Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine. Which is probably why I sit around and write about it when I should be doing my homework.

I'll Take Your Ten And Raise You Twenty

The Bet

Ayame's fingers drummed on the tabletop in a persistently irritating rhythm, though only Hatori seemed to notice how annoying it was becoming. Shigure was too caught up in his coffee and book to notice anything else. The trio had been sitting there silently for the last twenty minutes, listening to nothing but the birds in the background, and Aya's fingers drumming on the tabletop.

"Anytime you want to stop that…" Growled Hatori finally, breaking the silence through gritted teeth. Aya's hand paused for a moment, then slapped the table.

"Its just so damn boring around here!" Cried the silver-haired man, his eyes lighting up with a passionate fire only complete and utter boredom can ensue.

Shigure's eyes peered from over his book, and he adjusted his glasses in a melancholy sort of fashion. "Hmm, I agree. Nothing particularly exciting has happened for a while, has it?"

The other two murmured agreement. Even Hatori had to admit that without the constant drama, life had taken a rather suffocating turn. Even Akito hadn't been getting sick lately.

"Well…" Added Shigure as an afterthought, "Unless you count the sparking romance between Kyo and Tohru." The dog's eyes dance cheerfully at the thought, and he fingered his pencil thoughtfully.

His thoughts were interrupted by a scoff from a certain silver-haired dress maker who sat across from him. "You mean the kindling, passionate fire of romance igniting in the heart of Tohru and Yuki!" Corrected Aya, a frown crossing his perfect features.

Shigure promptly tucked his pencil behind his ear. "I don't know what you're talking about. There's definitely some passion between Kyo and Tohru."

The doctor sighed, and leaned back in his chair, grasping his coffee along the way. They were going to be at this for a while.

"You are sadly mistaken!" Ayame was proclaiming, "Yuki and Tohru's love with surely prevail!"

Shigure threw his hands up in the air, "You're denser than a wall! Tohru definitely loves Kyo!"

This continued for a good seven minutes, before Shigure finally slammed his hands down onto the table in a very final (and loud) sort of way, causing Hatori to awaken from his nap.

"Okay. If that's the way you want it…" He began,

"It is!" Interjected Aya.

"…Then we'll just have to bet on it. Ten on Kyo to win Tohru's affections by the end of the year."

Hatori raised his eyebrows, mouth opening to add his own opinions on this, but was cut off by Aya's extraordinarily loud indignation.

"Ten? A year? That's all? No no no. TWENTY on Yuki to win Tohru's heart by the end of the month."

"Thirty!"

"Forty!"

"Fifty!"

"Seventy-five PLUS a week's stay at the other's house!"

"Done!"

The third, and slightly left out member of their party sighed very deeply. "You two..." He groaned, frowning at both of them, while Aya and Shigure shook on the bet. "You know nothing good will come of this, right?" He asked, but his question was ignored. Shigure and Ayame were already lost in their own thoughts, planning how they would make Tohru fall in love with Kyo/Yuki within that month.

Hatori rose to his feet in defeat. There was nothing he could do for them… They were a lost cause. As he stood, Shigure gathered his book and pencil and followed him, throwing looks back at Aya along the way.

Hatori pulled up to Shigure's house with a slightly vacant expression, watching Tohru trying to break up Kyo and Yuki's fight as Shigure clambered out of the car. Shigure watched them too, for a moment, then shot a look at Hatori.

"I certainly hope Kyo wins. If Ayame stays at my house for a week, Yuki might break things."

A/N: So, there you are. Humor at last, instead of my usual angst type stuff. Hahahaha, this totally seems like something Aya and Shigure would do, too. And the thought of Aya, Shigure and Hatori all sitting at a coffee shop together was just too serene for me. This is going to be fun!