Well, I'm back after what, three months? I kinda lost inspiration for a while and I haven't been on my laptop either. Been too busy playing Pokemon Y and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. That and I've been busy with school. I'll do my best to update this story a little more often since I finally learned how to check reviews and realized my story is NOT being ignored and that people out there actually want me to continue this. Thanks to the two people who reviewed; you gave me the will to do this again haha. I should just get onto the story now huh? This A/N is probably boring to you...
Later that evening...
Tohru had made dinner after the introductions to the girl had been made, though they had not been able to get her name. Instead, she had begun growling and hissing when any queston was asked regarding who she was and where she had come from so the four had just left her alone to brood silently on the couch in the living room.
"Who does that stupid girl think she is anyway, acting that way when we could easily throw her out? I can't believe she bit me!" Kyo grumbled, picking at his fried fish with his chopsticks. He had a small welt on his hand from where the girl had bitten him when he tried to get her to answer their questions. "Baka neko, shut up and just eat," Yuki mumbled. He wasn't very happy either with the girl staying there. For one, it would just cause more problems. Second, she was a CAT. And the cat was the most hated animal in the Chinese Zodiac. It was left out for a reason, and now there were TWO. It was just his luck that the stray they picked up happened to be the species he hated the most.
"Don't worry, you two. I bet she's a really nice person if we let her open up on her own and try not to force her to talk about her personal life," Tohru said cheerfully, and Shigure nodded thoughtfully. He had to wonder though: did Akito know about all of this? He would be angry to know that not only was another female living wth them (Tohru being accepted with some reluctance since she was normal and could accidentally change one of the males if she bumped into them, revealing their secret), she was also a cat, and the cat was a monster to the rest of the Zodiac. Her presence would not be tolerated and he shuddered slightly at what Akito would do to the already injured girl if he found out.
There was a growl and yelp that emanated from the front room and Shigure excused himself from the kotatsu to go see what the girl had done this time. She was sitting on the floor, holding her injured leg and wincing. She glanced up at him upon hearing footsteps beside her and glared, but the nasty look couldn't hide the pain that was still visible in her eyes. Her chest was heaving and his gaze softened slightly. It must've taken a lot of effort for her to even stand up and then try to bear the pain that came with it and falling over. He stepped away from her with a sigh and went to the phone, dialing a number quickly and quietly.
It rang a few times before there was a click and a male voice that answered with a "Hello?". Shigure smiled a little at the voice. It was his friend, Hatori. He was the family doctor and even though he often got annoyed with Shigure's antics, if someone was hurt, he would tend to them quickly and efficiently. "Hi Hatori," he said calmly, and Hatori was surprised that there were no quips or jokes coming from his childhood friend. It must've been somewhat serious. "I need you to come over as soon as you can. I can't really explain but I'll do my best to when you get here." There was silence on the other line but Hatori must have understood and agreed because the line went dead after a few seconds. It was silent confirmation.
Shigure went back over to the girl, who was now biting her lip and trying to stand back up. "You should just sit down and rest. You'll hurt yourself if you keep trying to move so much," he said and she responded with a hiss before taking his advice and sitting back down on the floor. "Why are you being so nice?" The girl asked quietly and Shigure raised an eyebrow. To tell the truth, even he wasn't sure why they were letting this girl, an absolute stranger with a bad temper to boot, stay. "I guess it's because you're hurt, first off. You can't even walk, so you can't get anywhere to stay. We have the space for you to stay until you're healed up. Tohru seems to trust you, and I trust her judgement," he explained and to his surprise, she looked up and smiled softly. She seemed to trust him a little more now and her shoulders slumped, relaxed after being so tense in a new environment.
"Enough about me then. What's your name?" Shigure asked and sat down beside her. She sighed and looked down, a little reluctant to say still. "If you don't tell me, we'll have to make up a name for you and it could be something really stupid," he said with a smile and she nodded. "It's Xena. Nice to...meet you, Shigure," she murmured and he smiled more widely. "It's nice to meet you too."
Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo watched the scene from the entrance to the kitchen with some interest. Kyo couldn't believe that the pervy dog had actually gotten the girl to talk, and in the midst of his thoughts, he heard her apology to Shigure over biting the orange-haired boy's hand earlier that evening.
On the other hand, Yuki was still in a foul mood from how rude the girl had been to him earlier. Two cats. ONE was enough, let alone TWO. His life was going to be a lot more difficult because he could tell that she wouldn't be like Kyo if they got into a fight. She would probably beat him into a bloody pulp without a second thought.
Now Tohru, she was elated to have another person in this house. One more person for her to befriend and eventually hang out with, maybe even at school if Shigure decided that she could go when she got better. It might end up being like with Kyo. He didn''t want to go to school, but Shigure had made him anyway. She hoped that the girl, who she now knew as Xena, would be a really good friend of hers.
Xena felt eyes on her while she had been talking to Shigure and glanced up to see the three teens looking at her, Yuki still having a scowl on his face. She smiled to herself and an idea crossed her mind. "Hey Kyo," she called and he looked directly at her at the sound of his name, "When I get better, we'll have to play cat and mouse."
Yuki's scowl only deepened and now he looked truly annoyed, while Kyo only grinned and nudged the rat. "Welcome to the rat trap, rat."
This was going to be a long stay...
A/N: So, how do you guys think this chapter went? I don't think it was very good but that's for you, the reader, to decide. By the by, it's been a while since I read Fruits Basket so the storyline will probably be a bit jumbled up. I'll try to keep it generally along the manga's timeline but no guarantees. And as always, I'll tell you what I was listening to as I wrote this chapter. To keep it short and sweet, the Syncronicity series, some stuff with Len, Gakupo, and Kaito, Deep-Sea Girl, the three songs from the Bad End Night series, and other small songs like Electric Angel, Tokio Funka, and Dragon Rising. Now I feel like I'm advertising Vocaloid but you may find songs you like in ones I put down that I listened to. Well anyway, next chapter we'll see what happens when Hatori comes over to check on Xena, and maybe get a bit of her backstory. Yuki is NOT going to have fun. Why do I pick on him? Simple. I don't like him. Bye for now!