THE KINGDOM OF HEARTS

Chapter 2- The Royal Guests

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket isn't mine! And it never will be!!!

Recognition: THANK YOU, BLUE QUARTZ, HELEN, AND NIGHTSCREAM! I updated because of your reviews! (Thanx a bunch for telling me Momiji's little sister's name! ^ ^)

"Welcome! Welcome!" Shigure and Ayame's cheerful singsong voices filled the air, as dozens of horses, colorful carriages and trunks, and people entered the castle.

"Yuki! Kyo! Tohru! Kagura!" Momiji yelled happily.

"Why, hello, Momiji!" Yuki replied calmly.

Although Momiji no longer wore childish clothes, he still had the same merry attitude he had as a youngster. He wore a green hat that had a long, quail feather sticking out; a soft, green tunic and brown, traveling pants, along with brown shoes. 

"Where's your little sister?" Tohru asked excitedly.

"Oh, Momo is in the carriage still. She's kind of scared of all the people and noises." Momiji replied.

"Aww…" Tohru and Kagura sighed.

"What's up with girls and kids?" Kyo asked quizzically.

Nobody answered Kyo's question because the noises were silenced by the sound of brass trumpets ringing in the air.

"Attention all guests! King Edwin is now entering the room! Please take off your hats and bow to the King!" the announcer bellowed proudly.

Slowly, King Edwin entered the room and sat himself on his gold throne. He looked splendid in the scarlet-red silk gown, which Ayame had designed especially for today. The gown, which ended at the king's ankles, was designed with intricate dragons and designs, all of which was threaded in gold.

The king' face looked tired and worn, and his long, gray beard was growing increasingly whiter. Nevertheless, his long face still looked royal and proud, just as a king's face should.  

The announcer coughed politely before bellowing, "King Edwin wishes to welcome all guests, whether he or she is of royal blood or not, and that he hopes that everyone's' stay will be a happy and enjoyable one. In addition, he reminds everyone that the North Tower is under construction and everyone is prohibited from entering the area. Once again, he wishes everyone a warm welcome and invites everyone to the welcoming feast, which will take place tonight!"

"Wow, he's really trying to look good in front of them, isn't he?" Kyo whispered to Yuki.

Yuki replied in a hushed tone, "Yes, but I wonder. Why is the North Tower under construction? Even though it's an old tower, it's where father keeps pictures and sentimental possessions of mother."

Both boys watched their father silently, hoping that he would give some sort of hint as to his plans.

"Yuki, I'm hungry!" Momiji complained, and so the five teens headed towards the refreshments table, totally unsuspecting of what they would find.

"Oh my god!" Yuki muttered as he saw Ayame, who was wearing a pink and red kimono and his long, white hair in a tight bun.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Kyo shouted, who was traumatized by what Ayame was dressed in.

"Oh, this?" Ayame said innocently. "I designed and created it in my spare time! It's gorgeous, isn't it? I'm thinking of giving it to lovely Miss Okinawa as a present!"

Then, Ayame's cheeks flushed slightly pink, and he quickly turned away from the five bewildered teens, in order to give a drink to a parched guest.

"Man, I've never met anyone as weird as Ayame!" Kyo said as he helped himself to some cod rice balls and a glass of cold iced tea.

"Same here." Yuki replied, as he grabbed some spicy rice crackers and little rice cakes.

Tohru glanced between Kyo and Yuki, with a blissful smile on her face, they actually agreed on something!

The welcoming ceremony was confusing and hectic. Shigure and Hatori ended up doing hallway patrol because so many fistfights and bickering between the servants had occurred. Soon, the five weary teens headed up the stairs to go to their own bedrooms and change for the banquet. However, something unforeseen would delay them from going.

Crash! Thump! Thud! The noises came from above their heads. Then a shriek and everything went quiet.

"What was that?" Kagura asked in a tight voice.

"Hm…" Yuki said. "It sounds like a fight to me."

"Let's go check it out!" Kyo said.

The five teens cautiously headed up the next flight of stairs and heard the hard breathing of a human.

"*Huff* Give up, *pant* you filthy *wheeze* bitch!" a hoarse voice called out.

"Shut up, you damn fool! You're the one panting like a dog!" replied a harsh, female voice.

"What?! Wait until the boss hears of this! He'll slit your throat and feed you to his hyenas!" snapped the man angrily.

"Humph! Do you really think I'm scared of your stupid boss? You tried to do a hand job on me! Take this!" hollered the woman.

Thud! The man fell unconscious to the ground.

Kyo and Yuki stuck their heads just high enough so that they could see the two people. The man seemed to be in his late forties judging by his near baldness and the woman was young and dashing. She had long, blond hair and a well-proportioned body.

"Dang!" muttered Kyo under his breath. "Did ya see her punch that guy in the guts?"

"Yes, Kyo, I saw it." Yuki muttered quietly.

From behind the two boys, the other three teens were desperately trying to get a glimpse of the two fighters.

Suddenly Tohru cried out, "Oh my stars! Uo, is that you?"

Uo, who had a thin cut on her left cheek, turned to give a tomboyish grin to Tohru and the other four dumbfounded teens.

"Are you okay, Uo? You look badly hurt!" Tohru said as she rushed over to help her.

"Uh, Tohru, do you know this girl?" Momiji asked his huge, honey-colored eyes wide and alert.

Tohru answered, "Yes, she's my friend. Friends, this is Ansa Uotoni. Uo, this is Prince Kyo, Prince Yuki, Kagura, my sister, and Prince Momiji."

"Nice to meet you all." Uo said, whose voice was strained from the pain in her chest.

"You shouldn't push yourself like that!" Kagura said as she rushed over to help Tohru pick her up.

Kyo noticed that the man was regaining some of his senses, so he grabbed him by the collar of his dirty shirt and had him kneel in front of Uo.

"Apologize to Miss Uotoni! Now!" he ordered angrily.

Tohru and Kagura, who were on each side of Uo, saw the evil and lust in the man's eyes, as they traveled down Uo's chest.

"I said apologize!" Kyo said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, honey." The man said in a sickening, sweet voice. "I thought you'd like it if I touched you in the--"

"Disgusting sicko!" Kyo roared, as he dragged the man downstairs, where Hatori and Shigure were doing patrol watch.

A scowl formed on Uo's face, and she looked scary. Nonetheless, Tohru and Kagura lifted her up gently and headed towards Tohru's room.

Yuki and Momiji, who were dazed by the sudden incident, went downstairs to see if Kyo needed any help with the man.

*Tohru's bedroom*

As soon as Uo's back touched the bed, she cringed.

"What's wrong, Uo?" Tohru asked.

"Ah, my ribs. That a-hole must have broken a couple of bones when he jumped me."

"Do you know him, Uo?" Tohru asked fearfully.

"No, I don't." Uo replied.

"Did you see his blood-shot eyes?" Kagura said as a visible shudder went through her.

Silence enveloped the three teens until Uo suddenly said, "Oh my gosh, the feast! Leave you two! The feast is going to start soon!"

Kagura and Tohru looked at Uo with huge, tearful eyes and muttered, "We don't want to go, Uo. We can't. Besides, you're hurt!"

Uo just stared at the two girls in front of her. "They're so worried about me." She thought. "They really are the nicest people I've ever met."

Her face softened and her voice was cracked from emotion when she said, "Thanks, but if you two stay here, I swear I'm going to beat you guys up when I get better! So, please, go!"

Kagura stood up apprehensively and said, "Alright, we'll go, but I'll go tell Hatori to bring up some medication for you."

When Kagura left, Tohru knelt beside Uo's bed and asked, "Uo, are you sure you don't want anybody to be with you?"

Uo smiled at Tohru and said, "Nah, I'll be fine. But tell me, Tohru, who was that orange-haired guy?"

Tohru replied, "He's Prince Kyo, the second son of King Edwin."

Uo closed her eyes and said, "He cares about you a lot. Guys like him are really rare. If I were you, I'd grab him."

Tohru's eyes widened and whispered, "Why do you think he cares about me?"

Uo opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Tohru before saying, "Just a feeling. Looking at him, he looks like the type of person who gets angry at virtually everything, but then turns super-heroic and sensitive with people he cares about. Oh, and that purple-haired guy, who looked like a girl, he likes you a lot too."

"What?" Tohru asked.

"Tohru, open your eyes! Two handsome princes are in love with you; but you're so clueless, that you won't let them get close to you! In the end, you're just going to end up leaving deep scars for them both!" Uo said with her eyes glued to the ceiling.

"As your friend, Tohru, I am telling you this. I'm sensing that you like Kyo more, but you're unsure of Yuki's actions, so you're hesitating with them both. Am I correct?" Uo asked.

Tohru watched Uo with a dumbstruck expression on her face. "Uo, how did you…"

Uo quickly added, "Okay, I kind of cheated. I met Saki yesterday, and she told me all about your epidemic."

"Saki! She's here! Why didn't she come and find me?" Tohru cried.

"Well, gee, Tohru, you're a princess, and she's a maid! What do you expect her to do, stop cleaning and sweeping, barge in, and say, 'I'm Tohru's friend! Let me talk to her!' She'd be fired if she did that." Uo said in a calm voice.

"Oh my gosh! I'm such a terrible friend!" Tohru wailed, who had become hysterical and was turning into human Jell-O.

"Get a hold of yourself, Tohru. How could you possibly have known that Saki was a maid and I was the horse keeper here? You just got here yesterday!" Uo stated encouragingly.

"I guess so…" Tohru murmured.

"Like I was saying," Uo began. "Follow your heart and just let yourself fall for the guy you like! Okay?"

Small tears rolled down Tohru's cheek as she whispered, "I wish I could, Uo. I really do. But, you don't know something."

"What?" Uo asked with a look of deep concern in her eyes.

"The Shadow Emperor wants an empress and he demands that a maiden of royal blood be given to him by New Year's Day. Uo! My destiny is to be with him! I am the chosen one!"

*On the other side of the door, a person gasps from Tohru's statement.*

Is she really the chosen one??? Who is the eavesdropper??? He, he, he! Continue reading!

AN:/// REVIEWS!!! Must see some more reviews before I update!!! Submit! Submit! Submit!

Yuki: Author! There were no scenes with Tohru and me!

Me: ^ ^;;;; I'm sorry, Yuki! There just wasn't any time for a scene like that! But I promise I'll try in the next chapter! Really!

Yuki: *sullen* Alright…

Kyo: Hey! There was no action in this chapter with me in it! IT SUCKED!

Me: Thank you for yelling that, Kyo.

Kyo: You're welcome.

Ayame: Ooohh! O.O What about the pink and red kimono and Miss Okinawa??? Will we be coming up?

Me: Don't worry, Ayame! In the next chapter, everybody will be introduced! (all the Fruits Basket characters, at least)

Ayame: Ah, yes… Sweet love shall be revealed!

Momiji: *sad* What about Tohru?! She was crying!

Kyo: Yeah!!! You better fix that soon, Author!

Me: Shut up, Kyo.#   Don't worry, Momiji! ^ ^ Next stop! Chapter 3- The Midnight Feast!