Symptoms of Love
I don't own Fruits Basket.
Chapter 1: Doctor's Diagnosis of the Disease
…
It was a small quaint building. Red bricked with open windows and a colorful sign over the door.
To her, it was a palace. A sense of freedom rushed through her body, and she could hardly contain her excitement.
At first, she cautiously stepped forward, but with each step her pace quickened. She pushed open the door with determination and peered inside.
It looked simple enough, a receptionist desk; a few waiting chairs and a bulletin board adorned the area. What was out of place however, were the multitude of colors in the area, the kid's toys that littered the floor, and the big kiddy font style signs hung on the walls. A back wall featured a TV screen that continuously showed a montage of kids having fun.
It was the perfect first impression of Kodomo No Kea Daycare. And Kagura Sohma was excited to be there.
"Hello?" A middle aged female looked up from behind the desk. "Can I help you?" Kagura faced her and bowed low.
"Hello ma'am," She greeted, looking up and giving a short wave. "I'm here for the daycare job?" The female's face brightened.
"Ahh, you must be Sohma-san!" she smiled to Kagura, who nodded. "I am Eiko Hiroaki, the manager here at K.N.K.!" Waving Kagura over, she motioned to a door beyond the desk.
"Are you ready for your first day? We're so excited to have you here, especially since we have a shortage of enthusiast who is willing to spend their day with little kids! You're trainer will be one of our main staff, a great worker here… always enthusiastic and smiling, ready to help… Dai! Kagura Sohma's here!"
"Just a minute!" the voice came from the back. A blonde head stuck out from a closet, and out came a tall stack of boxes.
"Oh dear…" Eiko and Kagura ran over and grabbed some of them, which were stacked in the male's arms.
"Ahh… thanks!" Kagura could finally see his face, and blushed. It had a big smile on it, and he was very handsome. His long blonde hair covered the top of his eyes, which twinkled. The girl's heart immediately started to beat faster.
What was this feeling?
"Watsup there!" he flipped his hair out of his forehead and stuck a hand out to Kagura. "I'm Daisuki Tanoshii, but everyone just calls me Dai-kun! Pleasure to meet you!"
Kagura stared down at the hand, unsure of what to do. Her heart continued to beat at an irregular pace, and her hands began to perspire.
What's happening? She though frantically, still staring at the male's fingers. I mean, it's not that hard to just shake his hand! But I'm afraid, what if he feels the sweat? Does he see my red face, my heart practically leaping from my chest? What's going on with me?
"Uh… it's not gonna bite you," Dai looked at her with exasperation, breaking her thought. Kagura gulped and grasped it firmly. It was warm and soft, and Kagura looked up surprised. It was different then what she had expected.
"Oooookay then, I'll leave you two together!" Eiko chimed in suddenly, and Kagura pulled back in shock. "Dai, show her around okay?" The tall male nodded as their manager walked back to the front.
"Come on, I'll show you around," he motioned for her to follow him, and walked towards the back. Kagura watched him with astonishment. He was very tall and gangly, surpassing her by at least half a head. He wore a sky blue long sleeved polo, with dark blue jeans that complimented his legs. This didn't help her state, as her heart pumped faster.
His back looks so nice in those…
"So over here," he pointed to the left, and Kagura tore her eyes away from his back to see another closet, "Is where we keep the toys and other supplies for the kids. Kids aren't allowed to enter it though, keep that in mind. "
"We have two daycare rooms, one for the kids under three, and one for the kids four and up. We have registered nurse for the younger ones, so you and I will be working here!" Pushing open the door on the left, Kagura peered through and gasped, all thoughts of Dai leaving her brain.
The room was brightly colored, ranging many colors. Bright rainbow carpets lined the floor. Kagura saw one side of the room was devoted to a reading area, a big fluffy cushion surrounded by bookshelves stocked with books. On the other side was obviously the play area. Divided between a girl's section and boys, both sections were filled with playthings appropriate for the gender.
"Wow…" Kagura was stunned, smiling at how her dream was coming true. Dai peeked at her face and smiled.
"You excited for the first day?" he grinned, and Kagura's blushed face came back. She turned away and murmured a response. She couldn't face him, he would know something was wrong with her! Dai momentarily frowned, but resumed his happy glance.
"Come on, I'll show you what we do here," Dai walked around the room, pointing out different areas needing special attention. Kagura zoned out however, thinking of all the fun she was going to have. She had prepared extra hard for her job here. She had taken child safety classes, read books on kid's behaviors, even spent a day watching all the young kids on the Sohma estate. She was more then ready, and extremely excited to start working.
As long as I'm not working with him, Kagura thought, looking at Dai and blushing, I'm ready!
"…and that's that! Don't worry though, if you get lost, just follow me!"
Kagura froze. "W-What?"
"Umm…" Dai bit his lip, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I'm training you, so I'm gonna be working with you today?"
Kagura forced a smile but inside, her heart sank.
Now how was she going to survive here?
…
"Ah Kagura-chan!" the former boar looked up to see Momiji Sohma waving enthusiastically at her. She waved back and walked toward him.
"Ah, Ritchan, Haru Haru, Rin and me are gonna share dinner! Wanna join us?" Kagura nodded, smiling. She was hungry, and would enjoy the company.
"I bought some chocolate in town, we can share it all later," she grinned. Momiji switched to his happy mode.
"Choco- Choco- Chocolate!" he squealed, and Kagura laughed. It was times like this where she just forgot the German-Japanese was a head taller, more muscular, and even mature enough to be her boyfriend. He would always be the cute little bunny boy to her.
"Do I hear chocolate?" The deep voice rang from behind them. The two turned to see Haru and Rin, hand in hand and holding a tray.
"Yay! Kagura-chan is going to join us, and she brought choco- choco- chocolate!" Momiji exclaimed happily.
"Oh? You will join us Kagura-chan?" the timid voice brightened as Ritsu Sohma came up behind them. Momiji startled.
"Ah? Ritchan, you scared me!" Momiji jokingly said. However, Ritsu obviously didn't see it that way.
"Noooooooo! I'm soooooooorrrrrrryyyy Moooommmmiiijiiii!" His eyes went wide with fear. Everyone laughed.
"No worries Ritchan!" Momiji patted him on the back. "Come on, we're all here!" He led them into his house where in the kitchen table was set with yummy foods. All of them congregated around it, digging in while chatting, sharing how there days had gone.
Soon the food was all devoured, and the five sat there savoring the chocolates.
"Yum Kagura-chan, these are reeeeeeaallly good!" Momiji exclaimed, eating yet another. Kagura chuckled.
"You got it at the bakery near the daycare, right?" Haru asked. Kagura nodded, popping another in her mouth.
"And how is the daycare job, Kagura-chan?" Ritsu smiled, taking a sip of tea. "You said it was fun, last time we met right?" Kagura nodded again, swallowing the chocolate.
"It definitely is, I love the kids," Kagura grinned. "It doesn't feel like a job, with all the fun, I'm having!" Everyone nodded. They saw how much happier she was since starting to work.
"Have you made any new friends there?" Rin leaned forward and asked. She had made a bigger effort to reconcile with most of the Sohma, especially Kagura as they had the most in common.
"Ahhh, well the kids are fun to play with!" Kagura looked brightly, but Haru intervened in her explanation.
"Other then the kids," Haru gave a sly smile that hinted at a secret agenda, "Any of the other workers- Ahh… there is…" He nodded, satisfied at Kagura's bright pink face.
"Oooo… Kagura-chan! Who is it? Who is it?" Momiji leaned in closer, eyes wide.
"Wh-Wha?" Kagura stuttered, her face turning from light pink to bright red. "I d-don't k-know, I-I mean, m-my heart s-starts beating f-f-faster when I s-see him, and I start b-blushing like t-this, plus I c-can't stop t-thinking abo-"
"Kagura-chan, you're in love!" Ritsu exclaimed, too excited to see the others look at his sudden outburst. It was unlike Ritsu to do such.
However, Kagura did not notice such. Her eyes widened at Ritsu's bold statement.
"N-Noo!" Of c-course not!" She blushed harder, further disproving her desperate plea. Momiji and Ritsu watched her with wide eyes, waiting for more details, as Rin and Haru exchanged glances. Kagura bit her lip, scared at this confrontation.
"I don't think its love!" Kagura pleaded firmly. "I think I was just nervous working with a male, you know, the curse didn't really let us interact with outsiders…" The others nodded in agreement. Being fellow members meant they understood her words.
Haru wasn't buying it though. "But it's been a few months since you started, shouldn't you be getting over it by now?"
"And what about other guys at your workplace? Do you feel the same around them?" Momiji caught on. Kagura froze. It was true. Even after a few months, she had gotten used to the other males at the daycare, yet the same symptoms occured only around Dai.
The first day wasn't so bad. Kagura just watched Dai from the corner of her eye, while interacting with the kids. It had been as much fun as she had expected. The kids were cute, adorable, hilarious and… adorable!
However, while Dai had the same qualities, Kagura hadn't been able to fell the same to him. She only mumbled responses, barely looked at him, and definitely didn't touch him for the rest of the day. She felt bad while looking at his hurt looks, but even that wasn't enough for her to work up enough courage. She was scared of what curse he could place on her with a simple look.
Was this really what it meant to be in love? Kagura never knew enough about the subject, going to all girls' schools since the beginning, and not being around males except the zodiac. Her only ever love relationship was with Kyo, and even there it was always just pity.
"It's like the shojo's you keep in your room Kagura," Rin sighed, refilling her cup with juice. "The girl falls in love at first sight. Her heart beats more, her cheeks fill with blush, and from then on, the guy is always on her mind!"
"But those stories aren't real!" Kagura protested. Rin just let out a small grin and looked at Haru.
"Some of them can come true," Rin said softly. "Kagura, what exactly about this man do you notice the most?"
She had noticed Dai's happiness, his encouraging spirit, and his friendly demeanor. All the kids adored him. All the staff cherished him. And all the local girls stood outside Kodomo every end of the workday, hoping to catch a glimpse (and possibly, a date).
"Well, he's kind, funny, friendly…" Kagura trailed off, her mind racing through all them memories of the past month.
"Handsome…" she blushed. She remembered the first day at Kodomo and her first impression of him.
"I think she's fallen head over heels," Momiji joked, but Kagura did not deny it this time. Her mind went through this new information, trying to sort it. It all started to make sense, just like her favorite romance mangas. The "symptoms" pointed to the love disease. And Kagura just kept getting sicker and sicker.
Maybe that wasn't the best analogy. But still…
"Maybe I am in love," she finally said, gaining her confidence back. "But what does that mean? If love is really like shojo, then he has to like me back right? That isn't true!"
"How do you know that?" Haru intervened. "He's still stuck to you, even after a month of your weirdness."
"So? That doesn't mean anything!" Kagura nearly shouted. "I mean, it could be just to be nice, you know!"
"But how does he act around you?" Ritsu smiled kindly at his friend, hoping to help in her dilemma. Kagura thought for a bit, reminiscing the past months.
He had been kind and caring, like he was to all the workers. Yet… he had always paid special attention to her. At first she had thought it was because she was his "charge", but he trained a few more newbie's as well, most often females who were as infatuated as she was. However, he didn't treat them the same way he did to her. What did that mean? Was his extra attention on her because he in return had feelings for her?
"Here's what you should do, Kagura," Rin sudden soft voice grabbed everyone's attention.
"Take control Kagura. Ask him on a date and see if he agrees. If he does, use the date to get to know him more. Every relationship starts from the simplest, a friendship."
"B-But shouldn't t-the guy do t-that?" Kagura stuttered. Haru shrugged.
"He's probably too shy or something," he started, looking encouragingly at Kagura. He knew that Kagura had never experienced love before, and wanted her to get the most out of her first time.
"What if he's not? What if really he doesn't like me?" Kagura cried out, biting her lip in anxiety. Everyone smiled at her cuteness.
"Then we'll beat him up," Momiji answered simply, Haru and even Ritsu nodding agreement. Kagura sat in silence at this, pondering the mere idea.
"I can't," she announced, but Rin cut her off.
"You're a strong independent woman Kagura," Rin smiled softly at Kagura. She fully wanted to help her fellow family member. "You survived the curse with your head high and a bright smile on your face."
"If anyone could do this, it would be you, Kagura. So go for it."
…
Prize for Willandtherabbit from DeviantART. Wanted some Kagura oneshot, FTW Kagura!
Second part tomorrow or next day, as long as I remember. ^.^
I have a lot of prizes I need to write, so expect a few more stories over the next few weeks.
~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)