Hi there, normally I write Slayers fics but I couldn't help writing this one. This is a bittersweet tale of the fall from grace to begin the climb back up again. Some of this was inspired by the Fruits Basket Manga vol. 3, especially with Shigure and his "Dream". As I stated BEFORE, it follows the end of the anime. I have no idea what happens in the mange version except what I've read from the current 1-3 vols. released by Tokyo Pop. I do know that the Chicken's name is Kureno and it's a guy and that the horse is a girl. I didn't know her name, so I gave her the name Tama because I knew it wasn't her real name. If you have read the manga version and know what happens with the horse, just think of this as a different version of it. In this fic, the Horse and the Dog have a "special" relationship, and the Horse and the Bear are related.

The Unfortunate Horse

"Hi, my name is Tohru Honda. My mother who I loved dearly was killed in a car accident and now I live with the Sohmas who hold a great secret. The spirits of the Chinese Zodiac possesses them and if they bump into a member of the opposite sex, they transform into animals. I live with Shigure-san(the Dog), Sohma Yuki(the Rat), and Kyo-ku(the cat). Recently I've discovered that the Cat who wasn't invited to join the Zodiac doesn't just transform into cats, they also have a monstrous form... poor Kyo-kun! I've visited the Sohma's main estate a couple of times and the time I went, I had a meeting with the Sohma Head, Akito-san. I haven't been there for months now; I wander when I do, what will happen," narrates Tohru's voice.

"Tohru-kun, where's Yuki tonight?!" Called out Shigure's voice from another room.
"Oh, he has a student council meeting tonight, so he'll be late for dinner," Replied Tohru, setting the dinning table with food.

Kyo entered the scene to discover what's on the table.
"Leek Stew! Why is there Leek Stew?!" Shouts Kyo in rage.
"Oh Kyo-kun, sorry! Kisa-san is going to see me about something tonight and she hasn't had dinner yet. I know that she loves Leek Stew, so I made it for us to eat but I didn't think about you hating it... oh, I'll just go a make something else for you!" replies Tohru, in a panic.
"No you don't...." began Kyo but it was too late because Tohru already jetted into the kitchen and started cooking.
"Nice going, Kyo-kun," Comments Shigure entering the scene.
"It's not my fault, she never stops to think,"
"You're the one who doesn't think, she's a lady and you should treat ladies gently like delicate flowers. How else are you going to get one to love you" scolds Shigure with closed, happy eyes.

Kyo blushed but seemed to take offense to that.
"You're one to talk, all you have dealt with are fantasy girls! When you actually have a relationship with a girl, let me know!" he retorted.

Shigure's eyes opened and narrowed but he turned around and snickered;
"...And when you come with terms with your true form enough that you can let her see you like that openly, let me know. Otherwise, you know nothing,"
"Shigure you bastard, go to Hell!" exclaimed Kyo, storming out of the house and into the night.
"Kyo-kun!" realized Tohru. Then she turned to Shigure. "What happened?" she asked him, nervously.
"Something he said got to me and then I got him back. I thing I went a little too far, I'm not sure that he'll come back," sighed Shigure, sitting at the table to eat.
"What, no," said Tohru, putting down the pot of Stewed Leeks on the table and running out after Kyo.

Kyo didn't go to the roof like usual. He found himself at Yuki's 'Secret Base' and sat down under a tree next to it. When he heard rustling from the bushes, he went into attack mode but stop seconds away from kicking Tohru.
"Tohru, what are you doing following me?!" he snapped and fell to the ground, relieved that he held back.
"I heard lots of shouting and then Shigure-san told me that you two had an argument and you might not come back. I had to make sure that wasn't going to happen," explained Tohru.
"Tohru, no offense; but leave me alone. I think I'm going to leave and live on my own. It seems like no one wants me around unless I do everything they want me to do," growls Kyo, not daring to look at her.

Tohru didn't know what to say. She knew that he was hurting but didn't know why.
"I like having you around. You make things interesting and you really care about people. You listen to me and I want to listen to you. Shigure-san and the others, know their place in the family. I know that you sometimes feel out of place but I'm out of place, too. Sohma-kun has admitted that he feels out of place in the family, as well. So, you're not alone. You should be able to be yourself around us and not have to worry about expectations from other people. Kyo-kun, I like you the way that you are... no matter what," solaced Tohru.

Kyo was silent for a moment, then he spoke up.
"That's different. Usually you quote something that your mother said to you, now you're saying your own words. I like it better that way because I know you're being honest. Just know that not every Zodiac member knows their place. Some are stuck there because of their fate. I'm glad, that's not me. Shigure-san thinks he knows everything. He's always up to something and hiding it, covering it with sayings and lies. He's always smiling and carefree like nothing is wrong to him but everything is wrong. Him denying it, makes me even more suspicious," explained Kyo.
"Shigure knows what he's doing. I think that the truth to all lies eventually come out. Creating lies for a long time becomes like a defense, they think it will keep them from getting hurt. Keeping lies just ends up hurting them more. All that I can hope is that he doesn't have to lie anymore and can be able to show his true feelings," said Tohru.
"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I bet Kisa-san is at the house by now and dinner is getting cold. We should hurry back.... right?" decided Kyo.
"Right," agreed Tohru with a bright smile.

The two arrived at Shigure's house and just like Kyo predicted, Kisa was waiting in the dinning room. Shigure looked up from the table to see Kyo. He readied for a verbal assault from him.
"Shigure, don't piss me off like that again. This time, I'm too hungry to stay angry," commented Kyo, sitting down next to Kisa.

Tohru placed a plate of salmon in front of Kyo and served Kisa, while Shigure was in deep thought.
"Shigure-san? Are you okay?" Tohru asked him.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Boy am I hungry, let's dig in!" he switched.

They were finished eating when Kisa brought up something.
"Um, tomorrow is Momiji's birthday, see. My mommy and I planned a surprise birthday party for him at the estate... um, she said I could invite you. So, would you please go?" asked Kisa, nervously.
"A party for Momiji?! Of course, I'll go! I already got a present for him, I bought it yesterday," replied Tohru, overjoyed.
"Yay!" cheered Kisa.

The next day, Tohru was ready to walk to the Sohma estate with present in hand when Shigure approached her.
"Do you mind if I accompanied you? I need to talk to Tori-san so we might as well go together," he asked her.
"Sure, the more the merrier, right?" agreed Tohru.
"Oh no, you're not going to go alone with Tohru-kun..." began Yuki, entering the scene.
"It's okay, I'm going to Momiji's surprise birthday party and there will be a lot of people! I'm sure he'd love to see Shigure-san there, too," assured Tohru.
"Um, that's not really what I was worried about," tried Yuki.
"Yuki, it would be horrible if we were late because of you! We really should be going, Tohru-kun," interjected Shigure, quickly.

There was nothing else Yuki could say and he watched as the two walked out the door. Tohru and Shigure arrived at the Sohma's main estate and walked inside. Kisa and Hime met up Tohru, and Kisa lead her to where the party was to take place. Meanwhile, Shigure walked to Hatori's office building.
"Tori-san, I have arrived!" he announced.
"Good, now leave," replied Tori sarcastically.
"Oh Tori-san, how mean; especially when I came all this way to talk to you!" wailed Shigure melodramatically.
"I suppose that means I should get tea ready," sighed Hatori. "Just be glad it's a slow day, Akito has gone out with Kureno and there's Momiji's party," commented Hatori, walking over to a small kitchen and preparing tea.
"I'd say it's perfect timing,"
"So, what do you have to see me about?"
"I had 'That Dream' again. You remember that, the one that I had when we were little and we cried hoping that it would come true. This time 'She' was in it," began Shigure, sitting down at a small table.
"She? She who... oh, her. Why did you all of a sudden dream of 'Her' do you think?" asked Tori as the teakettle whistled loudly.

He removed the kettle from the stove and poured some into two cups. He put the kettle back on the stove and brought the two cups of tea to the table where Shigure was sitting.
"Yesterday, Kyo-kun mentioned something about me not knowing anything about a real relationship with a girl. Usually that kind of thing wouldn't get to me but he has a way with words sometimes that cuts through people, you know? 'Her' image came to my mind and I got upset. So, I referred to his 'True Form' and he left the house. He probably would've left for good if Tohru-kun hadn't gone after him. They were gone for some time and then when they came back, everything was back to normal. She laughed happily and I couldn't help but think of 'Her' again. How she used to laugh and dance happily with people, like there wasn't a care in the world. So much like Tohru-kun where her absolute optimism blinds them to the horrors or reality. They can only be good-natured and have positive outlooks and they fail to think about the negative parts of life. I guess I couldn't keep things from my dreams," explained Shigure.
"So, what was 'She' like in the dream?" continued Tori, pressing.
"Just like she was a long time ago, before... she looked exactly like she did the day I met and knew 'Her' for the first time. Remember, it was the same day I told you and Aya about the dream..." replied Shigure.

In a flashback sequence; Tori and Aya who seemed to be around seven years old had their backs against a balcony wall, where a young Shigure stood on top of it close to the edge. They all were sobbing quietly when Shigure stood tall and clenched a fist.
"I promise... I promise I'll do everything I have to, to make that dream a reality! I'll do anything for the people I care about the most!" he vowed.

Just then, there was a strong blast of wind that hit him, knocking him off of the balcony wall, and he began to fall to the ground below. He closed his eyes, ready for the harsh impact but instead landed with a 'thud' ontop of something soft and warm. He opened his eyes and looked down to see that he was on the back of a little horse. The horse had a tan coat and light brown mane (with a little pink barrette in it) and tail.
"Are, are you okay?" a female voice asked him.

Shigure stopped the flashback to stand up.
"I think, I need to walk around for a little bit," he announced.
"Shigure, you can try to deny the past but eventually it will catch up with you again. If you're not ready for it, it could end up destroying you," warned Tori, not looking up from his finished tea.
"I'm not ready yet but if it does come, I can bare the consequences," said Shigure and he walked out of the office.

He walked around the building and kept on walking. Meanwhile, Momiji's party had ended and Tohru waved goodbye to all of the children, including Momiji.
"Bye Tohru, thanks for the present!" he called out to her.
"You're welcome, Momiji-san," replied Tohru and she walked to the outside gate.

She looked around for Shigure but he wasn't there.
"He must still be busy with Tori-san, I think I'll just walk around for a bit and wait for him," thought Tohru.

So she went around the corner of a building to see an object not too far away from her. She walked closer to it to discover that it was a horse with a tan coat and a light brown mane and tail. "A horse..." she sighed in awe.