Like A Riceball In A Fruits Basket

By Coco Gash Jirachi

Disclaimer: I don't own 5D's!

Summary: AU. Based loosely off of Fruits Basket. Jack Atlas is a well-off boy who has moved out on his own after the death of his mother. His world is soon turned completely upside-down when he's taken in by the mysterious Fudo family... "When I was a little boy, I stuck out like a riceball in a Fruits Basket." Eventual JackxYusei, with other pairings along the way.

Chapter 1: Breakfast With Yusei

Annoyed with the beeping of his wristwatch alarm directly in his ear, Jack cracked open his eyes and lifted his wrist to his eyes.

'Seven thirty... I've got an hour to get to school.'

Jack slunk out of his sleeping bag and stretched, arching his back and letting it crack in a few places to help rid of the kinks from sleeping in a tent. He then landed his eyes on a golden picture frame, smiled, and picked it up with his right hand. "Good morning, Mama." he said, gazing into the eyes of the woman smiling within the photograph; his exact copy. Or to be more precise, he was her exact copy.

Jack then got his morning started by changing out of his light turquoise pajamas and into his school uniform; as he buttoned his dress shirt, he hoped that his homeroom teacher would have his new blazer by that morning. He tied his blue tie as best as he could on his own, and then dug through a plastic shopping bag he had set by the tent door. He took out three plastic-wrapped riceballs; they were plain and cold, but they would have to do, as they were all he could afford.

'I need coffee...' he thought, needing to make due with his bottled water in the meantime.

It was within twenty minutes of waking up that Jack stood outside of his tent, staring up at the clear, cloudless blue sky and the glorious sun that came along with it. He smiled, blocking the strong sunlight from his eyes; appreciating the beautiful morning in all of its glory, as he remembered his mother doing. He then bent back inside of his tent and grabbed his backpack, laying his eyes on the photograph that now laid against his pillow.

"I'm off to school now, Mama," Jack said. "I'll be home tonight, okay?"

He then locked the tent door closed with a combination lock and set off through the woods.

Jack lived in a town not far from a big city called Neo-Domino. It was peaceful and a bit secluded in some places, but it had suited his family just fine. Especially when it had came to him and his mother. When Jack was young he experienced severe bouts of asthma that were caused by his bronchial tubes being weak. He had mostly grown out of it, thanks to the lovely air of a somewhat-small town as opposed to the air of a big city like Neo-Domino. The most he had to deal with as a teenager were his needing an asthma inhaler if he were too out of breath or couldn't stop coughing.

His mother was once a smoker, and had quit cold turkey when she was pregnant with him. She hadn't ever had the best health because of it, but the cleaner air outside of a city did wonders for the both of them.

"If it hadn't been for you, I might not have quit in time."

Jack felt the tears burning behind his eyes as her voice went through his head.

"If I hadn't noticed I was pregnant, you would have been born with worse asthma. If it weren't for you, my baby boy, I may not have gotten to be who I am today. You helped me quit and keep my health from getting any worse. That's something I can never repay you for."

As he was able to keep his crying at bay and pull himself together, a heavenly scent met his nostrils. His eyes popped open quick - when had he even closed them in the first place? - and his head turned and saw something. Through a few trees and down a ledge was a quaint, very classic looking Japanese-styled house.

'With the sliding paper doors and everything,' Jack found himself thinking.

Not one to hesitate, he fearlessly semi-slid, semi-walked down the ledge, not giving a hoot if his school pants were dirtied before he got to school. He approached and walked by the house, his nostrils flaring as he wondered aloud, "What is that wonderful smell?..."

"That would be breakfast."

Jack, though a bit startled at the sudden voice, soon looked to one of the now-open sliding paper doors and spotted a familiar boy wearing a familiar school uniform and an apron folded over his arm. A boy named Yusei Fudo. A boy with spiky black hair and gold highlights, with eyes the deepest of ocean blues Jack had ever seen.

"Not to be rude or anything, Sempai," Yusei began, standing at the open door with a look of confusion on his face as he stared down at Jack. "But what brings you around here?"

"I live nearby." Jack replied without a stutter in his voice. "I felt like taking a walk before school. I've been in these woods before... but I've never seen this house here."

"Yeah, it's a little secluded around here." Yusei responded. "Would you like to come inside? I think there may be leftovers from breakfast."

Before Jack could respond, his stomach growled. Riceballs and water didn't cut it for meals when it came to him. He was a growing boy, after all. "That sounds great, thank you..." he said with a hand laying on his growling abdomen.

"Well then, come on in." Yusei said with a smile.

Jack nodded and stepped up onto the wooden porch, slipped off his shoes and was let inside by Yusei, who picked up his shoes. "I'll go put these by the front door for when we leave, and then I'll pop into the kitchen and see what I can find for you. Would you prefer a drink? We've got coffee, tea, milk, I think some juice..."

"Coffee would be great, thanks." Jack said.

"Okay, Sempai." Yusei responded with a nod. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." He then walked down into a hallway and as Jack seated himself down at the table on a tatami mat - also very classically Japanese, he noted - he heard Yusei call, "Onee-chan! Did you put the leftovers away yet?!"

"No, I'm busy doing bathroom things! I'll get to them in a second!" a strong, feminine voice responded.

"No need, I got it! One of my classmates is here and I'm going to feed him!"

"Ooooooh, a classmate?! I'll be out to meet him in un momento!~"

"Onee-chan, don't embarrass me!"

Jack chuckled a little at their sibling banter - 'They must be siblings,' he concluded - and shrugged his backpack off, placing it beside him on the floor. He picked his head up and looked around a little. The house seemed well-kept, especially when two of its occupants were teenagers. There were a few picture frames hung up around the dining room, a few contained photographs of people he couldn't quite make out, and others were of paintings or sketches or photographs of landscapes. He noticed an open newspaper at the other end of the table and a mug of what he thought was coffee, given the faint scent he could smell from where he sat. He could feel his caffeine headache all over again just from its scent.

'At least I don't need to go buy myself a cup before school now...' he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yusei pass by the doorway and through the other doorway in the hallway. The way to the kitchen, he assumed. He looked over his shoulder to the door and simply watched the outside. He could hear the chirping of birds, a cricket or two, and the rustling leaves on the trees as a light gust of wind blew through the air. He slipped his eyes closed and listened, becoming entranced by the simple sounds of beautiful, glorious nature. He could even smell the sunshine.

"Here we are,"

Jack was once again only slightly surprised by the sudden sound of Yusei's voice. He turned around just as Yusei set down a tray on the table and began taking things off of it.

"Sorry if everything's a little cold," Yusei said. "Our microwave is busted and we haven't had the time to replace it yet."

"That's alright," Jack responded. "It was nice enough of you to offer me food in the first place."

"Well, Hikaru and I try to offer something to our guests." Yusei said, setting down a mug on the table in front of Jack. "Even if they're here for ten minutes, we tend to be very formal and ask them to come in and sit with us for tea."

"My mother does the same thing," Jack said, without correcting himself after it came out. "That sort of thing makes a good host, if you ask me."

"Thank you, Sempai." Yusei replied, standing up and smoothing out his apron - he must have put it back on for handling the food, Jack figured - before he turned to walk to the other end of the table.

"Please, there's no need to call me 'Sempai'." Jack said with a slight roll of his eyes that he was glad Yusei hadn't seen, as he still had his back to him. "We're in the same grade, and it's not really like I've taken you under my wing or anything." Yusei untied and took off his apron, sitting down as Jack added, "You can just call me Jack, okay?"

"Okay then." Yusei said with an understanding nod, leaning his head against his left hand. "In that case, you can call me Yusei, so I can reciprocate being on a first-name basis with you."

"Sounds fair to me." Jack said, then he bowed his head and placed his hands together. "Itadakimasu." He then picked up his fork and took a bite of the omelet in front of him. He blinked as he chewed and swallowed it before saying, "Wow, that's my favorite omelet."

"Is it?" Yusei asked with a blink. "It's my favorite, too."

Yusei wasn't surprised when Jack began to eat and grow quiet. He knew his elder classmate must have been hungry, especially given the rather loud growls he'd heard from his stomach. So he took to reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee contentedly again, happy to hear the sound of the birds singing outside, thanks to the open door.

Jack was quiet while he ate, but finished quickly, surprising even himself. "Wow, I really was hungry..." he said a bit sheepishly.

"I thought you were," Yusei said with his mug in his hand. "You looked a little famished when I laid my eyes on you."

"Either way, thanks a lot for the food." Jack said, picking up his previously untouched coffee mug. "Did you make it yourself?"

"No," Yusei shook his head. "My sister and I do our cooking together, so it's always a joint effort."

"Sister?" Jack said after taking a sip of coffee. "I guess that's who you were shouting at before then..."

"Yeah, she can be a little loud sometimes..." Yusei said with a somewhat nervous smile and a sweat-drop. "But she means well. She's actually my older twin sister."

"Oh, you're a twin?" Jack asked. "I guess I never knew that, or even the fact that you have a sister, saying as we go to an all-boys school."

"I get that a lot nowadays," Yusei responded. "Especially since we just moved here from the city. Not a lot of people know us yet."

"Huh, I thought you were new around here." Jack said. "I hadn't recognized you from middle school, or even elementary school." He set down his mug. "If you moved here from the city, this must be a huge transition for you, then."

"No, not really." Yusei replied, tucking a bit of his hair behind his ear. "I didn't really like it in the city. This town seems to suit me better. I haven't been getting as sick as often, either. The air seems to be healthier and cleaner here than in the city."

"It is," Jack nodded in agreement.

"You know, this is kind of nice." Yusei said. "Would you like to come back over here after school?"

Jack set his mug down and with an apologetic look said, "I'm sorry, I guess you didn't know this, but I have a part-time job. I have work until late tonight."

Yusei blinked. "A job? Is it to pay for your tuition?"

"No, I have a job because I want a job." Jack said. "I took it because I don't want to be one of those rich kids who lives off of Daddy's money. I feel better earning it the hard way, you know?"

"I don't think I do," Yusei said with an apologetic tone.

"Hey, Twinny-chan! Why the long face?!"

Jack blinked in surprise when a girl had flung her arms around Yusei's body. He was a little shocked at how he managed to still sit upright.

"Hey c'mon, what's the matta with ya this mornin'?" the girl asked, one of her hands in a fist and messing up Yusei's spikes.

"Hikaru, if you were listening," Yusei began to say, struggling to breathe a bit, it seemed. "We have a guest, remember?!"

"Eh?" The girl, identified as Hikaru, picked her head up and looked across the table at the blonde-haired boy. With a cheeky grin, she then asked, "That's not who I think it is, is he, Twinny-chan?"

"Just who do you think he is?" Yusei asked, managing to free himself from her grasp.

"Looks a lot like the boy the girls are always fawning over," Hikaru said, giving Jack a good look-over. "Is he the one they call the King?"

"Well actually, not just the girls tend to call me that." Jack said. "I was at the top of my class in everything since middle school, so the nickname came from mainly my achievements, not just my gorgeous complexion."

"Oh, so you're one of those boys who is sexy and they know it?" Hikaru asked, leaning one of her arms on Yusei's head now. "Like the kind of player guys who flaunts around their looks and has to turn down girls left and right?"

"Hikaru," Yusei said in a tone that took on that of anger, locking his eyes with her eyes; eyes that were identical to his. "Stop jumping to conclusions. Jack just so happens to be a very nice, very polite boy. He even loved our cooking."

With a blink and a slight gleam in her eyes, Hikaru turned her head toward Jack with a grin again and said, "Really now?"

"Yeah," Jack replied with a sweat-drop. He then noticed Yusei sending him an apologetic facial expression, as if to tell him mentally, 'See? I told you she's a handful!'

"Well then," Hikaru said with a flick of her long, black hair streaked with red. "Sounds like the two of us could get along, then."

"We should probably get on our way soon, Onee-chan." Yusei said.

"Hm?" Hikaru blinked. "Oh, yeah. Right. School and stuff."

With a frustrated sigh and his eyes slipping closed, Yusei said, "God, you are such a handful..."

With fifteen minutes to get to school before the warning bell, the trio was soon out the door within minutes. Of course, Jack had made sure to finish off his coffee so it wouldn't go to waste. And mainly because he needed it.

"So, you're one of Yusei's classmates, right?" Hikaru began after she closed the door behind the three. She smoothed out her school attire; a white collared shirt with a red scarf-like tie tied into a bow, and a red plaid skirt. "Let's start over. I'm Hikaru Fudo, his twin sister. I go to the sister school you guys attend; the all-girl school just next door."

"I'm Jack Atlas." Jack replied. "Yusei and I were assigned to the same classes last month."

"So, you're the ladies' man the girls keep fawning over in my school then, right?" Hikaru asked as Yusei began to lead everyone through a path in the forest. "They call you King Jack, and they call Yusei the Prince."

"Yeah, I've got a sort of charm about me that most girls find irresistible." Jack said. "I can't say why exactly, though, but I think I get it from my mother."

"You got a hot mama, Atlas?" Hikaru asked in a tone that sounded teasing.

With a sweat-drop and a slight stutter, Jack said, "Well, I, uh... I think she's beautiful. And not just because I look just like her. She's... elegant."

"Hikaru, don't make Jack uncomfortable." Yusei said with a look over his shoulder. "Know your boundaries, remember? You've got to behave yourself."

"Bleh, Twinny-chan, you're no fun." Hikaru said, sticking out her tongue.

"So, when did you move here?" Jack asked, catching up to and walking next to Yusei.

"Just over the summer," Yusei said. "We were offered scholarships to school here, and we tried commuting from the city at first, but that turned out to be tedious, tiring and bothersome. So here we are now." He turned his head to the right to look at Jack. "So, I'm guessing you live nearby, Jack?" Yusei asked. "Where exactly?"

"Well, over off to the right of the house." Jack said. "I was just taking a walk in the woods before school this morning."

"Interesting," Hikaru said rather quietly, as if to herself, while twirling a lock of hair by her face around her right index finger.

"Interesting how?" Jack questioned.

"Nothing really, I was just talking to myself." Hikaru said.

"She does that a lot." Yusei replied.

To Be Continued...

Hey guys! That was the first installment of the story I've been working on for the last few years. It's kind of a little pet project, since it's not yet complete and I work on it on and off as the inspiration hits me. If anyone is still around who remembers my series starting with Silver Lining (which I took down a while back after being unable to continue it) this story will contain the Fudo family OCs that I share with Dark Angel Of Wind.

I currently have 17 finished chapters and am still working on chapter 18, so I have a way's to go with continuing and with posting. I just don't want to post too fast though and end up running out of material too quickly. So for now I'm going to space things out.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading. If any readers remember the Fudo family, I hope you'll enjoy seeing them return in my story. I'm especially having fun with Hikaru again, since I love the dynamic between her and Yusei. :3

Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to your feedback!