Disclaimer- I do not own Fruits Basket, Natsuki Takaya does. Enjoy!

Chapter 1. Take it or Leave it

"That damn rat." Kyo grumbled as his hand slipped causing another tear in the thin rice-paper. "Shit."

"Instead of cursing me, maybe you should concentrate on fixing the door."

Kyo looked up to see Yuki leaning against the wall with his hands crossed. A smug look adorned the rat's face.

"Shut up, you damn rat." Kyo pulled free another layer of rice-paper from the slowly narrowing roll. "Why aren't you helping me fix this?"

"Oh. The cat always needs help doesn't he. You can never do anything by yourself. You're so dependent on other people." Yuki easily dodge a wad of paper.

Kyo scowled. "I don't depend on anyone! You broke this door, too! I don't see why you aren't helping me fix it!"

Yuki looked at the hole shaped in the form of Kyo's sprawled contour passively. "You broke the door- not me."

"You kicked me through it, you stinking rat!"

"Then you should have avoided my kicks."

Kyo grumbled, not knowing how to rebut that. He felt embarrassed and weak. Yuki had beat him pretty quick today and gave him a nice bruise on his side.

Yuki chuckled in his head but felt somewhat guilty as he stared at his cousin's bowed form. Yuki watched Kyo silently align the rice-paper across the fragile wood. Yuki sighed but leaned down to his knee and took the roll before tearing off a piece of paper cleanly.

"What are you doing?" Kyo watched him, a frown slowly forming on his face.

"Helping you, stupid cat."

"I don't need your help." Kyo snatched the roll back.

Yuki sighed. Why does the cat have to be so stubborn.

"I don't need anyone's help."

"I beg to differ." Yuki was getting annoyed. Here he was trying to be nice and help his cousin who was only moments ago whining about not getting help. And now that he was actually helping him, his idiot of a cousin didn't want it.

"I can fix the damn door by myself!"

Yuki was slightly startled by the outburst. He didn't think Kyo would get so mad at such a trivial thing.

"Yuki, Kyo," Shigure walked in, a crinkled newspaper in hand. "Are you two fighting already? You still haven't fixed my door from your last fight."

Shigure looked at Yuki's empty hands. "Yuki, why aren't you helping Kyo?"

"He wouldn't let me."

"I don't need his freaking help! I don't need anyone's!"

Shigure chuckled. "Kyo, why are you so mad? Yuki said he was going to help."

"I don't need him! I don't need you! I can do things by myself!" Kyo huffed before standing up and storming out of the house.

"Wait, what about my door?" Shigure whined.

"Shut up, Shigure. I'll fix it." Yuki rubbed his head and reached for the roll again.

"Wouldn't he be mad that you fixed it?"

"I don't care." Shigure walked back into his studies- glad that someone would fix his poor door.

As Yuki applied the paper to the wood, Yuki wondered briefly why Kyo was acting so sensitive today.

Was it something I said?

"Dammit. I don't need anyone's help." Kyo kicked a rock roughly as he weaved his way through the forest. "I can take care of myself."

Kyo remembered his time up in the mountains. He cooked, cleaned, and defended himself just fine.

"Rat wouldn't even last a week." Kyo snorted.

He sure as hell wasn't dependent on anyone. He didn't depend on anyone especially after his mother killed herself. Sure, there was Shishou but he probably didn't need him to survive, right?

Kyo bit his lip at the thought. Maybe, I needed Shishou back then but I'm not dependent on him anymore. I hardly see Shishou now.

And ever since he moved in with Shigure's, Shigure was pretty much his guardian now and he sure as heck didn't depend on that perverted mutt for anything. Well, Shigure only provided him a roof over his head but that was as far as his dependence on Shigure extended.

Kyo looked up from his musing and realized that he was out on the street.

"When did I get here?" But the answer never came to him for he started to hear the sound of claws hitting on pavement and the distinct sound of an exasperated holler.

Before Kyo could figure out what or where the sound was coming from, something shot out of the bush, and torpedo toward him.

Reflexively, he caught the surprisingly small and soft object.

He stared down and saw too big golden eyes staring back.

A cat.

"Where the heck did you come from?" The cat started to rub against Kyo's chest fondly.

Not too later, a man came tumbling out of the foliage. His hair in disarray with leaves and his breath heavy with exhaustion.

"Come back, kitten." He dragged out raggedly. He placed his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breathing.

Finally composing himself, the man looked up and saw the cat that was giving him hell for the past thirty minutes sitting calmly in orange-head's arms.

"What?"

"This your cat?" Kyo gestured toward the cat. Not at all worried about the man's state.

"Uh, yeah. Kinda." He walked toward Kyo. "I can't believe she's not scratching your eyes out. She usually doesn't like people touching her." He chuckled. "I guess that's why she's so hard to sale."

"Sale?" Kyo cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, I own a pet shop." The guy looked Kyo up and down. Kid's kinda cute.

Kyo just nodded before extending the cat toward the man. "Here."

"Thanks." He took the cat back.

Kyo shrugged. "No problem."

Seeing Kyo about to leave, he quickly piped up again. "She got out when I was feeding the other cats. I didn't know she was so fast."

"Cats are fast creatures." Kyo turned back toward the man, something the man was glad about.

"I'm Akira Kanagawa." He flashed Kyo a smile and hoped that he looked manly even with a ten pound fluffy cat in his arms.

"Kyo Sohma."

Akira wanted to shake his hand but they were currently occupied with the feisty cat. As he tried to adjust his hold, the cat struggled enough that it fell away from him.

Kyo soon found himself full of ten pounds of fluffiness again.

Akira cracked a smile as a plan floated into his mind. For once he was grateful that the cat was so troublesome.

"Hey," Akira started. "Do you want to come to my shop? I have some water. It's pretty hot today."

Kyo looked uncomfortable at the notion. He wanted to go home and fix the stupid door before the rat did it. But, then again, he was gone for so long that maybe the door was already in a pristine condition.

"It would really appreciate you helping me bring the cat back, too." Akira gestured toward the calm cat in Kyo's arm. "She struggles too much when I hold her. So, she might get out again when I take her back. She's pretty calm when you hold her though." Akira prayed Kyo would understand the hint.

"Uh, sure. I guess. So, where's the shop?" He didn't have anything better to do now anyway.

"Over here. Come on." Akira led the way, Kyo right beside him. "Thanks again."

Kyo merely grunted.

"So, do you live nearby?"

"Yeah."

The kid's cute and all but he sure doesn't talk much.

Akira pushed the door to his shop open, the little bells on the top ringing. He held the door open for Kyo as Kyo walked in and placed the cat on the counter.

Kyo didn't go to pet store often for obvious reason of there being dogs and other creatures he usually distaste. But he was surprised as he stepped further in.

"They're all cats." Kyo noted dumbly.

Akira chuckled. "Yeah. I really like cats. I don't sell any other animals."

Kyo unconsciously petted the soft head of a kitten whose paws were outstretched from the thin wire of its cage. Still petting the kitten, Kyo looked around the shop.

It was a decent size. Food placed in one aisle while toys hung precariously around hinges. Kyo thought he smelt catnip but he ignored it. This wasn't a place for him to get high. Kyo chuckled as he saw the cat that brought him here chew on a toy that was shaped in a rat. He later figured out that the cat was name Senna.

"Do you like it?"

Kyo was startled out of his musing but quickly composed himself. "Yeah, it's nice."

"Want to adopt a kitten?" Akira nodded toward the kitten Kyo was petting.

"No. I can't." Shigure and Yuki would probably laugh at him if he brought a kitten home. The mention of Yuki made him slightly angry. He quickly changed the subject. "Where's everybody else?"

Akira handed him a cup of water before leaning against the counter. Kyo took it gratefully.

"There's nobody else. Just me."

"You manage this whole place by yourself?" Kyo asked, shocked. There were a lot of cats here, easily surpassing fifty. It must be troublesome to feed them and groom them all by himself.

"Yup."

Kyo looked the man over. He didn't look that much older than himself and yet here he was, running his own business all by his lonesome. Kyo admired the guy a bit.

Seeing a chance, Akira added, "But I would like some help."

Akira looked at Kyo who was busy messing with a toy laser. Senna chased after the red dot as Kyo flicked his wrist back and forth.

"I'm hiring." Akira frowned slightly when he didn't receive any reaction from Kyo.

He probably didn't hear me. He scooted closer to Kyo without Kyo's notice.

"Kyo, do you work?"

"No, I don't." Kyo looked up, surprised at how close Akira was standing. He inched away slightly.

"Would you like to? I'm hiring. I'll pay you well." Plus, paying for you to come here is worth it. Akira thought deviously.

You're so dependent on other people. Yuki's previous words penetrated his mind again. Kyo's hand fisted against his side. Maybe I should get a job. If I could make my own money and move out then that damn rat will know how 'dependent' I am. I'll show that damn rat. I don't need anybody to take care of me.

Kyo looked around the pet shop. He never thought that his first job would be at a pet shop but a job was a job. Besides, with all the animals being cats it shouldn't be too bad. The cats listened to him. Hell, he never thought he would ever get a job before Akito locked him up.

Akira was about to open his mouth and tell Kyo how much money he would pay him and hoped the high amount would seal the deal but before he opened his mouth, Kyo interrupted him first.

"I'll take it."

Akira smiled.

Suddenly, things were looking up.

A/N: So, I was going to update Eye Candy but the chapter came out so horrid that I just stopped and wrote this instead. Ha.

Anyway, what do you think? This idea has been floating around my head for months now but I never bothered writing it.

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Tell me what you think, please.

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Please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

11/10/2013