Hey there. So this is the start of my new version of the "Little Red Panda". It's been a while so I may be a little rusty but I still hope you enjoy the story. So here are some points to get out there. This takes place after school, but it does not follow the manga or show really. Kyo and Tohru aren't together and they all still live at the Sohma residence with Shigure. Not all the Sohma family will be included either, along with others because that is honestly too many people for me to keep up with. Especially after a long break of writing, I think it is best to start simple. So, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo will be a year or two out of school. There will also be at least two OC's. I don't think I'll add more than that.
So the summary:
The Sohma family is resting one stormy night, thinking all is normal. But of course, they were wrong. The rain left them a little panda on their door step. Will they accept him into their family? Will something grow between members? Maybe, you'll just have to read to find out, now wont you?
Pairings: There are a couple, but there may be more than what is listed, but I wont know until the story progresses and characters are introduced.
YukixOC
KyoxOC
ShigurexHatori
And more
Warnings: This is yaoi so that is a malexmale relationship. If you don't like that, I kindly ask you to not read this and find another story you may enjoy. This will also have crude language and sexual situations.
This is for my entire story so this disclaimer will not appear in any other chapter. That's just tedious so here it is.
Diclaimer: I do not own anything from fruits basket and I am not making a profit off of anything. I do own a basket for fruit but that is different. All I am doing is borrowing the story to write fan fiction that others can enjoy. No harm done, right?
Alright, I'm not going to keep you from it so go read!
Chapter 1: Soft storms bring rough treasures
It all started with a storm. The rain fell like stones, hard and fast, but the droplets never possessed enough power to cause damage to the Earth… at least not individually. At times, the rain would bond together and form hurricanes or suck in acid and burn away homes along the ground. There were even times where rain would fight mud and slide it along the ground, bringing trees and homes down with it as it drowns families on the ground. Rain can be a nasty and evil thing, but thankfully, rain does not often ruin lives. Like tonight, the rain chose to be gently and beautiful, singing a lullaby for many to fall asleep to and feed the starving plants along the ground. Yet, there was something different about the rain tonight. The rain was bringing something else, something big and no one would have been able to guess what it was. Tonight, the rain was bringing a treasure to someone who needs it and the treasure will need them too. The rain tonight is special. The rain tonight will one day be cherished.
The rain poured upon the Sohma household harshly. The pitter patter of the rain caressed all four sides of the home. Three members dwelling inside curled up in their blankets and sighed peacefully in their slumbers. The last member was on the first floor, holding a book, reading it by candle light. They have electricity, but the storm took it away for a little while. The young boy did not see it as a problem though. The small candle provided a hint of warmth to his body, and allowed him to read the words printed along the pages. It was late, but the boy was having trouble sleeping and figured he could pass the time with a story and hopefully the rain would lull him to sleep. How right he was.
Soon enough, the boy's head rested in his arms and small breathes passed his lips slowly, indicating sleep. He dreamed of a castle made purely of glass. Inside was a faint blur of something… something kind and loving. He strolled along the walls of the castle, looking for a door, but there was only a window. He climbed the ever so convenient ladder and gazed through a crack. The shudders blocking the opening were pushed aside by the boy's pale hands. The boy leaned forward and a tearing sound pierced the air. Out of shock, the boy leaned back too far and fell off the ladder. He kept falling, faster and faster towards the ground.
THUD.
The boy jolted up and whipped his head around. Where was he? Oh, that's right; he fell asleep at the small table. He began to yawn but stopped when he realized why he woke up. Muscles tensed and he slowly shifted his gaze to where the sound came from: the main entrance. Slowly, yet steadily, the boy lifted his body up until he was standing, then crept towards the entrance way. The wood creaked under his weight, echoing throughout the rooms, yet making no noise. Finally reaching the front of the house, the boy's body froze. He is not usually one to be frightened, but the scene in front of him could strike terror in anyone. The paper on the door was torn through, some of the edges dyed a faint red brown, as if it was blood. The boy's senses were on edge and he picked up the courage to continue forward. He shakily placed his hand on the door, and after counting to three, swung it open.
Right in front of his feet laid a man. The man was soaked to the bone and curled up in the fetal position. A hand clenched his side and his breathing was ragged. The boy, out of instinct, backed away before rushing forward. The boy noticed the blood along the man's fingers and just below that was a small puddle of diluted blood. In steady streams, the water pushed the blood to the cracks in the porch and there it would drip to the ground. The boy quickly checked his pulse, and sighed when it was moderately normal. The boy was about to speak to the man when the tell tale poof sounded in the air. He stared wide eyed at the black smoke for a mere second before pushing himself up and running, no sprinting towards the owner of the household's bedroom door. He swung the door open so hard that the books on a nearby shelf fell to the ground loudly. The resident in the bed sprung up and stared at the disheveled boy.
"Yuki!"
The loud noises aroused the two other members as well. A boy who was the same age as Yuki burst through his door, ready to yell to the heavens but stopped when he noticed the look on the other boy's face. A young girl peered out into the hallway, worry painted on her own face. The owner stepped out of his room with a serious but questioning look.
"Yuki, what's going on?" The other boy stepped forward with the same look and, surprisingly, waited patiently for an answer as well. Yuki turned to the young girl first and spoke in a rushed tone.
"Tohru, go get the medical kit!" Then he ran down the stairs towards the front with the boy and owner at his heels. It seemed like hours before they actually reached the front but when they did, all three gasped. Yuki knew what happened but he did not know what exactly to expect. Lying on the ground wrapped in soaked clothing laid a rusty red blob. Two vertical red lines traced the clenched eyes while the rest of the face was white. White ears drooped as the animal tightened around itself in pain. No one moved until the little animal let out a pained whimper. The owner stepped forward and picked the animal up, cradling it in his arms before turning to the other boy.
"Kyo go call Hatori, now. Yuki, come with me and help me patch him up. He's bleeding, as you probably know." Kyo ran down the hall and you could faintly hear him yelling into the phone.
Yuki followed the owner to the dining room and pushed the table aside. Tohru ran into the room holding blankets and the medical kit which she then dropped at the sight of the red panda.
"Shigure! What happened to that poor animal?"
"That's a very good question Tohru, but for now, we need to focus on his wounds. We'll ask questions once we are sure that he is ok." Shigure turned to give her a reassuring smile before returning his gaze to the panda. Slowly, Shigure began to pull the drenched shirt away while Yuki and Tohru quickly created a makeshift bed out of the blankets. Once finished, Shigure placed the panda on the 'bed' and picked up the medical kit. While this all occurred, Yuki was nodding off. He only got about 2 hours of sleep, and it was the middle of the night. Not even this strange event could keep him awake now.
"Yuki."
Sleepily glancing at Shigure, Yuki weakly tried to pay attention, but was failing.
"Yuki, go to bed. You're obviously very tired and there is no use arguing. Same with you Tohru, you need your beauty sleep to stay lovely! I'm almost finished cleaning the panda's wounds so there is nothing else to help with. If you see Kyo, tell him the same thing. It's too late to discuss this now anyways so might as well wait until morning." With a quick flick of his hand, Shigure shooed them away and returned to cleaning the last wound.
Tohru went to find Kyo after wishing Yuki good night. Yuki made his way to his bedroom and collapsed onto the soft mattress. The blanket wrapped around him provided immense warmth, eagerly pulling him back into the world of dreams. With a final yawn, Yuki blinked at the blurred moon and drifted off. The rain was left to whisper sweet nothings into his ears as it steadily let up, leaving behind a small panda.
So there you have it. It's short but I think it's satisfying enough. I will try to write longer chapters, but if not, that means there will just be more chapters. Well… maybe, it all depends on where the story takes me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. I sure did. I appreciate my work so much more than I did with the old version of this story. I feel this story holds great promise and I'm confident it will be much easier to continue.
The next chapter will be up soon. I cannot give an exact time because I am busy with school and life in general, but hopefully I won't delay it too much!
Until next time, please be patient and I would appreciate any reviews. Especially from those who have read the original version of this story. It's been a while so I do not blame you for not remembering what happened exactly, but if you remember, I'd love to hear what you think about it now.
Thank you so much everyone! Just you reading this is very much appreciated!
-S