Shiguri and the Witch

By: Kinomi Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Shiguri wondered the lonely village streets, cursing Kagura and the curse she had placed upon him. He was quite convinced that this was, indeed, the most disturbing and humiliating thing that had ever happened to him.

Of all the lousy things!

Shiguri finally stopped in front of a small house, the smell of blueberry pancakes and leek soup infiltrating his sense of smell.

All right! Food!

Shiguri raced into the house and found a boy with blueish-grey hair and a girl with cinnamon brown hair sitting at a table, eating their supper. It was none other than Yuki and Tohru (but Shiguri didn't know that).

Paws scraping across the rocky floor, Shiguri leaped upon the table, barking loudly.

"What the!" a confused and flustered Yuki snarled. "Get down! Get down! I'll have an asthma attack! DOWN!"

Shiguri, of course, ignored his and licked the syrup off of the pancakes happily.

"Awe," Tohru said innocently as she petted his head. "He's hungry. Yuki, we shouldn't send him away. Mom used to tell me that we should always help the needy."

"He's not needy," Yuki said, making a face as Shiguri shook flaked of pancake crumbs all over the place. "He's just some stray that has ruined our meal! I say nay to keeping him. He's gross and smells bad."

Shiguri looked up from his meal, and tilted his head to the side, insulted.

"But you always wanted a pet," Tohru said helpfully, scratching Shiguri behind his pricked, black velvet ears.

"Yeah," Yuki growled. "A cat, not a dog."

Tohru made a puppy-dog face. Yuki, groaning, shook his head slowly, not believing what was happening.

"He sleeps outside," Yuki said softly.

Tohru jumped up happily and swung her arms around Shiguri's neck, Shiguri's tail thumping wildly on the floor.

"I'll name you Shiguri," Tohru said happily. "Because you seem like a Shiguri."

Yuki sighed, picked up his slobbery plate, and put it in the sink with a load of other filthy dishes.

Tohru was busily preparing a small spot in front of the house for their new addition to lay upon. Then, kissing Shiguri good night, she went back inside.

Shiguri laid on the porch, sleepless and depressed. He truly was living a dog's life.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Unfortunately, in the shadows, Shiguri's tomorrow was being threatened.