(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? So I wonder what will happen between Rika and Kyo, will they have a happy ending? Review please)

Chapter Eight: Time is of the essence

Rika remembered following Yuki to his secret base which he spoke of. She was so excited and her mind wandered to what kind of base it was. Maybe it concealed rare treasures or gold or something? It was not likely; she was allowing her mind to go into over drive. As they arrived all she saw was a vegetable patch. Was this it? This was lame but she bit into her lip to quell the complaint. At least Yuki tried to take her somewhere different, even if it was full of vegetables. She watched him as he carefully tended to his garden as if they were his children. The scene unfolding filled her with joy; she would never have thought she could be content with watching some-one water a garden but she did. It was somewhat peaceful and it helped calm her mind for once.

"What do you think?" Yuki asked, kneeling down as he watered his leeks. Rika could not help but smile.

"It is lovely, not quite what I expected but still it is something to be proud of. You must put a lot of effort into tending the vegetables" He nodded and continued. The only bad thing he grew was leeks, leeks she hated and detested with a passion almost in sync with Kyo. It was odd, Rika would never have assumed Yuki to enjoy gardening in his spare time, and he seemed to like other things such as poetry, music or the finer things in life. Rika tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as she continued to watch. Lucky for them the weather was beautiful, hot and sunny and the plants absorbed every drop. The warmth of the sun heated her back which delighted her, now she did not mind standing outside if the weather was this divine.

"I was wondering what I should grow next-" Yuki mused at an empty patch of soil.

"How about strawberries?" Rika asked. Yuki's eyes widened, Tohru loved strawberries also.

"That is not such a bad idea" he replied, smiling in the same way he usually did. She smiled also; at least she was sort of being useful. She had already told Yuki that she was not an outdoor girl so not to expect her to start digging in the soil. She preferred to stand on the sidelines and watch everything unfold.

"Yuki! We have a special visitor!" Shigure beckoned, how he got his voice that loud was beyond his belief yet Yuki knew he had to retire from tending the crops. What a bother. He stood up and smiled;

"I say we go inside and see what his is rambling about" She nodded, she wondered if it was anyone of high importance, a brother for example? Yuki never mentioned anything about any other immediate family so she had no idea. Nevertheless she was compelled to discover the identity of the mystery guest and hastily followed Yuki back to the house.


As Yuki and Rika entered the house they both perceived Shigure and Kyo standing at the entrance to the kitchen. It was as if they were waiting for royalty or something. Now Rika felt nervous and evermore insecure about this environment. Was this person really that important? Would they look down on her? She swallowed hard as her chest began to tighten. She looked into Kyo's soft amber eyes to find an answer but she found something else, something she was unsure of.

"Rika-" Shigure muttered, grinning like a Cheshire cat. A slight panic entered her system. Why the hell was he smiling like that?

"-there is a very special guest that wants to meet you"

"Meet… me?" she stuttered on her words. Why would anyone want to meet her? She was nobody in this household apart from Yuki and Kyo's friend at college, it's not like she had any other connection. This situation seemed to last forever and every second that ticked on made her fidget on the spot. She started to pull at the hem of her skirt to deter her mind from the mystery visitor, what if he/she was actually horrible? What is he/she made a comment on how she looked? She could not bear to go through that incessant torture again. Kyo remained mute, it was obvious he knew who the guest was and refused to utter a word, much to Rika's dismay. Shigure waved his hand in the direction of the kitchen and informed;

"Our guest is waiting in the kitchen, please don't be shy Rika. I can assure you they won't bite-" he chuckled at his own comment, making Yuki give him a cold glare to shush him down. He complied and looked away. Rika took steady steps towards the kitchen door. The way everyone was reacting it was as if the Queen was in there or the Pope. Every step made her chest tighten; it was as if she knew she did not want to meet this stranger. Like the stranger would foreshadow bad events for things to come. No, she was obviously being stupid. She had to do this and carefully she twisted the door handle and pushed the door to.


A pair of large azure eyes met her dark orbs and for that moment her heart sank like a sinking ship at sea. Just who was this person? Her long brown hair clung effortlessly around her petite shoulders and her face portrayed nothing but kindness. Rika wished she could trick her own features in doing the same; this could be only but one person. She knew her heart was right from the start but now it was too late. The girl smiled at Rika, showing how pure she actually was. It was obviously Tohru, the one Kyo and Yuki had conversed about. It was not too surprising that Kyo had fallen in love with her. She was slim, quite attractive and obviously bled pure kindness within every vein in her body. Rika was the exact opposite to her, how could they get along? Would it even be possible?

"Hello Rika, I am Tohru Honda, pleased to meet you-" she bowed down at her introduction which made Rika almost want to start running. What was with these god damn formalities? She had not been bought up to bow in front of people or address people in a different manner.

"I am Rika, likewise-" That was a start, not the best of things to say but it got the conversation going. Her dark eyes scanned Tohru intently, how was it even possible that some-one as pure and innocent as she was even existed in this cruel world? It seemed almost surreal but it was real, she was standing right before her very eyes. Tohru giggled shyly;

"Yuki has told me all about you. Kyo has said some things too-"

"They have?" Rika enquired. What idle gossip had the two boys been passing about? She wanted to know, she hoped it was nothing but praise. Tohru nodded and smiled once more;

"Yes, Yuki assured me I would like you and that you were really nice and you seem really nice. I hope we can be friends!" Rika mentally kicked herself. Was this girl for real? No, seriously she considered leaving right about now but her feet were glued to the spot. The whole atmosphere was beginning to make her nauseous. At least she said that she 'seemed really nice' whatever that was meant to mean.

"Thanks-" Rika answered, not really knowing what to say back to the comment.

"Please, sit down. I was just going to make lunch for everyone. We can talk in here while I prepare the food so we can get to know each other more" Tohru suggested as she walked slowly over to the cooking utensils. That was one thing Rika loathed, cooking. Man, Rika and Tohru really were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Even though Rika mentally tore Tohru to pieces, Tohru actually was not vindictive in any way to her, no matter what she looked like. She made no judgment or even enquired about her dress sense. That was a bonus point to her.


Meanwhile behind the door Shigure pressed his ear firmly against it, listening in the conversation unfolding. He was so nosey at times. Yuki folded his arms in annoyance;

"I sometimes cannot believe we are even related-"

"Yuki, I am merely doing what you would do but only I have the guts to. We all want to know if the meeting is going well, am I right?" Shigure asked, while still trying to listen in on the girl's talk. Kyo sighed and leaned against the wall;

"To be honest I don't frikkin' care. Let's just leave them alone until they are done and we will ask them later" Yuki's cold mysterious eyes diverted their gaze to the whining orange top. He immediately got defensive and blurted out;

"What the hell you staring at you damned rat?" Yuki mused;

"I am not quite sure, the labels fell off-" Kyo clenched his fist and waved it in anger;

"You want a piece of me you little rodent?" Yuki chuckled and allowed his arms to fall by his sides;

"Don't start this again you stupid cat; you know that every time we fight you lose. Just accept it"

"Be a frikkin' man and fight me!"

"Now, now children!" Shigure beckoned, deciding it was best to move away from the door in case the girls could hear the commotion. He stood in between the two teenagers, preventing any fisticuffs from starting.

"Look, if you want to cat fight take it outside. I do not want my house to be destroyed again-" Both Yuki and Kyo turned away from each other, obviously annoyed with both each other and Shigure. Kyo's fuse was terribly short and it would only take one more thing and he would explode and the consequences would be horrendous. He needed air, space and time away from the cause of his anger, from Yuki. Silently, without any more profanity being issued he trudged up the stairs away from the commotion and away from Yuki. It was the best option considering he needed to think of how he would confess to Tohru.


Rika and Tohru both shared the duty of cooking the food. Surprisingly Rika did not mind but she did insist on doing light duties, such as passing plates, ingredients, stirring etc. Even though they had spent quite some time in preparing the meal Rika had no idea what the food actually was. Tohru was happily humming to herself as she blissfully continued in her duty. She had not cooked in this kitchen in such a long time, it bought back good memories.

"So, Tohru do you miss not being here?" Rika asked, now settling her figure on one of the counters.

"Of course, every day I miss being here. I miss Shigure and his pervy ways, I miss Yuki always looking out for me and being kind and supportive and I miss Kyo-" She stopped. Her azure eyes looking at the dough that she was preparing in front of her. It was as if mentioning Kyo bought back something painful. Rika thought that this was the best time to get information out of her. Her dark eyes concentrated on the fragile framework of Tohru;

"What about Kyo? Did something… happen between you two?"

"Oh no, nothing like that-" she beamed once again and continued kneading the dough as if nothing had occurred. Rika detected it though and she was sure something was definitely wrong. She was not stupid to buy that.

"What then?" Rika pursued, feeling her chest tighten the more she asked about Kyo. Why was that? She wanted to know, she wanted to see if Tohru actually liked Kyo in the same way or if it was one sided love. That would not please him if that were the case. Tohru explained;

"Well, there was a time when I really liked Kyo, as in more than friends but I always thought he would say something to me but he never did. When I left here to go to my Granddad's he could of said something then but he did not, it was as if he did not care and it really hurt me Rika. I guess, I still like Kyo and being here with him is still so difficult because I know he does not like me the same way-" Rika pondered, this was some dilemma and she was obviously going to have to patch things up. She smiled, would she actually tell Tohru that Kyo actually felt the same way? Maybe it would be beneficial if she spoke to Kyo first but she needed a diversion to get away. Something plausible.

"Hey Tohru, I won't be long I just need to use the bathroom"

"Sure no problem-" she chirped happily still kneading the dough for the bread she would bake very soon. Rika smirked as she left the kitchen, it was the perfect solution and now she could go, find Kyo and tell him.


As she left the kitchen it was deathly quiet, it seemed both Yuki and Shigure had made themselves scare for now but where was Kyo? She thought, if she was Kyo were would she be? On the roof? In his room? Both of those places he could inhabit right now and she would have to check both of them in sheer hope of finding the elusive orange top. As her feet came into contact with each step her heart started to ache which seeped pain into her pores and joints making each step more painful than the last. Why was this happening? This always happened when something involved Kyo and she had no idea why. Did her body detest him that much? As she continued up the stairs she concluded to herself it was far more than that, her dream had said it all to her. It was there in black and white. Hastily she peeked into his room, the one she used the previous night. Much to her surprise he was actually there, lying on his bed, hands behind his head. She watched as his amber eyes diverted to her;

"Hey Rika, what ya doing up here? Thought you were talking to Tohru?"

"I was-" she muttered as she walked over and settled her figure on the bed. This in turn made Kyo decide to sit up also, it seemed awkward to lie around with company.

"Well, what happened?" He asked, obviously desiring answers. Rika's dark eyes traced the outlines in the bed sheet carefully as she thought about what she would say, she needed to word it carefully and needed to use tact. Kyo was after all hard to deal with.

"Well, she told me about the past. Times back here when she used to be with you-" He blinked curiously as if it were a shock to him. Rika's heart lifted for that moment, seeing how naïve he actually was behind his mask. It was a sight to behold.

"What exactly did she tell you?" he mumbled shyly. This would require a lot of energy and thought about what words to use. Deep within she wondered if she would even tell him the truth or if she would say nothing at all. That was the selfish side that resided within her cursed frame. Upon looking into those soft amber eyes she could not be vindictive, she wanted him and Tohru to be happy no matter what she felt, if she even felt anything.

Images flashed across Rika's mind as she tried to explain the situation, images from her dream. These mental images were sure to interfere with what she was saying. Images of him kissing her returned and now this situation had turned on its edge, now she felt the shy one and wanted to run out of the room right now. It was too late however.

"Ummm… she said that-" the images returned "-she said that she dreams of kissing you and doesn't know why and wonders if you dream the same and-" Shit, what had she done? She had just told him what SHE in fact wanted and instead of saying Tohru's feelings she had actually confessed her own. She watched as he blinked a few times, obviously confused. This situation was choking her, strangling her almost and she wanted out of this now. What had caused her to confess? Her stupid over active imagination?

"Are you being serious Rika?" Kyo questioned, his eyes directly burning into her. She felt so insecure that she longed for the ground to open up and swallow her now. Anything was better than this embarrassment. How would she get out of this mess? She started to fidget, gently pulling at the bed sheet on his bed in apprehension. Kyo's eyes remained focused on her countenance and she could feel herself begin to perspire, she was running out of time. Was it better to tell the truth?

"Actually-" Rika felt herself say "That was not entirely right-"

"Oh-" Kyo replied, slightly hurt by the comment. She swallowed hard; make it into a joke right? Oh yeah, like that would be beneficial for anyone. Could she really say it was actually her own feelings? Did she have the strength? Would he tease her about it? That was not likely but she knew she was wrong, she knew Kyo loved Tohru so why was her heart trying to change fate?

"What I meant to say was-" she began once more, her eyes glancing across to his once again and a lump congealed in her throat. JUST SPIT IT OUT!

"-Tohru is concerned that you don't like her because you never made an effort with her. The other thing I made up. Ha~ you should of seen the look on your face!" she retorted chuckling to herself, at least she got it out in the open without revealing any more than she needed to. Kyo did not need to know about her dreams or fantasies; it would not help anything right now. Turning it into a joke was the better option.


Kyo stood up suddenly, as if angered by her 'joke'. If that was the case she had made a terrible mistake.

"Why the hell did you joke about it? Man, you're so lame yanno!" A bullet into her heart, strike one.

"I mean, this is serious Rika and you take it all like a big joke. It is not a joke it is frikkin' serious!" Another bullet to the heart, strike two.

"Maybe if you got a boyfriend or some-one you cared about you would be more considerate and not so god damn childish and selfish!" One more bullet to the heart, strike three and you're out!She looked down at the bed, her fists tightened so her knuckles went white. This 'joke' was now more than that, those words hurt.

"You'll never understand me Kyo; do not even pretend that you will. You and I are so different it's almost surreal. Just because you have issues with your self confidence does not mean you can put it all on me. I was only trying to lighten the mood and you go all moody and shit-" Wow, that was a bit much. It needed to be said even if her heart was slowly tearing at the seams. Kyo's amber eyes portrayed a cold touch to her which made her insides almost die. If she had the heart to she would cry it all away but it was not achievable. She had cried too many tears throughout her years, she had no tears left.

"I am gonna go see Tohru before this turns into a big argument-" Kyo suggested, walking to his door. Just before his figure escaped the room he turned his head and looked directly at her figure. He muttered the words;

"Sort yourself out before you seriously regret something-" He was gone, as if he was not even here and she was left in the room all alone. A range of emotions filled her being, anger, hate, sadness, guilt. All her own fault, if only she could keep a lid on her wavering emotions this would not of happened in the first place. She put her head in her hands, finally feeling the pain from her heart through every cell that inhabited her body. It crucified her entirely and she felt like there was no way out of this. It was fate that Kyo and Tohru would be together and no matter what she did it would not change matters. She was nothing but a shadow in comparison to her and she would soon become un-noticed as she was so accustomed to. It was just the way the cookie crumbled and this time it was her turn to break.


(Nooooo, Awwww I love Kyo and Rika :'( they are so damn cute together but fate works in mysterious ways. Let's hope everything turns out for the best. Pleaaaase review and thanks to everyone who enjoys reading this. You really inspire me to write)