AN: Sorry for typos, I had some really important exams this past week, so editing time with minimal. Also, had a tough time with this chapter, loll.

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Fruits Basket. All rights go to their respective owners. (Saki-chan, though, she's all me unfortunately.)

Additional Note: From now on, a character's thoughts will be in italics


The fitness test is upon them before anyone is ready for it.

Well, anyone but maybe Kyo, that is.

"This time I'm gonna beat that damn Yuki!"

~.~

"He sure is energetic, isn't he," Murasaki says to Tohru as she arrives alongside Yuki, who is looking more peeved by Kyo's threats than ever.

"That idiot is just going to run himself into the ground before we even start," Yuki says coldly, spitting out the word "idiot" like it tastes poisonous on his tongue.

Murasaki frowns, taken slightly aback by the harshness of Yuki's annoyance. The regular Yuki v Kyo hatred is one thing, but today, Yuki looks bothered beyond his usual irritation.

He's pale, she notices, and he looks cold even in his tracksuit. Granted, it is pretty chilly out.

"Girls, line up!" a voice calls from the front gate of the school.

"Well, I guess that's our cue. Good luck, Soma-kun!" Tohru says, jogging up to Hana.

"I expect to see you and Kyo shortly," Murasaki calls over her shoulder, as she runs up to join the other two girls.

Yuki only has a moment to wonder what the girl could mean before he catches Kyo's fiery gaze of competitive energy and understands. There will be no jogging for either of them today.


Murasaki starts off at her usual pace once she hears the sound of the pistol (and, much to her chagrin, misses a hilarious mini soap opera with Tohru and Hana just behind her. Albeit, the other two girls are slower runners and had agreed that Murasaki should just go ahead, but still. It would have been funny to see.)

She finds a nice rhythm towards the middle of the pack, just behind the girls in the school volleyball team.

The run is going well, and she's enjoying a nice view of the river on the left side of the road, when a stranger on a bike comes barreling out from a side street.

She barely dodges being hit, due in part to the biker's own efforts to change course, efforts which cause himself and his bike to fly over the edge of the street and land in the grassy hillside beside the main road, groaning.

It occurs to Murasaki that she needs to stop nearly crashing into people on her runs.

As soon as she manages to pick herself up, she runs over to the man on the hillside.

"Sir! Sir, are you okay?"

Murasaki slides frantically down the grassy slope, meeting with the stranger- a boy about her age, by the looks of it- about halfway down.

He looks, for the most part, uninjuried and surprisingly calm considering the events of the last few minutes. It is at this point that Murasaki also notices his incredibly white hair.

It's beautiful, like fresh Hokkaido milk or moonlight.

"I'm fine, miss. Are you alright? I apologize, I suppose … I lost my temper in my search. Are you injured at all?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm just glad no one got hurt"

~.~

Murasaki and the boy help each other to their feet, and they climb their way back up to the main road, the boy's bike clasped in his glove-clad hands.

"What's your name, miss?" he asks once they are safely on level ground again. Murasaki dusts some grass off her track pants before answering.

"Murasaki. Murasaki Kaname. And you?"

"Soma Hatsuharu."

The dots connect.

"Soma? Are you related to Yuki and Kyo?"

Hatsuharu's eyes light up at the names.

"You know them?"

"Yes, and if I know anything about anything, I'm going to guess you're here looking for them," Murasaki sighs, a sense of uneasiness settling in her stomach.

It's going to be a long day, she thinks.


A little later, Tohru catches up to the spot at which Murasaki and Hatsuharu are waiting, and is introduced to Hatsuharu, who Murasaki has learned is not only related to Yuki and Kyo, but their younger cousin by one year, making him one year their underclassman.

"You've been searching for three days?! No wonder you lost your temper," Murasaki breathes after Hatsuharu has explained his arduous journey in search of his cousins.

"Yes. Ah, that reminds me. It's about that time now," Hatsuharu murmurs thoughtfully, before crossing the street and doing something with a lamppost down the street.

Tohru and Murasaki exchange equally confused glances.

~.~

They don't have to wait long to understand the situation.

"LET'S GO YOU DAMN RAT!"

Yuki and Kyo come racing down the street, and before anyone can warn them about anything, Kyo has been tripped by Hatsuharu's rope and has left an inch-deep indent into the asphalt with his face.

"That's gotta hurt," Murasaki winces.

As usual, whenever anyone is injured to the extent of even a papercut, Tohru is frantically worrying by their side almost immediately. But this time, she gets blown away by the sheer force of Kyo's rage.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"Because you wouldn't have stopped otherwise," Haru murmurs calmly, recollecting his rope. At this point, Yuki has spotted the white-haired Sohma as well, tilting his head in confusion.

"Haru?" Yuki and Kyo say at the same time.


The teenagers decide to move to a spot under a nearby bridge to avoid oncoming runners, and it is at this point that Tohru and Murasaki get a formal introduction.

"Honda-san, Murasaki-san, this is Soma Hatsuharu, our cousin. Haru, these are our classmates," Yuki says, and both Murasaki and Tohru bow briefly.

"I'm Honda Tohru, it's very nice to meet you, Hatsuharu-san."

"Murasaki Kaname, as you know. I'm glad you're uninjuried from our earlier incident."

Yuki glances at Murasaki questioningly.

"Our meeting was … dramatic," Murasaki says, laughing, and she's relieved to see that Haru seems to find the vagueness of her explanation equally amusing.

"In any case," Yuki begins, shaking his head at the inside joke to which he was not privy, "Hatsuharu, what are you here for?"

Haru turns to Kyo.

"To fight."

Murasaki's smile falls almost immediately, and she can almost feel Yuki's exasperation emanating off his body.

Kami-sama, what is it with this family and fighting? a voice in her mind wonders.

Haru and Kyo begin to argue, Haru insisting on a duel of some kind and Kyo refusing adamantly. At one point, Yuki begins to look concerned, and begins to say something to the effect of "Kyo, maybe you should just give him what he wants-"

But then Haru jumps about six feet into the air and headbutts Kyo from behind.

Ouch.

"Too late," Yuki sighs.

"What are you, some little pansy? Come on and fight me, Kyo! Be a man!"

The character change in Haru is so dramatic that Murasaki finds herself almost laughing out loud. Beside her, though, Tohru looks like she's ready to faint.

"He's summoned Dark Haru," Yuki sighs, pinching his nose and coughing slightly.

"Dark Haru?" Tohru and Murasaki chime simultaneously.

"Like Kagura, an alter ego. Haru is usually quite polite, but when he snaps…"

Hatsuharu seems to notice that Yuki is talking about him, because he comes over, only to put a hand beneath Yuki's chin and lean in, nearly nose to nose with the older boy.

"And Yuki, today is the day I make you mine," Haru says, voice dripping a predatory sweetness. Murasaki can't help but be amused at the idea of Yuki cornered in a dark alley by perverse thugs, only to give said thugs the harshest beating of their lives. It would be priceless to watch, really.

"And how do you intend to do that, Haru?" Yuki deadpans, almost managing to sound bored.

Like this has happened before, a million times, Murasaki realizes with a barely contained giggle.

"You'll see."

Haru winks at Yuki before returning to picking a fight with Kyo, and Murasaki can't hold it in anymore.

She bursts into uncontrollable laughter.

"You- hah! Yuki-san, your cousin, and the look on his face! Hahaha! Oh, it's too much, I'm gonna die!"

In the storm of her laughter, Murasaki puts a hand on Yuki's shoulder to steady herself, and the contact immediately snaps her out of her mirth. She removes the hand almost immediately, looking up at the taller boy apologetically, though if he was bothered at all, he doesn't show it.

"Well, I'm glad one of us finds it amusing," Yuki says with a light chuckle and another small cough. But she can see that he's smiling.

"Are they going to be okay, though?" Tohru murmurs worriedly, watching the other two boys duke it out in what is quickly becoming the opening scenes of a martial arts movie.

"They'll be *cough* fine. If anything, you and Murasaki-san should really just get back to your run, this could be a while," Yuki sighs.

That's three times now.

Murasaki's eyes narrow, and she bites her lip.

"Oh no, I couldn't," Tohru says, eyes fixed on the two fighting boys.

"I'd rather stay and watch," Murasaki admits, shrugging nonchalantly, but in her mind she's already running through scenarios.

He has asthma, we talked about it during one of the runs. If it comes down to it and he really does have an attack, Kyo would never want to carry Yuki, and I'm not sure that I trust Dark Haru to do it. We could call a taxi-

"Saki-chan?"

She is snapped out of her thoughts.

"S-sorry. What did you say, Tohru?"

"Just that-" she begins, but Tohru is soon interrupted by more shouting from the martial arts movie happening off camera.

"And once I'm done with you, I'm gonna steal your little girlfriend!" Haru shouts, eyes darting to Tohru, his and Kyo's foreheads locked as they attempt to overpower each other. "Yeah that's right! I'm gonna do a little bit of this, and a little of that-"

Murasaki purses her lips, displeased.

New plan, I'll protect Tohru from Haru if Kyo doesn't murder him first, and then we'll call a taxi.

"Yuki-san, should we be concerned?" Murasaki asks, eyes still trained on Haru as he and Kyo have a physic-defying mid-air exchange of kicks and blows.

"No, I don't think so. Dark Haru may be rude, but he's had the self control not to hurt anyone outright thus far, and I doubt *cough* that would change *cough* for … Honda-s-san…"

Yuki collapses.

The reaction is almost immediate: Tohru is kneeling by Yuki's side, and Haru is rushing over, laying his jacket over Yuki. Murasaki eyes Haru suspiciously, but allows him to help.

"Is it an attack?"

"H-his bronchial-"

"Wait, I'll call Hatori at the main house-"

Yuki grabs Haru with more strength than Murasaki has ever seen Yuki use on anyone other than Kyo.

"Not the main house then," Haru sighs, nose wrinkling in frustration.

"I'll call a cab-" Murasaki begins to say, but Haru puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping any movement she might have made.

"No. It'll be a pain if he transforms in the back seat."

"Transform- what are you talking about?"

"Haru, she-" Kyo begins to say, and Murasaki notes the panic laced in his tone, just before Tohru cuts in.

"Is there some other way to get him back to Shigure's? Please, I'll do anything," she says to Haru, and he smirks at her.

Oh no. Oh, hell no.

"Cute girl like you begging to offer her help? How can I resist?" Haru says, reaching for Tohru, who, as usual, looks confused by whatever it is Dark Haru is suggesting. Murasaki doesn't even want to know.

Haru begins to step closer to Tohru, reaching out to grab her-

"Leave her alone-" Murasaki warns, stepping in front of Tohru.

Haru continues to approach-

"No Haru wait!" Kyo shouts, but it's too late.

Murasaki and Haru collide. Something explodes, Tohru stumbles to the ground, and Murasaki follows close behind.

Because where Haru used to be, there now stands a full-sized, black and white cow.

What?


AN: Hello! So, since this story is starting to ramp up a little more, I though I should start leaving post-chapter notes down here.

Big thank-you to my Followers/Favorites: AngelofMusic1321, Deneb E. Winter, Sayuri Tamano, Yakitori-Chan, ayamiamy, cappie14, frustratedfox, sheeto1011, tokkiKANA

Honestly, I'm quite amazed this story is being read by anyone, loll. I'm gonna try really hard to stick to weekly updates for this, but if anything comes up I'll try to let you guys know ahead of time. (I update roughly on the weekends, anywhere between Friday and Sunday depending on how busy my weekend is). Also, I'm going to start replying to any reviews that I get. This story is pretty open (I have a general plan, but details can be worked in if you have ideas), and I like the idea of openly communicating with you guys about your thoughts and constructive criticism.

Review Replies!

Yakitori-Chan: Thank you so much for the review! I was determined to make Murasaki and Yuki's relationship one based on trust and understanding. I've always thought Yuki deserved his own "main character" girl from the start. (I liked the whole Machi thing, but really I'm trying to build Yuki a character for healing and acceptance the way that Tohru was for Kyo.) Also, I plan to keep writing this one! I'm having a lot of fun with the character dynamics here.

Thank you all again, and if you have any thoughts, criticism, or just like this story, please leave me a review! (They feed my starving writer's soul).