Chapter 2: Aftermath

Heh…I still don't own Fruits Basket. Sigh…

Shigure glanced slyly out the window, watching as Yuki commenced attempting to annihilate Kyo with his bare hands.

Now…Shigure wondered, what on earth might have caused Yuki to attack Kyo instead of the other way around?

He smiled, feeling very much superior to the boys scuffling outside. Quiet as a mouse, Shigure crept up the stairs.

Heh…The mouse isn't very quiet right now…Maybe as quiet as a very, very clever dog!

Coming to the hallway at the top of the stairs, the Dog peeked first into Tohru's room, and, finding it empty, went to Kyo's room. Looking furtively out a window, he made sure the boys were still fighting, and then, satisfied that they were preoccupied, he slid open the door to Kyo's room. From his vantage point at the door, all Shigure could see was the back of Tohru's head and a pair of slim, bare shoulders.

Hah! I was right…

"Mmm…Kyo?" Tohru, waking at the sound of the door, sat up, the blanket falling about her waist.

POOF!

Tohru blinked. Kyo was nowhere to be seen; Shigure, looking very embarrassed (if not repentant) was sitting in the doorway in dog form; and there were sounds like that of a very violent squabble coming from the backyard outside the window. A few moments passed as Tohru collected her scattered wits; then, at last, to Shigure's disappointment, she remembered her state of nudity and ducked back under the covers, blushing furiously.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…" Shigure, not wanting to discomfit her further, backed out of the room and closed the door. The Dog gathered his clothes and disappeared down the stairs and into his room, intent on getting out of the way of the storm that would, no doubt, soon be moving inside, to destroy his house.

Tohru, slipping into her clothes, looked out the window, worried by the sudden silence left by the end of the scuffle. Yuki sat on the ground, looking somewhat depressed, as Kyo walked away, looking, in contrast to Yuki and to his usual outlook after a battle, very cheerful indeed.

"Uwaaah! Ah…I should go start making dinner…and see if Yuki-kun is alright…but…"

Tohru, still looking very confused, wandered off to her room to get a change of clothes and then took a bath.

Later that Night

Tohru set the dishes on the table for dinner and went to fetch Shigure from his room.

"Ah! Shigure-kun, dinner is ready!"

Shigure woke at the sound of her voice. A look of annoyance crossed his face at the interruption, as he tried to recall the details of the daydream he had just been startled from. Giving it up as a hopeless case, he raised his voice to answer her summons.

"Alright, Tohru-kun, I'll be there in a moment…"

"Arigatou, Shigure-kun—Uwaaah! Could you call the others? I left the water in the sink running…!"

Her voice trailed off as she dashed for the kitchen, her sentence ending abruptly as she crashed headlong into Yuki as he entered the house.

"Ah! Gomen, gomen Yuki-kun!" It was too late. Yuki sat on the floor in rat form, discreetly avoiding meeting her eyes.

"It's alright, Honda-san. It was my fault." He made his way out of the hall and up the stairs to change. Tohru didn't move for a moment, but then remembered the reason for her mad dash to the kitchen.

"Ah! The faucet..!"

"It's okay, I already got it. You really should try not to go running around like that. You'll get hurt!" Kyo stood in the kitchen by then sink, having turned off the flow of water before it got out of hand. He smiled crookedly at her.

"Now, is dinner done yet? I'm hungry!"

"Ah! Yes, yes it is! Gomen, I shouldn't keep you waiting like that!" Tohru babbled, still somewhat off balance after her collision with Yuki.

Shigure watched them discreetly, as Yuki came back downstairs. He decided that this would be a good time to make an announcement.

"Tohru-kun, I presume you have prepared your usual delicious dinner? Is there enough for five there? I've taken the liberty of inviting a guest over for dinner…"

The Dog watched with amusement as an expression of foreboding crossed the faces of the boys. Tohru, caught off guard, stammered her answer.

"Ah! Yes, um, yes there is. Who are we expecting?"

"Ahahaha! Funny that you should ask that, oh captive princess! Now that I have arrived, do hurry up and honor us all with your fabulous creation!" Stunned silence reigned for about a minute, continuing as Kyo and Yuki simultaneously turned to glare daggers at Shigure, and Tohru remained speechless in surprise. This was not going to be a good, peaceful dinner that she had hoped for…not a chance.