Fruits Basket is the creation of Natsuki Takaya

The cleaning done, Tohru clapped her hands together. "All finished! So, Kisa, Hiro, I'm ready to go now."

From where he was leaning on the wall, Hiro looked at her critically. "It's about time. You know, it's pretty rude of you to keep people waiting just because you didn't plan ahead."

"I'm- I'm sorry," apologized Tohru, "but things got, uh..."

"Hiro, stop it. Oneechan works hard and she can't help how long it takes her to finish the cleaning."

Abashed, Hiro said nothing more. Kisa looked at Tohru. "So where are we going to go, oneechan?"

"Well, we could go to the park, or maybe to the movies. Isn't there a new `Mogeta' movie coming out soon?"

Hiro was about to say something, but remembering his recent scolding, kept his opinion to himself. Tohru did notice a disappointed look on Kisa's face, however. "Is- is there someplace else you'd rather go instead?"

"It's just that it seems like we go to the park or the movies whenever we go out together. I mean- I love doing that. I was just hoping that we could do something different today."

"Oh." Tohru thought about it for a moment. "Maybe it's true that I hadn't really planned anything for us. I'm sorry."

"N-no, oneechan, don't apologize. You don't have to apologize for anything. Right, Hiro?"

Hiro was not stupid. "Uh, yes?"

"See? Hiro thinks so too. But it would be nice to do something different."

"Something different. If it was warmer, we could go to the beach. Maybe we could go to an indoor pool? Or... how about the zoo?"

Kisa perked up. "The zoo?"

"Sure! Do you like the zoo?"

"I don't know. I've never been."

"You haven't? Then that settles it. We're definitely going to the zoo!"

An odd look crossed Hiro's face, like he was trying to remember something somone had told him years before. He shrugged the shoulders of his mind. "If it's really important, I'd remember it."

Tohru looked over at the boy. "Did you say something, Hiro?"

"No, just thinking out loud. Let's go."

Kyo slugged back a nice long drink of cold milk. Yeah, maybe it was a little gross to drink it right out of the carton. But on the other hand, it kept Yuki from drinking any.

Yuki poked his head in the kitchen. "Hey, cat, have you seen Honda?"

Kyo shrugged and wiped his mouth. "Nope. I just got back myself." He put the carton back in the refrigerator and closed it.

Yuki pointed to the door of the refrigerator. "Is that a note on there?"

"Looks like it." Kyou took the note off the door and read it. "`Everyone - I'm going with Kisa and Hiro on an outing to the zoo. I'll be back for dinner.'"

"Oh, the zoo. That's nice." Yuki smiled indulgently.

A brief pause.

Then, the realization hit both of them at once. Yuki and Kyo stared at each other: "The ZOO?" Yuki paled while Kyo frantically looked for his jacket.

"We've gotta go after them!" Kyo pulled his jacket on quickly.

"There's no way we'd make it in time. I think Hiro has a cell phone, so we can call him."

"Great. What's his number?" Kyo picked up the phone and was ready to dial.

"I don't know."

"THEN WHAT'S THE USE?"

"Hatori will know."

"I'm not that calling that bastard. You call him."

"That's the general idea, cat."

"Shut up."

In his office at Sohma House, Hatori Sohma was reading a newspaper. He tried to ignore the ringing phone for a few seconds, but then gave in to the inevitable and answered it.

"Hatori Sohma."

"Oh, hello, Yuki."

"Yes, I have his number here. Why do you want it?"

"..."

"Oh, bloody hell."

"This is Kyoko Nakahara from TV Tokyo News, reporting from the Tokyo Zoological Park. The zoo is currently being evacuated after the tigers escaped from their enclosure in the "Great Cats of Asia" exhibit. There are unconfirmed reports of three children that are surrounded by the wild beasts. Zoo officials are baffled..."

Yuki's call did not reach them quite in time.

Kisa giggled as a ten-foot-long, 500-pound tigress licked her face. "It's like a cat's tongue, but much, much bigger!"

"Th-th-th-th-that's n-n-nice, K-k-k-kisa." Yes, thought Tohru, the tigers seemed friendly enough, but the close proximity of so many of them was pants-messingly terrifying.

"Uh...for next time?" Hiro tried to keep a brave face while talking to Tohru--a difficult feat to manage when one's teeth are chattering.

"Y-yes, Hiro?"

"L-let's go to Sea World instead."

"G-good idea."

You have been reading...

When The Tigers Broke Free

a Fruits Basket spamfic by Geoduck

Presented by Bad Ideas Gone Wrong Productions

Author's note: Yes, another case where the title would have given away the story... maybe?

Hope you enjoyed reading.