Fruits Basket: KH Edition!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, or Kingdom Hearts. They belong to Takaya Natsuki and Tetsuya Nomura respectively.
Chapter1:
It is said that Riku is like a handsome prince…
Riku Sohma stood looking around his kitchen, holding an empty box of leftover dinner from that night's takeout. He sighed wearily as he looked at the mess, What a mess…if we don't clean it up, then it's all over…he stared at the garbage thoughtfully, then shrugged and tossed the box onto the bag of garbage, Oh well.
But, Riku really is a lazy person; and an extremely clumsy person.
-scene change!-
"Hmm…I don't think I've forgotten anything," said a young girl. Looking up at the sky, she beamed. "Whoa, it looks like it'll be pretty hot today; I think I've got everything, though!" she said, shading her sparkling blue eyes with a hand. She turned around and crawled back into the small tent, "I'll leave you to watch the house, okay Mom?" she smiled at a small picture frame, in which a young woman was smiling and making the peace-sign. Crawling back out, she stood, brushed her skirt and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to school now!"
Good Morning! I am Kairi Honda. My mother, who raised me by herself, passed away this May. So, I started secretly living in a tent. Although I can't quite say I live a luxurious life, it's okay. Because of my personality, it really doesn't matter the situation, or how bad it is. My motto, after all, is never give up!
Kairi had walked along the path a ways, humming a tune to herself happily when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her surprised gaze onto a little house sitting in the clearing. She walked in awe towards the house and looked at it. Whoa, major discovery! There's a house actually here…." Sitting on the porch was a little display of rocks, painted like animals: twelve in all. Oh, how cute! She smiled.
"Well, hello. Do my eyes deceive me? There's a girl, here?" A male voice sounded from above her. Kairi looked up to see a young man, only a few years older than her, standing on the porch holding a newspaper, staring at her with bright green eyes under a shock of spiky red hair.
"Oh, hello there! I'm so sorry about looking around here without your permission!" Kairi jumped back a couple feet in surprise and shock, her face turning red in embarrassment. There's someone here? Ah, of course there is! She silently berated herself.
The man chuckled, "It's quite alright, you can look. I only put them out to dry. He glanced at the rocks, "but someone young like you probably wouldn't be at all interested, right?" he kneeled down next to the stand. Kairi blushed again, as she came closer to the porch. Wow, he's very handsome isn't he? "Oh, no no no! I..the twelve animal ornaments are very cute!" she assured him. He smiled, "Really? Good, I like 'em, too."
Kairi looked at each one, then frowned a little. "Ah…but, there's no cat…" The man looked up again, a smile on his lips. "Cat? Oh, I guess you never heard of the cat in the legendary tale of the Zodiac?" Kairi just smiled fondly, "Oh, yes. My mom used to tell me the story all the time…"
Flashback:
"A long long time ago, God told the animals "Tomorrow, I'll invite you to my banquet. You must not be late", Kairi's mother was laying next to the child Kairi in her bed. "After hearing this news, the mischevious rat, who liked practical jokes, told his neighbor, the cat, that the banquet was the day after tomorrow."
"On that day,the rat rode on the ox, and jumped off to get to the banquet first. The ox followed, then came the tiger and everyone else. The celebration lasted until morning. Except for the deceived cat—Kairi, why are you crying?" Her mother asked in surprised. Little Kairi sniffled, "Oh..p-poor cat…"
Then she jumped up and smiled, like she had come up with the greatest idea ever. "I know, I don't want my sign to be dog, I want it to be a cat!" Her mother sighed, "Alright, Kairi…whatever you like, now let's get to bed…"
End Flashback!
The handsome man rested his elbow on his knee, and propped his face on his fist. "Oh? Hmm…if the guy found out he had a fan, how would he react, I wonder?" he mused aloud. Kairi cocked her head to the side, "…he?"
"Nothing!" he chuckled, waving away the question. "So, your true sign is a dog, right? No wonder I felt so close to you," he leaned in closer to her, "Don't you? Because I'm a dog, too..."
Wham! Suddenly a bag came out of nowhere and hit the man in the head, as Kairi jumped back in shock yet again. "You look more like a pedophile like this...shame on you, moving closer and closer..." another male voice, this one younger, chided behind him.
"Agh, that hurts! What did you put in there, porcelain bowls? Or a dictionary?" the man exclaimed in pain and agitation, rubbing his head. Kairi glanced above to see Riku Sohma. "Mmm….actually, it was two dictionaries."
Riku smiled kindly at Kairi, "Honda-san, are you okay? I really hope my cousin didn't do anything weird to you. Kairi couldn't find her voice for a moment, "Oh…good morning!" she suddenly shouted. Riku smiled as his cousin whined, "Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of pervert…"
-At School—
"HONDA-SAN! WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING?"
Kairi jumped away in shock, uncomfortable as three girls surrounded her, jealously gleaming in their eyes. The leader seemed to be a girl in pigtails, flanked by a girl with black hair and a girl with brown hair. The leader jabbed her finger at Kairi as she continued her assault, "What's going on? Why were you walking with Sohma this morning? EXPLAIN!"
Kairi held up her hands, smiling nervously, "It was just a coincidence…you don't have to exaggerate…"
"Oh yeah? Well, if you can use the word 'coincidence', then why do we need detectives? Huh?" the girl asked while her accomplices shouted their agreements, along with a random student telling them to be quiet in the hallway. "Well, don't think so highly of yourself just because Sohma was nice to you! You don't have the right!" she shouted in Kairi's face, as the latter held up her hands protectively, squeaking out apologies.
"Hey!"
The girl turned around, to freeze in terror at the sight of a tall, black-haired girl and a shorter girl whose hair was tied back in a braid. The black haired girl spoke again, "Didn't Kairi say it was just a coincidence? You don't need to go on making a fool of yourself, you know." Kairi sighed in relief at the sight of her two friends, "Oh, Tifa! Aerith!"
The pig-tailed girl regained her composure, "Oh yeah? Look who's the one interrupting…" Aerith looked at the three girls dead in the eye, "Let's use the poisonous electric pulse attack," she said smoothly. This caused the girls to promptly run away as Tifa pulled Kairi into a hug. "What a meaningless problem…Aerith, don't really use the electric pulse!" Kairi sighed, "Got rescued…."
Flashback(This morning):
"So, are you really Riku's classmate? I'm Axel Sohma, Riku's cousin," the red-haired man smiled in greeting. Kairi bowed, "I am Kairi Honda, how are you?" she asked politely. "Honda-san? Um…why are you here?" Riku asked curiously. Kairi froze, I can't tell them I live in a tent! "Oh, I um…I live close by,"
"Nearby?" Axel repeated, both Sohma men looking confused. "Oh, nevermind, we're going to be late," Riku said, smiling slightly at Kairi again. "Since you are here, why don't we just walk to school together?
End Flashback!
"Oh, I'm so nervous…Sohma is just so charming, he makes my heart pound and my face red," Kairi muttered to herself as she sat in cooking class with Tifa and Aerith beside her.
"I feel some mysterious electric wave emitting from him…" Aerith said, sheathing her knife. Kairi looked at her, wide eyed, "Is it really that intriguing?" Tifa just shook her head, "Oh, boy…here comes Aerith's electric waves again." Aerith took a small breath, "I'm not that sure myself."
Tifa pushed some of her hair back, "Well, he is pretty mysterious, because he never talks about himself; not that I actually want to know. Like, awhile ago, there was a second-year girl who wanted to show him her feelings. But she went to hug him, he pushed her away and scared her." She sat back in her seat, looking thoughtful. Kairi looked at the table in front of her, "Why haven't I heard this story before?" Aerith picked up a spoon and put it away, "That's why I call it intriguing…"
"Well, the way he acts just make those girls more attracted to him," Tifa added. "Hey, you three! Stop using just your mouths and start using your hands!" The teacher came over to them, looking upset, and stopped dead at the sight of their food, already cooked. "The octopus is already cooked!" Tifa said edgily. "The rice is also done," Aerith added, holding a small bowl of rice. "Don't act all proud of yourselves! Honda-san made everything!" the teacher said, while Kairi looked down in embarrassment.
The teacher stalked away to another group of girls who seemed to be fooling around. "Ah! So, today after school, Im going shopping with Aerith. Do you have work today?" Tifa inquired. Kairi looked up and smiled apologetically, "Ah…yes." Aerith looked suspiciously at Kairi, "You are working too hard…is it because you need to pay for your own school fees?" she asked evenly. "If it's for school fees, you don't need to work every day…I mean, we do go to a public school," Tifa put in.
Kairi smiled proudly, "After I graduate, I want to live an independent life. So I need to start saving my money now!" Tifa swooped down on the petite brunette, a watery smile on her face, "How moving…eat, Kairi! You need your strength! You made this!" she insisted, shoving a dish under Kairi's nose.
"You still living with your father's relatives?" Kairi spun around, "Yes!" she answered Aerith quickly. The quiet girl took a bite of rice, "Do you get enough food there? They don't try to take you're wages, do they?" Kairi shook her head with a nervous smile on her face.
I can't tell them…if Tifa found out I was living in a tent, she'd get mad. She might even ride her bike to my aunt's house!
-Later—
Kairi was walking to her locker to collect her things before going home, when she rounded the corner she ran into Riku. "Oh! Sohma, thank you for this morning!" Riku smiled back, "I'm sorry Axel caused you some trouble."
"Oh, no! Of course not, he's not that kind of person! And, he showed me the twelve animal zodiacs!" Riku blinked at her thoughtfully as she frantically attempted to sway any of his misgivings. "Mmm…what did you talk about? Something about the cat zodiac?" Kairi flushed a light pink, "I was very silly as a kid…"
"Yes. Cats are stupid! Doesn't have a good personality!" Riku spat, walking away. Kairi looked bewildered at his retreating figure. "Ah..?" She ran up to catch up to him. "Honda-chan, do you know how the twelve zodiac came to be?" Kairi stayed silent, because in truth, she didn't know—she just remembered the story her mother told.
"It originally used counting numbers and time…then yin and yang, and complimentary and opposite theory; then it became a fortune telling thing…" Kairi looked surprised, "You mean it had nothing to do with animals?" "Right," Riku agreed, "But I'm not sure when that started…and then animals were added for whatever reason, " he explained coolly. "It's still unclear…but the cat was never added to the zodiac from the start. I think things need to stay how they are. What if cats become part of the clan? Cats are stupid!" Riku spat again.
Kairi's head spun with all this new information she was absorbing. Then, his last comments hit home, and she looked at his back. "Ah, Sohma-san..do you really hate cats?" she asked curiously. She figured he must, just to be talking this way—but who could hate cats?
Riku just turned and fixed the girl with a cold and mysterious smile. Kairi was surprised, waiting for the tall silver-haired boy's answer, but he was just smiling at her darkly. Eh? She couldn't move, why was he just smiling like that? BEEP! BEEP! rang a shrill sound. The young girl jumped and fished in her bag until she found her watch—"AH! It's already this late? I have to work!" she shrieked in surprise, "I'm very sorry, Sohma-san, but I have to rush to work, now!" she apologized quickly as Riku stared at her curiously, "Honda-chan…" he caught a small leaf floating in the wind. As Kairi turned around to see what he had to say, he touched it to her forehead. "This morning, I feel you don't look very well," he said almost tenderly, as he moved closer; Kairi's breath caught in her throat. "The weather is very hot. You have to look after yourself!" he advised. Kairi blinked, and he had already turned around, the leaf continuing its descent to the ground. "Hmm…see you tomorrow," he parted, walking away.
Kairi looked after the tall boy, her face flushed and her hand on her forehead, where the leaf was a moment before. He gives that mysterious feeling…feels like my soul is charmed by his beauty…
"Don't think too highly of yourself!" a voice warned venomously. Kairi looked to the tree across the street to see Riku's Fan Club girls staring daggers at her. "You're using Sohma's kindness, AREN'T YOU?" they demanded. "Eh!" she squeaked in reply.
But, Sohma-san, I can't do it…my mom used to work harder than me. My father died when I was three years old. Since then, Mom worked with all her effort and supported us. Mom always cared for me…no matter what, she was always cheerful, happy, and lively; but I never thought she would die in a traffic accident.
In regards for adopting me, my family members argued and argued. It was finally decided I would stay at Grandpa's. I didn't want to trouble him, because he is living on social welfare. So, I said I would pay for my own school fees and living expenses.
That was in May. Four months later my grandfather told me, "I decided to have my daughter's family living with me. Just so happens I wanted to renovate the house. During the renovation, I will be staying with my daughter. I'm really, very sorry, but can you stay with your friends?" Tifa lives in a one-bedroom, one-living room unit and Aerith lives with five family members. I don't know how long the renovations would take, I can't bother them…
So…
-At work—
Why don't I live by myself? Now is the perfect chance to practice enduring the harsh life! Yes, everything has two sides to it: good and bad. It doesn't matter if I don't have any money, I can live in a tent!
"Hey lady! Hurry up and finish, I need to cross!"
The voice shook Kairi out of her reverie—"Ah! Yes!"—as she hurried to move her pile of trash out of the way as the man crossed the hallway.
Although there are no annoying salesmen coming, there are spiders, bugs, insects, and mosquitoes every night. A few days ago, the wind nearly blew the tent away.
Kairi sighed to herself as she wiped down a counter for her elderly co-workers; she couldn't help but do it to make up for being late today. I can't give up! "I can't be feeling sad…I must live in the city…I must live in the city!" she muttered the mantra to herself, attempting to motivate her to keep going and cheer up.
-Meanwhile, several hours later—
Riku and Axel walked through the dark woods on their way back home. "Ah! This late already?" Axel commented, looking up at the moon. "Every night, it's take-out or dine out. How tiring!" he sighed. "Why don't you just cook dinner?" Riku asked his cousin.
"I did, but didn't you complain?" Axel inquired. "Garlic rice with salted vegetables. Of course, I need to complain," Riku commented. "If you're so smart, how come you don't know any housework?" The red-haired male shot back, "Two guys living together, we need a flower!"
"Easy for you to say," Riku sighed, amused. "What was the saying? The men came after the flower?" Axel mused. "Oh! Hey, isn't that Kairi, walking over there?" he asked in mild surprise, looking through the trees. Riku followed his gaze, and sure enough, the familiar shape of a small girl in the school uniform walking through the woods appeared. "Scary, you can remember a girl's name this quickly," Riku commented. Axel chuckled to himself and he held his chin, "Heh, that's nothing special," he answered, thogh he looked very proud of himself.
"But, it's late, what is she doing here?" Axel asked aloud, all serious again. "I heard her mother passed away recently…maybe she moved out here?" Riku tried to reason. "Impossible, land around here was never rented to anyone…" Axel responded. The Sohma men glanced at each other in confused silence.
Kairi stumbled towards her tent tiredly. "So…tired…" She opened the flap to her familiar picture, "I'm home, mom…I really want to go to sleep, but if I don't finish my homework…" she sighed, looking around silently, trying to will herself to stay awake enough to start her homework.
"I'll just wash my face to wake myself up…" she grabbed a towel and opened the flap again and began to crawl out. "I feel lightheaded..." She looked up to see...
Axel and Riku?
So...theres the first chapter. Yep, I know this is sorta long, but I'm trying to stick to the chapters in the original manga as best as I can; otherwise, if I think it's good, I'll end it there. I tried to choose the Kingdom Hearts characters to fit the appropriate characters in Fruits Basket...some won't ft the bill completely, but a little OOC never really hurt anyobdy. =] I'll get the second chapter up ASAP, please review! Enjoy. ^_^
~Liviyan.