for their futures, because none of them will have futures outside of the Sohma family. The Sohma main house will be their entire world, and they will not be allowed to break free of Akito’s influence. They must always, always listen to Akito, and they can never blame him for anything, no matter what he does. Tohru correctly deduced that this is all terrible. She decided that even though it wasn’t really her place to interfere, she was going to do everything she possibly could to break the curse.
Immediately after they returned, Tohru called Kazuma to see if he knew anything about how to break the curse. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much new information for her. He was able to tell her more about the nature of the curse, and how it’s the blood bond itself between Akito and the other zodiac members that is the real curse, and how none of them have the strength of will to defy him. But he suggested that Tohru keep smiling and being herself. He believes it’s an important key to breaking the curse, but it just left Tohru sort of flustered.
Tohru took a small detour from her mission to try and break the zodiac curse by trying to help out Uo with something. Uo had met and fallen in love with someone named Kureno, and Tohru had met a Kureno Sohma (the bird) over the summer. Wondering if they were really the same Kureno, Tohru snuck into the main Sohma house to try and find him. It was a very difficult journey, since she kept almost getting caught and it was definitely trespassing, but she did eventually
Unknown to Tohru, Rin was also searching for a way to break the zodiac curse. Tohru found out about this when she came home to find her throwing up in the living room and screaming for her not to be angry. After that break-down she passed out and they brought her upstairs to a bed, where Tohru waited by her side until she woke up. Rin stayed there for a few more days, and eventually confronted Tohru, telling her to stop trying to break the curse. She knew that Tohru had been to see Kazuma and told her not to get involved. Rather than be scared off by this threat, Tohru realized Rin was searching for a way to break the curse too. They got in a screaming match over whether or not Tohru should get involved, and Tohru insisted on butt in anyway and pleaded with Rin for any answers she had…but there weren’t any. Rin broke down and admitted that there was no way to break the curse and that she didn’t know what to do anymore. She ran off, afraid of getting close to Tohru, but in her weakened state she could not get very far. But Tohru sat by her side when she stopped, held her in her arms, and comforted her.
After that, it was decided that Rin would go to the hospital, and she went obediently. Tohru came to visit her though, and brought her jelly. They then talked about breaking the curse, and other things they could try. Tohru suggested Kureno, but Rin was against it, so Tohru declared that she would go on her own to visit him and ask him about the curse. Then, when Rin asked Tohru why she was trying to break the curse, Tohru gave too much of a pause. She began to worry that her feelings about breaking the curse were becoming the most important thing to her. Normally when asked what she cherished most, she would say her mother, but...that didn’t happen this time, and it scared her.
(This is the point I will be taking her from this time! Everything else I've left in in case I canon update her eventually.)
Tohru’s classroom did a play for the cultural festival. It was supposed to be Cinderella, but they drew parts from a hat and everyone was really bad at their roles. So, rather than re-draw the roles, the script was re-written so everyone’s parts would suit them. Tohru went from being Hana’s evil step-sister to being a step-sister Hana adored and doted on. During the actual performance though, there was a line about whether or not the prince (Kyo) would be fine with locking himself away in his castle, and Kyo replied that it shouldn’t matter to anyone else what he does, and Tohru almost blurted out of character that it mattered to her, but caught herself at the last second. Later, they received the performance on a DVD and Tohru was blown away by the magic that is modern technology. It’s so much better than pictures, because everyone is moving and talking just like they’re alive!
Over New Year’s, Momiji was able to deliver a gift to Kureno from Tohru – a copy of the school play. During it, Uo had cried out passionately for that guy to “come see her, goddamn it!” Kureno did watch it, and then arranged things so he would meet with Tohru very briefly outside the Sohma house. He said her gift had been wasted on him, and that he still could not see Uo ever again. He revealed that he actually had been freed of the zodiac curse, but that because Akito was very young at the time, he remained by her side. When the curse had broken she screamed and screamed for Kureno not to abandon her. Also, the pronoun switch there was not a mistake – Kureno also reveals that Akito is actually a woman, and was raised as a man by her mother.
Tohru was distraught by this news for a whole multitude of reasons, and Hana showed up shortly after Kureno left. Unable to leave Tohru alone like this, she took her to her house for an impromptu sleepover. Uo came as well and when Tohru told her that Kureno couldn’t see her anymore, Uo took it as well as she possibly could, holding Tohru and saying she loved her. Meanwhile Kyo found her new scarf in the street and was so worried about her that he took it home and washed it, to try and get it back to normal. It didn’t work, but Tohru was incredibly happy when she got home.
After all of this, Tohru wasn’t sure how to proceed, or how she should talk about her new discoveries with the Sohmas. Finally, she asked Kyo what he would think if someone had been freed from the curse, and he got upset and told her not to joke about things like that. This only upset her more about the situation, and she started to cry. Kyo felt awful – he hadn’t meant to be that harsh – so he gave her one of the flowers they had been making for the graduation ceremony to try and cheer her up.
Abilities/Special Powers: Tohru is a human, and doesn’t have any special powers really. She’s very good at cooking and cleaning, and even has a part time job as a janitor. But she’s very kind and motherly, and people often feel compelled to open up to her, though it’s admittedly not a supernatural ability.
Third-Person Sample:
"What is the most important thing to you?"
It should have been such a simple question. Something Tohru could have answered with a practiced ease. Something she's said over, and over, and over. And yet, the words wouldn't come, and she couldn't explain why.
When she came home from visiting Isuzu in the hospital, her face was warm and her head was filled with so many muddled thoughts, in overflowing drawers in her mind. It was enough for the Sohmas to notice she didn't seem well, and even for Kyo to gently feel her forehead and send her to bed. Enough to make them worry about her...
They kindly sent her to rest, but she did not sleep well. Her dreams took her back to the apartment she shared with her mother, to that horrible day. She can still smell it, and she can still hear her mother's voice, but she can't say the words, she can't beg her not to g--!
And then she wakes with a start, but...the bed she's in is not her own. The room is completely unfamiliar, and when she peeks outside the door, the hall outside belongs to a completely different house. Somehow, she's too confused to still be afraid from her dream.
"How did I...?" Did someone move her while she was sleeping? To a completely different house? "...Am I still dreaming?"
Having to ask means the answer is probably no, but what other explanation could there be?
First-Person Sample:
Test Drive Meme!
OLD THIRD PERSON SAMPLE
Granted, Kyo didn’t seem as bothered anymore...but she still felt badly about upsetting him in the first place. But, she looked down at the paper flower in her hand and smiled. The gesture had helped, even if she felt like she wasn’t the one who should have had to be comforted.
When they finally made it back to Shigure’s house, they parted ways amicably. Tohru said she was going to go make dinner, asked if codfish would be alright? Kyo said okay and eventually retreated to his room. Everything was as it was every night, and there was a comfort in the return to how things usually were.
But that comfort vanished completely when she walked in the kitchen...and realized it wasn’t Shigure’s kitchen. It was entirely different, and much, much larger (which was shocking – Tohru thought Shigure’s kitchen was large to begin with). She turned around so quickly it made her a little dizzy, but when she sprinted to the doorway she found the rest of Shigure’s house was gone too. There was only a long, ornate hallway outside the door.
“Kyo?” she tried. “Kyo?!”
There was no answer. But a little electronic device beeped from a nearby table.
OLD FIRST PERSON SAMPLE
[It takes her a minute, but eventually Tohru manages to turn the screen on.]
I’m really sorry if this belongs to somebody. I promise I’ll leave it right where I found it, but I saw that I could send out messages somehow? I think that’s how cell phones work…
[She’s never owned one, so she’s not really sure. But it sounds about right.]
But, um, since it can send out messages I was wondering if someone could help me, if they receive it? I was about to go make dinner for the people I live with and then the kitchen turned into some other kitchen entirely and that hallway wasn’t there before and I’m not sure how I got here but I really need to go home as soon as possible, please. I don’t know how to get there from here though, or where “here” even is.
If someone can help me at all, I would be really, really grateful. Thank you very much.
[She bows, but since she doesn’t really understand video cameras the camera bows with her, giving the viewer a dizzying final shot.]