Winter Storm (v 5.0)
By Kelpy
Email: dragon@smadar.ca
Copyright December 2001-2002
Category: Drama/Humor
Rating: PG-13
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)
--------------------------------------------------------------
This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics has not
authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me
before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3: Snow
His stomach rumbled as they waited in the long line for the buffet lunch being served. It didn't help
that his editor, while standing in front of him, was constantly craning her neck around and giving a
running commentary of what food was left.
"Oh dear! There doesn't seem to be much seafood spaghetti left. I hope they still have some caesar
salad when it's our turn. What do you want to eat? Sushi and tempura I supposed, ne? Oh look how
much that balding man took! How inconsiderate can he be?! Now he's picking through the stir-fry!
Eew! Did you see what she just did? She dropped a shrimp and then just picked it up and popped it
back onto the serving tray! Sensei – did you hear me? We can't afford for you to get sick from
eating contaminated food; not when you still have at least two more volumes to write before spring
comes!" She twisted her head up and around to check on him.
"Hai, hai. Here, take this first," he replied as he handed her an empty plate. "Don't worry about the
food, see, the servers are bringing more already."
"Oh, that's good. I wonder what I should get…" Mit-chan calmed down somewhat as they got
closer to the tables.
Shigure hid an inward smile at his ever-hungry editor. In her own way, once Mit-chan set her mind
on something, nothing could deter her, especially when the something was food. She could easily
match his own appetite, and there were times he thought she could eat even more than his still-
growing teenaged cousins. A quick sweeping glance at her body and he figured she must expend a
lot of energy each day going through her frantic actions. He chuckled softly, if that were true, than
Mit-chan owed him one for acting like her personal trainer. For certain, she wouldn't be half as
active and busy if it weren't for him! He wondered if Ritsu and his mother were the same way.
"Sensei! It's finally our turn! God, I'm starved!" came Mit-chan's jubilant exclamation. She
quickly reddened though as Shigure burst out in laughter, followed by a few other surrounding
attendees. Delicately shrugging it off, she started to choose her lunch. It wasn't long before her
plate was heaping full.
When she suddenly stopped in line, Shigure almost bumped into her, "What's the matter, Mit-
chan?" He watched as her eyes flicked between her own plate, and a large tureen of curry chicken.
Sighing, he reached back and slid another empty plate forward. He should have guessed
beforehand.
Mit-chan's eyes lit up, and she quickly scooped some curry onto the new plate, "How did you
guess? Oh, but how am I supposed to bring it to the table?" She looked down at her already filled
plate, and then at the purse and notebook she held in her other hand.
"Come on, I've got it. Seriously, what would you do without me? You owe me one!" He pushed
one of the plates against her back to guide her towards an open table. He could hear Mit-chan
worrying about getting the desserts already. Sitting down, they quickly started to dig into their
food, commenting on the taste of the various dishes. A waiter came by and offered them some
drinks, and soon they continued eating in companionable silence. As he munched away Shigure
wondered how his cousins and Tohru were doing.
Later on, after a eating a last tuna sushi roll, Shigure suddenly brightened as an idea came into his
head. "Mit-chan, I know what you can do to repay me, I should get a one month extension on my
next novel!"
His editor choked on a spoonful of curry rice, her face turning a bright scarlet. Pushing a glass of
water into her hands, Shigure thumped a hand on her back, "Jeez, Mit-chan. I know you're hungry
but you really shouldn't wolf your food down like that. You're not a dog you know!" His eyes
twinkled at his own personal joke.
Finally regaining her breath, she immediately turned to Shigure, eyes wide with alarm, "Sensei!
No! No way, you can't do that! I'll lose my job!"
Shigure's eyes twinkled with glee, "Well, I suppose I couldn't do without my dear little editor, but I
really need a vacation! I've been working so hard, I feel like I'm going to collapse, and then you
had to drag me to this longwinded convention!" He whined and gave her sad puppy dog eyes. Mit-
chan paused in uncertainty, completely missing the spark of deviltry hidden in his eyes.
"Well, but sensei – I'm sorry but, really, we promised to have the next two volumes ready by…"
Shigure leaned in closer, "Ah, but I have been careless. Poor Mit-chan looks overworked too. I
know – I'll take you with me to the Caribbean! There we'll lounge on the beautiful beaches, and
swim naked with fish, and then make sweet, passionate love under the shining stars!"
Frozen in position from shock, the poor woman could only stare. Finally pulling the spoon slowly
out of her mouth, her eyes almost bulged from their sockets. As a deep flush once again crept up
her otherwise pale face, a low, faltering whisper issued from her lips, "Shi – Sensei! I couldn't, we
shouldn't…"
"But my dear editor, think how wonderful it will feel, as I run my hands through your hair and
down your bare shoulders. The ocean waters will gently lap at our toes as you run your hands over
my back and down over my bare…"
"Sensei! But, I…" Mit-chan squirmed in her seat, thankful that at least he was speaking too softly
in the crowded dining room to be heard by anyone else.
Just as suddenly, Shigure straightened up, his hands quickly grabbing her notebook. "Hm, thanks
Mit-chan. Those lines seem to work, I'll use it in my next romance book. Let me just write it down
before I forget. Now what was it again? 'Swimming naked with the fish, and making sweet,
scintillating love'? Or was it 'sweet, passionate love'?" He opened up the notebook and quickly
scribbled something down.
Tears streaming down her cheeks in embarrassment, Mit-chan's face would have fallen straight into
her food if Shigure hadn't reflexively shot out a hand and pushed her head back.
"Sensei! Why do you tease me so? Just because you've finished your lunch already!"
"Hm? Well you are my editor, right? You're supposed to help me come up with ideas if I'm stuck."
Sighing, Mit-chan returned to finishing the rest of her lunch, as Shigure continued to flip through
her notebook. Finally finishing her lunch, she noticed Shigure staring intently at one page. "What
are you looking at?"
Shigure quickly wrote something down with a flourish, "Oh, just your caricature of myself. I didn't
realize how carefully you've examined my face." He laughed as Mit-chan's face turned red for the
umpteenth time today. "Perhaps you have a special interest in it? I could arrange it so that you
could have a closer look, along with other parts of my body…"
Mit-chan jumped up, grabbing her notebook away, but not before thumping Shigure soundly on the
head with it. "That's not it! I was just bored! And no – I don't want to see your – well, any part of
your body, Sensei! Let's go now, the executives will be waiting for us." With that, she walked off
with as much dignity as she could manage, as other nearby guests attracted from her outburst
stared.
"Hai, hai. Lead on, I'll be right behind you," Shigure rubbed his head ruefully. His long legs
allowed him to leisurely catch up with her. Bending his head down so his lips were right beside her
right ear, he gleefully added, "But Mit-chan, you know if you want my books to sell better, you'll
have to help me more."
"Eh? How can I do that?" Her voice wavered ever so slightly. The close proximity of Shigure's lips
was just a bit unnerving.
"Well, my romance novels would be ever so better if I had some more real-life experiences.
Perhaps starting with weekly lovemaking sessions, and since you're my editor… Ow!" He stopped
in his tracks, rubbing his chest.
Mit-chan had not so subtly elbowed him hard in the ribs, and then stalked off ahead of him. "Stop
making fun of me!"
Still rubbing his chest, Shigure winced. Mit-chan was stronger than she looked. Glancing out the
full-length windows that lined one side of the hallway, he was somewhat startled to see that it was
snowing. He thought about what Kyou had said earlier, and hoped the meetings with the executives
wouldn't take long. It had already been a long day.
Almost at the end of the hallway, the editor found herself alone. Turning around, she saw Shigure
still standing where she had first poked him, staring out of the windows. "Stop joking and hurry up!
Now we're going to be late to the meeting with Kuto-san!"
Shigure turned back towards her voice, "Kuto-san? Would she be a beautiful, wealthy young
woman?"
"Sensei! Just hurry up! I beg of you, please stay on your best behaviour!"
"Well if you want that, you'll have to…"
"Sensei!"
"Hai!" Giving one more glance out as he quickly caught up with his editor, it seemed to him that
even in that short while, the snow had increased its rate of fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Yuki found himself literally being dragged by the arms out of the school. They had finished with
their work today shortly after 1 pm, and by 1:30, they had locked the doors and were now heading
towards the karaoke center for a late lunch and an early start to their party. Somehow, during the
walk through the hallway to the outer doors, the two upperclassmen he had been working with had
managed to latch on to both his arms.
Apparently the general festive atmosphere had somehow erased some of the usual reserve and calm
respect the other council members usually extended to Yuki. He felt somewhat naked as he was
pulled along the path. A few other members had already come around and patted him on the back
or head, all expressing their surprise and pleasure that he had decided to join them this time. He
couldn't help but feel nervous, and he could sense a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. As it was,
he flinched every time someone moved towards him, not to mention patting him.
With both his arms being held, it would slow his reactions down a lot. He worry what might happen
should a female bump into him, or worse, decide to hug him deliberately. He was having trouble
concentrating on the conversation around him; his throat seemed to be closing up. Fortunately, the
others were used to him being rather quiet. He forced himself to swallow, and then wondered if this
was how Kyou felt right before he ran away from Kagura, because it was all Yuki could do to stop
himself from running right now. He strengthened his resolved though when he also recalled how
Kyou managed to mix in easily with their male classmates. Tohru's words from the morning also
helped him to relax.
Gingerly, he managed to extricate himself from the hold of his female senpai on his right, blaming
it on a slipping schoolbag. A few steps further, he managed to shake off the hold of his other senpai
by pointing out a cool sports car parked on the street. His arms once again swinging free at his
sides, he took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was only a brief respite though, minutes later he
was gently pushed into the dark entranceway of the 'Sing Sing Karaoke Centre'.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Once seated with their orders placed, the girls happily chatted about their holiday plans. With only
two days to go before Christmas, the two taller girls wanted to know whether or not the Sohma
family had any celebrations planned and whether or not they included their dear Tohru.
"I don't think we have much planned, just a quiet Christmas dinner at home. Shigure-san said he
might visit the main house during the day, but that he would certainly not miss our special turkey
meal. I know that Hatsuharu-kun and Momiji-kun want to join us, and I believe Kagura-san will try
to make it too, but she might be busy with her own family supper. It would be nice if Kisa-chan and
even Hiro-kun could drop by too. Perhaps Shigure-san and Hatori-san will bring them along,"
Tohru babbled happily.
"Heh? All those people?" exclaimed Uotani.
"Will they even all fit in the house? And who's cooking supper?" questioned Hanajima as she
paused in the braiding of her friend's hair.
The two concerned girls suddenly narrowed their eyes. Uotani sitting across the table abruptly
stood up. With hands flat on the table, she leaned closer towards Tohru. "Don't tell me they left it
all up to you!?"
"Eh, well yes but..."
"And do they expect you to lug home all the groceries yourself as well?" A cold wind somehow
slid itself into Hanajima's voice as little sparks started to dance about her head.
Tohru found herself pressed against the corner of the booth they sat at. Sometimes the way her
friends' expressed their concern over her well being was just a bit scary. She stretched out her
hands towards them, trying to calm them down.
"Eto, it's not the way you think. We already got most of the groceries yesterday, and Yuki and
Kyou would only let me carry the bag of candies. I just have to get some fresh bread tomorrow, and
we're all set."
Uotani finally sat down, running a hand through her bangs, "Well at least they carried most of the
groceries."
Tohru nodded, relieved that her friends had calmed down. She smiled and continued on, "And
that's not it. Shigure-san said that if you didn't have any plans, you are both welcome to join us!
Won't that be great? All the people I care most about will be together on Christmas! We'll have a
lovely little dinner party!"
"Yes! A wonderful Christmas party with Tohru!" exclaimed Uotani as she pumped a fist up into the
air. Several other customers looked over curiously at the loud outburst. "Heheh, what about you
Hanajima, you think you'll make it too?"
Hanajima tilted her head to think for a moment, "Yes. I should be able to. My family's planning on
having a Christmas lunch, so I should be able to come over for dinner later on. This way, we can
even help Tohru-kun prepare the meal."
"Hey, that's right! So don't worry Tohru, we'll even help you cook. We should make it a sleepover
as well, ne?" Uotani smiled broadly. If the table hadn't been in the way, she would have hugged
Tohru for certain.
"Eh, certainly... it would be great to have you sleep over," Tohru replied nervously. Secretly she
hoped that there wouldn't be any problems. With such a number of jyuunishi members under one
roof along with Tohru and her friends, it was bound to be an exciting get-together. She wasn't sure
if any of the other family members were planning on staying the night, Tohru just prayed that there
wouldn't be any unexpected transformations in front of her friends. Shigure had been very
generous, and brave to include her friends in their dinner party. Although Tohru wondered once or
twice whether or not it was actually a foolish decision. Tohru sighed, in any case it was too late
now. She didn't like keeping secrets from her best friends, but this secret wasn't hers to share.
Hearing Tohru sigh, the other two shared a smile. Uotani reached over and gently tapped her on the
head, "Wake up, Tohru dear. So I see you were a little anxious over preparing dinner for so many
people. Bet you never even cooked a turkey before! You've got to learn to ask for help. Don't
worry, Hanajima and I will be there early with our aprons on!" Hanajima nodded silently in
agreement.
Startled, Tohru's eyes widened, "But I couldn't ask that of you! You two will be guests! Don't
worry about me. Yuki-kun's already offered to help with the dishwashing afterwards, and Kyou-
kun will help me with the cooking!"
Uotani and Hanajima stared at their friend in utter shock.
"Ano, did I say something wrong? I really want you two to come enjoy the party, so thank you, but
I really can't accept your offers to help. I just would not feel right about it." Tohru looked
anxiously back and forth between her two friends.
"Tohru-kun, it's not that..." Hanajima started to say.
Uotani continued the thought, "We're just surprised. Not only is 'The Prince' going to help with the
dishes (which I can kind of understand, him being the way he is,) but Kyoun is going to help
cook!?"
"Won't he just make a bigger mess of things?" added Hanajima.
Tohru relaxed, glad that she hadn't offended her friends by mistake. "No, Kyou-kun wouldn't do
that," she tried to explain. "Yuki-kun's the one that has problems in the kitchen. Kyou-kun's
actually very good at cooking!"
"Heh?!" exclaimed Uotani, as her black-clad friend raised an eyebrow in astonishment.
"What would Sohma Yuki's fan club say if they heard you say that," added Hanajima.
Tohru flushed slightly from the reactions and remarks of her friends, and looked down at her lap.
"Well I'm sure that if Shigure-san and Yuki-kun really tried, they could cook well enough. I'm sure
they have better things to do though, and ordinarily, there's really no need for them to help. It's no
problem for me to cook for everyone, especially since they have all been so nice to me."
She thought back to the couple of times that Yuki had insisted on helping her when she had come
back tired from her part-time job. It had been a rather trying time, but thankfully he had soon
realized that he was more of a hindrance than help. From then on he had stuck to setting the table
and washing the dishes. The red in her cheeks deepened as she recalled the feelings of relief she
had felt. She hoped that it wasn't too uncharitable of her to be thankful that Yuki no longer tried to
help prepare the meals.
She looked up and was surprised to see her friends examining her intently, "Eto. Is there something
wrong?"
"Huh? Nah. We're just getting hungry waiting for our food," replied Uotani.
"So Sohma Kyou can cook, can he? What does he make?" Hanajima put in quietly.
"I still can't believe it. Kyoun cook? I would have thought that he believed it to be something too
unmanly to bother with." Uotani laughed as an image of Kyou with a white apron and a chef's hat
arose in her mind.
"But it's true! He's a very good cook, though he doesn't realize it himself," protested Tohru
earnestly. "Uo-chan is right in that Kyou is rather shy about his skills though. When I was sick, he
made a lovely meal for me. He sat with me just to make sure I ate enough, but I think he was
embarrassed the whole time, even though I said it was very delicious and that it made me so happy.
And Hana-chan, Kyou helped make a lot of the onigiri for our class festival, but he made me
promise not to tell anyone. He is so modest about his cooking skills."
"Onigiri?" asked Hanajima surprised.
"You're telling us that he, Sohma Kyou, was the one who made the onigiri we were selling?"
exclaimed Uotani, starting to laugh.
Tohru clapped a hand to mouth, her face losing its rosy flush as she realized what she had just said.
Then slowly she nodded. "You promise not to tell anyone though, right? He was only going to help
me with them, but he's so quick he did most of them himself. I just made the ones that looked like
cats."
"Don't worry, we won't tell. And those cat ones were adorable." Hanajima gave Tohru a quick hug
to reassure her, and chuckled quietly.
"Well, that's one point for Kyoun. He might not ever make as much money as Sohma Yuki, but at
least if you marry him, he'll cook for you!" Uotani continued to laugh until the waiter brought their
orders, while Tohru was once again blushing hotly.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Having finally parted ways with Haru after pointing out the last remaining street and corner to the
main Sohma compound, Kyou now found himself slowly trudging home through the thickening
snowfall. His stomach gave a loud growl, and he was almost certain the cats in his knapsack heard
and were gleefully laughing at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------
By Kelpy
Email: dragon@smadar.ca
Copyright December 2001-2002
Category: Drama/Humor
Rating: PG-13
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)
--------------------------------------------------------------
This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics has not
authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me
before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3: Snow
His stomach rumbled as they waited in the long line for the buffet lunch being served. It didn't help
that his editor, while standing in front of him, was constantly craning her neck around and giving a
running commentary of what food was left.
"Oh dear! There doesn't seem to be much seafood spaghetti left. I hope they still have some caesar
salad when it's our turn. What do you want to eat? Sushi and tempura I supposed, ne? Oh look how
much that balding man took! How inconsiderate can he be?! Now he's picking through the stir-fry!
Eew! Did you see what she just did? She dropped a shrimp and then just picked it up and popped it
back onto the serving tray! Sensei – did you hear me? We can't afford for you to get sick from
eating contaminated food; not when you still have at least two more volumes to write before spring
comes!" She twisted her head up and around to check on him.
"Hai, hai. Here, take this first," he replied as he handed her an empty plate. "Don't worry about the
food, see, the servers are bringing more already."
"Oh, that's good. I wonder what I should get…" Mit-chan calmed down somewhat as they got
closer to the tables.
Shigure hid an inward smile at his ever-hungry editor. In her own way, once Mit-chan set her mind
on something, nothing could deter her, especially when the something was food. She could easily
match his own appetite, and there were times he thought she could eat even more than his still-
growing teenaged cousins. A quick sweeping glance at her body and he figured she must expend a
lot of energy each day going through her frantic actions. He chuckled softly, if that were true, than
Mit-chan owed him one for acting like her personal trainer. For certain, she wouldn't be half as
active and busy if it weren't for him! He wondered if Ritsu and his mother were the same way.
"Sensei! It's finally our turn! God, I'm starved!" came Mit-chan's jubilant exclamation. She
quickly reddened though as Shigure burst out in laughter, followed by a few other surrounding
attendees. Delicately shrugging it off, she started to choose her lunch. It wasn't long before her
plate was heaping full.
When she suddenly stopped in line, Shigure almost bumped into her, "What's the matter, Mit-
chan?" He watched as her eyes flicked between her own plate, and a large tureen of curry chicken.
Sighing, he reached back and slid another empty plate forward. He should have guessed
beforehand.
Mit-chan's eyes lit up, and she quickly scooped some curry onto the new plate, "How did you
guess? Oh, but how am I supposed to bring it to the table?" She looked down at her already filled
plate, and then at the purse and notebook she held in her other hand.
"Come on, I've got it. Seriously, what would you do without me? You owe me one!" He pushed
one of the plates against her back to guide her towards an open table. He could hear Mit-chan
worrying about getting the desserts already. Sitting down, they quickly started to dig into their
food, commenting on the taste of the various dishes. A waiter came by and offered them some
drinks, and soon they continued eating in companionable silence. As he munched away Shigure
wondered how his cousins and Tohru were doing.
Later on, after a eating a last tuna sushi roll, Shigure suddenly brightened as an idea came into his
head. "Mit-chan, I know what you can do to repay me, I should get a one month extension on my
next novel!"
His editor choked on a spoonful of curry rice, her face turning a bright scarlet. Pushing a glass of
water into her hands, Shigure thumped a hand on her back, "Jeez, Mit-chan. I know you're hungry
but you really shouldn't wolf your food down like that. You're not a dog you know!" His eyes
twinkled at his own personal joke.
Finally regaining her breath, she immediately turned to Shigure, eyes wide with alarm, "Sensei!
No! No way, you can't do that! I'll lose my job!"
Shigure's eyes twinkled with glee, "Well, I suppose I couldn't do without my dear little editor, but I
really need a vacation! I've been working so hard, I feel like I'm going to collapse, and then you
had to drag me to this longwinded convention!" He whined and gave her sad puppy dog eyes. Mit-
chan paused in uncertainty, completely missing the spark of deviltry hidden in his eyes.
"Well, but sensei – I'm sorry but, really, we promised to have the next two volumes ready by…"
Shigure leaned in closer, "Ah, but I have been careless. Poor Mit-chan looks overworked too. I
know – I'll take you with me to the Caribbean! There we'll lounge on the beautiful beaches, and
swim naked with fish, and then make sweet, passionate love under the shining stars!"
Frozen in position from shock, the poor woman could only stare. Finally pulling the spoon slowly
out of her mouth, her eyes almost bulged from their sockets. As a deep flush once again crept up
her otherwise pale face, a low, faltering whisper issued from her lips, "Shi – Sensei! I couldn't, we
shouldn't…"
"But my dear editor, think how wonderful it will feel, as I run my hands through your hair and
down your bare shoulders. The ocean waters will gently lap at our toes as you run your hands over
my back and down over my bare…"
"Sensei! But, I…" Mit-chan squirmed in her seat, thankful that at least he was speaking too softly
in the crowded dining room to be heard by anyone else.
Just as suddenly, Shigure straightened up, his hands quickly grabbing her notebook. "Hm, thanks
Mit-chan. Those lines seem to work, I'll use it in my next romance book. Let me just write it down
before I forget. Now what was it again? 'Swimming naked with the fish, and making sweet,
scintillating love'? Or was it 'sweet, passionate love'?" He opened up the notebook and quickly
scribbled something down.
Tears streaming down her cheeks in embarrassment, Mit-chan's face would have fallen straight into
her food if Shigure hadn't reflexively shot out a hand and pushed her head back.
"Sensei! Why do you tease me so? Just because you've finished your lunch already!"
"Hm? Well you are my editor, right? You're supposed to help me come up with ideas if I'm stuck."
Sighing, Mit-chan returned to finishing the rest of her lunch, as Shigure continued to flip through
her notebook. Finally finishing her lunch, she noticed Shigure staring intently at one page. "What
are you looking at?"
Shigure quickly wrote something down with a flourish, "Oh, just your caricature of myself. I didn't
realize how carefully you've examined my face." He laughed as Mit-chan's face turned red for the
umpteenth time today. "Perhaps you have a special interest in it? I could arrange it so that you
could have a closer look, along with other parts of my body…"
Mit-chan jumped up, grabbing her notebook away, but not before thumping Shigure soundly on the
head with it. "That's not it! I was just bored! And no – I don't want to see your – well, any part of
your body, Sensei! Let's go now, the executives will be waiting for us." With that, she walked off
with as much dignity as she could manage, as other nearby guests attracted from her outburst
stared.
"Hai, hai. Lead on, I'll be right behind you," Shigure rubbed his head ruefully. His long legs
allowed him to leisurely catch up with her. Bending his head down so his lips were right beside her
right ear, he gleefully added, "But Mit-chan, you know if you want my books to sell better, you'll
have to help me more."
"Eh? How can I do that?" Her voice wavered ever so slightly. The close proximity of Shigure's lips
was just a bit unnerving.
"Well, my romance novels would be ever so better if I had some more real-life experiences.
Perhaps starting with weekly lovemaking sessions, and since you're my editor… Ow!" He stopped
in his tracks, rubbing his chest.
Mit-chan had not so subtly elbowed him hard in the ribs, and then stalked off ahead of him. "Stop
making fun of me!"
Still rubbing his chest, Shigure winced. Mit-chan was stronger than she looked. Glancing out the
full-length windows that lined one side of the hallway, he was somewhat startled to see that it was
snowing. He thought about what Kyou had said earlier, and hoped the meetings with the executives
wouldn't take long. It had already been a long day.
Almost at the end of the hallway, the editor found herself alone. Turning around, she saw Shigure
still standing where she had first poked him, staring out of the windows. "Stop joking and hurry up!
Now we're going to be late to the meeting with Kuto-san!"
Shigure turned back towards her voice, "Kuto-san? Would she be a beautiful, wealthy young
woman?"
"Sensei! Just hurry up! I beg of you, please stay on your best behaviour!"
"Well if you want that, you'll have to…"
"Sensei!"
"Hai!" Giving one more glance out as he quickly caught up with his editor, it seemed to him that
even in that short while, the snow had increased its rate of fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Yuki found himself literally being dragged by the arms out of the school. They had finished with
their work today shortly after 1 pm, and by 1:30, they had locked the doors and were now heading
towards the karaoke center for a late lunch and an early start to their party. Somehow, during the
walk through the hallway to the outer doors, the two upperclassmen he had been working with had
managed to latch on to both his arms.
Apparently the general festive atmosphere had somehow erased some of the usual reserve and calm
respect the other council members usually extended to Yuki. He felt somewhat naked as he was
pulled along the path. A few other members had already come around and patted him on the back
or head, all expressing their surprise and pleasure that he had decided to join them this time. He
couldn't help but feel nervous, and he could sense a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. As it was,
he flinched every time someone moved towards him, not to mention patting him.
With both his arms being held, it would slow his reactions down a lot. He worry what might happen
should a female bump into him, or worse, decide to hug him deliberately. He was having trouble
concentrating on the conversation around him; his throat seemed to be closing up. Fortunately, the
others were used to him being rather quiet. He forced himself to swallow, and then wondered if this
was how Kyou felt right before he ran away from Kagura, because it was all Yuki could do to stop
himself from running right now. He strengthened his resolved though when he also recalled how
Kyou managed to mix in easily with their male classmates. Tohru's words from the morning also
helped him to relax.
Gingerly, he managed to extricate himself from the hold of his female senpai on his right, blaming
it on a slipping schoolbag. A few steps further, he managed to shake off the hold of his other senpai
by pointing out a cool sports car parked on the street. His arms once again swinging free at his
sides, he took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was only a brief respite though, minutes later he
was gently pushed into the dark entranceway of the 'Sing Sing Karaoke Centre'.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Once seated with their orders placed, the girls happily chatted about their holiday plans. With only
two days to go before Christmas, the two taller girls wanted to know whether or not the Sohma
family had any celebrations planned and whether or not they included their dear Tohru.
"I don't think we have much planned, just a quiet Christmas dinner at home. Shigure-san said he
might visit the main house during the day, but that he would certainly not miss our special turkey
meal. I know that Hatsuharu-kun and Momiji-kun want to join us, and I believe Kagura-san will try
to make it too, but she might be busy with her own family supper. It would be nice if Kisa-chan and
even Hiro-kun could drop by too. Perhaps Shigure-san and Hatori-san will bring them along,"
Tohru babbled happily.
"Heh? All those people?" exclaimed Uotani.
"Will they even all fit in the house? And who's cooking supper?" questioned Hanajima as she
paused in the braiding of her friend's hair.
The two concerned girls suddenly narrowed their eyes. Uotani sitting across the table abruptly
stood up. With hands flat on the table, she leaned closer towards Tohru. "Don't tell me they left it
all up to you!?"
"Eh, well yes but..."
"And do they expect you to lug home all the groceries yourself as well?" A cold wind somehow
slid itself into Hanajima's voice as little sparks started to dance about her head.
Tohru found herself pressed against the corner of the booth they sat at. Sometimes the way her
friends' expressed their concern over her well being was just a bit scary. She stretched out her
hands towards them, trying to calm them down.
"Eto, it's not the way you think. We already got most of the groceries yesterday, and Yuki and
Kyou would only let me carry the bag of candies. I just have to get some fresh bread tomorrow, and
we're all set."
Uotani finally sat down, running a hand through her bangs, "Well at least they carried most of the
groceries."
Tohru nodded, relieved that her friends had calmed down. She smiled and continued on, "And
that's not it. Shigure-san said that if you didn't have any plans, you are both welcome to join us!
Won't that be great? All the people I care most about will be together on Christmas! We'll have a
lovely little dinner party!"
"Yes! A wonderful Christmas party with Tohru!" exclaimed Uotani as she pumped a fist up into the
air. Several other customers looked over curiously at the loud outburst. "Heheh, what about you
Hanajima, you think you'll make it too?"
Hanajima tilted her head to think for a moment, "Yes. I should be able to. My family's planning on
having a Christmas lunch, so I should be able to come over for dinner later on. This way, we can
even help Tohru-kun prepare the meal."
"Hey, that's right! So don't worry Tohru, we'll even help you cook. We should make it a sleepover
as well, ne?" Uotani smiled broadly. If the table hadn't been in the way, she would have hugged
Tohru for certain.
"Eh, certainly... it would be great to have you sleep over," Tohru replied nervously. Secretly she
hoped that there wouldn't be any problems. With such a number of jyuunishi members under one
roof along with Tohru and her friends, it was bound to be an exciting get-together. She wasn't sure
if any of the other family members were planning on staying the night, Tohru just prayed that there
wouldn't be any unexpected transformations in front of her friends. Shigure had been very
generous, and brave to include her friends in their dinner party. Although Tohru wondered once or
twice whether or not it was actually a foolish decision. Tohru sighed, in any case it was too late
now. She didn't like keeping secrets from her best friends, but this secret wasn't hers to share.
Hearing Tohru sigh, the other two shared a smile. Uotani reached over and gently tapped her on the
head, "Wake up, Tohru dear. So I see you were a little anxious over preparing dinner for so many
people. Bet you never even cooked a turkey before! You've got to learn to ask for help. Don't
worry, Hanajima and I will be there early with our aprons on!" Hanajima nodded silently in
agreement.
Startled, Tohru's eyes widened, "But I couldn't ask that of you! You two will be guests! Don't
worry about me. Yuki-kun's already offered to help with the dishwashing afterwards, and Kyou-
kun will help me with the cooking!"
Uotani and Hanajima stared at their friend in utter shock.
"Ano, did I say something wrong? I really want you two to come enjoy the party, so thank you, but
I really can't accept your offers to help. I just would not feel right about it." Tohru looked
anxiously back and forth between her two friends.
"Tohru-kun, it's not that..." Hanajima started to say.
Uotani continued the thought, "We're just surprised. Not only is 'The Prince' going to help with the
dishes (which I can kind of understand, him being the way he is,) but Kyoun is going to help
cook!?"
"Won't he just make a bigger mess of things?" added Hanajima.
Tohru relaxed, glad that she hadn't offended her friends by mistake. "No, Kyou-kun wouldn't do
that," she tried to explain. "Yuki-kun's the one that has problems in the kitchen. Kyou-kun's
actually very good at cooking!"
"Heh?!" exclaimed Uotani, as her black-clad friend raised an eyebrow in astonishment.
"What would Sohma Yuki's fan club say if they heard you say that," added Hanajima.
Tohru flushed slightly from the reactions and remarks of her friends, and looked down at her lap.
"Well I'm sure that if Shigure-san and Yuki-kun really tried, they could cook well enough. I'm sure
they have better things to do though, and ordinarily, there's really no need for them to help. It's no
problem for me to cook for everyone, especially since they have all been so nice to me."
She thought back to the couple of times that Yuki had insisted on helping her when she had come
back tired from her part-time job. It had been a rather trying time, but thankfully he had soon
realized that he was more of a hindrance than help. From then on he had stuck to setting the table
and washing the dishes. The red in her cheeks deepened as she recalled the feelings of relief she
had felt. She hoped that it wasn't too uncharitable of her to be thankful that Yuki no longer tried to
help prepare the meals.
She looked up and was surprised to see her friends examining her intently, "Eto. Is there something
wrong?"
"Huh? Nah. We're just getting hungry waiting for our food," replied Uotani.
"So Sohma Kyou can cook, can he? What does he make?" Hanajima put in quietly.
"I still can't believe it. Kyoun cook? I would have thought that he believed it to be something too
unmanly to bother with." Uotani laughed as an image of Kyou with a white apron and a chef's hat
arose in her mind.
"But it's true! He's a very good cook, though he doesn't realize it himself," protested Tohru
earnestly. "Uo-chan is right in that Kyou is rather shy about his skills though. When I was sick, he
made a lovely meal for me. He sat with me just to make sure I ate enough, but I think he was
embarrassed the whole time, even though I said it was very delicious and that it made me so happy.
And Hana-chan, Kyou helped make a lot of the onigiri for our class festival, but he made me
promise not to tell anyone. He is so modest about his cooking skills."
"Onigiri?" asked Hanajima surprised.
"You're telling us that he, Sohma Kyou, was the one who made the onigiri we were selling?"
exclaimed Uotani, starting to laugh.
Tohru clapped a hand to mouth, her face losing its rosy flush as she realized what she had just said.
Then slowly she nodded. "You promise not to tell anyone though, right? He was only going to help
me with them, but he's so quick he did most of them himself. I just made the ones that looked like
cats."
"Don't worry, we won't tell. And those cat ones were adorable." Hanajima gave Tohru a quick hug
to reassure her, and chuckled quietly.
"Well, that's one point for Kyoun. He might not ever make as much money as Sohma Yuki, but at
least if you marry him, he'll cook for you!" Uotani continued to laugh until the waiter brought their
orders, while Tohru was once again blushing hotly.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Having finally parted ways with Haru after pointing out the last remaining street and corner to the
main Sohma compound, Kyou now found himself slowly trudging home through the thickening
snowfall. His stomach gave a loud growl, and he was almost certain the cats in his knapsack heard
and were gleefully laughing at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------