Kitone-san: Please go look at the bottom for news and apologies. Also, ask some questions about the story if you're confused or concerned about things because I love to answer questions. Anyway, after a long and unexpected hiatus, here's the update for NFtST. I'm just sorry that it isn't super duper uberly fantastic because it was more of a connector chapter.

...and for those of you who still need this, Disclaimer: Ki-chan doesn't claim to own Fruits Basket and its luffly bishis, although she wished she did. Although if she did, there would be some drastic changes, and I'm sure most of you love your Furuba as it already is. Ja ne until the end of the chapter

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Never Forget the Simple Things: Dedication to Captain Straight to the Point

It did, and I lazily changed into a white shirt with a picture of a black rose on it and a pair of turquoise pants littered with straps and that sort of thing. Sticking in a pair of earrings made from the eyes of peacock feathers and slipping into a pair of black sandals deemed me ready to visit Ayame-san. It was Wednesday now. Sure my style may have been unconventional, but I liked it and really didn't care if I was bombarded with fashion tips from Ayame. Truthfully, I wasn't excited, but that could and would be easily blamed of my lack of a normal person's sleep. I yawned as I crossed the threshold, which would lead me to the most interesting favor I had been asked.

A woman who was nearly as excitable as Ayame himself greeted me enthusiastically. She wore a French maid costume and I was almost too afraid to ask. No, that's not quite right. I was undeniably too afraid to ask. Ayame emerged from a room in the back of the store holding something in his hands. As he held it out in front of him, obviously scrutinizing his handiwork, he said, "Mine, could you finish this up for me? And when is Miyeko-chan coming?"

Mine laughed a little and said, "Sure Boss. You might want to look up, Takehara-san is already here." She pulled the garment away from Ayame and walked off with a needle in hand.

"Gomen Miye-chan. It seems my head has left me somewhere during all my rushing. It's been very busy, but I couldn't wait to show you what I have for you. It took me longer than I expected, but well, you'll understand I'm sure." I puzzled this for a while and put my purse and jacket down. Then I took a seat while he ran back from whence he came. Browsing the racks closest to me, I found many interesting things for lack of a better word than interesting. He came back out with a rack of clothes. They were all tasteful and slightly more modest than the pieces of the racks.

I wondered why he had a rack and asked, "More customers coming to pick things up, ne?"

"Nope, only you and well, actually there is one more."

As if Ayame had planned this perfectly, Shigure walked in whining, "Aaya, why did I have to come here? It's not that I don't enjoy your company ever so greatly, but I did sense somewhat of a diabolical tone in your voice. Hello Miyeko, but really, as much as I love mischief, I don't like not knowing what I'm in for. Miyeko? What the hell are you doing here? I already don't like where this is headed."

"Nice to see you too. You don't have to sound that disappointed. I'm just as clueless as you are at this point and well, wait and he may tell you what he's up to." I felt like reacting the way that Shigure had, but it just would have been even more awkward if we started sounding alike.

"Well, you see it all started out with making Miyeko-chan an outfit as compensation for the one that you and Hatori threw away. However, I got started and got all these ideas. Then I asked myself, 'Ayame, don 't you think it would just be fabulous if you could put these ideas to use?' Of course I could. I made the clothes, but it took longer than I expected. I didn't have any time to hire models, so I had to think of something fast before Mine and I would be putting on a show by ourselves. I already worked it out with Tohru-kun and my dearest brother."

"Wait, you mean you got Yuki to agree to model as some cross dresser in YOUR show? That must be why he's unusually cranky today and putting more holes in my poor house than usual. And you had the time to organize a whole fashion show, but not hire the models?"

"Hai Gure-san. So I need you and Miyeko to fill in the blanks a bit. I mean I figure Mine, Tohru, Yuki, you, Miye-chan, and myself should be a reasonable amount of models. Besides, I already tailored the clothes to your measurements. Please, I'm begging you as family and as a dear friend."

Me, model? Those weren't two words that should ever be used in the same sentence. Not only was I possibly the clumsiest human being alive, but also I couldn't keep myself from laughing when I was supposed to recite lines from Shakespeare in high school. How was I supposed to be a model? Voicing my opinions I said, "Well, I will only if you promise never ever pull something like this again. It's not like I have anything else going on at this point." I shrugged my shoulders and walked to grab a cigarette. No, I didn't smoke all the time. But ever since I had been exposed to the crazy events that followed pretty much all of the Sohmas, my nerves hadn't completely adjusted. I grabbed a formal looking dress from the rack as Shigure grabbed a suit. Then I said, "Are you sure you got my measurements right? This looks far too long for me."

He looked up at the two of us and said, "You should know me better than that. Anyways, you two grabbed the wrong outfits. Gure, you have Miyeko-chan's and Miyeko-chan has Gure's." Shigure and I both looked crossly at Ayame and switched with each other. "Now go try those on, we can't have anything that isn't properly fitted." He shoved us toward the dressing rooms and I changed. It wasn't too bad for me. Just a plain white shirt and a pair of brown slacks accompanied by suspenders, a sapphire tie, navy high heels, a matching brown jacket, and a hat. I laughed on the inside wondering what Shigure would look like in that dress. No, I was wrong again, I wasn't laughing on the inside, I was fully laughing out loud.

As I stepped out of the room, Ayame clapped and kissed me lightly on the cheek. I folded my arms and tapped my foot as I said, "Now you know what it's like to really need that extra half an hour to dress. I swear, no guy can ever criticize a girl for taking long getting ready when they haven't had to wear a dress. He stumbled out of the room a few minutes later and I couldn't help laughing. There stood an angry Shigure in a beautiful dress. It was very tasteful, I expected no less from Ayame. It was mainly a dark blue, which matched the color of my tie, and had white trimming. The neckline was very modest and was a simple mandarin collar. It was fastened in the back by a set of buttons and opened up to show part of the back. The skirt was long and billowy with white lace near the bottom. On his feet, he wore flat shoes, nothing really special, but they matched and he could walk which was probably Ayame's point in choosing the pair of simple yet elegant shoes. Around his waist, a white sash was tied loosely. All in all, it was something that I may have worn myself if it weren't for the fact that it was measured to fit a man.

Ayame clapped his hands once again and said, "Very nice. It seems that I have little work here which is all the better since there is so many other things I must attend to. Stand next to each other you two. Now, there will be a rehearsal the day before the show, but I need Miye-chan to stay here for now. You may go now Gure, although, you could stay and wait for me to finish with Miyeko. Oops, it wasn't meant to sound that way. Wait, no, it was meant to sound that way." He smiled and brushed my hair out of my face and whispered into my ear, "Pretend to be bashful. I want to see what Shigure will do. Although it is usually Gure and I messing with other people, I want to see if he can deal with it." I laughed as I had been instructed to and even somehow managed to blush.

Shigure looked a little peeved. Maybe it was because he didn't think I was that kind of person to fall so easily to Ayame. Or maybe it was because he cared. No, that couldn't be it seeing as I was the one with feelings for him, not vice versa. Ayame laughed and grabbed the rack, wheeling it into the back room and dragged me along by the arm. "Well, anyways, I have an outfit for you just like the one Shigure will be wearing for the curtain call. You can wear the same shoes. I also have a few other things for you." He trailed off and pulled a few things off of the rack. The first was a white shirt with a red heart on it. The heart had been stabbed and instead of blood spill, light blue tears trickled down what seemed to be a river. If you knew me in the least bit, there wasn't any question as to how that design came to be. Then he handed me a pair of olive colored capris. The bottoms of the legs had drawstrings and a camouflaged studded belt accompanied these pants. It was stunning and I didn't know what to say. I gave him a peck on the cheek and smiled. (A/N: Miye-chan can't obviously hug any of the Sohma men, so she resorts to giving them small kisses. It's not like she's a slut. -.-;)

He put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly. Then he patted me on the head and said, "I knew it would suit your tastes. It took me long to send the picture in so I could get something that I could actually put on a t-shirt. Oh and there is one more thing. If you should choose to give this present to Gure-san, we should all hope that he thanks me and worships the ground I walk on. Heavens knows that he should be doing just that anyway. But please use this responsibly and I must tell you, it works wonders to just show what you've got sometimes. However, in Gure's case, it's best to show what you had when you were in school."

After this was said, I was handed a parcel and a few pairs of shoes, the navy high heels, a pair of white, laced boots, and a pair of red stiletto heels. He pushed me out of the room and bid me farewell as I drove out of the parking lot of his shop. When I arrived back at my dorm, I was surprised to see Tatsuya standing outside of my door. I gasped and he looked up to see me. He grabbed a few things that I was carrying and helped me carry them into my dorm. We both sat down on the couch, but he was the first to say anything. "I know you saw me, um, kissing Yumi-ko at the restaurant. That was when you started acting strange. I barely see you anymore and you can never quite meet my eyes when I do happen to see you. We've been friends for a long time and it's hard not to notice these kinds of things. I know I can never explain it to you in a way that won't hurt, but for once, can you not ask questions and just accept things as they are?"

That was a little harsh Captain Straight to the Point, ouch, that surely would leave a mark next morning. It took all that I had to not wince, I seemed to be literally writhing under my skin with unspoken emotion, and I smiled and said, "I haven't asked questions Tatsu-chan and I certainly have no clue what you're talking about. Besides, you've made it clear that you don't like me so there's nothing for me to be sad about. It would be sad if I really did care. You two are my friends and something as stupid as a kiss shouldn't change anything at all. Should it?"

He looked away from me, but then started yelling and punched me in the arm. "Damn you. Stop pretending. You're only hurting yourself. It wasn't just a kiss. It was the fact that nothing will be quite the same between you, Michi, Yumi, and me ever again. If you refuse to feel the emotional pain that is probably opening that void inside you, then you better feel that physical pain that I just caused you and connect the two. I tried liking you, I truly did, so don't try pinning all this on me."

I rubbed my shoulder and winced in pain as a tear slipped down my cheek and fell to the floor with an inaudible plip. Then I giggled and said, "I can't. I've been devouring myself from the inside and there's nothing anyone can do to stop that. Take one last bite Tatsu-chan and there's nothing left but abandoned dreams and forgotten happiness. It was just a kiss. The feelings behind the kiss are what make our relationships with each other different. Thanks for finally treating me as a true friend. You know, every time before today, you could only clench your fists at me. I may be pinning this on you, but I think the last bite should go to someone who can savor it for all it's worth. Please leave now. I'd like to make some phone calls and I have to clean up before Katsuko-chan comes to visit." I pushed him out into the hallway and locked the door with a satisfying click.

Katsu-chan came and so did Michi. I didn't seem any different to them, but I could tell that Michi was keeping a doubtful eye on me. That chapter of my life had been over and I had buried the key as soon as I had locked the door on Tatsuya. We played a few board games and rented a few movies. I made dinner since I was a better cook than Michi. Besides, Katsuko liked to play with Michi. I guess it's because Michi isn't her nagging older sister. Oh wait, her way too laidback sister. We ate dinner and talked about things that were normal. We kept on asking Katsuko-chan if there was a boy at school that she liked, but she just blushed furiously and punched me. If I had taught her anything ever, it had to be the ability to fight. I may not fight when it comes to my emotions, but I had been told that I had a killer right hook. One could never be certain if some punk would get a little too friendly.

It was late and we sent Katsu-chan on her way, but Michi-ko stayed with me and put her hands behind her head. Then she closed her eyes and said, "So, what's up. We haven't had a decent conversation in a while and I can't help but wonder what had the power to shut your trap. Considering you can't even shut up to do your job most of the time, there is something that you're hiding."

I smirked and said, "Why would I be hiding something. You know me, I come right out and tell you when there's something on my mind."

Don't think she was buying into it. "That's bull and you know it Miyeko! Maybe you're usually outspoken, but lately I don't know what's going on with you. You insist on being sheltered and it's really pissing me off. Usually only the normal things piss me off, but now you're adding one hell of an extreme to the load of shit."

I smiled, was that all I could do now, and said, "You can talk to Tatsuya about it. He knows and he actually asked me the same kind of question, go figure."

She slapped me in the face and said, "I don't want to hear it from Tatsuya! I want to hear it from you. Geez, you would think that you would never hide your feelings like some idiot in a manga! This is real life Miyeko, like it or not, everything happens and you just have to deal." (Miyeko/N: . ; Why do I have such violent friends?)

"I just wasn't ready to let go yet. I never thought it could happen, so I'm not even sure it did happen. Tatsuya-kun is like a brother to me, but he wasn't until I finally realized that he wouldn't ever regret rejecting me from the start. I know it sounds stupid and it probably is, but everything just doesn't make sense anymore. I'm hiding from you and grabbing on to people I barely know, like Shigure. I don't know why I do this, but I can't tell you that I regret doing it. They helped me understand myself because they could openly comment on me without comparing me to what I was in the past. You know that you'll always be my best friend and I will and never could replace you. Be mad at me because I do deserve it for not telling you, but don't be mad at anyone else especially yourself." My eyes were blank and I stood up to get a tissue.

Mi-chan sat there probably thinking about I had just said and wondering how I could look so empty. It wasn't a very difficult question to answer. You can beat even the sweetest dog into bitter hatred. Not that I was bitter or all that sweet to begin with, but it's the concept that matters. I bit my lip then she said, "Can I stay here tonight? I think we have to talk more. I'm not promising I'll understand everything Sam, but I want to try to understand."

I smiled and sat back down on the couch. There wasn't that much to discuss, but it was probably best for her to stay considering how late it was. She spread a mat out on the ground and I walked into my room as quietly as possible. Coffee amazingly always seemed to have a reverse effect on Michi. She had fallen asleep only half an hour after I had poured her a cup. I was set for the night. I would be up for a long time and it would be all the better. If I fell asleep, I would dream of memories that I would rather let die away. Even though it went against my regular beliefs of never forgetting the simple things in life, maybe there were some things best left untouched. Maybe I wouldn't allow myself to forget them completely, but instead leave them in boxes labeled heartbreak and carry them into the dusty doom that was an attic. Eventually I fell asleep, but I hadn't kept track of the time.

Surprisingly I wasn't sleepy, even considering how little rest I had managed to attain. It worked that way; either I slept enough, too little, or way too little which would miraculously render me even more alert in the morning. It was time to go to work. Boy, would I be in for a monstrous earache. I had skipped out on going to work for a couple of days. It would probably result in a minimal pay cut as it usually did, but I still never liked to be lectured. That would take me back to the days of a supremely boring math class in which Michi and I would spend time making up stupid jokes that didn't make sense to anyone else. Preparing myself for this talk, I changed into my uniform and decided to leave for work early.

A loud screech of burning rubber announced my presence and I walked directly to the back office and sat down in front of my boss. Before he could say anything, I gave my reasons, "Sorry that I haven't been in for work for the past two days. It's just that my grandmother had to be rushed into the hospital. They thought that she was starting to develop a cataract and it's been so hectic that I haven't been able to call anyone. Thankfully she's okay and only needs a little bit of medicine, but it was lucky that we caught it so early." It was total and complete bull, but that was fine as long as I made it sound like my grandmother was okay. It's the best way to get someone off your back. Say that there was a tragedy in the family and then deem the person fine to make sure fewer questions would have to be answered.

Just as suspected, I received a long sigh and a few weary looks. Then a grin found its way to his face and he said, "It's fine Takehara-san, but please do try to contact someone like Asano-san, Kotara-san, or Higoshi-san if you are going to be gone for a while." It made me feel a little mean since my boss was such a kind and relenting man. He was like an uncle, but on the same token, he could be played so easily. I bowed quickly and walked out of the room with my arms behind my head and found myself face to face with Mi-chan, Yumi-ko, and Tatsu-chan. I smiled and cocked my head to the side.

Then I said, "Sorry for leaving you guys to pick up my slack. There were just a lot of things I had to do and figure out I guess is the best way I can put it." Tatsuya-kun rolled his eyes and walked off in disbelief. It's okay if he thought I was still pretending because in some ways I was. Of course I was pretending that there wasn't something that big going on with Shigure and I which mostly meant the magnitude of my own feelings for him. Everything else was normal me, or as best as I could be. Still I couldn't help looking confused wondering why Tatsu-kun seemed to think that I wasn't being myself. Maybe it was because I had come out and finally talked about what had truly happened to how I felt about our friendly situations. I just hoped that he would figure out that I wasn't pretending and that I just wanted everything to be the same as it had been. That night was a busy one and when the last customers left, I flopped down pathetically down on a chair.

We ate dinner together as usual and left into the pleasantly warm air that calmed the lungs each time you inhaled the sweet heat. I smiled, and for the first time in quite a while, I felt like everything might be okay. A visit to the park was alluring and apparently so alluring that I actually did walk over to the nearest park. I sat on a bench and watched the sun fade under the cover of a relatively large mountain. An orange blanket draped the tops of each peak and left little light on me. Someone walked up from behind me and put their hands on my shoulders. They were strong and a wave of panic seemed to make its way through each nerve in my body and caused me to whip around.

Instead of the face of the thug that I did expect sat the warm brown eyes of the one that I liked so much. I caught my breath then watched him come around to sit next to me. The sleeves of a white shirt were rolled up to his elbows and he wore black slacks along with a tie that hung loosely around his neck. He averted his gaze to the red sky and I looked up at him. Why did he have to be so handsome? This had been the cause of my last accident and quite frankly I didn't really want a repeat of the whole incident. I walked towards a tree and leaned against it. This hadn't detoured him and he followed me and said, "Very interesting how deceitful you can be Miyeko. I never thought you would be so underhanded."

I whipped my head around and said, "What are you talking about? I never lied to you. At least I don't remember ever lying to you."

He laughed and replied, "At work you crazy. You told your boss that you were seeing your grandmother when in truth you've been visiting yours truly."

I guess that's why Tatsuya seemed to look like he was in disbelief. Shigure must have been listening through the door. "Why were you there? Why are you here? Are you a stalker? I can defend myself you know." I clenched my fists and drew them back.

He pushed my tensed fists down and said, "Don't worry, you know you can be a little too assuming sometimes. Remember when I said that I crave to find subjects for my stories? Well, after carefully sorting through many possible characters, I have selected one Takehara Miyeko."

There wasn't much to say to that. There was the 'what the hell are you talking about' approach and the 'you are only too kind' approach. Nope, nothing seemed to sound just right so I just looked at him with a blank sort of expression. My mouth was open and he took this chance to kiss me. Even though it had been the second time, it didn't seem to be any more predictable. He put his arms around my waste and I put mine right behind his neck. It was hungry as if it expressed how much I had wanted to kiss him for the longest time. Hungry wasn't the word for it. It sounded too crude; I guess it just carried my passion. That was a better way to explain it, but it still wasn't exactly what I meant.

We broke away and I looked at the ground. My face burned a brilliant crimson and I said, "Have you ever been told never to mix business with pleasure? It doesn't seem like you have, but if it's any consolation, that was nice."

He brushed his hand against my cheek and said with a smile, "Who ever said it was pleasure? Don't look at me that way, it was sweet, but I don't really believe in that saying Miye-chan. I love how I can make you seem so surprised and get the best of you." Was there anything else to do but smile at him and run my fingers through his hair? It didn't seem that way. Maybe it was love now, but was I hurrying into things? I started to walk away or rather skip, swinging my bag and coat behind me. "What are you doing Miyeko?" Who was the surprised one now?

"I can't leave my car again. You always seem to make me forget what I'm doing and I'm surprised that I still have my car now. Now don't get any ideas about distracting me because then you can just forget about Ayame's gift." Why shouldn't I tempt him? Heavens knows that he's been tempting me for too long.

He grabbed me and said, "Oh, a gift now? You've got my attention and there's no way you could dissuade me now that I've got my sights set on you." He put his finger on my nose and I blinked a few times.

"What was I saying again? I swear it was something really important and if I don't remember I'll probably regret doing whatever I do instead of doing what I was supposed to do." I rubbed the back of my head nervously and followed Shigure.

We drove away towards his house and he helped me out of the car. "The kids are gone tonight and it seems that Ayame is swamped with some left over work on the show." He went to get a couple of glasses of soda and said, "No repeats of your little beer incident. Although the trickery was a nice touch, I would rather that you kiss me without having to have an excuse."

I traced a finger down his chest and said, "Trickery? Sir, I am appalled at your outrageous accusations. An upstanding lady such as myself would never do something so underhanded or be caught with a scallywag such as yourself. How could you suspect me of such things? Besides, the whole male reassurance idea isn't one that I've ever been too keen on. I mean, just because I may have not been thinking straight that time, doesn't mean that I didn't do something for a reason. Oh, so that's what you think of me. Well, heh, you've got another thing coming buster if you think that you can get me into a bed and off of it in a day just to have your little thrills." Flirting? Never been one of my fortes, but that's why Michi-ko always got the guys and tried to force me to at least try to get my guy.

You want to learn more about Mi-chan? Well, I can assure you, it isn't the wholesome tale that you'd like to relate to your family members. I'm assuming your family members appreciate wholesomeness, but for all cases and purposes, you should just keep what I'm about to tell you a secret. Ugh! I'm painting a picture of some loose cannon girl who's out to scam any good looking guy who knows what it means to get "intimate" and can pay a good price. Sure Michi-ko isn't my idea of the most, could you call it acceptable, people in the world, but she's my friend. Anyway, now that I'm finished with that, we can actually talk about something with meaning. As one of my teachers in America would have said, "Let's get too the meat an' pataters of the lesson!" Of course not all Americans talk in that manner, but, well now I'm getting off topic again.

Currently Michi-chan is tied to the most gorgeous thing that walked the earth! No my friends who are attached to the computer, it's not a beautifully composed fanfiction. (A/N: -snicker, snicker- Sorry everyone, I really couldn't help myself. I'll try to behave myself, but right now I'm thoroughly tweaked. That's why I actually had the idea of working on NFtST again; all because I got in a huge fight with my sister over the phone. Sometimes I just can't stand her. It's a good thing that I don't live with her anymore. I'm not sure what I'd do if I did.) What? Of course I did think that Shigure was certainly nothing to scoff at, but Mi-chan had a certain knack for getting the guy. His name is Iwasa Chikao if I remember correctly (A/N: If any of you decide to check out Table for Two, my online comic, then just remember that it's hard to write so much. It helps one to use some names over again without having to think up new ones!). It's been such a long time since I've seen him; I guess I've been too busy with my own problems, but yes, Mi-chan seems to be satisfied for a little while. Confused? Let me tell you, while it's beyond Michi-ko to flirt with anything that moves, she surely has no problem going in for the kill; I suppose you could compare her to a lioness? A statement and a question all in itself, shimatta, I do hate referring to Mi-chan as an animal, but it really does no good to compare one's best friend to an inanimate object when that same friend is always vigilantly lurking in your conscience and making little comments on whatever you do. Sure it's a bit disturbing, but I couldn't get my point across about Mi-chan if I didn't tell you such things.

Let me clarify a few things. Mi-chan is that oh-so-special kind of person who can come up to you and bluntly comment on how stupid whatever you said happened to be. Oh, I say this with the utmost respect, but the idea is that that's just one of the facets on the prismatic diamond of Mi-chsanism. She's the best friend that I could ever have and I really couldn't tell you anything else. It's hard to really tell you what I mean to tell you, but whatever, this will have to suffice. Now back to the story at hand I suppose…

I started to walk away and found myself caught at the wrist by the warm grip that I so wanted. But life likes to dance around you and stick its tongue out making a mockery of you. Yeah, well life's a bitch and it was time for that bitch to get a swift, yet stealthy kick to the posterior. At that point I would saunter away leisurely and resume whistling as I fiddled with my fingers behind my back. Yes, it was time to go on the offense and teach life that I can be impulsive in a good way.

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Author's Ending Note: Gomen! I know it's been so long since I've updated, but with getting my REAL, OWN story off on the right foot, I had to abandon NFtST for a while. Also, I'm really trying to get my Wish fic up and on its way. I should be off to working on that after I post this chapter of NFtST. I hope you guys like the Wish fic. It's a bit OOC, but I do like the fact that it gets to be a bit more angsty. Not too angsty mind you, but just enough to let me get out bad feelings I suppose. Well, I hope this chapter was well worth the wait, but again I think it was shortchanged and was just like another connector chapter. Next chapter we should be getting into the actual fun I hope. I'm planning on Ayame's show being next chapter at least…we'll have to see.