Kitsu
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
"Ayame! Shigure!" yelled a sixteen year old Kitsu York. She had been friends with the Sohma duo and their friend and cousin, Hatori Sohma as long as she could remember, and she often got caught up in the mischief that seemed to cling to them like a tiger to its stripes. At the moment, Kitsu was trying to locate them after a particularly hectic fire alarm that she knew very well was set off by one or all of the infamous Sohma trio.
"Hatori!" When she had searched the building over, she had one place left to look: the roof. Skimming just under a run, Kitsu scurried toward the janitor's closet that concealed the passage to the roof. Climbing the stairs two at a time, she paused in front of the door.
"What if someone comes?" a voice Kitsu recognized as Ayame's said to someone who she presumed was Hatori on the other side of the heavy door.
"We run for it and hope they don't recognize us. And hope that Shigure doesn't transform back."
Behind the closed door, she heard the scrabbling of claws against the tiles of the roof that mean that Shigure had run into a girl and transformed into a dog. She sighed and waited, knowing that they would be pressed to tell her about the curse if she came out just then.
Kitsu often regretted not telling them that she knew everything, that they didn't have to hide it from her, that they could be totally honest. But that would mean she would have to reveal her gift. To see the truth in peoples eyes. To hear the thoughts directed at her. To know what bubbled just beneath the surface of the minds of people around her. To know the niggling doubts, the stormy fears, the shadows of sorrow. This was her gift, her curse.
Kitsu waited until she heard the telltale 'poof' and the rustle of clothing that meant Shigure had dressed, and pushed open the door. "There you are, I've been looking all over for you guys!" She rushed forward in a movement that had her ankle length sky blue hair swinging. She had instantly transformed from over-serious clairvoyant to bouncy and bubbly high schooler.
"Why?" Shigure asked, and she made a face at him.
"'Cause I wanted to know if you were alright."
"What?" he replied, not remembering the fire alarm that Hatori had set off to cover his transformation/ escape.
"The fire alarm, silly! I figured you set it off, but I wanted to make sure."
"Oh, right. The fire alarm."
Kitsu looked at him and pretended yet again to be a girl whose skill for mischief far outweighed her powers of observation.
"We should probably head down, now," Hatori said, effectively ending the conversation.
Hatori's POV
He knew that the bubbly bouncy girl that he had met during his fourth year on the earth was just a pretense. He knew, without a doubt, that Kitsu was far more intelligent and observant than she let on. He could see it in her eyes. And when he talked to her on the roof sometimes, it was there. Right underneath the surface. That seriousness that was even more prominent when they were alone. He knew that Shigure and Ayame sensed it, but he had seen it. It was only a matter of getting her to be open about it.
Hatori Sohma sat and watched as his long time friend, Kitsu York, chatted about various things to him and his two best friends, Ayame Sohma and Shigure Sohma. He was grateful to her that she didn't push the matter earlier on the roof. They had yet to tell her about the Sohma curse, and her pressing the matter would have changed a lot of things.
"Tori-san?" Kitsu asked.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?" she asked with a slight look of concern in her eyes.
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, it's just that you had that far away look in your eyes again."
"Oh? Really?" He stared into her wine colored eyes and smiled. "Must have been out of it. What were you saying?"
She smiled and he caught the knowing look in her eye as she continued to ramble.
Kitsu's POV
Later that day, Hatori mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom and walked out. A few minutes later, Kitsu got up and said that she had forgotten something in another class and walked out of the room. Ayame and Shigure exchanged knowing looks.
Kitsu walked down the hall toward the janitor's closet. Opening the door to the cool outside air, Kitsu walked over to join Hatori on the other side of the roof. "Hey," she said.
"Huh? Oh, it's you. I thought you were Shigure." Kitsu sat down beside him and took the cigarette away from him before he could stop her.
She took a puff and held it casually to the side. "You shouldn't smoke these things, you know. They can kill you." With that, she stamped it out and flicked it over the side of the roof.
"Kitsu," he began, but she cut him off.
"You know how I feel about smoking. Not around me. I would prefer if you didn't smoke at all, but it seems that option is growing dimmer and dimmer."
He sighed in resignation and put his hands in his pockets.
"Now, drinking, on the other hand…" she said and Hatori smiled.
"You never change. I want to thank you for earlier."
"For what?" she asked with an innocent smile on her face.
"For not pressing the matter."
She tilted her head to the side and sent him a look of confusion. When he raised an eyebrow, she relented. "Oh, all right. I sensed it was a private matter and I don't like prying. And besides, it's better that people think me simple."
"What?" he asked, and she blushed and shook her head strongly, sending her long hair into confusion.
"Never mind, it's nothing."
"Okay."
They sat in silence for a few minutes and watched the traffic through the one way mirror that ran around the edge of the roof.
"We'd better head back," Hatori said, and got up to leave.
"Yeah. They'll be wondering where we are by now."
"We told the sensei were we were going," Hatori said and Kitsu smiled.
"I was referring to Aaya and Gure."
"Oh. The trouble makers." Hatori rolled his eyes and she giggled.
"Yep! And we're the Partners in Crime!" Hatori sighed and pulled the door open.
"After you."
"Merci, Monsieur."
Hatori stared at her for a moment.
"What?"
"You speak French?"
"Oui. Who do you think taught Aaya and Gure?"
"I thought they learned on their own."
"Them? Learn? On their own? As if."
"You're right. Of course."
She stared at him regally and replied, "I am always right." He laughed and followed her down the steps.
A/n: Wow. Long chappie. The longest I've ever written. I'm amazed that this came to me, actually. Forgive any lack of coherentness, for this is being typed far too long after midnight.