Let's Play Rich Man-Poor Man!

(Kazuko's POV)

*On a school window was a poster that said "29th Annual Kaibara High School Culture Festival"*

Kazuko:*off-screen* The Culture Festival is next month and everyone was pitching in to get everything ready.

*Yuki (who was the Class Representative) drew a pink flower on the chalkboard over what our class was going to do for the festival*

Yuki: It's decided. For the festival, our class is going to operate a rice ball stand. With that settled, I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the kinds of fillings we should use.

*Tohru raised her hand*

Tohru: Oh! What if we did tri-color rice balls? So that in every rice ball, people get three different fillings to try. A bargain.

*I smiled at her. My sister can be creative when it comes to food*

Yuki: That's cute. I like it.

*Just then, a certain annoying voice came from a few desks next to us*

Minami: Seriously? *we all turned to her & Mai* We totally need to ditch that idea, Yuki.

Mai: Yeah. What if she suggests a tuna, kelp, pickled plum combo?

Minami: Oh my gosh! That would be so disgusting!

*They started snickering. I was about to go over & give those two a piece of my mind, but Arisa beat me to it by slamming a steel pipe on Minami's desk*

Arisa: Nowhere near as disgusting as your personalities, morons.

Minami: What kind of psycho brings a steel pipe to school!?

Kyo: The kind who knows how to deal with ugly, jealous stepsisters.

*Mai & Minami glared at me. While Arisa gave a thumbs up & Saki gave me a smile, which made my heart race*

Kyo: I say we make should do rice ball battles.

*We all turned to him*

Kazuko:*in his mind* Oh boy. This outta be interesting.

Male Student: Battles?

Kyo: Yeah. Brutal head to head matches. First one to pine their opponent wins. *he stood up* Weapons are -

*Before he could finish, I stood up, stepped in front of his desk, & put a hand in front of his face*

Kazuko: Kyo, as much I enjoy your enthusiasm, I'm afraid not everyone is into fighting as much as you.

Students: Yeah. Hard pass.

Kyo: I'm trying to contribute here! You jerks could at least think about it!

Vice Representative: That's one idea.

Yuki: What if some of the rice balls were actually duds? We could make a deal where you buy three and then choose a fourth one for free. Only some of the choices are simply . . . Empty.

Students: Sounds great!

Kyo: You shoot me down, but expect his dumb idea!

Hiroshi: Sorry, Kyon-Kyon. Yours was way too weird.

*Yusuke patted his head*

Yusuke: Don't pout about it, Kyon-Kyon.

Kyo: Don't call me Kyon-Kyon!

Hiroshi: Don't be made, Kyon-Kyon.

Female Student #1: Look! Cats!

*Yuki, Tohru, & I jumped when we saw that cats had somehow gotten into the school & were all over Kyo*

Hiroshi: What the heck!?

Female Student #2: How'd they get in here!?

Female Student #3: Where'd they come from?

Female Student #4: How cute!

*Kyo angrily stood up from his desk*

Kyo: That's it! I'm outta here!

*He ran out of the room*

Yusuke: Hey, Kyon-Kyon! You gotta tell us what's up with the cats!

Saki: Very strange.

*Tohru & I both jumped a little*

Arisa: Yeah, don't worry. You're still the strangest person at this school. That guy's got a seriously hot temper. Doesn't take much. He's the total opposite of our Prince.

*Tohru & I both looked at the door & then at each other. We decided to go after him*

*We followed him all the way to the roof, with the cats all over him*

Kazuko: We thought so.

*He jumped at the sound of my voice. I climbed up a ladder & Tohru was right behind me*

Tohru: You really like being up on high places, don't you? *a grey cat meowed at her* Oh, hello there, kitty. *A black one came up to me & I petted it* They're adorable!

Kazuko: I guess it's not all that surprising that cats like you so much.

Kyo: It's not like I encourage them. They show up on their own. It happens to all of us with all our animals. We can't stop em.

Tohru: Aw, that way you'll never be lonely.

Kyo: It's not a good thing! So, why are you guys here?

Kazuko: What? We can't be worried about a friend? Aren't you gonna help get ready for the Culture Festival?

*He looked away*

Kyo: You don't need me. Everything'll go fine as long as Yuki's there. He's always been so smart and capable. And good with people. Everybody automatically respects his talents. They trust him. I'm the one who started martial arts first, you know. And now he's better at it than I am. It pisses me off. I can't magical make myself more like him. But I would if I could.

*Tohru & I both stared at him for a minute*

Kazuko: Kyo, not everyone expects you to be like Yuki. We're all special in our way. And we each have our our own gifts and talents. It's what we do with those gifts that makes us stand out from everyone else. *he looked at me in surprise. I stood up* Anyway, come on. Everyone's waiting for us.

*Tohru & I climbed down the ladder & headed downstairs. I could hear Kyo dragging his feet as he followed us*

Tohru: Wow, Kazuko.

Kazuko: I guess I got it from Mom. After all, looks like might need some reminding once in a while.

Kyo: I heard that!

(Fruits Basket - Opening Theme - Again)

(Kazuko's POV)

*Later that day, Tohru pulled out a pack of playing cards*

Tohru: Let's play Rich Man-Poor Man!

Kyo: No. Go and bother Yuki! I don't wanna play.

Kazuko: We would, but he's not here.

Arisa: Bummer. I was looking forward to playing you. You're so stupid and incompetent I figured you'd make for easy pickings. Way to ruin my fun, thanks a lot. Running away from a fight like you're some scared little boy. It's pathetic.

Kazuko:*in his mind* Uh-oh.

*Kyo stood up from his desk*

Kyo: Okay, you're on! But I'm not gonna dry your eyes when you lose! Got it, Gangster Girl!?

Arisa: Whoever comes in last has do it everyone else's cleaning duty.

Kazuko:*in his mind* Kyo really needs to control his temper.

Saki: Cozy. It's such an inviting master of waves

Tohru: That's strange. I wonder why Sohma's not back yet.

*Later, we were all playing at a desk*

Kyo: Revolution!

Arisa: What kinda underhanded trick was that, you sneak!

Kyo: The kind that's allowed in the rules!

Tohru: Revolution turns the strong cards weak, so I don't know which to play now.

Kazuko: Me neither.

Saki: I do. Revolution reverse.

*My heart skipped a beat as I watched her pull that card out*

Kyo: Not cool!

Arisa: She really got you, Carrot-Top

Yusuke: Nice work, Hanajima.

Hiroshi: Not looking good for Kyon-Kyon.

Kyo: Shut it! We're just getting started here!

*Later, after school, me, Tohru all stood in the empty classroom as Kyo cleaned the floor*

Yuki: Rich Man-Poor Man? I know the rules. I've never played it though.

Tohru: Uo just taught us, so we don't know too much about it either.

Kazuko: But it's a lot of fun. You really should try it sometime.

Yuki: So, *he turned to Kyo* looks like he ended up the poor man this time around.

Tohru:*to Kyo* Um . . . We really don't mind helping.

Kazuko: Yeah, just give the word.

Kyo: No, I've got it. A loss is a loss. I'm gonna win the next game though! *he pointed at Yuki* And that includes beating you!

Yuki: Don't you ever get tired of your empty threats?

Kyo: No. Because winning against you is my ultimate goal in life!

Yuki: Hearing that over and over is my ultimate annoyance in life.

Kyo: You're condescending, high and mighty attitude really pisses me off!

Yuki: You're inability to comprehend complex thoughts pisses me off.

Kazuko:*in his mind* And here we go again. I know they're supposed to be the cat and the rat, but it still doesn't explain why they can't get along.

*Just then, I remembered what Kyo said his first day here*

(Flashback)

Kyo: I'm gonna win! I'll beat you and become a full fledged member of the Sohma Clan!

(Present Time)

Kazuko:*in his mind* Does this mean that . . . Kyo is trying to become part of the Zodiac by beating Yuki? Then that would make 13 animals. Wow. I guess that would be pretty cool. And I know Tohru would love that.

Kyo: I'll punch that smug look off your dumb face!

Kazuko:*in his mind* But I'm not sure fighting is a best way to decide that.

Tohru: Um, Kyo?

Kyo: I'm coming for ya! *he went to punch Yuki in the face* Get ready, Rodent!

*Just then, Yuki delivered a high kick that struck Kyo in the chin, sending him flying into the stacked desks*

Yuki: Just looking at you makes me sick.

*He then left*

Tohru: Sohma, wait.

Kyo: Dammit. *we turned to him* Why can't I ever win?

Kazuko: You okay, Kyo?

Kyo: I'll live. It's not my first fight. Get out of here already. *Tohru looked depressed when he said that* Uh! I mean . . .

Kazuko: Relax, dude, I know what you meant.

Kyo: It's just that . . . I keep loosing to him. And I hate it. Nevermind, okay. *he stood up* You guys should head home. You both have work today, right? *he stood up & rubbed his chin* He was a lot rougher on me than usual. Guess he's in a bad mood.

*That night, I was at my second job, which was at a Cafe called "Cafe Midnight". My uniform was a black vest over a white collared button up shirt, a black tie, a black apron over black pants, & black shoes (look up "Kazuko - Waiter Uniform" by "SwanGirl24" on "DeviantArt"). I couldn't stop think about what had happened today with Yuki & Kyo*

Kazuko:*in his mind* Something tells me that's not the real reason why Yuki kicked Kyo like that. It looked more like he was just trying to let off some steam. I wonder what happened?

*Just then, the bell by the door rang & two customers walked in. One was an adult man with black hair, purple eyes, & wearing a brown suit over a white shirt, a black tie, & black shoes & the other was a boy a year younger than me with blonde hair, brown eyes, & wearing a pink hat, a red sweater, tan shorts, black knee socks, & brown shoes. They both sat down at a table & I went up to them*

Kazuko: Welcome to Cafe Midnight. May I take your order?

Hatori: I'll just have black coffee, please.

Momiji: I'd like a chocolate milk and a piece chocolate cake, please!

Kazuko: Excellent choices. I'll be right back with your orders.

*I went to the kitchen*

(Third-Person POV)

*Hatori & Momiji watched him leave*

Momiji: He seems really nice.

*Hatori didn't say anything as he watched Kazuko work*

*For the next two hours, I could feel the man's gaze on me the whole time as he drank his coffee. The boy was mostly focused on his hot chocolate & piece of cake*

Kazuko:*in his mind* What's with him? Why is he staring at me? *soon, the man finally payed their bill & he & the boy left**out loud* Thank you for your patronage. Please come again soon.

Momiji: We will! Danke!

*The man didn't say anything & just gave a look at sent chills up my spin*

Kazuko:*in his mind* What was that about?

*Later that night, when I got home from work, I was soaking wet from the typhoon that had appeared out of nowhere. Tohru & Yuki came home the next morning, soaked & dirty. She told me she'd explain everything later, after she had a hot bath*

*Later that day, while Tohru & I were making rice balls for the festival, she told me something that Yuki told her yesterday while they were on their way home from him picking her up from work. Turns out, Yuki was isolated from other kids growing up by some of the people at the Main House. He enrolled in our school because he wanted to be free from them. But he wasn't totally free, living with Shigure & keeping his distance from other people. He also wanted to be like Kyo, who opens up to people once he gets to know them. He always got annoyed with Kyo because he was trying so hard to join the family he was trying to escape from. He thought he was being selfish for trying to get others to be like by being nice*

Kazuko:*in his mind* So . . . Each of them wants what the other has. Neither of them realize they they're both special in their own way.

*I then thought back to something Mom had told us when we were little*

(Flashback)

*All three of us stood in front of Dad's grave*

Kyoko: It's always better to believe instead of doubt Human beings aren't born with kindness. That's something that only comes to us later. All we have at first are desires for things like food and shelter. Basically, just survival instincts. Kindness is our hearts growing inside us. Growing like people at different rates and different ways. And that's why, one person's kindness might look different from another's. It's simple to understand desire. Because it's something everyone has from birth. But each person's kindness is pretty much hand-made by them. So, it's easy for others to misunderstand it or assume that it's phoney. But, Tohru, Kazuko . . . I want you both to believe in people. Doubting is easy. Anybody can do that. You be the kind of people who can have faith in others. One day, I know, that will help someone.

(Present Time)

Kazuko:*in his mind* I hope I can do that for someone too.

*She also told me that a weird foreigner boy had kissed her on the cheek while she was leaving work, which really pissed me off*

*Later, Kyo came in with a towel over his head*

Kyo: The hells going on here!? Planning to start a rice ball business?

Tohru: Oh, good morning, Kyo.

Kazuko: Good morning.

Tohru: We're experimenting to get ready for the Culture Festival.

Kazuko: You're up early as usual.

Kyo: It's not early. It's normal. *to Tohru* So, we're you out at the garden with Yuki all night along?

*Tohru scooped up some rice into her hand*

Tohru: Oh! OW! OW! That's really hot!

Kazuko: I told you to slow down.

Tohru: Right. *she turned to Kyo* Yeah. We needed to defend the vegetables from the typhoon. *Kyo picked up a rice ball & started eating* We're particularly proud of that one. You'll have to tell me what you think.

*Just then, Kyo flinched from the taste, ran to the sink, filled a glass with water, & chugged it down*

Kyo: What are these!?

Kazuko: A rice ball with chives inside. So, I'm guessing you don't like them.

Kyo: No way! I freakin' hate chives! What's wrong with sticking to something normal like salmon or octopus filling?

Kazuko: The idea is supposed to be rice ball duds mixed in with what you usually get.

Kyo: Whatever! I'll just make my own.

*He scooped up some rice & started making his own*

Tohru: Wow! That's so amazing!

Kyo: Huh?

Tohru: The way you shaped that rice ball! You're great. Really.

Kazuko:*in his mind* Oh, my sweet, simple minded sister. Always getting excited over the smallest things.

Kyo: It's not a big deal. I had to make my own food while I was training. But just because I can make it, doesn't mean it'll taste good.

Tohru: It's still impressive. If someone was working hard training to make rice balls, I think they would be very jealous of how good you are at it.

*He looked at her with slightly red cheeks & then left the room*

Kyo: Rice ball training isn't something people do. Where do even get these ideas?

*He sat at the table & turned on the TV*

Kazuko:*in his mind* Mostly likely from our Mom. Those two were always like peas in a pod.

Tohru: I think I know. Maybe you can't see it because it's on your back. *Kyo & I both gave her confused looks* Just think. If a person is a rice ball, and what's great about that person is a pickled plum, the problem is . . . The plum's on their back where they can't see. Maybe everyone in the world is walking around with plums on their backs. All different kinds. No two of them are exactly alike. But since they can't see their backs, they cant see the plums that make them unique. They like they don't have anything special. That they're just plain, white rice. Even though that's not true at all. Even though they really do have a plum of their own. Maybe that's the reason we got jealous. 'Cause when it comes to plums, other people's are a lot easier to see. So, trust me when I say, I can see it. Plain as day. You have plum right there on your back. *she went up to him* Sure, Sohma's great. But the thing is. So are you.

*I smiled at that*

Kazuko:*in his mind* She's right. I guess what's she's trying to say is . . . We all have something about us that makes us different and unique in our own special way.

*Kyo stared at her for a minute. And then turned bright red*

Kyo: Okay, seriously!? Where do you get these ideas!? And why did you have to pick plums of all things for your stupid analogy!?

Tohru: I'm sorry! You're right! Maybe I should have used salmon instead. *just then, the kettle started whistling* Oops! The kettle!

*She turned off the stovetop*

Kyo: Hey. *we looked at him* You've got one too. You both do. On your backs. *he looked at us* You know, a plum. I can see them.

*Tohru smiled & went up to him*

Tohru: I do! Really!? Are you sure!?

Kyo: Yeah. They're only little ones, though. Really, really, really little ones.

*Neither of them noticed Yuki coming in*

Tohru: Little ones are delicious.

Yuki: You're up already?

Kazuko: Yep. Morning.

Yuki: Morning.

Tohru: Oh, actually I never went to bed.

Yuki: Are you kidding? You didn't get any sleep at all?

Kazuko: Yeah. I got up and she was already here, making rice balls.

Tohru: Yep. With all the exciting things to think about, my brain wouldn't turn off.

*Yuki turned to the rice balls we made & noticed the half-eaten one*

Yuki: What's this?

Kazuko: That one's rice balls with chives.

Tohru: Kyo says he doesn't like chives, though.

Kyo: Yeah, 'cause they're inedible.

*Suddenly, Yuki picked up the half-eaten rice ball, marched over to Kyo, pinched his nose, turned he is head towards him & shoved it into his mouth*

Yuki: Eat it.

*Just then, the doorbell rang & Tohru went into go answer it*

Kazuko: Yuki, don't force it down his throat. You're going to choke him.

*Just then, I heard the sound of running footsteps. Then, a girl with straight, upper-back-length brown hair, dark brown eyes, & fair skin wearing a short-sleeved dark yellow dress over a long-sleeved light yellow shirt, a backpack that looked like an orange cat on her back, & beige & light-brown colored boots came running into the room*

Kagura: Kyo!