Sorry for the delay, but I've been really busy. I got this written though for ya though! Oh, there's some stuff about constellations in this chapter…I'd don't know which seasons they are in the sky or in what order. So, sorry 'bout that to all the astronomers!! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I found a genie in a magic lamp, I might wish that Fruits Basket belonged to me. As of now…it doesn't.

***

Momiji sat cross-legged on the floor of Hatori's office. The dragon was busy filling out paper work while the rabbit happily waited. After a few minutes, Hatori shuffled his papers into a folder, turned around in his desk chair and looked down at the boy on the floor.

"What can I do for you Momiji?"

"Well, I have some questions for you…"

"And those would be?"

Momiji was fidgeting with the zipper of his coat.

"Iwaswonderingifyoucouldtellmewhyakitoissosick!"

Hatori raised his visible eyebrow in surprise (the other one was raised too, but you couldn't see it). "I'm sorry, you'll have to repeat that."

Momiji exhaled. "I was wondering if you could tell my why Akito is so sick."

"That's a bold question, but you already know the answer." Hatori turned back around in his desk chair and brought out some more papers. He began to fill them out again. "He is sick because he bears the Sohma family curse. Now you'd better go find Hatsuharu. Last time you left him alone too long he got lost in the gardens."

"Wait!" Momiji got up and hovered over Hatori's shoulder. "I know the general idea, but I want to know some more…specifics, I guess."

"I don't think you need to know anymore than you already do." Hatori persisted in looking down at his paperwork and writing.

"Hatori…please?"

He sighed and looked up at the blonde. "Come back and see me tomorrow."

Momiji knew this was as much as he was going to get on short notice. "Thank you, Hatori!" He hugged the doctor and hopped out of the room. Hatori lit a cigarette from his desk drawer and continued his work.

***

Kyo startled awake and looked up at a starry sky.

"Shit, I must have fallen asleep." He sat up and stretched. His back was sore, and Kyo rubbed it ruefully. "That's what I get for sleeping on the roof." //Why was I on the roof, again?// And then he remembered the conversation at dinner and the strange path it had taken. A calmer Kyo now deliberated on the situation.

//Shigure's just being a dumbass again.// he decided. //And Yuki can just go drown himself for all I care// Kyo smiled. //Better yet…I could drown him. Put on list of things to do- drown Yuki.//

This thought was interrupted by a growl from his stomach. "Crap. I didn't eat anything." He got up to go back downstairs, just as Tohru popped her head over the edge of the roof. //What kind of crazy senses does she have??//

"Hi, Kyo…"she stopped. "I brought some leftovers from dinner. I thought you might be hungry." Kyo just sat and looked at her from his spot on the roof.

"I'm having a little trouble bringing it up." She smiled.

"Oh." Kyo got up and took the rather large bag that Tohru put together. After setting it on the roof, he took her hand (which was still extended from giving him the bag) and pulled her up onto the roof with him. He stood there for a moment holding her hand. Kyo soon realized what he was doing, however and dropped it quickly. An obligatory blush came to his face and he sat back down. Tohru sat down nonchalantly and took the bag infront of her, pulling out various foods.

"Wow, I think I brought a little too much!" she proclaimed. "But I thought we could share." She handed Kyo chopsticks.

"Thanks."

They ate in silence. Kyo soon realized he had overreacted *again* to something stupid. He decided to say something to break the silence and turned to speak.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight, " Tohru said first.

"Yeah, I guess." Kyo, having forgotten what he was going to say, looked at the patterns made in the sky by the stars. "Do you know any of the zodiac?"

"Of course," she answered. "There's the rat and the dog and the cow…"

"Not *that* zodiac," he said impatiently.

"Oh, sorry."

"No, don't be sorry…" He continued with his train of thought. "It's just that there's a whole other zodiac." Kyo lay down on his back and looked up at the stars. He pointed above them. "See that?" Tohru leaned back as well and looked where Kyo was pointing. "That's Aries, the ram. And there, Sagittarius, the centaur. A lot of their constellations are stranger than ours…" He stopped and just looked up at the designs in

the sky.

"…I wonder if there's a family cursed out there, like us…maybe a person out there becomes a fish with the head of a goat," he said sarcastically. Kyo put his arm down and closed his eyes. "If that *were* true, then there must be someone like me then too. Who doesn't belong but still has to put up with all the shit…"

Tohru turned her head to look at Kyo. "Maybe," she said. She took his

arm and pointed it to the only constellation she knew. "They'd be Orion. One that everyone knows is an important constellation but who isn't in the zodiac." She became quiet.

"Yeah, the kick ass hunter, who was killed."

"Oh," She laughed uncomfortably. "I guess I don't know Greek Mythology, huh."

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't be talking about this kind of stuff." He got up to leave.

"No, its important to …" She stopped again (she does that a lot).

"What?" He was starting to get a little embarrassed at telling Tohru such stupid ideas.

"It's just that," she looked down at her hands. "I was hoping that we were good enough friends to talk about important things. Even the things that make us a little uncomfortable…"

Kyo stood there, face red. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for Shigure at dinner today. It wasn't nice of him to make fun of you."

"Hey," he sat down next to her. "It's not your job to apologize for that dumb dog."

"…and I was just going to say that mom always said as long as you weren't hurting anyone, you should find happiness wherever you could…"

Kyo sat a more than a little confused. "What are you talking…" Then something clicked. "Look Haru and I…I'm not…there's *seriously nothing* goin' on!!!"

"I know!" Tohru put up her hands. "Its just that maybe you shouldn't listen to what other people say sometimes…Oh! Then I guess you don't really need to listen to me either…" Tohru had gotten herself confused as to the point she was trying to make. "Wait…ummm."

"No, its okay. I get what you're saying." Kyo pulled his knees up and put his chin on them. "I shouldn't lose my temper every time someone says something stupid to me."

Tohru struck her palm with her fist. "That's it exactly! Not that I'm saying you have an anger management problem or anything!" she added hastily and turned abruptly at the sound of someone else scrambling up the ladder.

"Oh, here you are." Yuki murmured as he climbed onto the roof. "And what a surprise to find you here," he added to Kyo.

"Kyo and I were just looking at the stars. He knows a lot about constellations! See that one?" She pointed to a random group of stars. "That's Sagittarius!" (Kyo sweat-dropped.)

"Yes, well…" Yuki tried to figure out what she was pointing at. "Anyway, I was looking for you because it seems the laundry machine is making strange noises and shaking. Shigure says its going to explode, but I don't…"

"Oh no! The laundry!!" Tohru was off the roof as quickly as a bolt of lightning.

"I suppose I'd better leave you alone," Yuki muttered.

"That's Sagittarius," Kyo mumbled pointing in the opposite direction Tohru had pointed.

"Oh, interesting." Yuki gave Kyo a look of appreciation for this random statement then climbed down and left Kyo by himself.

Yay, chapter finished. Oh, I'd like to thank my sister (Madge) for being my beta-reader! Now you won't have to put up with any more grammar mistakes. (Wow, I almost misspelled grammar.) *sigh*

*visit me*

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/h/o/hotarukat/hotarukat.html