Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
Chapter 25: Stamps
He felt vulnerable.
His eyes focused on her feet. One raised foot could squish his like a fly! "Hatori, can your magic do other stuff?" he asked, nodding at her feet. "Like making new shoes?"
The sea horse put down his pipe, blowing one more short puff before examining Tohru's bare feet. "Hm," he huffed, reaching behind himself and opening his hand to show. In his palm sat two green leaves, both crumpled greatly at the tips. "Lend me your foot." It wasn't a question.
Tohru nodded and lifted her foot.
Hatori snatched it out of the air and threw the two leaves up, muttering a few words as the leaves floated aimlessly back into his palm. Tohru gasped. The leaves had grown into a pair of pale boots, still holding the elements of the green leaf in them. He fastened them to her feet, lacing the stems up for support while the leaf-boot stretched underfoot.
Tohru giggled, thanking the Zodiac with a gleeful grin. No one had ever made her boots before, let alone from leaves! What a surprise this is. I love them! They're so soft and squishy! she thought with another giggle, not noticing the crazed look Fen with giving her.
He placed his wing to his head, mentally scorning himself for his stupidity. What a crazy girl!
Tohru calmed her laughter, wiping her running eyes with shaking hands as her orbs drifted to the parchment clutched under Hatori's elbow, wondering what it could possibly say. "What is that?"
Hatori's eyes flickered to the paper. "Ah, that is for you," he handed it over, waiting patiently for the girl to unfurl it.
Tohru rolled out the paper, frowning at the lack of contents on the sheet. It was blank. "Hatori-?"
The sea horse waved his hand, halting her confusion with a pat on the back. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot to add the ink," he tapped the paper twice.
Moments later a series of twelve boxes appeared on the paper scribbled in black ink and parallel to one another. Tohru licked her lips, waiting patiently for more information to appear. The seconds ticked away joining into minutes, leaving her to stand in pressured silence for the writing to join the boxes.
"What's wrong?" Hatori asked, picking up his pipe.
"...I-Isn't there any more?"
He almost dropped his pipe. "No!" he chuckled apologetically, ruffling her hair in amusement. "I thought you were thinking about this, it is a lot to take in." He shook his head. "There's no more writing Tohru, this is it."
She blushed, looking away with embarrassment. "S-Sorry."
"What are the boxes for then?" Fen flapped his wings and took off from the floor, landing neatly on Tohru's shoulder. He shivered, ruffling his feathers to rid of the rain drops that had fallen on him from the rim of the umbrella.
"Those are where the stamps go." Hatori replied dryly.
"Stamps?" They chorused.
"Every box is meant for the twelve Zodiac. When you solve a Zoldiac's problem a stamp will appear in which they will mark your great deed on the parchment. Each completed task will fix a rift in this dimension and will hopefully bring back the White Queen from wherever she disappeared off to."
Posting Date: 26th May 2014
Words: 553
Symm: Here's another chapter, enjoy! ;)