Yay! Chapter 1! My first Fruits Basket fanfic, so no flames please! so clichéd well enjoy, my anonymous lil buddies X3 XD
Kyo, in cat form, stalked through the forest. He had gotten Tohru to hug him so he could practice his hunting skills. He wasn't sure how much time he had left to be in this form, so he walked at a brisk pace. Unbeknownst to our little temper-prone buddy, someone was watching him. Hello. What are you doing out here? an inquisitive, unfamiliar voice asked in animal-speech. Kyo turned to find a small gray female cat behind him. What the heck did you sneak up on me for? Why do you care, any way? he hissed angrily. Geez. I just wanted to talk to you. First humans hate me, now animals do too the cat said, her eyes filling with tears. Wait a second. Tears? Animals didn't cry, did they? Hey, you're not a cat, are you? Who and what are you? he asked cautiously. Why should I tell you? You obviously hate me. And you're mean. Besides, you'd only run away like every other animal, the gray cat answered, sighing. I don't hate you. You just kinda scared me, that's all. I'm sorry I yelled at you, okay? Will you please show me? I promise not to run, he said. O-okay. But you can't run, all right? she answered. Well, here goes. The cat's body began to glow. Then the light changed shape, and grew bigger. When the light faded, there was a strawberry-blonde girl in a school uniform kneeling in front of him. Just when she had finished transforming, the curse decided to turn him human again.
"Oh, crap," was one of the less…er…colorful thoughts whirling through Kyo's mind as he felt his body start to change. He immediately shifted his hands to cover as much of himself as he could. The girl just stared at him during the whole transformation, like she was used to it or something. Well, she probably is used to it, he thought, since she transforms too. Finally she spoke up. "Why don't you have any clothes on? Can't you just think them up like I do?" she asked. Although, I really don't mind the view, she thought. "You can think up clothes? Could you…uh…you know?" Kyo asked, blushing. (A/N: aww… he's so cuute when he blushes…drool XD) "Huh? Oh, sure." The girl closed her eyes and concentrated. Clothes appeared on Kyo's body-undies, shirt, pants, everything, even socks and shoes. "I'm sorry if they're not the style you like. I wouldn't know unless I turned into you. But I don't think you'd want that," she said smiling. "So how do you transform? And what's your name? I'm Nanori," she blurted out quickly. "It's none of your business," Kyo growled angrily. "What did you say? Look pal, I was just trying to be nice. It's the least you could do after I gave you those clothes," she snarled back, "You're lucky I don't just become you and find out for myself." Kyo blanched, unused to having anyone get angry at him. Usually it was the other way around. "Feh," he snorted and turned away. "I'll do it! You just watch. I'll do it and learn all your secrets if you don't give me some answers now," Nanori said, furious now. When Kyo ignored her, she saw red. "Okay, you asked for it!" She concentrated, and poof, she was Kyo. When he heard the poof, he turned around and saw himself. Except the other him was writhing in agony, clutching her head and moaning. Tears were streaming down the copy's face, and she was whimpering pitifully. Then the copy screamed and passed out, instantly changing back to Nanori. While Kyo had watched this, transfixed in horror, he broke out of the trance, and knelt by Nanori's side. Damn, what have I done to her now, he thought. He picked her up, carefully so he wouldn't transform, and headed for Shigure's house.
When Nanori awoke, she found herself on a futon in a small room. Where am I? she thought. The last thing I remember was… Oh, no. I turned into Kyo and I passed out. As she remembered what she had seen, tears welled in her eyes. Poor, poor Kyo, whose heart had hurt so much. I have to help him, somehow, since what I did is unforgivable, she thought, feeling very badly about what she had done. Sensei, she prayed, I have broken your biggest rule. I am sorry. I hope Kyo forgives me. I never meant to hurt anyone.
As she sat up, the door opened and a gray-haired boy entered with a tray of delicious-smelling food. "Oh, you're awake. You are Nanori-san, are you not? I am Yuki Sohma. I am pleased to meet you," the boy said. Nanori started as she realized that she recognized that voice and that face, though in Kyo's memories had almost always been contorted in anger and edged with ice. "P-pleased to meet you as well, Sohma-san. I would like to know where Kyo is, please. I need to apologize to him for yesterday," Nanori asked. Yuki frowned. "Kyo is downstairs. I think he's eating lunch now, but I bet he'll come. I'll be right back."
Downstairs…..
"Hey, stupid cat, Nanori-san says she wants to talk to you," Yuki yelled down the stairs. "I'm not stupid, you damn rat! How many times do I have to tell you that," Kyo snarled in return. "Whatever. Get up there," Yuki said as he sat down next to Tohru. "Kyo-kun, you probably should talk to her. She's probably confused about all of this," Tohru said thoughtfully. "Fine, I'll go," Kyo grumped, grumbling up the stairs. When the door opened again, Nanori was kneeling on the floor. When she saw it was Kyo, she bowed, her forehead on the floor. "I most humbly apologize, Kyo-san. What I did yesterday was unforgivable, and I had no right to pry into your life. I will gratefully accept whatever punishment or retribution you decide is necessary," she said from her position on the floor. "Um… What is it again that you're apologizing for?" Kyo asked, puzzled. Nanori lifted her head in surprise. "It's for when I turned into you yesterday. I'll do anything to make up for it. I'll be your slave, commit seppuku, anything. What I did was the worst I could do to anyone, except maybe for killing them," Nanori answered. "But all you did was take my shape, right? You just made yourself look like me, didn't you?" Kyo asked, more confused than ever now. "No. When I become you, I know everything you know. I see all of your memories, and probably some memories you can't recall. That's why I was in so much pain. I was strong enough for the physical part of the change, but not for the mental. That's why I need to apologize like this," answered Nanori. While she said this she had returned to sitting position, though she kept her eyes on the floor the whole time. Now she looked up, her eyes rimmed with tears. Kyo's face was the picture of terror, and when she looked up, he ran. Nanori sighed. And another person runs away from me, she thought. She turned and opened the door and followed the stairs to the dining room. (A/N: I don't know if they really have a dining room. In my twisted fantasy world they do though. XD)
At the sound of feet on tatami mats, Tohru, Shigure, and Yuki turned to stare at Nanori, who stood in the doorway. She bowed, obviously a bit embarrassed. It was also obvious that she had been crying. "I'm so sorry. I must be really imposing on you guys. Um… Kyo kind of ran away from me. I don't know where he went. I'm sorry. Again," she added. "It's all right. I'm Tohru. I have to ask, though. Why did Kyo run away from you?" Tohru asked. "I know who you guys are. Kyo ran away because of something I did yesterday. It's hard to explain, but now I know everything he knows or ever has known," Nanori explained. "My name is Nanori Chikoku, by the way. Once again, I'm sorry to impose, and I thank you for your hospitality," Nanori said humbly. "Don't worry about it. We've always got room for one more. If you know what Kyo knows, then you know about the curse, right?" Shigure asked. "Yes, I know all about the curse. I understand that someone called 'Akito' needs to be told that I know about the curse, right?" Nanori asked. "I'll probably have my memories erased, won't I?" she added. "Yes. I'm sorry. I'll try my best to keep that from happening, but I can't promise you anything," Shigure said. "I see. Well, I'm going to go find Kyo. I might be able to find him," Nanori said.
Once she was outside, Nanori transformed into a dog. She left her clothes on the ground, assuming the Sohmas would pick them up eventually. She put her nose to the ground and followed Kyo's scent.
She found him in a tree after a very long search. She turned into a bird and flew to the branch Kyo sat on. Once she landed, she scooted closer to him and returned to human form. Kyo looked at her like she was crazy. "Why did you come after me?" Kyo asked, not looking at her. "Why wouldn't I come? Besides, I still don't know what I can do to make up what I did to you. Until you decide, I will follow you and do whatever you tell me to. Except go away," she added as an afterthought. "Why don't you hate me? You know what I did. I killed her. I killed my mom. Why don't you hate me, like everyone else?" he asked, his voice shaking as he spoke. "Why would I hate you? It wasn't your fault. It wasn't you who killed her. She killed herself. It's not anyone's fault.
Besides…you're not the only one who has ever killed someone," Nanori answered. "When I was born, I was a normal baby. But as soon as I opened my eyes, I turned into my father. He was the first thing I saw. After that, I turned into whatever I saw in rapid succession. Sometimes, I would get stuck in one form for a couple of hours, so that was okay. It really only hurt when I changed too quickly. They blindfolded me, eventually, and took me to a temple who made this necklace to bind me. After that I could control my transformations. But one day in third grade, my necklace broke, and I became a monster. I destroyed the whole town. I killed most of the people. When I woke up, I was in the woods. I managed to find my way back to my home. There… there was blood everywhere. The people who survived hated me. The priest who had made my necklace before was still alive, and he made the binding permanent. Here, I'll show you," Nanori paused. She slipped the upper part of her dress off her shoulders, exposing her chest. Kyo blushed furiously and began to stammer a protest. "Idiot. I'm not showing you my boobs. Look," she said, a little annoyed at him. He looked and saw Nanori staring defiantly at him, her arms at her sides. She wore a simple white bra, and under that was a sutra burnt into her skin. "Are you finished?" she asked after a few minutes. "That must have hurt. How did he do it?" Kyo asked, incredulous. "All we had was a fire, no gas, no electricity, we were lucky if we even had water. He used a stick from the fire we cooked on. After it healed, I always went to hunt. That was how we survived. But the old priest was frail, and soon he died. I was alone except for the animals. That was why I tried to talk to you," she answered. "Oh. It must have been hard. How did you survive all that time?" Kyo asked. "I mostly hunted for food myself, and I could always make new clothes for myself. I worked a lot for school expenses, and I slept in a tree as a chipmunk or squirrel. It really wasn't that tough," Nanori said simply. "Are you ready to go back yet? My butt's getting numb from this stupid branch," Nanori complained. They both jumped out of the tree, each landing neatly on their feet. "Oh, and by the way, Yuki is the only one who really hates you," Nanori said smugly.
Nanori walked with Kyo as far as the driveway. "See you later," she said and turned into a sparrow. "Hey, wait. Damn girl. Feh," he grumbled after her. He walked into the kitchen, where Tohru was washing dishes. "Oh, hi Kyo. Did Nanori-san find you? She was looking for you earlier," Tohru said, smiling. "Yeah. She found me. She's kinda like you, Tohru. She doesn't have any parents either," Kyo answered. "Oh, poor Nanori-san. I should do something nice for her so she won't feel so lonely," Tohru said sympathetically. "Whatever. I'm going to go take a shower. See you later," Kyo said as he disappeared into the bathroom.
After Kyo finished his shower, he went up to his room to get dressed. He opened the door to find Nanori sitting on his bed, chewing on a carrot. "What's up, doc? I figured you'd be hungry, since you skipped out on lunch earlier. I brought a bento, if you want it. It's salmon," she said casually. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out! How did you get in here?" Kyo yelled, livid. "Well, first, I'm eating. Second, I climbed through the window, and third, your wish is my command," Nanori said smartly. She climbed through the window and flipped onto the roof. After a few minutes she leaned over the edge of the roof. "Oh, I forgot. When can I come back in? And are you going to eat that bento?" she asked. Unfortunately, at that moment, Kyo had dropped the towel so he could get dressed. So, he did what any guy would do in that situation. He dropped, covered, and yelled. "Damn it! What are you doing in here again? I thought I told you to leave! Get out of here," Kyo yelled loudly. "Ok, ok, I'll go. One last thing, though. You have a killer ass. I'll see you later," Nanori said cheekily. Kyo stared, dumbfounded, at the place her head had been. He stood gaping for a few more minutes, then shook his head and started to get dressed.
Later, at dinner, the Sohmas were having a relatively peaceful meal in the dining room. Kyo was exuding his usual air of anger, Yuki was ignoring him, Tohru was happily chatting about her day, and Shigure was spouting his usual poetic nonsense. A gray cat sauntered into the dining room, stopping to sit by Kyo. Blow my cover, and you're dead, Kyo. I don't really think these people like me too much. Except maybe Tohru, but I get the feeling she likes everyone. Nanori fixed Kyo with a steely glare that could have bested Yuki's, though hers wasn't filled with hate, just warning. What could you possibly do to me? Kyo asked angrily. I'll turn into a really big-breasted woman and follow you around school calling you "master." When Kyo grimaced, Nanori snickered. Oh, come on. You didn't really think I'd do that, did you? I am your slave, you know. I will be going to school with you, though. Nanori said, barely suppressing a laugh. What! When the hell was this decided! And just how are you gonna go to school with me without getting noticed? Kyo hissed angrily, trying to control his anger so the others wouldn't notice. Five minutes ago, and I'm gonna turn into a kitten and ride in your backpack. Any way, shut up, I'm gonna get some sleep. Wake me if you need me. Nanori yawned and climbed into Kyo's lap. She closed her eyes and began to purr. Kyo blushed furiously at Nanori's position. Your lap is nice and warm, you know that, Kyo? Nanori grumbled sleepily. Kyo woke Nanori after he finished his breakfast, which took him longer than usual because he didn't want to disturb the sleeping cat. (He still finished earlier than the others, though. (Whoo! Go Kyo! He's the greatest breakfast eater ever! XD) Nanori followed him outside and changed into a smaller gray kitten. She climbed into his backpack, and they set off for school.