Changed for the Better: A Fruits Basket Fan Fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own the copyrights to Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.

Chap 1: Homecoming

Tohru Honda closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It would be another hour on the train until she would be home again with the Sohmas. However, that thought got her heart racing and she opened her eyes.

"I can't wait until I get home!" she thought excitedly. " I haven't seen everyone in so long. I wonder if they have changed at all since I have been gone? I hope I haven't changed too much; even though I may not look it, I still feel like that girl who went to live with Shigure-san, Yuki-kun, and Kyo-kun months and months ago. Those were such happier times. I wish that I could go back to those days…"

Tohru looked out the window and then at her wristwatch. "I also wish this train went faster. I want to see them so badly. I need to see them more than anything else right now."

"Umm…Miss? May we sit with you?"

Tohru, startled, turned to the aisle to see two young children, a boy and girl, staring back at her. " Of course!" she said cheerfully as she moved her things from the seat next to and across from her. " Are you both traveling alone?"

"No. Our mother is sleeping right now." the boy stated.

"Oh Dear! Where is she? You shouldn't get separated from your mother. She'll be worried when she wakes up."

"She's right over there," the girl said pointing across the aisle to a woman sound asleep.

I must have been so involved in my thoughts that I didn't notice them," she thought sadly to herself.

"What is your name Miss?" the boy asked inquisitively.

"Li! It isn't polite to ask for her name without giving your name first!" the girl exclaimed. " My name is Sara, and that is my big brother Li. What is your name Miss?"

Tohru was taken off guard by the forwardness of the children, but she also found them adorably cute.

"My name is Tohru Honda, Sara-san."

"My best friend's name is Tohru! She has the new Mogeta DVD and when I get home, we're going to watch it together!" Sara squealed in delight. " Do you like Mogeta, Tohru-san?"

"I love it!" Tohru said smiling.

"An adult like you likes Mogeta, Tohru-san?" Li asked wide-eyed.

"Li is eight too!" Sara squealed again.

"She's not eight, Sara! She's almost eighteen." Li said rolling his eyes.

"I'm five Tohru-san!" Sara announced.

"My! You're practically a lady!"

" Uh-huh! Mommy says when I'm grown I get to wear real make-up and wear high heels, but I already wear lipstick!"

Sara pulled out a tube of Chapstick at shoved it in Tohru's face. "Oh my! What a perfect color for you Sara-san! Just don't be tooeager to grow up too fast," Tohru said cheerfully as she gently pushed the Chapstick away.

"Sara, don't annoy Tohru-san so much." Li chided. "Tohru-san, if we're bothering you, we can leave."

" Oh no! I'm happy to have such lively company. I was afraid the train ride would be a little boring, but I am grateful now that it isn't."

"Why are you on the train Tohru-san? Are you going to visit your boyfriend? Did he give that bracelet?" Li asked.

Tohru turned bright red and waved her arms. The charms on the bracelet chimed as they hit each other. "Oh no! Well…er… a friend of mine's birthday is today and I got the weekend off work to go see him and his family. In fact, he and his family gave me this charm bracelet. It has all the animals from the zodiac on it."

"Why are there two tigers?" Sara asked looking at the different charms.

"One is a tiger; the other is the cat."

"There is no year of the cat, Tohru-san!" Li pointed out.

"That's true, Li-san. Do you know why?"

"No, Tohru-san. Why?"

" Well, to make a long story short, the cat was supposed to go to the banquet to become a member of the zodiac, but the rat tricked him and the cat slept through the feast."

"How sad," Sara said.

"Do you like the zodiac a lot, Tohru-san?" Li asked.

"Yes! I love every member of the zodiac!" Tohru exclaimed with a wide smile on her face.

"Does your boyfriend like the zodiac too?"

"Oh Li-san, I don't have a boyfriend," she said blushing and embarrassed.

"Good because I want to be your boyfriend, Tohru-san!" Li exclaimed. " I like the zodiac too!"

"Eh?" Tohru was confused.

"Li! Sara! What are you doing? Don't bother the young lady!" their mother said across the aisle.

" Oh, no! They're not bothering me one bit!" Tohru smiled. "In fact, they're keeping me company!"

Li and Sara's mother didn't say anything back, but stared at Tohru instead. "Oh no…here it comes…" Tohru thought.

"Excuse me Miss for staring, but I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. I think it was on TV or was it in a magazine?"

"Oh! Thank you for the complement. I'm flattered that you'd think that I'd be on television, but I don't think they'd let someone as common as me on TV," Tohru said embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. My apologies. You look so much like a girl I saw on Good Morning Tokyo yesterday morning. She was being interviewed for her part in the new play at the..."

"Oh her! Yes I do believe I saw that! I do resemble her a lot! In fact the other day someone mistook me for her. It happens all the time! I'm sorry." Tohru said in an upbeat tone, interrupting the mother. She felt horrible for doing so, but she knew where these conversations usually led. Tohru would tell the person that she was in the show, and then they would berate her with ticket requests. It killed her every time she said had to say she couldn't help them, and she didn't want things to be even more awkward between the mother and her.

"Tohru-san! Tohru-san! Look! The sun is setting!" Sara exclaimed while she tugged at Tohru's arm.

Tohru turned her attention to the little girl that had managed her way into Tohru's lap.

"It's very pretty, isn't it, Sara-san? The colors are beautiful," Tohru said looking out the window.

"I like the oranges the best!" Li said looking out the window.

"The pinks are better, don't you agree Tohru-san?" Sara asked.

"I think they are both equally wonder…"

All of a sudden the train's brakes kicked in and Tohru lurched forward in her seat, dropping Sara on the ground. Li hit his head on the window.

"Sara-san! Li-san!" Tohru barely heard their mother scream as she made her way toward Tohru. Everyone on the train seemed to be in a panic as well.

Tohru picked up the little girl from the floor as Sara's mother clutched her son. "We'll be all right, Sara-san. Stop crying. Everything is going to all right," Tohru softly whispered in Sara's ear.

"Passengers, this is the conductor speaking. We're asking everyone to remain seated and buckle his or her seat belt. There is an unidentified object on the tracks ahead. Again, this is the conductor speaking…

Tohru buckled Sara as fast as she could into the seat next to her. Sara and Li's mother did the same likewise for Li, but she didn't have time to buckle her own seat belt…

"Tohru-kun is coming home! Tohru-kun is coming home! Tohru-kun is coming home!" Shigure Sohma sang as he helped Yuki decorate for Kyo's surprise party.

"Shigure, if you don't stop singing, I'm going to go outside," Yuki Sohma said annoyed.

"Oh Yuki! You don't like my singing? I thought you'd be equally as happy to have Tohru home, even though it is for such a short time. Fate is so unfair to us all!" Shigure cried. " But I suppose my voice is just fingernails on a chalkboard compared to the sweet, pure voice of our dear flower Tohru-kun!"

"You can say that again," Yuki muttered to himself.

"What was that Yuki-kun?" Shigure said in a funny voice.

"Nothing. Shigure! Stop wasting the helium! It is for the balloons!"

"We represent the Lollipop Guild…" Shigure sang as he more inhaled helium from a balloon he was supposed to have tied off.

"I should have went with the others to the movie…" Yuki said irritated.

"I think it's very generous of you to help decorate for the party, especially since it is for Kyo," Shigure told Yuki. His voice began to get back to its normal intonation. "However, me thinks there is an ulterior motive. Are you trying to impress Tohru-kun with your newfound decorating skills? I'm on to you Yuki! Don't think you can steal Tohru from Kyo tonight; tomorrow perhaps you can sweep her off her beautiful lotus petal feet, but not tonight!"

"If you want to finish this by yourself, be my guest. I'm going outside." Yuki said annoyed.

"If you leave, I'll just have to call your brother. Wait a second… what a wonderful idea! He definitely has an aesthetic sense for decorations! I think I'll call him right now! I'll tell him it was your idea to invite him over. He'll be thrilled."

Yuki ran to the phone before Shigure could pick up the receiver. " If you call him, I will never speak to you again."

"Oh Yuki! I'm just teasing you. He's coming over later anyway."

"WHAT?"

Shigure went back to blowing up the balloons in the living rooms.

"Yup! Everyone is coming over to see our little flower!"

Yuki sighed. " I suppose that would make sense. It's been so long everyone has seen her, at least in person anyway."

"I'm just happy that I ran into her a few weeks ago at my book signing!" Shigure said.

" Is, you know who, coming tonight too?" Yuki said suddenly remembering the reason why Tohru left the house.

"Akito? Nope. Sick again, I'm afraid. I just hope Haa-san is able to get away and pick Tohru-kun up from the station. Oh Yuki I am so excited just thinking about it! Tohru-kun is coming home!"

Yuki smiled at his older cousin. He was excited to see Honda-san too.

"Yuki, I heard a knock on the door, would you please go see to it? It must be the caterers with the food."

Yuki tied a streamer in place and walked to the door. The phone rang while he was helping the caterers bring the food inside and Shigure answered it. When the caterers left, Yuki began to munch the on some of the sushi that he was arranging on trays in the kitchen.

"Haa-san! How nice of you to call?" Shigure said. "Huh? What's wrong? You seem upset. What? Slow down…I can't understand… Hatori…this isn't like you. What's wrong?"

Yuki came out of the kitchen to listen better to the conversation. " Yes, the others are at a movie with Kyo. Hatori, tell me what's wrong?" Shigure demanded.

"Shigure, what's going on? Let me talk to Hatori!" Yuki said grabbing for the phone.

Shigure pushed him away. "Yes that's Yuki, Haa-san. Don't change the subject."

"Shigure! Give me the phone!"

"Yuki be quiet! Hatori is trying to tell me something. Yes go ahead. Uh-huh…I think she left at five-thirty. Uh huh… WHAT?" The receiver dropped from Shigure's hand as he uttered the final word. Yuki took this opportunity to grab it from Shigure.

"Hatori-san! What is going on? Has something happened to Honda-san?" Yuki spoke urgently.

There was silence on the other end. "Yuki-kun, tell Shigure I'm heading over to the station right now."

"HATORI-SAN! What happened?" Yuki yelled.

Click. Hatori hung up his side of the phone. Yuki looked around for Shigure to get answers, but he was no where to be seen.

"Shigure? Shigure? Where are you?" Yuki yelled.

He found Shigure glued to the television in the living room. " Shigure, what is going on? Why are you crying?"

Yuki however got his answers when he looked at the television screen closely. The news was reporting a massive train derailment. Yuki stared at the screen, searching for confirmation that the train that wasn't Honda-san's.

"For those just tuning in," the TV newsman reported. " Train forty-two from Nagasaki has derailed. Reports are coming in that it has hit a cement truck that had stalled on the tracks earlier today…"

"Shigure, what did you say was Honda-san's train number?" Yuki said. His voice was shaking.

"Forty-two."