Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, The Nightingale, or the song 'When'

In China, a great many years ago, there lived a God, known to many as the Jade Emperor. He had at one time held a banquet for thirteen special animals, although it was missed by one, and yet, they were all bound to him, and invited to stay in his palace. The emperor's palace was the most beautiful in the world. In the garden could be seen the most singular flowers. Indeed, everything in the emperor's garden was remarkable, and it extended so far that the gardener himself did not know where it ended. Those who traveled beyond its limits knew that there was a noble forest, with lofty trees, sloping down to the deep blue sea, and the great ships sailed under the shadow of its branches. In one of these trees lived a nightingale, who sang so beautifully that even the poor fishermen, who had so many other things to do, would stop and listen.

Sunlight streamed through the branches of the forest that surrounded Shigure's house as Tohru took the well traveled path home. She hadn't been scheduled to work that evening and was enjoying her peaceful walk. Neither Kyo nor Yuki walked with her on account of a visit to Kazuma and an impromptu student council meeting, but she really didn't mind. Walking alone allowed her the quiet of her own thoughts.

It was a nice spring afternoon, just warm enough for Tohru to imagine that she could feel the barest hint of summer in the air, which was permeated by the scent of growing grass and new leaves. All-in-all not a bad smell, she decided, It smells of life.

The sound of birds could be heard above the noise of the wind and Tohru's footsteps. The woods seemed utterly devoid of any human life besides her own so it came as a surprise when she heard a gentle voice being carried on the wind.

Curious, Tohru made her way towards the sound which came from a little ways further down the path. Soon, she came across a young girl, seemingly her own age, sitting in one of the tall trees along the path. Her hair was long and full of wild curls that were an odd mix of dark grey and brown. Unusual, Tohru thought, but certainly not as drastic as Hatsuharu's black and white coloring. The girl also seemed to be a little shorter than average, and wore a simple, dark grey v-neck with long, light blue jeans that were slightly ripped at the hems as if she often stepped upon them. However, it was her lovely voice that Tohru found most captivating. Indeed, it was that voice which had drawn Tohru through the woods.

The girl was resting with her back against the trunk, eyes closed, with a leg thrown casually over the edge of the limb on which she sat, while a dozen or so birds in varying shades of brown and grey roosted in the branches around her (a couple of them had also landed on her shoulders and one very comfortable-looking bird was even nestled in her hair).

Standing at the base of the tree Tohru was finally able to catch some of the lyrics of the song.

"When can I see you again? I've been waiting out here for so long, and I don't seem to find a reason why I keep building these castles out of snow*."

The words are so sad and lonely, Tohru thought, listening quietly, I wonder if she truly feels that way. It was then that Tohru took an unconscious step forward and a stray twig made her presence known to the strange girl. The girl immediately stopped, mid-verse, and the small flock of birds around her took flight. She looked around wildly before her gaze landed upon Tohru. At the sight of another person, her eyes widened slightly. Quickly the girl turned, flipping her legs to the opposite side of the branch and dropped lightly to the ground before taking off into the woods.

"Wait! Come back!"

Tohru reacted purely on instinct, running and calling after the fleet-footed girl. However, It wasn't long before Tohru completely lost sight of her in the surrounding underbrush.

Hanging her head in defeat, Tohru slowly retraced her steps to the main path before continuing on to Shigure's.

*The song I Imagined her singing was the song "When" by Susanne Sundfor

A/N:Did you like it? Did you hate it? You should leave a review and tell me what you think!Especially since this is my first shot at fanfiction, and, if I'm being honest, the first time I've written anything for fun.

Also, I generally hate long author note but I think I should at least let you know a little bit of what's going on here. The first Paragraph I used is from a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen called 'The Nightingale' (if you already knew that, kudos for you). I am going to be fitting this story with the story of the Chinese Zodiac from Fruits Basket by making a few alterations here and there, but it really doesn't need that many adjustments to fit well, in my opinion.