Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Fruits Basket. Don't you ever get tired of hearing that? I surely get tired of saying it. But I feel obligated to do so.

Sorry guys. Since it seems that I do have loyal followers, I'm just telling you that it may be a while until I make my next update. This is the last "finished" chapter that I've written. It takes me quite a bit of time to actually get a good string of events out on a piece of paper. -; Damn my short attention span! Oh well. Until my next post, buh bye. I may even start another fic in the middle of this one. It would probably be a good idea. I mean it could keep you guys appetite manageable until I finish a few more chapters of NFtST. In fact, I think I'll start working on that right now. Sayonara and don't forget to review! Kitone-san

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Never Forget the Simple Things: Metaphoric Speed Bump

I accepted the invitation and said, "That would be-nice." Then I got into my car and drove to my dormitory. There were a few messages on my machine and I hit the button to play them. The first message was from Mi-chan.

"Ohayoo Miye-chan. Whatcha doing today? It's about 9:30 and I guess I just wanted to see if you wanted to come with me to the movies or something like that."

"Ohayoo Miyeko. Are you okay? You just seemed a little off at work yesterday and, well, usually I can't get you or Michi to stop messing around with my hair. I swear-" I deleted the message angrily and waited for one from Yumi-san, but instead, Ayame-san's bubbly voice filled every corner of my once silent room. "Mi-ye-ko-chan! Konichiwa! I just finished your outfit and well, call back and make an appointment with my assistant." I laughed and picked up the phone. Dialing the numbers left tones ringing in my ears until someone picked up on the other end.

"Ayame's, may I help you?" The woman sounded equally as effervescent as Ayame-san.

I couldn't help myself from laughing as I responded, "Hello, this is Takehara Miyeko. Ayame-san told me to make an appointment to pick somethings up."

She also laughed and said, "Oh, it's the famous Takehara-san. Boss is always talking about what to make for you and he finally figured it out. How about tomorrow at 10:00?"

I cocked an eyebrow and answered, "Sure, but why so early?"

She replied with a simple, "You'll see. When Boss gets something in his head, well then, it's a bit hard to dissuade him."

"Well, thank you. I'll make sure to mark my calendar and tell Ayame-san thank you for me." I hung up the phone and decided I would go over to see if Michi-ko was still in her dorm. There wouldn't be any problems there. It would be normalcy I suppose. Turning the doorknob, I tsked under my breath and called out, "Mi-chan! You really should be more careful."

She looked up at me from her desk. Her computer was on and she was evidentally checking her email. Then she said, "The door? Aw, I figured you would be here soon. I heard screeching tires in the parking lot."

"Hardy har har. Anyways, you doing anything tonight?"

"Nah, just me, Johnny Depp, and a bowl of popcorn. You?"

"Shigure invited me over to dinner. He said Tohru-kun was going to cook a big meal for a lot of the Sohma's. You want to come?"

"I would, hey, what were you doing over at Shigure-san's? And I can't, I asked Yumi and Tatsu to join me."

I looked at the floor at the mention of their names and I said, "Well, there's something I wanted to mention to you about them."

At that point, Tatsuya-kun came in and said, "You know Michi-ko, you really should be more careful. I swear this place is a pigsty!"

I smiled at Michi-chan and said, "Well, I better go pick up a few things at the market. Can't go over there empty handed, it would be terribly rude." Then I hurried out the door.

"'Kay Miye-chan. See you soon I guess."

I waved to Tatsuya-kun as I left and went to my own room a few doors down. Quickly grabbing my purse and a pair of nicer shoes, I tossed on a light jacket and screeched away in my car. It's amazing that I don't go through tires faster. I mean, I wear them down so badly screeching in and out of parking lots like that. I got to the store and bought a nicer bottle of wine. I figured it was an appropriate gift. If Shigure, Ayame-san, or Hatori-sama didn't drink it, Tohru-chan would cook with it. Then I grabbed a few boxes of candy for the kids and settled on driving over to see Hatori-sama. He would probably get mad at me, but ever since my leg had pretty much healed up, I had missed him and his stoicness.

Jumping in my car, I resolutely nodded and drove off towards the Sohma Estate. Finding Hatori-sama's office surprisingly easily, I pushed open the door and walked into the waiting room. I sat in a seat and read a magazine. It wasn't long before Doctor Hatori was walking out of an examination room and, for once, showing emotion. I guess it wasn't every day that a girl you didn't know all that terribly well came into your office and surprise visited you. I laughed at him and said, "Relax, I'm just here for the company I guess you could say."

He brushed some hair angrily out of his face and said, "Which one of them sent you and why?"

With a look of utter disbelief, I stated, "May I not come and visit my Onii-chan figure just to say hi? And what about 'those two?' If you mean me and me, I suppose that would make you right."

"You sound exactly like Ayame when you say that Miyeko-san. Are you sure you're feeling quite alright?"

"Well, now that's where we hit a little metaphorical speed bump. I'm not okay and I was hoping you could give me some advice."

I looked pitifully desperate and he lit a cigarette and said, "Whatever, but make it quick. I need to do some work."

I smiled and clapped my hands together. Then I said, "That's why you're my onii-chan! Always so busy and always making time for me when you can. Well, you see, I found two of my friends making out in the storage room of the restaurant I work in the other day. One of them I liked at one point and well, I suppose at the time of my discovery I still liked him. As you can imagine, this is really confusing me and well, I don't know what to do. Shigure is just making it even more confusing because I like him too and I'm pretty sure he isn't sure about how he feels about me either. I'm just in one big, fat, juicy pickle." I finished what I was saying and sighed.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and said, "Well first of all, you're clearly in denial about your feelings. You sound like some idiot from a kid's cartoon show. Second of all, have you told anyone closer to you about your feelings? It's good to get the opinion of someone who knows you well and knows the other parties well, as well. And lastly, if you and Shigure are both confused, then maybe you should just try and clear the air. Talk to him, and believe me, that's not something I usually recommend to people."

I kissed him on the cheek and said, "You're the best onii-chan. I guess I'll just have to talk to get everything straightened out. You think I could help you with anything? I just want to stay with you for a while. When I'm here with you, I feel like I can tell you anything and get an answer that will make everything right." I felt a little childish, but Hatori-sama always made me feel like that. He was so mature and I wasn't, but that was okay. It wasn't embarrassing because he tolerated me.

He sighed and smiled a little (OMG! I didn't mean that, Tori-chan should never smile, but too late, I don't know how to fix it so it doesn't sound butched) as he said, "Just stay out here. I guess you could check the magazines and throw any out that are from last year. I won't be here too much longer. Momiji, Hatsuharu, and I are going over to Shigure's house for dinner."

I jumped a little out of happiness and busied myself with looking through the magazines. I think I did more reading than sorting. Hatori-sama really needed to get another subscription to an entertainment magazine. Soon the clock hit six and Hatori-sama drove me to Shigure's house along with Momiji and Hatusharu. I was hugged by Momiji-kun and he promptly turned into a white rabbit. "Kawaii! Momiji-kun is so kawaii!" He poofed back and I turned around as he dressed.

He smiled and formally greeted me, "Konbanwa Miyeko-san. You're coming with us to Shii-chan's to eat Tohru's cooking?"

"Hai. I can't wait. Shigure invited me earlier today."

"Why were you at Shii-chan's house today? He hasn't been talking about you lately, everytime we mention you, he kind of trails off into another direction."

Hatsuharu put his hands behind his head and said, "The birds and the bees Momiji, the birds and the bees."

I smiled and touched the tip of Momiji's nose. Then I said, "It's nothing Momiji-chan. I just was talking to Shigure-san about adult things. I'm just a little confused and I think Shigure was for a little while too." The rest of the drive over was uneventful. We got to the house and I rang the doorbell.

"Oya sumi nasai Tohru-chan. Just thought you could use this for cooking sometimes." I handed the bottle to her and set the boxes of candies out on the table. Momiji-chan grabbed one excitedly and popped it in his mouth. Hatsuharu-kun grabbed a sucker and stuck it in his mouth while Kisa-chan, a cute little girl I had just met, grabbed a chocolate tentatively. I couldn't help but grin as I watched her smile at Tohru-chan. It seems that everyone had someone that looked up to them. Ayame-san walked in with his usual dramatics and held up a few bottles of sake. When he asked me if I wanted some, I accepted whole-heartedly and joined Tohru-chan in the kitchen. She couldn't have been that much younger than me, but she seemed like a daughter to me. I smiled and said, "So, what possessed you to invite all these people over and decide to cook all by yourself. That's unheard of and won't be tolerated."

I laughed a little and grabbed a bamboo mat to make some sushi. She smiled back at me and said, "Arigato Miyeko-sama. I really never thought it that much of a hassle, but it's very nice of you to think of me." I plopped some rice in the seaweed and added some cucumber to the mix as well.

Then I responded, "So, what's a girl like you doing in the kitchen all the time? All this work should be left to people like me who have run through their potential. Anyways, there seem to be a couple of guys who wouldn't mind taking you somewhere sometime."

She blushed a little and looked at the chicken she was cutting. Then she said, "Oh, you sell yourself short Miyeko-sama, and besides, I wish I could do more for Shigure-san for letting me live here. You wouldn't mean Kyo-kun or Yuki-kun, would you? They just view me like a little sister. They couldn't like me that way."

I sweatdropped and said, "Shigure is inadvertently sending you through a guilt trip. Maybe it isn't inadvertently either. I think I'll talk to him and yes I mean Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun. Honey, if you've got 'em, don't lose your chance to some hussy who couldn't care less about them besides the fact that they're good looking. Believe me, I've seen it happen."

She looked slightly confused and said, "Miyeko-senpai, have you ever loved someone?"

I looked off into space with a slight flush in my cheeks and I smiled as I reminisced. Trying to choose my words carefully, I decided on using my usual love speech. "Tohru-chan, I can't ever say that I have. If I had, then you would see a big, fat ring sitting on my finger right now. I've liked people before, but I haven't loved; those two things are completely different and require different feelings. There are sweet, innocent I'd-like-to-know-more-about-you kisses and nothing-is-right-without-you-kisses. Love requires two people to have the same kind of passion for each other. That passion runs deep in your veins and is a rich elixir that can never be diluted. Love makes you wonder if you can breathe when you're not near that person just because they are the one you think about above all else. Sure you still have friends that you feel the same way about sometimes, the being afraid to leave them part, but it's different. It's a subtle difference that screams in your head when you can't say what it is."

She teared a little and said, "You seem like you have been through a tough love-life. I don't want to seem selfish, but why don't you stay here with Shigure-san? Don't you feel that way for him? It just seems that you come back here for a reason and I know he has feelings for you too. I just think that from what you say, it would be best for both of you."

I laughed and said, "Selfish? You? Never. I can't stay here though. I do like him and wish I could love him, but as I said, love has to be something mutually shared between two people. You may be right that he has feelings for me, but they aren't feelings deep enough for me to say that I love him and he loves me. Do you get what I'm saying? Well, anyways, I'm gonna go tell everyone dinner's almost ready. Besides, I'm just a kid myself. You shouldn't be listening to my banter and taking it seriously." She smiled back at me as Tohru-chan only could and nodded her head as I padded off into another room. Hosting so many New Years celebrations in my own family, I knew how to handle the vast quantities of people.

I entered a rather stuffy front room and said, "Dinner's ready. Tohru-chan told me to come get everyone before the food gets cold." A mad rush, which could only be described as a stampede, whisked me off to the dining room where a full table of food stood. Everyone took their respective seats around the table and I was placed between Ayame-san and Hatori-sama. Encouraged to grab what I could by everyone else's fighting over various dishes, I grabbed a few gyoza, sushi, and a small bowl of oyako donburi. Yep, my favorite foods, and it had been a long time since I had eaten something straight from a house. Usually all I ate came from the late night chef who made us all dinner after Sanzo Sushi closed down. I crammed an oversized bit of food in my mouth and loved what I tasted.

Before I knew it, heated conversation had broken out and Ayame-san was nudging my thigh. I leaned in closer to him and he asked, "So, what was it like? Gure-san must have been very gentle with you, taking the circumstances into account."

Wow, information did travel fast within this family. "I suppose so, it's all a blur. One minute I was crying and the next minute I was in his room. It was the only familiarity for me at the time, so I clung to it. I woke up the next morning and he was still there, he's a new constant I suppose."

"Familiarity? You mean that wasn't the first time? Miyeko-chan, you do move a bit fast, don't you think? Not that I would have minded either if I was in Gure's position."

Between bites, Hatori-sama said, "I swear, you're worse than Shigure Ayame, she's talking about this house and coming here. I wouldn't doubt if she's as pure as Tohru-kun to put it in terms you would understand."

I blushed a bit and said in an angry tone, "Of course not. It would be impossible anyways."

Ayame-san ran his hand down my face and all the way to the place where my heart would have been if it were outside of me and put a finger on the spot and said, "Non, non Miye-chan. Nothing that the heart desires is impossible and from that blush on your face, I would say that you desire Gure-san's rapt attention. Mon Cherie, there is only one way to Gure-san's heart and bed. Heavens knows that I have used it many a time and it has worked wonders." He winked at me and finished, "It seems our little appointment at my shop is going to be of more importance than I first expected. However, a new look is nothing to be taken lightly."

I stuttered a bit before saying, "What is it with you people and cheeks? Just because I get hot once in a while you shouldn't assume that I have feelings for some people. Anyways, I'm not even going to ask Ayame. I love you and all your quirks, but there's only so much I can take in at a time! I really appreciate the concern, but you just don't understand what it would be like for me to be with Shigure. To actually be with him, it just wouldn't be at all fair to him. It would be like using him as a rebound and I care for all of you way too much to do such things to any of you. It's enough that I go on about my relationship problems with most of you and I just don't want to be a bother which is totally unlike regular me, but I can't mess anything up even more." There I went again venting my emotions.

Hatori cleared his throat and said, "Well, it seems like we're getting somewhere. You fear breaking any more of your life apart so you also fear building new aspects of your life." A fear of breaking and making, I guess it was right, but how could I be so sure? I sat on the couch along with Momiji-chan sitting in my lap, as I separated Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun. If either of them tried to get a go at the other, I simply put my arms and they stopped. They had the same problem with hitting girls as Tatsuya-kun did. Anyways, they had voiced their opinions that any chick that could possibly tolerate Shigure and Ayame had to be mentally challenged. Of course it went against pretty much anybody's policies to bash in the face of some girl one hair away from the loony bin. I said my thank yous and goodbyes as I walked out of the house that was an island of sanity in my drowning sea of madness.

If saying goodbye to one person was merely saying hello to someone new, then maybe it really wasn't meant to be between Tatsuya and I. Maybe I needed a harsh farewell to see what my heart always lusted after-and yes it had to be lust. There was no mutual feeling yet, so it was only lust-but what my eyes simply looked through all the while. Of course I had always said that I liked him, but had I truly liked him before I had lost all hope with Tatsu-kun? Shigure could be everything I wanted and more. Sure he wasn't perfect-few of us are-but our vices are the true test of feeling. If someone is willing to accept you no matter who you are or how you are, then that counts for something and you should never let go. Right?

Maybe he felt the same way about me. I sure hoped that he did. Of course I liked him for everything he was. I even liked him for what he wasn't, but that all ends up being the same in the end, doesn't it? Maybe I just had to let myself plunge off that cliff of doubt and hope someone would be there to catch me when before I hit the ground. Maybe there were too many maybes loaded onto this train of thought. Maybe all the time I spent worrying about the rapidly growing unknown would keep me up all night.