I am SO sorry for how long it took to post this chapter! A lot of stuff happened in RL and then I had to figure out how everything worked in the storyverse. So if I still have any readers, thank-you for being so patient!

Chapter 5

We went back inside and didn't say another word. Everyone else had gone to bed. Yuki took my hand and kissed it. I felt a shiver of happiness run down my spine. I was glad it was dark – no one could see me blush.

"Goodnight, my princess," he said. "I shall see you in the morning."

I smiled. "And you, gracious prince."

"Did I do that right?" Yuki inquired. I squeezed his hand. "Perfectly."

"Now I have the night to figure it out," he grinned.

"What?"

"Why I like you," he replied bluntly.

"Do you need a reason?"

"Seemingly. Goodnight, Kokoro."

"Goodnight, Yuki."

He went to his room. I went to Tohru's, rejoicing inwardly. He likes me! I exulted. He likes me! All my dreams and wishes had come true at last. But as I lay down on my mattress, a small part of my brain nagged: "It's going too fast." As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if that part of me might not be right.

That morning, I wondered what would happen to me. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo would go off to school, and I would be left with Shigure. I supposed I could offer to run errands or something. It wasn't that I didn't want to be alone with Shigure, it was just that I wanted to be doing things.

Then I discovered a more pressing issue: clothes! Mine were still in the wash! I sat up and looked wildly for Tohru, but she had disappeared, probably downstairs to make breakfast. Just as I was pondering going downstairs in my robe, there came a knock at the door.

"Kari-kun?" Tohru's voice inquired. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," I replied, and the door slid open. "Did you sleep well, Kari-kun?" Tohru asked. "You were up on the roof for a while last night."

"Yes, wonderfully," I said.

"That's good. Breakfast is ready." As I looked at her, trying to figure out how to phrase my concern, she gasped.

"Clothes! Oh, I'm sorry, Kari-kun, but I didn't get a chance to do the laundry last night. If you don't mind, you can borrow some of mine." She went to her closet, and I looked at the wonders contained there.

Everything was so cute! There were short skirts, pretty dresses, and tiny shirts. Since this was an anime, I half expected them to sparkle.

"Please, pick whatever you like," Tohru said, indicating the closet. "Come down to table when you've finished." She left, sliding the door shut behind her.

Even though I was a year younger than Tohru, I was still basically the same size. Half-jokingly, I thought: What would Yuki like to see me in? I giggled at my own silliness. But I remembered from volume 7 that Yuki might like blue, so I picked a dark blue tank top out of Tohru's closet. The rest was easy. I chose a white miniskirt and put both on. Now I really looked like an anime character, and cute to (if I may say so). I inspected my reflection in the mirror.

Now that I really looked, I didn't seem that much like Kyoko, so I didn't know what Kyo was getting all worked up about. The only thing that was similar was the hair colour. I had always had long hair – waist length – but now it was down to my knees. I supposed it was the anime-ification that I had undergone when I had fallen into this world. My eyes, blue-green in my world, had changed oddly. My left eye was a deep indigo, and my right was now emerald. I thought it odd that none of the others had commented on it, until I realised that it was probably because they weren't supposed to. I was just a "normal" anime character now.

I saw a brush lying on Tohru's desk and ran it quickly through my red-gold hair. I wasn't worried about lice at this point – longer hair made for a bigger bedhead! I tied it back into a ponytail just to make it more manageable. Then I went downstairs.

Yuki looked up as I entered. He gave me a special smile, just for an instant. Then the expression was gone, replaced by the polite look his face normally carried.

"Good morning, Kari-san. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, excellently, Sohma-kun." I understood. When we were alone, it was okay to call each other by name. But not in front of others.

Breakfast was a rather subdued affair. Everyone, especially Yuki and me, seemed worn out.

Surprisingly, Shigure never mentioned taking me home. I didn't bring it up, either. Did they mean to keep me here? It was fine by me if Shigure wanted me around.

All too soon, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo had to leave for school. I had forgotten to ask for any errands. Shigure just sat there, across from me, reading the paper. I was afraid to move, in case I drew attention to myself and Shigure wondered why I was still there.

But I couldn't stay at the table forever, and neither could Shigure. Time passed slowly, as though we were frozen. There was no sound.

Shigure didn't seem to think it odd that I didn't have to go to school, that I didn't even have to go home.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"You're not from around here, are you, Koro-kun?" I looked up, surprised. Shigure looked pensive.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to ask any questions. I know that when we see Akito, everything will be cleared up." He stood abruptly.

"Come with me, Koro-kun, please." I stood obediently, a little nervous. Was he taking me to see Akito?

But when he lead me into his office and motioned for me to take a seat by his computer, my anxiety was replaced by confusion. What was going on?

Shigure turned on the machine.

"Koro-kun, do you enjoy romance novels?"

A question out of the blue. "Ah-er… yes. Very much so."

"The trouble is, Koro-kun, I have an editor, the Micchan you mentioned. But I don't have anyone to review my work before it gets to the editing stage. I would be honoured if you would read over my manuscripts before I give them to Mi-i."

"Of-of course, the honour would be mine."

And that was how I became Shigure's in-house reviewer. No questions asked.

Now I was earning my keep, doing something I loved. It wasn't like Shigure's stories were all that bad – I just had to remember not to eat right before. I was also supposed to make sure Shigure made his deadlines. I like to think that I made Micchan's life a bit easier. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

As soon as he came home from school, Yuki went looking for me.

"Kari-san? Kari-san?" He sounded a little worried. I emerged from Shigure's study.

"Okaeri, Sohma-kun. Is something wrong?" Yuki stopped dead, eyes wide.

"Are you all right, Kari-san? What did Shigure do to you?" Before I could respond, Tohru and Kyo entered.

"Okaeri, Honda-kun, Kyo-kun," I said brightly.

"Hello, Kari-kun!" Tohru replied.

"Yo," Kyo said sullenly. He continued walking, mounted the stairs to his room, and disappeared. I shook my head and smiled. Some things never changed.

"Excuse me, Kari-kun, Yuki-kun." Tohru said, smiling, "but I have to get the ingredients for dinner."

"Do you need me to help you?" Yuki and I both said at the same time. We looked at each other and grinned.

Tohru shook her head. "Thanks, you two, but Shigure-san has already offered."

Shigure appeared from down the hall. "Okaeri. Ready to go, Tohru-kun?"

"Of course, whenever you're ready."

"Then let's go!" Shigure said. "Farewell!" They were gone. Yuki turned back to me.

"What did he do to you, Kokoro? What did that pervert do?" His eyes were aflame with concern. I crossed the room to put my hand on his arm.

"It's all right, Yuki. Don't worry. Shigure-san didn't do anything to me, unless you count my reading his manuscripts." I gave his arm a small squeeze. "Thanks for worrying."

Yuki relaxed and smiled. "I'm glad. And Shigure's always been looking for a reviewer. You, too, are kind, Kokoro."

I looked down. "Arigato…" Then I asked the question that had been burning me all day.

"Did you decide? Why you like me?"

He smiled and took my hand. "I think so. You're beautiful, Kokoro. But more than that, you're kind. You understand me… more than I think even I know. Otherwise I would never have opened up to you so fast. And… you like me, too. That's more than enough, in my books." I smiled.

"Makes sense to me."

We spent the next hour together in his room. Yuki had a stereo, and we listened to J-pop that was actually pretty good. Then we got started on his homework.

"We, because, though Yuki was brilliant, light-years ahead of me in math and such (since I had never been good at it anyway, I, strangely, was good in the subjects Yuki was less skilled in (namely, Grammar and Kanji – my knack for L.A. had been transferred through the languages, it seemed).

With Yuki awing and tutoring me in math, and me helping him along in L.A., time flew by, and pretty soon, Tohru and Shigure returned with the groceries. Yuki looked up at the wall clock, startled.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kokoro," Yuki said, shamefaced, "I didn't mean to drag you into my homework."

I smiled. "That's quite all right. I enjoyed it. It was fun," I assured him, seeing the doubtful look on his face. He suddenly smiled.

"I know another reason," he said. "I like spending time with you. It's good to finally have an intellectual conversation with someone on my level. Certainly not the baka neko, and Honda-san…" he trailed off. Tohru was kind, but she was not the sharpest tack in the box. I blushed. Yuki thought I was intelligent! I managed to say:

"Trust me, the feeling is very mutual."

Dinner that night was perfectly normal (or at least, as normal as things ever got in Shigure's house) In-between courses, Yuki sought and held my hand under the table. His expression never changed. I couldn't resist a small smile, however. Everything was perfect, just as I had only dared imagine in my wildest fantasy.

Yuki volunteered to help Tohru clear up. Shigure disappeared into his study, and Kyo retreated to the roof. I hesitated, feeling strangely abandoned and lonely. For lack of a better idea, I went outside.

Looking up, I could just see Kyo, if I tilted my head at the right angle. He had noticed my exit and was looking at me. I could tell what he wanted.

Come up.

So I did.

"How long are you gonna stay here?" Kyo asked sullenly. I wasn't surprised – I wouldn't welcome a constant reminder of my past, either.

"Indefinitely," I told him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. I couldn't resist a small smile. After hours in Yuki's company, Kyo seemed so rustic it was cute.

"Indefinitely? It means I'm not sure – but for a while."

"Damn," Kyo muttered under his breath and turned away.

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun," I said, hurt by his reaction. "I'm sorry that I bother you." He looked back at me, eyes wide.

"No! Wait – I didn't mean it that way, there's no need to get so upset!"

I was glad that he had apologised, but I understood that he wanted to be alone again now.

"Well then, I'll leave you alone. I didn't mean to intrude." I stood to leave, hearing the sliding door below open as I did so.

"Hold on!" Kyo yelled. I looked back, startled, slightly off-balance. Trying to right myself, I put my foot down on a loose tile which broke under the weight. I felt myself falling. With a startled cry, I grabbed wildly for anything to break my downward slide, but the other tiles held and I couldn't grasp them. I spun over the edge.

"Kokoro?!" It was Yuki's voice. He was so startled that he had forgotten not to call me by name except when we were alone. He was right below me. He was going to catch me.

No! Don't catch me! You're going to transform…!" The words ran through my head, but I didn't have time to say them. Everything was happening so fast!

The roof of the porch loomed up below me, and all breath fled my lungs with an audible sound as I rammed into it with all the force of gravity. I couldn't get enough air to yell in my pain, only a kind of muffled cry. Then I was in the air again, having rolled off the roof.

A flash of silver hair… Gray eyes wide in surprise… arms involuntarily closing around me… He was going to turn into a rat any second now, they were going to erase my memory…

I gasped, startled. Nothing happened! I was there in Yuki's arms, and Yuki was still Yuki!

"Yu…ki…" I managed, in a confused whisper.

"What's going on?" It was too much for Yuki to handle. "Kokoro, are you all right?"

"Just… fine," I said, and blacked out.

When I came to, it was the face of Hatori looming over me that reminded me where I was and what had happened.

"What…" As I tried to find words to string together into a cohesive sentence, Hatori raised an eyebrow.

"So we do meet face to face, though I don't believe I expected it to be like this. You may remember when we talked on the phone; my name is Sohma Hatori. How are you feeling?"

I tried to sit up and succeeded marginally.

"Okay… I think."

"You took quite a hit to the head. Tell me, what is your name and age?" It was the old amnesia test. I almost replied with my real name, thus cementing the identity crisis going on in my head, but I remembered in time and said:

"Tsukiakari Kokoro. 15. And the last time I looked, I was in Shigure-san's house."

"So you do remember. All right then, I am going to declare you officially better than you were."

I looked at him. Was he joking? I hardly expected it of the stoic doctor. A vision of Kana came into my head, and I had the sudden urge to broach the subject with him, until I realised that this might not be the right time.

"I'm going to order you to stay in bed for another day at least. You got some pretty nasty scrapes and I want to make sure they don't open again with you moving around. All right?" I got a look from both his eyes that dared me to argue. I didn't.

"But I'm told that's not all that happened last night…"

I interrupted in surprise.

"Last night? How long have I been out?"

"It's only noon now," Hatori said, as though the fact I had been unconscious for over 12 hours wasn't worrying. "As I was saying, something very interesting happened last night, and I would like to be at leisure to discuss it with you when you are… shall we say… more coherent?" I nodded, feigning ignorance. I knew what should have happened the night before, but it hadn't, and as to that, I was as in the dark as anyone else.

"I think I'll let the others in… Yuki in particular has been practically hanging on the door ever since he brought you in." If the end of the sentence surprised him, Hatori didn't show it.

He hardly finished speaking when Yuki burst into the room, looking (it had to be said) flustered. He blushed when he saw me.

"Kari-san. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to Hatori-san."

"I'll be in the other room, if you need me," Hatori said. "I have a feeling it's going to get fairly crowded in here." That had to be a joke, because there was no one else in sight, but it left Yuki and me alone.

"What happened?" We both asked at the same time. "You first," Yuki said.

"All right. Kyo-kun wanted to talk to me on the roof. I went up, and we had a talk, but then… I slipped." I didn't want to put the blame on anyone for what happened, but Yuki figured it out.

"He startled you, didn't he? And that made you fall. BAKA NEKO!" His eyes were scaring me. They were so dark. "He's going to pay for this. Maybe I'll let him live… if he begs for mercy." He would have left straight away, but I stopped him, ignoring the twinge as I moved my bruised arm.

"No, Yuki!" I cried, grabbing his sleeve as he headed for the door. "Stop!" It was no use. Yuki disappeared in search of Kyo. I couldn't move without everything in my body hurting a lot, but I still knew he had found him when I heard raised voices in a different part of the house. There was Yuki and Kyo shouting at each other, and Tohru getting frantic as she tried to prevent the fight, and Shigure calling warnings against breaking the house. But I knew things were getting serious when Tohru's voice rose to a fevered pitch and even Hatori intervened.

"Yuki, that is enough!" His tone was of steel, brooking no argument. There was one last crash – a paper door, most likely, and then everything was silent.

"Yuki-kun… Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried. Shigure's voice came, muffled through the floor.

"I thought I forbade you to go that far, Yuki. You know what happens when you unbridle your strength on Kyo…" His voice was shocked and stern.

"Well, at least now he won't be harming Kari-san any more," Yuki said, his tone cold and distant. I listened, startled. What had Yuki done to Kyo? Had he actually killed him?

This was a side of Yuki that I had seen only once before in the manga, when he got so angry he lost it. It was near the end. It was a side of Yuki that I was very afraid of. Had my presence in the manga already ruined the storyline? If Kyo died, all was lost. I would have screwed up the best story in the world.

I heard footsteps, and soon, Yuki entered the room once again. I sat up more, my body protesting and then going still.

"Yuki? What did you do to Kyo-kun?"

"I only knocked him out. I thought you and Honda-san wouldn't like it if I killed him."

I had a feeling that Hatori was going to be around a lot in the coming days.

Tohru and Shigure visited me later that afternoon, after Kyo had been taken care of. He had to be taken to the hospital for his injuries (after he changed back from being a cat, that is), and I felt awful in my own skin. I hated myself for the harm that I had indirectly caused Kyo. There was no reasoning with Yuki on the subject. Every time I brought it up, he got angry again and there was nothing I could do. It was odd that an act born out of his love for me should serve to drive us apart. Yuki realised he had crossed the line, but there was no way he would admit it to anyone, even to me. It was a very touchy subject.

The next morning, Hatori came in to inspect me and said that I should stay in bed for another day, just to be on the safe side. I was sick of lying down all the time, but I supposed it was for the best, because it hurt every time I moved. But the events of the night had not been forgotten, and Hatori and Shigure had evidently decided that talking about them could not be put off. Tohru, Yuki told me, had been dying to find out whether I was part of the Zodiac (whenever she could be distracted from her overbearing worry for Kyo). Yuki knew I wasn't, though, and there was something in his eyes that told me that he knew. He somehow knew everything, even if he hadn't yet figured it out.

That afternoon, Shigure, Hatori, Yuki, and Tohru (to my surprise) were all gathered around my bed, seated on a motley assortment of cushions gathered from other rooms. I had managed to sit up fully, and they were all looking at me expectantly. I knew the first part was up to me. The time for the truth had come.

"You're right," I began. "I'm not from here at all. Not from Tokyo, not even from Japan. My real home – my real family – is in Canada."

Shocked glances. Yuki spoke. "But… your Japanese…" I put my finger to my lips.

"Please, wait until I've finished. I will tell you everything I know." They all nodded. Now came the hard part.

"There is manga in Canada, too. One of the most popular is a series called Fruits Basket. It's a story about an orphaned girl coming to live in a house of three men. These men are members of a large, mysterious family keeping a terrible secret. The secret is this: when they are hugged by a person of the opposite sex, they transform – into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac."

Their mouths dropped open.

"But… but that's us!" Tohru exclaimed. I nodded.

"I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow I was transported from my world into yours – when Volume 7 of Fruits Basket hit me on the head."

"But you're real," Hatori said, trying to get his head around the information in a logical way. "I treated you. Your body was the same as all of my other patients. And yet you're talking about other worlds. Other worlds can't exist."

"I thought so, too. Until I came here. I would like to try something, if you don't mind. It requires a phone."

There was a brief scurry as Shigure brought the hall phone into my room. There just happened to be a jack.

"What's the long distance area code?" I asked. Hatori told me, and I punched it in before dialling my home phone number. I held the receiver in such a way as everyone could hear, if they leaned in close, as the tone rang. Finally, a man's voice answered.

"Hello?"

I asked for my parents.

"You must have the wrong number. No one like that lives here," came the reply. I apologised for the interruption and hung up the phone.

"Were you… speaking English?" Shigure asked. They all looked blank. I stared. I was so used to hearing them all speaking English that I had forgotten – they must be hearing me speak Japanese. Of course, all Japanese people take a mandatory course in English for six years, but it was certainly not their most familiar tongue.

"Er… yes. I have a theory…"

"Then let's hear it," Hatori said.

"Well," I began, "assuming that we all accept that I'm from another world or dimension, then how do we understand each other?"

"Your Japanese is exceptional," Tohru spoke up. "Even better than mine."

I smiled. "So is your English."

She gasped. "I'm speaking English?" I nodded. "You all are."

Yuki looked startled, then chuckled. "I've always wanted to do that."

"Trust me, Japanese is much more interesting… in my opinion. Anyway, my theory is this: When I first woke up here, Honda-kun was speaking Japanese. But as soon as I replied, there was this buzzing, and suddenly she was speaking English. I think we're speaking the languages that make most sense to us."

"So if you were from China, we'd all be speaking Chinese?" Tohru asked.

"Exactly."

"That still doesn't explain how you got here," Hatori said.

"As for that, even I don't know." They all seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.

"So you know about the Zodiac, Koro-kun?" Shigure asked.

"Yes. I know all about you, the Dog, Yuki, the Rat, Hatori, the Dragon (which manifests itself as a seahorse), Kyo the Cat, Kagura the Boar, Hatsuharu the Cow (and both his black and white sides), Momiji the Rabbit, Kisa the Tiger, Hiro the Sheep, Aayame the Snake, as well as Ritsu, Rin and Kureno."

"But… you know people that Honda-san hasn't even met yet," Yuki exclaimed. "Has the manga gone beyond this point in your world?"

"Yes. It's almost near the end in my dimension's Japan," I replied. "The only reason why I'm in this particular time, I believe, is because Volume 7 hit me on the head, not 13 or 14."

"Then that means… you know the future!" Tohru cried, shocked.

"Yes, but I can't tell you. Doing so would ruin this dimension, possibly forever. Knowing what is going to happen would change your reactions and the storyline, forever, irreparably."

Hatori and Shigure nodded. "Very wise."

I hesitated to breach the subject, but it had to be said.

"I also know about Akito-san. Everything," I said, with a significant look at Shigure and Hatori. They looked shocked, but then Shigure had the grace to look abashed. Yuki and Tohru were watching the exchange with blank looks, but I couldn't tell them that I knew Akito was a girl.

"Well, it seems we have a bit of a dilemma," Shigure said, recovering, "because Akito still wants to see you. More than ever. And you also have to get home to your own family."

I nodded. "As much as I like you guys, I don't belong in this dimension. Already my presence has affected the storyline," I said, with a discreet glance at Yuki which only the rat saw.

"I will take you to see Akito as soon as you're well enough to travel," Shigure said, causing a glare of fire to come at him from Yuki. "I'm sorry, Yuki-kun, but it has to be done. If we do not let Akito see Koro-kun, then his wrath will be all the more harmful to her." Yuki looked away sullenly. Shigure was right.

Hatori stood, ending the inquisition.

"Then tomorrow, we go to the main house. Tohru, it would be better if you didn't come. Stay with Kyo." Tohru nodded. "The rest of us will accompany you to meet Akito," he continued, with a glance at me.

I was worried, though I tried not to show it to them. How would meeting Akito alter the timeline? It would be better if I got home before I saw the Sohma family head. But that was impossible.