Hi everybody! After a long time, I am finally able to get my thoughts back together again. As an author, I feel guilty about neglecting these fanfics for so long (especially my Tsu-Yasha). But, I want to finish Reasons first. Anyway, on to the story (which I should start moving…).

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket and own none of the lyrics that have been used in this fanfic.

Chapter 10: A New Addition

Black. That's all that Tohru could see. No matter where she reached or how far she strained her eyes to open, fatigue won every battle.

"Mom…"

"Just be yourself…"

"But, I don't understand…doesn't everything happen for a reason…?"

"We fall…that is how we learn…"

Tohru continued to float in an isolated stream. The stream wandered endlessly, first over a black abyss, then an endless ocean. When Tohru had the strength to open her eyes, she found herself lying in the middle of a pasture. She got up and looked around her. The night sky laden with stars filled the space above her.

This feels…and looks…familiar… she thought.

"Oi, why the lost face?" a voice said from behind her.

"Eep!" she squealed, surprised by the unexpected voice. She turned immediately and found a young boy about seven years old. He was wearing an elementary school uniform and a look of concern on his face. His black hair was a bit unruly as it looks like it had been neatly fixed earlier. He carried a small lunchbox with the Mogeta logo and the moonlight reflected on his light skin.

"W-where did you come from?" Tohru asked while slowly recovering from her small shock.

"Why, I just came to check on you." the little boy replied.

"To check on me…?"

"Yeah, they teased you again."

Tohru turned around and suddenly found a small playground with children sitting in a circle in the afternoon sun. Bushes were suddenly around her and a tree protected her from the sun by providing shade. She looked to the right and found a school building with little rooms and chalk boards.

This is…my school…

"So," the little boy continued and sat beside her, "did they tease you again?"

"About what?" Tohru says innocently without thinking.

"They called you an onigiri again, huh?"

She looked at the little boy curiously, he opened up his lunchbox to find an arrangement of sushi wrapped neatly.

"Wow, so much sushi!" Tohru exclaims.

Wait, I didn't want to say that, this conversation is taking a turn on its own.

"Yeah, you know how my mom is." The boy replies. "She is so neat and clean, but she packs so much!" He takes a roll and hands it to her. "Here, take it."

"What?! I can't possibly take one, it's your lunch! Your mother packed it for you…"

"Hey," he gives her a stern face. "You didn't eat much, I saw you."

"Eh?! You were watching me?"

Oh, this is a dream, a memory. This happened so long ago…

"Well, somebody has to take care of you. Anyway, take it or I'll feel insulted. You wouldn't want to do that, would you?" The boy's face becomes downcast as a hint of sadness crawls across his eyes.

"No! I'll take it! I wouldn't want to do that!" Tohru's hands fly eagerly to the offered sushi roll and she takes a bit out of it. As the boy looks up, a playfully wicked smile spread across his face.

What was his name…?

"Arigatou…um…"

"My name is " the boy says, but his name came out only as a humming noise.

I can't remember…

The dream vanishes before her as Tohru's eyes open slowly as sunlight filters through the blinds on her window. She turns to look at her clock to find that it is six in the morning. She gets up silently and changes into her uniform. While she slips her arms through the sleeves of the uniform coat, she looks on her left hand to find it wrapped. She unwrapped bandage to find a scar resting where a katana had cut her two days before.

Suddenly the events come back to her like a storm: the running, the threat, the amber jewel that shown its brilliance and magic that night, the mysterious young man named Shintaro.

"Hmph." She said to herself and completed putting on her uniform. She slipped out of her room silently and found that Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo were still asleep. Walking into the kitchen, she ate breakfast and left three servings and a note on the table to be found later. With as much stealth as she could muster, she put on her shoes and walked out the door with determination to get through the school day.

The school bells chimed at eight o'clock and woke Tohru up with a start. She looks around to find the classroom full of the usual morning mayhem. Girls chattering about what happened on the newest episode of Last Friends, guys badgering another about what happened on his first date last night, all of this happening before Mayu-sensei arrived in the classroom. Suddenly the classroom door slid open with a bang, thus revealing Uotani with her hair tied up in a bun standing with authority. Hanajima and a few other peers were standing with her as well.

"ANNOUNCEMENT, ANNOUNCEMENT!!" Arisa declared to the class while raising her hand. "We have a new classmate!"

Cheers filled the room. Suspicions about their new peer circulated among the class.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" one of the excited students asked.

"It is...a boy." Saki replied calmly. Several girls squealed at this.

"Why would someone transfer now? Graduation isn't far off." One of the boys brought up the question. Silence gripped the class.

"Maybe...he did something awful...maybe he's a JD!" Another boy said with tension in his voice.

"That means...it is up to us to defend the girls in this classroom!" a third boy said in a heroic tone. The boys cheered at this and raised their fists in determination.

"Hey..." Uotani said seriously, Saki lurked behind her friend. "Who says we all need protecting?"

Then the entire class laughed and started their usual antics. The door then opened to reveal Yuki and Kyo staggering into the room a moment before the bell rang.

"Hey, Sohma," one of the boys called.

"Yeah?" the two cousins replied. Both of them then looked at each other with aggravated looks.

"You know, I've had enough of you this morning..." Kyo said angrily.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who didn't set their alarm clock." Yuki quipped.

"Well, at least I woke up when there was an alarm, unlike someone here who could have been thrown out of a window and still won't wake up!" Kyo remarked.

"Hey, I can't help it that someone didn't get up to heat up the food before Shigure went to the kitchen to burn it!" Yuki said. Tohru then put her face downward hoping not to be seen by either of the two.

"Oh boy, all I was going to ask was why you guys came later than usual." sighed the classmate.

"IT WAS HIS FAULT!" the Sohmas said accusingly while pointing at the other.

Before the two realized it, a shock was sent through them as cold water was thrown on them. Both of them froze to find their teacher, Mayu, standing there with a frustrated face.

"Isn't it a rule that when the bell rings, all students must be seated?" Mayu asked, shouldering the bucket that held the cold water. "Kyo, I know you are a repeat offender and used to this process. But Yuki, why not cool down a bit, huh?" She turned with an exasperated sigh. "Do I always have to carry around a bucket for the Sohmas?"

That sounded like it could stand for more than one thing...I wonder... thought the class in union.

As the students took their seats, Yuki passed by Tohru's desk.

"Hey, you okay? You woke up earlier than usual and everyone was surprised that you went ahead without us."

Tohru kept her head down. "I had something to do." she replied tersely. Yuki looked at her with concern.

"Why do you keep your head down?"

"Please, Sohma-kun, sit down before you get in trouble."

Yuki, surprised at the brush-off, ran his hand through his wet hair. "Well, anyway, thank you for the breakfast." he walked to his desk which was farther back in the room and Tohru waited until he was seated before she raised her head. Little did she know that Kyo was observing the short conversation from the other side of the classroom.

"Well, today we have a new student joining our class." Mayu said now that the class had calmed down. "Be nice to him now! Graduation is at hand and I don't want anything to happen before then, would you?" she eyed the class.

"Yes, Mayu-sensei." the class replied together.

"Now, you may come in!" the teacher called to the door. "I made them pledge that they won't bite!"

The door slid open to reveal a young man with black hair, slightly tanned skin, and a medium build. An amber stone hung as a pendant of his necklace and reflected in the sun.

"Wow, Mayu-sensei, you are amusing." the new student said with a smile.

"Why thank you," Mayu said calmly. "Will you please write your name on the board and introduce yourself to your classmates?"

The boy turned to the board and started writing his name in furigana and a buzz went around the room. The girls in one corner began whispering vehemently as the boys began observing their new peer with low voices.

"Hey, he doesn't look as bad as a JD." Arisa said jokingly to Tohru and Saki.

"Yes...but I don't think we should let our guard down yet." Saki said with a calculating voice.

"Oh, what is wrong? Looks like an athletic, smart guy; and a charmer by the looks of it." Arisa remarked as she subtly pointed out the other girls who look like they are about to explode if they didn't squeal soon.

"His waves...are different." Hanajima replied.

"You mean like the Prince's and Orange top's" Arisa asked.

"Well...similar but different..."

"Oh, that is confusing!" Uotani said. "What do you think, Tohru?"

As the two friends turned to Tohru, they found her eyes dilated and her hands shaking. Tohru looked at the boy with a calculative intensity, finding all of the features she knew. She checked each of them off like they were on a mental checklist.

Brown eyes, strong hands, jet black hair, medium build, and that amber... she went over her list again and again. Shintaro-san. she thought finally. But, when he put down the chalk stick, she stared at the name and could not believe what she was seeing.

When the boy was done, the class quieted down again and waited for him to speak.

"Helllo everybody. My name is Koichi Asakawa." he began smiling. As he continued talking about where he formerly attended school and his favorite hobbies Tohru continued to stare at the board reading the characters over and over again.

"Well, it's not like I'm new to everyone here." Koichi's voice broke through her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Mayu asked.

"Well, I'm familiar with three of my peers already." he continued with a smile. he motioned to the back of the room. "Yuki! How have you been?"

Tohru was startled at this and turned her head to the back of the classroom with the rest of the class to see the Prince's reaction. Yuki was startled as well but gave his famous smile to Koichi.

"Why, I have been doing well." He replied. "It looks like you have finally surprised me since you didn't tell me that you were coming here to Kaibara High."

"Well, it was a bit...sudden." Koichi chuckled. He then turned to the side of the room. "And you, Kyo? I hope we can have a bout soon. I haven't seen you in ages, so I want to see how much stronger you are."

The class then turned to Kyo who turned his attention away from the window.

"Well, then I accept your challenge. How about after school today? The dojo is open."

"Oh, sorry, I brought up the challenge but maybe tomorrow? After all," Koichi grinned as he turned to the other side of the room, "I have a date with Tohru Honda-san today."

Everyone shifted their position to face Tohru who began to blush immediately. The classroom then had an uproar as questions like "Really?!" and "Since when?!" flew around the room and targeted Tohru. Mayu, seeing that she no longer had any control, opened up a drawer at her desk, grabbed a whistle, and blew as hard as she could. The class, shocked and mortified, froze in place and suffered their teacher's coldest glare.

"Asakawa-kun, thank you for your introduction. There is an empty desk in the back of the room. You may sit there. Now, let's start class. Open to page one hundred thirty-two in your English books."

The class moaned as they started their school day and Asakawa walked to his desk. He walked past Tohru and left a note on her desk. She silently opened the folded slip of paper and read: "meet me at the shoe closet at lunch today :)"

She folded it up and slipped the note in her bag.

"Hey, Tohru," Arisa whispered. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well...it was...sudden..."

"Hmmm," Hanajima joined in, "that's what he said..."

As class went on, Kyo and Yuki looked at Tohru during the class from time to time.

Is this...true? the thought reverberated through their heads as the second hand of the clock crawled its way through the seconds and slowly to lunch hour.