A/N- So, when I was working on Chapter 3, I finished what I have already posted, and then couldn't decide what to do, and figured that it was a good place to end the chapter. But when I started working on Chapter 4, I just couldn't stop thinking of what happens below. And so, Chapter 3.5 was born! Sorry, you guys. And so, here are Chapters 3.5 and 4. xD
Disclaimer- I don't own Fruits Basket, or any of it's characters, blah, blah, blah, we all know the drill. I only own Emiko and Ryuu.
Also, I don't own the song used in Chapter 4, which is Faded by The Veronicas. They own the song.
Chapter 3.5-
Shigure's POV-
Shigure's day had been fretful, and unproductive. All day, every time he tried to do something, he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts just kept returning to Emiko. Her smile, her laugh, their almost kiss, how badly he wanted to kiss her... And that was why he couldn't concentrate. He thought it would be better if he just knew when he was going to be able to see her again.
"What do you mean your friend is coming over on Saturday? Do you realize how easily she could do something to cause one if us to change?" Kyo shouted, storming into the house.
"With the same amount of ease that Tohru could," said Yuki, entering just behind Kyo.
"Yeah, but Tohru knows our secret, that's different!" Kyo shouted.
"I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want to hug any of you," Tohru said with a small frown, "If she was going to hug anyone here, it would probably be me."
"I'm pretty sure I missed something, but who, exactly, is coming over Saturday?" Shigure asked, with one eyebrow raised.
"Emiko," they all said at once, Kyo shouting, Yuki calmly, and Tohru happy and excited.
"Um, Kyo, why are you angry? She was here just yesterday, and she's been here before. What's so different this time?" Shigure asked.
"The more time she spends with us, the more likely it is that she'll figure out our secret. She already spends hours with us every day." Kyo glowered angrily.
"Oh, calm down," Yuki said, "As you said yourself, she spends hours with us every day. Don't you think that if she was going to find out about us, she would have already?"
Kyo seemed to think about it for a minute, then shouted, "Shut up, stupid rat!" Then he shoved past Tohru and ran into the forest.
Yuki sighed, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get started on my homework."
Tohru waited a few minutes, and then said hesitantly, "Shigure-san..."
"Yes, Tohru?" Shigure asked, curious.
"When Emiko was here, I got the feeling that you liked her. Do you?" Tohru asked.
~Damn, what do I say now? How in the would an I supposed to tell her that I like Emiko-chan?~ Shigure thought.
Tohru seemed to notice that he was struggling with what to say, "Shigure-san, if you think that I'll be mad at you, you don't have to worry. I think that it would be cute if you guys were together. Besides, I think it would be good for both of you."
With a sigh, Shigure admitted his feelings, "Yes, I do."
With a thoughtful look on her face, Tohru slowly got to her feet, "I'm going to go work on my homework, Shigure-san." Then, she walked up the stairs.
Tohru's POV-
Closing the door behind her, she crossed to her bed and sat. ~So, Emiko is into Shigure-san, and Shigure-san is into Emiko. But, knowing Emiko, she'll never make the first move, and with the way she was acting this morning, Shigure-san might be nervous about making one. So how do I get them alone together?~
Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She fell onto her back and started planning.
Chapter 4-
Emiko's POV-
Patiently, Emiko waited outside the school for Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo. She was totally ready for her and Tohru's sleepover/shopping trip. The only thing she wasn't ready for was Shigure. She knew that she would eventually need to apologize for trying to kiss him, but every time she thought about it, she just got all nervous and scared. She was kind of hoping that he wouldn't be there...
"Emiko!" Tohru shouted, followed by Kyo and Yuki, who both looked annoyed.
"Hey, what took you guys so long? I've been waiting for almost ten minutes," Emiko said playfully.
Kyo and Yuki both looked expectantly at Tohru. "Oh, um, they got in a fight," Tohru smiled awkwardly, "So, you all ready for tomorrow?"
Emiko groaned, "Yes. When I told my mom that we were going shopping, she got super excited. She keeps telling me I need new clothes," she crossed her arms, "But I don't like going shopping, and I like the clothes I have now. She loaded me down with cash, and told me that she expected me to spend all of it. Although, how she can expect anyone to spend 300,000 yen, I don't understand. So be prepared for lots of new clothes."
"Did you just say 300,000 yen?" Tohru asked in shock.
"Yeah, my mom's crazy about clothes," Emiko said with a shudder.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, until eventually Emiko and Tohru fell behind.
"So, I have to do laundry, clean the bathroom and kitchen, and cook dinner. I guess I also have to do my homework so we can go shopping tomorrow," Tohru mumbled under her breath, thinking out loud. Emiko obviously wasn't supposed to hear, but she overheard anyway.
"Tohru, do you mind if I help? I would feel much better if I did," Emiko said, feeling slightly guilty. She was the one who had suggested they go out anyway.
"Why?" Tohru asked in confusion. ~She obviously doesn't know she said that out loud.~ Emiko thought.
"Well, you have a lot of things to do this weekend, and we'll probably be out all day tomorrow. If I help, we'll get it done twice as fast, and you won't have anything to do tomorrow except shopping," Emiko said with a smile.
"I don't know," Tohru hesitated.
"Please? I would feel a lot better about making you go shopping with me," Emiko pleaded.
"I guess so," Tohru said.
The rest of the walk to Tohru's home was in companionable silence. When they got there, they discovered a note from Shigure, saying that he had gone to visit Ayame, but hopefully would be back in time for dinner. With a small sigh, Emiko went with Tohru and they completed their homework. Afterward, they cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and then made dinner. They went through their entire night, with happy small talk.
After dinner, Emiko and Tohru went into the kitchen, "Tohru, I'll do the dishes."
"Are you sure, Emiko?" Tohru asked, putting away the leftovers.
"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll be up to get my things to shower in about twenty minutes." Emiko said with a small smile, running water into the sink to do the dishes. Humming, Emiko quickly did the dishes, and unplugged the sink. While the water drained out, she dried her hands on a towel, and made sure that she hadn't splashed any water on the counter or sink. She put the towel down, and went upstairs to get her things to shower. When she got into Tohru's room, she saw that Tohru was asleep in bed, a book open on her chest.
With a small smile, she took the book from Tohru's hands, and put it on the bedside table. Then, she walked over to her bag, and got her pajamas and showering things, and headed for the bathroom.
Shigure's POV-
~Uh, I should never have gone to see Ayame. It's always just some new outfit, and, since I wasn't home, I'm hungry, and I missed my chance to see Emiko, since they'll be gone all day tomorrow.~ Shigure thought in aggravation. He was going to go brush his teeth, and then go to bed. Maybe if he was lucky, he would see Emiko tomorrow before they left in the morning.
As he neared the bathroom, he heard a hairdryer going, and one of the most beautiful singing voices he had ever heard.
"I don't wanna be your little picture-perfect-pretty-girl who's got nothing to say. And I'm not gonna wait around for you to run my whole life down, I'll let you watch me fade away!" Emiko sang.
~Was that really her singing?~ thought Shigure, ~That was beautiful…~
"You try to fit, to fit me in a perfect box. You let me slip between the cracks. Now I've faded, into someone else, made me someone I don't wanna be. Yeah, I'm faded, my true color's gone, like a picture nobody sees. Now, I've faded, like I never was, till I don't even know myself. Yeah, I'm faded, into what you want, but I'm not taking it too well." she continued. The hairdryer turned off, and the door to the bathroom creaked open.
She was still humming until she noticed Shigure standing so close to the bathroom, then shrieked, "Shigure-san! How… how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to know you have a beautiful singing voice, Emiko-chan," he said with a smile.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink, and she smiled a faint smile, "Thank you, Shigure-san." Still smiling, she said, "If you're hungry, your dinner's in the kitchen." Then she walked toward the stairs.
Grabbing her wrist gently to stop her, "Are you still mad at me, Emiko-chan?"
Her expression grew puzzled, "I was never angry at you, Shigure-san." Then she pulled away, and walked up the stairs.
The next morning-
Emiko's POV-
Groggy, Emiko sat up, "Tohru, wake up. We need to get ready to go shopping." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and started pulling on her clothes. She pulled her white thigh high socks on, followed by her short plaid skirt. She put on a pale pink camisole, and an off-the-shoulder Three Days Grace t-shirt. Turning back to the bed, where Tohru hadn't moved, she said, "Come on, Tohru, you need to get up."
Tohru groaned, and opened her eyes blearily, "I… I don't feel well, Emiko-chan."
Emiko's eyes widened, "How bad do you feel? Do you want me to stay with you, or just go home?"
Tohru shook her head, "I should be fine by tomorrow. You should still go shopping. You don't want to disappoint your mom, do you?"
Emiko frowned, and started braiding her curls to the side, "But I really wanted a second opinion on what I bought."
"Why don't you ask Shigure-san if he'll go with you? He may not look like it, but he's got quite an eye for what looks good on people." Tohru said.
"Are you sure? Do you want me to wait until you can go with me?" Emiko asked, "I'm sure my mom would understand."
"No, no, go. Have a good time for me, okay?' Tohru pleaded.
Finishing her braid, Emiko smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll go ask Shigure-san if he'll go. But if he says no, then I'm going to stay with you until you get better, okay?"
With a small smile, Tohru said, "Alright."
Emiko left the room quietly, and walked down the stairs. When she got to the living room, she saw Shigure, "Shigure-san, can I ask a favor?"
Shigure turned to her with a radiant smile, "Of course you can, Emiko-chan, what do you need?"
"Tohru isn't feeling that well, and I need someone to give me a second opinion about the clothes I have to buy today. Tohru said I should ask you to go with me. Will you?" Emiko asked quickly, mentally preparing herself for his rejection.
"Sure, Emiko-chan, just let me go change into something more appropriate," Shigure said leaving the room. Emiko waited for almost ten minutes before Shigure returned to the living room. He was wearing dark jeans, and a The Who t-shirt. They went over and put their shoes on, her a pair of black, lacey, flats, and him a pair of black Chuck Taylor's.
Then they left.
Tohru's POV-
As soon as she heard the door shut, Tohru got out of bed and looked out her window. She saw them walk to Shigure's car, and get in. Then they drove away.
~Good luck, you guys,~ thought Tohru, miraculously recovered from her illness, ~Have a good time!~ With that thought, she went downstairs to cook breakfast for Yuki and Kyo.