Friends of a Rice Ball

DG32173 & Aniasin

Sarah: well, here's chapter 7. Please enjoy. We don't own Fruits Basket, but we do own this story, Sari, and Casey. So please don't steal.

NOTE
(Authors note)
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Scene change
POV change
Memory
Scene change in memory


Chapter 7

The Fire

Casey runs towards the burnt smell as fast as she can. As she nears the house, she stops dead in her tracks. The horse's 'fight or flight' instincts are kicking in, fighting against Casey's consciousness. No, she can't let that person die. She trots up towards a crowd of people that are watching as the house is engulfed by the raging inferno.

"No, I have to go back in there!" A woman is fighting against a fireman tooth and nail as she tries to get back inside of the house. "My little girl...and my boy...they're both in there!"

Casey snorts as she walks up to the women and gently head butts her to get her attention "Don't worry! I've got it!" Casey says as she runs into the burning building.

As soon as Casey leaps through a window, shattering the glass, Sari comes running up, panting for breath. "Did a horse go inside?" she asks the fireman holding the woman. He nods, wondering what the white-haired girl plans on doing. Sari lets out a string of curse words as she runs for the window her sister had broken.

"Miss! It's dangerous!" another fireman says, grabbing her by the arms.

"Let me go!" Sari says. "I'm Hinori Sari; don't worry, I've done this several times in the past. But if you insist on stopping me, and that horse or whoever's in the house dies because of you, you'll find yourself in jail for life! That, or executed for treason!" she growls. "I'm related to the Japanese royal family," she adds to the fireman's shocked look.

At that, the fireman reluctantly lets her free. Going against the royal family is worthy of execution for treason. Sari puts a protective 'bubble' of psychic energy around herself and leaps through the window. Once inside, she follows the sounds of children crying and a horse galloping through the house. She finally makes it to a small bathroom, where Casey is trying to knock the door down with her hooves. Sari puts a protective 'bubble' around her sister and a psychic shield around the doorway. The fire has yet to reach inside this room, so the children are safe for the moment. Sari then uses her psychic energy to blast the door open. Once inside, she grabs both children hiding in a tub half-filled with water. "You little ones are so smart," she croons, putting them on Casey's back. Then she leaps on behind the kids, wrapping her arms around them and entangling her hands in Casey's mane to keep the kids from falling off. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, a small dog leaps up on the horse's back between her and the children. The poor creature is littered with burns, but otherwise alright. "Let's get outta here, Casey," she says. "I can't hold the 'bubble' up much longer!"

"Right." Casey nods as she runs through the doorway. She quickly finds the window she had busted to get inside and jumped outside just as part of the roof fell behind her. But just as she leaps through, the puppy falls off, causing Sari and the children to turn and watch in horror as the puppy is lost within the smoke-filled house. Casey neighs in surprise as she loses her footing and the three humans go falling to the ground.

Casey suddenly gets to her feet and runs around the side of the house transforming into a wolf on the way. She slinks in through a door. She has to go find that poor puppy. She can't just let her die.

Sari goes to run after her sister again, but two pairs of hands grab her arms. She looks back to see Kyo and Yuki holding her back. "Casey-nee-chan's in there!" she exclaims. "I have to go help her!"

"She's a wolf now, she'll be fine," Yuki insists.

"But she went after a puppy that fell off of her because of my mistake!" she cries.

"Imo-chan is still inside," the little boy next to her whimpers, confirming that there is, indeed, a dog inside. The little girl is crying, worried for her puppy.

Sari kneels down next to the little boy and girl, gathering them in her arms. "Shh," she says softly. "My sister went inside to get her. Imo-chan will be alright," she murmurs soothingly.

Casey coughs violently as the smoke begins to take its effect on her body. She finds the bathroom and rushes in. The flames were slowly eating away at her fur and skin. Casey yelps as she leaps into the tub to cool off. She looks around and sees the pup behind the toilet. She runs to it. The puppy has fear written all over her face. She growls and lunges at Casey.

"Whoa, there pup." Casey says comfortingly. She grabs the scruff of the dog's neck. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be all right."

Even though Casey can't be sure of that. Another roof beam falls in front of the wolf. Casey begins to panic. She looks around for another exit. The smoke was clouding her vision making her eyes burn. Her body is littered with second and third degree burns and neither one of them are gonna make it if she doesn't do something drastic.

There she found it. The flames had eaten a hole in the wall big enough for her to fit. She runs through the hole and makes it out just as the house collapses behind them. Imo-chan whimpers gratefully as she licks Casey's face. Casey groans as she collapses to the ground, unconscious.

Six hours later

Casey slowly blinks her eyes open and looks around as best she can, what with the burns causing her stretching skin to hurt badly. Suddenly, she feels a pair of arms gently wrap around her neck loosely, careful of the burns. "Casey-nee-chan," Sari whispers, burying her face into the fur on top of her wolf head. "I'm so glad you're awake," Sari continues. Casey can feel water drip onto her head. Sari's crying? Sari hasn't cried once since she was a baby!

"How … long? And … the … puppy?" Casey asks before falling into a coughing fit.

"You've been unconscious for six hours," another voice says. Casey looks over Sari's shoulder to see Shigure kneeling behind the white haired girl. "The puppy is fine; she only has second degree burns at worst." The older Sohma man smiles at her. "You saved those kids and their puppy; you're a hero."

"Aw it was nothing." Casey says softly as she tries to stand but a surge of pain cripples her. She lets out a yelp as she falls back to the ground. Suddenly the little kids and their mother come walking up towards them. The mother has Imo-chan in her arms. The little puppy has bandages over the worst of her burns, and is coughing a little bit because of inhaling all that smoke. But the puppy seems like she will be just fine. Both of the kids run up to her, thanking her and praising her.

"Thank you." The little girl softly pats Casey on the head before running back to her mother.

"You're our hero!" The little boy yells from his mother's side as he waves to her.

"I don't know how we can thank you," the woman says, her voice was on the verge of breaking. "You risked your lives for us, and you didn't even know us. Thank you." She wipes the tears from her face as she turns around with her two kids and their puppy.

"You're welcome." Casey smiles weakly as she begins to cry herself.

"Saving people is in our blood," Sari says, smiling slightly as the family walks away.

"In your blood, eh?" Kyo asks from a corner, causing Casey to jump slightly from being startled. She hadn't noticed him hanging out over there. She looks around and sees Yuki standing in the corner opposite Kyo.

Sari smiles softly. "Our family has had a natural 'instinct' to save others for almost as long as the 'curse' has been in the family," she says.

"Sari…" Casey's breath suddenly becomes shallow and very ragged, her eyes sort of roll to the back of her head, and limbs are as stiff as a board. Casey's body is now starting to feel the effects of smoke inhalation.

"Casey-nee-chan!" Sari yelps, rushing to her sister's side. She turns to Shigure. "Tell Hatori-san we need an oxygen mask and tanks immediately!" she orders. "Her body is feeling the effect of all that smoke she inhaled. If we don't get oxygen in her now, she could suffocate on the smoke and die!" she continues harshly when Shigure hesitates. That sends the man running out of the room in search of Hatori. Sari turns back to her sister. "Hang in there, Casey-nee-chan," she says softly, massaging the stiffened muscles in her sister's wolf body, trying to stimulate the blood to flow faster. It's a trick she learned from their mother, who was a very well-known doctor, and grandfather, who could heal any illness with just a touch of skin-on-skin contact. Casey has leapt into fires before to rescue people, and their mother and grandfather had been the ones to keep Casey alive until someone arrived with an oxygen mask and tanks.

"Sari…I—" Casey has this look of shock and fear in her eyes. "I—" Casey whimpers as she looks up at Sari. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? For what? There's nothing to be sorry for," Sari says softly, continuing to massage the wolf's stiff muscles.

"I'm sorry…" Casey groans as she lays her wolf head onto Sari's lap and drifts back into unconsciousness.

At that time, Hatori and Shigure rush in with the oxygen mask and three oxygen tanks. With Sari's help, Hatori puts the mask over Casey's muzzle and attaches the mask to the first oxygen tank. Sari uses her powers to shape the mask to where it can completely encompass the wolf's large muzzle.

"She's gonna be alright, isn't she?" Shigure asks as he stares down at the half dead animal. "You're sister is very brave. Not many people would have done what she did," he adds as he absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her fur. He is worried for the shape-shifter. It just doesn't look good for her.

Sari smiles at the man. "I think we got the oxygen to her in time," she says, turning back to her sister. She strokes her fingers through her sister's fur, mimicking Shigure's subconscious actions. "She just needs rest and quiet so the oxygen can do its job."

Casey opens her eyes long enough for her to transform back into a human. Shigure quickly takes off his jacket and throws it over the naked girl.

'I'm sorry for making you worry," Casey whispers as she smiles back up at Sari and Shigure, then the darkness overcomes Casey's vision and she drifts into a deep sleep.


Aniasin: Well that's all folks! Till next time! Review por favor? That's Spanish for please… --

Sarah: yes, please review!