Something written a good few years ago, now, when I was fairly active within the Fruits Basket fandom. I have a feeling I switch tenses a few times, but hope it doesn't throw the story off too much.

I do not own the characters or the plot of Fruits Basket.

Pawprints

The kitten sniffed curiously at Tohru's pillow, then stared at the girl with large blue eyes. Obviously deciding the girl wasn't a threat, it curled into a small ball of tabby coloured fur, yawning widely.

A small smile graced Tohru's face as she watched the kitten drift off to sleep. She hadn't planned on bringing anything other than the shopping back home, but the kitten had been sitting by the side of the road, and it just looked so sad and wet, and oh so cute. She hadn't been able to help herself. It had been a little bit awkward juggling both shopping bags and a kitten, but she'd somehow managed to make it home without much incident.

She wasn't entirely sure how she'd tell the other three that there was a new addition to the household, but knew that she would have to let them know, sooner or later. She wasn't really sure if the kitten would like Shigure or Yuki, seeing as they both changed into animals that cats traditionally hated. She was fairly certain that the kitten would love Kyo, however.

Although Kyo might not appreciate having another feline follower.

Sighing, Tohru stood up. When the time came to deal with the other three, she'd tell them. Until then, she'd just have to hope that the kitten would stay in her room, rather than escape and do...kitteny things all over the house.

Stars were pretty, but a little boring, Kyo decided. All they did was hang there in the sky and twinkle. And sometimes sparkle. He couldn't help comparing them to a certain pair of eyes that sparkled as well. Which made him blush. Damn stars. Did they have to sparkle like Tohru's eyes did, every time she saw him? The blush deepened. Dammit, now he'd started thinking about her, he couldn't stop. Why did this always have to happen? Couldn't he just, for once, spare her a passing thought, and then move onto other things? It felt as though even the stars were mocking him. Two blue ones were hanging right in front of his eyes, almost as if they were staring back at him.

Wait...hanging right in front of his eyes? Surely that wasn't rig...the stars suddenly blinked.

"Sonofa-" Kyo shot up, dislodging the small kitten that had, until that very moment, been sitting on his chest.

What the hell was a kitten even doing up on the roof anyway? And where had it come from?

Usually, cats would turn up in small groups. However, since he couldn't see or hear any others, he had to conclude that this one had come alone. He glanced at the kitten. It was still staring at him.

"The hell are you looking at?" He growled. Just great. Now he was talking to it.

The kitten continued to stare. Only now, it had tilted its head slightly to one side, as though it found Kyo interesting. After a little while longer, it stood and crept closer. Then stopped, and with head still tilted, regarded him again.

"Fine. You're not gonna stop staring at me. What're you finding so interesting anyway?"

Now that he'd started talking to it, Kyo found that he couldn't stop. Normally, he wouldn't be seen dead talking to any cat. In fact, he found it a little frustrating. It wasn't his fault that cats were attracted to him. That was just how it was. How it always had been.

A slight weight on his lap made him look down. The kitten, having decided that this boy who seemed like a cat was friendly, had settled down quite happily.

"Yeah, yeah, just make yourself at home, why don't you? Not like I care anyway. Cats like you are annoying anyway. You only like me because I'm the Cat. If I wasn't, I bet you couldn't care less."

Now the kitten had him monologuing. Oh joy. Not that the kitten seemed to mind. In fact, it had started purring. Was his voice really that soothing?

"You're lucky, you know that?" He told it. "You probably won't have to worry about being chased by girl cats until you're a bit older." A pause. "Or being chased by boy cats, if you're a girl."

The mention of girls got him thinking about them again. Or, to be more precise, about one girl in particular. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Every single time, she somehow found a way to get into his head. Every. Single. Time.

A small paw battered at his beads, causing him to look down in alarm.

"Hey, those aren't for you to play with, you know. You probably wouldn't like me if they came off."

The kitten looked up at him, mewed, then went back to batting at his beads. Well, he supposed it was okay. Not like the kitten was going to pull them off, anyway.

"Cats have it easy. You don't have to worry about what people'll think of you. You just get on with your lives. Not having a care in the world must be nice."

The kitten purred again. It seemed to be a remarkably good natured little thing, Kyo mused to himself.

"It's not easy being me, you know." He told it at last. "I'm a boy who turns into a cat if it rains or when I'm hugged by a girl. Which sucks, let me tell you."

Kyo glanced up at the stars again. Yep, they were still twinkling. Damn stars. What right had they to twinkle like that? If he'd created the universe, he'd have made sure that he stars wouldn't twinkle, not unless they'd have a good reason to, anyway.

He shuddered. It seemed to have gotten colder all of a sudden. Maybe he'd better head back inside. But wait, what was he going to do with the kitten? Leave it? It seemed a little too small to be left out on its own, and no matter how harsh he seemed, he wasn't hard hearted enough to try. Besides, he had a suspicion that a certain somebody may have brought it home.

How like her.

Well, she would probably be a little disappointed if he just left it. Not that she'd let it show, of course. In fact, she'd probably just flash that darn smile of hers and tell him not to worry, that she was sure that the kitten would be able to survive on its own.

No. He didn't think he could do that to her. Not when she'd gone to the trouble of bringing the kitten back. Besides, it might be kinda nice to have another cat in the house. One that didn't transform, anyway.

Tucking the kitten under his arm, and standing up, Kyo took one last glance at the uncaring stars. Then he turned his back on them, and headed inside.