Hey readers! I know the category says "Angst/Humour" and a lot of you are probably going "How is that even possible!" This is life. Quirky things like that happen. Anyways. This is my first fanfiction. Please feel free to review if you read, but no flamers. Constructive criticism is always welcome though.

Disclaimer: I do no own Fruits Basket, Takaya-sensei does. I am the proud owner of a Shigure stuffed dog though.

Chapter 1: School Daze

Tohru stood at the kitchen sink staring blankly at the wall facing her. They had been back from the summer home for a week now and the tension between her two friends seemed to only grow, until she felt like she was suffocating. It had been like this back in May after they had visited her mother. Well, not like this. This was worse. She had hoped that coming home and being away from Akito would make the boys cheer up, but something else seemed to be weighing on her hearts. She just wished that she could figure out what it was. Yuki put on a smooth appearance when speaking to her, but wouldn't try to extend conversations, let alone start them. And Kyo, well he was Kyo. His moodiness and temper flares almost seemed to double, causing daily, no hourly, screaming matches between himself and the rat of the zodiac. Tohru couldn't fathom why they were being like this.

Maybe it was something I did? She thought to herself. Oh! Maybe they found out about...about that night. Are they mad at me? But...but I had to protect Momiji. I couldn't just watch. Surely...surely they aren't. They would understand. Maybe I made Akito mad at them because of it!

A face of panic and worry passed over her, normally, smiling visage and she stared down at the water that her hands were resting in. With a resigned sigh she set to finishing the dishes. Once she was finished with that, she needed to prepare breakfast for the next morning and lunches. They would all be starting their third, and final, year of high school, and she wanted to make sure they all arrived on time for their first day. She felt that they should start their last year off on the right foot. It would be good to see Uo-chan and Hana-chan as well. She hadn't seen them in almost a month and she had missed her dearest friends. Quietly she started humming and, for the time being, forgot about her worries in anticipation for tomorrow.

"What's this? Our lovely flower still up at this hour, when she should be getting her beauty sleep? Not that she needs it of course. As lovely as a newly opened rose..."

Tohru giggled a little and turned to face the owner of the voice. She had thought that Shigure had been sleeping, but when she turned to face him, she could tell that he'd been awake for awhile now. Maybe he was working on his new book? She thought. She remembered the call that he received yesterday from Mii-chan. The poor editor was, as usual, in hysterics. From what Tohru could hear she would be coming by in a week to get the finished manuscript from the mischievous writer. Tohru smiled inwardly and shook her head. Shigure was going to keep the hapless editor waiting, pretending it wasn't finished and that he had no idea what she was talking about. And when it finally seems that she had lost the will to live, he will magically produce the finished book and hand it over to a red eyed, hysterical Mii-chan. It was just one of those little dysfunctional things that Tohru absolutely loved about her little family with the Sohmas. Though, she felt horrible for Mii-chan when ever she was over and always tried to calm her down, but to no avail.

"Hai, Shigure-san. I was just preparing things for school tomorrow. I don't want us to be late," Tohru responded as she filled the tea kettle with water. "I'm sure I have some left overs somewhere if you're hungry..." she trailed off to glance over at the dog.

"Ah! You make my heart glow! Making tea and offering me food! If there are any of your wonderful cookies left, though, I would certainly like those with my tea," Shigure responded, kneeling to sit at the table. While the water warmed up, Tohru set about preparing breakfast and lunches for tomorrow all the while keeping up a conversation with Shigure. Later that evening as, she was cleaning up what little remained, Shigure stood up go to his room.

"Ah. Tohru-kun? One thing?"

"Hai?" she asked.

"Have you ever thought of taking a day off? Letting them fend for themselves? You really are too nice to them..."

"Oh no! I couldn't possibly!" Tohru interrupted excitedly. "Not after what everyone has done for me..."

"I understand that. But, don't you think you could use a little time for yourself. You haven't seen your two friends this entire summer. I've noticed that. Surely you have."

It was true. She hadn't seen Uo or Hana this summer. It was funny, she had just been thinking about how wonderful it would be to see them and here Shigure-san was mentioning how she hadn't. The Sohma family was filled with princes...and princesses. She reminded herself, thinking of Kisa-kun and Kagura-kun. Oh and the dark-haired Rin-san. She had met her during the summer at the beach. She possess such a fiery spirit. She seemed so...angry though. Lost in her thoughts of the dark beauty, Tohru didn't notice Shigure until he was waving his hand up and down in front of her face.

"Earth to Tohru. Calling our flower..."

"Eh! Gomen...Silly me. Spacing out," she apologized. "I was just thinking that you were right. But I have a responsibility to take care of those who have taken care of me. I can't ignore that. And your family has been so kind to me, I have to repay it somehow. I want to help you all to the best of my ability. It makes me happy." She smiled her biggest smile and bowed her head.

"We appreciate you and everything you do." He stopped for a moment and stared at her. When she smiled, you couldn't help but to smile back. "Oh I know! Why don't you invite your friends over after school? And any other young high school girls you want to bring, should be just fine!"

"What was that you Yankee bitch?" Kyo yelled at the blond-haired girl sitting across from him for, what Tohru thought, was the hundredth time. "You cheating..."

"You're accusing me of cheating? You and your cheap tricks Orangey!" Tohru smiled and shook her head. Games of Dai Hin Min with these two usually turned into yelling matches and poor Kyo cleaning the classroom by himself.

"You two wanna keep it down?" Mayuko-sensei yelled at the bickering teens from her desk. "I'm trying to grade your damn papers." With a pointed glare at Kyo she looked down at her stack of papers and with her red pen made a mark.

"What the hell you lookin' at me for?" an enraged Kyo shouted.

"Because you're loudest Sohma. Now shut the hell up!" Kyo grunted and looked at the cards in his hands. Groaning inwardly he didn't see any immediate solutions to this problem. It always happened this way. If he happened to get the upper hand on the Yankee, then the psycho wave girl fixed it and he was sunk. He needed to win and it was grating on his last nerve cause that damn bitch just got cockier each and every time he lost. Kami, what he wanted to do to her if she was male, but he wasn't going to hit a girl. Girl's had no place in men's fights.

"Hey Orangey! Wake the hell up and play!"

"Shut up!" Tohru looked over at her two friends and stood up smiling. Walking over to them she looked down at the card game and noticed that, indeed, Kyo was losing...again.

"What exciting waves I keep getting from them Tohru," Hana-chan remarked from behind, her voice full of quiet excitement. "Have you seen the Prince? He's not been around for most of the day," the black-haired girl said after a few moments.

"Oh, he's busy with the new first years and last minute student council situations. He's going to be really busy this year being the President and all now," Tohru responded with a smile that spoke of her admiration of her gray-haired friend.

"Good. At least he'll be out of my hair," Kyo said, his barely concealed contempt evident in his voice. "Ha! Revolution!"

"Is that the only cheap trick you know, damn it!" Uo-chan stood up and yelled.

"Uhm...Uo-chan, Hana-chan?" Tohru asked. Hoping to quiet her blond friend and not upset Mayuko-sensei more than she already was. She could just feel the hot-tempered teacher glaring holes into the back of their heads.

"Yes Tohru?" Hana replied first.

"Uhm, well. I was wondering, that is...if you two would like to come over after school today? I didn't get to spend anytime with you two this summer..."

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Arisa said. "Hey. We'll finish this game at your house Kyo-kyo. That way I can properly kick your ass," she finished, turning attention back to Kyo.

"Don't call me Kyo-kyo! I could wipe the floor with you, you street thug!" he shouted, standing up and resting his fists on his desk.

"Sohma! SHUT THE HELL UP!" The teacher yelled, standing up.

"Damn it! Yell at her too!" Tohru laughed. She loved her friends. All of them. She wondered if Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-san would want to come over as well. It would be fun. She decided that she'd go find out the first chance she got.