Mirror
By Dolfinz
Disclaimer: I may own some fruit in a basket, but I don't own Fruits Basket. Go figure…
Chapter 1
"Andraya Saino, I presume.""Who wants to know?"
"I am Akito Sohma…you know of my family."
"…Sohma? But…why are you here? And on New Year's?"
"Your family is dead. And you should be too, but I'll spare you. It'll be more painful for you that way."
Andraya woke with a start. Why did that dream keep plaguing her? It had been almost a year since her family was massacred at their New Year's party, an annual event she stopped attending years before. Her family, like the Sohma family she had so heard much about, was cursed by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and she was the cat. Being the outcast had saved her life last New Year's, but still, it was something Andraya didn't like to dwell on.
Andraya sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She looked at her clock to discover she had only a couple minutes until she had to get ready for school anyway. Since her family was gone and her home and source of financial support had been destroyed, she had had no choice but to live on her own. After she finished her second year of high school, she moved far away from her former home to a small city with decent affordable housing. She found a fair landlord that offered to hold off on her rent until she could get her first paychecks from her two jobs she took to make ends meet. She worked the entire summer, and eventually got enough saved to pay monthly rent and buy herself clothing and food. She had enrolled in the local high school, under a different last name, just in case, as soon as she had money for tuition, and now all she had to do was hope she could work two jobs and go to school without sacrificing anything in any of them. Andraya ran her hands through her bright pink hair, the signature trait of the Saino cursed with the cat, and shut off her now ringing alarm. She quickly got dressed in her new school uniform and was about to head out the door when she froze.
She stared at the black and white beads encircling her left wrist. What if…she thought, frowning. She couldn't remember exactly where the Sohmas had been rumored to live, but she thought it was somewhere nearby where she had wound up living. If a Sohma saw her around here, or at school, with the bracelet…
Andraya sighed, digging through a dresser drawer for a set of wristbands she used to wear in grammar school. Her mother had always told her to wear one on her left wrist as protection for the bracelet so it wouldn't come off, but Andraya also had worn one on her right wrist to avoid questions. She hated people asking about her bracelet…she hated lying. Her mother was the only one she could be brutally honest with…but it's not like she had ever cared much anyway. Just so long as that bracelet stayed on nice and tight.
With wristbands in place, Andraya picked up her bag and left her tiny apartment, heading to school. Luckily for her, it was a bright, sunny day. She hated the rain.
"Class, I'd like you to meet Andraya Jyne. She's new this year, and I expect everyone to make her feel welcome."
Andraya smiled slightly, avoiding the snickers she knew were directed at her oddly colored hair. The teacher told her to take a seat anywhere she'd like, so Andraya took a seat in the back where she could be safe from most of the stares. She sat in the corner by the window, where she was immediately greeted by an extremely cheerful girl sitting in the seat in front of her.
"Hi! I'm Tohru Honda! It's so nice to meet you! I hope you enjoy it here, it's a wonderful school, and this class is full of nice people!"
"Yeah, I noticed…" Andraya murmured, glancing at a dark haired boy snickering at her in the corner. She glared and clenched her fist in his direction, causing his eyes to widen. He looked away quickly, and Andraya smirked at his frightened expression. She was tough; she had to be. It wasn't easy being the outcast.
"Let me introduce you to my friends!" The girl in front of her was still speaking, oblivious to Andraya's little gesture to the boy in the front of the room. "Over there are Hana and Uo, my best friends! They're very nice, so I'm sure you'll get along well with them!"
Andraya looked over at the girls Tohru had indicated. The blond waved nonchalantly, but the black haired girl stared at her strangely. Her eyes widened a bit before she looked away, looking puzzled and intrigued. Strange girl…Andraya thought.
"And right here are Yuki and Kyo! They're also my friends and also really, really nice! I'm sure you'll all get along so well!" Tohru was absolutely beaming at this point, and Andraya couldn't help but smile a little at her absurd enthusiasm. She was sure none of these people would get along with her, especially that one she introduced as Yuki. There was something about him she already didn't like, and by the cold glance he gave her, she was sure it was mutual. I wonder what's up with him, she thought, shrugging it off.
She looked next to her at Kyo as Tohru introduced him. He just grunted and looked away, uninterested. Andraya was about to turn away equally uninterested when she caught sight of the bracelet on his left wrist. Her eyes widened in shock. Could those be…
"Andraya, I know you must be eager to make friends, but please pay attention to the lesson while you're in class. There will be plenty of time for socializing later."
Andraya snapped out of her daze and apologized to the teacher. Kyo was looking at her oddly. Andraya laughed a little. I probably freaked him out, staring at his wrist like that. She looked at him again, this time noticing his bright orange hair and odd red eyes. Yup…no doubt about it. He's the Sohma cat.
Lunchtime came, and Tohru absolutely insisted that Andraya eat lunch with her and her friends. After about five minutes, Andraya had every one of them figured out, and found it all rather amusing.
Apparently, both Yuki and Kyo were in love with Tohru, but she was completely oblivious, or played a very good hard to get. Hana could somehow read people's personalities, and had commented that she had odd "waves", which Andraya just laughed at. Of course she had odd waves! She was possessed by a cat!
Both Hana and Uo were extremely protective of Tohru, and Andraya suspected that they were the only reason Yuki or Kyo hadn't made a move on her yet. Though, in Kyo's case, it would be rather hard for him…She sighed, recalling her own love troubles years ago. It's hard to have a relationship without hugging the person…
"Excuse me, new girl!" a voice called behind her. Andraya turned around, coming face to face with a tall, dark haired girl. She looked annoyed.
"Sheesh, you're spacier than Tohru…" she commented quietly. At the mention of Tohru's name, the other two girls shuddered and glared past Andraya at the girl in question.
What the hell…? Andraya thought, not catching on to their behavior yet.
"Anyway! I am Mokoto, president of the fan club which all new girls and first years join! I expect you to be no different!" the girl said, placing her hands on her hips.
Behind her, Andraya heard everyone but Tohru groan. "Um, what club would that be…?" she asked.
"Why, the one and only Yuki Sohma fan club!" Mokoto cried, raising her arms above her head in an overly dramatic gesture. She blinked a few times, waiting for Andraya's response. When none came, she lowered her arms and pouted. "Well, what are you waiting for? Don't you want to know how to join!"
Andraya had started a bit at the mention of the Sohma name. Could the Yuki that Tohru had introduced her to be a Sohma as well? "Um, who's Yuki Sohma?" she asked.
The three girls stared at her in shock. "Why, only the most beautiful boy in the entire school! Prince Yuki!" they all gushed in unison. Andraya found it all quite sickening. Prince…?
"Oh my gosh, Andraya! I forgot to introduce you properly with last names!" Tohru yelped. Andraya turned to face her again, this time being introduced to her grey haired friend as Yuki Sohma. The three fan club girls all blushed and waved at him, then nearly fainted at the smile he returned. Oh, you've got to be kidding me…Andraya thought. She didn't even like him! Never mind worship him!
Wait…this could be fun.
"Well, I'd love to join your fan club, except there's just one problem."
Mokoto stared at her. "What do you mean, a problem?"
"Well, I don't much like Yuki."
The fan girls nearly fell over when she said this. They were speechless for at least five minutes, when finally Mokoto found it in her to speak. "How…can you say such a thing!" she whispered harshly, almost hissing at her. Andraya smirked, and turned to face Yuki. The tension that formed in the air when the two simply glared at each other was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. When Andraya finally turned back to the girls, they seemed a bit more content.
"Well, it seems our Prince doesn't approve of you either, Andraya. And with good reason! You officially have no taste!" And with that, they finally left, and Andraya laughed out loud. Hana and Uo laughed too, as they rarely got to see Mokoto ticked at a non-fan girl besides Tohru. Even Kyo smirked.
Yuki just continued to glare at the new girl. There was something about her he just didn't like, but it made no sense to him. He had just met Andraya, and hadn't even spoken two words to her. What reason could he possible have for hating her?
Andraya was puzzled, too. Though, if he was a Sohma, there was a possibility that Yuki was possessed by the rat, therefore explaining the illogical tension between them. The family name didn't matter when rat and cat met, just the age-old story telling the tale of conflict between the two animals.
Andraya didn't have much longer to think about it, though, since the bell rang for afternoon classes to begin shortly after her fan-girl encounter. She spent the rest of the school day threatening her classmates that dared make fun of her.
During the last period of the day, an older male student interrupted the class to ask Andraya to come out to the hall to speak with him. It looked as though he had some authority in the place, judging by the way the other students and the teacher treated him, so Andraya quietly excused herself from the class and stepped into the hall.
"Andraya Jyne, is it?" the student asked, looking down at her as if she were a child.
"Um, yes, that's me."
"Well, Andraya, my name is Motoko, the current student council president. With my very important role come certain duties, and one of them is maintaining a dress code in this school." He places his hands on his hips, as if expecting Andraya to read his mind and fix her offending clothing. Andraya just stared at him questioningly, causing him to sigh and point to her hair.
"Rule number one, Miss Jyne. No dying hair!"
"This is my natural color."
Motoko stared at her in disbelief. "That can't be, Miss Jyne. I think we both know that."
Andraya shook her head. Would this never end? "What do you want me to do, prove it?" she said, threateningly reaching for the hem of her knee-length skirt.
Motoko blushed deeply, remembering a similar conversation he had had with one Hatsuharu Sohma. "Um…n-no, that's quite alright!" He cleared his throat. "Alright then, your hair can remain that…interesting shade of pink, but those wristbands have to go!"
Andraya started. This was not going to be good…
Motoko put his hands on his hips. "Well, Miss Jyne? I'm waiting…" He tapped his foot impatiently.
"Um, I…I can't take them off. It's…important to me…" Andraya was at a loss for an excuse. She didn't think anyone would care about a couple of black wristbands!
"Miss Jyne, don't make this difficult. Please remove the wristbands." When Andraya didn't budge, he sighed impatiently, then grabbed her right wristband and forcefully took it off himself. Andraya yelped in surprise, and watched in horror as he reached for the other wristband. She had to act fast before he told her to remove the bracelet as well! She didn't know what excuse Kyo had used to keep his on, but she knew she wouldn't be able to think of one in such short notice…
She did the only thing she could think of to stop Motoko's crazy dress code violation remedy—she punched him.
Motoko dropped Andraya's arm and her other wristband in favor of nursing his reddening cheek. His eyes were wide in shock and surprise, and he even looked a little frightened. Andraya hadn't held back; she needed to protect her identity, especially when there were Sohmas nearby…
"Miss Andraya Jyne! That's enough!"
Andraya turned slowly around, finding the classroom door still wide open and her teacher standing in the doorway in shock. She caught sight of her classmates behind her, all equally shocked. Some were applauding her boldness, but stopped short with one glare from the teacher.
"Return to your seat immediately, young lady!" the teacher yelled, pointing to Andraya's desk. Andraya slowly bent to retrieve her wristband, sliding it carefully over her right hand as she walked to her seat. No one snickered or stared at her this time. They must have seen the whole thing…Andraya thought. She smiled. That should stop the snickering for a while…
When she returned to her seat, she noticed Kyo looking at her oddly. Well, everyone was looking at her oddly, but there was something else in his eyes that Andraya couldn't quite place. "What?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, it isn't everyday a girl punches an older student in the hall. Especially Mokoto."
"Well, get used to it. If he tries to do anything like that again, you'll be getting another show."
Kyo smirked. "I don't think he'd dare. He's not exactly the toughest guy around, ya know."
"I didn't think so," Andraya replied, turning to the front of the class again. Yuki had turned to glare at her unacceptable behavior, but turned around when Andraya glared back. Weakling…she thought, uncrossing her arms to continue her class work. This is going to be an…interesting year…
"See you tomorrow, Andraya!" Tohru waved as they left the school building. Andraya smiled and waved back. It was hard not to be cheerful around her. She could see why the boys were so drawn to her.
To her surprise, Tohru continued walking with Yuki and Kyo. Does she…live with them? she thought in disbelief. But she said her last name was Honda, not Sohma…
"Oh, Andraya!" Tohru's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Would you like to come to our house for a snack this afternoon?"
Our house…? "Um, well…" Andraya didn't have a chance to respond before both Yuki and Kyo whispered something in her ear, then glared at each other. Yup, Yuki's the rat…
"Oh, um, I'm terribly sorry, but it seems I shouldn't have invited you…today!" Tohru stuttered. "Maybe…some other time!" She waved cheerfully again, then left with the two boys.
So they do live together…the boys probably don't want a girl in the house that doesn't know about the curse, hence why I can't go over…so Tohru must be in the know! she thought in surprise. What a mess that would be if I hugged one of them, though! And what a surprise they'd get if one of them hugged meshe thought with amusement.
But that was fun to be had for another day. For now, Andraya could only head back to her small apartment to change for her first job of the day.