Ep 23. Is the Rumored Ri That Mother's Daughter?

Tohru Honda, a high school girl who lost her mother in a car accident, finds shelter in a tent on the property of her classmate Yuki Sohma and his distant cousin Shigure Sohma. When one of Yuki's classmates, the beautiful ex-model Ayame Sohma, pays them a visit, tensions arise. Ayame is the older brother of Yuki and is famous for his extravagant personality. Ayame is also a zodiac member like Yuki.

Meanwhile, Kyo Sohma is sulking as usual, angry that he isn't included in whatever the others have going on. He remembers meditating with the head of the Sohma family, Akito, who tells him that he will never be accepted. This causes Kyo to lash out, and Tohru tries to calm him down. In the midst of all this, they receive a surprise visit from Hatori Sohma, who rarely shows up at Shigure's house. Hatori is the Sohma family doctor and is also a zodiac member.

Gradually, Ayame starts to reveal a more serious side of his personality, telling Tohru about his rocky relationship with his mother, and how it has affected his younger brother Yuki. Ayame also admits that he is proud of his little brother's progress and is grateful for Tohru's influence in his life. However, Ayame becomes evasive when Tohru asks about his own parentage, fuelling suspicions in Tohru and Shigure. They start to dig deeper, convinced that Ayame's true mother is not the woman he is calling his mother.

The trio soon come up with a theory about who Ayame's real mother might be, and try to confirm their hypothesis with Hatori. They ask if there was someone among the Sohma's who had a child and then gave them up for adoption, and Hatori reveals that there was indeed a woman who did just that. When Ayame's mother passed away due to an illness, this woman, "Ri," was approached to take over the position of Ayame's mother. As Ayame was only a baby at that time, he never knew the truth.

Tohru is shocked to discover that Ri is also a zodiac member, and that she is none other than the horse, a position that has been vacant for a long while in the zodiac story. As Tohru contemplates about the circumstances that led to Ayame and Yuki's childhood trauma, she becomes introspective. She thinks about her own mother's death, and how she has dealt with it, how the Sohmas have had to deal with something that is so out of their control and different from the norm.

Later on, Yuki meets Ayame, and they spend some time talking about their relationship as brothers. Yuki tells Ayame that he admires him for being able to accomplish so much with his life, despite the difficulties he has faced. Yuki also tells Ayame that he is proud to be his brother, bringing a smile to Ayame's face. The episode ends with Ayame telling Tohru that he sees the life he has been living as the most beautiful life that he could've had, and that he is grateful for it.

The twenty-third episode of Fruits Basket brings some much-needed respite from the drama that has been going on. It is a heart-warming episode that touches on themes of family, identity and relationships. The Sohma family's mysterious history is slowly being unravelled, and the truth behind Ayame's parentage is finally being revealed. Through all of this, Tohru acts as a calming and understanding influence, spreading her warmth and positivity to all those around her. The episode is a reminder that, like the Sohmas, everyone is dealing with something that others might not know about, and that it's essential to be kind and compassionate towards everyone, for one never knows what someone else might be going through.