Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and its characters are not mine. I only write for gibberish purposes. Haha!

THE BEST OF ME

"Shigure-san! It's time for breakfast!" Tohru yelled outside Shigure's room.

"Yes, I'll be there." Shigure yelled as he stood up from his seat.

Well, here's another normal day for Sohma Shigure's life, except that there might instances that he'll be turned to a dog again. He started stretching his legs and arms. He was seating for about three hours doing nothing but to think of another novel to write. After two days, the deadline will end and a disaster soon coming after him. Shigure was never this out of idea before. He sighed.

He went out of the room and to find out that once again, Kyo and Yuki having their sparring "practice" again. This was normal. He'll be surprise if he found out that Kyo and Yuki were sharing their thoughts to one another.

"Kyo, Yuki. Let's go and eat our breakfast. Don't waste Tohru's effort in preparing our breakfast." Shigure tapped the shoulders of the boys.

After tapping Kyo and Yuki's shoulders, he just walked away from the boys and hurriedly went to the dining area.

"Is something wrong with Shigure, Yuki?" Kyo asked.

"I don't know. I never saw him like that before." Yuki answered sarcastically.

It was the first time that Shigure smiled faintly. He seemed to be so lonely or bothered of something. Shigure sat down gently and quietly in the table, patiently waiting for Yuki and Kyo to come to the table.

"Wow! There's a lot to eat this morning, Tohru!" Shigure exclaimed.

"Yes. I have to go to Hana-chan's house for a project. I already cooked your lunch and so as your dinner. I might be at home late at night." Tohru smiled.

"Oh well, maybe Yuki or Kyo could walk you there? Right, Yuki?"

"Yes." Yuki answered.

"And, Kyo will be the one cleaning the house." Shigure said.

"Me? I won't clean the house! I'll have a practice. I promise Haru to have a sparring time with him." Kyo exclaimed.

"I guess, I'll be alone in this house today?" Shigure exclaimed. He started to sip the chicken soup.

"Ah… Shigure-san, the postman arrived early this morning and delivered this letter to you." Tohru said shyly.

"A letter? For Shigure?" Kyo asked.

"It's been a long time that Shigure hasn't receiving letters." Yuki alleged.

"Well, not really. I've been receiving letters coming from my publishers for my next novel. They already gave me a deadline! So, that might be the last warning." Shigure sighed.

"I don't think so…" Tohru said. "…It was much like a girl's handwriting."

"A GIRL'S HANDWRITING!" Two boys yelled in unison. Their eyes widened and jaws dropped.

"Maybe, its just a fan… Hand it to me, Tohru." Shigure requested.

Tohru gave gently the letter to Shigure. The envelope was sky blue in color. It was indeed a girl's handwriting. Shigure flipped the envelope to inspect the back of it. A flower sticker glued the flip. Shigure smiled. His eyes suddenly brighten up.

"Then… to whom that letter came from?" Kyo asked.

"It's been a long time I haven't see a letter in that color, Shigure. Do you think she'll get married?" Yuki assumed.

"I don't think so. She said to me that the envelope color of her letter if she'll announce she'll get married is white." Shigure said.

"Whom are you talking about?" Tohru asked.

"Shigure's long time girlfriend, Mikami." Yuki answered.

"Ah… Takaya Mikami… that girl who busted all your novels. I still can't believe it that she became your girlfriend." Kyo sighed. Kyo suddenly sat at the side of the door and folded his arms.

"Shigure… has… a… girlfriend?" Tohru exclaimed.

"Well, Tohru… she was my… actually… worst enemy when I was still in high school…" Shigure said.

Shigure looked at the calendar beside the flower vase. Then he smiled.

"So, today is September 17. I almost forgot…"

---------- FLASHBACK (Shigure's POV) ----------

I was writing at my table at the Journalism area of the school, and she was writing too, at the other side. Nothing was really fascinating about her. Blonde long hair, golden eyes and long eyelashes are always normal for a teenage girl. So, nothing was impressive about her. Except that it always tickles my curiosity about her glasses.

Her glasses had a shade of gray. It actually suited her fashion sense, because people always find her out of latest trends. But that doesn't bother her. I always find her stubborn, reckless, and most ill tempered writer in our club.

"Shigure… I was not here last meeting. Did the editor in chief say anything important?" She asked.

"Hmm… let me think, deadlines for all the articles will be next Monday. Why?"

"Nothing."

Then she turned around. She placed her folders carefully in her desk. She's always organized. She didn't one anybody to mess up with her things. Then, she opened a book and started reading it.

The spine of the book said… "Lasher". I suddenly stood up and walked to her desk. I placed my papers in her desk hardly.

"What?" She asked.

"You're reading a book again. You supposed to edit my story, right? After all, you're the literary editor in chief."

"I don't want to. Why don't you just let Tokiyo edit it? After all, he was the editor in chief." She said lazily.

She was the princess of procrastination in the club. She's a slack. But the letters in the comments box were always… were always full of request that she should write another story again, and my stories, second to hers. I always wish I had a brain the same as hers, not the laziness of this dense lady.

"Editor in chief is for features and headlines. You are the one responsible with it."

"It's the same. His title is the same as mine. After all Shigure, you're one of the best writers here. So, edited or not. People will read it. Especially, your fans club!" She giggled.

"I still don't know why you became the best female writer here!"

"I also don't know. As long as I'm enjoying the luxury of writing, I'll write whatever I want!"

She always got the best title every year, The Best Female Writer of The Year. She even busted one of my novels out of the trashcan because she didn't like the concept. If she didn't like my idea, she'll just throw it in the trashcan and gave me a sweet smile. That side of her really annoyed me.

"Why did you throw my work in the trashcan without reading it?" I was in fury.

"Well, I just… hate it, and by the way… I'm a speed reader." She said lazily, chewing her bubblegum.

"It's still not right! You should have just given me a chance to re-read and rewrite it." I defended.

"Even it is to be rewritten again, it still sucks, Shigure. Still sucks!"

Since then, I changed my genre in writing. I requested our editor in chief that I want to be transfer to the feature part of the newspaper. It was granted, but it even got worse.

Mikami was also a writer in feature part. Good thing, that she was not the editor in chief in that segment. But whenever we passed our works, she always read mine as the worst article she had ever read.

She was really cutting my patience off. She was the worst classmate and mortal arch-nemesis of my entire high school life. But, everything changed when an incident happened.

One day, the newspaper club president decided to remove few of its writers. And I was one in the list. Well, I deserved such thing. I was never really a good writer at all. She was right; I was a bad writer after all.

"Sohma Shigure…" Tokiyo, the club president said. "… We decide to remove you from this club."

"What?" Mikami protested.

I was astonished. She even stood up from her seat, arms folded and her eyebrows knitted in the middle. She didn't like it.

"Why did you protested, Mikami?" I asked.

"Well, because… he is a writer."

"But, that's not a sensible reason, Mikami." Tokiyo alleged.

"Shut up, you dimwit! He deserves to be in this club. He got the talent, and all you need it to train him. He got ideas. I got to admit most of them suck. But, if we give him a chance to write what he wish then, that's when I can prove you."

"But, we need to remove useless writers, Mikami." Tokiyo

"Nobody is useless here, Tokiyo. If you'll remove Shigure, you'll never see me again in this club again!" She said.

I was shocked. I never thought she'd do that. Both of us were removed from the club, and people in the school keep on protesting. It was the most chaotic event in my high school days. There was poster declaring that they want Takaya Mikami to be back in the club. There were even rallies and protests sent to the club. The club decided to speak with Mikami, but it was no use. She turned down the offer and get down to her book sessions.

"I rather write what I feel, than what they want." She said to them.

I decided one time to speak to her. She was on the bench at the back of the school. She was reading a one-inch book written by H.G Wells. Before I ask permission to sit beside her, she already told me to sit.

"Come. Don't be shy." She said.

I sat beside her. Her hair was down. It was up to her waist. It was long and obviously smooth. Her face was smooth and silky. In the first time in my life, I saw Mikami so beautiful.

"Do you want to ask me something?" She asked.

"Ah… well… I was surprised on turning down their offer." I said.

"The newspaper club sucks. They want you to write things about praises. Well, writing for them was the most boring thing I did. Don't you know my novels are all using foreshadowing and irony?"

"Really? All of them seem so simple." I said.

"Shigure, I was tired of keeping my feelings for that club. So, its time to stand up. I want to write about their flaws, and I want the students here to be aware of is going on around. Not only seeing the positive side, but also the negative side. I know it is an activist's action. But that is just I."

"Well, I do agree. But on what you said to them about me…"

"And, about that part. I never really throw your works."

"WHAT?"

"I actually…" she was stammering. "… Like your works. I keep the original ones with me. I just don't submit them to the publisher because most of them are negative for them."

I was surprise. She was now smiling brightly. She bit her lip. She was avoiding my eyes. I knew she was blushing. She suddenly stood up, her hands on her waist and she breathed deeply.

"You see, uh… the senior night is fast approaching… and I still don't any partner to go with me… I promise to my classmates to be there, since I don't attend last year. Would you be my partner?"

"You're asking me to be… your partner?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah! If you have…"

"No…" I interrupted. "… I don't have any partner too… so it'll be fine. Yes, I can be."

"That's nice. Do you mind going with me to the canteen? I'm really thirsty."

Since then, we became close friends. Later part of our friendship, we both confessed our feelings to each other. She was still the same stubborn and reckless girl with a very dominative behavior, but I still found her the most beautiful and brave writer I ever seen. I fell in love with her, not because she was really intelligent and versatile. I fell in love with the Mikami that show the best of me. She showed me that a writer shows the reality of life through your hands and mind. She showed me that being different makes you the most beautiful thing, and she is the most beautiful and marvelous thing that happens to me… She accepted me as a Sohma, even I'm different from her, she still loves me as who am I.

---------- BACK TO THE PRESENT ----------

"So that's what she is." Tohru said.

"Yes, she said to me last month that she would try to visit here after she finished her novel." Shigure said with a pride glinting in his eyes.

"Can't wait to taste her homemade cakes!" Kyo exclaimed.

"She's good in baking too, Tohru." Yuki said.

"So, she's really suited to be your girlfriend." Tohru exclaimed.

"What does the letter says anyway?" Yuki asked.

"Oh! The letter? She accepted my proposal."

"What proposal?" Kyo asked.

"She's my fiancée now. So, I'll have to call Akito to let him know." Shigure stood up and walked to the phone. He dialed the numbers, but Akito was really not the one who he'll be calling…

… It's Mikami…

From the letter:

Postscript: I almost forgot! If you receive this letter, call me up. I'm willing to get marry with you, my doggy! Then, I'll tell you when I can visit you there, and please call Akito for informing him. Please! I don't want to get another trouble! I love you!

Love,

Mikami

A/N: Hi! This is my first Fruits Basket fanfic. Hope you like it! I rarely see any fictions about Shigure so, I thought of writing one. Please leave a review after leaving. I do appreaciate it. I hope you like it! Thanks and Have a Nice day!