'Tanoshitoishi' - By: Lu-Lu
Fiction Information: Disclaimer & Dedication
Fruits Basket manga is copyrighted by Natsuki Takaya and its anime series was adapted by Daichi Akitaro. (Also: Hakusensha, Studio Deen, NAS, TV Tokyo; © FUNimation; © TOKYOPOP, Inc.) Thus, never will I claim Fruits Basket as my own. This is a fan and non-profit fiction only.
I would like to dedicate this fan fiction to the lovely Miss Ritsuko Okazaki. She is the singer of the opening and ending theme songs for the anime series, who passed away last year (2004) in the month of May, due to septic shock. R.I.P.
Chapter 1: Quaintness
As the frozen vapour slowly falls in light white flakes from the faintly luminous sky, a suburb's street in Kanazawa gradually fills with snow. Not many cars are driving about and the streetlights are as bright as the morning sun.
Kyo Sohma searches around, feeling exhausted, angry and…"Dammit! I'm starving!"
His stomach grumbles in agree. He has been hiking down a mountain with his heavy belongings for hours and had just reached a suburb when night has fallen.
"I swear I could eat the next thing I see!" said the irritated Kyo, who was thinking of sashimi (raw fish). After a short moment, he shrugged. With his eyes set on the ground while walking, he turns onto a street corner and collides with an over-sized man that stumbled for 3 seconds and ended up with his bulky bottom flat on the ground.
"DAMN YOU! Why don't you watch where y----", Kyo paused and lost his voice on the moment he looked at the over-sized man on the ground. He recalled what he swore earlier, that he would "eat the next thing I see". He stood still for a moment…
"That's freakin' sick!" he shouted inside his head while a shiver went down his spine.
"…Sorry…" Kyo finally found his voice again, "uh…let me help you up."
"Arigatou!…" said the man with a big-appreciation smile and eyes like two upside-down 'u' on his face after Kyo supported him up.
"You're a very nice kid…very strong too! To think that I fell flat on the ground and you are still standing like a superb and mighty rock, when I'm a man with a sumo figure!" He laughed loudly, with some tiny saliva spitting of his massive mouth.
Kyo's only response was a bewildered and appalled smile. "Great…" he says to himself, "another feeling: …confused."
"Hah… Sorry about that", apologised the sumo wrestler-like man, as he wipe his watery-eyes to conclude his laugh. "Anyhow, do you need any help? It's getting quite dark and you shouldn't be walking along the streets alone in the middle of the night. And you must be tired from carrying those heavy-looking things."
"YES! - HELL YES!", Kyo yelled in his mind. In fact, he has been hungry for hours and he really is exhausted from walking and both his hands and back will soon surrender from carrying those heavy belongings of his. His emotions are mixed: angry, annoyed, cold, exhausted, disappointed and confused.
"Uh…yeah… Do you know any hotels, motels or anything like that around here?" Kyo finally asked, calmly ignoring the voice in his head.
"Actually, they're about 3 suburbs away from here. The only nearest one around where we are now is a small shop about 200 metres away in that direction", he points. "…Although…" the over-sized man chuckled and smiled slyly, "you could spend the night at my place…"
Kyo could not believe his dark-ruby eyes. "That look on his face…" a quivering voice in his head spoke, "w-was he…" he gulps, "trying to HIT ON ME!"
Suddenly, Kyo's body blazed in red.
"Thanks for the direction…you…YOU HOMOSEXUAL!" Kyo roared, then he quickly picked up his belongings and dashed away.
The man with the sumo figure stood still as he watched the kid run swiftly. He was somehow puzzled and dumbfounded.
( -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- )
"Wha-haah-tha-haah-hell…!" Kyo was breathless; his energy was drained. He discontinued running and layed his baggage on the ground, then leaned his right hand on an icy metal pole. He repeatedly inhaled until oxygen filled his lungs.
"What the hell was he on!"
Due to Kyo's disturbed and disgusted mind, for a moment, he forgets that it was a snowy night and that he had no place to stay. He bent over to pick up his stuff when he saw a lit and colourful sign above a fairly small snack shop.
"About time!" Kyo smiled happily, completely ignoring his diverse emotions.
He walked towards the shop. The transparent door had an 'open' sign hanging on it and he could see a figure moving around inside. He reached for the doorknob and twisted it. He gently pushed the door and bell chimes were heard.
A girl in a white skin fitted wool jumper and black knee-length cotton skirt was wiping a table.
"Konbanwa! Gomen nasa--- (Good Evening! I'm sorr---)" greeted the girl, who all of a sudden paused for a little while.
"Oh!" she gasped, "are you alright! My goodness! You look frail!...But your cheeks are so red!" The girl spoke again, however, this time her voice did not sound merry, instead, it sounded shocked and worried. She rushed to the stranger, took his bags and placed them on a table. She turns to him.
"Oh! Your coat is soaked with snow! You should take it off", the worried girl stretched her arms out for the stranger to pass his coat. "It's alright, it's not that chilly in here", she added.
Kyo stripped off his coat and handed it to her. She quickly took it and went outside the shop, then dusted away the unmelted snowflakes. Kyo turned 180 degrees to watch the strange girl. The girl rushed back inside.
"I'll put your coat in the dryer if you don't mind"
"Oh…um...I don't mind…"
"Okay! Oh and after I do that, I'll make some hot drinks. Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Uh…tea...I guess…"
"Tea it is! ----- Ah! That's right! I've already put them inside…"
"…Ha?"
"I'll just go and make them inside, okay? Please sit down on one of the chairs and make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a tick!"
She walks behind the main counter and goes through a baby pink door with cute chibi (miniature) cartoon characters, each holding a different type of fruit, posters posted on it.
Kyo bewilderedly sits on one of the 3 chairs around the table where his belongings were. His head whispers "…do you mind telling me what just happened?" but his mouth was speechless. He exhales heavily in relief, as he leans his back on the chair. Sitting down was contentment enough for him. With his head aloft, he reads the nomimono (drinks) section of the menu, which affixed on the wall behind the main counter.
"Koucha (tea)… ¥300 (300 yen)" he mutters to himself.
Kyo's eyes wandered around the snack shop. "Colourful…but not annoying in the eyes. Cute…I guess", an opinion of his that stunned even himself.
'Tanoshitoishi' is the name of this 'colourful and cute' snack shop. Its size approximates 4 in length by 3.5 in width, with assorted coloured and decorated wallpaper on each side. There were 4 tables in total that lined up oppositely to the main entrance door. The first table is set on the very far corner of the shop with five seats, attached to the floor and wall, semi-circuitously around the table with additional two loose seats. The three other tables, along with three chairs each, were aligned to the first.
A particular corner caught Kyo's eyes, the right side corner of the main counter, or the west side, if standing in front of the main door. It was a large 'notice board' full of messages in little papers, stucked-on with some photos of mainly teenagers.
"This must be one of those places where teenagers hangs around after school or somethin'," he thought.
All of a sudden, he remembers about his cell phone. But, just as soon as he extends his hands to grab one of his bags, the girl in black and white returns.
"I'm sorry that took a little while, but that's because I heated up some miso soup, nikujiyaga (beef and vegetables with soup) and yakitori (chicken on skewers) and made some fresh onigiri (rice balls)!"
The girl happily presents a tray of food and drink and placed it on the table adjacent to Kyo.
"Silly me! How will you eat with these bags on your table!" she tapped her head then she shifted his belongings on to the floor. She then moves the tray to Kyo's table and sits on the chair opposing his.
"Douzo meshiagatte kudasai! (Please help yourself!)"
Kyo was absolutely surprised. Despite his aversion to surprises, this was an exception because it was so overwhelming… He was so overwhelmed that tears were setting forth from his eyes. Tears of joy, that is.
"Itadakimasu!" Kyo said blissfully with a smile on his face. ('Itadakimasu', meaning 'I gratefully receive this meal', is traditionally said before every meal in Japan.)
He eagerly swallowed his first bite on the yakitori. Next, a mouthful of onigiri, then nikujiyaga, then onigiri again, then yakitori for the second time.
"Ah!" he swallows, "I'm in heaven!"
The girl giggled and Kyo came back to reality and blushed. "What the heck are you doing! Your acting like an idiot!" he scolded himself, in his own head of course.
"Um… what's your name?" he spoke as if trying to conceal his blush.
"I'm Honda, Tohru! And you?"
"Sohma, Kyo…" he takes a big sip of his tea.
"Oh!" she smiles and drinks a little bit of her tea. "Nice to meet you, Sohma-san!"
Kyo was silent for a moment, which left Tohru confused.
"Don't call me that, that's taken…" he swallowed in some nikujiyaga, "by this stupid guy that you wouldn't want to know."
"Oh, okay. I'm sorry… Kyo-san…?" she said, anxious to know his response.
"It's all good," he takes a sip out of the miso soup, "hey, isn't 'Tohru' a guy's name?"
"Hahaha! Yes it is! My mother have always liked that name, so, she decided to name me it!" She smiled. Her voice sounded like a young girl and her face showed her admiration towards her mother.
"Heh…Well Tohru-kun, I usually don't do miso or anything with leeks because -- it's the most stupidest vegetable ever planted in this entire world," he said quite loudly that it frightened Tohru a tiny bit, "but your cooking made it taste like an actual food."
"Oh, I don't know…I mean, it could be just the quality of the leek!" she responded humbly.
Kyo laughed. "Never heard that one before."
He continued to eat his delicious meal, his oh-so-scrumptious meal. It has such a delightful taste that he wish he had more as he eats the remaining onigiri.
"Hey, uh, thanks for the meal…It was..nice," he spoke in a tone that sounded somewhat strange. He was slightly embarrassed and was trying to hide it by sounding 'normal' even though he really wanted to show her his gratitude. He was never good at complimenting, especially girls.
"No problem! I'm just glad that you liked it!" she said gladly as she began cleaning up.
"Ikura desu ka? (How much?)," his voice sounding blunt, "for the whole thing, I mean."
"Ee?…" she discontinued her doings. "Ooh! -- It's on the house! ---- Oh! And, would you like some water? I could get some when I put these inside. Oh and I should get your coat as well, it should be dried by now."
"Err… yeah, sure, thanks..."
Tohru goes back inside through the baby pink door with the tray of used dishes and cups. Kyo was unbelieved. He ate one of the most satisfying meals and yet it was all for free.
"Why the heck would she do that?" he thought. "Ha. It probably had poison in them or somethin…"
Another thing about Kyo, instead of being positive about or towards himself, he contemplates the negatives. He was actually beginning to feel suspicious. However, he couldn't help not to doubt the girl. "Her appearance seems to be angelic and she's also kind" says the 'good' side of Kyo in sort of anxiety tone. "Nyeh. She has probably done something bad to your coat!" objects the 'evil' side of him in his own world. Kyo viciously shook his head and returns reality.
"My cell phone." He said out of the blue, sounding as if he's a 'medium'.
He looks in the first bag: negative, it's not there. He searches in the second bag: nope, ain't there. He then explores his third bag, which is a backpack:
"Hell! Where is it!" he exclaimed, irritation flowed in his body.
Tohru swiftly returns, astonished and clearly worried. She placed the glass of water and his coat aside on the counter bench.
"What's wrong Kyo-san!"
"Gah! -- It's my phone, I can't find it."
"Do you remember when you had it last?"
"No. -- Actually, I don't remember anything before I woke up…" his tone was less and question marks were popping out from his head.
Kyo just realised that he does not recall what happened before he came back to life from the mountains. All he knew was…
"Here!" she hands him the shops' cordless phone, "you can try to call it and see if anybody picks up."
Kyo dials his number and waits. "It's ringing…" It kept ringing and ringing, but he still waited for an answer.
"Oh! Someone picked up!" he announced in such fortunate tone. "Uh, hey…The phone you're using right now actually belongs to m--"
"WRRROOOAAHHHHH!" Suddenly, bears roared, via phone, before Kyo could finish his sentence.
"GAAAAAHHHHHH!" Kyo shrieked in horrify then he deliberately threw the cordless phone across the other side of the shop.
"Kyo-san, Kyo-san! What's happening!" a terrified young voice came out from Tohru. She immediately picked up the phone and placed it upon her ears.
"WRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"AHHHHHH!" Tohru quickly hanged up the phone, thanks to her rapid reflex, but panic ran through her body. "What was that Kyo-san!"
Kyo was still terrified. He was frozen. He couldn't believe it! It was so unexpected! Moments later, he became aware of his loss.
"Damn! Now some bear got my phone!" the annoyance in his voice was clear. "Just my freakin' luck. First, there're no hotels in this damned place and now I have no way on communi--"
"The hotels are 3 suburbs away from here and it's getting really, really late," Tohru interrupts, "Kyo-san, it's best for you to spend the night here."
"WHAT?" Kyo was shocked… Very shocked.
"It's alright! I have the whole house to my self! My two best friends that also lives here are currently away," she smiles, "and my mother is in another country, working."
"B-but…" he stutters, "y-you're a--"
"Please, Kyo-san! I insist! It is for your own benefit after all!" she begs with a sympathetic aura in the air…
( -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- )
"And last but not least, kore wa furoba desu! (this is the bathroom!)", Tohru introduces the last room in the second level of the house to Kyo.
"Er…I think I'll take a bath…" he spoke in a slightly embarrassed, but emotionless tone.
"Bath it is! --- I'll just quickly place your belongings in the room you'll be sleeping in and I'll get you a towel, okay?"
"Ye..ah.."
Tohru glances at Kyo with gleaming, adoration eyes. "You're so beautiful, Kyo-san."
Kyo's face flushed with crimson glow. "W-what the hell!" he stammered.
"Gomen nasai!" she light-heartedly apologised.
Tohru quietly excused herself and leaves in haste, yet gently. Kyo's eyes were fixed upon her. He was slightly blushing, muddled and somewhat disturbed. Though, before the voice in his head could comment, she returns with a large and comfortable-looking white towel. She hands it to him with a smile and he murmurs his gratitude. She, again, leaves and he enters the bathroom and locks the sliding door.
"Man…" his voice was undertone as he turns on the bath tap to moderately hot, "what's up with her?"
He stripped off his two shirts and his black singlet, exposing his abdomen.
"What kind of girl would let a male stranger spend a night at her house when she's all alone?" he began unbuttoning his pants. "Seriously, she's probably really lone---"
Kyo sees his reflection in the mirror.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He let out his most blood-curdling scream, ever. He speedily approached the half-body mirror.
"WHAT THE F--"
"KYO-SAN! KYO-SAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT! WHAT'S HAPPENING! KYO-SAAAN!" the outcrying and frightened Tohru reiterated, extravagantly thumping the door.
Kyo pretended to settle himself.
"Uhh..ah..the water is just too hot...That's all! Hahaha!" he faked a laughing voice.
"Daijoubo desu ka? (Are you alright?)" She asked in a concerned tone.
"Hai!.. Daijoubo desu! (Yes!…I'm alright!) Hahahahaha!"
( -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- )
Kyo is soak and half-lying down in the bath, feeling agitated and apprehensive. Discovering something disastrous as this is not a time to be relaxed.
"How the hell did it happen?…" He questioned himself distressingly. "And who!" Minutes later, his face expression changed, as if, he figured everything. "That bitch! -- She must've done it while we were staying in the mountains!…" he added, with his fist clenched and grinding teeth. Kyo remained like that for a couple of minutes.
"Hell, no use of getting angry now…" he sighed, trying to calm his nerves down. He got out of the bath and reached for his towel. He then approached and faced the mirror. His angriness came back, yet he was blushing.
"Damn! It's permanent! --- I STILL look like a girl!"
( -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- )
"That is where you and I will be sleeping in tonight!" Tohru, in cute baby pink pyjamas, was pointing at her queen-size bed with a decorated lavender quilt. "I hope you don't mind.. I don't want to trespass my best friends' rooms or my mothe--"
"I'd prefer sleeping on the floor," Kyo said bluntly with guilt. He was sweating tiny bullets while his heartbeat pounded heavily under a traditional Japanese pyjama, for girls, which Tohru has lent him.
"Oh.. Okay!" she smiled. "I'll get the spare mattress out for you!"
Tohru drops down on her knees and bends over to search for the single-size mattress under her bed.
"She hasn't got the slightest clue…," he guiltily thought.
She placed and made his bed adjacently to hers.
"This should be enough," she turns to him, "please tell me if it's uncomfortable or if you need another quilt."
Tohru stands and stares at the quaint person before her. "Your hair is so lustrous! You truly are beautiful, Kyo-san... I bet so many guys are courting you!" Her eyes sparkled with stars of admiration.
"Naaaaah..I don't think so..Hahahahah!" his fake giggle hinted a sign of aggravation. He quickly guided Tohru to her bed. "It's late, you should sleep."
Tohru smiled and went under her quilt and Kyo did the same.
"Oyasumi nasai (Good night), Kyo-san."
"Oyasumi…"
End of Chapter 1: Quaintness
( -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- )
Hey Readers! Thank you for taking your time to read this "not-so-long" 1st chapter of my Fruits Basket fan fiction, "Tanoshitoishi"! I would love to continue this story therefore I will need some reviews.. Please? XD By the way, if you're wondering of what the title of this story means, well then…review. :P Because I will explain it in the chapter 2. I will also give you the description of what Kyo's apparent appearance. Hehe. By the way, if you found any errors above, please feel free to point it out in your review. Thank you! Bye!
--Lu-Lu (a.k.a PSM-chan)
