FRUITS BASKET: WHAT MUST BE DONE
by Vashkoda
(Disclaimer: This work of fiction uses characters belonging to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha without their permission. I am getting no profit from it. I only do it because I think Fruits Basket is a great story, and I want to help keep it alive!)
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Tohru found the house empty when she returned. She recognized the possibility that Yuki and Kyo were avoiding her on purpose, but she was surprised not to see Shigure. In case she was actually able to get his permission to stay at Hana's, she began searching through the cupboards to make sure there was enough food for them to eat in her absence.
There came a knock at the door, and Tohru sprinted towards it in relief. When she opened it, she was startled to see who stood there.
"Tohru-chan!" cried Kisa, running towards her with her arms already open for an embrace. Tohru knelt down and hugged the child, then smiled in welcome at their other visitor.
"Hello, Kagura-chan," said Tohru. Guessing at her intent, Tohru told her, "I don't think Kyo-kun is here, but he may just be hiding."
Kagura snorted at the news. "He's horrible at hiding. If he's around, I'm sure I'll find him. But that's not why we're here. Can we come inside?"
Tohru realized in dismay that she had kept them waiting on the doorstep. "Gomen, of course! Please forgive me, come in!" she said, bowing several times in apology.
"Are you all right, Tohru-chan?" asked Kisa meekly, holding the other's hand in a tight grip.
"Of course I am," Tohru smiled. "I'm even better now that you are here! Oh!-" she paused as she suddenly remembered why she had come back to the house. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to stay here long. I was invited to spend the night with some friends from school. That is, I'm hoping Shigure-san will give me permission to go." She realized that she still needed to pack her clothes, so she invited the two girls to follow her into her room.
"Tohru, did you go see Kureno-san today?" asked Kagura after carefully shutting the door behind them.
Tohru nodded, wondering how they had known.
"Hiro told me," said Kisa softly. "He said you had almost gotten in trouble yesterday."
"That baka rabbit," growled Kagura, shaking her fist.
"No no, it's not like that!" said Tohru quickly. "And anyway, nothing happened. I think Kureno-san believed him."
As she sat down atop the bed, Kisa climbed onto it and curled up in Tohru's lap. Tohru was surprised at the amount of affection the young girl was showing. She seemed really afraid about something.
"Tohru-chan, you don't know what Kureno-san is like," sighed Kagura, taking a seat beside her. "He is more dangerous than he looks."
"Kureno-san...dangerous?" repeated Tohru in surprise. She remembered how afraid of him she had been, but that was because she thought he had discovered the lie. During her visit, he had actually been very kind and polite to her.
"He works directly under Akito-san. They tell each other everything, and if Akito found out you were doing anything wrong-"
"We were worried he might send you to Hatori-san," interrupted Kisa fearfully, looking up at Tohru with a pleading look in her eyes. "I don't want you to forget us, Tohru-chan!"
Tohru didn't know what to say. She never wanted to forget the Sohmas either, but if Akito decided otherwise, she didn't have much of a choice.
"Be very careful around him," Kagura cautioned. "If he invites you again, find an excuse not to go."
"And look out for any birds," added Kisa. "Kureno-san can talk to them."
Tohru gave Kisa a look of disbelief, before remembering the brown bird that had appeared in the library and seemed to pass Kureno a message.
"Kureno is the tori of the zodiac," Kagura explained. "As the rooster, he can speak to other birds and control them. Some say he also has another power, but we don't know what that is. Akito-san doesn't like him talking to the rest of us juunishi."
"Please be careful, Tohru-chan," repeated Kisa.
Tohru smiled at them and nodded, hiding the growing anxiety she felt inside. It seemed like the world had just been turned on its head. She no longer knew who to believe, or who to trust.
No one had heard the light tread of footsteps that stopped just outside Tohru's door as the girls had begun discussing Kureno. When the topic changed to other things, the footsteps resumed their steady pace until the owner disappeared.
The only remaining trace was a thin stream of cigarette smoke still hanging in the air.
"KYO!" shouted Kagura, a little louder than Tohru thought was necessary. When there was no response, she filled her lungs and prepared to shout again, before Kyo finally stumbled down the steps and walked into the kitchen.
"Where have you been?" asked Kagura accusingly. Kyo made it a point to stare back at her, avoiding looking at Tohru.
"I was taking a nap, is that a crime now?"
Kagura gave him a dubious look. "You could have come down to say hello to us. Now it's already time for us to leave."
"Really? What a shame," said Kyo with an obvious lack of sincerity.
"Kyo-kun, is Shigure-san around?" asked Tohru, feeling bad for asking him when she knew that he'd rather avoid speaking with her.
With Kagura and Kisa watching, it would have been too rude for him not to answer. Reluctantly, he replied, "No, I haven't seen him."
Kagura noticed Tohru's downcast expression, and decided to take charge. "Kyo-kun, tell Shigure that he'll have to fend for himself tonight. Tohru-chan has plans to stay over at her friend's house."
Kyo's gaze fell on Tohru for a moment before quickly shifting to his cousin. "Fine then, she can go if she wants. It's not like we can't manage without her."
Without warning, Kagura leapt onto him and began furiously punching his face and chest. "You CAN'T manage without her you BAKA NEKO! You men are a lazy, worthless bunch of SLUGS! And if I ever hear you insulting her again I'll-!"
She stopped suddenly when she noticed the bruises rising under his skin. Kyo moaned in pain, then crawled out of the way when she finally let him go.
"Oh, Kyo-kun, I'm so sorry!" Kagura said, moving closer.
"No, stay away you crazy freak!" he cried, hobbling out of the kitchen. It was obvious that Kagura wanted to follow him, but she finally consented and watched him go, shamefaced and heartbroken.
Tohru hoped that the fight didn't give Kyo enough cause to break off his date with Kagura to the prom. Tohru wasn't sure there was anyone else Kyo would ask, and she hated to think that he might be denied the chance of going to their last school dance.
"Y-you're still going to the prom with Kyo-kun, right?" she asked Kagura, needing someone to assuage her fears.
The lines in Kagura's brow deepened. "He still hasn't asked me," she frowned. "But you're going with Shigure-san, ne?" Tohru sensed that she wasn't the only one who needed reassurances.
"Hai."
Kagura smiled. "Well then, I'm not too worried. All I need now is to find my dress!"
Uo and Tohru stared at the dresses in wonder. They were not yet ready, but Hana's grandmother had already sewed the bodices and skirts together, making it easy to visualize the finished product.
Hana's dress was black with a low cut neckline and multiple layers of lace. Uo's strapless red dress would fit tightly around her long frame, with a large bow tie at the back that made Tohru think of butterfly wings. Tohru's own dress was white, and for a moment she had a flash of the dress Mine had made her put on in Ayame's shop. This one, however, was of a more modern style, with sequins woven into the fabric and the sleeves cut short.
"We really should pay your grandmother something," Uo said to Hana, speaking softly both from awe and the need to avoid waking the rest of the sleeping household. "The materials alone-"
"They didn't cost much; my grandmother knows where to shop. Besides, I think she really enjoys making them. Especially yours and Tohru's--she knows that I wouldn't wear dresses like those, so this is a chance for her to experiment a little."
They crept back to Hana's room and finally decided that they were tired enough to go to sleep. Tohru and Uo rolled out their sleeping bags as they all bid each other good night.
But there was still one problem weighing heavily on Tohru's mind, and she finally realized that she wouldn't be able to get any sleep until it was resolved.
"Uo-chan...?"
"Mmmph?"
"You aren't actually thinking of going to the prom with Kureno-san, are you?"
"Ugh, I never said I was! Hana-chan made that up!"
Tohru heard Hana stir at the mention of her name. "Yes, Uo-chan, I admit it was a poor joke. I hope you will forgive me?"
Uo snorted. "Don't worry, I wasn't taking it seriously. Now how about we all get some sleep?"
There came a muffled affirmation from the direction of Hana's bed. Uo simply rolled over in her sleeping bag and kept still, but Tohru could tell from the sound of her breathing that it was taking her a long time to fall asleep.
Tohru too, felt troubled. She kept remembering Kagura's warning about Kureno being being dangerous, and that she should stay away from him. Were Tohru's friends also in danger? Would she have to tell Uo to avoid him? If so, what reason could she possibly give her?
And what was she to do about the birds?