Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of it's characters, but I DO own any of the characters you haven't heard about so BUGGER OFF! *hisses and glomps her charries*
Warnings: Expect some shounen-ai and (possibly) some mild Yaoi. (If this isn't your thing, then don't read it. If you flame me it will prove just how juvenile you are and, your inability to read.) Also, there will be some angst, romance, and (probably) some tragedy (but not 'til WAY later).
Pairings: Kyou/Tohru, Yuki/OC (Who's only mentioned in name, I might add), and Hiro+Kisa (one-sided). Kano/Sayuri, Reizo/Amaya(?), and Shinrai/Kizoku (Don't bet on it…)
Summary: There was never really a question of why the Sohma family was cursed, they just were. But what happens when people seeking the curse come for them? Can the youngest members of the Sohma family uncover the secrets before it is too late? (Crappy isn't it?)
Harakiri: Okay, so chapter one was kinda 'meh', but it was pretty ok. Reizo and Amaya's intro could have been better and so could Shinrai and Kizoku's, but it's 12:30 am here, so give me a break. I do like Rinji's intro, though. ^^
Yuki: I'm surprised you didn't make me out to be a complete bastard…
Harakiri: Well, I'd planned on it, but I decided not to. I might later, though, but for different reasons.
Yuki: ¬.¬ Right…
Harakiri: Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy chapter two. More intros!! XD Oh, and someone seemed confused about who belonged to whom. Sayuri is Shigure's biological daughter and Rinji was adopted by Yuki. Yuki also has a biological daughter, Kumiko. (Who I plan on bringing in later.) Also, Shinrai does NOT belong to Shigure. He is merely the new inu. Hope that clears up some confusion. ^^
Glossary:
Saru- monkey
Kimono- a traditional robe-like garment that's worn by both men and women
Ondori- rooster (also known as tori but I believe it is only when being referred to as part of the junishi, like tatsu and I'm also sticking with ondori)
Onsen- hot spring
Kuso- shit (but could also double as 'damn', I suppose)
Konnichiwa- hello/good afternoon
(O)tou-san- father
(O)kaa-san- mother
Nee-san- big/older sister
Sou ka- really? (I usually use it when the characters are being, more or less, indifferent, most of the time)
Ahou- depending on the harshness of tone it can mean idiot or dumb ass (the two common ones I use it for anyway) When Tomeo uses it the first time it's used as 'idiot' and the second time he uses it it's 'dumb ass'
Uma- horse
Yamero- Stop it/that! (masculine of yamete)
Note: From now on things that are formatted like this 'blah blah' are to be considered flashbacks unless stated otherwise.
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The Ties That Bind ~ *Chapter 2-Meeting the Family Part 2*
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"Wake up, Setsuko-chan. It's time for breakfast."
"Mm…jus' gimme five more minutes…zzzzz" Ritsu smiled at the sleepy girl. 'Well, woman actually, but she still acts like a young girl.' He reached under the blankets and ran his long fingers up and down one of the girl's feet. She mumbled something and jerked her foot away. He smiled again and did the same to her other foot and stepped back as she kicked. "I'm up, dammit!"
She sat up in the bed, her robe falling down on one side, partially exposing her breast, and her long orange hair was tangled and slightly frizzed. The older male politely looked away as she got up and dressed herself. "Dammit, Ritsu, how many times have I told you NOT to do that?!"
"Many a time." He smiled when Setsuko turned her yellow eyes upon him in a glare. She sighed once she realized it wasn't phasing him at all and decided to brush her hair. "Here, let me help." With no hesitation she handed the brush over to the saru. She may be hard headed when it comes to getting her way, but she was tender headed when it came to anything with her hair. It pissed her off, too.
With long, gentle strokes, Ritsu began to brush through her hair and, after he was done, he pulled it back with a blue ribbon, to match her kimono. He smiled as he finished tying it and ran his fingers through her hair once before stepping back.
"There you go, all done." Setsuko took a cursory glance in the mirror then stood up, not really caring about how she looked. Ritsu's smile faltered a bit, but he regained it within moments. He had to remember that was just how Setsuko was and he was very thankful for it. If it weren't for the stubborn girl he might have never come out of the pit of despair he'd fallen into when Ayame was murdered. 'I almost lost it then…'
He remembered the day it happened. He couldn't stop crying for days and he was absolutely no help at all to his mother, but he couldn't help it. Finally Okami had sent him to the main house because she was tired of his crying and it was there he met an eight year old Setsuko. The poor girl had been abused then abandoned by her parents, but she didn't care. She was wild, bossy, and stubborn as an ox, tho she was the ondori. She found him crying and, with a child's curiosity, asked him what was the matter. He managed to tell her, even though he was sobbing, and was quite shocked when she hit him on the head.
'Baka! He's dead and there's nothing you can do about it, so get over it! Quite acting like a baby and be an adult, like you're supposed to be!!'
He laughed every time he remembered that, but then it hadn't been so funny. He had been hurt and outraged. It was the first time in his life he could remember ever being truly angry. He knew she was right, though. Not long after her inspirational "speech" he soon felt better, but he became worried about her. It was then that he decided he would do something responsible and take her in. Ever since then she had been living with him and helping him run the onsen and also keeping him in line, although she couldn't ever get him to stop dressing so feminine. He really would be completely lost without her.
"Oi! Earth to Ritsu, come in!" Ritsu blinked and stared, dumbfounded, at the ondori girl. "Man, you are such a space case. You're the one who woke me up from a perfectly good sleep and now you're spacing out and keeping me from a perfectly good, and hot, breakfast. Get your ass in gear before I decide to go all cavewoman on you and drag you into the kitchen by your hair."
He chuckled as she stormed off in a huff. For the most part Setsuko was all bark and no bite, but she sometimes did follow through on her threats so Ritsu made his way to the kitchen where he found Setsuko eagerly scarfing down the eggs and bacon that had been made. With natural grace he took an already prepared plate, courtesy of the grouchy ondori girl, and sat next to her then began to eat.
*******
'Dammit, I hate the city!' The frustrated man maneuvered his bicycle in and out of traffic, which had come to a standstill, then stopped to look up at the street sign. 'Well, at least I'm going the right way…' He took a left and proceeded at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk. He had a specific destination in mind, but he had to be there at a certain time for it to be worth even going anywhere near there. 'Kuso~! I'm going to be late!!' He sped up a bit and, finally, arrived at his destination. 'Ha, and with a few minutes to spare.'
He grinned as he propped his bike against a tree that was in front of the building then he climbed up said tree and laid down on a branch. Soon he heard a bell ring and turned to see a flood of people come out of the building. He only cared about one of those people, though, and he couldn't see him just yet. Suddenly, the person he was searching for came out. 'Ah, there he is.'
Standing at the now vacated doorway was another man, probably the same age as the one in the tree, who had short brown hair and clear turquoise eyes. He looked around, noticing he seemed to be the only one left on the grounds, then he began to walk with no particular destination in mind. As he neared the tree he noticed the bicycle leaning against it. 'Huh? Wonder who that belongs to…'
"Konnichiwa."
"WAAAH!" The man fell over, dropping all of the books he had been carrying, and looked up into the tree with a bewildered look on his face. "Who…?!" Finally he noticed who it was. Long, black hair, gray-violet eyes, it could only be… "Eikou?" The man jumped down from the tree and offered a hand to the man sitting on the ground.
"The one and only. Been a while hasn't it, Tomeo-kun?" Tomeo smiled and took the proffered hand. "So, how's life been treating you?"
"Oh you know, same old, same old. Tou-san is still kinda cheesed that I'm going to cooking school, kaa-san is still flaky, and Kiku is still a bitch." Eikou laughed at the last statement and threw his arm around the smaller man's shoulders.
"Speaking of your nee-san, I visited her before I got to the city."
"Sou ka?"
"Aa, and you're right. Still a bitch."
The smaller man sniffed indignantly. "Of course I'm right. I'm the one who has to put up with her, more often than not."
"Hai hai, what with her being the apple of her father's eye."
"Just 'cause she does martial arts…" The uma sighed at the bitter tone in his childhood friend's voice. It was true, but Tomeo still didn't seem to think his father cared about him at all.
'Well, that's Kyou for you. Still can't seem to share his feelings very well…' He tightened his grip around his friend's shoulders in a comforting hug. "Hey, cheer up. I came all the way to this infernal city just to see you, you know." Tomeo smiled and shoved Eikou.
"You didn't come just for me, ahou."
"True, true, but you're the main reason." Tomeo blushed, ever so slightly, and stared at the ground. He couldn't really explain it. Eikou was his friend but…
'Ah, I'm letting Amaya and Rinji get to me.' He shook his head then smiled up at his friend. "Ne, Eikou."
"Hai?"
"You were intending on taking me out to lunch, right?" The uma laughed and ruffled the smaller man's hair.
"Why should I, huh? You're a cook now."
"Ahou, I'm still in school!" Eikou laughed as the smaller of the two slapped his hand away and fixed his hair and he couldn't resist doing it again. "Yamero!" He slapped the uma's hand away again then fixed his hair once more. "You can be such a pain, you know that?"
Eikou gave him a cheeky grin" Yup, I know." The two friends set off at a slow walk, Eikou grabbing his bike before they left, and took time to catch up on things they had missed during the uma's long absence.
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Yeah, it's crap, but I can't think of anything else to add without having it be REALLY stupid and it's past 2:00 am. *stares at the computer screen like a zombie* Sleeeeeeeeeeep…. *snaps out of it* Er, yeah, I basically got my point across. You have now met the ondori and uma of the Sohma family. I know absolutely nothing about Rin and Kureno except that Rin went out with Haru and Kureno is Akito's lap dog and likes Uo, so I'm improvising with those two. Oh and don't gripe at me about Ritsu being OOC. I made him that way on purpose and I happen to like the change. Besides, I get the feeling that prolonged exposure to Setsuko, or someone like her, would have that kind of effect on him. ^^ Ah and you've also met Kyou's son, Tomeo. Poor guy…always getting beaten up by his sister…anyways, do you like it, hate it? Click the review button and tell me. Thanks much! (I also realized I made Eikou a bit like Hiro from Gravitation… O.o; )