What if: Kyoko hadn't died, Tohru hadn't moved into a tent and the Sohmas met another young girl...?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, otherwise there would be an awful lot more yaoi in there, but seriously, there won't be any yaoi in this story. I'm trying to keep it like Takaya-sensei meant it to be, except with Koneko instead of Tohru. Oh yes, and I DO own Koneko. Cuz she's me. Duh.

Fruits Basket: Back to Basics

Chapter One - New Girl in Town

I opened the flap of my tent and blinked in the bright sunlight.

"Aw, man, it's going to be boiling today..." I grumbled. I hate being too hot, it always makes me selfconcious of wether or not I'm sweating.

I quickly disassembled the pop-up tent and stowed it away in a bag, along with a few other possessions, mainly stolen breadrolls and a lighter. I straightened my short ragged black skirt and pulled my ripped green top up higher over my chest, and then down again at the back over my butt.

I knew I should have moved on to the next city by now but something about the town I was in at the moment made me feel... I don't know, like I belonged, I guess.

The local market had just set up down the road, and I saw this as the golden oppurtunity to grab some food. Casually, I managed to knock over a cart of apples, and I grabbed about five as I pretended to help clear them up. People. They're so easy to fool. I retreated to the alleyway again.

And then there he was. The mean boy who kept glaring at me. And everyone else for that matter. His orange head was pretty hard to miss.

"Hey, Ginger!" I couldn't stop myself calling out, and aimed an apple at his head. It had caught him off guard, obviously, but he saw me and began to run after me. I automatically turned and ran too, but, unlike him, I had lived on the streets most of my life, and I knew every hiding place there could be. When I was safely out of his sight I clambered up a fire escape and was up on the roof of a building. I could see him looking around, probably wondering where the hell I had got to, when I chanced it and dropped two more apples on his head. His face was a picture!

But in doing so I had given up my hiding place. He was like lightning up the fire escape and I had nowhere to go. He placed himself in a karate stance and I immediately regretted throwing that apple. Instinct took over, and I rammed myself at his chest. For whatever reason, he looked petrified, but then shocked afterwards.I admit I was equally shocked. Nothing had happened. I stared at the medallion around my neck. It's green crystal was sparkling as per usual.

Ginger-head stared at me. He glanced down at his wrist, and then back at the medallion around my throat. I looked too.

They were almost the same. A ring of alternating red and white beads, and we both knew what they were made of. In fact, the only difference between the two was the green crystal.

"Who are you?" we said simultaniously. I gave him the look I had refined so well, the look that said, you go first or I'm not saying anything.Well, I hoped it said that.

Without a word, he grabbed my wrist and began to drag me towards somewhere. I was slightly scared by the look in his eyes, like a chaos of fear, anger and deep pain. I struggled to keep up in my heels. Can you blame me, they were the only shoes I owned?!

Eventually the path turned greener as we passed into an area of land.

"Aha!" I heard him say triumphantly. A small house was off in the distance and he dragged me into a run towards it. Eventually we reached the front door. He slid it open and waited for me to take off my shoes as he did. I was blushing as I knew my feet weren't the cleanest in the world.

"Shigure-san?" he called out. Who was Shigure? "Shigure-san?"

"Kyo-kun, is that you?" an older voice said. A man wearing traditional clothes stepped out of a room. "It's been like, four months. Kagura-chan wasn't happy that you left. Anyway, I thought you were off sitting under waterfalls and fighting bears in the mountains?"

"I WASN'T FIGHTING BEARS!" he shouted. Shigure-san looked past him and at me.

"Oh, you've brought a guest!" he said lightly. Kyo-san glared at him.

"She's not a guest, she's a freak!"

"Kyo! Don't be so offensive!"

"I... she hugged me and I didn't transform!" Transform? What was he talking about? Unless...

"Oh? Maybe she didn't actually hug you then?" Shigure-san was peering at me in a strange way. I could feel his eyes seeing right into me, and I tried to bat them away. Not physically, of course. That would make me look like a raving lunatic.

"Look at this!" Kyo-san grabbed my medallion, and I had to move forwards to stop it snapping off of my neck. He held it up next to his bracelet. "Look at it!"

Shigure-san sharply intook breath. "What's your name?"

"Ko- Koneko..." When did my mouth get so dry? It was so hard to get my words out.

"Ko...Neko?" Kyo said, seeming to feed on every syllable.

Shigure-san grabbed hold of Kyo-san's shoulder and steered him into another room. I could hear a hissed conversation through the walls but I couldn't make out all the words.

Eventually Shigure-san came out and said, "You can stay with us for as long as you want, Koneko-san."

I bowed my head to him and said, "Thank you very much, Shigure-san but I wouldn't want to be of any bother to you." I was feeling claustrophobic and I had to get out of this place.

"Oh please, you wouldn't be any bother at all here! Now tell me, Koneko-san. Do you like cleaning?"

This was gonna be a long week.