Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters. Rika Aimi and Kiev Lampri belong to their respectful owner: Epipen. Yes, of course I was given express permission to use those characters in this story. 3
Bare with me? This is a rewrite of a story I started about 4 years ago. I'm still in the process of rewriting it so I might be a tad slow with popping out the chapters~
Thunder rumbled in the distance, low and threatening like the growl of a distressed feline. The soft pitter patter of rain against the window gave further warning to a storm, meaning she didn't have much time. The weather certainly wasn't going to wait around for her slim, yet undoubtedly lazy ass to kick itself into gear. Mimi, with steps as fluid and graceful as the rain itself, slipped across her bedroom to her closet. Her nose wrinkled in distaste, as if having smelled something terribly rank. To say she was not pleased with her current wardrobe would be something of an understatement. At some point, it seemed, she had grown unhappy with every last piece of clothing in her possession, and the only remedy to this would be shopping. She wouldn't do it now; she would wait for Rika and Cynri and they could make a day of it. For now it seemed she would be scrounging around for something decent to wear like a ravenous little rat searching for any ration of food it could get its paws on.
She emerged the next moment, comfortable clothes adorning her body, yet still fashionable enough to suit her needs, and hair styled into the twintails that it never seemed to stray from. The faint smudges left behind from her eyeliner seemed to have had vanished and her makeup reapplied to give her a more refreshed look. Teal eyes flickered to the window above the bed, and she watched in silence as the rain painted the glass. Clouds had gathered, leaving the skies dark, ominous and otherwise unseen if not for the bolts and flashes of lightning that would occasionally illuminate the sky. The storm was strengthening, and moving quite quickly at that. She had to go now, or the moment would be lost entirely.
Mimi made her way down the spiral staircase that connected to her room, her steps as light and soundless on the wood as a single feather hitting the ground. A particularly loud clap of thunder, so violent it rattled the outside walls of the apartment, caused her lips to crack into a grin. There was a certain happiness, she found, in thunderstorms. Irrational maybe, but a guilty pleasure regardless, and she wouldn't be caught dead sitting at home, lazing around while she could be enjoying it perfectly well outside. And that was exactly what she planned to do.
The downstairs had become virtually deserted when she hadn't been looking, she noticed with a slight wrinkle of her nose. The days of endless merriment and properly fucking off were in the past now, and she wasn't too fond of it, but it was no longer her choice. She had something of a mission to complete, and it would have been selfish to keep to herself, running off while Rika and Cynri took care of the work for her. And she was just not that type of woman, at least she liked to think so.
A distinct falter had wormed its way into the bounce of her step, but she did what she could to ignore it, as well as her mind which had run off with her sanity it seemed, and instead set out for something to fill that tiny little dragon in her stomach that was never quelled, no matter how hard she tried.
The rain was heavy, droplets the size of quarters hitting the pavement and leaving it a much darker shadow of itself, and it seemed to only fall harder as she stepped out from under the awning of the apartment building. Puddles had begun to form, and she pranced along the curb of the sidewalk, watching as torrents of rain washed down into the storm drains that hung about in the shady corners of the streets.
The crowds had disbanded, people waving their goodbyes to seek shelter beneath the slight overhang of the city's shops and office buildings, which left Mimi to dance around in the rain at her leisure, soaked to the bone, but pleased all the same. She had a craving for pizza, she decided as the scent of cheese swept through the air and past her nose, lifted along the wind from the little parlor down the street. Mimi grinned, defined canines peeking out behind pink lips, and she picked her away across the road to grab a slice of pepperoni and a coke.
A few hours later found her with a few new manga and a full belly, at least for the moment, but the storm raged on. The streets had begun to flood, forcing her to take a detour home, but it was nothing of a bother. The trees were her second home, and she had forged paths through them countless times. She rounded a corner, clutching the plastic bag to her chest to keep her precious stories safe, as nothing ever read quite right once the paper had become warped from water damage. She passed an alley, a shallow gap between a dentistry and a corner mart, but it was neither of these that gave her pause. It was the flash of orange out of the corner of her eye that had moved in a jerky way, like an army of undead, that had made her stop completely. She moved into the alley with cautious steps, and her breath caught softly in her throat as she sniffed the air. It was diluted heavily by the overwhelming scent of trash and mold, but she could make it out all the same.
Blood.
It smelled fresh, and the potent scent made her head spin a bit. A sinking feeling began to twist in her gut, and as cautious steps shifted to a sprint, she could make out rumpled, tangled fur, that unfortunately, had become matted with blood. Her heart sank in her chest, her blood running as cold as the little kitten she swept up to clutch to her chest, the plastic bag tossed haphazardly over one arm, the danger of water to the pages of her manga forgotten. The soft, ragged rise and fall of its chest was the only confirmation she had to answer the question that had been weighing on her mind. Should she be taking this creature to her house for some repair, or to be properly laid to rest? She was relieved beyond all else when she found its heartbeat.
"How long have you been out here?" she whispered, disheartened by whatever unsavory act had been committed so that this cat might have met its demise. Anger overcoming sorrow, Mimi growled, and it was echoed by the rolling thunder overhead. "You're gonna be just fine." She said, though her tone had seen happier days. It had grown clipped, with a harsh bite that had scared off many in its prime. She pulled the sweater from her shoulders and swaddled it around the orange ball of fluff, pulling it back to her chest to keep it warm and sheltered from the unforgiving rain. And it was with that she ran, setting off at a speed unmatched by most creatures, and wove her way through the labyrinth of trees back to the safe haven of her room.