This is chapter 12. This chapter is going to take a break from the Sohma's and focus more around Taka and Kyoki. So yea. Umm… I wanted Taka to have a chapter to be in for most of it, so this is it. I hope you like it. Taka is a really funny person. So this should be rather funny, I hope. So let us read!

I do not own Fruits Basket. But I do own Taka, Kyoki, Yume, Sakura and another characters I have put in here and will put in here in the future. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Skipping School!

Kyoki went to her room and lay down on her bed. "What should I do? I can't do this for the read of my life. It's fun, but I'm sure the Sohmas' secrets not that usual… what am I talking about? It's going to be a great secret. Yep. I should do what Haru told me and take things one at a time." She rolled over onto her side. "I should work slowly and move my way up." She sat back up.

Kyoki looked down at her plain silver bracelet. "I've worn this bracelet since forever…" she thought out loud. "I remember that time…when my mom got mad… I don't know why though…"

As she sat there, she began to remember a time when she was six years old…

A younger Kyoki is sitting on a chair crying. "I'm sorry mommy. I didn't know I wasn't suppose to take off the bracelet. I'm sorry."

"I've told you a million times not to remove it, haven't I? Why don't you listen? Bad things will happen to you if you don't keep that on, do you understand? I don't want you to have bad things happen. I want you to live a normal life and be happy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mommy. But how could one bracelet protect me from bad things and make me happy?" Kyoki wiped her tears away.

"You'll understand when you are older." she smiled.

"Mommy, I'm sorry." Kyoki said.

"It's ok, honey. Just promise you'll always keep it on from now on." Sakura told her daughter.

"I promise." Kyoki smiled.

Kyoki snapped out of her flashback. "What did my mom mean by all that? What's with this bracelet? Is there something she is keeping from me?" she said out loud.

Kyoki was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Haru enter her room.

"Kyoki, every lie contains a truth and every truth contains a lie. Remember that." Haru said calmly.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Kyoki asked. "Isn't that what Shu told Apple before they fought Highland in Suikoden 2?"

"Yea. I got bored and played some of your video games. "I'm not sure what I mean by that, but it seemed like good advice right now." Haru shrugged and left the room.

"…ok." she said. "Thanks…I guess."

Kyoki looked at her clock. "I'm so tired, but I can't sleep. I'm bored. I think I'll go out for a while. Yep that's what I'll do."

She stood up and then a thought hit her. Wasn't Haru supposed to be at school? I could have sworn he left this morning…but I was out, so I could be wrong… maybe he's skipping school too. Maybe he'll want to go hang out with me, I don't like going out in town alone. I'll probably get lost. My stupid sense of direction is majorly broke. Why am I standing here thinking to myself? I should get off to do what ever I was going to do…what was I going to do? Ah! Yes! I was going to find Haru and ask if he wanted to go hang out in town with me…off I go then to find Haru and have fun!

Kyoki walked out of her room and went downstairs.

"Hey mom, I'm going to go out for a bit. I can't sleep. Is Haru still here?" Kyoki said as she stood in the doorway to the living room.

"Haru already left. He had to get back to school. He said he had to come here to give you advice. Don't know why. I love that boy, but he is strange sometimes." Sakura smiled. "Are you sure you should be going out? You did get beaten up by a eleven year old today."

"I was not beaten up by here. She…she… umm.. Was trying to fix my head… so can I go?"

"Sure honey. But be back by dinner and be very careful." Sakura told her.

"Cool, thanks!" Kyoki grabbed her jacket by the door and walked out. She headed toward town.

Meanwhile, Taka was walking around town.

"I'm so bored, so very, very bored. I got sent home cuz I was bad at school and now I'm really, really bored." Taka said as he walked down the street.

People looked at him strange as he walked by them.

"Bored! Bored! Bored!" Taka yelled. "Maybe I should go home." he looked down sadly. "But I bet he's still there…"

"Taka!" a familiar voice from behind him yelled.

He turned to see Kyoki running toward him.

She stopped right in front of him. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, and then suddenly they did a secret handshake really fast.

They both yelled, "Sutoresuwa- tamenaide!" very loudly. They both began to laugh.

"I'm so happy to see you. I was so bored." Taka said.

"Me too." Kyoki smiled.

"So what are you up to? Aren't you suppose to be at school?" he asked.

"Well, ah, yes. But I got a fever, then I got hit on the head a few times, and when I woke up, I only spoke in French and no one understood me, so Tsuki came over and fixed me. So then my mom told me I could stay home and rest, but I couldn't, so I came out and here I am. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be at that evil building too?"

"Well, I uh, umm… let's just say that a very, very long series of unfortunate events happed today that may get me expelled from my school." he said.

"Taka! You're mom's going to be furious! Does she know yet?"

"No, at least I don't think so. The school doesn't have phone lines right now…due to the incident… But she will be mad."

Kyoki nodded. "Yea. Remember that time back in second grade when you're mom got that lave lamp from France or wherever and you brought it in for show and tell and you shoved it into the outlet and the whole school lost power?"

Taka nodded. "Yea. Those were the good old days."

"Yea. So what happed this time? Do you think you'll get expelled?"

"Probably. It all began when I came late to school…" Taka said.

I was late to school because I woke up late, and then I couldn't find the clean pants to wear, then I couldn't find to socks that matched. I found a shirt right away, so that's the only good thing that happen. Then I found my jacket that was under the couch for some odd reason. I then was about to leave, only to realize that I had no shoes on. So I ran around the whole house looking for my shoes. I finally found them and I went to school.

When I ended up at the school, I was one hour late. They were having a fire emergency then, but I didn't know that so I entered the school through the back door, like I always do. Everyone was in the front. So I headed to my locker, not knowing the danger and trouble I would be in a few minutes later. Oh, and the fire alarms were turned off… so I had no way of knowing there was a fire. So I was unlocking my locker and looking for my books in my rather messy locker.

"Taka Iramaki, why are you in here? You're the cause of the fire aren't you?" the principal said walking toward me. I looked at her and saw smoke coming from down the hall.

"Huh? I just got here. What's going on?" I said rather confused.

"You started that fire! The fire that will most likely destroy part of this school! You probably didn't do you homework and thought you could start a fire so you could get out of it, didn't you!" she yelled.

"No, I swear I didn't. I just got here. I woke up late and here I am."

She took a few more steps toward me. "I know all about you and fire. You're fascinated by it. You have had minor incidents with fire. It's all if your profile. You're the only likely candidate in all of this."

I took a few steps back too. I didn't want this girl closer to me than necessary. "I can understand you thinking it was me. But I don't like being blamed for this I didn't do. Blame me for things when I really do them." I snapped at her. I wasn't thinking and I didn't know what to do.

"Are you trying to get away?" She yelled.

"No, sir. I just…umm… don't want you to come to close. I'm rather picky about the closeness to people and stuff…" I told her.

"I don't believe it. You're hiding something. Hand it over. Do you have a weapon? Do you have the item you started the fire with? Give it to me!" She held out her hand and came closer to me. I could smell her perfume and it was choking me.

I coughed. "I don't have anything. Can I just get out of here please? I didn't do anything."

"Why should I? I can't just let a criminal get away." she sneered.

"Frankly, you're really freaking me out. So I would like to get away from you." I told her.

Her face twisted in anger. "I'm beginning to lose my patience, Mr. Iramaki. Now, if you won't give me the evidence, I'm going to call the cops down this hallway and you will be in big trouble."

"I don't have anything." I told her. Then I asked her something that popped into my head. "Why are you in here? If there is a fire, shouldn't you be outside with the others?"

"This is my school, I must make sure everyone gets out safely. And if the school goes down, I will too." she said. She walked toward me.

She was now a foot away.

Somewhere down the hall, a computer or TV exploded from the heat. It startled the principal and she tripped over her feet. She began to fall forward toward me, but I barely dodged out of the way.

She landed on the ground with a loud thud. She looked up at me. "How dare you do that to me? When someone is falling, you try to catch him or her. Not let them drop. That is the last straw." She then took at deep breath and yelled, "Help! I got the student who started the fire! Help me! He pushed me to the floor and I don't what he is planning! Someone help!"

"Huh? I didn't do that! Stop lying. What do I do now? Ah! Why are you doing this to me!"

She grinned. "Because I wanted to get you out of this school for awhile now. I know all about you. You're a trouble making kid who gets away with anything. You're going to pay this time."

We both heard footsteps running toward us. "Miss, where are you?"

"I'm over here. Come quick! Please!" she yelled to them with a huge smile on her face.

I wasn't thinking and did the only thing I knew what to do. I ran.

"Hurry! He's getting away!" I heard the principal yell behind me.

"He won't get away, we have all the exits surrounded." one of the people said from some hallway.

I kept on running and running and running. I came down a hallway that was billowing in smoke. I began to run down the hall. Finally, after who knows how long, I came to the stairs that led to the roof. I ran up the stairs like a goat out of hell. I began to run around on the roof to try and find a way down.

"Hey! Isn't that Takanori Iramaki up there?" I heard kids from my school yell way down on the ground.

"Yea. It is. What the heck is he doing on the roof?" someone else asked.

"Beats me. Maybe he doesn't know there's a fire," another said.

"He must be really stupid to go on a roof when there is a fire." some guy said.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I couldn't concentrate on how to get down with them talking about me.

"Ah! He heard us!" one of them said. They huddled into a smaller group and walked away.

"Young man! What are you doing on the roof of a burning building?" my math teacher yelled up at me.

"I, uh, it's a long story. And it really doesn't matter. So I will just try to find a way down if you all shut up now!" I told him.

"Kids these days. They have no respect for their elders." the teacher walked away.

At this point, I thought I was going to be doomed. But then I saw my last ray of shining hope. I saw a phone line. I was thinking I should slide down it like they do in the movies. So I took off my jacket and wrapped it loosely around it like they do. And then I grabbed onto the sleeves and jumped down. It worked for a few seconds like in the movies. Then all hell broke loose. The jacket began to rip. So I managed somehow to grab on to the phone wire. Then I slowly began to inch my way to the phone poll so I could climb down. As I got toward the middle, it began to sag, and then it broke.

The wire swung me down and I let go a few seconds before I got to the ground. I really didn't want to be electrocuted. I landed on a big pile of hay that for some reason was there. Don't ask me how, or why, it just was there. Thank Suzaku. I got up.

People began to gather around me.

"Wow! That was so cool Taka!"

"Were you scared?"

"You're so lucky that pile of hay was there, or you would have been a goner."

I just smiled and nodded.

"There he is! He's over there by that pile of hay! Get him!" The principal yelled as she ran out of the school. Three policemen followed her out. They began to run toward me.

I began to run. I managed to loose them somehow. I ran into Tsuki and Sano and I knew they were Kyoki's cousins, or something. So I asked them to tell her I couldn't make it after school to go to her house. Tsuki whined about it, but I talked her into doing it for me.

I then began to wander around town. And now here I am talking to Kyoki.

"Wow, Taka. That was amazing how you got away from them. That is so unfair how she blamed you and stuff." Kyoki said. "There's no way they can blame you for it."

"Yes they can. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have a small record with fire. And they have a principals' word against mine. Who do you think they are going to believe? A student or a adult?"

"But they don't have any solid proof." she said. "Things like that always seem to happen to you, don't they?"

Taka nodded. "Yea. It's sad, really. I don't think there is nay other school in this city that will let me attend."

"Try my school." Kyoki said quickly.

Taka looked at her like she was the smartest person in the world. "You're so smart! I love you!"

"Hehe." she smiled. "It can be like the good old days. We'll have lots of fun like the good old days. Me and you, causing mischief, mayhem and fun throughout the school. We'll have lots of fun."

Taka nodded. "Yea! I'll tell my mom that I want to go there."

"Taka, how are things going with you mom, is she, you know, still…?" Kyoki looked at the ground sadly.

"Things are better. Not perfect, but better." He smiled.

"Takanori Iramaki, are you lying to me?" she looked up at him.

"No."

"Promise me you're not lying." she demanded.

"I promise I'm not lying," he told her.

"Good." She smiled. "Since we're both avoiding our homes, wanna go and do something fun?"

"Sure." Taka grinned. "But what can we do?"

"Hmmm…" Kyoki thought. "Let's go to the park! It'd be lots of fun!"

Taka nodded. "Let's go."

"Yay!" Kyoki said happily. She grabbed his arm and began to pull him gently along to the park.

Meanwhile, Shigure was leaving Sakura's house. Shigure had begun to get bored when Hatori and Sakura began to talk about doctor stuff, so he decided to excuse himself and leave. He decided to go visit Ayame, since they hadn't talked for a while. Shigure had walked for a few minutes thinking about Shigure type things, when he looked up and saw the park. There were a few little kids running around the park.

But what caught his eye was Kyoki. She was currently swinging on a swing off in the far corner.

She appeared to be laughing and looking at someone on her left.

He looked at the boy on her left.

It was a born haired, browned eyed guy who looked familiar.

"Who is that?" Shigure wondered.

Suddenly, it hit him. He glared his eyes and growled, "Takanori Iramaki. Se we meet again. Well, we haven't met directly, but that's besides the point."

Shigure quickly jumped into a nearby bush and crept closer to watch his new rival.

"Hey, Ta-kun, remember when we use to go really high on the swings and then jump and see who would go farther?" Kyoki asked as she swung her legs as she went back and forth.

"Yea. You never went far, though. You were too scare to go very high," he laughed.

"Hehe. I'm still scared. I really hate heights." she looked at him and giggled

"Let's jump and see who will go farther." Taka grinned.

"Ah! I can't!" Kyoki looked down fearfully. "What if I break something?"

"I'll jump first and if it looks like you are going to jump the wrong way, I'll try and catch you." Taka suggested.

"Try?" Kyoki said.

"Yea." he smiled.

"Fine…but if I get hurt, I'll seriously cause pain upon on you so badly you will remember this day for the rest of you life. Got that?" she growled.

"Ok, ok. Cool it." he laughed. "Here I go!" When his swing was the farthest it could go forward, he let go of the swing and jumped. He landed gracefully on his feet. "Bonzai!" he yelled. "C'mon Ky-chan, your turn."

"Ready, Ta-kun?" she asked.

"Yep. Now jump!" Taka said happily.

She took a deep breath and when her swing was at the right place, she jumped off.

She landed perfectly.

Suddenly she felt faint and began to fall forward.

"Kyoki!" Taka quickly caught her before she could fall face down.

Kyoki quickly steadied herself. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I felt dizzy, but I did."

"You're probably still suffering from earlier. We should get you home," he told her. Taka looked at her worriedly.

"I'm fine, really. Let's go on that trampoline. I haven't been on one of those in months." she smiled and ran toward it.

"Hey! Wait! You really should run!" Taka ran after her.

"I'll be fine!" Kyoki climbed on to the trampoline and began to bounce. "Come on Taka, you slow poke!"

Taka got on. He saw something in the bushes.

"What's wrong, Ta-kun?"

"Nothing, I thought I saw something way over there." he said. "But it's probably nothing."

"Probably some kid." she said.

"Yea…" Taka shrugged.

Far off, the same figure that watched Haru and Kyoki the day before, was watching Kyoki and Taka in the park. The person growled.

"Oh, hey, Taka-kun, weren't we going to go to my house after school? Remember yesterday?" Kyoki asked.

Taka nodded. "Yea. Wanna go there after we play in the park?"

"Sure!" Kyoki said happily. "I can show you all my new manga and anime!"

They jumped for a few minutes. Then, Kyoki suddenly passed out. She fell down on the trampoline.

Taka quickly kneeled down next to her. He felt her pulse. "Kyoki? Ky-chan? Are you ok?"

Taka leaned over Kyoki so he could see her face to make sure she was breathing regularly.

"Get off of her, you fiend!" someone yelled.

"Huh? I'm not on her." he looked up. "Oh! It's you."

"I know what you're thinking, you crazy goat!" Shigure yelled. He was running toward them.

"Huh?" Taka said confusingly. "What are you talking about?"

"You know… you were going to kiss her!" Shigure yelled

"I was just seeing if she was ok." Taka said.

"She's fine. So go away!" Shigure snapped.

"What's going on?" Kyoki sat up. "What are you doing here, Shigure?"

"Protecting you from this fiend." Shigure said.

"Fiend? This is my best friend Taka. He's not a fiend." Kyoki said.

"Ky-chan, are you feeling ok?" Taka said as he ignored Shigure.

"Yea, why wouldn't I be feeling ok?" she said as she laughed nervously.

"You just fainted…" Taka pointed out.

"It's nothing. I'm ok," she said.

"They're probably side effects from this morning." Shigure said. "Come let me take you away to safety!"

"Hey, I just remember that Tsuki said that you couldn't come over today, was it because of what happened at your school today?"

Taka nodded. "I didn't want to worry you about it or anything."

Kyoki smiled. "I understand. Do you still want to come over, or do you need to go home and deal with that issue?"

"I can take care of that later," he said.

"Then let's head to my house!" Kyoki said happily.

"Hey! What about me?" Shigure whined.

"Go to your own house!" Taka snapped.

"Fine! I will!" Shigure stormed away. "I'll get you Taka. You'll pay got this day! Don't know why I'm so angry, but I am!" he grumbled as he left.

"I have a feeling that's not the last time we see him." Kyoki said.

"Why'd you say that?"

"It just seemed like the right thing to say." She got off the trampoline and looked at her watch. "Holy Suzaku bread! We have to hurry! This one really cool show I like is almost on! We have to go watch it!"

"Ok." Taka got off.

Kyoki grabbed his hand and ran. "Hurry, Ta-kun!"

"Ok. Calm down." he laughed.

- -

That was chapter 12. So I hoped you liked it. It was kinda different from how I originally planned to have that chapter go. But I think it turned out ok. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it and I will work on the next chapter as soon as I can.