Doubled Fruits Basket
By: Shy Freefall
Summary: What if Tohru had an older twin sister, who was physically different and not as naive? Her name… Aoshi Honda. She has Kyoko's personality... but her looks come from her father. She is also protective of her younger twin. So what happens when she finds that Tohru has been staying with the Sohmas?
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket OR its storyline. I only own my ideas and Other Characters.
Narrative by character
Yelling by someone outside the current conversation
Emphasis
Thoughts or Flashbacks or dreamstates
YELLING
Story
Introduction
/before we met the Honda twins... / Yuki's POV
The house was a total mess. And by mess... I mean, the place looked like it was lived in, by animals, rather than people. I stared at the takeout dish in my hands, and then sighed. 'What's some more trash in the trashbags?'
And threw the trash away.
Let the fun begin!
Chapter 1
Brrr Brrr Brrr Brrr Brrr Brrr Brrr
The brown haired girl groggily groped for her cell phone. When she finally picked it up, she answered it.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Hey there, Kitten. Are you up, yet?" a female voice asked. "Kitten" woke up then.
"What time is it, Aoshi?" she asked, not bothering to look at her cellphone clock. Aoshi chuckled on the phone.
"Almost time for you to get going to school. I'll meet you there, Alrighty?" Aoshi said, as she listened for a response. None.
"Kitten? You okay?" There was the sound of someone falling on the ground and muffled "oomph."
"Tohru? Are you alright?"
A pause, then,
"Uh… yeah, I'm alright. I'll see at the school, sis." Tohru heard her sister laugh, and then heard her sister calm down long enough to tell her something else.
"Be safe, Tohru. I love you."
"Love you too, sis. I gotta go. I'll meet you at school." The two girls hung up.
Tohru was a brown haired, lilac-eyed 15-year-old proper girl… and a visible opposite of her older twin sister, Aoshi Honda, who was a dark purple haired, grey-violet eyed of the same age… and was a tomboy to the core, with her father's looks and her mother's personality and attitude. While Tohru had no one's looks in particular… she was protected and looked after by her older twin sister.
She hurried to gather her school things and finish putting her hair up in their proper hair ties. Grabbed her schoolbag and hurried out her tent flap doorway. You are probably wondering: Why is she living in a tent? Well… you are going to have to read on and find out why.
/Tohru's POV/
I look up at the clear blue sky with its fluffy white clouds. And put my hand over my eyes to shade them from the brightness of the sun.
"WOW…looks like it's gonna be another hot one today."
Hi there, my name is Tohru Honda. You're probably wondering why I'm currently living in a tent. Well, mine and my sister's mother passed away this last May. She raised my older twin sister, Aoshi, and me all by herself. But when she was gone, so was our home. So now, I live in a tent… and my sister… well, she lives with a friend of hers that could spare some room. But she was pretty upset, when she found out that I was living in a tent. I have to admit, that I kinda miss her. She always looks after me, and I kinda grew up with a big sister complex… or so she tells me.'
It looks like I have a little bit of time before I have to really leave for school. So I guess I can explore the area a little bit.'
"I'm not forgetting anything, am I? Okay, mom, you're in charge while I'm gone. I'm off!"
I can't really say that our life is real easy… but we make out okay. As for me, well, no matter what happens in life… I never let it get me down. As Aoshi would say, "You're (I'm) ever the optimist." But Aoshi tends to be a realist and can be a pessimist sometimes.
There was a rather small traditional house that was just off the path that Tohru was walking by, when she spotted it. 'Wow… Ididn'trealizethatthiswashere.It'ssopeaceful.'She thought to herself. Then she spotted little figurines in the shape of animals. 'Aww… howcute!'Then an unfamiliar voice.
"Hmm? Hello, I must be seeing things… there's a girl out here… a high school girl no less."
Tohru was shocked for a moment just staring at the handsome young man, and then the sudden realization dawned on her that… maybe she was trespassing on private property?
"Ummm… OH! Ah… H-hello! I'm sorry for trespassing! I… um… I just saw these and—"
'Aoshi keeps getting on my back because I do these kinds of things impulsively… I shouldn't have done it, but it's done anyway…'He smiled, then said: "Please continue. I only set them out here to dry." He paused for a moment as if he was thinking.
"I thought you young people were bored by old-fashioned superstitions like the Chinese Zodiac." He said thoughtfully.
'Hmmm… what a beautiful person…' Tohru thought to herself, and then snapped back to reality. "O-oh, no! I think these zodiac ornaments are adorable!"
He kneeled down on the porch next to the ornaments.
"Hmm…aren't they? I like them too."
Tohru looked closer at the ornaments thoughtfully.
'Hmm… rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar…' It seemed that there was one that was missing… then it occurred to her.
"Oh, but I suppose you wouldn't have the cat…" she finally said.
The man looked at her surprised and thought to himself, 'She's very well-informed!'
"Cat? Oh, you mean from the Chinese Zodiac Legend?"
Tohru nodded at his statement.
"Uh-huh! My mom used to tell my sister and me that story all the time when we were little.
/Flashback/
"Once upon a time, God told the animals, "I'm inviting you all to my banquet tomorrow. Don't be late!" Hearing that, the mischievous rat lied to his neighbor, the cat, and told him that the banquet would be the day after tomorrow.
The next day, the rat rode on the back of the ox and nimbly landed before the banquet hall. After him followed, the ox, the tiger, and all the rest, and together they feasted until morning of the next day. All except the cat, who had been tricked."
*SNIFF SNIFF*
Kyoko and young Aoshi both looked at Tohru, who was crying.
"How come you're crying, Tohru?" Aoshi asked her younger twin.
"Poor thing! Poor, poor, poor cat…," she said, tears streaming down her face. Then she stood up. "I know! I'll stop being a dog and be a cat!"
Kyoko couldn't care less, for in her mind, it was only a story. Aoshi only shook her head.
/End Flashback/
"That's how much I like the cat." Tohru concluded to the stranger on his porch.
"Is that so? I wish I could see the look on his face if he heard you say that."
Tohru looked at him in confusion. "Hmmm?"
The stranger changed the subject. "So you were born in the Year of the Dog? I knew I felt a connection. Can you feel it? See I'm a "Dog" too, you—" he was cut off all of sudden, when something came down—hard—on his head. "…see…"
Tohru was speechless for a minute, until she heard a soft-spoken voice.
"Really, must you act like such a pervert?" the soft-spoken voice asked the stranger, who looked up just then and asked in a whiny kind of voice.
"Okay, that hurt. What do you have in there, a dictionary?"
"Two of them." The soft-spoken voice replied. Tohru was rooted to her spot, when the sudden realization of who was currently standing right in front of her… until he spoke to her…
"Are you alright, Miss Honda? My cousin didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Tohru could swear right then that Aoshi was probably getting an overload of feelings from her spaz attacks as she (Aoshi) called them.
"Ah… Y-Yuki! Ahmm… G-good morning!"
Yuki Sohma smiled and replied, "Morning."
/Later at Kaibara High School/
"ALRIGHT, MISS HONDA! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" Minami Kinoshita of Class 1-D demanded, as Tohru was on her way to class, along with three other anonymous girls.
Tohru backed up some at the demand. But Minami wasn't letting her go.
"WHY DID YOU AND YUKI COME TO SCHOOL TOGETHER? GIVE US A FULL AND COMPLETE EXPLANATION! WELL?"
"Yeah yeah!"
"That's right."
"Full AND complete!"
Tohru was sweating. "W-well… i-it was j-just a coincidence! D-don't you think you're overreacting?"
Minami wasn't aware that Tohru's older sister was glaring at her, until after her next statement.
"YOU IDIOT! OVERREACTING? IF COINCIDENCES LIKE THAT WERE LEGAL, WE WOULDN'T NEED THE POLICE!"
"Yeah yeah!"
"That's right!"
"Indeed!"
A nearby teacher heard all the yelling, and yelled back, "QUIET IN THE HALLS!"
"Give it a rest already. You really DON'T need to be in Tohru's face about it." A girl said from behind Tohru, after setting a calming hand on the spazzed girl's shoulder. Minami looked from Tohru to the girl behind her, and nearly froze at the glare that was being directed her way. But her mistake was ignoring the warning in that glare and turned her attention back to Tohru.
That's right. The charming Yuki Sohma… he may be just a first-year student, but he's already reigning "Prince" at our school.
"LOOK YOU! JUST BECAUSE YUKI SOHMA IS KIND ENOUGH TO HANG OUT WITH YOU…IT'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO GET A SWELLED HEAD!"
Tohru was near tears, when she felt the hand on her shoulder tighten in a comforting way. If glares could kill, then Aoshi's glare would certainly, if not kill, then it could certainly paralyze someone within an inch of their lives.
"Back. Off." Was the reply from Aoshi. Minami paid attention this time and nearly passed out from seeing the enraged look in the older sister's eyes. But she persisted with a "Hmph."
Just then…
"HEY!"
Minami slowly turned around, and found a… blond yankee and dark haired goth. The blonde-haired person was glaring daggers at the fangirl.
"Tohru said it was a coincidence, didn't she? Stop fantasizing and get a life."
Tohru snapped out of her own thoughts. And brightened up some, thanks to her older twin and their two best friends: Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima.
"Ah! Good morning, Uo, Hana…"
For a moment, Minami looked like she was going to give up… but tried to give Tohru a guilt trip.
"W-what's this? Threatening us with your gangster buddy, huh? Don't think that we're finished with you just because of this yankee!"
The three girls behind Minami shuddered at the "Yankee's" presence… but they shivered even worse, at the dark haired girl's reply.
"I could *BEEEEEEEP* them with electro-poison waves…"
The four girls ran off in record time.
Tohru finally let out a sigh of relief and sagged a little bit, as her older twin hugged her from behind.
"Rough day already, Kitten?" she asked, good-natured humor in her voice. Tohru sighed and nodded her head.
"Yes…" she replied, then noticing the time, looked at her twin and two best friends. "I'll tell you at Home Economics, okay?" and getting a nod from her two best friends, but no particular answer from her sister, she sighed. Her sister had locked eyes with Yuki, who only nodded and she nodded in return.
"Sis? You okay?" she asked, knowing that a lot of people didn't really like her sister for, well, a lot of reasons. One reason, was that she wore the guy's uniform and another reason, is her uncaring attitude for the school rules.
/Flashback/
"You're Yuki's classmate? Then let's start again. I'm Shigure Sohma, Yuki's cousin." Introduced the stranger.
Tohru gave the traditional bow."Nice to meet you, I'm Tohru Honda."
"Miss Honda, what brings you here?" Yuki asked, wondering why Tohru was in the area at blushed full-tilt red, and started stuttering.
"Oh… ahmm… I, ah, l-live nearby." She wasn't exactly lying, but she wasn't sure how to explain that she was living in a tent to them.
"Near here? Really?" Shigure asked, but Tohru was spared answering when Yuki, seeing her discomfort decided to come to her rescue.
"Well, anyway, we're going to be late. Since you're here, why don't we walk to school together?"
/End Flashback/
"I was really nervous. Yuki's soo handsome… I just froze up." Tohru said, as she blushed. Aoshi chuckled.
"Most girls think that, Tohru. But you on the other hand, are completely honest about it." She said, and added a few spices and sliced pineapple to her fried fish.
"Hmm… I detect strange waves emanating from him." Hanajima stated as she put the knife away back in its covering.
"Time for Hana's wave report." Uotani stated in a bored tone. Aoshi continued with her hunt for certain kitchen equipment and ingredients, but listened intently.
"'Strange'?" Tohru asked.
"I don't really know how else to explain it." Hana said.
"What's to explain? The guy's a walking mystery," Uo said, then explained. "I heard that a 2nd year girl confessed her love to him once… but when she tried to hug him, he pushed her away and high-tailed it. Totally freaked her out."
Tohru sweat dropped. "I-I didn't know that. I wonder why."
Aoshi knew that there was something near abnormal about alleged "Prince" Yuki Sohma. When she locked eyes with him earlier she saw a chained creature… from the vivid shape of the creature, she'd have to guess that it was some kind of rodent… either a rat or a mouse, some animal of the nature. But one thing she knew for sure was that Yuki Sohma wasn't by any means, NORMAL.
"Exactly," Hana went on. "it's the mystery that makes him so intriguing."
The Home Economics teacher spotted the four… or rather three of them talking and was walking over to see what was being done about their assignments.
"You three! Move your hands, not your mouths!" she said, as she looked over the lavished meals. "Oh… oh my."
Uo only looked like she was gonna fall asleep any minute. "Hey lobster face. Can we go now, or do you need help to extract your foot from your mouth?"
The teacher was knocked out of her stupor, pointed at the lavished food, and exclaimed, "Who do you think you're fooling? Miss Honda made those for you!"
Aoshi grinned at the Home ec. Teacher. "Which one?"
The teacher nearly passed out, but managed to walk away and tend some other students who weren't as good with their cooking. As soon as the teacher walked away to help some other students, Uo then turned to the twins.
"Oh hey, I'm going shopping with Hana on my way home today. Why don't the two of you come with? Oh wait… you're working today, aren't you, Tohru?" she asked the twin between Hana and herself.
Tohru nodded and answered, "Yes, I don't want to be late."
"That sucks, you having to pay ALL your school expenses by yourself." Uo replied, with some distaste. Hana nodded her head in agreement.
"But you shouldn't have to work everyday just to pay your tuition. Besides, this is a private school." Tohru sighed and hoped that they would understand her next statement.
"I know, but after I graduate, I want to be able to pay my own way. That's why I have to start saving what I can now." That particular statement set Uotani off in a fit of tears.
"Goddammit, Tohru. You're making my cry! So selfless… eat up. You need your strength!"
Tohru sweat dropped and smiled. "Yes, ma'am."
At the same time, Uo stopped crying crocodile tears and asked, "Oh yeah, you're still living with your dad's family right?"
Tohru was startled and wasn't exactly sure what to say. But thankfully, Aoshi stepped in.
"Actually, she is. I'm not… I've managed to get my own small two-bedroom apartment, and grandpa Honda was willing to co-sign for me." She said, and smiled a comforting smile at her younger twin, knowing that she was living in a tent, rather than at their grandfather's home.
I can't tell Uo and Hana the truth. If Uo found out I were living in a tent, she'd be outraged and probably burst into grandpa's house on her motorcycle!
Aoshi's eyes widened all of a sudden, when she played back their conversation so far and came upon their conversation on work. And looked at Uo as she said, "Ah! I almost forgot about work… actually, I'm working today too. I've got some good recipes that i practiced with yesterday. And if my boss says that they're fit for the diner menu, we'll be adding those."
Uo and Hana both looked a little disappointed that both the Honda girls wouldn't be able to go shopping with them after school.
/Later… after school let's out/
Tohru was heading to her locker to change her shoes and leave for the day with her sister for work, when she nearly ran into none other than Yuki Sohma, who was changing his own shoes for his own walk home.
"Ah!" she exclaimed in surprise, and then felt the need to apologize for earlier that morning. "I'm really sorry about this morning." She said apologetically, hoping that he hadn't guessed that she actually lived in the forest surrounding where he lived.
He smiled as he closed his locker door. "It's I, who should apologize. Please forgive my cousin's rudeness…"
Tohru shook her head and answered, "Oh no, he was wonderful! We were just looking at his Chinese zodiac ornaments."
He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then asked out of curiosity, "Did I hear you correctly that you wished you were born Year of the Cat?"
Tohru blushed pink. "I was… ahmm… eccentric when I was little…" she stuttered out, as she remembered how she said, "I know! I'll stop being a Dog, and be a Cat!"
"I see," he replied thoughtfully, then added, "the cat is a fool… and has a bad nature."
"Huh?" 'He has a bad nature? That doesn't sound right…' Tohru thought to herself, but followed Yuki's story, as she walked slightly behind him.
"Did you know…" he went on, "… that the Chinese zodiac was actually a timekeeping system of tens and twelves? It was originally used for calendars and clocks. But later on, astrologers combined it with the principles of yin-yang, the five elements, and symmetry in order to tell the future."
Now Tohru was confused. "Animals had nothing to do with it?"
"No," he replied quietly, "when and why they added the animals… no one really knows. But there has never been room for the cat in the zodiac. And it's better that way. The cat would throw everything off. The cat really is a fool."
This last statement threw Tohru completely off… 'I was following his story just fine… but now I'm really lost…' she thought to herself, but looked at the way Yuki was looking at her. His eyes were somewhat narrowed in a look that could be called glaring, but he couldn't be glaring at her, could he? He was probably glaring at something beyond her… something she couldn't possibly understand. An anonymous wind blew, and leaves flew everywhere. One landed on her head without her noticing. 'Huh?'
B-didebeeb! B-didebeep! B-didebeep!
The sound of her watch beeping broke her out of her thoughts. 'Eh?'
"Aaaahh! Oh no! Is it that late already?" she flushed with embarrassment, and apologized. "I'm sorry, but I promised my sister, I'd meet up with her after school and she'd walk as far as she could with me and then we'd go our separate ways to work."
Yuki didn't seem to mind, but he had noticed that she seemed a little ill, and said so.
"Miss Honda," he said, and picked the stray leaf off her head. "I noticed this morning… you don't look very well. It has been quite hot lately, so don't overexert yourself." He paused after that, and his eyes softened subtly, then added, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
"It's the mystery that makes him so intriguing."
I think I know what she meant. My head is spinning just from being around him.
From nearby, Minami and the three girls from earlier that morning were watching the exchange with jealous looks behind a small group of trees.
"Don't get a swelled head!"
"DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YUKI'S KINDNESS!"
Tohru immediately started feeling sweat come to her brows, and started jogging forward to meet her sister. "I WON'T!" she hollered back at the girls behind the trees. Aoshi wasn't too far ahead, and when she called out to her, Aoshi turned with a small grin, and slowed down enough for her sister to catch her breath… and shook her head.
"Had a small exchange with the Prince of the school, Kitten?" Aoshi asked her, as Tohru finally caught her breath. She nodded… then as a thoughtful question, asked her sister the one question that had bugged her since she caught Aoshi catch Yuki's eyes.
"Hey sis?" Tohru asked, carefully.
"Hmm? What is it, Kit?"
"Well… I was just wondering, what did you see… when you, ahmm…" Tohru wasn't sure how else to word to her question. Thankfully, Aoshi saw where her sister was going.
"What? When I caught his eyes?" At Tohru's nod, she looked at the slowly darkening sky, when she finally replied. "Hmm… I'm not really sure what I saw, but if I saw what I think I saw… I don't think that would warrant any interference or questions from me on any account." She said, as they came to the crossroads junction where they would part on their separate ways to work. They hugged and wished each other safety to and from work.
"Be careful on your way home, Tohru. And try and rest a little while you're working. You can't really afford to get yourself sick." Aoshi chided, as she hugged her younger twin. Tohru hugged her back.
"I will, sis. Be safe." And watched her sister's back as she proceeded to cross the crossroad to the company building where she worked, as a part-time fashion designer. Tohru sighed, and proceeded on her own way to another company builder, where she worked as one of many janitors for the building.
"… don't overexert yourself."
/(short) Flashback/
'Yuki, please don't worry on my behalf. I'm pretty sure my mom had it much worse. Our father died when we were 5 years old, so our mom worked hard to support the three of us. Aoshi too, only though she was small, she asked our neighbors if there was any yard work or housework that she could do for pocket money at all… and through it all, our mom was there for us. She was our cheerful protector… but it never really occurred to us that she could die… well, maybe to Aoshi, but it never really occurred to me. There were arguments on who would take us in, though I'm sure that our relatives had their reasons. Eventually, Aoshi broke the news that she had found a small two-bedroom apartment for us both, had asked our grandfather on our father's side to co-sign, and also made arrangements with her landlord about the rent. Our relatives were, aghast, I think, to find that my older twin had found a small apartment for us both, and had even asked me to live with her. But I think she accepted it, when the family decided that if Aoshi was going to live in her apartment, I would be better off with our grandfather Honda. Grandpa lives off a pension, so… since I had no real experience working like my sister, I promised to pay my expenses myself. That was in May. But four months later…'
"My daughter's family is coming to live with us. But I thought it would be nice to have the house remodeled before they arrive. And during the remodeling, I'll be staying at their house. I'm sorry, but could you stay with your sister for the time being or a friend during that time?"
/End Flashback/
'Uo lives in a small apartment, and Hana lives in a family of five… and my sister has another room that I could use during the remodeling… but I don't think I could trouble them for however many months it could take to remodel! Then, it hit me… I'm going to start living on my own anyway. So why don't I just start now? That's right… you make your own luck. It's all in how you think about things. Even if it means living in a tent that your older twin sister bought on sale for you!'
/End Flashback/
All of sudden, a man's voice broke Tohru out of her thoughts.
"Er, miss, can you move these? I can't get through."
"Ah, yes sir! Sorry, sir!" and hurried away with the trash bags that were blocking a doorway. And leaving a stunned man behind with the realization that it was a high school girl that he had remove the trash bags from blocking the doorway. Tohru went back into her thoughts again.
'Even if instead, of door-to-door salesman… I'm visited instead by mosquitoes and slugs… and even if a simple storm threatens to blow my make-shift homeaway, like the storm from the other day…'
"I'll never give up! I can't let it get me down. I will not allow for sadness. My home is my castle. My home is my castle." She murmured to herself, as she cleaned the windows, and windowsills. Some other janitors were resting nearby.
"Ever since she got here, work has gotten a whole lot easier." One cleaning lady said to another who nodded her head in agreement. The hours wore on, and soon it was time to punch out and go home for a good night's rest. Aoshi had called a few minutes before Tohru left her work, and had said that unfortunately, she wasn't going to be able to pick her up from work and walk her home, before going home herself. So Tohru was stuck going back to her home in the tent, alone.
/With the Sohmas/
"My my my, look at the time. I almost forgot about dinner. Take-out food every night is no way to live." A man in a traditional kimono said with a sigh, as he and his younger soft-spoken cousin walked along a path in their nearby forest, which was part of their own backyard.
"Then YOU make dinner, Shigure." The soft-spoken teen said. Shigure glanced at his younger cousin, and nearly scowled.
"But Yuki, you HATE my cooking." He replied.
"That's because you put pickles in curry. That's disgusting." Yuki said, as he walked along the path, lost in his own thoughts… mainly wondering about that morning's conversation, with one Tohru Honda. And wondered how she could be living nearby at all.
"As if you're one to talk…" Shigure was saying. "You may be smart, but your homemaking skills leave much to be desired. What we hopeless bachelors need, is a flower to brighten up our barbaric lives." He said as he looked up at the bright moon overhead and sighed. Yuki almost grinned at Shigure's near poetry.
"Well, aren't you progressive, Shigure." He said. Shigure looked at Yuki wonderingly, and asked, "What? Wouldn't you like to have a woman around the house?"
All of sudden, Shigure spotted movement in the patch of trees just ahead of them… and a somewhat familiar figure staggering through them in a different direction.
"Oh! Isn't that Tohru from this morning?" Shigure asked, wondering why a young girl would be wandering the woods so late at night. Yuki spotted her the moment Shigure mentioned her name.
'Well, looks like my curiosity is going to get the better of me.' Yuki thought to himself, as he watched her walk further into the woods. Then a thought came to him and found himself speaking his thoughts aloud.
"I heard her mother died some time ago… Maybe she moved here?" Yuki murmured, but Shigure, being right there, heard everything with a frown.
"But that's impossible. We're not renting this land to anyone…" he said, then exchanged a look with Yuki and both, as if a mutual agreement had been struck… decided to find out just where exactly Miss Tohru Honda lived.
Tohru sighed in exhaustion… she was just dog-tired and wanted to go to sleep, but she hadn't been able to do her schoolwork at all while she was working, and had to settle for doing it when she got home.
"I'm home, mom…," Tohru yawned and murmured to herself, "I'm falling asleep. But I have to finish my homework."
Right then, Tohru felt her world spin and put her hands on her head to steady herself, or at least until the world around decided to right itself.
"Oh… so dizzy… maybe if I washed me face by the stream, I'd—" she trailed off, at the sudden realization that there were two strange, yet familiar faces standing in front of her tent.
All of a sudden, and no one expected it to happen… but one of the familiar faces burst out laughing, the other familiar face sighed, and Tohru… well… Tohru was embarrassed to say the least.
"Shigure, don't be rude." Yuki admonished, as he finally got his answer as to how Tohru could be living so close by.
/Later in the Sohma House/
Tohru had explained that she was living on her own in the tent, it was only until the remodeling on her grandfather's house was done. Then she'd go back to living with him.
"I see… so that explains the tent. How long have you been living there?" Yuki asked, understanding dawning on him. Tohru, feeling dog-tired, answered tiredly,
"For… about a week…"
Yuki decided to be honest with her for the moment. "I wondered how you could be living nearby. But you do know that that hill is Sohma property? We haven't rented it out or sold the land there."
With Shigure still in a laughing fit, Tohru was starting to get a bit desperate.
"Well… ummm… if it isn't too much trouble, then could you rent me a small camping space? I'll leave as soon as my grandpa's remodeling is done. I don't have much, but I can pay. Please?"
"That place is a bit dangerous. The cliff wall is pretty much unstable, since the last storm. And you never know when some shady character might come passing through. Besides, how will you plug in your curling iron?" Shigure asked, and went off into another fit of laughter. Yuki only looked at him for a second.
"Are you done then?" he asked his older cousin. But before Shigure could reply, Tohru, with a determined look on her face, stood up.
"It's alright! I don't mind the bugs!"
'Ack!' thought both Shigure and Yuki. They didn't want to BEGIN to imagine what KIND of bugs may come into that tent.
"I can take care of myself!" Tohru went on, despite the shocked looks on the two men's faces. "Please…?"
After all that, Tohru's knees suddenly weak, buckled under her, and she fell to her knees onto the floor. "I'm begging… you…"
"Miss Honda?" Yuki exclaimed at her sudden weakness and got up to find our how high her temperature was. Her forehead was a bit warm to the touch.
"You don't look very well." He said, noticing how pale she was right then, and continued. "You have a fever too."
Shigure started to get a little frantic and headed toward the kitchen.
"Ice… I'll get the ice…" but upon looking at the state of the kitchen, Tohru blanched at the sight, but Shigure, only scratched his head… and started murmuring…
"… Huh. If I were ice, where would I be hiding…?"
"I-it's like a garbage jungle…" Tohru stuttered, seeing the mess that was there in front of her. Shigure turned to her with a grin on his face,
"Oh! That's nearly poetic!" he said, but before he could make another comment, there was a rumble and low howl somewhere in the woods. Shigure's face turned serious.
"There was a landslide just now…" he said aloud, looking out the open door towards the woods. Tohru on the other hand, was worried.
"What?"
Shigure went on as if he didn't hear her exclamation. "The ground is still weak from the storm."
Yuki was silent for a moment, contemplating what THAT particular statement could mean… Tohru, on the other hand… started having more spaz attacks, but managed to calm down a little before really assuming anything.
"Uh, ummm… how do you know…?" she asked, wonderingly.
Shigure looked at her. "How?" he asked.
"Call it.. 'animal instinct'." He finished dramatically, a hand on his chest and his eyes closed. Yuki walked by, and nearly hit Shigure in the back of his head.
"Quit messing around," he said. "where was the landslide?"
Shigure sighed, and shook his head. "Always so solemn, Yuki."
by now, Tohru was in a full-fledged spaz attack. "Could it have been…?" she started, then the panic overwhelmed her.
"W-WHAT IF WAS NEAR MY TENT?"
Shigure nearly went into another fit of laughter. "That's the spirit."
But only succeeded in making Tohru spaz out even worse… if she could get any worse…
Yuki only looked at the two of them, before settling on Shigure. "But seriously, where was it?"
Shigure shrugged and he, Yuki, and Tohru went through the woods to find the aforementioned landslide. 10 minutes later, they found it…apparently, the landslide had gone right over tent, burying anything and everything right there. Tohru only stood there in shock.
"…AH!" she silently apologized to her twin for her overreactions of the day and its events that keep on bringing on the spaz attacks. She started stuttering.
"Th-th-th-this is t-terrible! The picture of my parents is in that tent!" she ran to the landslide and started using her bare hands to dig through the dirt and mud, constantly calling out, "MOM! DAD!"
Yuki looked shocked at Tohru's reaction. "Miss Honda?" Finally remembering her fever, he started walking up to her and try to settle her down.
"Miss Honda, please, you have to calm down. You're not well." He tried to soothe her, but Tohru resisted.
"B-b-b-but—MOM! DAD! I have to save them!" 'MOM!' "They're in pain!" Tohru forgot everything around her. All that mattered was getting to her parents. Aoshi had gone into a rage for some unknown reason, after their father passed away when they were 5 years old. But now that their mom was gone, Tohru felt lost and so very alone. But the pictures of her parents were all she had… and she was desperate to save them both.
Shigure saw the desperation in Tohru's eyes and gently laid a hand on her dirty ones. She finally looked at him, the desperation, and pain still there.
"Let's come back when it's lighter out." Shigure suggested, "If there's another landslide, and you get hurt… your parents will be in even more pain. Alright?"
Tohru closed her eyes and nearly cried. But felt a comforting presence within her.
'Aoshi… thank you.' She thought to herself, knowing her sister felt her distress and was sending peaceful thoughts and emotions to her younger twin… not knowing what was causing the distress. So coming out her thoughts, with flushed face now showing she had a fever, she nodded her head in resignation. And finally got to her feet, swaying a little, but holding onto Shigure and Yuki's arms, they supported her until they reached the little house. And managed to get her cleaned up and settled into a futon by the backdoor.
Shigure settled down next to her with his small fan. "Yuki's looking for some ice now. It's probably fatigue. You've been working yourself pretty hard." He told the sick girl.
"I'm sorry…" Tohru apologized, and went on, not really thinking. "…again. I lost my home again. My castle…"
Shigure looked startled at the statement. Then decided to ask whatever was on his mind. "Does it hurt?"
Tohru shook her head on the pillow. "No… my sister and I… we've been through… worse."
" You poor child…would you like to tell me about it?" he asked.
"'Come home safe.' Why couldn't we just tell her that? The morning our mom died in the accident, I had a quiz. And Aoshi helped me study for it until late at night. We both ended up oversleeping and late for school. That was the only morning we didn't tell her, 'Come home safe.' We always did—except that once. I—after the accident, I considered not going to school at all and just working full-time. But Aoshi convinced me not to, and mom would have said:
/Brief Flashback/
"I only graduated from Junior High, and missed out on alot of opportunities because of it. So I want the both of you girls to go to high school and have fun for me."
/End Flashback/
"She wanted a better life for the both of us. She worked so hard…so did Aoshi to help support us. And… we forgot to tell her to 'Come home safe.' Neither one of us saw her back as she left for work. But it's not too late. Even with my grades and my home being blown away… Aoshi and I can still make it up to mom…"
'Neither Aoshi or I can bring our parents back…'
"…but we can live the life that she wanted for us. She wanted us to finish high school… so we'll graduate… for her."
'That's OUR goal…'
"This is no time… to lose… to… a fever…" she trailed off, as sleep decided to take over… and her sister's peaceful inner presence as she hummed a peaceful nursery rhyme that would help Tohru fall into a deep sleep.
Yuki was in the doorway holding an ice pack, when Tohru finally fell asleep.
"Is she asleep?" he asked, after a few minutes of silence. Shigure looked over his should with Yuki nearly right behind him.
"You were listening?" he asked his younger cousin. Yuki nodded and a brief memory of a smiling Tohru with her two friends and her twin sister—a year ahead of them, with an arm around Tohru, grinning.
"I'm surprised," Yuki finally said, "at school, she and her sister are so carefree. You could never imagine the life they've both lived. It's incredible really."
Shigure wasn't sure what Yuki was getting at. "Incredible? How?" he asked.
"I've always wanted… to run from the Sohma Family…" He paused, then went on. "but I only had the courage to run as far as another Sohma house. I could've lived in a tent, like Miss Honda. I could've gone to the woods." He almost grinned at he irony. "… I'm acting like a spoiled brat. It's pathetic."
Shigure lightly tapped Yuki on the head with his fan. "Well, you ARE spoiled… but your spirit is different from Tohru's. there's really no comparison. And if you think that's incredible… then you really don't appreciate her."
Yuki nearly grinned at that statement. But watching Tohru quietly sleeping, with her schoolbag on the side, and at her insistence her small plain pink cellphone that she said, Aoshi had gotten her, right near her head. But getting back to Shigure's statement, Yuki broke out of his thoughts.
"You're right." He said quietly, then just as silently, he got up from his position on the floor. Then he spoke. "Can you take care of her? I'm going out."
Shigure looked slightly startled at the question, then glanced up Yuki, who was walking away toward the open door.
"Where? Don't tell me you're going to dig up her things? Should I go with you? It's too much to do on your own." He asked, as Yuki opened the back door. A rat came in the open door and circled Yuki's feet.
"Alone?" the soft-spoken teen asked, as he turned around with a mysterious look in his eyes. "I never said that… I was going alone."
Shigure only looked at him and gave a small grin. "… Be careful."
/Dreamstate/
"Aww man, Tohru! You have a fever again." Aoshi had Tohru's head on her lap. Kyoko came into the living room with an ice pack.
"You don't have to push yourself so hard." Their mother said, setting the icepack on Tohru's forehead. Aoshi held turned her sister's body so that Tohru was using her legs as a pillow, and allowed their mother to set the icepack on her younger twin's forehead. Aoshi could only shake her head at Tohru's naiveté. "Geez, Tohru, You don't HAVE to overwork yourself to death. Just be yourself, and go at your own pace."
"Your sister's right, sweetheart, Just go at your own pace. And you'll be just fine." Kyoko said nodding in agreement, and putting an arm around her older twin daughter. Aoshi brightened, as if another thought came to her.
"Yeah…and someday, you'll catch up."
/End Dreamstate/
but… if I don't push myself…even a little bit… I could end up…alone.
Tohru awakened early the next day, and sat up in the futon that she was sleeping in that night. And glanced around wondering where she was until last night's memories hit her.
'Oh no! How could I fal lasleep like that! I still have to dig out Mom and Dad!' Tohru thought to herself frantically. And she quickly got up—not bothering to get her hair out of her face, and opened the wooden shoji doors. But to her surprise, Yuki Sohma was standing outside the door with a couple of plastic bags and smiling.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" he asked. Tohru could feel herself flushing a rose-pink shade, and started stuttering again.
"Soh… muh.. goo.. –ning…" and started pushing her hair out of the way. A picture was handed to her. A picture of a young man and woman both holding twin girls; the man was holding a girl that looked much like him, and the woman was holding a girl that looked like neither one of her parents, nor her twin sister.
"Here, your picture." Yuki said handing the said framed photo to her.
"Huh?" she asked, taking it…not quite understanding what was going on until after Yuki's next line.
"The rest of your things should be in these bags," he said, pointing to the plastic bags, and continued. "Could you make sure?"
The sudden realization of what he'd done…spazzed her out again.
"EHHH?" she exclaimed, and thought to herself, 'Aoshi is definitely gonna want to know what's going on… she knows it's not like me to spaz out so often…'
"HOW? You dug through the landslide by yourself?"
Yuki only smiled and answered. "Of course not."
"Then how did you-?" she started, but Yuki gave her that look that her sister often gave her when she had a secret that she refused to share.
"It's a secret." And that alone, left Tohru more confused than ever, but she was forgetting her manners.
"Well…ahmm…Thank you. Thank you so much!"
Yuki was leading her down the hall, while replying. "Sure thing. I'll take your things upstairs."
"Huh?" she asked, once again silently apologizing to her sister, for her recent embarrassment, distress, and constant spazzing within the last 24 hours.
He turned to look at her and explained. "The house is a mess, and we're not very used to have women around…but there's a room for you upstairs. You can stay here until your grandfather's remodeling is done."
Tohru could only stare…dumbfounded, and wondering what would she do, if anyone at school found out…even her SISTER…they'd wonder and badger her for answers.
"NO! ASOLUTELY NOT! I couldn't possibly-!" she started to say, but Yuki interrupted, when he stopped to look at her.
"Oh, don't worry. There's a lock on the door." He said, wondering if that was what she was worried about. But his wondering was dodged, when she started shaking her head violently.
"Th-that's not it! I meant…" again she was cut off from her protesting, when she was scared from behind.
"Ah, Tohru, do you like housekeeping?" Shigure asked from behind Tohru. She sweat dropped while giving out an: "EEEP!"
"Like cooking and cleaning." He clarified. It seemed that things were moving way too fast for Tohru to keep up with. And she managed to give a stuttered answer.
"Ahmm...well, yes…I like housekeeping…" she paused and wondered if she WANTED to know the answer to her last question. "why?"
Shigure smiled brightly, and replied in a singsong voice. "WELCOME TO THE SOHMA HOUSE, AS OUR BRAND NEW HOUSEKEEPER!" as soon as he turned around, he started talking out loud, making plans for the new house guest.
"The room hasn't been used in a while, so it's a little stuffy and dusty. OH! We'll also need a spare house key…" and taking in Tohru's state of dress, which was only a yukata that she had borrowed for the night, he turned to Yuki.
"Yuki, why don't you find Tohru something to wear."
Tohru was starting to get dizzy. Everything was moving TOO fast…she wasn't sure what was really going on… until…
Brr Brr Brr Brr Brr Brr Brr
"My cellphone!" and ran back to the futon that she had slept in the previous night. And picked it up to find the called ID said: Aoshi Honda.
"She's gonna kill me if I'm late…" she murmured. And picked up.
"Aoshi?" she asked, and was nearly terrified at her sister's reply.
"We gotta talk, Kitten."
"Why?" she asked, and heard her sister's exasperated sigh.
"Why? Kitten, you know why. I'm getting really weird vibes from you since early yesterday morning to now. That's nearly 24 hours now. Which means that we gotta talk real soon."
Tohru nearly cried, but knew that her sister would find out sooner or later. However, she'd prefer later…much later after she got settled in.
"Okay…" she finally relented, and was surprised when her older sister went on.
"Look, I'm worried, Kitten. I can't always prevent your spazz attacks when you're off on your own meeting weird people… or whatever." Aoshi said, as she locked her apartment door behind her and took her apartment stairs by twos, until she got to the bike rack. And unchained her bike from the rack and put her messenger bag behind her, as she kept the phone by her ear.
Tohru understood, and finding Yuki staring at her, she shook her head and mouthed, "Later." Yuki nodded to her request and just leaned against the hallway doorpost until she was done. He heard her sigh.
"All right…Yeah…I've got work tonight too…see you in a bit, then. Be safe, Aoshi." She hung up, and sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, as if seeing something far away… "Be careful, Sis." She murmured. And looked at Yuki.
"You needed me to take a look at the room?" she asked, as he nodded his answer.
As the two of them headed up the stairs and down the hall, Yuki asked the question that was on his mind.
"That was your sister?" he asked her quietly. Tohru nodded sadly.
"Yes, that was Aoshi. She said that we have to talk soon. Because we're twins, she feels that I've been spazzing out a lot… more so than usual. So she knows that something is going on." She replied, knowing that Aoshi would keep in mind that she was staying here temporarily.
Yuki only looked at her. "I see."
Tohru was the first one to bounce back when she remembered then, that she would be a guest here.
'I can't stay here… Them taking care of me AND giving me a room— it's too much! I'm causing them too much trouble…' she thought to herself frantically, and when she caught Yuki's eye, he seemed to understand.
"Miss Honda," he said, seemingly understanding her thoughts. "it's alright, we're the ones asking you to stay. You're not a bother... If we didn't want you here, we wouldn't have asked." Then as an afterthought, "Besides, where else are you going to go?"
Tohru couldn't argue at that particular point. She didn't want to ask her sister for shelter over her head, and knowing Aoshi, she would offer it without her having to say anything. And she definately didn't want to be a bother to her two best friends, Uotani Arisa and Hanajima Saki, even if she knew that they would be more than willing to let her stay at either of their places.
"I-I'll try not to be any trouble. Please tell me the rules of this house..." she wasn't able to say more, before Yuki turned around and looked at her.
"Miss Honda," he said calmly, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks. "It's alright. Just be yourself and you'll be just fine."
Tohru nearly stopped in her tracks as those same words- words that her older twin and mother had once spoken, came out of her classmate's mouth. The memory nearly made tears come to her lilac colored eys.
"...Just be yourself, and go at your own pace."
"...Just go at your own pace. And you'll be just fine."
'Yuki...he's such a mysterious person...'
After being given borrowed clothes, she was led to the hallway bathroom to change.
/Meanwhile, with Shigure and Yuki/
"You do realize I was joking about having a 'flower' around, right?" Shigure asked, as he turned to look at Yuki, who met his cousin's anxious look.
"Really? You were jumping for joy only moments ago," He replied with a straight face.
Somehow... "Let's not worry about anything for now. Everything will be alright as long as she doesn't try to HUG anyone." he went on.
...it all happened so fast.
Once Tohru was dressed and rejoined Yuki in the borrowed clothes, which consisted of a rather big button up shirt and tan cargo pants. And followed him to the spare room, where she would be spending her temperary stay and silently followed him into a spare room on the right side, only stopping at the threshold of the rather stuffy room. The room was a decent size with a single window and a sliding door that led out onto a balcony. She broke out of her memories, and watched as Yuki opened the window to let the room air out.
"Sorry about the smell. This room hasn't been used in a while." he apologized, as he opened the window, and just stared out at the scenery below.
She only waved her hands in front of her in a frantic gesture, while only managing a hasty response.
"Oh no, it's okay. This room should do nicely for a temperary stay. Right?" she asked, as her frantic hand gestures calmed themselves and just held her hands together in front of her. Her face took on a look of concern when she received no reply from her classmate.
All of a sudden, she looked up noticing that pieces of the ceiling were coming down. She cautiously took a few steps back so as to not be in the middle of what was going... or rather, what was about to come down.
Moments later, the ceiling fell in... as well as somebody falling through the hole that was made, startling Tohru, who jumped back until her back hit the wall. She watched in stunned silence, while Yuki only looked boredly at the rather large mess and the person who had apparently broken through the roof. Said person, was a boy- about the same age as herself and Yuki- with unnaturally orange hair and was massaging his shoulder, as if (Tohru guessed) preparing for a fight.
She recognized the signs of a fight coming, because her older twin, Aoshi, did the same things as this boy did in preparation for a fight.
As the boy massaged his shoulder, he smirked at Yuki, who was now leaning against the open window, smirking at the arrogance that this mysterious boy displayed.
"Ready to lose today, Rat Boy?"
"Seriously, must you break something EVERY time you come home? Won't you ever learn? You're. Too. Weak."
EH? What's going on? Why is orange-head threatening Yuki?
Just before everything could spin out of control, Tohru, as shocked out of her skin as she was, very slowly sidled backward toward the door, while 'orange-head' as Tohru had silently nicknamed him, developed an anger tick.
"WHAT? If you think that I'm the same as before, then you're in for a world of pain!" 'Orange-head' exclaimed as he clenched his fist in determination. "Brace yourself!"
Tohru had her back to the fight that was just commencing, and was just about to take another step, while deeply buried in her thoughts about keeping away from such martial arts fights like her sister had explained to her, that she didn't notice a piece of wood that she had stepped on... and slipped backward, and twisting her body so that she ended up "hugging" the strange orange headed boy from behind.
"AHHHHHH!"
"AH!"
And so...
"AH!"...the cat, unable to attend the banquet... was angry that he had been decieved...
"Yuki... I heard some noise... is Kyou back?" Shigure asked, as he poked his head in through the open doorway, but ended up sweatdropping at the sight that welcomed him.
"Oh my..."
...And was always trying to catch the rat.
Tohru flushed a deep crimson pink, and hurriedly apologized to Kyou...
"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"
... before picking up an orange colored cat... and sweatdropping at the sight.
Yuki could only put his arm against the doorframe and leaned his head against his arm, and asked Shigure in a voice filled with irritation.
"Can we do something with that idiot?"
"Holy... crap..."
Shigure and Yuki both looked in the hallway, was a violet eyed girl, who had visibly surprised eyes, then they slowly softened, as a grin broke out.
"Hi! I'm Aoshi Honda. Tohru's older twin sister."
The only thing that Yuki could think was: 'How the hell?'
A/N: Hey there Minna-San! This the first chapter to "Doubled Fruits Basket"... so I hoped that you enjoyed it. The next chapter is in Aoshi's POV. I did some editing on this chapter to I still hope you enjoy ^_^
Til next time,
Peace out,
~Marina StormFire~