Pandemonium

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.

Chapter Posted: June 23, 2006
Brief Summary: Ritchan at Mitsu's place
Warnings: none
Story Notes: Personally, I find this chapter pretty humorous. It's still not long, though. Grr.

A/N: A huge cup of Ritchan-LOVE to all my reviewers! Enjoy! R&R!

-Recap:

I was almost sad when we had to say goodbye.

"Well... I should be going," I said finally, though with some reluctance. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"I... I guess so! G-goodbye, Mitsu-san. It was..." He sounded so cute when he was a little embarrassed. "It was a pleasure talking to you."

I smiled to myself. "The same goes for you. I'll see you soon. Goodbye... Ritsu-kun."

"Goodbye."

-Chapter Five: Commotion
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The next day I spent three hours cleaning my apartment. It wasn't really all that dirty, but I'm more than a little paranoid and cleaning up made me forget all about how nervous I was. After all, I still couldn't seem to forget that Ritsu was coming over. That a man would be in my apartment. That Sohma Ritsu, a single, attractive man– guy, boy, male, masculine member of the human race, a person who was of the opposite gender– would actually be existing in the space of my apartment. My mother would have had a field day.

My apartment was actually pretty plain– I had never been one for decorating, and was honestly just happy with the bland, un-imaginative look that had been there when I bought it. There were two pictures on the wall, a clock, and a cute kitten figurine on my bookshelf, but other than that there was... nothing. Remembering some advice my mother had given me– but of course berating myself the whole time I was following it– I gave the whole room a thin mist of some flowery perfume.

I debated with myself for twenty minutes about whether or not I should leave my bedroom door open or close it. If it was open he might be able to see into my bedroom, and what if that made him think that I wanted him to look in my bedroom? I didn't want to seem like I was trying to seduce him or anything, especially since the evening wasn't even supposed to be a date. I quickly shut the door. But then pacing around my living room I continued to think. The closed door seemed so harsh– what if he thought it inhospitable? What if it made him feel unwelcome? Biting my lip in consternation, I quickly re-opened the door. There– that would be fine.

I looked at the large, round clock hanging on the wall. Still plenty of time.

After double checking for the I'm-not-even-going-to-tell-you-how-many-th to make sure it was spotless, I called in an order from one of my favorite places and then hurried to the bathroom to get a quick shower. But not before quickly re-shutting my bedroom door.

It felt nice to relax in a warm shower, especially after all that cleaning I had done. I washed up quickly, and after shampooing my hair I stepped out and went to my room to get dressed.

I had never been one of those women who were constantly stressing over what to wear. I had a nice blouse and a decent-length black skirt laid out on my bed, and to me that was just fine. Unfortunately, I hadn't done more than take off my towel when I heard a loud rapping at my door.

'Wonderful,' I moaned inwardly, not having expected the food to arrive so quickly. 'I'm not even dressed yet! This would be just the time they'd get here.'

Unhappily, but feeling the dire necessity for being clothed, I dug around my closet until I found a robe.

"Hell," I muttered to myself as I tied the robe haphazardly around my waist and raced to the door. "This food better be worth it."

"I'm sorry," I said, fixing an apologetic smile on my face as I opened the door, "I didn't mean to keep you... Waiting... Oh no." It was Ritsu, already there. And I wasn't even wearing underwear. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor in a dead faint.

"Mitsuru-san," a soft voice called, lulling me back into consciousness. "Oh, Mitsuru-san, please be alright!"

I blinked open heavy eyes and saw Ritsu there, hovering worriedly above me. He gasped. "You're awake! Oh Mitsuru-san, I'm so sorry! If I had known that I was going to scare you, I never would have come! I should have stayed home, never burdening you with my accursed presence. How could I? Oh world, wipe the stain that is my horrid soul off of–"

"Ritsu-kun!" I said loudly, getting his attention away from his self-depreciating speech. "I'm fine. I didn't faint because you scared me, it was because I..." God, it was embarrassing to say. I cleared my throat. "Well, because I was a little... embarrassed that you caught me in just my robe. I wasn't expecting you til later. It's only..." I looked at my clock. It said the same time it did the last time I looked at it– which had to be at least an hour earlier. That settled it– the world was out to get me.

"Never mind," I said with a sigh. I smiled at him, trying to reassure him and bolster up his confidence a little. "I'm glad you're here. I ordered some food that should be arriving fairly soon. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some clothes on."

He wrung his hands nervously, but I did manage to extract a nod from the poor boy so I could leave guilt-free and go change. In my room I found that my nerves had heightened ten-fold. I had to take a deep breath and calm myself down before I could even zip up my skirt.

'Alright,' I told myself as I took a quick look in the big mirror hanging on the door, 'I guess this is as good as it's going to get. You look fine, and I'm sure Ritsu-kun won't even notice if you look particularly nice or not. This isn't a date.'

It wasn't a date; and it was rather disconcerting how often I had to remind myself of that.

I walked back out of my bedroom– conscientiously shutting the door behind me– and found him sitting nervously on the couch, looking like a scared deer ready to bolt back into the woods. He was wearing another kimono and looked as lovely and womanly as ever. He might not have looked so feminine, I suddenly noticed, if he hadn't been wearing that matching bow in his long hair. I wondered how many men hit on him during an average day.

"Oh! Mitsuru-san," he said nervously, jumping up guiltily like I had caught him in the act of something naughty. "I'm... Well, I... We should... You..." He stopped, looking hopelessly lost. Finally he looked up at him with sad eyes and said glumly, "I'll leave if I'm bothering you."

I waved his worries away. "You're not bothering me. Supper should be here soon. Until then... Would you like to watch a movie? Oh, and there's tea in the kitchen. We could... talk if you wanted."

Shyly, he smiled. Have I ever mentioned how well a smile suits him? Because really... There should be no other expression on his face. "Tea sounds... n-nice," he said. "And t-talking does, too. I li-like talking to you." He looked at me, expecting a reproach.

Instead I smiled. "I like talking to you, too."

So we went into the kitchen and I poured two cups of tea. "Here you are," I said as I handed his to him. "It's still pretty hot." He thanked me quietly and we sat down at my small little table.

We hadn't taken more than three sips each when I heard another knock at my door. Excusing myself, I got my money and went to answer. Happily, I took it in to Ritsu. "Here we go," I said excitedly, putting the containers on the counter. "I apologize for not cooking myself, but I'm atrocious and I happen to like my friends alive." I flashed him a teasing grin and hesitantly he returned. I fixed us both a plate and took them to the table.

"Enjoy!"

We ate in companionable silence. I was getting a little more used to him and it wasn't nearly so awkward as it had been at first. And luckily there had been no outbursts.

After dinner I rinsed off the plates and we settled happily into the living room. I was worried at first about seating arrangements. Should we both sit on the couch? Should he sit on the couch alone while I took the chair, or should he take the chair while I sat on the couch? I probably would have panicked, but luckily he decided for me and sat in the chair on his own. There was a second or so of silence before I tried to start a conversation.

"So... You go to school, you said?"

He nodded. "I like college much better than high school– but I don't know where I could get a job once I finish." He looked down sadly. "I don't think anyone would hire me."

"Oh, I'm sure someone will! Besides, your family's rich– and probably influential. Don't you think you could work for them, or have a relative help find a good job?"

He fidgeted nervously. "Well, Mitsu-san, it's... With my family, that is..." He sighed. "I don't think it's quite that easy. And I... I'm lucky– the head of the family has never really bothered with me. If I can, I want to find a position away from the rest of the Sohmas."

If Ritsu and Shigure were anything to judge by, then the whole family must have been insane. I didn't blame the poor guy for wanting to get away. I tried to look encouraging. "I'm sure you'll find something to do that's not connected with your family. After all, it's a big world out there!"

"That's true..."

After that, there was an awkward pause. There really wasn't much more we could do, and it was getting to be evening. Ritsu stood up. "Um... Thank you very much, but it's probably time I was going. I hope I haven't been too much of a burden."

"Not at all!" I assured him. "I enjoyed having you over. Maybe... we could do it again? If I could get your number..."

Stutteringly, he gave it to me. I really did have a good time, and I was looking forward to pursuing the friendship further.

I walked him to the door and said a polite goodbye. He bowed slightly and graced me with a smile. But he stood there for a moment, as though trying to decide whether or not to go through with something. Finally he reached out and lightly grabbed my wrist, taking me more than a little by surprise.

"Thank you again, Mitsu-san," he said quietly. "I had a very good time with you."

Flustered, I flashed another smile. "Oh, um... Y-you're welcome, Ritsu-kun. I only hope we can do it again."

And with one last slow smile, he was gone.

End A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope that this chapter was Ok-- leave a review if you've got some concrit, or if you just wanna tell me how you liked the chapter. Til chapter six!