Herrmann: Well, hello to you all! The name's German (for many obvious reasons), this is my first fanfic, so please tell me what you think, so I might improve with my writing. This is basically Fruits Basket… only with Bionicle characters. Just a little heads up, there is Japanese formalities and informalities throughout this story (as well as some vulgar language). I apologize now for it.
Summary: Orphaned Fukuyama Hahli's grandfather is getting his house renovated, so she's living in the forest. One day, she stumbles upon one of the Shijo family's houses. After her tent is destroyed in a landslide, she has no choice but to stay with the prince of her high school, Shijo Kopeke. She soon realizes there is more about them than meets the eye. You have to help me, they've turned into animals!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the original story plot, they belong to LEGO and/or Takaya Natsuki.
Genres: Romance, Humor, Fantasy, Drama, Reverse harem.
Rating: T (13 )
Savior
Chapter 1
What a mess, Kopeke thought as he looked around the kitchen. Garbage had staked high and had spilled over onto the floor. Soon it had accumulated more garbage bags, full of trash that hadn't been taken out in four or so months.
He thought about what he should do with his personal garbage can and decided on one thing. So, he tossed it with the rest of the garbage, where it was quickly consumed. You see, Kopeke is a very lazy person and an extremely clumsy one at that. It was only logical for him to throw his garbage can in with the rest of the garbage had accumulated.
I needed a new one, anyway.
"I hope I haven't forgotten anything," Hahli said as she crawled out of the orange tent. The sun came full blast down on her, making her shield her blue eyes. "Wah… It's so beautiful today. I can tell it's going to be a great day!"
A smile spread on her face.
"Bye, Okaasan." she called into the tent. "I leave you to tend to the house." She bowed to the picture of a beaming woman. "I'm going to school now, I'll be back later."
She hummed a few bars of a song she had recently heard on the radio while she was working two days before. She checked her watch.
I'm early, she thought, a smile quickly spreading over her features. I think I'll have time to grab some breakfast before school starts.
Hahli suddenly stopped, seeing something out of the corner of her eye.
A house? Way out here?
She carefully walked over to the porch. She swore she had spied something colorful.
"Awe, how cute!" she said when she saw twelve little Zodiac dolls in two neat rows.
"How rare." a voice said, causing Hahli to jump. "There is a girl out here? And she's a high school student!"
Hahli took a step back, blushed profoundly.
"H-hello!" she said, embarrassed at the thought of being caught on someone else's property. "I'm sorry for looking around with no one's permission!"
She looked up to see a lean man standing there, smiling kindly down at her.
"It's alright," he said, "I brought them out for some sunshine. Young people like you would think it's boring."
What a handsome man! Hahli thought.
"Oh no, I think they're cute!"
"Really?" He came down level to her. "I like 'em, too."
"But…there's no cat…" She looked sadly down at the animals.
"Cat? Ah, you've heard of the story of the cat in the legend of the twelve zodiac animals."
"Yeah, my mom used to tell it to me.."
A long, long time ago… she thought.
She heard her mother's voice telling her the story once again…
"God told the animals," her mother had said, "'Tomorrow I'll invite you to my banquet, and don't be late!'
"After hearing the news, the rat who likes to play jokes, told the cat that the banquet was the day after tomorrow.
"On that day, the rat rode the ox and jumped off to get to the banquet first. The ox followed, and then the tiger and everyone else. The celebration lasted until the next morning and everyone had a good time, except for the deceived cat.
"Hey, Hahli, are you crying?" he mother had asked her.
"That…poor…cat!" she had sobbed. She had leapt from underneath the comforter and declared, "I'll no longer be a dog! I'll be a cat."
"Whatever you like," her mother had said, "mom's tired…"
"Oh?" the man said, "If that guy found out, how would he react?"
"Huh?" Hahli asked, confused by what he meant. If who found out?
"Nothing! So, your true sign is a dog, correct? No wonder I feel so close to you, I'm a dog too!"
"You look more like a pedophile." a voice from inside the house said. As the speaker spoke, a thump from a book bag much like Hahli's. The man she had been talking to slumped over, a large bruise on the back of his head.
"Shame on you," the assailant said, "moving closer and closer…"
"What do you have in there?" the man asked, touching the tender spot gingerly, "A dictionary?"
"Hm," the assailant thought, "no, two dictionaries."
Hahli's eyes went wide seeing who it was.
The Prince! she said in her mind. The Prince!
"Fukuyama-san, are you alright?" her classmate asked, a kind smile on his face. "My cousin didn't do anything weird, did he?"
"Sh-Shijo!" she gasped. "G-good morning!"
"Good morning."
"Don't make me sound like a pervert!" the man said. "So…you're actually Kopeke's classmate? I'm Pohatu, his cousin."
"I'm Fukuyama Hahli." the girl said, bowing quickly.
"That reminds me," Kopeke said, "Fukuyama-san, why are you here?"
"Uh— I live nearby!" It wasn't entirely untrue.
The two males looked at her, confused.
"Never mind," Kopeke said, shaking off the many questions, "we're going to be late. Since you're here, let's walk to school together."
I'm so nervous, Hahli thought, Shijo is so charming, makes my heart race and my face turn red…
"Fukuyama-san!" one of Hahli's fellow classmates screech echoed through the hallways. "What happened this morning?"
Hahli backed away from her, slightly nervous.
No one knows I live near Shijo-san's home!
"What's going on here? Why did you come to school with Shijo-san!" she pressed further. "Please explain!"
"It… it was a coincidence." Hahli said.
Stupid! Hahli mentally smacked herself.
"If it was a 'coincidence' why do we need detectives?"
"Yeah!" another girl said.
"Totally." her friend agreed.
"Correct!" said another female student.
"Be quiet in the hallway!" a male student scolded them.
"Look, just because the Prince was being nice to you, doesn't mean you can think highly of yourself." the first girl said. "You have no right!"
Hahli felt her eyes sting and begin to water. She didn't like being yelled at.
"Hey," a smooth voice from behind said, "didn't Hahli say it was a coincidence? You don't need to keep making a fool of yourself."
Hahli peered over the girl's shoulder, to see two faces she knew well. They loomed well over the other girls in the school. Both outcast because of their past.
"Macku-chan, Kotu-chan." Hahli waved to them. "Good morning to you both."
"Why should I?" the girl asked, folding her arms, trying to frighten the tall girl with a glare. "Look who's interrupting!"
"Let's use the poisonous electric pulse attack…" said the shorter of the two tall girls.
The poor girl was frightened by that.
"Creeps!" she called to them as she madly dashed away.
"Awe, poor Hahli," said the tallest girl, bringing her petite friend into a reassuring hug, "did those mean girls frighten you? What a meaningless problem. Kotu, don't actually use the electric pulse."
The shortest of the tallest glared after the fleeting form of the girl. She turned away, her face softened at the sight of Hahli.
"Thanks." Hahli said softly.
"I feel a strange electric signal coming from Shijo-san." Kotu said, slipping the butcher knife back into it's protective plastic case. The three ignored the orders coming from the rest of the kitchen staff.
"Here comes Kotu-chan's electric waves again." Macku sighed, obviously bored.
"Is it really that intriguing?" Hahli asked.
"I'm not very sure myself." Kotu admitted.
"He is very mysterious," Macku said, "mainly because he never talks about himself. Not that I actually want to know. A while ago, there was a second year girl want to show her feelings to him by hugging him. He pushed her away… and scared her."
"This… this story, why haven't I heard about it?" Hahli asked.
"It's why I call it intruding." Kotu said.
"Oh well…" Macku sighed. "His type of actions make those girls more attracted to him."
"You three!" said one of the kitchen personal, "Don't just use your mouth and not your hands!"
The woman looked down to see they had already finished.
"It's already cooked." Macku said.
"How can you feel so good? Fukuyama-san made everything!"
"The rice is also done." Kotu stated.
The woman walked away, sulking.
"Oh! Today after school, I'm going shopping with Kotu-chan. Do you have to work today?" Macku asked.
"Ah… yeah." Hahli said.
"You are working too hard." Kotu said, holding up an extra large bowl of rice. "It's because you need to pay your school fees?"
"But if it's for school fees, you don't need to work everyday. We do go to a public school." Macku said, eyeing her short friend.
"After I graduate, I want to live an independent life." Hahli said, knowing it was true, but a lie at the same time. She did want to live independently, but she needed to work because of her current predicament. "So I need to start saving now!"
"How… how moving." Macku said. "Makes me want to cry. Eat, Hahli! You need your energy! You made this." She handed her petite friend her own plate. "You still living with your father's relatives?"
"Yes!" Hahli said, it sound more like a screech to her two friends.
"Do you get enough food there?" Kotu asked. "They don't try to take your wages, do they?"
Hahli laughed nervously.
I can't tell them, she thought. If Macku-chan find out I've been living in a tent, she'll be really mad. She might ride her bike to aunty's house…
The rest of the school day passed by without anymore questions. Hahli was going to get her shoes, when she stopped.
Kopeke-san!
"Oh, Fukuyama, that you for this morning. I'm sorry Pohatu caused you trouble." A kind smile played over his face.
"No, of course not! He was very kind." Hahli said. "And he showed me the twelve animals of the zodiac."
"Hmm… What did you talk about? Something about the cat zodiac year?"
"I was very silly when I was a kid."
"Yes," Kopeke said icily, "cats are stupid! Doesn't have a very good personality."
"Ah?" Hahli was confused. A bad personality?
"Fukuyama-san, do you know how the twelve animals became the way they are?"
"No…"
"Originally, counting numbers and time, afterwards, yin and yang were added. And then the five elements. It soon became a fortune-telling thing."
"Your saying it had nothing to do with animals?"
"Right. I'm not sure when it started, and for what reason the animals were added, it's still unclear. But that cat was never added from the start. I feel better if things stay the way they are. What if cats became part of the clan? Cats are stupid!"
"Shijo-san, do you really hate cats?" Hahli's watch beeped. "Ah! I'm late! I'm sorry, Shoji-san, I have to go!"
"Fukuyama-san… you don't look so well. The weather is hot, you have to take care of yourself. See you tomorrow." He turned and walked away, leaving Hahli to stand there, blushing profusely.
It feels like I'm being charmed by his beauty…
"Don't think of yourself too highly." said a voice from behind a tree. Hahli jumped. It was the girl from earlier, her friends following her.
"Uh… I'm late!" Hahli cried, before dashing off to work.
Mom cared for me. No matter what, she was always happy. But I never thought she would die in a traffic accident. Hahli thought as she lifted two garbage bags and took them down to the large garbage bin. My family argued and argued on who was going to adopt me. Finally, it was decided, I was to stay with my Okaasan. I didn't want to be any trouble, so I got this job and now everyone's worried about my health!
She sighed and dropped them in, before climbing the many flights of stairs back up.
I would have stayed with Macku-chan, but she lives in a really small unit. And Kotu-chan has a big family. I guess that's when I decided I would live in that tent.
"Hey, lady!" said a man, "Hurry up and get these bags!"
"Ah… yes, sir!"
With a sudden burst of energy, she grabbed the bags and dashed down the stairs.
I'll stay there until Okaasan's house is ready! Through wind and bugs! I won't give up!
"Ever since that high school girl came, our work has been much lighter." said one of the other cleaning ladies.
"Yeah," the other agreed.
"Ah, this late already?" Pohatu asked. "Every night, it's either take-out or dine out. How tiring!"
"Why don't you cook dinner?" Kopeke asked coolly.
"I did, but didn't you complain?"
"Garlic rice with salted vegetables, of course I would complain."
"If you're so smart, how come you don't do any housework? Two guys living together, we need a flower!"
"Easy for you to say…"
"What is the saying? Man came after the flower…? Oh!" Pohatu said, seeing a small form walking through the forest, off the path. "Isn't that Hahli walking over there?"
"Scary, you can remember a girl's name so quickly."
"That's nothing special."
"But it's late, what is she doing out here? She really lives close by? I heard her mother just passed away… maybe she moved here! But, impossible, the land was never rented to anyone…"
Pohatu and Kopeke looked at each other, realization sweeping over them.
"So tired…" Hahli murmured. She smiled when she entered the tent. "I'm home mom. I really want to go to sleep, but I have a report to do. Ah… I feel lightheaded. I'm going to wash my face first."
She grabbed a towel and turned around to leave the tent. Her blue eyes grew wider (if possible) when she saw Pohatu and Kopeke standing there. It didn't take long for Pohatu to burst out in a fit of laughter.
"Pohatu that's enough." Kopeke said.
"So… when did you start living in that tent?" Kopeke asked Hahli.
Kopeke and Pohatu had taken Hahli back to their humble house. Pohatu had yet to stop laughing.
"About a week ago…" she said, looking down at the floor.
"I thought it was strange…" Kopeke elbowed Pohatu in the gut. "This whole hills belongs to the Shijo family. We didn't sell or lease the land."
"Please let me stay here for a while." Hahli pleaded. "After the renovation is complete, I'll leave straight away. I don't have much, but I'll pay. Please."
"It's dangerous there." Pohatu said.
"Stopped laughing, have you?" Kopeke asked. Pohatu ignored him.
"The ground is loose and there are perverts wandering around. A girl can't stay there for long."
"No problem, I'm already used to the insects! I have the energy and the drive."
Pohatu and Kopeke were thoroughly impressed.
"Please! A…a-a-a-a-a-ah…" Hahli saw her world suddenly whirl in front of her eyes.
"Fukuyama-san!" Kopeke put a hand to her forehead. "A fever! No wonder you look so pale…"
"First get some ice, ice…" Pohatu looked at the kitchen and sweatdropped. "Ah… where is it?"
"It looks like a garbage dump." Hahli said.
"Yeah… we kno— " He stopped.
In the distance a dog of some sort was telling others: Beware! Be cautious!
"There was a landslide." Pohatu said gravely. "The last storm made the soil loose."
"How do you know that?" Hahli asked. Kopeke went rigid.
"It's called wildlife ability."
"Stop joking around," Kopeke said. "Where was it?"
"Near the te— " He stopped, seeing Hahli's face. "A long, long way from here!"
Hahli froze. Her tent— her home— buried beneath the dirt, rocks and trees from the landslide.
"Mom!" she cried. "Mama!"
She began to dig away at the dirt.
"Fukuyama-san, please, calm down! You have a fever." Kopeke tried to sooth her.
"But…mama! She's under there— she could be hurt!"
Pohatu took her hand in his.
"Let's come back tomorrow morning." the man said. "If a landslide happens again, you could be hurt. Your mother would feel even worse."
Hahli obliged and let them take her to a warm bed in Pohatu's house.
"Kopeke went looking for some ice." Pohatu said. "You must be a very tired, hardworking student."
"I'm sorry." Hahli said. "Now I lost my house again…"
"You feel really bad, don't you?" Pohatu plopped down beside her.
"No, because I know there are worse things you can loose."
"Like what? Tell me."
"I didn't tell her… to be careful on the road… that morning of the car accident… because I had a test, I studied until the morning and overslept, so I couldn't get up… Only that morning I… Usually… every morning I would say it… only that day… I… I didn't want to attend high school, I wanted to work. But mom said…
"I only finished middle school. But I wanted to be a high school student. So you must try high school life for me. I was dragged into a graduate gang."
"I know she always worked hard for me. But I didn't… tell her to be careful… even when she left I didn't watch her leave… I'm so stupid! Even if the house got blown away or something, the most important thing is mom. So at least… mom's wish… to start and finish high school… I can't loose… to this… little… fever…"
"Asleep?" Kopeke asked from the doorway.
"You heard?" Pohatu said.
"I'm shocked. At school she was always very happy… as if the pain she was suffering from didn't exist… She's tough."
"Impressive?"
"I… I wanted to leave the Shijo family. But still end up staying on the Shijo family land. If I really hated this life, I could have been like Fukuyama-san. And live in a tent or some unknown place. I am so naïve. Right?"
"You still are, young master." Pohatu said, patting him on the head. "Hahli and your thinking are completely different. And saying she is though, that's rude!"
"Can you take care of her? I need to go out."
"Where are you…? Are you going to dig out her things? I'll come with you, it'll be difficult for one person."
"No…" Kopeke said as a small, furry form moved about his feet. "Who do you think I am?"
Dozens upon dozens of blinking, red eyes stared into the room of the sleeping girl and the man.
"Be careful." Pohatu said.
"Hahli… Fever, again? I told you not to come out and do the chores for me! Can't you take it more slowly? One day, I'll catch up to you. Wake up, sleepy head, you'll be late!"
Hahli woke to the sound of her mother's voice.
Now this is not a dream! Hahli thought. I still have to dig mom out!
Hahli opened the door to find Kopeke standing there, a gentle smile on his lips.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Ah… good morning!" she said.
"Take your photo." He held out the brown framed photograph of her mother. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Your belongings have been all dug up."
"Shijo-san you dug up all that dirt! How was that possible?"
"Eh? It's a secret."
Hahli felt her cheeks grow hot and her heart beat faster.
"Ah… Thank you…"
"Hmm. I'll be taking your things upstairs."
Kopeke began walking up the stairs.
"This house is pretty dirty," he explained, "and it has only two guys living here. But there's an empty room on the second floor. Until the renovations are done, you can stay here."
"No! No, I object!"
"Ah… that room has a lock on it."
"I don't mean that! Only…"
"Hahli, do you like house chores?" Pohatu asked, coming out of nowhere. "For example, cooking and cleaning."
"Yes, I do. Why?"
"Welcome to the Shijo family! Because that room has always been locked," Pohatu turned to Kopeke, "go open the windows. Kopeke, go lend her some of your spare clothes."
"I won't accept! You've already done so much for me. I can't bother you with housing!"
"Hahli, we suggest this, it's no trouble at all."
"But— "
"Besides you don't have anywhere else to go, do you?"
"For no trouble in the future, could you please tell be the rules?"
"All you have to do is be yourself. Be at ease, in this family, you only have to be yourself."
"Easy for you to say." Pohatu said, appearing at Kopeke's side. "Can we live with a girl? She is a girl!"
"You were happy a second ago, what happened? Nothing will happen, so long as we don't get hugged by her."
After Hahli had changed into some clothes Kopeke had leant to her, she stepped into the room she'd be staying in.
"Th— " she began before the ceiling above them crashed in.
"Yo!" the gold haired intruder said. "You've been waiting for me, haven't you?! You rat!"
He cracked his shoulders, trying to act as tough as possible.
"Why," Kopeke said, "every time I see you, you make a mess! Haven't you had enough? You're so weak!"
"Bastard! I'll make you feel what I felt last time. Today I'll pay you back!"
"Please," Hahli said, "wait! Please!"
She slipped on a piece of the ceiling and crashed into his back, arms wrapping around his stomach.
Poof!
"Kopeke," Pohatu asked walking in, "what was that loud noise?"
"Jaller's here." Kopeke said through clenched teeth.
"I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry!" Hahli cried. "Ah…" She picked up a golden furred cat. "Why is there a cat?"
Song: Run Around
Artist: Yamato Ishida and the Teenage Wolves
Herrmann: The title meaning makes you curious, I know, but it's origins cannot be revealed yet. Ah… this chapter is terribly long… XP There are twenty-three volumes of Furuba, so there should be about (hold, I have to do some calculations here) 140 chapters.