Disclaimer: I don't own the title "Fruits Basket" nor any of the characters within. The idea is my own, however; stealing is not permitted, and is punishable by death by torture.

Uo-chan's Solution

Chapter One:
Discovery


"Shit."

Kyou wished he could shrivel up and die—or at least disappear. Uotani Arisa stared down at him in utter shock, the breeze blowing through the school yard ruffling her long blond hair, shading her eyes from view. Behind him he heard Yuki's similarly muttered oath and Tooru's shocked gasp, and he closed his eyes, waiting for what would come.

"Whoa. I always knew you were weird, but..." Uotani frowned down at him, crouching down so she could look at him closer. Kyou tried to shrink back from her scrutiny without looking too obvious. Suddenly she burst into loud, raucous laughter, sitting down with a 'thump' and wrapping her arms around her middle to quell the mirth that shook her body. "This takes the meaning of 'nekozuki' to a whole new level!"

Hanajima—a large, black-clad shape in Kyou's vision—loomed overhead before she too knelt to peer at Kyou. One black-gloved hand descended gently to caress his head as she would a common house pet, and Kyou swiped angrily at her hand. "Don't touch me!"

His rude snarl seemed to break Yuki and Tooru's stunned stillness, and they both rushed up to his defense—or, at least, to cover up the awkward situation.

"Uo-chan! Hana-chan!" Tooru was frantic, her eyes dashing from Kyou's small, orange-furred figure to Uotani, rolling back and forth on the ground in delight. Hanajima, too, was smiling as she straightened, allowing Tooru space to pick both Kyou and his clothes off the ground. Kyou protested the movement, but a single glance from Yuki quelled his struggles—it was better to be held by Tooru than risk changing back into human form in front of her friends.

Though Yuki's movements and voice were calm as usual, Kyou caught the anxious flicker in the depths of his normally placid eyes. "It seems," he said philosophically, "as if our troubles have increased."

Uotani sat up and glared at him. "Oi! Are you saying I'm a 'trouble', Ouji-sama? Eh?" Her challenge had Tooru stammering again in a futile attempt to calm her friend, and Yuki smiled blandly.

"Of course not, Uotani-san," he reassured her, watching as she subsided and, standing, brushed grass off her skirt. "It's just...This isn't something we want people to find out about, of course."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so insistent about taking my damn juuzu," Kyou snarled bad-temperedly from his seat in Tooru's arms. Uotani lifted her fist, but hesitated at the sight of Tooru's face staring earnestly back at her. The plea was obvious and, with a disgruntled sigh, Uotani let her hand drop back to her side.

With a careless shrug, she said, "Well, it's been found out. And apparently—" she slanted a pointed look at Tooru "—some of us already knew about this. This...whatever it is." She waved a hand in the air for explanation. "So what's it all about, anyway? You all cat people or something?"

"I'm not a cat!"

Yuki's denial was instantaneous and rather vehement; the intensity of his statement caused Uotani to take a step back in shock. "Wow," she muttered, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck in embarrassment and awe. "Didn't think you had it in you, Ouji-sama. That was pretty impressive." Changing the subject, she asked, "So, what are you, then? A dog? A kangaroo? A flower?"

Flower? Yuki's thoughts were sour. Is that how everyone perceives me? A flower?

He coughed and said, "I'm the rat. The Souma family...We're cursed, you see. Twelve of us—thirteen, including him," he jerked his head in Kyou's direction, "turn into the Juunishi animals. Shigure is the dog, Haru's the cow, and Momiji is the rabbit. We change into our animal forms when our bodies are weakened due to the weather or sickness, or when we come into close physical contact with a 'normal' member of the opposite sex."

Hanajima's sigh was loud and suspicious, drawing all attention to her. She offered a small half-smile that was nearly as scary as her normal denpa-aura. "I'm relieved," she said simply. "I was afraid that Tooru-kun had become...violated...during her stay at your house."

While both Kyou and Yuki spluttered in wordless shock at the insinuations of her statement, Tooru continued the story, seemingly oblivious to Hanajima's words—or their meaning, at the very least. "The changing into animals is a Souma family secret...I found out by accident, much the way Uo-chan did, the summer of our first year of high school. Akito-san, the head of the family, decided it was okay for me to know about their...situation...But nobody else was supposed to know."

Uotani crossed her arms across her chest, snickering as she cast another glance at the irate Kyou. "So, what do you do if people do find out about it? I mean, other than Tooru." Her smile at the shorter girl was pure affection.

Yuki's voice was low as he glanced across the empty yard. All the other students, and most of the faculty by this time, had already left to enjoy the special three-day weekend, and the school seemed empty and bare in the silence. "Hatori, the family doctor and the dragon, has...this talent, you could call it...He can erase people's memories." His eyes were wide with fear for their safety as he lifted his gaze to theirs and whispered, "He'll make you forget that this ever happened."

Hanajima's smile was humorless, a poisonous snake anticipating a juicy meal. "Oh? Has he ever tried this on a denpa-user?" Yuki shuddered mentally at the image of Hatori trying to take on this formidable opponent.

Tooru interrupted hastily. "Ano...In any case! We should go somewhere more private where we can talk without worrying about eavesdroppers." She glanced around the yard, then down at Kyou who was crouched sullenly in her embrace. "And so Kyou-kun can, um, change back."

Laughter once more rang across the stillness, and Kyou shifted a narrow-eyed look at the tall former gang member. Uotani was doubled over, gasping between chuckles, "And...this 'changing back'...occurs when?"

Guessing at the source of Uotani's humor—the reason why Tooru didn't want Kyou to change back human was as obvious as his clothes draped over her arm—Yuki replied tensely, "The time interval varies, but we can't change back if we're still...in contact...with a member of the opposite sex."

"Well then," Hanajima murmured suavely, "shall we go?"

"Go where?" Uotani nonetheless fell into step beside her dark-garbed friend, arms slung behind her head as she took a deep breath. "Wow, that was amusing. Where are we going?"

Hanajima glanced over her shoulder at where Yuki and Tooru were still standing, motionless. "To the Souma's house, of course. I would like to see how their cousin reacts to the news that we have found out their secret."


10.17.04

NOTES: I actually wrote this one earlier, and I can't promise I'll have the fortitude of character to see it through to the end. It's based on a random idea I had about Uotani, well, finding out! I only planned it to be one part, really, but it sort of took off on its own...We'll see how it ends up, ne?