Just a quick one-shot, inspired by events that happened recently in gym class. Dedicated to my dear friend, Wolf Girl Jaye, who had the misfortune of being subjected to this very same torture that Arisa and Kyo are about to experience. This is my way of annoying the mess out of her, like a good friend should, so make sure you leave plenty of reviews. :)

Also, don't worry, this isn't a Arisa/Kyo romancy kind of thing. It's the exact opposite, really.

Do I have to say it? I don't own Fruits Basket.

Two Left Feet

By: SmurfLuvsCookies
Dedicated to Wolf Girl Jaye

There was not a person on this planet who irked Arisa Uotani more than Kyo Sohma. That brat was obnoxious, loud, crude, and he had the audacity to try and steal Tohru away from her! Arisa was sure that she was at the top of Kyo's hate list as well, coming second only Tohru's other obvious admirer, Yuki Sohma. At least Yuki wasn't grievously irritating. Just mildly so.

On this Monday afternoon, Arisa was particularly tempermental. It was hot and sultry outside due to the oncoming shift in seasons, and she was forced to wear the annoying mask against the hazardous pollutants that might trigger her allergies. On top of that, she just happened to have gym class at the same time as Kyo. This normally wasn't a predicament, considering that the genders were usually separated over the duration of the hour. There was only one exception to this rule, and that was dancing.

Dancing didn't take up much of the curriculum, only about a day or two, but Arisa wasn't especially fond of these miniature lessons. She wasn't a very good dancer to begin with, and if you add that to the fact that she was at least a head taller than most of the boys in her class, you didn't get a desirable effect with her on the dance floor. She wasn't exactly easy to lead either.

It was people like Tohru, who made up for her lack of coordination by her cooperation and determination, or people like Hanajima, who seemed to glide effortlessly across the floor with a grace akin to some kind of spectral being, that were good dancers. Arisa possessed none of the qualities, but she didn't mind. Normally she skipped the days that they danced anyway, to save herself from the humiliation that was sure to arise from her frugal attempts at formal dancing, but this year the gym teacher had a burst of spontaneity and decided to surprise them with it. Arisa never saw it coming.

Partners were picked pretty quickly. Yuki had somehow snatched Tohru before Kyo got the chance, so he was left in the dust. Everyone wanted Hanajima, since her magnificent dancing skills were sure to get them an A+. But no one seemed to want the simmering Kyo or the intimidating Arisa. They were both equally menacing, equally volatile, and equally undesirable as a dance partner.

As soon as most pairs were established, the teacher clapped her hands. "Okay, who doesn't have a partner?" Arisa begrudgingly lifted a finger, and Kyo didn't bother making any indication at all. The teacher raised her eyebrows and looked around until she saw him. "Sohma? You got a partner?"

"No," he growled miserably, staring daggers at the gloating Yuki and the oblivious Tohru.

The teacher inwardly sighed, cursing herself for the mistake she was surely about to make. "Great, neither does Uotani. You'll be partners."

"HUH?" they exclaimed simultaneously, immediately glaring at each other afterward. The teacher sighed again, but held firm to the decision. "You heard me, get to it," she persisted, walking away and starting the elegant burst of music before they had the chance to argue with her.

The two of them glared vehemently at each other, while the dancers spun across the gymnasium floor. Finally, Arisa spoke. "I'd rather fail than dance with the likes of you," she spat.

"The feeling is mutual," Kyo retorted, narrowing his orange eyes at her.

But of course, the one person that could convince the both of them otherwise intervened in that moment. "Are Uo-chan and Kyo-kun partners?" Tohru quipped, gliding past with Yuki. She paused and clapped her hands. "I would love to see you two dance!"

Kyo opened his mouth to object, but Arisa grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor before he had the chance. "If it makes you happy, Tohru, I'll do it," she said gruffly, standing stiffly in the middle of the floor as if waiting for Kyo to do something. He gaped at her, twitching rapidly. Dance? With this Yankee? He didn't think so.

"Oh, uh, well, you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to!" Tohru said hastily, waving her hands frantically and nearly pelting Yuki in the head. Arisa gave Tohru a soft smile and ruffled her hair playfully. "Don't you worry, Tohru, it's not that big of a deal. I'll be okay."

"Quit acting like you're gonna die or something," Kyo mumbled, rolling his eyes at their dramatic conversation. "It's just dancing."

Hanajima showed up from nowhere, popping up behind Kyo with her dance partner trembling by her side. "It isn't just dance. Dance is an art, a passion, a chance to search deep inside a person's very soul." She gave her quaking partner a meaningful look before gliding away with him, leaving Kyo thoroughly creeped out and Tohru with starry eyes. "That was beautiful, Hana-chan," she sniffed.

Yuki sighed. "I'd save your breath. That stupid cat wouldn't dance if his stupid cat life depended on it. He is, after all, a STUPID CAT."

"I'll show you, damn rat!" Kyo roared, boiling with rage. He grabbed Arisa's waist with one hand and acquired her right hand with the other. Arisa glowered and uncomfortably put her left hand on his shoulder. The stood there awkwardly for a moment, then Kyo took the first forward step.

He stomped right on Arisa's toe.

She let loose a strand of profanities so loud and vulgar that it made even Kyo astonished. She finished it off by hitting him hard upside the head, which abruptly jerked him out of his state of bewilderment. "What was that for?" he cried, nursing his head.

"My toe! You stepped on my toe!" Arisa accused.

"It was an accident!"

"Whatever," Arisa huffed, forcing Kyo back into position. "Just let me lead."

"The girls aren't supposed to lead," Kyo pointed out.

"Are you sexist now?" Arisa inquired, sarcastically aghast.

"No!" Kyo growled.

Arisa shook her head sadly. "Wait until I tell Tohru. Her mother hated prudes like you."

"Whatever, just take the lead then!" Kyo let Arisa begin the dance, but only to discover that she was horribly off-beat. He tried to straighten them out, but whenever he did she accused him of trying to lead her. Which, in all actuality, he was supposed to be doing. He didn't point that out, though, for fear of being called sexist again.

They maintained their hateful scowls until the teacher came up beside them and said, "You guys need to get back in sync with the music...but keep trying! The passion between the two of you is almost tangible!"

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed, pushing each other away with faces glowing red. Arisa landed right on her butt while Kyo staggered but remained standing, twitching with agitation and glowering after the mistaken gym teacher. She glared at him, more irritated than ever. "Help me up, you idiot!" she demanded, wincing at the throbbing pain from her tailbone. It was most likely bruised.

"Make me!" Kyo countered, returning her acidic look. They stared each other down for quite a while, progressively narrowing their eyes in reproach until they were glaring at each other through nothing more than slits. Finally, Arisa spat, "I hate you."

"I hate you more," Kyo hissed.

"Go fall off a mountain."

"You first."

After another many insults were exchanged, Tohru came to intervene. She gasped when she saw that Arisa had yet to rise from the cold gymnasium floor. "Uo-chan!" she gasped, rushing over to her friend. "What happened?"

Hanajima arrived from nowhere. This time she had no dancing partner to speak of. "I saw the whole thing," she declared. She turned her calm gaze to Kyo, slowly raising a finger to single him out. "He pushed Arisa onto the ground as soon as the gym teacher turned her back."

Arisa coughed for dramatic affect. "Kyo, how could you?"

"Wh-what! I didn't do that!" Kyo yelled, raising his hands defensively. "They're lying to you, Tohru! Don't believe them!"

"Are you denying that you pushed her?" Hanajima implored eerily.

"Well, I...I guess I did kind of push her, but it's not like - "

"And was the gym teacher present?"

"No, but - "

"And didn't I specifically hear Arisa request your help when she was on the ground?"

"She did ask, but she wasn't - "

Hanajima held up a hand to silence him. "I've heard enough. You admit that you did push her, the teacher was not present, and you blatantly refused her when she deliberately begged for your help. You also have an eye witness to testify against you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Kyo struggled to articulate words, completely lost. Eye witness? Testify? Was there a court case building against him or something? This all was completely absurd! Arisa was perfectly healthy, despite the poor, crippled state she was faking in Tohru's presence. Yet, Kyo could say nothing in his defense.

Yuki scoffed at him. "Stupid."

"SHUT UP!" Kyo exploded, thoroughly irked.

"Pent-up aggression," Hanajima noted, scribbling something down on a clipboard that she seemed to have acquired from nowhere. Kyo snatched the clipboard away and snapped it in two, tired of the spooky girl's accusations. He jumped when he heard the coach bark his name. "Sohma! What are you doing with my clipboard?"

Kyo stared at the broken clipboard in his hands, and then back at the gym teacher. "Are you kidding me?" he cried, throwing the clipboard to the ground and turning to Hanajima. She shrugged. "I never said it was my clipboard."

"That's what you get for pushing me down," Arisa wheezed, gazing at him with mocking earnest eyes. "I hope you learned your lesson, Kyo."

As the gym teacher escorted Kyo from the gym to write him up for detention, Tohru frowned down at the injured friend in her arms. "I'm sure Kyo-kun didn't mean to push you, Uo-chan," she said, watching him leave. "Kyo-kun wouldn't ever actually try to hurt you."

Arisa smiled at her friend's gentle innocence. Of course Tohru wouldn't accuse Kyo of anything; Tohru would never accuse anybody of anything, if they said they hadn't done it. She hugged her friend in utter adoration, surprising Tohru considerably, since she thought that Arisa was injured. "If you say so, Tohru."

Hanajima joined in on the hug. "Our dear Tohru never sees the bad in people, only the good."

Tohru blushed at her compliment. "Oh, well, I wouldn't say that! Um, Uo-chan, do you want us to help you walk home?"

"No, no, don't strain yourself, Tohru," Arisa dismissed, hopping off the ground and extending a hand for each of her friends. "I'm feeling much better, actually. And I wouldn't want you to be late for work."

"Work!" Tohru exclaimed, dashing towards the dressing rooms. "I have to get dressed for work!"

The three of them watched her go. They were the only ones left in the gym, since the final bell had rung already. Arisa looked behind her at her bruised tailbone and rubbed the sore area shamelessly. "Damn, he really did knock me down hard."

"Kyo is definitely not a dancer," Hanajima agreed.

Yuki considered this. "Actually, Kyo is a pretty good dancer," he said. Though Kyo didn't attend the banquets due to his status as a cat, Yuki had still seen him dance once or twice. He wasn't nearly as good as some of the other zodiacs, but he was fair enough.

"What are you trying to say?" Arisa asked, raising her eyebrow expectantly.

Yuki started. "Oh, nothing. I was just pointing that out."

Arisa narrowed her eyes and poked his chest threateningly. "Don't get on my bad side, Prince Charming," she warned, walking towards the exit of the gym. "Make sure you wait for Tohru and walk her to work."

"I will," Yuki nodded, noticing Tohru pop out of the dressing room from his peripheral vision. Arisa and Hanajima walked in the opposite direction, towards Arisa's apartment. She raised an eyebrow at her black-clad companion questioningly. "Hey, Hanajima," she began.

"Yes?"

"Where did that one guy go? The guy you were dancing with?"

Hanajima allowed herself a small smile as they walked outside. She opened her umbrella to protect her from the hazardous rays of the spring sun and remained silent as they walked the expanse of the sidewalk. No amount of prompting from Arisa could convince her to speak. Only when they came to the point where they were forced to diverge did she answer the question.

"He fled."

Hope you liked it! You've already made me inexplicably happy by reading this fic, but you know what would make me even happier? If you pressed that pretty blue button down there (the one that looks like Review this Chapter) and you wrote down what you thought!