What Goes On in a Man's Head
By Mayumi Takanashi
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters.
"Ah! What a feeling it is to be freeeee!" sang a voice from the front door. Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure all stopped what they were doing and went to greet their visitor. It was Ayame, dressed in his usual elegant attire, his silver hair swishing from side to side. He danced around the room, flinging his arms in every direction.
"Aya!" said a happy Shigure. "I know the feeling!" He joined in the celebration dance, as Yuki and Kyo looked on in disgust.
"Where are you going?" asked Ayame as the two boys turned to leave. "Don't you feel the same way we do?"
"You two always ruin the fun!" pouted Shigure.
"Fine, you two go ahead and leave," said Aya, waving his hand at them. "Tohru and I will dance!" He grabbed her and started to swing her around the room in dizzying circles, while Shigure clapped his hands for a beat.
"Let her go!" said Kyo and Yuki, eyes glaring with rage as they each took Tohru's arms and stole her from Aya.
"OH! Yuki, I haven't gotten to speak to you in forever!" exclaimed Ayame in a cheerful tone. "How is life?"
"It was fine until just a few moments ago," replied Yuki, leading a very confused Tohru out the door.
"I was just wanting to talk to the girl!" Aya said sadly, gesturing toward Tohru.
"That's not going to happen!" yelled Kyo, slapping his head.
"Ouch! Kyo, no one was asking for your opinion," said Ayame coolly. He clasped his hands together and looked wistfully upward.
"I simply wanted to feel the warm touch of a woman's skin," he said yearningly. "My dreams and hopes have been destroyed by the cruel hearts of two young boys…"
"SHUT UP!" shouted Kyo, slamming the door shut as he exited the room.
"Oh, well. Why would I want a woman when I have you by my side, Shigure?" exclaimed Ayame slyly, looking at the man beside him.
"Oh, Aya, you are so flattering…" he responded just as mysteriously.
Suddenly, the two of them burst out laughing like maniacs.
-What Goes On in a Man's Head-
"Tohru, are you alright?" asked Yuki, examining her arm where Ayame had gripped her.
"Oh, yes," she exclaimed.
"I also want to warn you, all of the Sohma family is invited to the Estate tonight, and you're also invited to attend the announcement of the new head of the family."
"Why do you want to warn me?" asked Tohru sweetly.
"Well, all the members of the Zodiac will be there, so once again you'll be the target of many men's…affections."
"I'll be careful," she replied.
"I'd especially be careful of Ritsu," Yuki told her.
"Why Ritsu?"
"As you know, he's trying to act more 'manly' and 'aggressive' and such, so he might try to…uh…"
"I'll stand clear!" she pledged.
"Thank you."
-What Goes On in a Man's Head-
Later that night, the entire extended Sohma family was gathered in the garden. Tohru thought it was absolutely beautiful. Obviously, this was a very major event for this family, for the decorations were extremely extravagant. There were white string lights in the trees, and candles burned brightly along the walkway. The small pond also had floating candles, illuminating the clear water in which lilly-pads gently sat upon the water. Tohru felt very special as she walked down the garden path beside Yuki and Kyo. Since the occasion was so elegant, everyone had to dress accordingly. Ayame brought her to his shop for a dress-fitting, and the outfit came out beautiful.
"Oh, Tohru, you look simply marvelous!" exclaimed Aya as he strode toward the three of them. "The blue just brings out the color of your eyes…" He started to do some adjusting to the dress, but was slapped by both Yuki and Kyo.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!" they bellowed.
"You two should really try to be nice," said Ayame sadly. "I know this is a very depressing night for all of us, but it is supposed to be a party, so at least look like you're having fun…" He walked over to Shigure and started to chat.
Tohru felt like a fairy princess in the blue ball gown she was wearing. It was a deep, royal blue, and silver sequins were sewn on the top half of the outfit. She wore white gloves, and carried a matching blue purse. Yuki and Kyo wore black tuxedos, Yuki wearing a dark blue tie and Kyo wearing a black one.
They walked over to the area where the ceremony would be taking place. It looked like she was at a wedding, for there were white chairs lining the pathway. Up at the front was a white archway, with a microphone propped up underneath.
"The members of the Zodiac have to sit up front, except for the cat," Yuki said, glaring at Kyo. Then he pulled him aside, keeping a watchful eye on the breathtaking Tohru.
"Keep her safe," he whispered to Kyo. Then he took his seat in the front row next to Hiro and Kisa.
The two of them took their seats towards the middle, and waited for everyone else to take their seats. A few minutes later, Hatori walked up to the microphone and started to speak.
"We are gathered here this evening to learn the name of the new head of the family. This is a very important responsibility, as he or she has many duties to carry out. They must have leadership skills, as they are in charge of the entire Sohma family…" Hatori continued on, but Tohru could not help but look around at all the charming outfits that each person wore. It was hard to believe that each person here was a Sohma, since there were about a hundred people here.
"I would like to congratulate the new head of the Sohma family…"
"The Hot Spring Lady!" shouted Momiji, jumping up from his seat with excitement. He skipped up to her, grabbed her hand, and led her up to Hatori.
"Yes, the 'Hot Spring Lady…'" said Hatori quietly to himself, a little upset that his moment of glory had been taken away from him. Apparently, Momiji could not contain his excitement any longer, and finally burst.
"Wow! I'm so happy for her!" Tohru said cheerfully, while Kyo sulked in his seat. He was half-wishing that he could become the next head of the family, since he technically wasn't a Zodiac member, being the cat and all…
The celebration lasted until midnight. There was dancing, refreshments, and much attention to the new family leader. But immediately following Momiji's outburst, Hatori made a surprising announcement.
"The Zodiac curse will not take effect until tomorrow morning, for that is the seventh day past Lord Akito's death."
There was much cheering and applause to this statement. Moments later, everyone started to get up to their seats and walked back up the path to the Sohma Estate building. Inside one large building was a large dance floor and a long table of food and drinks. A stringed quartet was playing, and Tohru noticed that the cello player was sitting in the front row with the rest of the Zodiac members. She later learned that she was the Horse.
"May I have this dance?" asked a voice behind her. Tohru turned her head and saw Ritsu offering his hand to her.
"Of course," she replied, blushing slightly. Kyo, who had been with her, gaped open-mouthed and wide-eyed at them as they started dancing to the slow waltz.
"You look very handsome tonight, Ritsu," Tohru complimented.
"And you look beautiful," he said breathlessly.
"Oh, thank you!" said Tohru, blushing even more.
She did not notice it, but he stared at her with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"I'm so proud of your mom," Tohru said after a long pause.
"So am I…" Ritsu said, looking deeply into her eyes.
"You look awfully pale, are you feeling okay?" asked Tohru worriedly.
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Ever since the moment I met you, I've been in love with you…"
Tohru froze. She was at a loss for words.
"Yes, I've never found anyone like you," he continued. Suddenly, he leaned in toward her, and his lips nearly met hers.
"May I cut in?" asked a calm, yet angry, voice. It was Yuki, and he pushed Ritsu aside as he started to dance with a very shocked Tohru.
"Are you alright?" he whispered into her ear.
"Uhhh…" Tohru was still in a state of shock.
"He's just trying to act manly, he didn't mean a word he said," he explained gently.
"Okay…" she replied.
"I knew he'd try something…" he said, glaring at him.
"Thank you, Yuki," she said softly.
Author's Notes: I'm sorry if this was…well…stupid. Lately, I haven't been really into my writing, it just hasn't been flowing. So, I hope you still liked it. I have one chapter that should be up by the end of the week. Usually, I get compliments about how fast I can update my fanfics, but this one just seems to go so slowly.
Also, I wanted to addRin(I had to go back and change it because I found out after I wrote this thatthe horse was a girl)because I was born in the Year of the Horse (1990). I was really unhappy with how they didn't introduce each member of the Zodiac, how they only showed a few. Well, the next chapter will be the last one, with Yuki, so I'm actually excited about it…so…please read and review!