A/N: This is a rewrite of the original first chapter. I will admit that last attempt didn't work out so well. So, I hope this works better. And if not, well we can't please everyone all the time. This story takes place soon after House Room 1: Spring is Coming. So, if you haven't read that, please go and read it as this will make things a bit more understandable. So, to recap, Hatori and Mayuko are in love and Shigure is trying to find a way to get over the fact that his best friend is with the woman that he loves. This story will follow him on his book tour, a tour that ends at a resort in Okinawa. Will he find love on the way? This story is told mostly from the perspective of Shigure with Mayu and Tori kibbitzing in the background. They also play a large role at the end, along with Ayame. They will be put into their own boxes to differentiate them from Shigure.

So why have I paired Shigure with my own character?

I like the canon relationship for Mit-chan. She was the only other person I'd consider pairing him with other than Mayu-chan- and Hatori would have something to say about that; Outside characters provide wonderful mirrors for main characters as the getting-to-know-you sequences allow for character development; And most importantly, because it's fun!

I do not own Fruits Basket or the Characters Therein.


Point of Pride

The following weeks flew by. I received the first galleys of the finished book, and I felt a great sense of pride rise in me. Mit-chan, who was always ecstatic when I finished a book, was over the moon. So, the usual quiet launch party she threw me in her office exploded to a catered affair. Granted this was partly because it was my first book that wasn't poetry published under my own name, but her excitement overshadowed my own threefold. She burned up her phone calling people to get ready for the event and she asked me for a list of people to invite.

I asked Tori and Mayu and Ayame of course. But Aya decided to surprise me and asked the rest of the zodiac members if they wanted to attend. The youngster declined as they thought my books were creepy, but surprisingly enough some of the others were happy to attend, including, Kureno and Ritsu. The one that really surprised me was Ritsu, until Aya let it slip that Mit-chan and he had been carrying of a very below-the-radar relationship. They had met while she was visiting Aya to get the finalized list of invites. Ritsu was picking up a kimono that he had ordered from Aya and had been standing on the podium while Aya made the final alterations to it. Mayu had found him quite beautiful and had asked him to a café after his fitting. He agreed and they hit it off instantly, and the rest was history. Aya even whispered that he had invited Mit-chan to the onsen for a weekend getaway. I cheered for the timid Ritsu. I was very pleased that he was starting to leave his shell.

When I asked them what they thought about my book Tori said,

"Well, I didn't hate it." I took this as great praise.

Mayu said, "I like it in its current state. Tori isn't quite so evil."

Yuki quietly said,

"Now."

None of us blamed him. We all had lived under deep shadows and the growing light didn't fully banish them but shoved them to the corners, so they were only tripped over occasionally. I certainly had my own. I enjoyed the night, and it didn't sting as much watching Mayu and Tori together as I thought it would as they were simply perfect for each other. For me, life at that moment was lived without much thought at all. I had pulled my emotions in as I didn't want to feel the pain that letting Mayu go brought about. It was rather like I had jumped into a frozen koi pond and let the ice insulate me from feeling.

But the book, the book was a point of pride, and I felt a warm glow every time I looked at the pile of pages given to me by my publisher to make any corrections I needed to. It even made me even happier knowing my three best friends, the inspiration for my story, approved of the tale I had told. I was especially happy to get Haa-san's stamp of approval, as he was often a bit too honest about his opinions on some of my earlier books written under my pen name. So, I was thrilled that when Mit-chan began planning for the book launch party, they put themselves at the top of the list.


Hatori's interlude

Aya, Sigure, Mayu, myself and the kids had gathered for dinner at the apartment one night when Shigure quietly asked if we would like to come to a launch party for his newest book: The Many Tales of the Koi Princess. As much as I wasn't effusive with my praise, as that was more Aya's schtick, I did enjoy his book and was happy for him. So, I was quite happy to go to his launch party, as was Mayu. I did ask her if she would mind being identified as the princess as it was likely the press would try to find out who she was.

But she said,

"He chose the picture of me holding my parasol with the dragon and dog and snake and fish painted on it. It almost completely covers my face. You can only see my profile peeking from behind it. The three of you are the focus. I'm not sure why it isn't called the Many Tails of the Sohma Family.

I choked on my wine and said,

"I think someone would possibly murder the Dog if he tried that."

She ignored my comment and continued her thought,

"Plus, as I clearly am with you in real life, I'm not sure it matters any more. And the final version is a lot less racy. So, I'm not sure I mind being the Koi Princess if you don't mind being the Dragon Wizard."

Finding myself caught up in the moment, I pulled Mayu to me, said "Not at all," and proceeded to deeply kiss her. The rest of the room either cheered or told us to get a room. To which we replied,

"We have one, you're in it."

We were relaxing into our new roles and although the bonds between Aya, Shigure and I had loosened a bit, we felt more together. For the ease gave us room to move, allowing the original relationship to morph into something newer, stronger, healthier. We all felt freer that night. But I only hoped that Shigure would allow himself to move on. I could tell that neither he nor Aya were quite happy, but they wore broad smiles and let us have our tender moment.

After it passed, Aya asked,

"So, have you drawn a chibi version of Mayu yet? You've been drawing us for years so it only follows that she should have her own cute character now that she's one of us."

Gure thought about it, and said,

"Well, she's the Koi Princess so maybe she should be a mermaid?"

He pulled out his sketchbook and began sketching possibilities for Mayu's chibi character. A few were quite cute. One was a bit too close to his original drawing of her for anyone's comfort. He finally created a cute version of the cover of the book with her fish tail holding the parasol. Tohru exclaimed,

"Shiraki-sense, you look so kawaii!"

She smiled.

Kyo even asserted that it was a cute drawing.

All and all it was a lovely night and we were all brought closer still.


3-2-1 Contact! Shigure's Book is Launched

The launch party for my book was a huge event. Everyone was there, including most of the zodiac members. Mayu looked fabulous in a new dress designed by Aya for the occasion. I was surrounded by well-wishers. Mit-chan had invited authors, artists, and others connected to the company as well as my family. While buzzing around meeting everyone, I watched the budding relationship between Ritsu and herself glow as she put her hand on his shoulder while introducing him to another author. They were adorable. After cornering the two of them in a quiet corner, I congratulated them. The two gushed like only a new couple could, telling me what they saw in each other. She loved his sensitivity, and he loved her caring nature. It seemed everyone was pairing off beside Aya and myself. I hoped that would change eventually. I was truly beginning to feel like an old maid. I sighed and put on a happy mask on when Mit-chan brought over yet another artist for me to talk to. We posed for a picture and then she whisked me to another grouping that required another photograph.

Kureno came and congratulated me, saying my achievement was admirable and that I should be proud. I bowed with the respect due the head of family, but he said,

"Gure, how many hours have we spent together dancing? We were paired together at birth. I'll always be the one to make way for you, you don't need to give way to me now. My title is only a title to me, it doesn't hold any weight. I plan on being more democratic about things. "

Those things were left unsaid, as the whole situation was quite new. I smiled at him. He always was a calming influence on me. As the Rooster and Dog, we were paired together at New Years from the beginning. We sat together at the banquet and Kureno had danced with me several times over the years. While I didn't spend much time outside of New Year's with him, I enjoyed his quiet presence, and I had high hopes that he would be a healing balm for years upon years of hurt. I hugged him and let myself be led away for yet another photograph, feeling better for the time I spent with him. I put on my smile and looked pretty for the pictures. But I needed a break and retreated to the kitchen where it was momentarily quiet.

Feeling in my pockets, I realized I had forgotten my cigarettes in my coat pocket. I was feeling overwhelmed, so I walked out onto the small balcony that opened off the breakfast nook. The cold night air was refreshing and the view outside was spectacular. Tori's apartment was in the heart of the city, and the lights twinkled like stars. I leaned on the banister and took comfort in the quiet. I heard the kitchen door open, and I turned around to see the photographer hired to capture the event for the company's publicity department walk in. I turned and he said,

"Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt,"

"It's ok, I was just getting some air."

"Taking a break from the craziness?"

"Yes, don't get me wrong, I love the attention but sometimes it gets a bit too much and I need to retreat."

He smiled at me, saying,

"I get that, these things get tiresome. I'm Chris by the way."

I took him in and liked what I saw. He had a toned runner's body, bright blue eyes, and short spiky black hair. His wire rimmed glasses and scruffy beard framed his pointy face. He was American, but I couldn't quite catch where his accent was from. But as he spoke Japanese almost fluently, we had no issue understand each other. He seemed to be equally impressed with me, and we stood contemplating each other for a minute, each trying find something to say. I imagined his reticence was because he was at work. My reticence was due to the fact my usual "come here often" line really didn't work at that moment. I really was quite awkward still and often let people come to me. We were rescued by Mit-chan, who came bounding in.

"Ah Chris, we need you to take the official press photo of Shigure. Oh, hi Shigure. I was wondering where you got to. You were the next on my list to find as well."

"Hi there."

She looked at us and said,

"Am I interrupting something?"

We looked at each other, and finally Chris spoke up,

'I was looking for batteries, my flash is going."

I opened the junk drawer that seemed to hold everything and handed him the batteries. When our fingers met, there were tingles.

He added, "And I found them. Gotta love well stocked junk drawers."

He then left to set up the camera.

She smiled and said,

"Chris is a great photographer; I always choose him for my photo ops."

She looked at me a minute and added,

"He's also easy on the eyes. And I think he's single."

She then walked out of the kitchen giving me a few minutes to ponder what she had said. I then heard her announce that I'd like to give a few closing remarks about the book. Apparently, this was true as she said it was, although I was getting a bit tired.

I walked back into the living room and posed with the cover of my book. Chris smiled as he captured my image. Tori, who missed nothing, cocked an eyebrow. I flashed him a smile. I then thanked everyone for coming, for Mayu serving as my muse, and for Mit-chan being patient. Everyone clapped and cheered.

After everything started winding down, I saw Mit-chan pull Chris aside and whisper to him. He then walked over and said,

"Mi wants me to take photos of your studio for the PR department. Would that be ok? "

My pulse rose and I said,

"Well, it isn't much, but you are free to take pictures."

Are you free tonight?

"Sure. Let me say goodbye to everyone." I circled the room, making my goodbyes. Everyone was congratulatory and I still felt the sense of pride for my accomplishment. Until I walked up to Mayu and Haa-san. I kept it cheerful though when I said,

"Well kids, thanks for coming. The company wants photos of my studio. So, I'm calling it a night."

Tori said,

"Goodnight Gure. Have fun! Be safe."

"What," I said, "I'm just taking a photographer to my studio to take photos. it's perfectly innocent."

"You're never perfectly innocent."

I smiled once again, said goodbye to Mit-chan, who smiled knowingly.

"I don't need those photos right away Chris, don't feel you need to rush home and get them edited."

"Thanks Mi."

We said goodbye to the rest of the family and made our way to our cars. It was a rare crystalline night and when I looked up at the sky, I saw a few stars glowing in the sky. I once more attempted to see into the universe. As I stood looking, Chris cleared his throat to remind me of his presence.

"Sorry I said, it isn't often that the stars break through the lights here."

"Do you want to make a wish?"

I closed my eyes and wished to be able to move on from Mayu.

I felt a warm feeling course through me as if I was suddenly wrapped up in a blanket. And, while the fates were no longer speaking directly to me, I felt that at that moment they were smiling.

Chris followed me to my studio and while he took a photo of the exterior of the building, I assessed how I was feeling. I certainly was attracted to him, but I also was far from over Mayu. And I was beginning to think it would behoove me to take some time out.

Chris said, "I'm ready."

We went upstairs and I said,

"I hope you don't mind if the studio is set up for a photo shoot, my easel is behind the backdrop."

"I'd love to get shots of that. Do you mind?"

"Nope."

And he expertly put it away revealing my easel. I sat down and pretended to paint. Chris snapped photos of me, capturing me from several angles. He then walked around taking shots of the studio. Pausing in front of my self-portrait, he admired my nude form and said,

"Well, that's certainly a different view of the Dog Headed Knight."

I laughed and said,

"I painted that when I was in college, I was playing around with iconic images in culture.

"So that's the big bad wolf?"

"Something like that."

He walked over to me. He was so close. I could smell his spicy cologne, and feel the heat rise in my face. I felt a bit heady.

Seeing that I was nervous, he backed off and said,

"Sorry, I must have misread your signals. I'm generally pretty good but sometimes…"

"No, you didn't, I'm attracted you. But I'm getting over someone right now."

He smiled at me and said,

"I get that." He pulled out a business card and wrote his cell phone on the back. "If you ever want to go out let me know." The card had his website, as well as the name of his company, "Limelight Photography."

He patted me on the shoulder and left. I collapsed on the day bed and slept as I was completely wiped.

Haa-san called the next morning asking how I was. I tried to lie but said,

"I miss her, but I don't want to bring you down."

"I understand. And the photographer?"

"The photographer is lovely."

He waited for me to elaborate, but when I didn't, he continued,

"Well, I called to let you know Mayu and I are going to a resort in Okinawa, so we'll be away for a while. I think that will be good for us all. Our paths have been too linked. It's time to find our own paths."

When Aya called later asking if I wanted to go out, I said I needed a night in. Instead, I put on some music, drew a hot bath, and enjoyed the quiet. It was a change.


A/N: So here is my re-write of Chapter 1. I hope it reads better. I do appreciate constructive criticism. As always r and r! Acta!