TITLE: Somewhere, The Fates Are Laughing At Me
SUMMARY:For Rika Haruko, eating a blessed fruit which leads to being cursed like the one on the Sohma family and impersonate her twin brother are the least of her worries when she has to deal with love! Oh, and did I mention she has an active conscience?
DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own anime/manga/products of Fruits Basket, so don't attempt to sue me. Thank-you.
IMPORTANT: "..." speech )...( annoying A/N interruptions
Make them 16 (Hatsuharu and Momiji) or 17 (Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, etc.), the rest, I don't remember -.-
-.-
RECAP:
"O-oh K-Kyo…" Kagura started, feeling hull of happiness, "I-I LOOOOOOOOVVVEEE YOU TOOOOOOOOOO!" and proceeded to shake him and acquaint him to the lovely sandbox in back of them, fifty meters away.
Chapter 12: Vacations, Motorcycles, Nights, and Poofs !
"You have GOT to be kidding me…" Rika groaned, slamming her head against the nearest solid object. Which happened to be the ground; the very cold, hard, snowy ground.
"Pfft, maybe if you do that enough times, you'll have a concussion" Haru offered politely, kicking a stone absentmindedly. The girl just glared at him. Looking back at the empty road in front and behind them, with the gas station to the left, she groaned again.
A Day Ago
"Yes!" Momiji nodded his head vigorously to his cousins and friends. "We're going on vacation, for News Years!"
"Really? Where?" Rika asked, looking up from her textbook.
"A resort in the mountains!" Momiji answered back happily, bouncing with excitement.
"Heh! B-but, I can't go! I-I mean, you already treated me to the spa and-and the mountains! I don't want to be a bother! Please, you've done so much for me, already!" Tohru said, waving her hands in surprise. Momiji just stared at her with pleading eyes.
"B-but…I thought Tohru would be happy!" Shigure caught on and started speaking as well.
"Tohru, it would be even more saddening if Momiji's efforts go to waste…" At hearing this, Tohru shot up and automatically agreed. After a few minutes of listening to her ramble on how grateful she was, Yuki dragged her to his secret base to pick the leeks for dinner.
Back To The Present
"Damn it…" Rika grumbled, hanging the phone up with a slam. Haru just blinked a bit.
"What did sensei say?" he asked. Rika shot a death glare at the payphone in front of her.
"He says that he'll drive us there tomorrow, since they arrived already" she answered with gritted teeth. 'How could they NOT notice two people missing!' she thought angrily.
"So we're going to stay here, then?" Haru asked with some more blinking.
"No, we're going to fly there, smarty" Rika replied with sarcasm.
"Or we can just drive there" Haru suggested, nodding to a motorcycle a few feet away from them. The girl just gave him with an are-you-kidding-me look.
"It's not yours."
"So?"
"You're underage."
"So? And I look older that YOU do."
"You don't even know how to drive it."
"So?"
"'S-so'! So, if we get on-which is STEALING- you'll kill us!" Rika yelled in frustration, throwing her hands into the air. Haru just walked over to it, swinging a leg over the seat. He turned the key which magically appeared into the keyhole, making it rev up. He glanced back with a triumphant smirk. She approached slowly, as if making sure it wouldn't hurt her if she went near it to fast.
"B-but, you don't even know how to ride it!" Rika said, arms clenched; Haru shook his head in disagreement. "I rode something like this before, don't worry." 'Well, bikes are close to these things, right?' he thought silently, thinking the year-older teenager in front of him wouldn't want to know that.
As Rika was about to bring up the point that it WASN'T theirs, the door to the measly dinner slammed open, and a fat man jogged up, yelling that'd he'd call the police on them. With a start, the girl jumped behind Haru, grabbing his waist just in time as he started the engine and drove down the dark road, leaving gravel flying behind them.
Pressing herself closer to Hatsuharu so she wouldn't be flung off, she screamed out, hoping he would hear her over the wind that flew past both their ears:
"SHOMA HATSUHARUUU! SLOW DOOOOOWWWWNNN!"
A Sadly Misplaced Telephone Pole Later
"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again!" Rika exclaimed, thanking all the gods and beyond that her neck didn't break from the impact of that sadly misplaced pole, bent in an odd shape due to the motorcycle that ran into it. The fact that the bi-colored haired boy in front of him wasn't harmed either didn't really give her joy.
She slid her gaze to Haru as he stood up, brushed himself of the invisible dust, cracked his neck and blinked a bit before informing the world his thoughts.
"Ouch." 'If I had the strength,' she reasoned, 'I'd kill him. Now.'
She was snapped out of her plot of dunking him in flaming barbeque sauce when Haru started dragging her towards the right. Glancing forward, she saw a two-story motel.
As they made the way to the counter, Rika was about to ring the bell when a large, greasy hand slapped her away. Startled, she looked up to see a middle age balding man hold a beer and wearing a pink apron covered in that night's dinner.
"Can I help yous two?" He slurred, glaring at them both.
"Yes, two rooms, please" Haru said patiently, ignoring the gaping Rika.
"Only one left." He informed gruffly.
"How about one room with two beds then?" Haru asked, extremely bored.
"Out of those" he retorted curtly.
"What do you have then!" Rika exclaimed. Seeing the two males look her way, she squeaked and clamped her mouth shut with a hand.
"One room, one bed" he bluntly said, still eyeing the flustered girl.
Sighing in some defeat, Hatsuharu nodded. "We'll take that, then."
"'Kay, pay up front yous two" he said, holding up a hand for the payment. Haru swung to face the girl.
"Do you have money?" Rika glanced at him with a disbelieving look and took out her wallet. As they walked to their rooms, she sniffed, patting the now empty thing. "I hate you" she said, casting a glare at him.
Still saying nothing, he opened a door and walked into a smallish room with cream colored walls, tan carpeting, a chair to the side, a door that probably led to a bathroom and at the very center against the wall was a bed. He turned and said,
"Who gets the bed?" Rika looked at him, then to the bed, back again and to the bed once more. Shrugging she sighed and pointed at him.
"Take it because you're younger. I'll sleep in the chair" and with that, walked over to the door to change clothes. As she came out ten minutes later, she saw Haru just standing there, looking at her with raised eyebrows.
"Are you sure?" She nodded and slumped into the armchair. Five seconds later, she turned in it. Still staring at her, Haru was in shock. 'No fight?' he thought, surprised. Walking up to the girl that was trying to get comfortable, he shook her, earning an unfocused glare.
"What do you want?" she complained, shrugging off the hand.
"Are you sure about it?"
"Yes, now go away."
"One-hundred percent?"
"Yes, now go to sleep!"
"No doubt?" he prodded again, wondering if she hit her head when they slammed into the pole outside.
"Yes! Now leave! I'm really tired, okay? So, just sleep, or something!" she exploded, trying to shoo him away. When he didn't move, she groaned and turned her back to him, hoping he'd get the clue. After about five minutes, he too went into the bathroom to change. When he finally got out, he glanced over to see that his companion was asleep, although still visibly uncomfortable. Ignoring her, he headed to the bed and sunk into the covers. Turning his back to her, he drifted off to sleep.
Until…
Hey, hey! Wake-up, moron! The black side of him screamed.
"Yes! Wake-up, please! The white side of him agreed, shaking him mentally. Snapping his eyes open, he growled.
'What!' he thought annoyed at the spirits.
You're a conceited jerk! The white side scolded while the black nodded in agreement.
'What! How!' he grunted, glancing to see if Rika woke up from the noise. She didn't, in fact, he thought, she looked cold.
Damn right! Go and help her! Blackie side of him said, kicking him. Haru, ignoring the obvious misuse of pronouns (well, to his point of view really), got up and strolled over to the girl. Standing over her, he examined her shivering, her hair falling softly onto her face and her even breathing. Did he really want to wake this figure in front of him up to face a teenager-turned-demon wielding fists of pain? No, not really.
Just do it! Both sides yelled, waving threatening hooves. Shaking his head, he scooped the still slumbering teenager and dumped her onto the bed, much to the dismay of the cow spirits.
No! You'll wake her up!
"But he's still asleep" Haru reasoned, use to the spirit's confusion of pronouns after weeks of it. Seeing that the boy was right, both Blackie and Whitey shut-up, going silently back into the corner of his mind. Lying next to the slumbering girl, he sighed, and turned his back to Rika.
'I really don't want to wake-up in the morning….' Haru thought, rubbing his exposed ear in advance of Rika's predicted scream of surprise. Blinking slowly, he drifted off to sleep…
Next Morning
Rika's POV
Hmm…what a comfortable chair, even has a pillow… I thought, snuggling closer to my moving pillow. I froze, startled.
Wait a second…
Pillows don't move…
And they aren't warm…
They don't make a strange constant 'thumping' either…
Nor do they rustle when someone, like me, moves closer…
I slightly opened tired eyes to the light that met my face. Groaning a bit, I forgot my previous thoughts and moved upward, but once again stopped when I felt a slight breeze and remembered that the chair wasn't anywhere near the window last night…
And now that I think about it, the chair didn't have a pillow either.
And I DEFINITLY can't spread out on a chair like this. Trying to move my arms up, I stopped when I realized, I couldn't. Looking down, I saw arms wrapped around me.
I was sure I only had one pair of arms, not two…
And I don't wear rings or anything…wait a second, I know those rings…I felt my eyes hurt from the way I widened them.
Oh hell no…Looking up, I froze like ice at what met my eyes.
There, in front of me, only a few millimeters away, loomed the face of Hatsuharu.
Sohma Hatsuharu.
Dear Buddha.
Save me.
Or at least make sure he doesn't wake up! Squirming, I tried to wiggle out of his grip. Damn it, that cow's grip tightened.
Oh WHY me! Trying to calm myself, I thought of something else, ANYTHING else.
The sky is blue.
I'm cursed and really a girl.
The grass is green…most of the time.
I somehow woke up in Hatsuharu's arms.
Damn it; wasn't suppose to think that!
Well, at least we're not any more tangled. I thought grimly, shifting my legs. I stopped when I felt friction that wasn't just the bed. Hesitantly, I raised the blanket above a few inches and gasped, turning red.
Why me? Why are my legs around him like that! And-and-and-I broke out of my thoughts when I heard a sigh. Was he…?
Yes he was.
Hatsuharu was waking up. Turning my face upwards once again, I met unsure eyes staring at the ceiling, then turning to the window, his face adorned with a scowl. Then his gaze drifted downwards…
Oh shit.
Hatsuharu's POV
Hey, hey! Wake-up sleeping beauty! Whitey part of me said, in the background of my mind, I heard evil snickering. Damn it, now what happened? I opened my eyes to barely a squint, wonder for a few seconds why the sky was so…tan; a dirty tan at that.
Oh wait, that's the ceiling. I thought, remembering about the whole motel thing. Shifting my head slightly, I scowled, wishing I didn't. Stupid, stupid, stupid window I mentally cursed.
Why'd we inhabit a dumb one? Blackie side of the cow spirit asked to Whitey.
Now, now, that's just harsh. We ALWAYS get the erm…challenged ones. But that doesn't mean he's dumb. He just can't seem to comprehend that there's extra body weight on him, 'tis all.
At this, my eyebrows shot up a bit. Now that I think about, I do feel a bit…heavy.
Gingerly lowering my head, I stopped when my face brushed something soft.
My lips brushed something soft.
What the hell? Blinking a bit, my eyes met a pair of extremely widened sandy colored irises.
Then I noticed how red the face was. I opened my mouth a bit to ask what was wrong, when my brows furrowed. Why couldn't I open my mouth?
The mental hoof-smack from both sides of the cow spirit made me duck my head further.
As Riku's eye's widened, I realized why.
My eyes widened enough to rival those large orbs of his right now.
Oh shit.
I'm kissing the guy.
Haruka Riku.
Damn it. I knew I wouldn't want to wake-up yesterday night!
Normal POV
With a strangled shriek, the flustered girl broke away from the other's loosened grip (from shock). Smacking him, she instantly turned her back to him, holing her face in her hands.
"The shame…" she mourned. 'My first! My first and only first kiss! NO!' The Rika silently wailed red in the face.
Haru just sat there dazed. As he slowly snapped back, he raised his fingers to his lips.
"I… kissed a boy…" he said slowly, tasting the statement in his mouth. Upon hearing this, Rika darted up and dashed to the bathroom, declaring she was going to take a shower. Haru just sat there, waiting for the statement to actually sink in.
Five seconds later:
Poof!
Poof!
With a sigh, Haru somehow rolled off the bed and lumbered over to the closet. He really hoped that there were extra guy clothes in there. As his cow head bumped into the doorknob, he sighed in frustration.
He couldn't open the closet.
Damn it.
He had not thumbs.
Bathroom
The being stood in the middle of the tiled room. Sadly, she raised her new limbs.
'How could I forget that I turn into this?' She thought with a defeated sigh.
-.-
Hitaru: And the winner of the contest….!
Mini-Waffle: TeenAnimeLover!
Hitaru: Lol. Not enough votes, people!
Poll for the Animal!
-A bird (up to me, though) 4
-Canine (Again, the species up to me, unless convinced other wise) 4
-Any other animal, but you guys got to say what and why, well…not why, but it'd be nice! 3 (leopard)
Mini-Waffle: That was some weird fluff...
Hitaru: No it wasn't! It had humor, some drama…and more humor! And besides, I wanted to remind everyone who might have forgotten Rika being cursed and all…
Mini-Waffle: Who would forget that!
Hitaru: (sweat drops) Hehehe…Good question…cough…now! 8 reviews!
Mini-Waffle: Hopefully, she'll squeeze one more before the year ends.
Hitaru: Thanks for your faith in my ability, Mini-Waffle.
...And they all walked away