Peacock: This isn't necessarily a "new" story. It's actually an old challenge, one that was inspired by a Fruits Basket idea I had back in high school but never really started. And now here I am, almost twelve years later, trying to finish it in honor of the 2019 remake of this wonderful series. This is mostly Kyo/OC-centered (because Kyo was initially my first Fruits Basket crush). This will draw some elements from the original anime and manga but it's mostly a 2019 Fruits Basket anime fic. So, with that said, I'm making this part of a collection of Kyo/OC-centered one shots that kinda tell a cohesive story. Think of this "collection" as a bunch of snapshots and vignettes, glimpses into the lives of my OC and Kyo, and their relationship. And yes, my OC will be related to Tohru because that's the most cliche thing to do with an OC but I was given this challenge to make a cliche OC (one that's related to a canon character, who happens to fall in love with another canon character) somehow work in the story overall. So enjoy. Fruits Basket and all of its canon characters belong to its/their original creator. All I own is Tohru's fictional sister, Reina Honda. And yes, I will be using Japanese Honorifics. The honorifics will be listed at the end of each "chapter" or "part." And no, I don't have full knowledge nor do I claim to have full knowledge of Japanese words so forgive me for any mistakes I may make ahead of time. Enjoy.
01.
Tangled & Complicated
He watched her out of the corner of his eyes as she dug into her pants pocket. Her brown eyes narrowed, her lips pulling back into a frown at something getting snagged on the inside of her pants pocket.
"Really? These stupid earbuds are so flipping stupid!" The brown haired girl muttered, exasperating.
He finally looked at her. It surprised him how much she reminded him of her older sister. Despite being only a year younger than Tohru, the younger Honda sister was fairly calmer and more outgoing than Tohru. That's what he admired about her. The fact that she had grown accustomed, no, she knew how to handle Tohru's spazzy personality (as much as Tohru can be calm and kind, she definitely spaces out and will trip over her words when hse gets extremely nervous, depending on the situation). But then there were moments like this where Reina herself was getting childishly angry over a pair of headphones.
The way strands of her short chin length brown hair fell over her eyes as she glared down at the earbuds, trying desperately to untangle them while easing them out of her pocket without tearing them up. It just made him feel...
Well, shit, he didn't know how it made him feel. The feelings were a mixture of amusement and joy. That much he knew. But eventually, it got a bit tiring, hearing her mutter to herself about how stupid earbuds are for getting tangled and whatnot. Yeah, stupid. He hated that word. Gods, did he hate that word so fucking much.
Pushing himself to his knees, Kyo finally crawled to her side. He towered over a bit, despite both of them sitting down. Reina looked up in surprise and mild confusion, orange eyes meeting brown. She was giving him that same innocent look that her sister often wore.
"Kyo-san?" Her voice was soft, but not as gentle and quiet as Tohru's, but he was glad about that.
"It's really not that complicated," Kyo said softly as he reached a hand towards her hip, his fingers brushing some of the bare skin that peeked out from under her shirt. It was just the way she had her arms on the table, fiddling with the rubber and plastic ear pieces. But even so, the girl barely flinched at feeling the contact between his hand and her midriff. She was fairly calm, letting him pry the tangled up earbuds out of her pocket.
When he looked at her again, he saw a strange look of warmth swimming in her eyes. A faint blush rose on her cheeks and the girl quickly looked away, handing him the parts of the earpiece she had managed to untangle. "Then you untangle it."
A smirk pulled on his lips at hearing the hidden challenge of her words. "Gladly." He replied.
It was her turn to watch the orange haired boy as he practically unthreaded the twin cords that connected the earbuds, his fingers moving deftly, before straightening out and uncoiling the single part that plugged into the small music player that Reina always carried. She never went anywhere without that thing it seems.
Kyo couldn't help the feeling of accomplishment washing over him as he finally untangled the whole mess, and in less than two minutes no less.
"See? I told you, it's not that complicated!" The cat replied, but when he didn't get a response, he looked at the girl. His smile disappeared and he felt himself blushing a bit. But yet, an angry bitterness resurfaced and he looked away. Reina had smiled at him, much like how Tohru would but it wasn't admiration, it was of thanks. Unlike how Tohru- No, he's got to stop thinking of Reina as her sister. They aren't the same people!
"Thank you, Kyo." Reina's soft voice said. Feeling her fingers grazing his sent a shockwave of chills throughout his body as she gently took her earbuds from him.
"Y-yeah, like I said, it wasn't really that complicated." He mumbled.
Reina watched as the boy went back to his spot near the sliding doors that led outside, and he laid down on his side in that brooding, moping manner. If she were Tohru, Tohru would be worried about whether she upset him or not, but Reina wasn't her sister. Before she could even let herself feel guilty over a false conception, the fifteen-year-old rose from her spot at the low setting table.
Kyo could only guess she decided to go bother the damn rat. A shadow fell upon him as he started fuming about the rat, causing him to look up. Before he knew it, Reina laid down in front of him. One of her earbuds was in her ears as she held the other one out to him. It was a silent invitation that didn't require him to move or to speak. No words were spoken between them as he took the earbud from her, placing into his ear as he allowed himself to accept her silent invitation to listen to music with her.
From the first note to the first word sung, Kyo found himself staring into her eyes. For once, Kyo felt at peace. If only for a little while, he wanted to hold onto this new warm feeling that bloomed in his heart.
Things may be tangled up but they don't have to be so complicated is what Reina seem to be telling him as the two of them slowly drifted off to the gentle music streaming through her earbuds, their fingers barely touching.
She slipped through the door as he unlocked it. She looked around as she called for her sister and friend.
"We're home! Kyo-kun, Rei-chan... Hello? Is anyone-"
"Miss Honda, welcome home." Said a soft and seemingly eloquent voice from the entryway to the main sitting room. Tohru's brown eyes lit up with happiness and a smile formed on her lips at seeing a grey-haired boy her age.
"Sohma-kun, you're home from the Student Council meeting a bit early!" The girl said cheerfully. There was warmth as she said this and Yuki couldn't help feeling the same warmth, smiling back at her.
"Yes, well, everything has been done ahead of schedule so the Council President decided to let us go early for once," Yuki said this with a chuckle, his grey gaze went to the bags she held in her hands, "Oh, is that for dinner?"
"Huh, oh! Yeah! I thought since Rei-chan finally moved in with us, we could celebrate by making some of her favorite dishes!" Tohru said this with so much happiness as she imagined the delightful look on her sister's face as she tasted some of the food she would prepare, Tohru even giggled in delight. It had only been a few months since Tohru came to live with the Sohma's officially and with her came Reina, who had insisted on coming with her.
Of course, having another girl moving took a bit of adjusting for the three Sohma males, but after Rei had unknowingly brought Kyo home (he had changed into his cat form earlier that day) and stumbling upon the Sohma curse the next day (It was funny really. Rei had tripped into Shigure while still half asleep, triggering his curse, but unlike Tohru herself, Rei didn't really spazz out. She just asked for an explanation and upon understanding all possible consequences of telling others about the Sohma Curse, she then proceeded to pet Shigure, with his consent. Since then, Rei became more alert and aware of her surroundings).
Yuki chuckled a bit. "Well, I'm afraid Reina-san and Kyo are fast asleep in the next room."
"What? Asleep? Both of them?" Tohru quickly set the grocery bags down before quietly opening the sliding door to the sitting room. Her eyes lit up and her happy smile returned at seeing her sister and friend fast asleep on the floor, both listening to her sister's music player. "Thank goodness, I thought they had fallen ill."
Shigure, who had been in his office the entire time, came up behind her, noticing the two teens fast asleep as well. "Well, well, will you look at that." A mischevious smile formed on his lips, this was going to be something to tease Kyo about in the morning, but the mischievousness disappeared from the smile as he placed a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "Let's let them rest, for now."
"Hai," Tohru replied. The girl giggled, casting another glance at Kyo and Rei before following Shigure's lead, "They seem so peaceful."
"In the meantime, Honda-san, I can help you with making dinner." Yuki offered. And again the brown-haired girl nodded, smiling gratefully at the Rat. Just as Tohru and the two remaining Sohmas walked out of the room, a loud popping sound made them freeze in place.
"O-Oh no, d-don't tell me!" Tohru traded looks with Yuki and Shigure before they rushed back into the room. Once the dust cloud had settled, they saw a newly transformed Kyo curled up in the embrace of Reina's arms, both of them still fast asleep.
"Aww, they look so cute!" Tohru said (only after sighing in relief) and her smile returned. "I'll just wake them up later when dinner's done."
Yuki followed Tohru and Shigure to the entrance of the sitting room, he stopped at the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at the stupid cat and the girl cuddling him. "You should be happy with how things are, stupid cat. Being me is more complicated than you think." He said softly before leaving the room.
Translated words:
-san - honorific equivalent of saying, Mr. or Miss. It shows polite respect to someone, especially when two people don't know each other very well.
-kun - honorific added onto the end of a boy's name to signify closeness. Though if an adult says it, it's more of a sign of the male being younger than them. (I think!)
-chan - female equivalent of -kun. Mostly used for girls, cute things, or young children.
Hai - Yes! A word of agreeing with someone.