Me: Hello readers (if there are still any readers left, that is…) anyways I know it's been a really long time since I've posted a chapter and I would like to apologize. I don't really have any good excuses except that I really like to procrastinate, but that's not a good excuse.

Casey: Took you long enough….

Me: ….. You're not gonna yell at me?

Casey: nope…. Oh but, Let me just tell the readers this: Kimiko does NOT own Fruits Basket! I just wanted to say that because I love reminding her how she doesn't really own it, even though she likes to act like she does sometimes!

Me: LIES! FROM THE DEVIL!

Unfortunately, winter break is over, and the third term is started at school. Words cannot express how depressed I am to be going back to that place of "learning". While my grades are pretty average (A's and B's), there's always one class I pretty much fail in…. Math. Let me tell you this: Never, in my entire life, will I care about how many chocolate bars Jimmy bought. And if the answer is 20 (it was) then Jimmy has diabetes. Who cares how much money he has left over? That boy needs a doctor, STAT!

A sudden shout from a pair of idiots interrupted my thoughts…. Not that I was thinking about anything important, just school and chocolate bars... mainly chocolate bars.

"Wipe that smug little smirk off your face before I come over there and do it for ya. Yeah, you'll be sorry then wontcha? Then I'll make you say it," Kyo said, sounding like he had a Brooklyn accent.

"I'm sorry," Yuki smugly replied.

"SHUT UP! You're a real wise guy, ya know that?!" Kyo hissed as his orange tail and cat ears frizzed.

"At least I'm not the idiot who's causing a scene for everyone to see," Yuki smirked.

"All right girly-boy, we're taking this outside!" Kyo said while rolling up his sleeves.

"We are outside, you stupid cat," Yuki pointed out.

"Yep, that's Jessi's Boyfriend: a real dimwit. Poor Jess," Casey sympathized.

I gave a tired sigh, "My boyfriend's such an idiot."

I tried to hold in a laugh as I watched Kyo argue with Yuki. He IS in fact an idiot, but he's a cute idiot!

"See? Even Jessi-chan thinks you're an idiot," laughed Yuki.

Tohru finally walked out of the store. "Did you find everything you need Ms. Honda?" asked Yuki.

Tohru gave a slight nod as Kyo glared fiercely at Yuki.

…..

As we started down the path towards home, we split off into groups: Kyo and Yuki in front, Tohru in the middle, and Casey and I in the back.

I looked towards Casey with a huge grin. She gave me a worried look.

"I don't like that smile you've got going on over there…. Just what are you planning?" she asked.

"Don't you remember this scene?" I asked.

"Nope," she replied.

"Well, you should. It's the episode with your absolute FAV character!" I laughed.

Casey's face turned a slight shade of pink. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she sighed.

"Come on Casey! Hatsuharu will be here tomorrow! This is your chance to be with Haru!" I laughed.

I LOVE it when my friends have crushes! I especially like when they come to ME for advice. I just love the idea of love. I'd like to think that's the only girly thing about me.

The idea of love just gets me so excited. I mean, how can you not love, love? Spending your time with someone who will always be there no matter what, loving you and caring about you; it's so awesome! I really hope she can come to be honest with her feelings and admit she DOES believe in love, but ever since that day….. She's never been the same. I won't let my best friend keep lying to herself, saying that she doesn't believe in love. I'll save her! After all, that's my job as her best friend and as the heroine.

"Jess... I told you, I don't believe in love anymore. I mean, how could there possibly be someone out there that I would spend the rest of my life with? It's an unrealistic idea. It's like Santa Clause, The Eater Bunny, The Tooth Fairy… Shall I go on?" Casey said.

"Casey…" I sighed.

"Just forget about it, okay? And that means, when we meet Haru, don't pull any tricks!" Casey pestered.

Even though Casey said that, I still don't believe her. How can someone not believe in love? I mean, if she doesn't believe in love, then how is she able to love her family? How is she able to love me? (NH) It makes me sad to think that Casey doesn't believe in love. Casey's my friend and I love her (in a friend way) and I would hope she feels the same.

"You're too close! Why do you have to walk so close to me when I'm all the way over here?" yelled Kyo.

"Shut up you stupid cat,"

"Say that aga-" I quickly shoved a piece of bread in Kyo's mouth.

"Whahmmh yhoodo dsat fa?" he asked. (A/N: "what'd you do that for?")

"You were giving me a headache with all your yelling. You know, you two bicker like an old married couple!" I laughed and wrapped an arm around Kyos'. As we walked arm-in-arm, I leaned my head against his arm, (A/N: This does not count as hugging, so he won't turn into a cat) like normal couples do. Ha! Let's see him try and say that I don't flirt like other couples do! (A/N: chapter 7 reference)

_Scene break: back home_

"I'm out of the tub. Yuki, are you going next?" Shigure asked as he dried his hair with a towel.

"I think I'll skip tonight's bath," he sighed.

"UGGGGHHHHH! How can you stand to be so-so….DIRTY?!" Shigure exaggerated.

"Are you feeling okay, Yuki?" I asked. For a while, I've noticed his face looked a little flushed and his breathing increased in short breaths. So either he's sick, or he's a pervert. Most likely he's sick though.

"Actually, I think I'm coming down with a cold," he replied.

That sent Tohru into panic mode… oh brother!

"Ehhhhh! A cold!?" she shouted frantically.

I felt Yuki's forehead to see if he was running a fever.

"He's a little warm, but it doesn't look too serious," I reassured Tohru.

"Well, it's best to treat these things early. Take some medicine; get some rest, all that good stuff. I think I have just the thing here," Shigure sighed as he looked through some drawers.

"I think you should stay home from school tomorrow," Tohru said.

"No, I'm alright. It won't have to come to that," Yuki replied.

"I'm not going to force you to stay home, but if something happens tomorrow, you'll only have yourself to blame. And I know you don't want to, but you should probably go take a hot bath and then go to sleep," I lectured.

"Since when did you turn into a nurse?" Casey laughed.

I shrugged in response. I was only telling him the basic facts.

"Are you sure you want to go to school tomorrow? We have the endurance run," Tohru informed.

"UGHHHHH, don't remind me about that! What I wouldn't give to skip tomorrow… I absolutely HATE running! I refuse to wear the uniforms for gym. It's like wearing underwear in front of girls AND boys! And on top of that…..well…" I rambled.

"Boing!" Casey imitated Taiga aisaka from Toradora, "It's funny because not even a sports bra can help you! You're the only one who ever worries about that."

I sigh and begin wishing I was flat-chested. I bet it's MUCH easier to run and not be self-conscious that everyone might stare at you. I bet you could fit in to even cuter clothes then .

Then again, I'm sure flat-chested girls wish they weren't flat-chested. Everyone these days wants to be something they're not.

The door suddenly flung open. "Ah, the endurance run: a timed period that you have to beat. So basically… it's a race! Just you wait you stupid rat- I'll beat you for sure this time!" Kyo ranted.

"Kyo, you can't honestly be planning on making him race while he's sick, do you?" I asked.

"I know you want to beat him, but I never thought you would stoop so low. It's shameful," Casey teased.

"I-I-I wasn't…. I mean… I wasn't planning on racing him if he was sick. You guys just need to make sure he's healthy by tomorrow, because he isn't getting out of this easily!" Kyo retorted.

"Even if I am sick, I'll still beat you, stupid cat," Yuki laughed.

"Say that again, you dirty rat!" Kyo hissed.

"Honestly, what's with boys?" I whispered to Casey.

"They're all idiots," Casey replied. We couldn't help but laugh a little. I guess we laughed a little too loud, because Yuki and Kyo had stopped arguing and were staring at us. They gave us questioning looks, as if saying, "Why are you laughing?"

Casey waved her hand in front of her face to reply, "Nothing."

My mind wonders back to the endurance run. Maybe I could just stay with Hana-chan and play cards with the rest of the athletic-impaired.

_Scene break: The endurance run_

"Alright Kiddos, get off your butts and get to moving! This race will count for 35% of your grade in my class. So, stop whining and run!" The coach yelled before he blew his whistle. If he thinks it's so easy, maybe he should run it, too. It could do him some good!

I started off in a slow jog…. So basically, I was just walking. I wasn't the only one though. Hana-chan and a few of my athletically-challenged classmates stayed behind too. Kyo and Yuki haven't started running yet either- which strikes me as odd.

"What's wrong?" Kyo and Yuki asked in unison, pointing to my shirt.

Ever since we put this ridiculous outfit on, I've been pulling my shirt down. If I pull it down in the front, it goes up in the back; if I pull it down in the back, it goes up in the front. I just can't get a break. I'm not into the whole "showing skin above the knees" thing. On top of that, it's freezing out here. How can they make us wear such a tiny piece of clothing on a day like this? Do they wantus to get sick? I wouldn't put it past those evil slave-drivers that call themselves "teachers". HA! Teachers my butt; teachers are supposed to teach us useful things that will shape our future. All I see in my future so far is a cold.

"Uh…. Well, I'm not used to wearing this uniform, so….," I replied awkwardly, "You guys go on ahead and finish the race."

"Oh…. Okay," replied Kyo, "Alright you dirty rat, I'm going to beat you in this race."

"Think again, you stupid cat!" Yuki laughed as they ran towards their goal.

I let out a sigh of relief, thankful they weren't here to see me in this idiotic ensemble a moment longer.

As I continued walking, I began to daydream and walking around aimlessly with no sense of direction, causing me to occasionally bump into people… but I paid no mind to them.

"Spacing out, yet again? You're such an air-head," Casey laughed, "Come on dude; don't make me walk the whole time. Run with me; being last isn't cool at all."

I shook my head in response. Too bad Casey doesn't take no for an answer. She pushed me from behind, forcing me to quicken my pace. I'm not good at going up against Casey, so I gave up and ran with her.

I still can't help but feel that people are staring at me. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid as usual, but I'm still nervous. As we ran a bit longer, we spotted Tohru just as she ran down the hill.

"Remember our conversation Jessi. Don't try anything, got it?" she frowned.

"Right, whatever," I pouted as she rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh, and you know you could have just asked for a pair of pants right?" She laughed.

"I could've WHAT NOW? Are you kidding me? So I've been running around in this outfit for nothing? I can't believe what I'm hearing…." I cried humorously.

We slid down the hill to find Tohru chatting with Haru.

"I'm sorry! Your hair is just so white; I thought an old man had fallen down the hill. I-I mean not that you look like an old man…." Tohru rambled her apologies.

"Have you ever heard of a place called Sohma house?" he interrupted her.

"Yeah, we all live there," Casey said, making our presence known.

"So by any chance are you a Sohma, too?" Tohru asked even though the answer was obvious…. Well, at least to us it was.

He nodded in reply, while off in the distance you could hear someone running. Haru stood and walked towards the railing by the road and tied a rope to it.

"He's coming," he said to himself.

As Kyo finally ran in front of Yuki, Haru pulled the rope and tripped Kyo.

"Got him," Haru announced satisfied.

Casey, Tohru and I ran over to Kyo, as he lay face down into the ground. "Kyo, are you okay?" asked Tohru, but he didn't respond.

"Let's poke him with a stick!" Exclaimed Casey as she grabbed a stick on the side of the road. She violently jabbed him in the ribs until he jumped up in the air.

"OUCH! What the heck was that for?" Kyo screamed as Casey shrugged in reply. "Dammit! What the hell did you do that for? I was winning and everything!"

"If I hadn't tripped you, you wouldn't have stopped, now would you, Kyo?" Haru replied as if what he'd done was totally justified.

"Haru?" Kyo asked, finally realizing the person who'd tripped him was none other than, his cousin, Hatsuharu Sohma.

"By the way," Haru said facing the other direction, "what I just did was very dangerous, and if that had been anyone other than Kyo, they would probably been hurt very badly… So don't do this at home kids!"

"He's so cool!" Casey and I squealed in unison. Casey realized what she had said, so she coughed and rolled her eyes, as if it never happened.

"What the- hey, Jessi! You're not supposed to say that about the guy who tripped your boyfriend!" Kyo said stomping his feet as if he were a kid.

I smiled apologetically.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah… W-well, actually I left on Sunday with the intention of coming here, but then I was swept away into the heart of the dark urban wilderness that took me three days to find a way out," Haru replied.

"Why can't you just be normal and say you got lost?" asked Yuki.

"What a terrible sense of direction," I sighed.

"B-but if you're gonna get lost, that's a pretty impressive way to do it!" Tohru exclaimed and I nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah? Well that means he hasn't had a bath in three days. Don't you think that's gross, Jessi?" asked Kyo clearly aggravated by my earlier comment about Haru being cool.

I thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. I mean, there have been plenty of times that I hadn't bathed for a week because it was summer and I was just too lazy. So I guess I'm even grosser than Haru… that's a little disturbing, seeing as he is a boy.

"I should probably introduce everyone. Haru, this is Jessica Smith, Kyo's girlfriend, Casey Jones, Jessi's best friend, and Tohru Honda, a classmate of ours. They live with us as well," he said motioning towards us.

"Well then, Ms. Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you," he bowed politely to Casey, "Oh, and it's nice to meet you too, Ms. Smith and Ms. Honda."

"Yes! It's already off to a great start!" I whispered to myself.

Kyo raised an eyebrow at me. "What did you say?" asked Kyo. He seemed to be growing angrier and angrier by the minute. And I guess Casey realized what I'd said because she rolled her eyes and turned away. I think if she keeps rolling her eyes, they're going to get stuck in the back of her head!

I laughed it off, "Oh nothing!"

"Tch…," Kyo faced Haru, "So what did you come here for anyways?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"I was planning to challenge you at the New Year's Banquet, but you decided to skip. So, I've come to you. I want to fight you, Kyo. Now let's do it!" Haru demanded as he grabbed hold on Kyo's shirt.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm in the middle of a race you idiot!" Kyo replied grumpily.

"I've already wasted three whole days looking for you!" Haru pleaded.

"That's your own damn fault," Kyo hissed.

"Enough talking! FIGHT ME!" Haru yelled as he punched Kyo in the face.

Kyo felled to the ground but quickly recovered.

"You make me sick, you and your pathetic girly whining," he mumbled and then laughed, "Heh, you're not a man, you're a kitty cat who's too scared to fight me!" he gave Kyo a thumbs down as if saying, "You couldn't beat me anyways."

"I bet your girlfriend thinks you're pretty pathetic right now!" Haru laughed.

"You little punk!" Kyo shouted as he suddenly sprung up and kicked Haru square in the jaw.

"That idiot, he just had to go and bring out Black Haru," Yuki said aloud.

"Black Haru is pretty cool too! Right Casey?" I exclaimed.

"Whatever," Casey replied. This girl is seriously starting to get on my nerves. How am I supposed to be a good friend by forcing her to believe in love when she acts like that?

I can't stop thinking about how perfect he is for Casey! He has a super cool side and a side that's kind of odd, but strangely cool in its own way. Perfect… Perfect… PERFECT! There are the PERFECT match! Now if only I could get Casey go admit there is such a thing as love…

"What?! Jessi, how can you possibly still think he's cool when he's being Black Haru?" Kyo whined as he punched Haru in the gut.

"I don't know. It's just that…." I began explaining but decided not to finish when Haru finally landed another punch in Kyo's face.

"Focus on our fight!" Haru demanded.

"You know, when you turn black, you're a real bastard!" Kyo replied.

"Oh yeah? Just for that, when I'm done beating you, I'm gonna take your little girlfriend and her friend," Haru threatened. OMG! OMG! OMG! He just said he was gonna take Casey! Yes! If he's forceful enough, she may just fall for him.

"What? You're gonna do what?!" Kyo shouted.

"Oh you know, I'm gonna do a little bit of this and I'm definitely gonna do that," Haru laughed.

"You're sick! Only I can do this and that with Jessi!" Kyo yelled.

"What the heck is he talking about?" I asked.

"I think he's trying to show off. Don't worry we all know you would never do this or that with Kyo. You're way too innocent to do that. I mean, you blush about the most childish things like holding hands or just a little kiss," Casey laughed.

My face grew warm. "S-shut up! And what do you guys mean by…. "This" and "that'?" I asked.

"Awww look you even blush when people just talk about it," Casey laughed so hard she fell to the ground and started rolling over.

"Sorry for interrupting, but this will probably take a while so you three should head back," Yuki said coughing.

"Nah, we want to watch the fight. Even though it soundedlike I thought Haru was going to win, I actually think Kyo will win," I replied. I already knew for a fact that Kyo was stronger than Haru.

"You're nothing compared to my fights with Yuki! You're as slow as a turtle," Kyo boasted.

"Oh yeah, then what does that make you? You haven't been able to beat Yuki even once! That makes you worse than a turtle. You're a snail- an ameba!" Haru laughed.

For a moment, Kyo stood still. "Don't you think I know that?" he said under his breath, "But…. I definitely won't lose to you!" Kyo ran towards him, sucker punching Haru so hard, he fell.

"If you ask me, I think they're just a couple of fighting fools," Yuki said, "They've been studying martial arts since they were *cough cough*…. Since…. They were….," Yuki suddenly collapsed, sending Tohru on edge once again.

"Yuki!" Tohru shouted, "Are you okay?"

The boys stopped fighting and rushed over to us, Yuki still coughing.

"Is it an asthma attack?" Haru asked, feeling Yuki's forehead, "And you have a fever too. You know you're not supposed to over-do-it when you're sick." Haru wrapped his Jacket around Yuki. "Maybe we should call an ambulance," he suggested.

"And risk him changing in front of everyone? If people see an ambulance coming, they'll crowd us. If he doesn't change in front of a crowd, he might when we get in the van. We need to think of another way to get him home," I argued.

"Wait, maybe there is something we can do," he said pushing Casey against the wall, "It's lucky for me you're pretty cute. I mean, if I'm gonna do it, it should be with someone cute, right?" Suddenly, Haru hugged Casey and a bomb of smoke surrounded us.

"You should hold on to the back of my neck so I don't suddenly change back. It'll be easier on Yuki if we carry him like this," He said.

"Oh yeah, 'cause that'll totally look normal for a bunch of kids to be walking with a cow… in the city!" Kyo laughed.

_Scene Break: Home_

"So, you came all the way looking like that, did you?" Shigure said as he tried his best to hold back his laughter.

"It's not funny!" Kyo replied clearly annoyed by the fact that he still didn't get to finish the endurance run.

Haru carried Yuki to his bedroom where Shigure tended to him.

"It looks like it was just a mild attack. He still has a slight fever, but he'll be alright," Shigure said, reassuring Tohru he would be fine.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tohru cried.

"Haru, would you be a dear and call Hitori while I go pick up everyone's things from school?" Shigure asked.

Just then, Haru transformed back into his human form. "Alright I'll call him right now," Haru replied.

"Put some clothes on first, there's girls in the house you idiot!" Kyo yelled.

…. 3rd person POV

"Yes sir, I understand… Right," Haru spoke into the phone in a meek voice.

"So what'd he say?" Kyo asked.

"Well, he sounded mad at me for some reason…. strange, huh?" Haru replied.

"That's what happens when you disappear for three days. So what now? We've got that damn rat taken care of… you wanna finish our fight?" Kyo asked.

"…..Mmmmmmm…No," Haru replied.

"What the heck?!" Kyo shouted.

"You're stronger than me. I admit defeat," he said.

Jessi and Tohru walked into the room just as Kyo put a headlock on Haru.

"Um, are we interrupting?" Jessi laughed.

"So, are you white Haru now?" Tohru asked and Haru nodded in reply.

"How's Yuki?" Haru asked liked a concerned little brother.

"He's fine. No need to worry about him. He's still sleeping though," Jessi replied.

"Don't attack him while he's passed out Kyo!" Haru said.

"SHUT UP! What good would it do to pull a cheap trick like that? The day I knock that damn Yuki on his butt will be fair and square!" Kyo hissed, "Whatever! I'm going back to school!"

Jessi grabbed hold of his sleeve before he could storm out of the house.

"Wait, you're not just going to leave me here are you?" Jessi asked.

Kyo's cheeks became tinted with pink blush. "Well, I, um….. I guess not," he replied.

"Good because I have to talk to you. Come with me," Jessi demanded as she pulled him outside.

"Oh my god, this is about what I said during my fight with Haru isn't it?" he thought to himself, "I didn't really mean that I did this and that with her…. Heck, I don't even know what he meant by "this" and "that"! I was just trying to sound cool. Oh man, she's going to kill me!"

"Kyo…. What would you do if someone you cared about told you they didn't believe in love?" Jessi asked.

Kyo thought for a moment and prayed Jessi wasn't talking about herself.

"Well, it depends on the reason why," Kyo responded.

"Well let's say there's this girl who you care about. This girl, she says she doesn't believe in love because her last relationship ended terribly. Let's say that her last relationship was one she thought would last forever. They dated for about a year. She really loved the guy, and she thought he loved her too. Then one day, she suddenly caught him cheating with one of her closest friends (A/N: Not with Jessi). After that she stopped believing in love and stopped being friends with everyone. If this girl was your friend, what would you say to her to make her believe again…. because I honestly have no idea what to do anymore!" Jessi cried as tears welled up in her eyes.

Kyo gently patted her back for a while so she could regain composure. "So, I take it we aren't talking about you then?" he asked and she shook her head in reply.

"Then…. I would tell "this girl" to get over it. I know it sounds harsh and all, but after some time, she should be able to move forward. I mean, how long does she plan to stay stuck in the past? What if the right guy comes along but all she can do is keep thinking about the guy who broke her heart, and who's probably not even worth her tears. I mean, why would she waste her time crying over a scumbag like that?" Kyo replied.

Jessi smiled and quickly gave Kyo a peck on the cheek. "W-what was that for?" Kyo blushed heavily.

"For giving me good advice," Jessi said as she back to the house. Without turning around though she said, "Oh, and Kyo?"

"Hm?"

"I was planning on hitting you for saying that you did this and that with me….. But I guess, as another part of your reward for giving me good advice, I won't kill you," she laughed.

"Do you even know what this and that means?" Kyo asked curiously.

"No…. no one would tell me either," Jessi replied.

"Neither do I…." Kyo admitted.

They both laughed as they walked back home.

Meanwhile, at high school…

Shigure skipped though the halls in joy. "High school girls! High school girls! High school girls for me~~!" he thought to himself.

Alright, it took a long time to finish this. I had most of it done a couple of months ago but I kind of…well… forgot about it…. sorry. Anyways, please review. I can't guarantee that the next chapter will be here super soon because I'm not exactly over flowing with inspiration. Sorry I'm such a lousy writer

(/-_-)/ Feel free to yell at me.