Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. I don't even own a basket of fruit. I think I might own a basket and some fruit though. Maybe if I put the fruit in that basket, then I'll pretend I own it, and then we'll all be a happy little family a basket fruit people. I stopped making sense a long, long time ago.

A/N: This takes place after around…uh, the thirteenth volume, I think. If you've even read that far, it's after Tohru gives Uo-Chan's contact info to Kureno. If you haven't read that far, then I suggest your don't read this, because I'll horribly spoil everything for you, and then I'm sure you'll go home and cry into your Kyo-shaped pillow.

OO

Call and Answer

By A Person Who'd Rather Be Watching TV Right Now, But Can't Because There's A Tornado Warning

OO

Arisa's POV

It's one of those days that make me sick; how nice it is. Sky looks nice, with it's bright blue skis and occasional somewhat-lovely birds flying around up there, but then again, it's one of those Indian summers. Clouds could come in any minuet, and as I walk I eye that big blue expanse of happiness above me, and I almost hope the sky does begin to cluster with clouds so that the world around me can match my mood.

I'm a bit cranky right now, and there's no real explanation to it. God knows I should be feeling with the sky (if that makes any sense). After all, the restaurant I work at is closed because of holiday (which I forgot about when I woke up early this morning to go to work) so my day's freed up. But instead my mood matches that of Oscar the Grouch. Of course, he has an excuse. I don't.

When I arrived at my place of work and saw the 'Out For Holiday' sign on the door, I started walking around aimlessly. I didn't really have any plans; since I thought I would be working I turned down anything with Tohru or Hana-Chan. I thought about dropping by their houses, you know, see if they still wanted to do anything, but then I decided that maybe I should have a little time to myself. I hardly ever do these days.

Yeah. We can all see how this is going…

The greatness of today is really starting to get to me. Not only all the brightness and happiness in the skies and animals and other crap around me - - but a song has now ledged itself into my head. And what's on the list for the soundtrack to my life?

Something upbeat by Hillary Duff. Like I would know the name of it!

Shoot me please.

A roll of thunder brings me out of my ranted musings, and I look up at the sky. Looks like the sudden storm had come, and I smile to myself until I realize where I'm at.

Old gang territory.

I didn't realize I was subconsciously going to a place that used to be home. I wish I had paid a bit more attention, because I can tell this isn't going to end with a tea party and cupcakes. In fact, judging by the looks of the girls heading towards me, I have the faintest feeling that it's going to end with a beating and iron pipes, and the after taste of bitter green tea in my mouth is going to be replaced with the metallic place of blood.

I don't know these people. Not really. They faces and names are a haze in my mind; I was never good at remember stuff that didn't matter. And these people? They didn't matter a bit. But I remember the one leading them; enough to know that she was the leader back in the day when I ran with them. The one who dished out the beating when I quit; or, quite frankly, started to. Tohru's mom stopped her, and there isn't a day I'm not grateful to Kyoko, who always made my life easier in one way or another. But she has a look on her face, as do the others, that say they aren't just going to let me get the hell out. They will chase me. They will finish what they started.

Suddenly the music in my head goes from some crap by a teenybopper to the theme of Jaws. It would almost be comical if I weren't so scared.

"What are you doing here?" the leader asks. While her name fades in and out of memory, I figure it's not worth thinking of her as a person. Seeing the track marks on her arms and a wear of crack on her face is enough to tell me that. She's just 'she' and 'her' and 'it' in my mind. They're the only words that give her meaning.

"Passing through," I reply with a shrug. I don't want to fight. I don't. I haven't really ever fought since my days in the gang; sure, I act tough, and like I'll punch someone's lights out at the drop of a pin, but my violence doesn't ever get as far as kicking someone when they piss me off. I come off like I could beat you up, and I make threats, but they're cheap threats. I like to think of myself as more civilized then I once was. A better person.

"You're passing through our territory," she says with a sneer. I want to roll it off my shoulders, but she already seemed to be pissed from the last shrug. I was egging her on without meaning to, when all I wanted to do was get out and away, far, far, away, where the dark and rolling clouds weren't already starting to release bits of water on my shoulders and hair and on the dirty ground.

"Sorry," I said to her casually. "Didn't notice. I'll be on my way out…" I turn to leave, trying not to go too quickly to portray my fear. The simplicity of my thoughts towards them pisses them off, but my fear would fuel their rage much more then a simple shrug of the shoulders or blank look would. It's hard to remain clam, however, when I simply want to run like hell's on my heels, which I'm thinking wouldn't be far from the truth if the wannabe-yazuka girls decide to chase me.

She grabs me by the wrist and yanks me around to face her. I can feel her hot breath on my face and wonder when she brushed her teeth last, or at least ate a mint, but don't say so. She's holding me so tight that her knuckles whiten, and it hurts like hell, by I don't wince or cry out. It would only give them more reason, and my fate is already sealed. No way will she be letting me go. I'm going to get the rest of my punishment for leaving, and a bit more for coming back. I know that if I show no emotion, the best I'll get is a slight mauling. If I get them angry enough, however, they might beat me to death, or near death. Either way, I'm scared.

"You're not going anyway," she says harshly, her taco-breath hitting me again head-on. I can't help but wrinkle my nose, and her eyes flash with fire. Oops. My mistake.

"You were lucky, then," she says, pushing me into another girl who had suddenly moved behind me. I stumble, and the girl behind me latches onto my arms. No escape. There was no escape from the start…

"Kyoko was there to save your sorry ass," she continues. My own eyes flash with anger - - not because she called my ass sorry, but because she dared to call Kyoko by her name. She had no right as scum to refer to her as such.

"But Kyoko's dead, isn't she? So tell me this, Uo-Chan," she says, spitting out the nickname Kyoko and Tohru gave me like a bad piece of fish, "who's going to save you now?"

She doesn't wait for an answer, and I wouldn't of given her one any way. I simply close my eyes as a feel her fist make contact with my face, over and over and over again, raining apon my torso. At some point I fall out of the other girls grasp and onto the ground, and the others gather around me and shower my body with kicks as the rain begins to fall upon me as well. I pass out soon after I hit the ground, though, so the memory of that is fuzzy, and the kicks and rain blend together, like a shower of blood completely void of any hope.

A/N: I'm so tired right now, I'm surprised that this came out any good. I think I'll work on some more fan fiction, then go to bed. Yeah yeah. Review, tell me what you think. Or, you know, don't. oo