Yuka the Garden Rat
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters of the Jibu family and their story, all Fruits Basket characters belong to Natsuki Takaya.
Sunlight burned down on the earth and shadow was a blessing to find but there was little to be had. Hatari and Tohru seemed oddly not to mind the extreme heat and would offer no explanation why.
"Is there anywhere that we can rest even for just a little while," Shigure complained, fanning himself with his hand. Hatari looked over her shoulder at the group of Sohma's, sighing as she saw that all present were dripping in sweat.
"I guess I could show you to the gardens," she said watching all their faces light up in happiness, "if you promise not to touch anything."
"Of course," they all assured, not caring the price as long as they got to some honest-to-goodness shade. Tohru gave them a worried look that none saw but Kyo, however as quick as it came it was gone and her face was as emotionless as before. Sighing again Hatari changed directions, nearly going in a full u-turn, toward a high stone wall. Surprised by her actions everyone quickened their pace to catch up to her, Tohru hesitated falling behind, worrying Kyo even more.
'I wonder what could be in the garden that has her so afraid?' Kyo pondered stopping where he was, waiting as Tohru began to walk slowly toward him. He smiled at her as their eyes met and she returned it with one of her own.
"Come on before we lose them." Kyo said wrapping his hand around Tohru's and pulling her along with him. It took little time to come back to the others and even less to realize that something was wrong. Hatari was gone, leaving a very stunned group of Sohma's standing in front of and staring at a very ominous looking stone wall.
"Well that is the weirdest thing!" screamed Ayame as he over-dramatically looked around, hands covering his brows and sweeping his eyes across the landscape. "Where in the world did that strange woman get to?"
"You are asking the wrong people Ayame." Hatori stated sighing in frustration; he was really in need of some shade.
"Why don't you just ask Tohru she should know it is her family after all." Rin huffed as if all those around her were stupid not to see it her way. The Sohma's turned in unison to face the now downcast face of Tohru and a very worried Kyo. Sighing unhappily Tohru look up into the faces of the group around her, trying to figure what she could do to get out of her present situation. Then an idea popped into her head.
'This will have to work.' She thought sigh inwardly so as not to worry anyone more then they already were.
"Hatari…is well…um…You can go around by yourself is you like. The house is pretty basic and all the rooms are labeled so as long as you stay out of anyone's personal rooms I don't see the harm in you exploring on your own. Just…" she never finished her sentence as everyone happily departed in their own directions. All of them but Yuki, Kyo and herself walked back towards the main house in little groups of their own, Hiro and Kisa walking side by side with Momiji and Kagura smiling happily along with them, Ayame and Shigure dragging a reluctant Hatori behind them while he mumbled something quietly; Rin with Haru following close behind her. "…be careful."
"So…where do you want to go?" Tohru jumped startled as Kyo spoke from behind her. She turned to face him, blushing when she saw the smirk on his face.
"I don't really mind. Anywhere is good. But where do you want to go Yuki?" Tohru asked wondering if he would go to where he should.
'It is for his own good that he see what he can become if he tries but I don't know if he will want to go there alone, though that is the only way to get things done.' She was hopeful that he would do what was best for all three of them, he could get to have a great day learning about himself and she and Kyo could be left alone together, something she was always looking forward to.
"Well I want to go into the gardens but I don't think that Kyo would very much like it, so why don't you two go somewhere and I'll look at the gardens myself and if I see anything interesting I'll find you later and show you." Yuki said shooing Tohru with his hands, knowing that Kyo was looking forward to being alone with the girl that had stolen his heart. Yuki gave Kyo the 'you'd-better-pay-me-back' look and Kyo shook his head, after today he was defiantly going to be paying Yuki back big time.
Tohru smiled as Kyo grabbed her hand tugging her off on an adventure. As they turned a corner in the yard Tohru twisted her head around and waved at Yuki who they had left standing at the wall. She knew he would find his way into the garden and what he would find there would certainly keep him occupied for the rest of the day.
'This is the most magical place in the world. I can't wait to see what they all think of them.' Tohru thought the happiest thought of her day as Kyo and she wondered hand in hand in the direction of another one of the houses on the estate.
"Well I guess that I should try to find a way into this so called garden." Yuki stated sighing as he examined the very monstrous wall. Walking slowly along the edge of the wall, his right hand trailing against the coarse stones, it felt like a lifetime before Yuki came upon an iron gate that was in the design of a blooming rose. Staring in wonder at the simple beauty of gate Yuki failed to notice the pair of silver eyes that searched him over from the confines of the garden.
"You who wonder at simple things." The wind seemed to whisper, startling Yuki out of his thoughts looking all around to find the owner of the voice but he could see no one. The wind died down into a light unnoticeable breeze, but Yuki was still aware of the voice.
"Who said that?" he stuttered as the words came out, his eyes glancing in every direction.
"Do you want to come into my garden?" the voice asked, giggling as the own moved, rustling the bushes and shrubs around her, Yuki could only guess that sure a soft sweet voice belonged to a woman.
"Yes. I would like that very much, however you said just now that this is your garden and I wouldn't want to intrude in to your space. So thank you for asking but I will only come in if you wish for me to come in." Yuki stated grabbing the bars of the gate, pushing his face up against it, trying to see the woman inside. The rustling stopped and the garden grew so very quite that Yuki was afraid that she was gone and that he would never get to see the garden. He sighed and turned away from the rose gate but was startled when the lock on the gate clicked open. Swinging around he came face to face with a young woman about his age, light silver hair that just brushed her shoulders and large shimmering silver eyes that danced merrily at him. She wore a pale blue full-length kimono with a dark blue obi, and as he looked down at her feet he saw that they were bare and he could see her pale skin. As his eyes met hers again she smiled enhancing her beauty even more then Yuki thought possible.
"Why are you going away when you just said you would like to come in? I can assure you that after what you just said you are quite welcome to my gardens any time!" the woman exclaimed, extending her hand toward Yuki as if to pull him in, and moving her body back to make room for him to walk through.
"Well I thought that since you hadn't answered that I was unwelcome so I just…" he never got to finish his statement for the woman began to laugh. Yuki at first was confused as to why she was laughing and then he became angry at her.
'Why is she laughing I didn't say anything that was funny!' Yuki was very angry by now and it showed on his face, he was now as red as a tomato that was in season, but before he could go off on her for laughing she stopped, gasping for breath.
"I am so very sorry that I laughed at you but you are the first person to actually try and explain themselves to me. It is refreshing to meet someone who is like that." She smiled again and Yuki's anger melted into a puddle before him.
"Oh how rude of me I didn't introduce myself properly," She bowed deeply at the waist, her hair falling into her face, "I am Yuka Jibu, welcome to me gardens. And if I may ask who are you?"
"I am Yuki Sohma." He replied bowing to her in return. As he came back up he heard her gasp, and quickly looked into her now startled eyes. They had grown wider if that was possible and they sparkled.
"So your one of the Sohma's the Miss Tohru has been living with!" she shouted excitedly and clapping her hands together repeatedly. Yuki blushed and Yuka laughed happily. "Well I can say that you are very nice so far and I am happy that Miss Tohru is staying with such a nice family."
"Thank you but you should wait to say such thing until after you meet Shigure." Yuki commented.
"Why?" Yuka asked stepping through the gate and motioning for Yuki to follow and after he entered she shut and locked the gate back up.
"To put it lightly, well, Shigure is as perverted as they come and he says some things that he shouldn't and we have to punish him in a way." Yuki sighed, trying to forget the latest episode of Shigure's life as the forest green bushes and shrubs surrounded him.
"I know someone just like that and I can't stand to be around her but she is family so I guess that means I have to. Come this way and try not to go on any other path I don't want to ruin any of the gardens that doesn't have to be." Yuka replied picking where her feet fell very carefully and Yuki liked her all the more for caring so much for the plants around her.
"How is it that you knew I was back at the gate anyway?" he asked gently lifting a branch out of his way.
"News travels really fast around this house so it was easy to know that we had guests and you all were making enough noise to wake the dead." Yuka turned to look at him as she said this, Yuki's blush deepened. Yuka laugh lightly as suddenly stopped causing Yuki to bump into her back.
'No, now I am going to transform, Hatori will have to erase her memories!' Yuki thought as he fall down on to the ground, waiting for the tell-tale puff of smoke, however none came and Yuki slowly unclenched his eyes. It seemed that Yuka and bent down to see if Yuki was alright. Reaching out her hand Yuka grabbed Yuki's arm and pulled him up.
"I'm sorry that I didn't warn you that I was going to stop but I do that sometimes. Your shirt is all dirty now." She commented as she brushed the dirt off of him. Yuki grabbed her hands before she could do anything.
"It's really alright there was no harm done and you needn't get your hands dirty of a little dirt on my shirt." He assured her, still holding her hands in his. She looked a little stunned but then smiled widely and nodded her head.
"You are far kinder then almost anyone I know. How is it that you became this way?" Yuka asked, the silver of her eyes became like liquid pools of moonlight and Yuki lost all thought as him gazed into them.
"I really don't know." Was all Yuki could say at that moment and that seemed enough for Yuka, who just smiled even more brightly.
"Welcome then to my paradise." Yuka replied turning so that Yuki could see in to a small inlet, pulling her hands out of his as she did so. Yuki was sad at the loss of her hands warmth but that was quickly pushed aside when he saw what lay before him. The bushes and shrubs opened into a grove that was bordered and sheltered from above by tall cherry blossom trees with one coming from the center which was surrounded by orange hibiscus. Red rose and white gardina bushes lined the edge of the wall of cherry bloom trees, alternating between each other. Spread randomly in front of them pink tulips, yellow daffodils, pink sweet peas, gray dusty millers, red begonias, white vincas, violets, and a variety of snapdragons were laid out. A stone pathway wound around and through the flower beds leading to more groves.
"It's amazing." Yuki said eyes so wide they looked like they were going to fall out of his head.
"You really think so?" Yuka asked, genuine curiosity playing in her eyes. "I am still waiting for some more flowers and a few bushes to arrive, Lady Kyoko ordered a new batch for me as a present." She said strolling onto the path, and Yuki followed behind, mindful of her skirts, as if being lead by a leash.
"What else could you possibly want to put in this…I can't find the word to describe this place." Yuki said bending down to smell a rose on the bush he was passing.
"I call it heaven." Yuka answered laughing joyfully as the wind blew the tree's limbs that seemed to reach out to caress her face and figure.
"Yes," Yuki agreed, "what else are you going to put in?"
"I have azalea, lilac, hyacinth, impatients, orchids, gerber daisies and magnolias." She replied, leaning over to snap off a violet bloom taking a quick sniff only to tuck it behind her ear gently. Yuki couldn't believe that this was happening to him, he was in the most beautiful garden he could ever imagine and with the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered.
'With my luck I will wake up and this will be a dream, all just a very good dream.' Yuki sighed unhappily waiting for the dream to end. Yuka looked over her shoulder at him frowning when she saw his sadness.
'I have to keep him happy and unaware lest he see what truly lies in this house.' Yuka was determined to do her job even if it wasn't the nicest thing in the world to be doing. 'I will just keep him in the garden till dinner comes, that should take up my part of the deal and the other are on their own.' Her mind made up and her duty already done, Yuka was very happy at the moment and nothing was going to stop her from getting want she wanted.
'Lady Kyoko better make this worth my time." She thought as she took hold of Yuki's arm and pulled him along with her smiling her brightest and most stunning smile and he followed like a moth to the flame.
'That's going to cost you, little boy.'
A/N: Okay my wonderful readers, I know that I haven't updated in a long time but you didn't review my last chapter so I put it off for some time but I am back and I have been inspired to finish writing by my lovely friend Anna who let me borrow her Fruits Basket 12-14, which I am sad to say I hadn't read yet.