Disclaimer: Fruits Basket still isn't mine. Sometimes I have to cry myself to sleep just to forget. XP.

Kairan: So this is my senior-year Astronomy paper. That I got an "A" on, sugoi! XD!

Nightshade: That you did the night before.

Kairan: I got an "A"; that's all that matters.

"…" – talking

italics – emphasized

Kairan: A tiny bit of astronomy jargon but yeah, here you go.

SPECIAL WEDNESDAY UPDATE, ZOMG!

Enjoy the ride.

Onigiri of the Zodiac

SCENE TWO: Investigation

Tohru stared at the webpage, her head dropping. "Have you found anything, Yuki?"

"Not really," Yuki replied sadly. He stretched and yawned. "I'm going to try some more websites, I'll be back."

"Okay." Tohru stared at the screen again, shaking her head to keep herself awake. "Okay!" She began to jot down notes as she read to herself. "Zodiac is formed from the Greek word zoon, which means animal. Maybe that's where the word zoo comes from too! Oh, here's something. The zodiac is actually an imaginary belt in the sky. It extends 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's ecliptic…wonder what that means…"

Tohru flipped through her notes. "Ah, there it is! The ecliptic is the apparent path of the Sun among the stars." Tohru turned back to the webpage and flipped back through her notes. "Okay, where was I? Oh, here…it extends 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's ecliptic, or apparent path, and crosses into the apparent paths of the Moon, the three terrestrial planets and the Jovian planets. The terrestrial planets must be Mercury, Venus and Mars, since they're kinda like Earth. So then Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have to be the Jovian planets. I wonder why Pluto isn't mentioned…"

"Pluto's eccentricity is so great that it does not travel along the ecliptic like the other planets."

"Oh Yuki, you scared me!" Tohru turned the computer chair, breathing heavily. "Thanks for spotting that for me, though."

"You're welcome," Yuki smiled. He read the web link over Tohru's shoulder. "Wikipedia; good choice." Yuki covered his mouth as he yawned. "I printed a few pages about different astrologies and calendars that mention the zodiac." Yuki yawned again. "It's getting late, we should head home."

"Uh-huh. Just let me print these pages." Tohru stretched as she stood by the printer. She felt something press against her back and stiffened.

"Earth to space cadet," Kyo said. "Here." He handed Tohru some printed pages. "I printed these from an Encarta disc. It's all about the Western zodiac; different animals and stuff, things used for horoscopes. It has some stuff on constellations and something called 'Archaeoastronomy', ancient origins and stuff. I don't know if it will help, but–"

"Oh wow!" Tohru took the papers and smiled brightly. "No, this is great Kyo, thank you!" Tohru gathered all her papers and walked with Kyo to the exit. "What do you want for dinner tonight, Kyo?"

"Why ask a stupid question like that? Everything you cook is fine." Kyo blushed nervously. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by that, okay? Don't read too much into it, alright!"

"O-Okay," Tohru replied. Tohru saw Yuki push himself from the library pillar and saw Kyo turn to him from the corner of her eye. Oh no, don't tell me they're going to fight again. "It looks like it's going to rain soon, we should head home before it does…" Tohru turned on the steps and slipped, beginning to fall down them.

"MS. HONDA!"

"TOHRU!"

Both boys forgot the possible scuffle and rushed to Tohru's aid. They wrapped their arms around Tohru as she came down. As the rain came down, reverberations that could only be described as implosions sounded, followed by blue and orange smoke. When the smoke cleared, Tohru sat on the library steps with a rat and a cat, Yuki and Kyo out of sight, and their clothes scattered. "I am so sorry! I am such an idiot!" Tohru picked up Yuki and Kyo's clothes. "We should get home before someone sees you two…" She turned her looked at the bottom of the steps. Oh no, they're fighting anyway!

"You stupid cat, this is entirely your fault." Yuki (the Rat) pointed a paw at Kyo, a cross look on his face.

"My fault! Don't try to pin this on me, you damn rat!" Kyo (the Cat) hissed back, his back arching and claws grating against the concrete steps.

Tohru watched the gray rat and orange cat go at each other. Yuki kicked Kyo square in the jaw, then Kyo slammed Yuki with a paw. "Come on you two, stop it!"

Before Kyo could make another swipe at him, Yuki bit his paw. "The heck! You little monster!" Kyo licked his scrape quickly. "I can't believe you bit me! You might have rabies or something!"

"If either of us would have rabies, it'd be you," Yuki retorted, glaring daggers. "Disappearing for four months and fighting bears…"

"I didn't fight any freakin' bears!"

"Right, they would've beaten you anyway," Yuki replied.

"That's it, Mickey Mouse, you're goin' down!"

"Yuki, Kyo!–" Tohru sneezed.

Both turned to her and lowered their heads slowly. "We'll settle this later, you damn rat."

"Whatever," Yuki answered.

And so, Tohru, with a rat on her left and a cat on her right, returned to Sohma house.

-hateshi nai-