This chapter is going to be a little angst ridden, but that's how this story rolls. Humor and angst, all in one wonderful little bundle!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the original Fruits Basket, only Mandy and any other OC's that may or may not pop into this story.

(Bit of a long note at the bottom again!)


"Gragh!"

Kagura and Tohru let out matching yelps of surprise at my outburst. We three were sat around a small table in Kagura's bedroom, tea and snacks and books sprawled over every available space. I was currently hunched over a black leather bound journal, about ready to stab it with the pen I'd been writing with.

It would be like I was Harry Potter, stabbing the Riddle Diary with a basilisk fang.

Avada Kedavra bitch.

"What's the matter with you?"

I glared at the offending journal. What was wrong with me? These stupid books held no helpful information and I had been writing and re-writing the same damn sentence for the past hour, trying to see if looking at it differently would help. Akito= God. The zodiac held a very special bond with him. The blood is the bond. How do you break a blood bond?

Kagura and Tohru shared a look, before closing their books at the same time. Tohru reached over and gently closed my journal, knowing I would be least likely to snap at her. I sighed, hanging my head and pressing my knuckles into my eyes to try and get rid of the throbbing.

"Mandy, I know you're frustrated, but I think we should stop for the time being." Tohru said gently, reaching over to gently rub my shoulder.

Kagura scooted over so that she was pressed against my other side, "It's no use working yourself so hard right now. Staring at the same thing over and over again won't help you find the answer. Think about it like you're studying for exams or something, you have to switch through the subjects to keep from being burned out."

They were right, but it wasn't like this was our first attempt at this. We'd been meeting off and on for a little while now, trying to put our heads together to find a way to lift the curse. So far, we got nothing. Kagura had raided the Sohma library for what she could without looking suspicious, but it was maddeningly void of anything to do with the curse.

It was like someone had gone through it and systematically gotten rid of anything pertaining to their curse.

I was this close to going to Megumi and asking for his help.

Tohru began stacking up the books neatly, knowing we still needed to get home and make dinner for the boys. I snagged one of the last sticks of dango, simultaneously shoving it in my mouth and the journal into my purse. Kagura snickered at my face, which probably looked like a pouty chipmunk. I pulled her into a hug before helping Tohru clean up our mess.

We had a tendency to spread out during our sessions.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Kagura asked as we were slipping on our shoes.

"Oh, we couldn't possibly ask that!" Tohru said, pulling her purse over her head.

I rolled my eyes, reaching out to squeeze Kagura's hand. "We'll be fine honey, nothing to worry about. I can kick the ass of any idiot who thinks we would make an easy target."

"Fine, but you need to text me when you get home." She said sternly, "You forget and I'll kick your ass during our next sparring match."

"Like you don't already kick my ass anyway."

We said our goodbyes, thanking Kagura's mom for having us over, and began the trek back home. I feel like Kagura was always kicking my ass, and with Kyo going easy on me, I certainly wasn't prepared for her training tactics. They were brutal but efficient. I'd had to tell Kyo to back off unless I was unconscious or bleeding or both, but he didn't try to intervene in our training any more.

Tohru reached over and grabbed my hand, but was silent in her thoughts. We both had a lot to think about any way. I laced my fingers with hers, pulling her close enough that our shoulders brushed. Our boys' futures were hanging in the balance here, and while it seemed like we had plenty of time to figure this out, time flied.

If we weren't careful, we would be facing graduation with no progress at all.

Tohru had told me what she'd done, sneaking into the Sohma compound with the help of Momiji's little sister Momo. Then she told me what Momo had asked her to do, nearly coming to tears because of it. Part of me wanted to shake some sense into the woman, who had asked Hatori to wipe her memories of her son.

But I knew I couldn't intervene on everyone's behalf. I'd already sicked Ayame on Yuki's mother, causing her to storm out of Mayuko's office in a nearly hysterical fury. I don't think Yuki was sure weather to be upset or not about how it had gone. Or what to think of the fact that he'd caught his Vice President wrapped around Ayame's waist, calling him Captain.

Then, apparently, the little weirdo had walked up to Kyo and apologized. No one was quite sure what for, but Kyo had been mildly freaked out by it.

The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up, and suddenly I felt like we were being watched. I paused, pulling Tohru to a stop and looked around cautiously. It was still early in the day, so it wasn't like we were alone walking. But Kyo had said to always trust your instincts, and I felt like someone was watching us.

"Mandy? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing Ru." I murmured, beginning to walk again.

If I kept her close after that, it was to ease my mind. As soon as we entered the wooded path to home, I felt myself relax. This was familiar territory, and I knew we were almost home.

The boys were sitting around the table when we walking into the living room, each doing their own thing. Shigure was reading a book, possibly one of his dirty little romances, and waved it at us when we walked in. I recognized it as the one I'd snagged from his office a while ago to read. I would never admit it, but it was actually pretty good.

I'd managed to ninja it back into his office without him noticing too.

"The princesses have returned to us!"

Kyo snorted in disgust, "Why do you gotta make everything sound dirty?"

"Welcome back Miss Honda, Miss Cho." Yuki smiled warmly, mostly at Tohru though.

"Hey guys." I rapped my knuckles gently against the top of Shigure's head as I passed him, "We're home!"

I went upstairs to stash my journal under my pillow, text Kagura that we made it home, and throw on some comfortable cloths (shorts and a tank top) before joining everyone downstairs. Well, kind of. It was still nice out, so I opened the door separating the living room from the back porch and sprawled out in the last rays of sun for the day.

"Mmm."

A shadow fell over my face, making me pout and crack an eye open. Kyo was standing over me, looking amused by my antics. I patted the boards next to me impatiently. "Sit, you're blocking my sun Kyo.",

He sat next to my head, legs crossed. "What are you doing?"

I closed my eyes, humming as the sun warmed my cheeks. "I'm enjoying the sun. It feels amazing, and besides I'm too pale."

Kyo snorted, leaning his elbows against his knees. "Shut up. How'd your visit with Kagura go?"

The look on his face when we'd first told him we would be going to Kagura for lunch dates had been hilarious. It was vaguely reminiscent of someone realizing their current girlfriend was becoming BFF's with their ex-girlfriend. I'd laughed so hard, despite the twinge of "I wish" the thought had given me.

"She made us dango," I stretched my arms above my head, crossing them behind my neck. "Well, her mom made us dango. No Isuzu again though. I think she takes off before we get there. She doesn't like me."

"Eh?"

I smirked, cracking open an eye to look at him. "She told me to stay away from the Sohma's. I told her no. Haven't seen her since."

He looked a little pissed, and a little relieved at the same time. "Rin is . . . something else."

"Actually, she kinda reminds me of you when you first crashed into our lives." I said, "All sorts of pissed off and no one to understand her. I think she just needs a friend, but she won't hold still long enough for me to talk to her."

He looked a flustered, probably from being compared to Rin and me reminding him of just how we met for the first time. I giggled a little bit at the expression on his face, rolling so I was on my side with my head propped up on a palm.

"It's okay Kyo," I reached out and patted knee, "You've improved."

"Hmm? Yuki?" Shigure's voice caught our attention, "Are you going to your room already?"

I sat up, leaning around Kyo to look in the house. Yuki was already half way out of the room. He looked back at Shigure, obviously thinking about other things.

"Ah . . . yeah. There was some stuff I wanted to look up and I should probably get ready for the trip too . . ."

Trip? What trip? Tohru seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she looked up from her spot at the table, surprise evident on her face.

"Eh?!" She gasped, "Are you going on a trip Yuki?!"

Yuki blinked at her, "Miss Honda, did you forget about the school trip?"

Kyo and I squawked at the same time, "WHAT?!"

"Did you two forget as well?" Yuki asked, exasperated.

I groaned into my hands, "Awe hell . . . is that on Monday? Shit, I have to call work . . ."

Kyo bristled at Yuki's tone, "As if I'd remember something like that! It's not like I even want to go in the first place!"

Ouch. I ignored that and stood, "Man, my boss is going to be pissed. I bet Uo's already put in for time off too."

Shigure snickered at Kyo, "Even if you didn't really want to go, it's not something most people would just forget about."

"Wh-wh-what shall I do! I haven't prepared at all!" Tohru spazzed, turning to Shigure. "Shigure! Is there anything you wanted as a souvenir?!"

Shigure winked at her, "Not at all! Don't worry about me, go and have a good time. It's an important event in your school life." Shigure reached out to ruffle her hair, "Right?"

"How's that?" I asked, arching a brow at him.

He beamed a smile at me, "I'm glad you asked! It's also an important event for rom-"

"What's so important?" Kyo grumbled, cradling his head, "It's more like a royal pain."

He'd followed me into the house, slumping against the table. I pursed my lips at his attitude. Part of me had hoped he would be more open to the class trip as time went on. It was like we were discussing where we should visit all over again. Momiji wasn't going, as much fun as that would be, so I don't see why he was so pissy about it.

Shigure took offense to his attitude, nailing him in the head with his book. "STUPID KYON!"

"OW!"

"When you talk about school trips you're talking a Romance Event! That's what these things are all about anyway right?! The young are let loose and they confess or are confessed too-"

As soon as the words "Romance Event" had passed his lips, the boys gathered Tohru and I up and started ushering us out of the room. Yuki had one arm behind Tohru's shoulders as he lead her out, and Kyo had grabbed me by the back of my head to push me out of the room ahead of him.

"-HEY LISTEN TO ME!"

~Short Time Skip~

God I was so tired. Why couldn't I sleep? With a grunt, I kicked my blankets off and glared at the lump that was Tohru. She was even snoring a little bit. If my brain would just shut the fuck up, I'd be in the same boat as her. Then again, I always was a bit of an insomniac when I was stressed out.

I punched my pillow. The little *Floof* sound it made did nothing to sooth my irritation, only mocking my inability to sleep. Giving up, I gathered the little throw blanket I kept at the bottom of my bed and padded barefoot out of the room. Lucky for me, the ladder Kyo had set up against the side of the house was still there. Blanket tucked under one arm; I climbed up onto the roof and settled down with it around my shoulders.

Hopefully some fresh air and the stars would help clear my mind. Part of me wished I'd brought my journal out here with me, but I knew I would get absolutely no rest if I had. It was almost like the answer to a question that you knew, but it just wouldn't slip off of the tip of your tongue.

Except it was a little bit more important than the next question on a test. I might actually get someone locked away for the rest of their life if I didn't figure the damn thing out. I felt like it was almost obvious, but I couldn't quite grasp it. Like smoke slipping through my fingers.

"Fuck!" I banged my forehead against my knees, ignoring the slight sting of pain.

"Mandy?"

I damn near jumped out of my skin at the sound of Kyo's voice, whipping my head around to look at him. Kyo was half onto the roof, concern written plainly on his face. Damn! How did he always do that?!

"Kyo . . ." I puffed out a breath, "You startled me."

He padded over, also barefoot, and sat next to me. "Are you okay? You're usually asleep by now."

I was suddenly reminded of the night at the summer villa. When he'd found me as a blubbering mess on the porch swing. How did he always know when I was upset about something? Maybe I shouldn't have taken over his habit of going for higher ground when angry or sad. It made me too predictable.

"I could ask you the same thing." I said, looking up at the stars above us.

He huffed a small chuckle, "But I asked first."

"Heh," I gave him a small smile; "I suppose so."

"So," He leaned forward to look into my face, "What's wrong?"

I sighed, resting my chin on my knees. I couldn't really tell him what was wrong. The boy would kill me. Well, maybe not that far, but it would still be a bad outcome. He would be so pissed, I don't think I could live with it if he stopped talking to me.

This whole situation was fucked up. He should be able to look forward to a future without the threat of solitary confinement looming over his head. I should be able to look forward to a future with him in it, without having to worry about sneaking into the Sohma compound to see him.

Or beating some sense into Akito's head. Cuz I would totally do that if I had to.

"Is it . . . er. . . boy problems or something?" Kyo asked, talking quickly to cover the awkwardness. "I- I can beat someone up if-"

"PHHHHTTTT!"

I couldn't help it, I busted out laughing, using my blanket to try and cover some of the sound. He was offering to beat someone up for me? I mean, it's not like I couldn't do it myself, but still, it was the thought that counted right? Jesus, if only he actually knew what the problem was.

I guess he got points for trying though.

"Oh! Oh god, I love it." I gasped, wiping away tears of mirth. "Kyo, you're a sweetheart."

He blushed, looking like he wished the roof would open up and swallow him whole. I didn't want him regretting coming up here, so I let myself lean to the side. Just enough to rest my head on his shoulder. He stiffened, then relaxed and spread his arms out behind him to stabilize himself. If I closed my eyes, it was almost like we were cuddling.

"No. It's not boy problems." I sighed, keeping my eyes closed. "There's just so much happening now, and it feels like it's going so fast. Like we're running out of time . . . I don't really know what to do."

Kyo sighed, his shoulder lifting my head with it. "Yeah, I get that. But all you really need to do is keep being you. I mean, try not to. . . try not to stress too much about things out of your control."

If only it were that easy.

"By . . . by the way. . ." He tensed again, "If, er, if you ever did have boy. . . problems, or get a boyfriend, I would support you."

I know he said that to be comforting, but for some reason, just the thought of him being okay with me having a boyfriend felt like a hole was ripping through my chest. This whole thing was ridiculous. The boy I was in love with was telling me he would be okay if I got a boyfriend.

Jesus, I was pathetic. I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out but a hiccup. Oh for fucks sake. I sat up and wiped at my eyes, cursing the water that dampened my hands.

"W-why are you crying?!" The panic in Kyo's voice made me let out a watery giggle.

"S-sorry" I sniffed, blinking rapidly.

I would wish that we were normal teenagers, being angsty about normal problems and thinking about normal futures, but then none of this would have ever happened. Tohru and I probably would never have met the Sohma's and I don't know what I would do without them. I couldn't even imagine a life without Momiji and Hatsuharu, Kisa and Hiro, Ritsu, Yuki, Hatori, Kagura, Kazuma, Ayame, and Shigure.

Without Kyo.

"Kyo," I murmured, "What do you wish for?"

That must have come out of left field for him, but he just smiled softly at me. Kyo tucked his hand in his sleeve, using it to mop up my cheeks.

"I wish . . . that a certain someone was happy." He said, "That they would stop crying."

I laughed, "I think I can manage that."

We stayed on the roof for a little while longer, before heading to our rooms. I shut the door quietly behind me, tossing the blanket onto my bed and heading straight for Tohru's yellow comforter. She shifted as I slid into the bed next to her, doe brown eyes blinking blearily.

I think she was getting used to me sneaking into bed with her in the middle of the night, because she just opened her arms and cradled me against her.

"I love you Mandy."

"Love you too Tohru."


HEYYYY! Look, another chapter within a decent amount of time! Like I said before, I seem to go through spurts with this thing.

Much love to all of my faithful followers and reader. You have no idea what motivation it gives me when I see that little email alert that there is a new review.

Thanks To My Reviewers:

Valerie Chavous: I love this review so much. The pairing names are fricken genius, and I can honestly say that Manyo is the best ship name ever. Thank you for the confidence booster! I hope you think this chapter is as good as the last!

Guest: You say the sweetest things! I'm glad I can get their personalities to come through, even when I'm writing something that wasn't in the script. Please enjoy this chapter!

Guest: I CAN LITERALLY FEEL YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND IT IS AMAZING! Seriously though, love reading your reviews. Here's another chappy!

Felicia: I love Kyo too :) and I'm glad you think this story is so awesome! I may take some breaks, but I plan on finishing this through. Enjoy the chapter hon!

LadyAmazon: I still get the happy giggles whenever I see your reviews. Let us be honest, that was pure sabotage. I've never like Yuki's mom, and I was happy to set Ayame on her using Mandy. #ProtectYuki! like the precious little snowflake that he is. Shishou and Hana were an instant win when I first read about it (Hello Tohru's mom and dad!), and I hope to do something a little different with Kureno and Arisa. I'll do my best. Another chapter for you!

Seriously you guys, you have no idea how much I love you all. This

story would never have made it this far without my faithful little

loves. I write for you and for pure enjoyment of putting myself into

Mandy's head. It's fun trying to think like a different person sometimes!

Please Read and Review to let me know what you thing about it!