My Monster
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.
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Chapter 2:
Scary Movies
Tohru was sitting silently, petting the sleeping cat as she stared eye-to-eye with her mother. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kyouko sighed and reached for the cat. She sat him in her lap but he wouldn't have it, screeching loudly and jumping from her lap to Tohru's, falling asleep almost instantly. The four sat stunned, silently watching him as if waiting for him to jump through flaming hoops or turn himself inside out, but he did nothing. After another eternity, Kyouko broke the silence.
"Tohru, we can't keep a cat. This thing could have fleas, disease, anything!"
The girl began stroking his head again as she stared her mother in the eyes, speaking with confidence for once. "When I washed and bandaged him, there were no signs of illness or anything like that." Kyouko couldn't doubt her word, because Tohru had a dream to be a vet one day, and spent much time reading about animals and such. She knew more about them than her mother. "Plus, I'm not asking to keep him. In fact, I don't even think that he likes me very much. I just want to heal him before finding his owner."
"And what if he doesn't have and owner, Tohru? You won't give him up that easily." she stated, crossing her arms. Hana broke in at the moment, raising a finger as she spoke.
"I believe that Tohru will be fine. This cat seems to be a fast healer; he's already awoken from a head injury." They merely stared at her as the cat meowed lowly.
"He seems to like you well enough, Tohru." added Uo. "He won't let anyone else near him." Tohru smiled, scratching his ears, though she said nothing.
"Anyway," Kyouko butt in. "We'll only be here for a week so if he doesn't seem well by then, we're still not taking him home with us. Got it?"
Tohru smiled brightly and stood up with the cat in her arms, giving her mother an awkward hug. "Thanks mom," And with that, she left the room.
As soon as she shut the door behind her, the cat jumped out of her arms and seemed to glare at her over his shoulder. She sighed, falling into a sitting position, deep in thought. "Um... Neko-san, was that an act?" The cat turned completely away from her and sat down, licking his paw. "You don't like me," she stated, reaching out to pet him. He flinched and lowered his head away from her hand. She retracted it. "You're very smart, Neko-san, but I'd like it if you could be my friend." He merely walked away with that statement.
She sighed and lay down to take a nap.
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Tohru awoke to a consistent patting on her forehead. As consciousness was regained, the patting became quicker and a mixture of meows and voices were heard beyond the barrier of sleep. She yawned, pushing the nuisance from her head and off of the bed, sitting up lazily with closed eyes.
"Tohru," her mothers' voice came, followed by four quick knocks. "You awake?"
The girls' eyes bolted open and she ran to the door, flinging it open. She stared at her mother and friends in a daze, and before her ramble began, Kyouko smiled.
"You were sleeping weren't you?" Tohru could only nod with her mouth slightly agape. The cat leisurely strolled past the girls and, mindlessly, they all followed. The cat jumped onto the counter and meowed.
"We're hungry, Tohru." whined Uo, grabbing her stomach dramatically. The girl began to panic, causing Uo to laugh and Kyouko to walk off, holding her forehead in her hand. Saki decided to intervene at this point, getting into a drawer and pulling out a giant wooden spoon.
"Don't worry Tohru; I can cook if you don't want to." she said, staring dully at the two girls.
A sudden chill passed through the room and Uo laughed nervously. "Heh... well, why don't we just let Tohru do it...?" She reached for the wooden spoon in Hana's hand and tugged at it, but the girl wouldn't let go. Instead, she kept her attention on Tohru.
"Tohru, do you want to cook?" she asked, her head turned from a struggling Arisa, who was now resorting to prying the spoon from Hana's hand with both of hers. Tohru nodded vigorously and grinned.
"Of course I do! I'd be more than happy to cook for the three of you!" Arisa sighed of relief and smiled, letting go of the spoon that Saki just wasn't going to give up. Saki then faced Arisa directly, and stared at her for a moment before shifting her eyes to the spoon.
"Oh, am I still holding this?" She let go of the spoon and let it drop to the ground, then turned her eyes back to Arisa. "Why do you look so exhausted?" Arisa's eyebrow twitched and she stood straight, glaring and pointing a finger at Hana.
"You know very well why!" She picked up the spoon and slammed it onto the counter. "You are not to even think about cooking anything ever again!" With that, she pushed the emotionless Hana out of the room, and another second later poked her head back in, grinning at Tohru. "Tohru," she called, smiling. The dazed girl tilted her head to the side in response. "Could you cook something with fish tonight? Anything fish! Your mom and I are going to grill out tomorrow."
Tohru smiled, picking up a skillet and turning to the fridge. "Sure! I'm sure Neko-san will like it too!" Arisa looked around, finding the cat sitting at Tohru's feet, and smiled before leaving the room.
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The next three days passed similarly, with the cats' fast healing and the usual fun and jokes between the four girls. It was now the fourth day, and Arisa and Hana needed to call their parents and check in to see how things were.
Tohru picked up the last of the dinner plates as Arisa came back into the room, looking pissed. No sooner than she sat down, Saki went into the same room that Arisa came out of. It was then that Tohru re-entered, carrying a tray of tea in her hands and frowning when she saw the look on Uo's face. "What's wrong, Uo-san?" she asked, offering her a cup of tea. Kyouko simply sat watching them, and accepted a cup when offered to her.
"My parents are fighting again." she sighed, taking a sip, putting the cup on the table. She sat back on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm so sorry!" Tohru shouted, nearly dropping her cup of tea as she leaned forward. She kept her position with big eyes though, and now her words were coming too fast for them to understand. What they did catch though was something along the lines of "We never should have taken you away from home!" At this, her mother stood up and hugged the girl, trying to soothe her.
"Tohru, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it; Uo-chan can still stay after all." Arisa stood up and took the tea from the panicking girl. She sat it onto the table and turned to face the mother and daughter with crossed arms.
"Yeah, if I would've known you'd react like that, I wouldn't have even told you in the first place... It just makes me that that they're fighting." She turned away, her smile lost as she muttered "I wonder what'll happen without me being the referee..."
Before Tohru could break into another spur of panics, Saki walked in and silently sat down, catching everyone's attention.
"Everything is fine at home," she lightly explained, trying to coax the cat who wasn't about to move by pretending to hold something in her shaking hand. Tohru, forgetting Uo's problem, smiled and broke from her mothers' arms.
"That's wonderful, Hana-san! I'm glad they're all doing well."
"What happened while I was gone?" Saki asked, completely ignoring Tohru's congratulations. She didn't seem to notice. Arisa was about to speak before Kyouko butt in.
"Oh, nothing!"
"Well that's good... I suppose." Tohru picked up the cat and sat on the couch with him in her lap. He began purring as she stroked his neck; just below the injury on his head. She smiled as she looked up at the three girls, pointing to the television.
"Why don't we watch a movie?"
"Oh, that's a great idea! I even bought popcorn at the store!" Kyouko replied, running into the kitchen to make it. "You guys pick the movie," she called behind her back, leaving an evilly grinning Uo behind. She turned to Saki and pointed to the movie case.
"What about a horror movie, Saki?" she asked, and she knew the answer.
"That sounds delightful," she commented, standing to pick a movie. Uo sat in her spot and rested her legs on the coffee table in front of her, and casually looked to Tohru, who was smiling to no one in particular.
"Have you already seen all of these, Tohru?" she asked.
"Hm...? Oh, uh... no!" She smiled again, looking over to Hana, who was just standing before the cases. "But it'll be a surprise now!" The microwave beeped, causing her to jump while Uo laughed at her expense.
"Calm down, Tohru. You'll be fine."
"Oh, I'm not worried!" She laughed, looking toward the kitchen. "That was just a sudden noise."
"Okay, okay. Just don't scream too much while we're watching the movie." Tohru laughed just as Kyouko walked in with two bowls of popcorn.
"So, what are we watching?" she asked cheerfully, sitting down next to Tohru.
Hana had put the movie in and was now walking back, her face emotionless. "Blood Suckers," she said, taking a bowl from Kyouko and stuffing her mouth.
Tohru's eyes went wide and she was already clinging to the cat in her arms with wide eyes. "It's okay Neko-san; it's probably not that scary." she whispered to it, but he didn't seem too scared; the only look in his eyes were annoyance. The three girls stared at her for a bit, but she didn't notice.
Then, the video started and a shrill scream filled the room.
"Tohru!" shouted Uo, standing up and spilling half of the bowl-full of popcorn on the floor. She looked over to the girl with glassy eyes and sighed, sitting back down and picking popcorn off of the couch and floor, popping it into her mouth as she went.
Kyouko, feeling sympathy for the girl, scooped her into her arms. Tohru only squeezed the cat tighter, and Kyouko feared his eyes would completely fall out of his head the way they were bulging out. She sighed and rubbed Tohru's arm. "You need to loosen your grip or you'll kill him." she said, only to gain a yelp from the girl.
"Ah! I'm sorry!!" she yelled, completely releasing him from her arms. He just sat there for a moment before leaping from the couch, sitting in front of the television as it showed a group of bats attacking a screaming woman. The volume wasn't even that loud. At this point, Uo gave up on cleaning up the popcorn and sat back down. The cat walked over to her and began eating remains of the popcorn on the floor as Uo spoke.
"Wow, Tohru. Two seconds into the movie and you're to the point of tears." She pointed behind her - to Hana - with her thumb. "Look at Hana over there, just watching without being affected at all." They all turned to the girl as she continued staring mindlessly at the television.
"This isn't realistic in the least." she said, never averting her eyes from the screen. The three girls sighed at how characteristic this was, and turned back to the movie. This time, Tohru was holding the cat close, and her mom holding her.
The movie seemed to drag on forever for Tohru, but when it was finally over, Tohru let the cat down and stood up, stretching her arms above her head.
"That was terrible... when was this movie made anyway, the 60's or something?" Arisa said, standing to go to her room for the night. Kyouko laughed at that, picking up the bowels and taking them to the kitchen.
"I don't know, but it sure seems like it, huh?" she called. Hana was rewinding the tape, watching it backwards for some reason.
"Did you enjoy the movie, Hana-san?" Tohru asked, smiling softly.
"Not in the least." she replied in a monotone voice. Tohru shriveled at that.
"I'm sorry!" she yelped, but Hana just laughed. She ejected the tape and put it back in its spot, then stood in front of Tohru and hugged her.
"I'm sorry you got so scared during the movie. I figured that would happen." She released the girl and smiled warmly. "After all, that's what Uo had planned." she leaned closer to Tohru and whispered into her ear. "Uo-chan will try to scare you, so lock your door tonight." Right after she said that, Saki went off to her room, leaving a rather scared Tohru holding the cat close to her chest.
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Tohru shivered under the cover even though it's decently warm in the house. The cat jumped onto the bed for about the third time, curling into a ball on her stomach. 'Maybe even Neko-san knows what Uo-san wants to do...' Tohru thought, pulling him closer to her face. He lay face to face with her, staring into her eyes. 'His eyes seem very warm right now.' He meowed lowly, rubbing his cheek against her hand. She smiled and began petting his head with some trouble, her hand being at a strange angle. She had changed his bandages right before bed, so they were a bit stiff and he couldn't seem to get comfortable.
An owl hooted loudly outside, startling both Tohru and the cat. Somehow, the cat ended up off of the bed with his head directly planted on the floor, and Tohru is stuck in a crack between the bed and the wall. "Ah!" she whimpered, trying to struggle free; only to fall deeper into the hole. The cat recovered with some trouble, jumping onto the bed and meowing at her in a quiet tone. "N... Neko-san?" she called. He meowed again and she tried to struggle free.
There was a soft clicking behind the locked door, and the cat jumped down with curiosity and sat calmly at the door. He meowed loudly and someone shushed him on the other side. Being the simple person she is, Tohru became frightened by it and tried even harder to get free. She deeper in and soon enough her hip is barely grazing the floor. She tries to push herself further down so that her feet are under the bed, her arms barely resting on the top. Grinning with success, the girl stands up with little trouble, facing the door and having her grin wiped from her lips.
The doorknob turned slowly and the door opened fully, revealing no one outside. The girl's lips begin to shiver with fear and she shrunk under the covers. "Wh... who's there?" she called, her voice muffled by the sheets. She felt the cat jump onto her head and he hissed as if he were protecting her. From underneath the covers, Tohru heard footsteps and shook even more, the cat's claws digging into her scalp. "Ow... Neko-san?" She slowly lifted up her head, the cover still stop it as the cat stayed put. She unveiled her face and was greeted by the deformed face of a man; the eyes bulged out and tongue protruding his lips, glossy with saliva. The girl shrilly screamed, and the man does too with unmoving lips as she cat shrieks and runs under the bed.
It was then that Tohru heard laughing from outside the door. "Oh, Tohru-chan, you scare too easily!" her mother's voice called before she stepped in, holding her sides and shaking from laughter.
"Huh?" she asked, uncovering her eyes and looking to her mother. She turned her head and stared at the man as he took his face off, and she covered her eyes again with a yelp.
"Relax, Tohru-kun. It's just me." Uo says, holding up the discarded mask with one hand.
"U... Uo-san? M... mom?" Just as she gets the words out, the cat jumps out from under the bed, meowing loudly as he attacked the mask, barely missing Uo's hand as she dropped it onto the bed, the cat tumbling to the floor and wrestling with the plastic manufactured toy. The three girls watched him tear the mask to shreds before Kyouko started laughing.
"Ah, shit!" Uo yelled, swinging at the cat, only to miss. "You ruined my best mask! Stupid cat! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" The cat hissed at her and jumped into Tohru's lap, who is only just now recovering. "It's completely ruined," Uo whispered, glaring at the cat. "Stupid cat," she muttered, walking out of the room and past a hysteric Kyouko, on the floor and holding her sides in laughter.
Tohru slowly gazed down at the cat, which seemed pretty angry at the moment. "Neko-san?" He looked up, then back at Kyouko. She grinned and pulled him tightly in her arms, hugging him until he meowed lowly in annoyance. "Oops," she sat him down and stroked his shoulder blades. "You saved me, Neko-san. Thank you so much!" At this point, Kyouko had recovered herself and sat on the foot of Tohru's bed.
"What a funny cat," she said, petting his head as he flinched under her hand. "Thank you, Neko-chan, for making this night fun." She looked up at Tohru and smiled. "Sorry Tohru-chan. But it was irresistible!" Tohru smiled, and simply nodded her head, though she's still shaking. Kyouko stands up and kisses her daughter on the forehead, pets the cat, and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.
Tohru sat there for a moment, staring at the door. She sighed. "That was so scary!" she told the cat who was trying to fall asleep in her lap. "It seems that Hana-san was right..." She laughed nervously and lay down, petting the cat on his stomach. "I'll never get to sleep now..." she muttered, staring at the ceiling.
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Sorry I didn't get this up sooner. I'll be going out of town early Friday morning and won't get back until Sunday night, so when I check this on Monday, I hope to have a lot of reviews! :D
