Author's Notes/Disclaimer – I do not own Fruits Basket, namely the characters. However much I wish I did, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. So, unfortunately, I will have to settle for just owning my plushies.

Laurie Salyers, on the other hand, does belong to me. Don't steal her, please. I put hard work into my characterization.

Enjoy!

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"You want me to show you to lunch?"

"You can sit with us if you like."

Yuki vaguely heard two of his classmates speak from the back of the room. He recognized them - Aihara and Kirishima. While they weren't bad guys, they were known for their mischief. Personally, Yuki could deal without them.

"I don't speak Japanese." a soft voice floated to the front of the room, causing Yuki to turn. While his English was nowhere near acceptable - to him, anyway - he had understood her rather well. American, he mused to himself, his eyes on Aihara. Kirishima had begun to migrate towards the door, as though knowing not to cause any trouble. Aihara was the one that never knew better.

"Aw, c'mon." Aihara cajoled, placing his hands on the foreigner's desk and smiling at her. Yuki recognized it as what Uo called his "winning smile" - sarcastically, of course - and wondered if Aihara was aware of the disgusted look the girl had. He figured not.

"Aihara-kun," Yuki said, softly, putting his books away. Aihara immediately turned. "Shouldn't you be on your way to lunch?"

"Uh…yeah." Aihara replied, looking uncomfortable. Yuki did his best to keep his welcoming smile plastered to his face, playing the part of Prince as he always did. It had become routine by now.

It wasn't until Kirishima and Aihara had filed out that the girl began to put away her things. A notebook, a sketchbook, then another book, small and leather-bound, all disappeared into a tan, leather school bag. She doesn't even acknowledge my presence, Yuki thought to himself, more with amusement than irritation. It was strange to not be noticed, fawned over, but he rather liked the change. He also figured that if the new student didn't know Japanese, she wouldn't be in a hurry to speak to anyone. It could be embarrassing, like trying to read English aloud, even if you didn't know what you were saying. It was something Kyou and Hana often did.

"Excuse me." Yuki said, softly, once he realized that not only was he not acknowledged, but also that he wasn't going to be any time soon. The girl looked up, her blue eyes unreadable.

"Yes?" she asked, though her voice had lost the edge that it had. Unfortunately, she hadn't stopped speaking English. While Yuki could recognize the simple word, he knew that their conversation wouldn't last long like this.

There was an awkward silence in which the girl got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Yuki cleared his throat. "I'm Sohma Yuki. It's a pleasure to meet you." he said, extending his hand, as he knew Americans did. The girl looked mildly surprised, but gave a courteous bow before she shook his hand.

"Salyers Laurie," the girl responded. Inwardly groaning at the "r" sound in her name, Yuki gave her a kind smile. "R" sound or no, it was a pretty name. Though, he would have to get her permission before he called her Salyers; he knew that in America, they introduced themselves with first their given name, then their family name. "It's nice to meet you, Sohma-kun." she then added. Now it was Yuki's turn to be surprised; she had spoken in perfect Japanese, with a slight Kansai accent.

For a moment, there was another awkward silence. Searching his mind for something to say, Yuki decided to settle on the polite questions. "Where did you move from?" he asked, deciding that he wouldn't ask her why she had told Aihara that she didn't speak Japanese. He had a feeling that he knew why.

"Nice," Laurie replied, making her way towards the door. When Yuki looked puzzled, she added, "France."

"France?" Yuki repeated, his eyebrows rising in curiosity. He could have sworn she was American. "Was it nice there?"

"Yes, I suppose," Laurie answered Yuki, opening the classroom door, then holding it for him. Slightly baffled - Yuki was used to males holding doors open for females - Yuki stepped through. "Though, England was much nicer."

"England?" Yuki then asked, confused.

"I lived there before I moved to France," Laurie shrugged, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag. Yuki nodded at this, taking in the information. "And before that I lived in Germany, Greece, Italy, and New Zealand. I'm originally from New York State, though."

"It sounds like you've been all over." he remarked as the came to the lunch room. Yuki spotted Kyou's flaming hair from the door, even though he was in the corner with Tohru, Hana, and Uo. Yuki had come to realize that he could pick out Kyou within two seconds of coming within a mile of him. For Tohru, it was around a millisecond.

"I have." Laurie answered Yuki's stated question, looking around. She appeared to be confused for a moment, then looked to Yuki, as though waiting for him to show her what to do. He would be glad to let her sit with him, if that's what she wanted. He just wasn't so sure he wanted to sit with Kyou. Not today.

"That must have been nice." Yuki thought out loud, heading to a table as far from Kyou's as he could. He noticed Motoko sitting at the far end, and gave her a polite smile and nod as he passed.

"Not really," Laurie answered, again surprising Yuki. Traveling was something that he had always wanted to do, and couldn't imagine someone not enjoying it. Apparently noting the puzzled look on Yuki's face, Laurie continued, "The countries are all very nice, but it's hard to really live your life when you're being uprooted every few months to move somewhere new, is all."

"Very understandable," Yuki said at that, setting down the lunch that Tohru had packed for him, then sliding his lithe frame into a seat. Following Yuki's lead, Laurie sat on the other side of the table, placing a lunch tin a little to her left. When Yuki scanned it closely, he noticed that it was advertising an Anime - Bleach. So she's one of those, he thought to himself, unconsciously letting his gaze drift towards where the "otakus" usually sat. "I don't imagine that I would enjoy that." he added at Laurie's silence

Laurie was quiet for a few moments longer, before she tilted her head back to look at Yuki. He was in the process of opening his lunch, when he saw Laurie's brow lift. "Your mom make that for you?" Laurie asked, causing Yuki to freeze. She doesn't know, he told himself sharply, trying to force himself to relax. She has no idea.

"No, actually," Yuki answered, forcing a smile. Laurie seemed to know immediately that she had treaded in forbidden territory. Yuki was glad for this. "My friend, Honda-san."

There was another one of those awkward silences at Laurie took out her lunch, placing it neatly on the table. Yuki watched her, curious about what she was eating. There was what looked like toasted bread, though he couldn't tell what was on it. In a small bag were a handful of crackers, and then two squares of peanut butter and chocolate were wrapped in plastic wrap. A bottle of tea topped it all off.

Yuki and Laurie ate in near silence, punctuated by offhand comments that roused smiles from both of them. By the end of the lunch period, the two had lapsed into a comfortable silence that neither were truly tempted to break.

"What about you?" Laurie asked as they walked back to class. Confused, Yuki turned his head as Laurie began to explain herself. "Have you lived here your whole life?"

"Yes," Yuki answered, hesitating slightly, then going on, "I've only moved once, and it was from one house to another. Never city to city."

"Must be nice." Laurie muttered, mostly to herself. Yuki smiled faintly, though it was without real mirth. He would have given anything to travel, and she would have given anything to stay in one place. He wondered if they were both missing an underlying point; Yuki craved freedom, while Laurie wanted stability. They were both desires of things never before had.

"It is," Yuki said after a long moment, pushing open the classroom door. After Laurie had stepped through, he entered himself, striding towards his desk. "I'm sure there are nice things about traveling though, as well. Think of the many things you've seen, places you've gone that very few people will ever be able to go."

When Laurie didn't answer, Yuki turned, curious as to why she had fallen silent. She was standing a few feet behind him, her eyes moving around the classroom. She looked faintly awkward. Yuki didn't have to guess at why; he could hear the venomous whispers of his "fan club" from the corner of the room.

"Ignore them." Yuki muttered faintly, feeling his cheeks heat up – but only faintly. The idea of a fan club had been slightly amusing in the beginning, even flattering to a point. However, after two years and one too many close calls, Yuki had found himself loathing each one of them. He was a regular person (for the most part), not some famous J-rocker to be fawned over and worshipped. It made him feel slightly alienated from the rest of his classmates, some of whom he knew resented him for the sole purpose that he was the "Prince" of Kaibara High.

It's not like I can help it, Yuki thought bitterly, before looking back at Laurie. Her eyes were faintly shadowed, but her face otherwise showed nothing of what she may have been thinking. It unnerved Yuki slightly; he was one of the few people he knew that could hide his emotions so well.

"It must be flattering." Laurie said after a long moment, resuming her step as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Yuki could hear the hissing of his fan club start again, but resolutely ignored them. They could only get to him if he let them. He had learned this from long days of enduring their scathing looks and jealous whispers.

"You would think so," Yuki shrugged nonchalantly. It had been flattering once. He had long ago stopped seeing the flattery in being practically stalked. "But it's more of a nuisance."

"Really?" Laurie asked interestedly. Yuki leaned back against his desk, folding his arms over his chest.

"Really." he replied.

Looking faintly intrigued by this, Laurie pulled a chair out and lowered herself, smoothing her skirt. She found it rather odd that Yuki didn't enjoy having a "fan club;" indeed, she knew that most boys around her age would love to have one. Would flaunt it, even, when given the chance.

Yuki didn't seem to notice Laurie's scrutinizing stare as her eyes moved from his face, downwards, then back up again. He was certainly feminine, but that didn't bother her. She wasn't the type to sever a potential friendship because Yuki might have longer lashes than her. Of course, Laurie thought absently, that's assuming that there's going to be a friendship at all.

"Class starts in a few moments, Laurie-san." Yuki said, glancing at the clock just above the classroom door. He looked back at Laurie, then noticed her odd expression: somewhere between mild surprise and amusement. "What?"

"Do you normally get this familiar with people you just met?" Laurie asked, a bit teasingly, as she got out of her desk. Yuki merely looked at her, puzzled. "My family name is Salyers."

"Oh." Yuki said, his expression one of mild embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it," Laurie cut Yuki off. In one, graceful movement she stood, again smoothing her skirt. "You didn't know." she added with a casual shrug. For a moment – just a fraction of a moment – Yuki felt as though he had gotten a glimpse at a different Laurie than he was becoming used to: a Laurie that smiled, a Laurie that laughed, a Laurie that wasn't as cold as she appeared to be. A Laurie that was just a little less like himself: cold, selfish, unfeeling.

Gray eyes cool, Yuki watched as Laurie made her way back to her desk. He wondered if she had picked it out; it was in the very back, next to the window. In most students' opinions, the best seat to have. Why are you wondering? Yuki asked himself, settling in his own seat. It didn't make much difference whether or not she had chosen it. Though, if she did, he told himself with a barely visible smile, then that means she could move to the desk in front of me without Sensei caring.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru's cheerful voice interrupted Yuki's thoughts. A bit startled, Yuki glanced up.

"Hello, Honda-san," Yuki replied in his usual welcoming tone, noticing Kyou sulking a few feet behind Tohru. He gave Kyou a faint nod. "How was lunch?"

"It was wonderful!" Tohru gushed, her eyes bright. She then tilted her head, as though remembering why she had come over in the first place. "Where were you during lunch?"

"I was meeting the new student." Yuki answered promptly, holding his smile. Kyou muttered something unintelligible.

"Oh, really?" Tohru asked, the vague worry gone from her expression. Yuki breathed a sigh of relief; after all Tohru did for him, he didn't want her to be worrying about him. "Where's she from?"

"She's lived in many countries." Yuki responded, telling Tohru no more than she had asked.

"Tohru," Kyou's voice interrupted the conversation. Yuki's eyes moved to Kyou's face, but Kyou was ignoring him, as per usual these days. He seemed to have made it his goal to keep as calm as possible with Tohru around. Yuki admired that he had learned the self-restraint solely to keep her happy. "We need to get in our seats."

"Uh, yeah." Tohru said, looking between Yuki and Kyou. Yuki looked away, out the window. A calm breeze was causing the grass and flowers in the yard to sway, gently. It was slightly relaxing to watch. More relaxing, anyway, than watching Tohru walk away with Kyou.

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Please review. I would be ever so grateful for comments and suggestions!