refuse

ruits Basket is a registered trademark and copyright of Natsuki Takaya. The fic writer had taken the liberty to write but not to make profit or any other suicidal attempt.

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"I'm going to marry Honda-san."

This one word made the fresh and quiet morning of Shigure's house into a tensed, heavy atmosphere. The peace was turned into a state of surprise, shock, and anger, because a simple *state of war* by one young man, pale skin, lavender eyes; but in his 17th spring, Sohma Yuki sure had changed from a timid boy into a... well, it couldn't be said as rebelious, but he had said it.

"Yuki-kun!!" Shigure instantly dropped, no, crushed was more right, his newspaper in his hands. "What are you talking about!?"

"Sohma-kun, please, reconsider this." Tohru Honda, the only girl who is normal in the house, pleadingly looked at the man beside her, wanting him to rethink of his sudden acts.

"Honda-san." Yuki smiled, and put his hand assuringly above her cold trembling ones, that she kept at her lap; he squeezed them gently. "I have been thinking of it since we're going out."

"Going out!?" Shigure eyes, curious, rage, and demanding mixed into one, looking at them disbelievely, loosing all his usual cheerful characters into one expression. "Just what's going on here!?"

"Ineteresting." A new voice entered the room, for the other house's occupant, red eyes looking with mocking, interested, and hurt. This was caught by the girl's one.

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun." She more like whispered that stated. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about this."

"What you're apologizing for!?" His voice went high, trying to hide all the disappointment inside him. "I don't have any business with this!? I just want to see the kusonezumi, running to his own hole of death!"

"New and good metaphor from you, Kyou-kun. But that's not what I'm doing right now." He glared at the boy and the girl in front of him, across the table. Addressing all his composure back, he sit, still clutching the newspaper. "Yuki-kun, Tohru-kun, I understand what you're talking about. First, you're still 17 and I doubt your relationship will run well---"

"Age doesn't matter in this." Yuki stated, and added. "And do you think that my love for Honda-kun is that low, Shigure?"

"That's not what I mean, Yuki-kun." Shigure quickly answered. "I mean, in this case, you'll meet all your parents, sibblings, all the Junishi as your enemy, including Akito."

No response from Yuki, but Tohru's face appeared that she had done the sin that was on the top rank of heaviest sin from all sins in the world... and she was not really comfortable dragging the man she loved. "Yuki-kun..."

"That's fine, and I know it." Yuki replied, proud and clear.

"Ah, this is crazy." Kyou commented. "I saw you do many crazy things, kusonezumi. But, this one, is the craziest of all."

"I'm ashamed to say this, Yuki-kun." Shigure looked from Kyou, to the other cousin that almost made his heartbeat stop. "But I'm afraid Kyou-kun's right in this conditions."

"What? Do you think I have been doing crazy things?" Confused was written all over his face.

"No, that's not what I mean." Panic black eyes challenging him. "You've forgotten all things that happens, to the other Junishi you know to well, you've also forgotten about the curse."

Tohru's hands were tensed again, she looked worriedly from Kyou, who turned his face away, to Shigure, to Yuki, who gave her another comforting squeeze.

"I haven't forgotten about that, Shigure." Yuki said again, determined. "I asked Honda-san how about living as an outcast, chased by others who wanted to kill you."

"Yuki-kun, you're not thinking---"

Shigure's sentence was finished by Yuki's firm decide. "Yes, if all Akito don't acknowledge our marriage, I will run from Sohma family. Say that to Akito and all of the Junishi members, Shigure."

Shigure gulped, knowing that the time he told that to Akito and his other cousins, whenever it was the *right* time or it was in *good * mood, however *playful* tone he will be saying that, will be the time of his death... He knew this too from Kyou's narrowed eyes.

***

"Why you are doing this?" Kyou then would ask him when they were alone, Tohru was cooking in the kitchen, while Shigure was caging himself in his room, didn't know ih he was meditating or arranging the time when he could meet all Junishi and Akito, composing the words that he would say to all of them.

"I expect a 'thanks' from you, bakaneko." Yuki just said, no regret, no expression at all, Kyou couldn't see it either anyway, his back was facing him. "You'll have your place in the Junishi, and now the rat is the one that will suffer from now on."

"That's not what I'm talking about, kusonezumi!" The other boy screamed. "Damnit, you're hurting her for this!"

Yuki turned his back quite quickly, and now facing the cat was a dark and fiery flame in his cold eyes. "I hate that, bakaneko. You think I don't know about that? I'm doing this because I know I'm strong enough to protect Honda-san. If it was you..." He laughed mockingly. "I doubt you can, remembering that you can't even protect yourself."

"Is that an insult, kusonezumi!?"

"I say it is, bakaneko." He countered.

"Why you---"

"Kyou-kun, don't!!" Girl's hands trying to cancel's Kyou's attack from behind, circling his waist, and at the same moment, red smokes popped out from nowhere... replacing Kyou was an orange cat.

Tohru ducked her head, sat in front of the cat, gripping to his clothes. "Stupid me." was murmured from her lips, but the "I'm sorry" was heard louder.

"I don't need any sorry!" Kyou's screamed at her. "Why in the whole damn world did you pick that damn Yuki!? Over the men in the world!? Over the rest of Junishi!? Over myself!?"

Kyou's embarassed face was soon facing with a shocked and apologizing one from Tohru, while Yuki in the other side was looking at the scene in front of her... err, him, with no interest at all. Receiving no answer from the girl, the cat cursed "damn it!" and run from the room.

It was only silence and cricket sounds heard in the room.

"That bakaneko." Yuki shook his head, walking towards the girl he would be marrying, patting her shoulders. "You're all right, Honda-san?"

"I guess so." She sighed. "Sohma-kun, are we doing the right thing?"

Yuki put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently, knowing that he couldn't hug her, couldn't bring her to his arms. "Honda-san, if you're doubting it, I can take the words back from Shigure, and made him relieve. But no, once I took the words back, you know it will be your destiny to forget all the memories you have from the Sohma family.

"I can't let that happen, Honda-san." He kissed her temple.

***

"Okay... let's see, uhm, today is a special day..." Shigure was sitting in restaurant, memorizing all the words he had composed yesterday in a piece of paper he held in his hand.

"Sure a place to gather the Junishi, eh?" Hatori was the first one arrived, looking mockingly to the place he was, in a McDonald restaurant, in the nucleus of the city, while everything around them was running so fast, so blur, when the dragon came.

"Ah, Ha-san, just the Ha-san I know, punctual as usual, sit, sit." Shigure hid the paper, crumbling it in his knuckles.

Hatori arched one of his eyebrows. "Just the Shigure I know, picking a place that was the last in my mind. Just remember that I'm not a dog, you don't need to say *sit* to me." He took a seat across him.

"Cigarette?" Shigure offered him a box when he had his seat, which was answered by a shake of head by Hatori.

"What's the matter with you? You're extremely kind this day." He gazed at him, Shigure just pretended he didn't hear. Hatori sighed again and continued. "And this restaurant, like you're expecting Momiji and the rest of the young ones to come."

"They're all coming." Shigure answered simply. Hatori, in the other hand, narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

"So, it's true you're gathering all the Junishi?"

"All the Junishi that know Tohru Honda." The dog added.

"Now, what kind of problem have you done, Shigure?"

"No, not me." Shigure said defensively. "You will know."

Hatori did knew, 3 hours later, by the late arrival of the rest of them. Hatsuharu amazingly came right in time (maybe because he was accompanied by Momiji, who came from school with him); but the rest of them must wait because he had lost his way to the toilet and back.

"Yuki-kun's going to marry Tohru-kun."

Momiji was fighting his food with Hiro, Ayame was talking with Ritsu, Kisa's silently hearing all Kagura's rambling about Kyou, and Hatsuharu with Hatori were eating quite peacefuly until Shigure suddenly said the words, stopping all the riot and the commotion happened between them.

The only one who was moving was Shigure, taking a sip of coffee from the cup.

Ayame was the one who laughed first. "Ah, Shigure, you're good at joking." He said between his laughs, followed by the other forced laughs from the rest of them, a forced smile from Kisa, in this case. While the Hatori and Hatsuharu looked at him, confused.

"I'm not joking." He said once again. "There's no way I'm wasting all my money here, treating you all, while I can meet you at the Honke, anyway." He sipped his cofee again, in the silence. "He will marry her, in this occasion, with or without Akito's blessings,or we can say, permission."

"He's stupid." Hiro's sarcastic voice came suddenly in the middle of the still. "That stupid stupid rat trying to kill himself."

The other looked at Hiro, completely speechless at that time, didn't know what to say. Kagura, in this condition, was an execption when she suddenly said,

"What's the matter with that?" She clapped her hands. "It's very romantic. Marrying the girl you love with or without the Kacho's decision. Very similar with the romantic novels you've written, Shigure... Nee, nee? You must understand their feelings right now. Oh..." She put her hands, covering her face to close all the sudden tears came out from her watery eyes. "I just wish Kyou-kun can do the same for me."

Everybody sweatdropped while looking at the boar who were making all the dramatic expression.

"So?" Hatori's voice took all of their attention back to the main announcement. "What do you want us to do, giving all this news?"

"Well, I guess, I need a little help here, about telling Akito about this." Shigure answered, with his usual cheerful expression, like asking someone to close the window.

The faces were tensed once more.

"Telling Akito!?" Ayame's voice tone went high, surprised and shocked. "Telling Akito about this is the same with digging your own grave, you're asking me to accompany you to your grave, Shigure, then the answer is no!"

"Nee, nee, Ayaa." Shigure smiled. "It's all right, as long as you pay me your bill."

At the time Shigure said this, everyone's hands reached to either their bags, or pockets, searching for all the money they had.

***

"You told all the Junishi?" Yuki asked when they had their dinner, the day after he told Shigure his marriage announcement, the night after he had forwarded the news to the rest of the Junishi who knew Tohru Honda.

"Hmm!" Shigure smiled, taking an amount of rice into his mouth, enjoying it as usual as if there was no tomorrow.

"Response?" Yuki questioned again, while Tohru ate her food rather quietly than usual, avoiding Kyou's gaze to her.

"Negative." Shigure answered again, still wearing the same *dog*-ful expression. "Knowing them, in the next day, you will get some visits, will be bombarded with debates and--- ah, I wish I could turn into a dog when I reported you to Akito, dogs don't know anything except having fun, you know."

"I notice that." Kyou suddenly said.

"Maa, nee, Kyou-kun." Shigure chuckled lightly. "Knowing Kagura, she would come and then, would ask you to do the same as Yuki to her."

The chopsticks were broken into pieces at Kyou's hands. "You told Kagura too!?"

"Well," Shigure acted like he was thinking hard. "Hmm, I guess I told her too."

"So, Kagura-san will come?" Tohru asked with interest.

"Maybe."

"I'll be going tomorrow." Kyou stated simply, horror was writter all over his face.

"What about your school, Kyou-kun?" Another questioned from the Yuki's fiancee to be.

"Forget about the school!! Kagura's more like living hell than a Junishi's cursed spirit!!"

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to be continued...
::Writer's Block:: Ugh, please... some help here? Because the Furuba knowledge I had was only from the minimum set of tv series, while I'd never read the manga (yet, I'm ordering them right now) Sorry, if it's badly written, I notice it too...