Lola: Hi everybody!

Everybody: Hi Lola-Gurl!

Lola: I'm too lazy to do the disclaimer myself, so take it away TMM!

TMM: Deep breath Lola-Gurl does not, never has and probably never will own Fruits Baskets. If she were to state so, she would get sued for the invisible money under her bed. Plus the monopoly money in her closet. But, we're not claiming so, so no lawsuit. Lola does however own Akemi Kamikara, the majority of their family and well...that's it.

CLP: Amaya Kamikara belongs to Paris-rose, who has so graciously let Lola use her in this fic.

Lola: Feh. More like begged me to put in here.

Producer Lawrence: whisper whisper

Lola: 0.0 we're on air?! Oh. Ok. ' Well, anyway, please review if you like. If you have suggestions...review. If you don't....put it nicely. If you flame, I'll simply remove the review. Oh yes, I know this chapter (and the few following, perhaps) may make this look like a Akemi/Kyo fic. Nope, guess agian. You'll have to wait and see what happens. Thankies!


Chapter 2: Kaiwaia High

The two girls sat on Amaya's bed chatting. It was 10:30 and neither were sleepy. "We start school tomorrow," Akemi sighed unhappily. Amaya shrugged and replied, "Yea, but tomorrow is also Thursday. Which means two more days until the weekend. And besides, we've only got a few months left anyway." Akemi didn't look convinced. "What have you got to be worried about? You've always had friends. If you just act like yourself, you won't be hated. Its fakes that people despise," Amaya told her sister.

Akemi shook her head. "No, not that. I just would have liked more time to settle in, that's all. Not to have to get up tomorrow morning and go to school, but instead go walking around the estates. Enjoy myself, you know?" Amaya shrugged. "You've got a point."

"Girls, time for bed!" Their father called from their parent's bedroom, down the hallway.

Their mother peeked her head through the door. "You heard your father. Time for bed girls. How are you liking your new rooms? Enjoying yourselves?" Amaya nodded vigorously. Before she could stop herself, Akemi blurted out, "Mom, when did we get so rich?" Their mother gave her a knowing look and sat down on the bed besides them.

"Oh Akemi, we've always been rich. We just never told you. You see, your father and I wanted you to grow up knowing values, just like any other middle class family. We didn't want you thinking better of yourselves. That's never why you've seen this place before now. And you wouldn't have, if not for your grandfather's illness. When we found out, we had a decision to make. We would both reveal this truth to you and help your grandfather as long as we can, or to ignore it and turn away, after all he's done. It was time for us to support him the way he did us."

She kissed both of her daughters on the forehead. "Alright, now both of you hop into bed." Akemi bid them goodnight and walked back to her room through the bathroom. 'Even though this isn't my bed, it feels like it.' She thought happily. 'No,' She corrected herself mentally, 'It's better than my bed.' Sighing in a bittersweet tone, she slipped underneath the covers, hoping that her first day at Kaiwaia high school would be a good one.
"Amaya, come on. Get up, we have to get going to school. You're the one with the license, remember?" Akemi stood at the end of her older sister's bed, pleading.

"Not now. Later. I'm still sleeping," Amaya grumbled from underneath the covers. "Come on Amaya, just act your age! Why am I the one waking YOU up?" Akemi said irritably. She was already dressed and ready to leave. She liked her new uniform, which was much better than the old ugly ones she had been forced to wear at their old school. This uniform was a navy blue blouse and skirt. Amaya angrily threw one of her pillows at Akemi, who ducked. "Go away," She grumbled.

"Well, I suppose I should. But then again, I could always take your laptop with me. I've been wanting to use it," She said slyly, quickly heading for her sister's desk. "I'M UP!" Amaya yelled, flying out of bed. She ran to her desk and grabbed her laptop. "No touchy," She said defensively. "I knew it'd work," Akemi said smiling as she left the room. Amaya shrugged and grabbed her uniform from the closet. Although the same color and basic design of hers was the same as her sisters, the style was quite different. The sleeves were down to her wrists, unlike Akemi's who's where short. Her skirt was long and reached the floor. She hastily put it on, checking her reflection in the mirror.

Heh, good enough.

"That's more like it. Now hurry," Akemi said, going to the bathroom to dry and brush her hair. Although the short length annoyed her at times, she was glad it dried quickly and combed easily. Amaya came in minutes later to do her hair, which she simply brushed, leaving it wavy. "Hurry up," Akemi said anxiously. "You've still gotta eat breakfast." "In a minute. I wanna make sure my hair doesn't go nuts later today. You know how frizzy it can get," Amaya replied. Akemi nodded, not quite listening. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get my bag and stuff. Ok?"

"No, wait! Don't go! I don't remember where the dining room is!" Amaya yelled frantically. Akemi sighed. "Then hurry!" Amaya took one last look in the mirror, and the two were off towards the kitchens. They made their way into the dining room, where the meals were served. Surprisingly, nobody else was there. Akemi would have at least expected their parents, if not their grandfather.

"Ooh, Toast!" Amaya said excitedly, grabbing a piece. She munched on it happily. "Hey, don't you want some?" She asked her younger sister. Akemi shook her head. "No," She replied, "I already ate. I had pancakes and sausage." Amaya almost dropped the piece of toast in her mouth.

"What? How come I only get toast?" She said, finishing her 1st piece, grabbing a second. "Because," Akemi answered smugly, "I woke up on time. The early bird gets the worm you know." Amaya rose from her seat at the table. "Yea well, the second mouse gets the cheese. Bye, have fun WALKING." She grabbed her car keys and ran out the door without another word, toast still hanging from her mouth. Akemi ran out side after her. "Oh come on Amaya!" She yelled as her sister drove away. She narrowed her eyes. "Fine," She grumbled. "I WILL walk."

Since it was the middle of December, the weather didn't make the walking conditions much better. The snow fell softly, but the wind was strong, blowing her hair in wisps. The snow melted on her nose, eyelashes and cheeks, eventually melting. Another strong breeze blew past her, giving her the chills. "Stupid Amaya. I'll get you for this," She muttered darkly.
By the time she got to school, she was freezing cold. Her legs, hands and arms seemed numb and unmovable. Akemi found her way to the office quickly, and Amaya was nowhere in sight. 'She's probably already in class. That jerk.' She thought angrily.

"Welcome to Kaiwaia High. I'm sure you'll find this a wholesome, well founded school." An office secretary said smiling at her. Akemi smiled back, bashfully.

The woman looked at her clipboard. "Hmm, lets see...you'll be in Class 1-D. If you'd just wait here a moment," She left to room promptly. Akemi sat nervously until she returned a few minutes later. A student stood beside her.

"Miss Kamikara, this is Tohru Honda, also in Class 1-D. She'll show you around a bit, help you get used to the way things are done." Tohru smiled kindly. Akemi smiled bashfully and said, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Akemi." She bowed politely. Tohru bowed back, graciously. Suddenly, she shot back up, eyes glowing.

"Did you move in yesterday? Was that your moving van I saw?" She asked excitedly. Akemi laughed and nodded. "Yea, it probably was. I'm glad somebody knew I was coming. And even anticipated it. That's very flattering." Tohru gave her a heartwarming smile. "Come in, I'll show you our classroom. We don't want to be late."

She grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs and onto the second floor, where their room was located. A small sign labeled '1-D' stood atop the door. "This is our room," Tohru said, leading her in. Two girls looked up from there desks and greeted Tohru. One had long black hair tied tightly in a braid down her back, the other with golden blonde hair that almost covered her blue eyes. "I'll introduce you to everyone. This is Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani. But they prefer to be called Hana and Uo."

Uo smiled and answered with, "Hey, sup? You're the new kid?" Akemi nodded.

"I'm Akemi Kamikara." She said, a bit nervously.

"It's very nice to meet you Miss Kamikara. You have very nice electric signals," Hana answered in a monotonous voice, but still smiling. Tohru smiled and said, "See I knew you'd get along fine with them. You'll enjoy yourself here! Oh yes, you still have to meet Yuki. Hey Yuki, there's someone I'd like you to meet!"

He walked over and smiled. "Oh Miss Honda, you're back. I hope you didn't get yourself into any trouble." She shook her head. "No, not at all. But as I said, I want you to meet our new student. Remember the moving van we say yesterday? It was hers! This is Akemi. Akemi, this is my friend Yuki Sohma." Akemi bowed and answered, "Its very nice to meet you."

'Sohma? How do I know that name? It's so familiar. One of dad's business partners, perhaps?' She shook off the feeling and smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you as well. Tell me, where did you live before?" She smiled at the question, remembering her old house. "Near Okayama, but more rural. I must say, it's a pretty long way from here." Yuki nodded. "About 6 hours or so, huh?" Akemi nodded. "Yup. I fell asleep though, no worries there." Yuki gave a small laugh, and three girls suddenly pushed their way through the crowd that had surrounded them.

"Listen whatever your name is, we're the Prince Yuki Fan club, and you're NOT to be talking to OUR Prince, ya hear?" One said. The other nodded.

"Yea, he's ours!"

"So back off!!!"

"Unless all three of you want electric waves running through you like water, I suggest you leave our new student alone." Hana came up behind them, her eyes glowing with psychic aura.

The three turned, looking panic-struck, then scampered away as quickly as possible. Akemi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much." Akemi said gratefully. Hana nodded.

"Don't take it personally," Uo added, "They just go nuts whenever someone starts talking to Yuki."

"Did they say they were the 'Prince Yuki' Fan club?" Akemi asked. They laughed slightly, sweat dropping. "That happens to be the nickname the upperclassman have dubbed me with," he said modestly. Akemi smiled. "Well, it's easy to see why the chose to call YOU a prince. You seem quite popular among everyone." He smiled gently. "Well thank you very much, you're too kind, really."

"What's going on that everyone's crowding around the damn door?" An irritable voice called. Akemi turned her head to see an unpleasant looking boy with bright orange hair. "What, you can't stand the attention going to someone else once in a while?" Yuki said annoyed.

"Speak for yourself, you damn rat! You're the one with the fan club!" He shot back. The boy stopped when he saw Akemi. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. "Akemi. Akemi Kamikara, I just moved her from-" She stopped when she saw him walk away. "Okayama." She finished quietly.

"Don't mind Kyo. It takes him a while to warm up to new people. Although he's still a fool in my book," Yuki said, shooting him an irritated look. "Yuki and Kyo are cousins. As you can see, they don't along very well," Tohru explained.

"Well, it was nice to meet him," Akemi said blatantly, obviously lying. "Don't worry. Orange top has social problems," Uo said, patting her shoulder. Akemi turned to smile but couldn't help a small feeling of rejection.

Within minutes, the teacher came in and got everyone in order. Much to Kyo's dismay, she was seated directly behind him. 'I don't want a stupid new kid sitting behind me,' He thought irritably. 'She's just another stupid girl that's gonna cling all over me and crap. Ugh, I hate this school.'

"Miss Kamikara, if you'd like to say a word."

The teacher motioned for her to come up to the front of the classroom. She humbly stood up and went to the front of the classroom. "Hi, I'm Akemi Kamikara and I just got here yesterday. I used to live near Okayama, but now I live at my grandfather's house," she specifically chose her words, careful not to use the word 'estate'. She didn't want them to think her rich and snobby.

"My grandfather is sick, so we've come to take care of him. I'm assuming we'll stay here even if he does get better-"

"We don't care about your damn family problems."

"Oh shut up Orange Top," Uo muttered.

Akemi looked around nervously and finished, "err...anyways, I hope to make friends with all of you and will enjoy going to school here." With that she sat down uncomfortably, scared of what Kyo would say if she opened her mouth again.
"You know, you're really starting to piss me off!" Kyo stood up, yelling at Yuki. It was lunch and Kyo had finally had it with his cousin. Yet, Yuki kept his calm demeanor.

"Stop embarrassing yourself, you stupid cat," He answered. Kyo clenched his fists, once again ready to fight. Yuki stood up as well. "I don't have time for this," He said, leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Kyo continued to stand, still shaking with anger. Before she could stop herself, Akemi blurted out, "Why did he call you a stupid cat?" He looked crossly and snapped, "because he's an ass." She ignored his foul mood and said softly, "I don't think you're stupid."

He looked at her, amazed. She barely knew him, how could she say that? Especially when everyone else thought him to be a moron? Before he could reply, she had slipped past him and was gone.
It was the end of the day and Akemi was in her final class: Physical Education. "I hate this class," She muttered to Tohru as they made their way to the locker room. "Don't worry," Tohru answered, "We do lots of fun stuff. We've actually got quite a few upperclassmen here with us." Akemi nodded in reply.

"Akemi, I have a question," Tohru said. "Shoot," Akemi answered, continuing to walk. Tohru looked bashful and said, "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have a short sleeved uniform in the middle of winter. What I mean to say is...aren't you cold?"

Akemi shook her head. "Nah. And I have to wear this. Certain fabrics irritate the skin on my arms and makes me breakout in a rash all over them. It just so happens that the uniforms are made from material that bugs me. So, I had to get a uniform with short sleeves. But it's ok. I don't' get cold. I'm used to it anyway. Winter's my favorite season."

"Akemi!" Amaya yelled, running happily to her sister. Akemi groaned. Not here, not now.

"Why are you here?" She asked her. Amaya smile was almost as bright as her hair.

"Because," She answered, "I'm in your gym class silly! They didn't have enough room for me with the other 3rd years, so I ended up with you 1st years." Akemi nodded. Tohru looked at the two eagerly.

"So, you want a ride home?" Amaya asked. Akemi narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so you've decided to give me a ride now?"

Amaya sweatdropped. "Yea well, I'm sorry about that. I forgot about that. But hey, let me give you a ride. I betcha it's not as much fun walking." Akemi shrugged. "Sure, why not. Go ahead."

"Cool, I'll pick you up after school."

"Fine."

She left, happily skipping into the locker room. Tohru turned to Akemi, excited.

"Akemi, that's amazing! You've made friends with an upperclassmen on your first day." Akemi shook her head. "Nah, I've known her all 15 years of my life." Tohru looked at her quizzically. "She's my sister," Akemi explained. Suddenly, the teacher blew the whistle.

"Ok everyone, lets get ready to begin. Today we'll be running some laps and doing some relays," He explained. Akemi groaned. She hated laps. And relays. And anything otherwise involving running. Amaya on the other hand was overjoyed.

"Relays! We're doing relays! Booyah, Akemi, I'm gonna kick your ass!" She cried happily. Akemi sighed. 'How can she enjoy this crap?' she thought to herself.

"Ok, line up please. I'm going to number you off into teams of three," the teacher said. Luckily, Akemi ended up on a team with familiar faces. Kyo didn't look pleased, but Uo smiled.

"I'm glad I didn't have to be on a team with orange top alone," She said. "Shut your damn mouth," Kyo yelled crossly. Akemi sweatdropped. This wasn't going well. How would they work as a team? "Guys, I'm telling you now, I'm horrible at running. I usually trip," Akemi warned them.

Uo shrugged and laughed. "You can't be much worse than me, I guarantee that." Kyo stopped paying attention to their conversation and glared at Yuki, who glared back. "Do they always rival each other?" Akemi asked doubtfully.

Uo nodded sadly. "Unfortunately."

"Aright, on your marks...get set...GO!" The first group took off, Yuki and Kyo neck and neck, running at the speed of light.

"Woa, they ARE fast." Akemi said impressed. Uo nodded.

The next group was ready to take off. Akemi stretched her legs a bit, but doubted it would help her. She would be last no matter what she did. "Hold on a second!" Amaya yelled, running back into the locker room. She came out seconds later with her inhaler. After taking a deep gulp of it, she set it down and bent down to get ready.

"On your marks...get set...GO!"
"Well, at least you didn't fall TOO hard," Amaya said, trying to be optimistic. Akemi sat in the nurse's office with a large icepack on her head.

"Shut up."
Lola: Well, what did you think of it? Good. Enough? Ok. I'm taking that as a yes. And please, if you do read this story, REVIEW. Because if not, I don't know if anyone's reading it and then I try really hard to change stuff to make it likeable and I get all sad n' stuff.

Paris: That's cuz' you're a loser.

Lola: hits her with a metal frying pan Can it. Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review!