A/N: This is my first ever Fruits Basket fanfic! I hope you all enjoy it!
Tohru was skipping through the Japanese mall happily. Today had been great! School had an early dismissal. Normally, she'd work overtime at her job on such days. But Hana-chan and Uo-chan said they should get together at the mall. They hadn't bought much; but they had run into a majority of Sohma family members. Among them were Kagura, Rin, Kisa, Ayame, Shigure, Momiji, Hiro, Ritsu, Kyo, and Yuki.
"Oh! Why don't we go into this store?" Tohru suggested, displaying her famous smile. She was standing outside a department store, admiring the window displays.
"It's no use!" Ayame said dramatically, "every time I try to convince Hana-chan to try pastel clothing, it never works!"
"Have I not told you? I like black. That's all I ever wear," Hana-chan said simply.
"Well, I wouldn't mind having a look at the lingerie myself. It could be your New Year present Tohru!" Shigure joked.
"EH?!" Tohru cried.
"You're lucky we haven't reported you to the police," Uo-chan snapped.
"Why don't we try another store?" Ritsu asked as Kyo and Yuki shot daggers at Shigure.
"No! I wanna go home!" Hiro said defiantly.
"Me too. I'd rather eat leeks!" Kyo declared.
"I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO UPSET YOU!" Ritsu screamed, clawing at his hair. Rin rolled her eyes, annoyed at the immaturity of the group.
"I know where we could go!" Momiji piped up. He was wearing a silky pink poncho and an orange floral skirt.
"Where?" Kagura asked mildly.
"THERE!"
He pointed to a store entitled Build-A-Bear Workshop: Where Best Friends Are Made!
"Yes! Let's go!" Tohru cried, clapping her hands. She took off after Momiji, hoping the others would follow her.
"C'mon Hiro! It'll be fun!" Kisa exclaimed, pulling him along.
"I don't wanna," Hiro grumbled.
"You could make it for your-sister-to-be," Kagura offered.
"Alright," he shrugged, tagging along with Kisa.
The others gradually went into the store. Hundreds of unstuffed animals lay in bins around the room. In a corner was a rack of various outfits. A large machine filled with cotton with a pump attached to it stood in another corner. Beside it was a bin with quarter-sized plush hearts.
"What are we supposed to do, little brother?" Ayame asked, draping an arm around Yuki's shoulder.
"It says that we pick the animal, pick a heart, get it stuffed, dress it up, and find a name for it," Yuki informed him.
"I want this one!" Tohru exclaimed, picking up a bear, "No! That one!" she cried, picking up a frog.
"If you keep this up, you're going to destroy the store," Shigure said calmly, patting a hand on her shoulder.
"Eh?" Tohru asked in surprise.
"Oh! I love this one!" Momiji squealed, picking out an unstuffed rabbit. He hurried over to another bin and picked out a heart. Before he could place it inside his rabbit, a sales associate stopped him.
"Whoa there little girl! You have to kiss it, rub it on your forehead, make a wish, and do 15 jumping jacks!"
"What's the point in doing that?" Kyo grumbled as Momiji followed orders.
"It creates a special bond with the bear," the sales associate said.
"KYO!" Kagura cried, bounding up to him.
"WHAT?!"
"I found a cat and pig! We can dress them up the same and stuff them with the same heart!" Kagura beamed, grabbing a handful of red felt hearts with LOVE etched in white string.
"Like hell I would!" he replied sarcastically.
"YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT!" Kagura cried, tackling Kyo to the ground.
"Ah, I do say that this dog happens to catch my personality," Shigure said to no one in particular. He was sitting at the dressing table, struggling to get the shirt over his Labrador's head.
"What does the shirt say?" Ayame asked. He was nearest to his longtime friend and was the most curious to see what he was doing. Shigure smiled and held it up for him: in green letters it said "I Put the 'P' in Pervert".
"Shigure, you sly dog!" Ayame chuckled.
"Look what I found Onee-Chan!" Kisa exclaimed, motioning for Tohru to come over.
"What is it, Kisa?"
"I found a White Bengal Tiger!" she said, holding the stuffed animal proudly.
"It's as adorable as you!" Tohru squealed, hugging Kisa. Hiro looked revolted at the attention Kisa was attracting from Tohru. He wandered over to Rin, who was rifting through the clothes rack. Under her arm was a stuffed cow and horse
"Whatcha looking for?"
"Nothing," Rin replied curtly.
"You're getting something for Haru, aren't you?" Hiro grinned slyly.
Rin tried to scowl at him, but it turned out being a lopsided smile.
"Yeah," she said.
Within twenty minutes, everyone except Shigure had crowded around the dressing table and computers where adoption certificates could be filled out. Hana-chan was putting a black dress on her black bear. Ritsu was dressing his monkey in a purple kimono with blue rhinestones. Momiji, Kisa, Rin, and Hiro were all at the computers.
"What are you naming your bunny, Momiji?" Tohru asked.
"Momo, after my sister!" Momiji declared brightly. His yellow rabbit was dressed in a green T-shirt with #1 Sister across the chest. Shigure, Kyo, Ayame, and Kagura stood off to the side. They had made their purchases earlier and were waiting for everyone else to finish up.
"How come you aren't making a bear, Yuki?" Hiro asked after sometime.
"EH?!"
Tohru jumped up from the table, sweating nervously.
"Yuki! You should've said something!" Tohru squeaked, frantically trying to find something Yuki could make.
"It's alright Miss Honda. Uo-chan isn't making anything either," Yuki pointed out.
"Why not Uo-chan?"
"I dunno. I couldn't find anything I liked. Maybe next time?" Uo-chan asked.
"Okay!" Tohru said brightly.
After paying for their merchandise, they left the store, looking quite happy.
"What animal did you decide on, Kyonkichi?" Ayame teased, poking the cardboard box Kyo was holding.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Kyo ordered as Yuki and Uo-chan fought hard not to laugh.
"It's quite cute actually," Kagura said, removing the box from Kyo's grip. She opened it and pulled out a stuffed tabby cat. It was wearing a karate outfit with a black-belt tied around its waist.
"How nice," Hana-chan observed.
"I hate to break up the fun. But I need to get back to Haru. See you guys on New Years!" Rin said.
"IT'S MY FAULT FOR MAKING YOU LEAVE RIN! I'M SORRY!" Ritsu wailed.
"It's not your fault, Ritsu!" Yuki explained.
"YES IT IS!"
"Well, we'd better get home before he gets another panic attack," Shigure said wisely.
"See you in school tomorrow in school Tohru!" Hana-chan and Uo-chan exclaimed as the Sohmas exited the mall.
"That was a nice day, wasn't it?" Tohru asked brightly.
"It was indeed," Ayame nodded.
"By the way Ayame. You never told me what animal YOU happened to get. And neither did you Hiro," Tohru observed.
"I got a sheep. Nothing too special," Hiro said lamely.
"What about you, Ayame?"
Ayame grinned slyly and pulled out a pink poodle in a sparkly red dress.
"TA-DA! I couldn't find a snake. But my stuffed animal will be staying with Shigure's dog for the time being while Mine and I run the costume shop. I daresay they'll have quite fun."
And with that, Ayame handed the box over to Shigure and skipped out to his car.
"What did Ayame mean by 'having fun'?" Tohru asked. Kyo and Yuki exchanged glances of disbelief, not bothering to explain Ayame's innuendo.
"C'mon Kisa, Hiro. I promised your parent's I'd drive you home," Ritsu reminded the little ones.
"Bye Onee-chan!" Kisa waved.
"Bye Hiro! Bye Kisa!" Tohru cried.
"Momiji! I'll take you back to your father's. Is that okay Shigure?" Kagura asked.
"Fine by me!" Shigure said simply.
And with that, Kagura and Momiji left the group as well. The sun started to set as Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and Shigure walked back to the car.
"Tohru?" Kyo asked.
"Yes Kyo-kun?"
"I think I found something that I hate more than leeks."
"What's that?" Tohru asked brightly.
"Shopping."
