Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket... but my imagination is completely jealous.
(A/N) Hey Guys! Okay, so here's chapter 2! Read and REVIEW PLEASE!!!
"I'm sorry Honda-san, Kioko-san has left for the weekend."
Tohru felt her heart drop and she dropped her eyes to stare at her hands. She had tried so hard to look perfect for her interview today, she didn't know why the chairman who was supposed to interview her wouldn't be there. She searched her mind for any holidays or events that would've caused the long weekend, but she couldn't find any.
The round faced secretary seemed to notice Tohru's distress and thought about some way to make it up to her. Then, with a stroke of brilliance, an idea materialized in her head, "What position were you being interviewed for sweetheart?"
Tohru tried to cheer up when the secretary spoke to her, she didn't want to worry her when she had no control over the situation. "Secretary to the new Chairman of the board." The secretary mentally rolled her eyes, that position payed about as much as someone in the mailroom, and all she would really be doing was fetching coffee.
"Well, why don't you leave your application with me and I'll make sure to get it to Kioko-san when he returns," Tohru smiled at the helpful woman and handed her the pristine application. "I'll have him call you for an interview the moment he gets in." She beamed at the secretary while nodding her appreciation. Tohru thanked the woman again before walking away from the desk and preparing to head back into the cold winter that was taking over Tokyo.
As Tohru left, the round faced secretary took a look at the young girl's application. She was definitely qualified to be a new addition to Sohma Corp., but not as an errand running maid to one of the bland suits that walked through the halls everyday. The secretary turned to put her application in a pile of papers meant for Yuki Sohma.
She knew that Sohma-san would give her more to do then just fetch coffee, and for some reason, she had a feeling that the beautiful young girl might give Sohma-san something as well. Something that maybe he didn't know he was missing out on. The round faced woman smiled at her clever handiwork and returned to answering the phone calls she had put on hold and silently prayed that everything worked out, and deep in her aging heart, she knew everything would.
As Tohru walked out of the fancy lobby and into the sunset that was becoming a dark Friday night, she found her mind drifting back to the man she had run into before walking into Sohma Corp. She stopped on the sidewalk to relive the moment, seeing his eyes again in her mind; but now she noticed other things too. His silver hair, his thin, lean muscled body, draped under layers of winter clothing, the perfect line of his lips....
Tohru broke away from the memory when the hustle of Tokyo traffic carried her across the street, on her way home for the night. She liked her walk home from Sohma Corp.. It wasn't too long, and it took her through the bright lights of downtown, all the colors, the people, the fashion. Tohru smiled at the vivid pulse of life around her, and occasionally, she pulled herself back into her encounter from earlier that day. It wasn't as if their was anything special or significant about the incident, but when she thought of him, the beautiful stranger from that afternoon, she found a small smile on her face, one that couldn't be explained and that made her heart flutter a little when she recalled why it was there.
She got to the front door of her building, the penthouse her grandfather had boughten her when she graduated college, working her whole way it all by herself. It was one of 5 amazingly beautiful residences in the building. Each floor was a different house, and Tohru knew almost all the tenants. She lived on the 4th floor, and there was a wealthy elderly man on the floor below her. He lived alone and read the paper each night while he drank his bourbon and smoked a cigar.
A socialite married couple lived on the 2nd floor, in their mid-50's. They bickered over little things and yelled about important ones. But they always made up with flowers and hugs, staying on good terms for a few days, before the next blow up. Lastly, the first floor, behind the beautiful front desk and the extravagant elevators, was the smallest penthouse. A retired actress in her 40's lived there, still making money from the royalties she got off of re-runs and old commercials. She dressed like something out of a vogue magazine and fought of age with every cream there was. Hiding wrinkles behind sunglasses and over-sized hats.
There was only one tenant Tohru didn't know. The floor above her was a complete mystery. She knew that it was a man, and that he lived alone, but that was only because she had overheard the actress and the old man talking about it one day as she was leaving. He was supposedly a rich business man, but very elusive. Tohru had never seen him, and he had been living there for almost a year.
Tohru took the elevator up to the 4th floor and used her key to unlock her front door. She flicked on the light and took off her coat. After putting it away, she went into the kitchen and pulled out a mug and a kettle. She filled it with water and set it on the stove before rummaging through a cupboard for the box of hot chocolate mix she knew was there.
After pouring the hot water and mixing her cocoa, she took a seat on her couch and turned on the television, only half paying attention to what she was watching. She was still thinking about that perfect stranger, and she hoped, deep down in her heart, even if it was silly and childish, that he was thinking about her.
She traced the rim of her mug with her finger and sighed when she thought about how busy her day had been. What if he didn't like her? What if he thought she wasn't qualified? Tohru's forehead creased with worry as all these inhibitions danced around her mind, floating in and out of focus just long enough for her to doubt herself a little more. She took a deep breath and shook all the worries from her head, her forehead smoothing out in the process. She exhaled and turned all her attention to the television, hoping that something would catch her attention. She dug herself into the couch and listened to the newest headline.
"WHITE CHRISTMAS PREDICTED IN TOKYO"
This made Tohru smile, she couldn't remember the last white Christmas Tokyo had had. The white snow that laced the city, the excuses to stay home and build a fire, the snow made everything a little more magical, a little more special, and Tohru hoped with all her heart that it Tokyo could really have a white Christmas this year.
(A/N) That was it! Thanks soooooo much for reading!!! Next Chapter I'm really hoping to have Yuki and Tohru finally meet... please keep reading!
Reviews are really appreciated... But flames will be used to roast marshmallows. Now go review!!!! thanks!
