Chapter 12: Fairy Tales

"Shigure-san, I'm glad you're here!" cried Tohru as she ran to meet the novelist who just entered the doorway. She took his cap and coat for him.. "Someone's waiting for you inside."

Shigure sighed. "And I thought that the only problem I had to deal with is a cat-cow crossbreeding, I mean crossfire. Geez!" He stopped when he saw his editor, Mit-chan sniffing delicately on the linen cloth on the table.

Sensing him, she looked up. "Shigure! Thank heavens you're here! The manuscripts…I need the last seventy pages."

He picked up a crumpled cloth between his point finger and his thumb, groaning. "Man! I was saving these for my origami!"

"Shigure, have mercy! Have compassion! Give me your work, now!" pleaded the editor as she watched the novelist flick the paper to the trashcan.

"I could have made a lovely origami dog and gave it to Tohru-kun!" he cried melodramatically.

"Shigure! Shigure, look at me! You're not even listening to me!" cried the woman.

"Uh, Shigure-san, I think our visitor is trying to talk to you," said Tohru.

He blinked. "Really?" He then pretended to notice his editor just now. "Gee, my beautiful and energetic Mit-chan! What sort of ungodly misfortune brought you here?"

"Shigure, please! I need the pages…the pages…"

Yuki entered the living room and sat down beside Tohru. "Honda-san, you shouldn't be in the same space with them. One of them is bound to act really violent soon, and it isn't Shigure."

"I lost it," said the writer simply.

"What?!!" Mit-chan was shaken. "Then rewrite it!"

"I can't. I'm down with flu. If you don't believe me, then here's a medical certificate duly signed by the family physician."

But the woman shoved it aside. "Please, Sohma-san! Do something! Give me a miracle! I want something to publish, for pete's sake!"

Tohru raised her hand. "Would you like to publish our school play?"

Everyone sweatdropped. "H-Huh?"

Tohru's cheeks flushed. "I-I mean, it's really nice…"

"Yes, but those are not the kinds of material we are looking for," said the editor slowly.

Yuki quickly came to Tohru's rescue. "But the school can commission you to publish one anyway, and have it distributed not only in our school, but also in different high schools all over Japan. Not bad for a decent circulation, right?"

"Yes, but….is it any good?"

Tohru choked. It was her teacher, Mayu-sensei who was going to direct the play, but she had wanted to suggest this plot to her. She found herself bursting out her idea to the editor. "Snow White-"

The woman rolled her eyes.

"-and the Twelve Juunishis," finished Tohru nervously.

That got Mit-chan's attention. "Huh? I'm intrigued. Tell me more about the plot."

"W-Well, it's about a successful emperor who had conquered many kingdoms in China, but whose happiness was not complete without a son. He sired a child in a Chinese nymph. However, the baby turned out to be a girl, which was an omen to their kingdom. The emperor ordered the slaughter of the child, but her mother loved the child too much. She sneaked the baby out of the kingdom and gave her to the Juunishi guardians, a group of social animal outcasts," narrated Tohru.

"The Juunishis called the baby Snow White for her skin's fair complexion, and she became the apple of the eye of the group," caught Yuki. "The rat especially loved the little princess very much, even if she was human and he was an animal. He played with her, taught her, and shared her joys and tears…"

"So these Juunishis can talk," said Mit-chan. "Continue please."

"One day," continued Tohru. "The little princess Snow White has gone too far away from her guardians. Just then, a group of wild animals attacked her."

"Fortunately, a young lad her age appeared like a knight by her side and defended her. Just as she was going to thank him, he disappeared," said Yuki quietly.

Although stunned by what he said, Tohru continued the narration nonetheless. "That boy was her first love. From then on, she never stopped dreaming of seeing him again." She paused a bit, then continued. "Soon, she was already 17. It was time for her to be re-introduced to the outside world."

"Although her guardians were reluctant to let her go, they still did as they know that it would be best for her. They were sure that the emperor wouldn't recognize her anymore anyway," added Yuki.

"But the emperor did notice her, as she was working as one of the maids in the palace. He asked her to be his wife, but she flatly refused for her heart was reserved for her first love only. Because of this, the emperor was enraged and condemned her to die," continued Tohru. "The poor princess was placed in a very beautiful coffin that was surrounded with flowers. This was the only way the Juunishis could preserve her memory. They all mourned for her death."

"But then, the rat, weeping, transforms into a full-grown young man. The prince knelt down by the princess' side and kissed her back to life. No ordinary kiss could wake the princess up, for that was how strong the seal of the mighty emperor was, but because it was the kiss of the princess' true love, she was awakened. It was then understood that the rat and the young boy – who was now a princely young man – were one identity only, and that true love enabled the rat to transform into human," said Yuki.

"And so with that, the prince carried her in his arms and hugged her, then carried her away in his horse to a bush somewhere where he could make mad passionate love with her," said Shigure cheerfully.

Yuki stared at him lethally. "Shut up!"

"The nymph then heard about Princess Snow White and came down from the heavens to fetch her and the Prince. Together they lived in heaven, and they lived happily ever after. The end!" finished Tohru breathlessly. "Well?"

Mit-chan was speechless.

"Did you like it?" asked Yuki.

The woman smiled. "Alright, we can get that published, but I have to have that on my desk by tomorrow."

"No problem," said Shigure, wrapping an arm around Tohru's shoulder. "I can handle it."

"Suddenly you're not sick," grumbled his cousin, pushing Shigure's arm off the girl's shoulders.

"Hey, if it's for Tohru-kun…not even wild horses can keep me away!"

"Shigure-san, thank you!"

"You know you can actually work if you want to," noted Mit-chan dryly. "Influenza can't really keep you down."

"I believe that's called selective illness," Yuki remarked wryly.

"Thank the stars she's gone!" sighed Shigure as he headed towards his room. "I better go start writing the Juunishi story already." He winked at Tohru. "By the way, you've got some pretty good imagination, Tohru-kun. I know you made up the details of the story just now."

She glanced at Yuki who was outside the house, enjoying the breeze. "Yuki-kun helped me a lot in brainstorming too." Our stories were so synchronized…and the part about the young boy who saved the princess…it was like magic. As if it really happened between us!

"Well, I'll see you later, Tohru-kun." He started towards his room.

"Uh, Shigure-san, do you still remember the details? The story was quite long-"

Shigure zoomed towards her and clasped her hand. "Well, how about if you help me recall the details? Let's sit together in my room now and-"

A fist slammed on Shigure's head. Yuki pulled Tohru away from his cousin. "Pedophile."

"Damn, your radar…how did you hear us when you're outside? Geez! I'm telling your brother!"

"Y-You have a brother, Yuki-kun?"

"Ignore him, Honda-san. Ignore him," muttered Yuki.

That afternoon, Tohru was treating the bruises of Haru and Kyo. Yuki was helping her, somewhat grudgingly.

"You had a really rough fight, huh?" said Tohru, plastering a bandage on Kyo's bleeding nose.

"I was just about to pulverize him if you had not intervened, you know," said the neko haughtily.

"Careful with your face, princess," said Yuki sarcastically. "Unless you want to make Snow White appear like a gangster in the play."

"Don't remind me!" snapped Kyo. "Why didn't you become the princess instead, girly boy?"

"Is the idea of name lottery too advanced a concept for your demented mind, baka neko?" Yuki shot back.

"I can't wait for the play!" gushed Tohru. "I would love to watch you guys on the stage!"

"Aren't you going to perform too, Honda-san?" asked Haru in his gentle voice,'

"I don't think so. Maybe as an understudy or something, but I can't play a role! I get stage fright!"

"Conquering fears like that is fun," said Haru. "As simple as ABC." He winced a little when Tohru placed too much alcohol on the swab of cotton brushing his skin.

"I-I'm sorry!" She took her hanky out to wipe his cheek.

Kyo had a funny look on his face. "Tohru, I think my jaw hurts a little too."

"Coming!" Tohru finished wiping Haru's face then turned to him smilingly. "OK, let's have it!"

Yuki stepped in front of Tohru. "I'll handle the two of them. You go and start our dinner, Honda-san."

"Uh, right!"

Kyo was outraged. "Hey!"

Yuki grabbed the neko's jaw forcefully and dragged the cotton to his jaw. "You'll get the same alcohol treatment whether it's Honda-san or me who'll give it. Now stay still."

"Hey, let go! It doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Nonsense! You were wailing awhile ago."

"That was awhile ago. Now I feel perfectly fine. Stop! The alcohol stings!" yelled the neko.

"Why, my brother nursing his cousin lovingly. And I thought I saw everything already," a voice remarked.

Tohru saw Yuki stiffen. She turned and saw a tall silver-haired man dressed in tight-fitting Chinese over-alls. But what really struck her was how much he reminded her of one person…

Her eyes widened. It was a mature version of Yuki!

tsuzuku

notes: I have underlined a line in the fic…my reason? It's the carrier quote of my Yukiru site. Lol Just to let ya know!