This is my first Furuba (or Fruits Basket) fanfic, so please be nice. And don't worry, Mai-chan, I'll be getting the other one up soon. I hope.
As for a minor disclaimer…I own Sasurai Asamoya, Pug, Kiri Asamoya, and Shiraha Asamoya. Kelsey (yes, Kelsey!) owns Arai Sohma. I do NOT own any of the FB characters, understood? I may own more characters later, but this is just for the beginning.
I have NO clue who Sasu's going to pair up with, so suggestions and comments would be welcome. As for Arai…well, Kelsey and I are discussing that. XD So, sit tight, because this story is about to start! I don't expect my usual reviewers to read this (well, maybe some), but maybe I can get some new ones! Much love to Mai-chan for inspiring me on FB fanfics, especially on the Zodiac one, which WILL go up. Eventually!
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She ran…kept running, even when her chest seized up painfully so that she couldn't breathe regularly, even though heat seared her skin until she cried out in desperation…help, she had to find help.
A protruding tree root made her stumble to the ground where she lay there, trembling. With a groan, she pushed herself up with shaking arms, decorated with burns. "Have to…find help…" She whispered to herself, almost distractedly. "I have to…" Reaching out to find an anchor so that she could get to her feet, her fingers brushed against something soft and warm.
A black dog, with ears standing straight up, stood in front of her, watching her calmly.
"…Hey, dog…are you lost?" She smiled wearily. "I…don't suppose…you know anyone…who can help them…"
The dog tilted its head, with an oddly intelligent look on its ebon face. It wagged its tail once and stepped closer, nudging the girl until she reached up, grasping its fur.
"You're…going to be my anchor…then?"
The dog actually nodded.
"…All right…lead the way, Lassie…" She would wonder later.
The canine waited patiently until she had risen, and then began a slow, yet purposeful walk. It obviously knew where it was going, so she decided to go along with it. Keeping a hand on its back, she wobbled along. From time to time, the dog glanced back, making encouraging whimpers in its throat.
She didn't know how long they kept moving…how far they had gone…until she suddenly came upon a house, nestled among the trees. There were lights…which meant there were people inside.
"Help…" She couldn't scream or shout anymore. Her voice was just a quiet rasp, thick with inhaled smoke and some sort of emotion…grief? Pain?
Her new canine friend decided to help out and let out a thundering "WOOF!" That ought to do it, she thought, blinking.
--Inside--
"Yes, we'll be sure to keep an eye out for her, Arai." The gray-haired boy nodded, forgetting that the person on the other end of the line couldn't see the head movement. "I heard about the fire…I can understand why you're worried…mm-hm…we'll go check as soon as we can. All right." He hung up the phone and looked down at the two people at the table, glancing at him quizzically.
"Is something the matter, Yuki-kun?" The brown-haired female spoke up first, her big blue eyes reflecting concern.
"It was Arai?" The orange-haired male asked, frowning. "Why'd she call? She NEVER calls."
"You were listening, baka neko," Yuki replied calmly. "Figure it out." Both the boy and the girl still seemed puzzled, so he sighed. "There was a fire in the area where her best friend lives. She lives too far away to check, so she called to see if we would go investigate."
The other boy shook his head. "Have fun."
"That means you too."
"Hell no! Shigure went out after Tohru hugged him, let HIM look for her friend!"
"I'll go with you, Yuki-kun!" Tohru rose. "If it were Uo-chan or Hana-chan or either of you, I'd be worried too. I'm going to help Arai-san! …Whoever she is."
Yuki smiled at her. "Arai is our cousin, but she's not one of the Zodiac. She keeps to herself mostly. Arigato, Honda-san."
"Oh, it's no problem!" She smiled back and was about to leave when the loud barking outside made her halt. "…Shigure-san?"
"It's that lecher, all right." The orange-haired boy scowled. "Did he lock himself out or something?"
"I'll go open the door for him!" Tohru ran to the door and slid it open. Instantly, her hand rose to her mouth and she let out a soft scream. "Shigure-san, what happened?? Kyou-kun, Yuki-kun, please come quickly!"
Alarmed at her tone, the two boys hurried over to her…and saw a rather strange sight.
There was the dog, standing quite still…and, one hand on his back…there was a girl. She didn't seem to be any older than the three at the door, and she looked a mess. Brown hair spilled over her shoulders, a few strands falling across her ashen face. Her hazel eyes, a mixture of brown and light green, were huge in her face. Her bare arms were burned, and her clothes were charred and blackened. A hoarse voice emerged from her dry mouth.
"Onegai…tasukete…" (A/N: Please…help…) She slowly sank to the ground, settling on her knees, still clutching the dog's fur.
Tohru took off her sweater, running out in her socks to wrap it around the girl. "Can you walk?" She asked kindly.
"…Mmm-hmmm…" Sure enough, with Tohru's assistance, she was able to get up once again. Yuki and Kyou ran to help steady her by the arms, and, between the three of them, they managed to get her inside.
"I'm going to clean her up." The other girl looked at her friends. "Can you two please make a bed for her?"
"Of course, Honda-san," Yuki agreed. Kyou snorted.
"I don't see why I--"
"Stop being stubborn and help," his cousin told him sternly. Kyou, about to challenge the damned rat to a fight, saw Tohru and the girl looking at him, the latter letting out a small sigh, before Tohru escorted her to her room.
--Twenty Minutes Later…--
"All right, she's all settled in." Tohru smiled at the three males waiting outside the door, two human, one canine. "But I think she's about to fall asleep, so we should probably talk to her only briefly."
Yuki and Kyou nodded silently, and the dog trotted inside the room, over to the makeshift bed (consisting of a lot of sheets and blankets), and lay down beside the girl, who turned slowly on her side to look at him. She was wearing a pair of Tohru's pajamas, blue flannel, and the dirt and grime on her face had been completely cleaned off. Her arms were bandaged, made noticeable as she raised one to scratch behind the dog's fuzzy ears.
"Thank you," she whispered to the dog. "I owe you a lot…"
Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou, peering in, saw the girl conversing with the dog, and decided to wait until tomorrow to talk to her. They retreated.
"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet…" The girl laughed embarrassedly. "My name…is Sasurai. Most everyone calls me Sasu, but my best friend calls me Sass…" She smiled crookedly at the canine, who thumped his tail on the floor. "You're probably wondering…what's up…huh, Inu-chan?" There was a long pause, and then she took a deep breath. "The truth is…my house…my house caught on fire or something…I managed to get out with only a few burns, but my mom and my older sister…I don't know if they got out…so I ran…to get help…and you found me."
The dog let out a low whimper, as if he understood.
Sasurai gazed at him, her eyes, now a darker brown, searching his own. "It's like you can understand me," she murmured tiredly. "I hope you don't think I'm crazy, for talking to a dog…"
"No, not at all. In fact, I find it quite refreshing."
The girl blinked in bemusement as a puff of smoke (complete with a POP) surrounded the dog, obscuring her view of him. When it faded, a black-haired man smiled sheepishly at her.
He wasn't wearing any clothes.
"Oh, and my name's not Lassie. I am, as you can perfectly see, a male. My name is Shigure and it's nice to meet you, Sasu-chan."
Sasurai did the only thing a reasonable, high-school girl with a naked man lying in front of her would do.
She grabbed the nearest object, a pencil holder, and threw it at his head.
In the main room of the house, the three teenagers could hear several loud cries.
"Yes, well, I KNOW it looks bad, but please believe me, I was just--"
"I don't know who the hell you are, but get away from me and GET SOME CLOTHES ON!!"
"I TOLD you, I am Shigure, and you -CLUNK-…have got quite a throwing arm. Have you ever thought about taking up baseball? -CLUNK- Tohru-kuuuuun, Tohru-kun, please come and protect me from this savage creature!"
Yuki stood up. "I'll call Hatori and have him take a look at her…but I think she'll be fine."
Kyou rolled his eyes. "Great. And now Shigure's gone and transformed in front of her. What now?"
His cousin gazed at him with a stoic expression. "Hatori may be needed in more than one aspect," he said at last.
The orange-haired boy gawked at him. "You mean--"
"It's possible. It's up to the girl and Akito. But first…" Yuki picked up the phone and dialed a number. He listened intently into the earpiece, and then spoke. "Yes, Arai, she's fine…a little burnt, but nothing too serious." A pause. "She found out, so please tell Akito that she knows now. Not the entire story, but Shigure transformed right in front of her…all right…"
Tohru and Kyou exchanged a glance. The boy sighed heavily. "Damn…this could be bad…"
No one was aware, not even Sasurai, that this event had been no accident. No one knew her role in the unfolding saga…only one person knew, and he wasn't going to reveal the truth. Not yet. Not anytime soon.
"Well, yes, I AM sorry for showing you my magnificent body…you wouldn't happen to be a virgin, would you?"
"…"
"Uh…Sasu-chan…I really don't think you should be handling such heavy and dangerous objects in your condition…Sasu-chan…uh…Sasu-chan??"
"Well, at least she's got spirit," Yuki observed, still holding the phone.
--OOC--
Yes, I know the first chapter was kinda boring… They usually are, in my case. But things should liven up considerably by the next chapter, so please review! And NO, I am NOT pairing Sasurai with Shigure. Just to let you know. NEXT Chapter!
- Shigure sits Sasurai down to have "The Talk". And no, I'm not talking about the birds and the bees.
- Hatori, Hatsuharu, and Momiji meet Sasurai, and Kyou and Yuki investigate the burned house. What they find…and what about Hatori? Will Sasu lose her memories?
- It's back to school, where you lucky readers get to meet Arai Sohma…and also the very strange new pet of Sasurai's. If you know me, you'll definitely know what it is. XD
As for a minor disclaimer…I own Sasurai Asamoya, Pug, Kiri Asamoya, and Shiraha Asamoya. Kelsey (yes, Kelsey!) owns Arai Sohma. I do NOT own any of the FB characters, understood? I may own more characters later, but this is just for the beginning.
I have NO clue who Sasu's going to pair up with, so suggestions and comments would be welcome. As for Arai…well, Kelsey and I are discussing that. XD So, sit tight, because this story is about to start! I don't expect my usual reviewers to read this (well, maybe some), but maybe I can get some new ones! Much love to Mai-chan for inspiring me on FB fanfics, especially on the Zodiac one, which WILL go up. Eventually!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She ran…kept running, even when her chest seized up painfully so that she couldn't breathe regularly, even though heat seared her skin until she cried out in desperation…help, she had to find help.
A protruding tree root made her stumble to the ground where she lay there, trembling. With a groan, she pushed herself up with shaking arms, decorated with burns. "Have to…find help…" She whispered to herself, almost distractedly. "I have to…" Reaching out to find an anchor so that she could get to her feet, her fingers brushed against something soft and warm.
A black dog, with ears standing straight up, stood in front of her, watching her calmly.
"…Hey, dog…are you lost?" She smiled wearily. "I…don't suppose…you know anyone…who can help them…"
The dog tilted its head, with an oddly intelligent look on its ebon face. It wagged its tail once and stepped closer, nudging the girl until she reached up, grasping its fur.
"You're…going to be my anchor…then?"
The dog actually nodded.
"…All right…lead the way, Lassie…" She would wonder later.
The canine waited patiently until she had risen, and then began a slow, yet purposeful walk. It obviously knew where it was going, so she decided to go along with it. Keeping a hand on its back, she wobbled along. From time to time, the dog glanced back, making encouraging whimpers in its throat.
She didn't know how long they kept moving…how far they had gone…until she suddenly came upon a house, nestled among the trees. There were lights…which meant there were people inside.
"Help…" She couldn't scream or shout anymore. Her voice was just a quiet rasp, thick with inhaled smoke and some sort of emotion…grief? Pain?
Her new canine friend decided to help out and let out a thundering "WOOF!" That ought to do it, she thought, blinking.
--Inside--
"Yes, we'll be sure to keep an eye out for her, Arai." The gray-haired boy nodded, forgetting that the person on the other end of the line couldn't see the head movement. "I heard about the fire…I can understand why you're worried…mm-hm…we'll go check as soon as we can. All right." He hung up the phone and looked down at the two people at the table, glancing at him quizzically.
"Is something the matter, Yuki-kun?" The brown-haired female spoke up first, her big blue eyes reflecting concern.
"It was Arai?" The orange-haired male asked, frowning. "Why'd she call? She NEVER calls."
"You were listening, baka neko," Yuki replied calmly. "Figure it out." Both the boy and the girl still seemed puzzled, so he sighed. "There was a fire in the area where her best friend lives. She lives too far away to check, so she called to see if we would go investigate."
The other boy shook his head. "Have fun."
"That means you too."
"Hell no! Shigure went out after Tohru hugged him, let HIM look for her friend!"
"I'll go with you, Yuki-kun!" Tohru rose. "If it were Uo-chan or Hana-chan or either of you, I'd be worried too. I'm going to help Arai-san! …Whoever she is."
Yuki smiled at her. "Arai is our cousin, but she's not one of the Zodiac. She keeps to herself mostly. Arigato, Honda-san."
"Oh, it's no problem!" She smiled back and was about to leave when the loud barking outside made her halt. "…Shigure-san?"
"It's that lecher, all right." The orange-haired boy scowled. "Did he lock himself out or something?"
"I'll go open the door for him!" Tohru ran to the door and slid it open. Instantly, her hand rose to her mouth and she let out a soft scream. "Shigure-san, what happened?? Kyou-kun, Yuki-kun, please come quickly!"
Alarmed at her tone, the two boys hurried over to her…and saw a rather strange sight.
There was the dog, standing quite still…and, one hand on his back…there was a girl. She didn't seem to be any older than the three at the door, and she looked a mess. Brown hair spilled over her shoulders, a few strands falling across her ashen face. Her hazel eyes, a mixture of brown and light green, were huge in her face. Her bare arms were burned, and her clothes were charred and blackened. A hoarse voice emerged from her dry mouth.
"Onegai…tasukete…" (A/N: Please…help…) She slowly sank to the ground, settling on her knees, still clutching the dog's fur.
Tohru took off her sweater, running out in her socks to wrap it around the girl. "Can you walk?" She asked kindly.
"…Mmm-hmmm…" Sure enough, with Tohru's assistance, she was able to get up once again. Yuki and Kyou ran to help steady her by the arms, and, between the three of them, they managed to get her inside.
"I'm going to clean her up." The other girl looked at her friends. "Can you two please make a bed for her?"
"Of course, Honda-san," Yuki agreed. Kyou snorted.
"I don't see why I--"
"Stop being stubborn and help," his cousin told him sternly. Kyou, about to challenge the damned rat to a fight, saw Tohru and the girl looking at him, the latter letting out a small sigh, before Tohru escorted her to her room.
--Twenty Minutes Later…--
"All right, she's all settled in." Tohru smiled at the three males waiting outside the door, two human, one canine. "But I think she's about to fall asleep, so we should probably talk to her only briefly."
Yuki and Kyou nodded silently, and the dog trotted inside the room, over to the makeshift bed (consisting of a lot of sheets and blankets), and lay down beside the girl, who turned slowly on her side to look at him. She was wearing a pair of Tohru's pajamas, blue flannel, and the dirt and grime on her face had been completely cleaned off. Her arms were bandaged, made noticeable as she raised one to scratch behind the dog's fuzzy ears.
"Thank you," she whispered to the dog. "I owe you a lot…"
Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou, peering in, saw the girl conversing with the dog, and decided to wait until tomorrow to talk to her. They retreated.
"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet…" The girl laughed embarrassedly. "My name…is Sasurai. Most everyone calls me Sasu, but my best friend calls me Sass…" She smiled crookedly at the canine, who thumped his tail on the floor. "You're probably wondering…what's up…huh, Inu-chan?" There was a long pause, and then she took a deep breath. "The truth is…my house…my house caught on fire or something…I managed to get out with only a few burns, but my mom and my older sister…I don't know if they got out…so I ran…to get help…and you found me."
The dog let out a low whimper, as if he understood.
Sasurai gazed at him, her eyes, now a darker brown, searching his own. "It's like you can understand me," she murmured tiredly. "I hope you don't think I'm crazy, for talking to a dog…"
"No, not at all. In fact, I find it quite refreshing."
The girl blinked in bemusement as a puff of smoke (complete with a POP) surrounded the dog, obscuring her view of him. When it faded, a black-haired man smiled sheepishly at her.
He wasn't wearing any clothes.
"Oh, and my name's not Lassie. I am, as you can perfectly see, a male. My name is Shigure and it's nice to meet you, Sasu-chan."
Sasurai did the only thing a reasonable, high-school girl with a naked man lying in front of her would do.
She grabbed the nearest object, a pencil holder, and threw it at his head.
In the main room of the house, the three teenagers could hear several loud cries.
"Yes, well, I KNOW it looks bad, but please believe me, I was just--"
"I don't know who the hell you are, but get away from me and GET SOME CLOTHES ON!!"
"I TOLD you, I am Shigure, and you -CLUNK-…have got quite a throwing arm. Have you ever thought about taking up baseball? -CLUNK- Tohru-kuuuuun, Tohru-kun, please come and protect me from this savage creature!"
Yuki stood up. "I'll call Hatori and have him take a look at her…but I think she'll be fine."
Kyou rolled his eyes. "Great. And now Shigure's gone and transformed in front of her. What now?"
His cousin gazed at him with a stoic expression. "Hatori may be needed in more than one aspect," he said at last.
The orange-haired boy gawked at him. "You mean--"
"It's possible. It's up to the girl and Akito. But first…" Yuki picked up the phone and dialed a number. He listened intently into the earpiece, and then spoke. "Yes, Arai, she's fine…a little burnt, but nothing too serious." A pause. "She found out, so please tell Akito that she knows now. Not the entire story, but Shigure transformed right in front of her…all right…"
Tohru and Kyou exchanged a glance. The boy sighed heavily. "Damn…this could be bad…"
No one was aware, not even Sasurai, that this event had been no accident. No one knew her role in the unfolding saga…only one person knew, and he wasn't going to reveal the truth. Not yet. Not anytime soon.
"Well, yes, I AM sorry for showing you my magnificent body…you wouldn't happen to be a virgin, would you?"
"…"
"Uh…Sasu-chan…I really don't think you should be handling such heavy and dangerous objects in your condition…Sasu-chan…uh…Sasu-chan??"
"Well, at least she's got spirit," Yuki observed, still holding the phone.
--OOC--
Yes, I know the first chapter was kinda boring… They usually are, in my case. But things should liven up considerably by the next chapter, so please review! And NO, I am NOT pairing Sasurai with Shigure. Just to let you know. NEXT Chapter!
- Shigure sits Sasurai down to have "The Talk". And no, I'm not talking about the birds and the bees.
- Hatori, Hatsuharu, and Momiji meet Sasurai, and Kyou and Yuki investigate the burned house. What they find…and what about Hatori? Will Sasu lose her memories?
- It's back to school, where you lucky readers get to meet Arai Sohma…and also the very strange new pet of Sasurai's. If you know me, you'll definitely know what it is. XD