Title: For Better or Worse

Author: Pseudonym Sylphmuse

Rating: PG-13, R at most

Summary: Hanajima Saki kidnaps Sohma Akito with unexpected results. AU

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. If I did, do you think I would be writing this story?

Author's Notes: So people know, this will be strictly an alternative universe and therefore will not adhere to the anime and manga although there will be similarities. Many theories I will be using are inferences from the anime and manga. But also, many of it I'm fabricating for the sake of the story. I will try to avoid using Japanese words. The story begins around the time after Tohru finds out Kyou's true form and in the anime, meets Akito.

Warnings: There will be yuri (f/f) and yaoi (m/m) as well as hetero pairings in this story. You have been warned so don't complain or whine or whatever negative response you have to this. Don't read this story if you are offended by such pairings.

Italics for thoughts

Bold for emphasis

-...- for change of POV

Chapter I

Kidnapped

This isn't going well.

When Saki had decided rather abruptly the week before that she was going to kidnap Sohma Akito, she hadn't been thinking. Or rather, thinking about the numerous possibilities that would easily foil her kidnapping scheme. But then, she rarely ever thought or planned in the manner of normal humans.

In fact, she didn't. At all.

And so, now she was in a predicament previous and always, until now, been unknown to her.

Yet again, she thought, This isn't going well.

It had been a piece of cake for the denpa to intercept the main Sohma family's grounds, only a matter of touch and go. And not even that. It took less than a second for her to will any would be guards within her radar, of give or take twenty feet, to sleep.

At first, she had had misgivings on using her… abilities, it had been so long since she'd used them and to this degree—in a kidnapping scheme no less! But since Megumi, her brother had assured her that their use of it would be for a good cause, she had quickly folded and made use of her skills.

As it is, she had after ascertaining that whatever would be rescuers there were, were either unconscious or in a deep, deep sleep, she relaxed. She hadn't gone too deeply into how much she had willed them asleep, but by her reasoning, however much sleep they would get would in the long run, probably be good for them. Hampered by what little physical prowess she had, the naturally pale and fragile looking kidnapping mastermind decided to take a leisurely stroll across the Sohma grounds. It was a perfect day for leisurely strolls and sightseeing, just enough sun to be warm and cheery without being agonizingly bright, not to mention the fluffily content social collection of pristine clouds that dotted the sky. All in all, a beautiful day though, to be perfectly honest, Saki was feeling a bit peaky and dizzy without her usual array of black umbrella and long sleeve black, sunshine-devouring dresses.

If any passersby had chanced to see this scene, they would have thought the vampire-like girl an odd sight in innocuous school uniform on such cheery grounds. On the other hand, it was one thing to be odd and quite another to be dangerous. They would have never thought her to be a potential kidnapper and therefore, danger to society.

Therefore, being potential witnesses and victims to Saki's awesome power of will—it is agreed that it is a good thing that there were no passersbys during the kidnapping of Sohma Akito by one Hanajima Saki.

Megumi appeared out of seemingly nowhere in the sunlight next to Saki stepping away from the tiny shadow of a bonsai tree.

Amended, the kidnapping of one Sohma Akito by Hanajima Saki and her assistant (as well as sibling) Megumi.

"I cursed the remaining household, one Sohma Hatori—he proved difficult."

The voice spoke in an eerie monotone characteristic of the two siblings. However by Saki's standards, Megumi and she were not at all similar even if they were the only ones in their family to have abnormal skills, or to wear black from neck to toe (unless forced by school auhorities into uniforms), or to speak in monotones that rarely ever showed emotion, or to have shadowy, bottomless black eyes and equally dark hair, or… well, you get the drift. Let it be known that Hanajima Saki and Hanajima Megumi were nothing alike.

Megumi stood still, head forward in repose though his eyes took in everything; the Sohma grounds, the lightly petal-sprinkled courtyard, the weather, the long ankle-length skirt his sister wore—with customary white uniform shirt and bowtie associated with the high school she attended, the silence of the grounds, everything.

"How so?"

"He wasn't completely human." Stated, as calmly as any normal person would say, 'The sun comes up every morning and goes down every night.'

Saki deliberated this and then quickly filed it away for further use. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

With only that confirmation, Saki began walking forward, with a short shadow trailing her, an unusual tail if there ever was one, towards a building separate from the others, conspicuous in its very in conspicuity. Her target was a figure hidden within its fold—Sohma Akito. As she came closer, she realized she needn't search for him, the one she needed to find. He was already… waiting if it could be called that for his kidnappers.

Unprecedented, was the knowledge that Sohma Akito was in fact not a he, but a she. It was a fortunate thing that Saki's denpa radar could tell her truth where her eyes could not.

"Who are you?" Snapped in a low tone, with a disinterested slur. "Where's Hatori?" Ignoring that Akito had never met anyone that was not a Sohma and not a Sohma he didn't know. Akito wasn't worried at all.

Saki took her time looking at the soon-to-be missing girl. A feminine, deathly pallid face with high cheekbones that stood out oddly against the angled lines of a face that met into a sharp chin. Unusual, because a trait that most women had were that of fullness, softness—it was why at first she thought Akito a boy. She avoided Akito's eyes, preferring to move on to the straight, arched nose that on any other person would give the look of a spoiled child, but on this face only completed the androgynous appearance of the girl. The soft mouth, the color of coral, pretty if it had not been twisted in a familiar cruel smirk—Saki had seen this expression on many girls she had encountered over the years. Like any of them, it revealed Sohma Akito to be vicious but not only that, to be someone carried away with arrogance and ego of having power, too much of it, at a young age and been allowed it for far too long to be wise.

This did nothing to sway Saki towards either discarding her kidnapping scheme or being gentle towards what she was about to do.

She felt her brother slip his hand into hers, a gentle assuage to her doubts, if there had been any – but it served to give her a measure of comfort and resolve. "Megumi…," she said, signaling her brother to begin.

Megumi brought a hand up to gently cup the pale of the girl in front of them. His fingers spread across the too pale skin in a mockery of a caress.

Akito flinched, raising a hand as if to strike him, only to freeze in mid-movement, eyes wide. Megumi's particular gift to curse needed only a name, but he had found, during his experimental years that it helped to strengthen the curse if he was in contact with his victim.

Clearly, Megumi chanted, his solemn voice that of a child going through the breaking years of adolescence, "Sohma Akito, by this hand of mine, Hanajima Megumi, from this point on will remember nothing of her past and present, of the people in it, or the circumstances that has made her who she is today. She is cursed by this hand of mine. She is cursed." He repeated it twice, the only clue to what he was doing were the streaks of indigo lightning that stretched from his fingers, branching across Akito's face. Only Saki had ever been able to see them, they were invisible to all others. The lines glowed fiercely - pulsating as Megumi murmured a last, "She is cursed," before vanishing.

It was her turn.

Saki stepped forward as Megumi stepped back to place a hand on Akito's other cheek. At her touch, Akito sighed, before falling limply against the ground. Megumi removed his hand and stood, watching his sister. Saki focused her attention upon the slackened, childlike face peaceful in rest as Akito had never been conscious. She gathered up the will and her special ability that in her mind were rooted in her heart and head, perhaps even her soul - a vortex of dark purple.

For an instant, she felt tremors of Akito's mind, blessedly blank of memories and then she slammed and fused her will against the crisscrossing lines of indigo that was her brother's curse enforcing the curse a hundred times over.

No one would be able to break the combined power of her brother and her. No one.

And that was enough for her. She was calm, especially so now that her deed was done.

"Saki, how are we going to move Akito?"

Saki moved to bring the unconscious Akito's arm up and found that it was futile to move the deadweight of the girl. It only served to make her tired and out of breath.

This isn't going well. Saki thought. It had been nothing for the team efforts of her brother and her to dispatch guards and knock every living human on the Sohma grounds unconscious, but they had run into a unique dilemma.

How were they going to move Sohma Akito?

-

Saki never asked anything of Uo but when she did, Uo hopped to it. Not only because Saki was her best friend, besides Tohru, but because Saki had never assumed anything of Uo, had never assumed just because they were friends Uo was supposed to adhere to certain "rules" as others had done, had never assumed that because they were friends, she owned Uo. And for that, Uo was grateful. Saki had always been there for her, when she was quitting her gang and patching up the shattered remains of her life, she had been there.

It was a change, a good change for once that Uo could do something for her. When she got a call from Saki asking for her to come to a house, in a place she'd never been before, she hopped to it. She'd run right off her shift at a nearby supermarket, still with uniform on, hopped on her bicycle and slammed the pedals, ignoring the panicked screams of innocent grocery-shoppers as she'd sped by them. They'd live after all. Maybe with a few years off their life, but they'd live.

But it was hard to contain her surprise at the wide expanse of traditional Japanese grounds or the every once in a while snoring person in the middle of a hallway, a walk, or even right in front of the small city, because it sure wasn't just a house!

And so, the first words out of her mouth when she met Saki, were, "Did you kill someone?" Pointedly she stared at the unconscious heap of person in a yukata that by anyone's standards was expensive, stupidly so. What kind of person wore a yukata? Unless for a special occasion and Uo knew there wasn't a special occasion anytime soon, until maybe, say, next month. Except the weird author guy that Tohru lived with. But he seemed harmless enough. Twitchy maybe. But harmless.

"I didn't kill anyone," Saki defended. "She's merely unconscious."

"She?" Before either Saki or Megumi could answer Uo said, "So what do you need me to do?"

"We need you to carry this girl for us." Megumi answered. With a side-long glance at Uo's uniform. "You're certainly looking as beautiful as ever. This uniform suits you. Accents your long legs, and you do have very nice legs, modestly round bottom, and over all hourglass figure."

"Are you sure he's twelve?" Uo asked, ignoring Megumi in favor Saki. "He sure doesn't speak like any twelve year old I've ever met."

"He's thirteen."

"Still…" Uo glanced at Megumi who was wearing an infuriatingly sweet smile while staring at her from his standpoint.

"He just thinks you're pretty."

"Beautiful," Megumi assured, emphasizing the syllables slyly.

Uo continued to ignore Megumi, in favor of grabbing the unconscious person's arm and swinging them up onto her back, piggy back style. "Anyway, where are we headed?"

"My house."

"We need to take the train to get to your house Saki."

"And?"

Uo rolled her eyes. No comprehension from this one. "I don't really want another confrontation with the police for carrying an unconscious person, who I did nothing to."

"So you have done something to someone that caused them to fall unconscious?"

"That's beside the point," Uo griped. "It was an accident. I hadn't meant to hit them so hard with a pole. They just pissed me off. And stop distracting me, how are we going to innocently show up on the train with a person who definitely ain't looking too good unconscious?"

Saki slowly blinked, looking innocent. "She's my cousin, weary because of her health from sightseeing Japan. Fortunately I met up with a friend who generously volunteered to carry her till we arrived home. Otherwise, my brother and I would have been stranded because neither he nor I are strong enough to carry someone the size of my dear cousin. Don't we look alike?"

"Alright, alright, I get it," muttered Uo. "Come on let's go, you and I'll walk, but Megumi would you ride my bicycle for me?"

"Anything you say Arisa," murmured Megumi bestowing Uo with another sickeningly sweet smile.

"He likes saying my name entirely too much for it to be a normal thing," Uo said walking at a moderate pace off the grounds with Saki to her right and behind her, a cheerful black void by the name of Megumi.

-

Good woman that she was, Saki's mother hadn't seemed at all surprised at the news that Saki was having a friend stay over. It would have been two friends but Uo had refused, saying she had business to attend to. Something about her part-time job and shifts and her manager.

Megumi had already retreated to his room to contemplate Uo's new outfit at the supermarket, the navy miniskirt skirt and striped blue and white shirt, underneath a gold apron with a humongous white duck on the front. It wasn't the best uniform, but it was certainly an interesting one. The store's name wasn't Japanese either, it was in English, Quack, Quack Supermarket. Saki couldn't imagine what "quack, quack" meant.

She sighed, feeling content. For her first time, she didn't do too bad at kidnapping. Perhaps she should consider it as a career, she wasn't doing too good in high school and was failing in most of her classes. Her mother and father hadn't been too happy and had been depressed for months over her. But they had in due time regained their senses and admitted even with her special abilities, Saki plainly wasn't gifted in the area of academics.

The figure in her bed snuffled, before settling down. Saki turned her mind to other matters as she changed into her pajamas. Sohma Akito looked around her size, and most of Saki's clothes contained spandex, so they could stretch to fit Akito's slightly larger frame. But for now, Saki took out a pair of pajamas she had recently bought that were loose on her and therefore probably a good size for Akito.

Quietly, she untied the band around the yukata and eased it off of the sleeping figure. She blinked. Akito wasn't wearing any undergarments. That would have to be remedied, she went to her drawers, which unlike most people thought did not contain all black clothes, it contained half black and half dark purple, with a few white clothes—mainly undergarments. She took these out and quickly, with the ease of a nurse, put them and the pajamas on Akito.

She walked backwards a few steps to look at her "patient". Akito didn't look as pale anymore wearing the muted violet long sleeved shirt and loose pants, trimmed along the sleeves and bottoms with black lace - courtesy of Saki's sewing skills. The pink mouth in sleep showed none of the cruelty Saki had seen before, though perhaps it was because Akito was asleep, or perhaps it was because Akito had no memories of the her past life anymore. Akito's mouth eased open, sighing, lips looking soft.

Saki reluctantly turned her attention to Akito's face, which had lost most of its hauteur, and instead only showed a thread of pride and weariness. The sharp lines along Akito's jaw had softened leaving an image of innocence and there was a hint of sensuality along the curve of Akito's neck and shoulders, which were round and rather pleasing to Saki's eye. She swallowed, and turned her face towards the lamp on her desk, switching it off throwing her room into perpetual darkness. Slipping under her white coverlet, she turned on her side to face Akito, the sounds of breathing which she hadn't heard with the light on were very much there in the dark.

It was almost comforting. It was almost pleasant.

For better or worse, Sohma Akito had been kidnapped by one Hanajima Saki. For better or worse. But at the moment, in the peace of the night, where everything was possible, it seemed as if it was for the better.

Saki's eyes closed and she lost all thought to sleep.

A/N: A few explanations for those of you who haven't read till Volume 9 of Fruits Baskets. When I speak of the fondness Megumi has of Arisa, it's a play on how he acts in Volume 9 when he's sitting at a restaurant with Hana and Tohru - with Uo serving them in a skirt. He comments on how good she looks in it and in return Uo says he speaks like an old lecher rather than a twelve/thirteen-year-old boy. Also, Sohma Akito is female, although this is not revealed or hinted at in the anime, it is revealed in the manga.