A/N: Hello again! I hope you're enjoying this story. We're going to start simmering in this chapter. Shigure has started his tour proper and has found it isn't all fun and games. But he does find some solace in an interesting manner.

I don't own Fruits Basket or the characters therein.


Raked over the Coals

While I was tired, I was fizzing with emotions following my half-veiled conversations with Chris. So instead of going to sleep like I should have, I pulled out my iPad, found the business card Chris had given me with his company's website, and settled in to see what I could find on the Mysterious Mr. Fox. The answer was, not much. His bio only mentioned that he was a freelance photographer with a background in fashion photography. The usual creds were missing however, as was his last name. Like Prince, and Cher, Mr. Fox went by just Chris. I thus dubbed him Chris Fox in my mind. However, there was a portfolio of beautiful black and white photographs of nightclubs across the globe including Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Majorca, London, and New York. Clearly, he meant for his work to speak for itself. I was especially impressed by the ones taken in New York. The album seemed to be a love note to the club scene in that vivid city. They were raw with emotion and danced and twirled to the syncopated beat of unheard music. His work seemed to span several years; however, they were also rendered timeless by the black and white film. Then I thought back to his accent. The breadth and variety of the New York album seemed to suggest that he was a New Yorker.

We were all business the next morning as Chris put a no-nonsense vibe into the air. He made sure I was up and out and ready for publicity photos and to interview with local personalities. I don't exactly know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the grilling session I received. They were representatives from a daytime talk show. And only the first of their questions were focused on the book.

"So why didn't the dog end up with the princess?"

"Do you think the dog resents the evil wizard taking the sun away?"

"Is the princess based on a real person?"

"Do you have a thing for her still?"

"Are you dating anyone?"

I looked down and answered,

"The Dog Headed Knight didn't end up with the princess because it wasn't their time. He doesn't resent the Wizard because he knows they're in love. Yes, there is a woman I based the princess on. We dated in college, but we broke up. She's dating someone else and is very happy, I'm not currently with anyone."

I was winded but was expected to go and do a reading. Chris saw my state and stepped in, saying,

"Well, that's all we have time for."

They tried getting around him, but he was firm. He looked at me with concern, saying,

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine,"

He patted my shoulder and said,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

I got through the reading without a hitch and enjoyed the signing. The public generally was nice, only a few asked about Mayu. I was so relieved that I began including the chibi version of the dog knight along with my signature. It made me happy to see their happiness when I handed over their signed book with the little dog knight. By the time it was over I was exhausted, my feet hurt, and I was emotionally drained. Chris suggested I take a nap before dinner, which we were having with a writer's group that won the privilege to have a private dinner with me. I curled up in my bed wishing I had someone to comfort me. I thought about calling Haa-san, but I didn't want to bother him as he was enjoying his time with Mayu and the last thing he needed was to talk me down. Although, I thought, turn around would be fair play given that I had supplied a shoulder to him quite often during the years. I did manage to fall asleep but it didn't seem that long before Chris gently shook me.

"It's time for dinner Gure."

I got up, and while my feet hurt, I turned on the charm and the writing group, which was mostly women, loved me. Chris captured them reading their pieces to me while I congenially listened. At the end of the night, I got slipped a hotel key by a gorgeous red head. I turned the key to the desk stating someone dropped it. I then went to my room and collapsed into bed.

The next day was a travel day. We spent it going over schedules, playing poker, and, while Chris took a nap, I busied myself by drawing a sketch of him with fox ears.

We got to the hotel and found that the booking agent had accidentally booked us in the bridal suit. There were still other rooms, but the theme was distinctly more festive than normal. And there was a jacuzzi, a beautiful little table on a balcony that overlooked the city, and a bottle of champagne.

As my feet were killing me, I went into the jacuzzi the minute I got there. I had on swimming trunks, but Chris averted his eyes when he walked in to give me the schedule.

"Relax Chris, I'm not naked."

"Ok. Wow this is quite the room. Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. It's pretty funny, actually. Plus, the jacuzzi a wonder. My feet hurt in those damn shoes."

"We can get you a masseur."

I thought, "Or you could rub my feet."

I didn't say that, but it was probably broadcast across my face. He smiled at me and walked out saying that he'd book me a shiatsu.

When Haa-san called to check on how I was, I said,

"Chris and I are in the bridal suit of our hotel."


Hatori interlude.

I thought I misheard him.

"Bridal suite?"

"Yes. The booking agent made a mistake. It's still a suite but it's themed rather more festively and there's a jacuzzi, which I love."

"What does Chris say about that,"

"We had a laugh."

"You sound tired, How, many stops on your tour?"

"It seems endless. Plus, they're so rude. They keep on asking about Mayu. Where she is, why we broke up. If I'm with someone else. Sheesh, you'd think I was the dog headed knight….."

"Well, that's to be expected."

"Yeah, I know. Oh, did I tell you, my final stop is in Okinawa at your resort?"

I was quite pleased to hear that. While Mayu and I were thoroughly enjoying the quiet, boy were we enjoying it, a part of me greatly missed Gure. Plus, I rationalized, it was a very large resort. There was room for us all.

"Really? That's great. Mayu and I will come for that session. And if anyone asks anything about her, I'll answer."

"Ooh good! Thank you!"

We rang off and I said,

"They're raking him over the coals about you."

"Poor Gure. That must be so hard for him."

"I do worry about him."

"Well, perhaps he'll find someone on his tour. Do you think Chris and have gotten together yet?"

"I don't think so."

"I bet you that happens before the end of his tour."

"How would that go over?"

"I really don't know. Things are different, but I'm not sure how different they are. It remains to be seen."

I held her, knowing that I was likely playing a bit close to the edge going off with Mayu. I simply went away without saying much other than that Eiji was in charge of the clinic.


First Date?

Over breakfast I asked Chris,

"You've been on these book tours before, are the questions always so pointed?"

"Well, you wrote a book that revealed you love and loss of someone. They're interested in her because you made them interested in her. I bet you could make me interesting."

"You are interesting. I saw your portfolio online. The album from New York was amazing. I love the photos from the clubs."

"That was an experience. I was young back then. They probably shouldn't have let me in, but I showed them I could make them look pretty so they could get good exposure. I wasn't attached to their world, but sometimes it takes an outsider to truly see their essence. I temped for the Village Voice, and got my images printed on a semi regular basis."

I was interested to see how he saw me, so I asked,

"Can I see the photos of me?"

"Sure."

Popping the memory card into the reader, he pulled them up on his laptop. I saw myself captured on the screen. He captured my good side; He captured my excitement for the project. Even when I was grilled, he caught something. I looked raw and filled with emotion for that second. It was the first true emotion I'd seen on my face in a long time.

I said, "Thank you."

He smiled at me, almost said something, but then said,

"Well, we gotta go."

We then went through the same rigmarole. The readers were excited to see me and refrained from asking the awkward questions this time. Rather they asked me if I planned a sequel. I said yes, there was a sequel in the works. One asked,

"Will the dog headed knight find true love?"

I said,

"I hope so."

Chris gave me a thumbs up as the reading went smoothly and I started the signing. An exuberant fan tried to kiss me, but Chris pulled them away and hotel security dragged them out. When we returned to the room, I sank into my armchair and said,

"Gods I could use a stiff drink."

"I'll go get you a scotch from the bar."

When he left, I kicked off my shoes and picked up my sketchbook. I found that a few panels had been added to the cartoon. It followed the narrative of the mystery photo in the paper. The style of drawing wasn't as practiced as my own, but it was clear what the artist intended to convey. In the toon, my dog asks Chris' fox if he had taken the picture. The fox replies that he hadn't. And that if he had, the photo would have been better framed and in focus. He then asks the dog if he would like him to take a proper picture of him. The final panel shows the fox whispering into the dog's ear, "Clothing optional."

The panel ended there. I continued the cartoon with my dog's face covered with blush marks and the words "you're joking right?" over his head. He then breaks into nervous laughter. I put the sketchbook down and leaned back into the chair and propped my feet up on the coffee table. Chris returned to the room with my scotch, and I savored the amber liquid. I closed my eyes and said,

"Does this happen a lot?"

"Not often, but it has happened. You'll find that there's a fan for everyone. It all depends on who's in the audience."

Finishing my drink I said,

"I think I'm going for a nap before dinner."

"Alright."

As I drifted off, I thought about the banter we had going on in the pages of my sketchbook. I had to admit it was amusing. I almost wanted to keep it up because the proxy of the tiny dog and fox cartoons made it possible to say things that the bounds of a professional relationship didn't allow without making things awkward. But I had a feeling that something was going to come to the forefront soon. When I got up, I dressed in my suit, but Chris said,

"You don't need to wear that if you don't want to."

"Really?"

"I'm taking you to a restaurant in town where they don't care what you wear."

"That's wonderful."

I went and got back into my kimono and while I waited for Chris to come back from the concierge, I picked up the sketchbook.

The fox said directly to me,

"Listen Gure, you know I'm attracted to you. I'm just fooling about the photo of course. I know you're grieving, but just remember I'm here if you need something more than just a stiff drink."

The fox grinned at me mischievously then. I sat looking at the sketchbook, searching for the words to put in my little dog's mouth. But he remained mute. So, I drew him looking shyly at the fox while he twiddled his forefingers nervously. Chris returned and we were whisked to a restaurant. The darkened restaurant was lit by candlelight and the waiter led us to a private room. I thought to myself,

"This is the sort of place dates get taken."

And that is what the waiter must have thought as he smiled at us. When he left

Chris said,

"I know what you're thinking, but I went for this place because it has a private room so you can eat in peace."

After trying to determine if that made me feel better, I said,

"Thank you, you think of everything."

"I know this must be rough. I can tell you really loved the princess."

"Oh, it hasn't been all bad. It's humbling to see how many people liked my book."

"I loved it. And when we get back, would you sign mine?"

"Of course."

"So," I asked, "Do you think the Dog Headed Knight should have been with the princess like everyone else seems to?"

He thought about it and said,

"Well as you said, it wasn't their time. Hopefully he'll find someone new. Like a friendly fox perhaps?"

I looked at him and he looked at me with an eyebrow cocked as if to say how 'bout it? This was the first time that he had mentioned the sketches beyond saying they were cute. I decided to throw caution to the wind. I put on my sexy sultry look and moved to interlace my hands with Chris' to see what would happen. Unfortunately, what happened was I forgot that I was wearing my kimono, which had significantly more sleeve than my suit. So, I managed to dump my water and wine glass all over him. My face dropped and I began to fluster. While I tried to grab napkins I only managed to become totally tangled in my sleeves.

Chris laughed, and then apologized,

"I'm sorry, but you're adorable! It's ok. I'll just go and get cleaned up before this stain sets. I'll have to get it laundered before we leave. Fortunately, I have another suit, so we won't be delayed.

"Wait, we're not just going back to the suite?"

"Mi called when you were napping. The local poetry society wants you to do a reading for them."

"That's why I'm in my kimono."

"Yes."

I groaned.

"You can say no."

"No, I can't. They want to hear me read. Incidentally when were you going to tell me?"

"I was going to ease you into it."

And I got all the weight of that statement in his tone. At that moment, his allegiance was to the company. It was his job to shuttle me to places and try to convince me if I was reluctant. That seemed a lot of responsibility for a photographer, but as I had other things on my mind, I didn't address it at that point.

"And if I said no?"

He smiled at me and said,

"Then I would have become more persuasive."

He added, "That's a joke by the way." when he saw me gulp.

The waiter came in to take our order. Chris told him that we needed more napkins and more wine.

"Awkward first date?" He asked me when Chris left.

"Oh, we're not on a date, he's a friend."

"Oh, well, sorry for presuming. It makes sense. You mustn't be over her."

"You know who I am."

"Of course. I saw you at the reading. I won't tell anyone you're here though. By the way, I loved the ending of your story. They were meant to be."

"Well thank you. You're in a select group. Including the princess and wizard themselves."

He smiled and said, "I think things are going to turn in your favor."

"Thank you, that helps. It's been quite a few days."

When Chris came back and we ordered, I felt calmer.

We enjoyed our meal, and he told me about the night.

"We're holding the reading in the hotel's rooftop garden and then you'll take questions."

This was a bit too much déjà vu and it must have shown in my face.

"You're thinking of your first poetry reading for that book aren't you."

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I was there covering it for the company."

"I didn't see you."

"That's because she was there. You didn't see anyone else, including those girls who gathered around you."

I honestly couldn't remember that, and then it dawned on me. Mit-chan had told me she always used him as a photographer.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be. When I'm taking pictures, I generally go unnoticed. I try to stay as unobtrusive as I can when I'm working. Did you see me before I walked into the kitchen during the launch party?"

"Actually, I can't recall."

"Bingo! Generally, I'm just another black suit in a sea of black suits. Or whatever the dress code holds. I just happen to have a camera."

"It's funny how perspective changes the way we look at things."

He gave me a sultry smile and said,

"So, I guess I won't go unseen when I'm working with you from here on in huh? So, do me a favor, don't look directly at the camera unless we're doing the official publicity photos. It breaks the fourth wall."

"Oh, did I do that, sorry."

"No, but I can see that as a possible problem going forward."

At that moment, the sequel began to take shape in my head. It would be about a magical fox who could disappear and reappear at will.

"So, what were you wearing at the nightclub?"

"A kimono, there was a dress code."

"Why don't I remember that?"

"Well as you may recall we were reenacting Monty Python's 'How Not to Be Seen' sketch. Fortunately, we were more successful than they were. Although you gave me a heart attack when you got on stage."

We arrived in our room and Chris was all business. Changing into another suit, he made sure my kimono wasn't wrinkled or stained. Amazingly I hadn't hit the wine with my sleeve but with my water glass. The domino effect had caused the wine to hit Chris.

He said appraisingly,

"You look good."

"I look like myself."

He smiled at that and said, "Yes you do."

He then handed me a copy of my poem book. When I opened the cover to look at the table of contents to familiarize myself with the poems, I saw a fox holding pompoms yelling "ganbatte!" I gave him a smile that caused him to look down to make sure his shoes were still polished.

He led me to the elevator to the roof and said,

"Last chance. I can tell them that someone else will need to do a reading."

"No I'm fine." I flashed a brave face.

"That's terribly convincing."

"Well, the entire book is filled with love poems that I wrote for her over the years."

"And never sent."

"No. She didn't know the depth of my feeling until a few weeks ago. I only published them because Mit-chan was on my back about getting something to her."

"Well, consider this an exorcism for old ghosts. Are there poems that say good bye to her?"

"Yes."

"Read those."

I took a moment to riffle through the book and found the one I would start with. Taking a deep breath, I walked onto the elevator and prepared to face the ghosts of my past.


A/N: So, this is a good stopping point. As you can see things are progressing. Gure is warming up, and Chris, well, Chris has things to consider. You might see a bit of an echo between Mayuko and Hatori's first date as described in the first part of this story arc. So, it's a bit of poetic justice for the Dog.

As always, r and r! Take care! Acta.