Fruitcakes and Basket-cases
Chapter Three
"My, my, Kyo…you really should be more careful," a man's voice chided, "I really thought that all your training would have sharpened your senses,"
"My training has nothing to do with stuff that I can't control!" an angry voice snapped back, "Like I could tell that guy would have pushed that girl in my direction," Ichigo stirred, 'What's with the raised voices?' he parted his eyes, blinking them into focus and saw a ceiling he didn't recognise, 'Where…am I?'
"Looks like the boy's woken up…" a soft voice said.
"How're you feeling?" a girl asked in a kind tone, poking her head into his line of vision, 'Who…Tohru, was it?'
"Ah!" Ichigo jolted up, barely missing the girl's head had she not been pulled back. He looked around at the people in the room, "Where…am I?"
"Hmm…this could be troublesome," the oldest of the group said, "you passed out after…that incident in our living room, and your girlfriend didn't take it so well either," The teen frowned at the last statement, 'Girlfriend?', and turned to look to his side.
"Inoue!" he uttered in alarm, "Is she okay?" he reached out a hand, but wasn't sure what to do. As if in response, Orihime stirred and opened her eyes slowly, focusing on Ichigo.
"Morning, Ichigo," she smiled, as he visibly relaxed.
"Yeah, you alright?" he asked, not caring that she had the time of day wrong. She was about to reply, when the older man cut in.
"Well, it's good to have you both up," he chimed, "but just in case it didn't sink in the first time, I'm Shigure Sohma," he introduced, then gestured to the others, "my sons, Yuki and Kyo and my mistress, Tohru Honda," An uncomfortable aura settled upon the room, as the words sank in.
"Where do you get off spouting that crap?!" Kyo yelled, while Tohru panicked and attempted to calm him.
"Miss. Honda, please, get away from that pitiful excuse for a man," Yuki said, putting a hand on her to keep her from going near them, "I can't believe he'd stoop so low,"
"B-but…Kyo…" she stammered helplessly.
"I'd rather die than be your son; who could stand to have you as a dad?!" the boy continued to rage, "And you," he turned to Tohru, "just how many times have I told you, don't just let him get away with it, say something!"
"Y-yes…" came her timid reply.
"Don't bully Miss. Honda like that," Yuki sniped, narrowing his eyes, "and there's no need to raise your voice,"
"I'm not raising my voice!" Kyo shouted.
"Yes, you are," the other retorted, "I think the neighbours across town can hear you," This seemed to have the desired effect and Kyo stammered into silence, unable to think of a suitable comeback. Having watched the scene quietly, Orihime suddenly burst out laughing, drawing everyone's attention.
"Oh wow!" she chuckled, "They're just like you and Uryuu, Ichigo!"
"Wha…" the boy felt his cheeks redden at the comparison, "They're nothing like us!"
"As cute as this is," Shigure interrupted, "and while we almost did forget about you during lively Kyo's ranting, do you mind telling us who you are?"
"I'm Orihime," the girl said cheerfully, "and this is Ichigo,"
"That's your real name?" Kyo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, what of it?" Ichigo said, his eyes narrowing, evidently not liking where this was going. A snort came from Shigure's direction, and the teen rounded on him.
"W-well," the man managed, obviously stifling a laugh, "introductions out of the way, how did you get here?" The two fell silent at the question and Ichigo spoke up.
"Where is 'here' exactly?" he asked, not wanting to reveal the how's quite yet, 'If I tell them off the bat, there's no telling how they'll react…' Shigure appraised him for a moment then humoured him.
"'Here' would be my house," he replied matter-of-factly.
"That's not what I meant," Ichigo sighed, "are we still in Karakura Town?"
"Kara…kura Town?" Yuki echoed, "Don't think we've heard of it," At this, both Ichigo and Orihime looked at each other, mirroring confused and worried expressions.
"You…don't think…" she began, but was unable to finish.
"That Nova…lost us?" she lowered her head at his words, "It looks like it," instead of feeling defeat, Ichigo clenched his fist, 'Guys…' "Damn it! Does that mean we're stuck here, while they could be…!"
"Tohru," Shigure said, sensing this could take a while, "would you mind making some tea please? It looks like our guests could use some," Tohru looked at the two and nodded.
"I'll help," Yuki said, following her into the kitchen. Kyo stayed sitting where he was, watching while pretending not to be interested.
"We have to find a way back…" Ichigo said through clenched teeth, while Orihime glanced at him silently.
"Why not relax for now, a lot has happened in a short time," Shigure said, not even glancing from the paper he had taken to reading again.
"How can you say that?" the boy snapped, "You don't know what we were in the middle of when this happened,"
"Well…" the older man looked up and glanced between the two, "I can hazard a guess, based on your…" a devilish light flashed in his eyes, "interesting entrance,"
"Wha…" Ichigo looked shocked, "just what are you suggesting?"
"What do you think I'm getting at?" the other responded slyly, 'Come on, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what I'm saying,', he glanced at Kyo who still seemed oblivious, 'Although some are just special cases,'
"Are you saying that you know how to get us back?!" the young teen asked hopefully, his voice rising in his excitement. There was a moment of silence between the two, as Shigure blinked in disbelief.
"What are you, dense?!" he cried, suddenly coming to his feet, "I can't believe there's someone else who's like the ogre sitting there!" Kyo narrowed his eyes at the finger pointing his way.
"Don't go dragging me into your rants, you dumb dog!" he yelled defensively.
"At least you picked up on what I was saying, didn't you?" Shigure beseeched hopefully, turning to Orihime, but at the clueless cock of her head and nervous laugh, he understood that she didn't, "Does no-one understand me in this household?!"
"Tea's ready," Tohru chimed, coming in with a tray full of cups and a pot, while Yuki trailed in with another full of snacks.
"Oh my, Tohru, such wonderful timing," the older man said humbly, completely changing his tune, "would you mind pouring my cup first after the guests?" The girl nodded and voiced her assent, as she went about serving everyone and the two boys passed dark looks in the man's direction, "Ah, such delicious tea, my dear," Kyo twitched visibly at this, but silently chomped on his taiyaki, while the man turned his attention back to their guests, who hadn't touched their cups yet, "At least have a sip, you'll offend Tohru if you don't," The two looked up at the girl, who began to panic and try to convince them otherwise. Ichigo sighed and forced a sip, which encouraged Orihime to do the same, "There now," Shigure said gently, "that should have hydrated your throats enough to explain your situation," the young boy twitched, but took in a breath, deciding not to insult their hospitality.
