Disclaimer: I wish I owned Fruits Basket.

Mystery Man

When Tohru awoke, she couldn't get back to sleep. She kept thinking about the man in her dream. Who was he? He was so mysterious, and how would I find him so he could help Kyo? She was so curious about who he was.

The next morning, she could barely stay awake in class. When Kyo saw that she almost fell a sleep, he went over to her at lunch and asked her, "Tohru, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine Kyo. I just am very tired because I didn't get much sleep last night that's all." How kind of him to ask.

"Do you want to talk about what bothered you last night?" asked Kyo, trying not to sound like he was being nosy.

"No it's okay, I will be fine." She reassured him.

"Okay, but promise me that you will go home and rest after school."

"Alright, I promise Kyo." Tohru replied with a weary smile. With that, the bell rang and they both went back to class. After school that day, Tohru went home and took a nap. During the nap she had the same dream, but this time, she asked the mystery man, "Who are you? How can you help me? Where can I find you again?"

"I am a man of no name known to anyone. I can help you by changing you to be like Kyo, but then you wouldn't be able to take his place. You can find me by the front gate of your school after the bell rings for the end of class everyday." The strange man answered.

"If you can change me to be like Kyo but I can't take his place, then what help will that be?"

"You can show that you are cursed as well, and Akito will have to accept that. You can then make a bet or wager with him. The only thing is, you cannot let Kyo know of this bet or wager; if you do have one."

"Why can't I let him know?"

"It will make him take your place and then you can't free him," replied the mystery man.

"I will meet you tomorrow after school at the front gates. Make sure no one sees you."

And then, she woke up to find Kyo's face was hovering over her head. After greeting her with a friendly smile, he told her that she had been asleep for a while so he went to check up on her. After Kyo explained what he was doing, they went downstairs to have dinner.

The next day after school had ended, Tohru told Kyo that she had something important and private to do. He gave her a questioning look, but said nothing. When she arrived at the front gate, she was surprised to see a man in a black trench coat and light brown hair. To think that he would actually be standing in front of her. He was tall and thin although he had a kind but hard face. After they exchanged greetings, they went off to a small, secluded area where he would change her. As soon as they arrived at the site he asked, "What animal would you like me to change you into?" His voice was more solid than in her dream.

"Before I answer that question, I would like to know if this is permanent."

"Well of course it is. I can't just make you temporarily an animal. I have to change you for life. You better be sure you are making the right choice." Tohru thought for a second before deciding it was for the best. I am doing this for Kyo. Might as turn into something nice...

"Fine, I chose to be a brown cat with orange stripes. Is that possible?" If I am going to be like this forever, why not have fun, eh?

"Yeah it's possible, but are you positive that you want to be a cat?" She took a deep breath.

"Yes, I'm sure. I would like to know if when I become the cat, do I have that second curse like Kyo?" Tohru inquired.

"No, you don't have that, but you have something else." The man revealed.

"What would that be?" Tohru asked, suddenly thinking about the outcome.

"You would have to sacrifice your ability to be patient with people." Uhh... that's it?

"If that happened, wouldn't my friends notice?"

"Yes, but you can tell them what you did. That is the twist. You can tell your friends, but you can't tell Kyo."

"Very well. If it will help him get out of his confinement. I will do it." At that same moment after she said yes, the strange man changed her. The feeling of the change was overwhelming. However, none of them noticed that Kyo was standing right behind a wall spying on them. His face was full of worry, anxiousness, and mostly shock. He had heard everything. After Tohru had transformed, he ran out and shouted, "Why did you do that Tohru!? Why!?" Tears were about to break onto his caring face.

"I did it so that I could save you Kyo. I knew that you were spying and I wanted you to know what I had did."

"You didn't have to Tohru. We could have found another way." Kyo was staring at the ground.

"The deed is done and I can't turn her back. This time when your curse is broken, hers will be too," explained the mystery man as he turned and walked away. As the man's shadow disappeared beyond the light, Tohru, the new cat, and Kyo, the original cat, walked home. Kyo couldn't think of anything to say. Tohru was still in her cat form and Kyo was awkwardly holding her clothes. On the way home, she transformed back into the old Tohru and put her clothes back on in a nearby outhouse. Before they reached the house, Kyo queried, "Do you think that if I hugged you, you would change?" He looked hopeful.

"I don't know. Why don't we try it out before we go on in."? They tried it out for the heck of it. After they hugged... nothing. At dinner, Kyo was the first to arrive at the table. They had to wait for Yuki since he was taking very long. Tohru got so impatient that she told them to just start eating. Shigure found it odd that Tohru wasn't as patient with Yuki today as she was the other days. When Yuki came down to eat Shigure asked, "Tohru, is something bothering you?"

"No, why?"

"Oh its nothing. It just seemed that you were a little off today than your usual mood."

She looked at Kyo and he stared back, knowing that she wanted to tell them. He nodded in agreement. She explained to Yuki and Shigure about what had happened. Following the story about that afternoon, Shigure was so shocked that he just sat there with his mouth open. Yuki was sitting there surprised as well, but he just stared at her as if she was a purple tentacle monster. No one said anything for a while until they heard a knock on the door. Tohru went to answer it, and in came Hatori.