Title: Double-Take (previously "Glass Hearts")

Author: Yukata no Kida

Characters/Pairing: Sohma Hatori & OC

Genre: Romance & Humor

Word Count: 1,145

Rating: T (contains swearing)

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya-sensei. I only own the OCs.

Started on: 8/01/09

Finished on: 10/23/10 (EDITED)

A/N: Rewritten. Well, mostly.

Reviews = Love :heart:

Short, pale blonde hair stuck to a girl's slender face as the rain pelted down on her. Even though she was under a large oak tree, she wasn't in the least bit dry. In fact, it was raining so hard, it was difficult to see through her onyx goggles. Her dark blue-grey eyes were closed as she leaned against the tree, every bit aware of the terrible storm taking place.

She sighed to herself. The rain seemed to calm her down, even though it was starting to hail now. The hard pellets almost tore through her outfit: a black hoodie much to big for her small figure, the hood pulled over her head, and a pair of baggy jeans. She figured that these clothes would hide her form, so she wore them without hesitation.

She was truly female, but she always acted as a male to protect her family's secret. On her mother's side, the Sakuragis, there lays a curse, set upon 12 unfortunate children, where whenever they were hugged by a person of a different sex, or when they were extremely stressed, they would turn into their given zodiac animal. There was the rat, the ox, the dog, the monkey, the bird, the snake, the dragon, the tiger, the ram, the boar, the rabbit, the horse, and the most despised out of them all, the cat. The one who was born to set peace between the zodiac members and rule over them was called "God".

The girl, Arashi Ichiru, was unfortunately cursed with the spirit of the cat. Her twin sister, Chikane, was cursed with the spirit of the rabbit.

"Ichiru! Ichiru!" a voice called in the distance, almost completely drowned out by the rain.

Ichiru turned her head, being able to hear the voice, only to see the said sister of hers running over to her. Her waist-length, blond hair was plastered to her pale skin and the white sundress clung to her small figure.

Chikane's bare feet glided over the wet grass as she sprinted to her twin.

"Ichiru! Ken-chan's looking for you," Chikane said, out of breath. Ichiru glanced at her, worriedly.

She remained silent until, with a fluid movement, she slid out of her jacket and put it on Chikane's shoulders. Without her jacket, Ichiru's chest was visible, hidden expertly by bandages.

"Don't run out here like that. You'll catch a cold," she said bluntly, not minding the hail pellets hitting her own bare shoulders.

Chikane would've blushed in embarrassment if she weren't so cold. She simply pouted and continued, "Ichiru, Dad wanted to tell you something. Apparently, it's important."

Their father, Arashi Kentaro. Ichiru referred to him by his first name, not caring to even respect the man. He had shoulder-length, golden hair that he would always put back into a ponytail, and deep brown eyes. He was handsome, you couldn't deny it. Kentaro worked as a manga-ka(1) with a fairly popular manga series.

Chikane didn't know why Ichiru was so distant towards him, and she hoped she'd never figure out. Chikane had always been their father's favorite. He didn't even hide it. Ichiru was never jealous, though, because she would rather have anything than his attention. She knew she loved him deep down, but she couldn't help but want to slap the man silly. Heck, she'd even wrestle with him when she had the chance.

Ichiru always seemed to have her mother's attention, though. Sakuragi Kaede was her mother's maiden name. She was a beautiful woman. She had wavy, dyed black hair and, oddly, electric blue eyes. In her teenage years, she was a model for a local department store.

Kaede was always happy, Ichiru remembered. A bit of a ditz, really. She never cried and tried to make the best of things. When she was first diagnosed with her illness, it was shocking for everyone to see such a strong person become so weak. She died a year later with a gentle smile on her face.

"Come on, Ii'ru," Chikane said as she took Ichiru's hand and started making her way across the wet grass, to the Sakuragi household. Ii'ru, Ichiru thought, that was the nickname Mom gave me when I was little.

Ever since Kaede died, Kentaro, Ichiru, and Chikane had moved into the Sakuragi compound(2). The leader of the Sakuragis, "God", if you will, had ordered Kentaro to bring Ichiru and Chikane to live in the Sakuragi compound where they could make sure nobody figures out about the curse. Due to Mashiro's, "God's", good mood recently, they were able to live "outside". Meaning they weren't as close as those who lived "inside", but they were close enough to contact.

After a few minutes of sprinting through the grassy field, they could just barely make out the blurry shape of their home. Only Ichiru, however, was able to make out the blurry figure of Kentaro waiting on the porch. As they got closer, she could also see his aggravated expression and his tapping foot.

As soon as Kentaro saw them, his face lighted up and he waved.

"Ii'ru-chaaaan~ Chii-chaaaan," he called.

Ichiru felt her eye twitch and she sighed. Quickly, still in motion, she picked up Chikane bridal-style. Without having someone in front of her, or dragging her along, she picked up the pace. When she got there, Ichiru hadn't noticed that Kentaro had gone into the house and brought out some dry towels.

She set Chikane on her feet and shook her head, violently, trying to get it somewhat dry. Kentaro watched her in amusement while Chikane sneezed. "You two dry off and get changed, then meet me in the dining room."

Chikane nodded and sneezed again while Kentaro gave them each a towel and walked into the house. Ichiru glanced at Kentaro's retreating figure.

What could be so important? Chikane may not have noticed it, but he seemed… tense, Ichiru thought, curiously.

::An hour later::

Chikane and Ichiru faced Kentaro while kneeling across from him at the kotatsu(3). Chikane had changed into a white, long sleeved nightgown and had pulled her hair into two messy braids that fell over her shoulders, while Ichiru changed into a red jacket and some shorts.

"So? You had something to say to us, Ken-chan?" Ichiru asked, honestly curious. He thought for a minute and looked back up to them.

"Well, it seems Mashiro has come across a second family with our curse," He said, thoughtfully, trying to put his thoughts into words. "And he… wants you to go live with them. Apparently, they're in this area, too."

Ichiru looked at him shocked, "We're moving, again?"

"Um, no. I have to stay here. Just you two are leaving," he noticed Chikane's sad expression, "but you'll be alright! I've been told about everyone there. It sounds like you'll be very content with the Sohmas."

(1) creator of a manga or manga series

(2) a grouping of houses. The people who reside in these homes are usually related.

(3) It's a bit difficult to explain, so I'll copy the description from Shugo Chara! volume 7.

"A kotatsu is a table with a blanket over it and a heat generator attached to it. It's used to keep one's feet warm."