Enjoy


"Hey, Kyomi-chan, wanna play Old Maid with us?" asked Tohru at school.

"Go play with Yukari," groaned Kyomi.

"Sohma-chan isn't here," said Ayumu. "Don't spoil the fun. You seem so dumb and unorganized that I figure you'd make an easy mark. You're pathetic for backing down from a fight!"

*SLAM*

"Alright, asshole, you're on!" the orange-haired punk yelled as she stood up. "Just promise me you won't cry when you lose!"

"Loser cleans the classroom when the day is over!" Ayumu wagered.

"Wow, what a pleasant maelstrom of waves," said Sato in his gothic manor.

"So, where IS Sohma-chan anyways?" asked Tohru.


"I'm sorry, sir," said Yukari in the library, "But I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. So, could you please—"

"OH, COME ON, YUKARI-CHAN!" said the boy Yukari was talking to. "PLEASE?!" He reached out his arms to—

*CLAP*

"Please don't be a pervert," the silver-haired girl said as she held him back by his head.

"Yukari-chan, you seem really nice, but you ALWAYS close yourself off from other people. Don't think I haven't heard! They always say, 'Yukari-chan is special!' and 'A normal boy isn't good enough for you!'" And with that, the boy stormed off in tears.


Later, Yukari returned to—

"WHAT?! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

Yukari looked into the door window.


"Well, THAT'S too bad, dude!" teased Hikono.

"Someone's got the Old Maid!" laughed Yuuzei.

"BACK OFF, YOU BITCHES!" screamed Kyomi.


After some time looking through the window, Yukari walked away, remembering what the girl from earlier said...


"Yukari-chan, you seem really nice, but you ALWAYS close yourself off from other people. Don't think I haven't heard! They always say, 'Yukari-chan is special!' and 'A normal boy isn't good enough for you!'"


"Old Maid? I know how to play, but NEVER played it before," said Yukari later that evening in the classroom.

"I only just learned to play it from Uo-kun just recently," said Tohru. "We'd LOVE it if you joined us next time!"

"And...I guess SHE is the Old Maid..." Yukari turned her attention to Kyomi, who was now cleaning the room as per the terms and conditions of losing.

"Hey, Kyomi-chan," Tohru asked the orange-haired punk, "would you like me to he—"

"Piss off! I lost! So, I'M cleaning this entire room myself! But I'll win NEXT time!" Kyomi shouted. "AND YOU TOO, RAT-BITCH!" she yelled to the silver-haired girl.

"Aren't you getting tired of saying that over and over?" asked Yukari. "Or calling me a 'rat-bitch'?"

"I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES I SAY IT! MY GOAL IS TOO BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA YOU!"

"You know, I find it VERY misfortunate that I have to keep listening to your whining."

"SHUT UP! I CAN'T STAND YOUR ATTITUDE ANY LONGER!"

"And I can't stand YOUR simplistic thinking!"

"Oh, dear. They're fighting again," thought Tohru from the sideline. "I don't think the fact that they're the Rat and Cat is enough to justify their horrible relationship. Come to think of it..."


"SHUT UP! Someday, I'll beat you! And then, I'll FINALLY become a full-fledged member of the Sohma family!"


"So, Kyomi-chan think if she defeats Sohma-chan, she'll be able to join the Zodiac, which means...she'll turn the Twelve Zodiac into Thirteen! But...fighting won't solve anything..."

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Kyomi screamed. "PREPARE TO DIE, RAT-BITCH!"

*KICK*

But Kyomi kicked her face into the desks. "You're always making my blood boil," she hissed before storming out of the room.

"Argh, shit...why can't I beat that rat-bitch..." Kyomi groaned.

"A-Are you alright?" asked Tohru. "Did you bite your tongue by accident?"

"Go away!" the Sohma punk yelled. "Just forget about me and go way, assho—no, wait, I didn't mean to say that...it's just...I HATE losing to her all the goddamn time! I—ugh, just leave alone and go get to work...wherever you go..."


Later that night, Tohru finished her nighttime shift and was heading back to the Sohma residence. "*SIGH* Sohma-chan is so considerate to everyone else," he thought as he walked down the stairs, "but maybe that's what makes her hide all her feelings in—"

*SLIP* *BUMP* *BUMP* *BUMP* *BUMP* *THUD*

Suddenly, he fell down the stairs. "Ow! I really shouldn't be thinking too much while walking down the stairs." Getting up, he walked outside while holding his ailing ass.

"You okay, Honda-kun?"

Looking to his left, Tohru noticed...

"Sohma-chan!" he exclaimed. "A-Are you here to walk me home? You and Kyomi-chan are extremely nice!"

...Without saying a word, Yukari turned around and began to walk away. "Come on, let's go."

"W-Wait! If...If you have any problems or anything, you can always tell me. I heard that telling someone about your bad dreams brings you good luck, so...I really don't mind you hitting me with all your—"

"Move!"

*BUMP*

Just then, someone accidentally bumped him right into Yukari.

*POOF*

"...I...I...I think I may be adding to your worries," Tohru sighed to the transformed Rat.


"Back when I was a kid, I always felt caged, with only my family and Akito watching over me all the time," The Rat-transformed girl said as she and Tohru walked home. "I always wanted a normal like surrounded by normal people, which is why I applied to a coed high school and left home. But I never TRULY managed to leave the cage. I mean, I'm still living in the Sohma house, and I can't interact with normal people. I always seem to be keeping my distance from everyone so people wouldn't get TOO close to me...unlike Kyomi, her stranger anxiety is intense at first, but she's the type who attracts people to him once she gets used to them and relaxes...like it's always been. Even if she isn't part of the Twelve, she can interact naturally with normal people. I...I wish that I could do that as well. THAT'S what I hate about her. Whenever she tries to join the family that I'm constantly trying to escape, all I can think is, 'What's wrong with me?'"

"T-That's not true, Sohma-chan!" said Tohru all of a sudden. "I think you have the power to draw people in as well. After all, all the girls say they like you, and that you're a kind person."

But Yukari continued walking without batting an eye. "I'm only being nice because I want them to like me. It's just like a kid bribing others with candy just so he can play with them. I only ACT nice for my own benefit. I'm...just a fraud."

"So, let me get this straight: Kyomi-chan...is jealous of Sohma-chan, and Sohma-chan...is jealous of Yukari-chan. And THAT is why they resent each other. But I STILL think they're both good people in their own way."

*BOOM* *BOOM*

*DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP*

Just then, it started to rain as...

*POOF*

...Yukari turned back to normal.

*SPLAT*

Tohru turned around as his nose started to bleed.

"When, THIS is unfortunate..." whispered Yukari.


"The sudden typhoon means strong winds through tomorrow morning."


Shizuka sat at the table with her dinner in front of her while watching the TV, when Tohru and Yukari suddenly entered.

"Hey, Shizuka, is the weather report on?" asked Yukari.

"Yeah, I'm watching it right now; they're saying that a typhoon is coming," said Shizuka. "Hey! Are you two soaking wet?"

But without saying a word...

*SLIDE*

...the silver-haired girl left the house and began running down the steps with a tarp in her left arm.

"Hey, Sohma-chan!"

Just then, she stopped and turned back and seeing a boy running up to her...

"Honda-kun! What are you doing here? It's dangerous!" Yukari shouted.

"Oh, it's okay! Last typhoon, I stayed outside the whole time while trying to hold my—"

*SLIP*

"—WAH!"

*CATCH*

Yukari quickly caught him by the wrist with his freehand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...but what's wrong, Sohma-chan?"

"*SIGH* Stay close." Yukari continued walking along the path while holding Tohru by the wrist...eventually reaching her destination...

"A farm!" the girl exclaimed.

"No, a vegetable garden."

"Did you plant all of them?"

"Mm-hmm, this is my secret base."

"Oh, you come to protect your secret base! Let me help!" Unfolding the tarp, Tohru helped Yukari set it over the garden.

"You a very nice person," admired the silver-haired girl.

"What?! Me?! No one's EVER said something like that to me be—"

*FLAP*

"WAH!" Tohru quickly caught the tarp before it flew away. "H-Honestly, I think I've just be PRETENDING to be kind...just so I can seem like a good person!" she said nervously. "But my mother once told me to believe instead of doubt. She said people are NOT born with kindness...and that all we have when we're born are desires, like for food or for things...like survival instincts. She told me that kindness is our hearts growing inside us, just like how our bodies grow. And that's why different people's kindnesses take different forms..."


"It's easy to understand desire, because everyone has it from birth. But each person's kindness is pretty much handmade by them, so it's easy for others to misunderstand it, of that it's fake."


"It was exciting to think that there were all different shapes of kindness like round ones, or pointy ones. YOUR kindness, Sohma-chan, is like a candle: it lights up. And that's when it brings a happy smile to my...uh...YOU don't understand what I'm talking about, DO you?" asked the brown-haired girl

"Oh, of course I do," said Yukari. "I feel kind of ashamed. Girls like me should be able to understand things like that."

"That's great! I think the more you talk about yourself, the better friends we become. Oh, I'm sorry! That was rude of me to say that, wasn't it?"

"No, not at—"

*FLAP*

"EEEEEEK!"

Yukari quickly helped the shrieking boy catch the tarp. "Sorry! I should be helping protect your base!"


"But Thoru...I want YOU to believe in people. Doubting is easy. Anybody can do it. Be the kind of boy who can believe in people. I know...that someone will be there for you..."


The next morning, after the rain stopped and...

"YES! WE DID IT! WE PROTECTED THE BASE TO THE END!" cheered Tohru.

And so, Yukari began pulling out some of the grown food. "Hey, Honda-kun, can I...join you the next time you play Old Maid?"

"Sure! But...I thought you weren't interested."

"I NEVER said that. It's just that I lost my nerve a little because everyone was so lively. But I wanna try it...so I can actually interact with other people..."

"Well, Hana-kun and Uo-kun are VERY nice people and good friends, and I'm sure they'll love the chance to beat a strong opponent!

"I won't lose!" Yukari proudly said with a warm smile. "Come on, let's go home and take a bath before we catch a cold."

"*GASP* Did she just...smile? Oh, my gosh! There might be a day when she does that at school!"


"...L...L...LEEK!" screamed Kyomi later that morning. "GODDAMMIT! I HATE LEEK! AND ONIONS! AND MISO!"

"But you eat miso soup," claimed Shizuka.

"THAT'S NOT THE SAME THING!"

"Oh, I-I sorry that I didn't know," said Tohru. "Would you like me to—"

*GRAB*

Suddenly, Yukari grabbed the Sohma punk's nose and yelled, "EAT IT!" while shoving the leek into the mouth. Tohru gave a horrified look. "Maybe their relationship IS a lost cause...but maybe if they understood each other's points...things could change..."


(Tohru's Fantasy)

In front of a setting sun, Yukari and Kyomi held each other's hand. "I am SO sorry that I didn't understand you," said the silver-haired girl.

"No, I'M the one who should apologize...for not understand YOU," said the orange-haired punk.

They, they both wrapped their arms around each other's as their lips grew closer and closer...

"From this day forward, until the end of time, we shall both cherish our love...forever..." both Sohma girls whispered to each other...before...

(End of Fantasy)


*DROOL*

"Ah, man, THAT actually seems scarier," Tohru thought as blood began running down her nostrils.

*DING* *DONG*

"Oh, I got it!"


*SLIDE*

"Hello?" Tohru called out as she as she slid the front door open...but nobody was there. He looked around until...

"Hey, you!" he called to a nearby tree. "I can see you hand."

"Who, me?" A boy from behind the tree slowly peeked his head out; he had short brown hair, a yellow long shirt, white pants, and an orange cat on his back. "Uh, h-hello...um...My name is Sohma Kazuya...and I...I...I was wondering if Kyomi lives in this house..."

End


Cast:

Hikono: ? (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English)

Kazuya Sohma: Yuki Kaji (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

Yuuzei: ? (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)


Thanks for reading!

By the way, I had only just remembered the Tatsuhisa Suzuki adultery scandal that I learned about near the beginning of the year; therefore, I will be re-casting him with Ryotaro Okiayu.

Later