Summery: This takes place four years after the events in Love Lost. I think I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out what's going on as the story progresses.
Warning: Uh...nothing, so far.
Disclaimer: I do not Fruits Basket, blah-blah-blah...I do own Jenna, Love Lost, and all plot and OCs, though! And if there is a Yamakio Publishing Agency...well, now I own you! A-HAHAHAHA!
I hope this sequel is going to be popular among my many reviewers who love Fruits Basket. I told you all it would be a while before I made one, but that I would make one! This is going to either be Haru/OC or Momiji/OC, which would be a complete first for me. You'll see what I mean when you read this, don't worry.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"Jenna!" Momiji called cheerfully, and she waved back from the front steps of her small two-story house. Having finished college a year ago, the twenty-three year old editor had moved to Japan at the request of the Sohma family – namely, the Zodiac members, in order to meet the rest of the family. She had arrived almost two days ago, and was both surprised and happy to see the Rabbit running toward her. Before the Sohmas had returned to Japan all those years ago, she had learned their secret and promised to keep it.
"Hello, Momiji," she grinned, looking up. He had gone through a growth spurt since she had last seen him four years ago, and she now only reached up to his nose. "I didn't expect anyone for a bit longer."
"We invited you – why would you have to wait longer?" he asked, following her into the house. The first level only had a combined kitchen and dining room and a living room, as well as a small bath, and upstairs had her bedroom, another bath, and a small room she kept as storage. "Did you want any help unpacking?"
"Well, I have a job interview in a few hours, so I was getting ready," she checked her watch, her light-brown hair swept up into a bun. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"I don't see why you just don't go work for the company Shigure wrote for. They'd be more than happy to give you a job," Momiji suggested, settling himself on a chair. She sighed as she lowered herself on the loveseat, and shook her head.
"I already went through this with Hatori – I want to make my own career, not hang off the coattails of the Sohma," she explained, and Momiji nodded solemnly.
"Oh, I see."
"How is everyone?" she asked curiously, folding her legs beneath her. Jenna had only had contact with Hatori for the past years, who occasionally came to visit with Momiji. "I haven't heard from anyone in so long, after all."
"Well, Hiro and Kisa are in college now, and I'm working in Papa's building," Momiji told her with a grin. "Haru is working in a bike shop, and Yuki went overseas to continue his studies. Tohru and Kyo are practically engaged, and Kyo's working with Kazuma at the dojo."
"I can't picture Kyo teaching little children, to be honest," she giggled, and Momiji laughed along with her. Although Hatori and Momiji had been her only contacts with the Sohma, she had heard much about the other members through them – mainly through Momiji, though. "I'm glad everyone's doing all right."
"It was a surprise to us that Hatori asked you to come over," Momiji admitted. "After all, he's not that affectionate. But I think he feels a certain responsibility toward you, since Shigure...well, you know."
"Yeah."
"But I'm glad you came!" he brightened up. "Even though it took you almost a year."
"Well, I had to tie up ends in the U.S., after all," she reminded him. "And finding a house wasn't that easy, even with Hatori's help."
"You learned Japanese pretty well," he noticed, and she nodded proudly.
"Yeah – I worked like heck," she grinned. "But I also came to learn more about Shigure. After all, he broke the curse somehow, and I figure the best way to learn how was to go to the source."
"Where's your interview?" Momiji asked, eyeing her critically when she told him the name of a publishing company. "Hmm…are you wearing that?"
"I told you I was still getting ready!" she informed him, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "Why?"
"Well, you better leave soon, then," he told her. "At this time of the day, it'll take you at least an hour to get there."
"What?" she exclaimed, and jumped up. "Wait here!" she called, running up the stairs. Momiji sat back as he listened to frantic stamps above his head, and shook his head. She reappeared several minutes later, wearing a white blouse with pale blue pinstripes and a dark-gray skirt and heels. "Fine?"
"Yep!" he nodded with a grin, and she sighed.
"I don't know how I'm going to get there," she muttered, "I don't have a car yet – and I don't feel comfortable driving around here yet anyway."
"I can take you," Momiji volunteered. "They're not expecting me back for a while anyway, so I can take you there and back no problem!"
"I wouldn't want to…"
"Come on!" he insisted, pushing her out the door impatiently. Even though he was the same age as Jenna, age had apparently not much affected the happy-go-lucky Rabbit. "If I didn't want to take you, I wouldn't!"
"All right," Jenna nodded, happy to have a ride. Locking her front door, she made her way to Momiji's car and climbed into the passenger seat, and took a moment to realize the difference. "This is an American-type car," she realized, "The wheel's on the normal side!"
"Yeah," he nodded, closing the door and starting the car. "Hari has a regular car too, remember?"
"No…" she shook her head, and then braced herself as Momiji zoomed out of the driveway. "Momiji!" she yelped.
"I'll get you there with time to spare!" he cheered, taking off.
"Did you get it?" he asked impatiently, having waited by the front desk the entire time – earning many stares from passing young women in the process.
"I have no idea," Jenna admitted, as they walked side-by-side out the door. "It doesn't seem too encouraging, but you never know."
"Well, Hari's looking for a part-time secretary," Momiji told her. "If you need something until you get a job, feel free to drop in."
"I already said –"
"Don't think of it like that!" Momiji shook his head, interrupting her. "That's what family does for one another, and you're like family to Hari and I after all. Don't worry about it, Jenna."
"I'll think about it," she said reluctantly, climbing into the car. "So, where now?" she asked, as Momiji stuck the keys into the ignition.
"It's pretty late," he thought, checking his watch. "Want to grab something to eat?"
"If it's a bother, I'll go home and eat," she protested, but he grinned impulsively at her.
"Nah – they can wait a while," he decided, and she sighed with a grin.
"Good-night, Momiji! Thank you, and I'll see you tomorrow!" Jenna called, waving from her door.
"All right! I'll bring some of the others with me!" he waved back, and drove off. Jenna hummed to herself as she strode into her house, and checked her machine for messages – not that she expected any. To her surprise, a message was actually on it, and she pressed the button to listen it as she undid her hair with a sigh.
"Ms. Stevenson, this is Yamakio Publishing Agency. We realize that this is short notice, but we would be delighted if you could please call back tomorrow and let us know whether you are interested or not. If you are, please make an appointment for Monday."
"Oh…my…god!" she shrieked happily. "I got it! I just got back, and I got it! Yes!"
Dancing around her house, Jenna skipped upstairs past boxes and changed into her pajamas. The next was Saturday, and she intended to get up as early as she could to call back and to get ready for whoever Momiji brought to help her unpack.
"Wait…I'm thinking of straightening the house for people who are coming over to unpack it!" she realized with a start, and began laughing at herself. Shaking her head, she checked to make sure all windows and doors were locked before returning upstairs, flicking the light off as she crawled into her bed, which was one of the few items she had managed to unpack since she had arrived. Busy with finding a job to support herself, boxes still littered the house, and only a few bare essentials were in use at this point.
"Ten o'clock? All right, that's fine, thank you," Jenna nodded to herself as she hung the phone up, and glanced at the clock. It barely read nine, and she had already showered and dressed, wearing sneakers, jeans, and a fitted T-shirt. Hardly expecting Momiji to arrive earlier than noon, she headed into the kitchen to make herself something to eat when she heard the doorbell ring, and jumped. "I guess he meant it when he said he'd find people to help," she murmured, catching sight of several shadows in the window. Opening the door, she was immediately grabbed in a bear-hug by the Rabbit which left her gasping for air.
"Glad you're up!" Momiji said cheerfully, releasing her. "Did you eat yet?"
"Not yet – I didn't expect you so early," she stammered, a little dazed. "I was calling back the Yamakio Publishing Agency – I think I got the job."
"That's great! Let's go out for breakfast to celebrate, and then come back and move you in!" Momiji suggested, and she blinked. "Oh, right, I brought some people to help! You remember Hatsuharu, don't you?"
"Y-yeah," she nodded, looking past the blond young man to see the Ox behind him. Jenna realized the top of her head barely reached the Ox's chin.
"Yo."
"Everyone else was busy," Momiji interrupted, grabbing her hand. "Come on, we haven't eaten yet. Haru's driving, by the way."
"Nice to see you again," Jenna managed, looking sideways at the Ox as Momiji grinned from the backseat. She remembered what Haru had done for her in the past, and sighed in her head.
"Yeah," Haru said nonchalantly, wearing black jeans, sneakers, and a white button-down T-shirt that was open to his abs, with several chokers on his neck. "Hatori mentioned you had moved here. Ah, here's the place."
"Looks good," Jenna commented, getting out of the car. Following Haru and Momiji into the restaurant, she looked around curiously as they were led to a table, and found herself next to the Ox. "Anything you recommend, Momiji?" she asked, glancing down at the menu.
"Uhm…"
"Shougayaki," Haru said suddenly, and Momiji rolled his eyes.
"That's all you ever eat," he told his cousin, who shrugged.
"So?"
"I guess I'll try that, then," Jenna decided, closing her menu back up.
"Where do you want us to start?" Momiji asked energetically, as they arrived back at the house.
"I guess wherever," she thought. "I didn't really think where to have people help, since I didn't know I was getting any until last night. If you could start in the kitchen, Momiji, that'd be great. Haru, you look like you can handle heavier stuff, so if you could deal with the stuff in the living room –"
"The other side of the counter, then?"
"Yes," she nodded, and he blinked. "Nothing really has to go anywhere specific, since I already put some bookcases and furniture out when I got here. I'm going upstairs to unpack up there, so if you guys need anything, just holler."
"Sure thing!" Momiji saluted as she trotted up the stairs, leaving the Sohma cousins to their own devices. As they quietly began to unload the stuff in the boxes, Momiji glanced at the Ox. "How're things going with you and Rin?"
Haru remained silent, but Momiji noticed him squeezing the cardboard a little too much.
"I thought so," he nodded. "How'd you guys get back together, anyway? Oh well. Did she break up with you again?"
"She said she needed time alone," Haru said through his ground teeth, and Momiji blinked owlishly.
"Ow."
"Shut up," Haru muttered, returning to his job. Momiji considered saying else, but thought better of it and resumed his own unpacking of the kitchen stuff.
"Hungry?" Jenna asked, coming down around lunchtime. "I didn't realize how much had passed. You guys could have yelled at me, you know. The least I can do is feed you. Is everything going okay?"
"Yep!" Momiji nodded cheerfully. "We're good. But I wouldn't pass up something to eat, to be honest," he admitted.
"Got any shougayaki?"
"Sorry, fresh out," Jenna shook her head. "The stove isn't hooked up yet – is ramen good? It's kinda all I have, to be honest."
"We can go out again."
"Like this?" she asked in disbelief, gesturing to herself. "I'm hot, sweaty, and dusty. Are you kidding, Momiji, or just trying to insult me?"
"I don't think you look that bad," Haru commented, aimlessly walking around her house. She gave him a strange look before returning to the Sohma who appeared to have all his marbles.
"Ramen's fine," Momiji nodded, looking around. "I think it's…here."
"I'll make it," Jenna protested, grabbing it from him. "After all, you guys took me out to breakfast, so I owe you."
"Actually…speaking of food…"
"What?" she asked suspiciously, hearing the Rabbit's tone. "What's up?"
"Well…next weekend, are you doing anything?" Momiji asked nervously. Before she could open her mouth, he rushed on. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over the house and see the rest of the Zodiac – it's been a while, after all. If you say yes, then the debt's clear."
"Uhm…" Jenna hesitated, but Haru stuck his head into the archway.
"Just do it."
"All right," she agreed, and Momiji grinned.
"Great! I'll let Hari know when we go home, then," he nodded, and peered at the microwave. "Uh…is that done yet?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Jenna nodded, turning around. "Oh, is it casual, or what?"
"Well, you can get a little dressed up if you want to," Haru shrugged, ambling in. "Whenever we get together lately it seems someone's picking on me about what I'm wearing, so…"
"That's 'cause you come home all dirty from the bike shop, Haru," Momiji reminded him, but glanced back to Jenna. "Yeah, a little dressy won't hurt."
"Sure," she nodded, resuming cooking the food for lunch.
"Thanks for your help, guys," Jenna sighed, surveying the downstairs. "Everything looks great. It would've taken me weeks to unpack on my own."
"No problem," Momiji shook his head, and Haru grunted. "I'll call you about this weekend to let you know what time, all right?"
"Sure thing," Jenna agreed, seeing them to the door.
"I'll see you this weekend, then! Bye!" Momiji waved, and she waved back.
"Later," Haru shook his hand at her in what she assumed to be a wave before getting into his car and shutting the door firmly.
The week passed quickly for Jenna, who was becoming accustomed to her new job as a secretary of the publishing firm. She enjoyed her job immensely, and got along with her fellow coworker from the beginning. She actually completely forgot about her weekend plans until Momiji called on Friday night, the sudden phone ring making her jump.
"Hello?"
"It's Momiji!"
"Oh, hey!"
"You didn't forget about this weekend, right?" he asked, and she slapped her forehead.
"I did, actually, but I'm still not doing anything, so it's good," she admitted, and could almost hear him grinning over the phone.
"Great. Is late Sunday afternoon all right for you?"
"Of course. I need to get something, but I can do that tomorrow," she thought out-loud, and Momiji chuckled.
"All right. I'll tell Haru to pick you up about three, okay? See you then!"
"Haru? Momiji – wait!" Jenna sighed in exasperation at the phone before putting it back in its cradle. "Why Haru?" she wondered out loud. For some reason, she got the feeling that the Ox wasn't just being absentminded like he usually was, but that there was something the matter. "And I bet the last thing he wants to do is play chauffeur," she sighed, but shrugged. "Oh well, too late to do anything about it now." Reaching her room, she flicked on her alarm as she got undressed, wondering what she was going to look for the next day.
Hope you like it! Please review!
