And so begins chapter two…By the way, if you haven't seen the movie 'Hero' go see it. Now. Like, right this minute.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
Hidden Pleasures: It's Just One Of Those Days
I like bread and butter…I like toast and jam…something, something, insert correct lyrics here…that's why I like my SPAM. Wow, it's amazing what one's mind can wander to when they are faced with a situation so traumatizing…oh, there's a light coming towards me.
Don't ask. For some reason, whenever I black out, my mind wanders to the most idiotic things. One time, at camp, I got so dehydrated that I fainted and while I was out, I had a conversation about penguins with Richard Nixon. A year later, I told my therapist what was said during that conversation. She refused to accept me as a client afterwards. The light, I realize, is sunlight pouring in from an open window. But the window does not belong to Shigure's house, which is where I was before the surprise celebration of something that wasn't meant to be. There are some bookshelves adorned with the thick pieces of literature and a few potted plants here and there. My eyes race to find a hint of civilization within the room, and I find a recliner turned towards the window with a pair of legs stretched out towards no particular location. I figure that if I can make it to that sleeping form, which I presume is Shigure, I can find out where the hell I am and what exactly happened. So, like any person on a mission to wake someone up, I stand.
Big mistake. A wave of pain slips over my entire being and I suddenly feel like Shamu has taken residence in my skull. My hand shoots up to my head, which has been bandaged skillfully. When did I need a bandage? In reaction to the pain I fall to my knees and mumble a few choice words. Those words alone were able to grab the attention of the man in the recliner.
"You're up." It was a simple statement. A statement that irritated the bejesus out of me. I try to give him my most infamous dirty look but receive another shot of pain to the head. In the name of spitting camels! "Get back up on the couch and I will go get some aspirin." Aspirin? That would be so friggin awesome. With the help of the stranger, I crawl back up on the cushiony paradise and await the simple drug that will numb the pain. The man returns with a glass of water and a tiny white pill – my salvation.
"Do you know your name?" I can feel the pill squeeze down my throat and the pain begins to melt away almost instantly. With the pain gone, I measure up the man in front of me. He's handsome, in the bookworm kind of way. His hair is as long as Shigure's and just as dark, but it covers up his left eye. I have to fight the urge to take my hand and swipe it out of his face. His eyes are so serious, I note. I wonder if he has ever laughed. Not the sarcastic, 'I'm better than you' laugh, but the 'I can't help that this is funny' laugh. There IS a difference, folks.
"My name is SugarJohn Myers. I am an undercover pimp for the Los Angeles Police Department. Or, 'the Popo' as we refer to them on the street. My partner is a witness for a crime of the governor's cat. She goes by the alias 'Amanda Kissalot'." Out of the corner of my eye, I can see his shoulders sink a bit. Okay, okay. I get it. You don't do jokes. Either that or he's heard that one from Shigure. I sigh for what seems forever. "My name is Adrienne Rebecca Carter – in no relation to the president. I was born in New York City but moved to New Orleans when I was three. I am friends with Dusty and I THOUGHT I was visiting to support my friend while she and her…whatever you want to call Shigure…were battling with doctors and what not. Instead, I get a surprise party for an anniversary that can't happen because the guy dumped me and somehow, I end up talking to a doctor that can't even crack a grin!" Wow, where did that little speech come from? Wait, I remember. I had that packed away for when I was running for Student Body President when I was a junior in highschool. So long ago. A sudden thought pours through the tight membranes of what I like to call my brain. "You ARE a doctor, right?" He nods and the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders.
"My name is Sohma Hatori. Dusty and Shigure brought you over here when you fainted and bumped your head on the corner of the table." Hmm. So I cracked my noggin? "As soon as you feel up to it, I will take you back over there." I hop off the bed and follow him outside.
"Um, well, where am I now?" He pauses his swift stride for a moment but doesn't turn around.
"You're at the main house, of course." Oh, of course. Stupid me. Stop it Beck, he was only trying to help. There was a long awkward silence between us for quite awhile. I think I was making him nervous, which isn't entirely unusual for me. I think I have made an art out of making people uncomfortable. "Perhaps it would be best if you wait inside while I attend to a patient." My eyebrow rose skeptically, but I turned back towards the giant house and walked inside.
I would like to say that I entered a complete state of solitude and relaxation while Hatori was away, but as soon as I plopped my bootie on the couch, a pair of large, round eyes stared back at me. I'll admit, at first I was startled. So startled, in fact, that I fell off the couch. But the eyes were quickly hovering over me, worry etched on the adolescent features.
"Um…hi?" The boy…girl…kid…stared for a second before smiling brightly.
"You ARE cute!" Ok, I have to interrupt here. This is the first time anyone has ever called me cute. I've been called a wide variety of other things (some not always nice), but cute has never been one of them. This kid is definitely number one on my list. But before I know it, he's launching himself at me, arms wide open. My first instinct is to catch him so that he won't hurt himself. I mean, that is a little harsh. And I did catch him, along with a rabbit. Wait, rabbit? Hold the phone! In a state of terror and toss the mammal to the floor and back up until I hit a piece of furniture. And, like a domino effect of bad karma, a picture frame drops to the ground and smashes into bajillion shards of glass. The kid, I mean bunny, I mean little fuzzy thing that hops, I mean…argh! That THING prances over to the mess I've made and peers up at me. "You broke Kana." Great googily moogily. I broke a person. Calm down Beck. It was just a picture frame. I gather up the last bit of my wits and fall to the floor, a few scraps of glass piercing my skin. I'm going to feel that tonight.
"Look, I don't know how all this works, but I didn't mean to break this frame and I didn't mean to conk my head on a corner and get brought here and I didn't mean to be mean to that old lady at work…" I remember watching an old show with Jet when we were kids called 'Lost In Space.' In it, there was this robot that would freak out and yell 'Warning! Warning!' when there was trouble. Well that robot is going off in my head right at this moment. Tears begin to cloud my vision. Overload! Meltdown! She's going to blow! "…And I didn't mean to think Hatori was mildly handsome and I didn't mean to turn you into a bunny!" By now, I've begun to hug the little creature to my chest in an effort to console myself. He didn't fight me, he just lay limp in my arms, listening to everything I had to say.
A small gasp knocked me out of my dramatic confessional and looked up to find my best friend staring at me. She too, appeared to have teary eyes and I could only guess that she had heard everything. I watched as the girl who used to stand up for me knelt by my side and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"I…I don't know what happened. He just turned into a rabbit and then I broke the picture. I didn't mean to…" I'm not crazy. I have three psychoanalysis tests to prove that. Dusty also knows that. Next to her, I'm one of the sanest people you could ever meet. But it's just one of those days…
"We need to talk, Beck. Don't worry about the picture or Momiji. Shigure will take care of it all. Let's go take a walk, hmm?"
A/N: I know the comedy is on a low down as of now, but you have to remember, Becky is a little more…introverted than her pal. The laughter WILL come though.