Angel: Hey, sorry for not uploading this chapter for a while! I was out of town with no internet and no laptop.

Ni: THE HORROR~!

Angel: Um, yeah. So the chapter after this one isn't finished, but I'll do my best to finish it as soon as I can!

Ni: Untainted-Angel does not own Fruits Basket. Natsuki Takaya does.

Begin Chapter 7

They stood staring at one another for a few moments.

Then, slowly, hesitantly, Tohru said, "Aki…to…san…?"

Akito was silent for a moment, then he said, "That's right. Tohru Honda-san." There was another pause, then Tohru bowed spastically.

"Pl-pl-pleased to meet you!" She stammered.

"My…what lovely young women you three are…And you do seem kind. I'm pleased to meet you…" Akito said with a smile that both Danielle and Joanne knew was fake. "Such terribly cute girls…"

Joanne put on her confused face. Danielle just cocked her head and tried not to smile. She had a harder time looking confused than her friend.

Noticing them, Akito said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I introduce myself? I am Akito, the head of the Sohma house. May I ask for your names?"

Joanne smiled politely and said, "I'm Joanne Wayne, and this is Danielle Zaire." Akito's face darkened a bit, then he smiled.

"Ah, I've heard about you two! You live with Shigure-kun now, don't you?" The two friends nodded. Akito's smile got a bit evil. "Please take good care…of Yuki and the others." He half said and half whispered.

"Akito…" Everyone turned and saw Yuki, his eyes wide in his pale face. "Ah…Yuki!!" Akito said. "I've missed you, Yuki! I feel as though we haven't seen each other in ages." Yuki continued to look afraid as Akito walked over to him, his arms outstretched.

"What were you doing…?" Yuki asked.

"You're so grown up. You've even gotten taller…" Akito continued as if not hearing the question. Joanne turned to Danielle with her eyes crossed, causing her friend to giggle quietly.

"So…Should we excuse ourselves, or just wait and watch?" Danielle whispered.

"Hmmm…I don't know…" Joanne said just as quietly. They looked back at their friends and Akito and saw him turning away.

"Oh, and if you two will visit me after school, I would like to talk with you." Akito called. Joanne started. -That never happened!-

"U-um…Okay…" Joanne said nervously. Akito walked away. Yuki was looking a bit relieved and concerned at the same time.

Tohru perked up and said to Yuki, "Let's do something fun!!" Yuki looked surprised.

"Eh…?" He said.

"School gets out early today, so Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and I have decided to do something fun. It's a special occasion, so let's all do something fun together!!" Tohru was being abnormally cheerful. Danielle and Joanne shook their heads.

"I wish we could…but we have to go to the Sohma house…" Danielle said regretfully. Tohru and Yuki looked at them. Joanne shrugged and started towards their classroom.

Joanne gulped slightly, looking at the tall gate doors ahead of them. They were at the main Sohma house after school. Danielle was a bit sad, having found out that their friends were going to play Badminton after school. Shaking her head at her glum friend, Joanne opened one of the doors to the gate and walked inside, Danielle following.

"Great…NOW where do we go…?" Joanne muttered, looking at the many houses and buildings around them. Danielle also looked around and saw Hatori and Shigure walking towards them.

"Ah, there you two are! Akito-san told us that he invited you over, so we decided to come and help you find your way." Shigure said. He was wearing a work suite, which looked like he had borrowed from Hatori.

Danielle grinned at them. "Thanks! Do you have any idea why he might want to see us here?" She asked. Joanne looked closely at the two men. They glanced at each other, causing her to believe that they knew why, but they both shook their heads. Joanne frowned slightly. Danielle shrugged. The two men turned and beckoned the two friends to follow them. Danielle was skipping slightly next to Hatori and chattering away. Shigure was watching her, his lips twitching.

Joanne, noticing this, walked next to him and muttered, "You start laughing, and we'll never get her to shut up." At this, Shigure snorted, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. Joanne smiled smugly and kept walking. Hatori only shook his head.

"Here we are." Hatori led them inside a house and through it. They then entered a semi dark room. Inside was Akito. With him, was another man, one Joanne didn't recognize. She glanced at Danielle and saw that she was as confused as she was.

"Ah…You came." Akito said. They bowed slightly to him. Behind them, someone shut the door. Akito beckoned them forward. "This is Hideki, a member of the Sohma family. We are going to use him to experiment."

"What do you mean, 'experiment'?" Danielle asked, taking a step backwards. Joanne glanced behind her and saw Shigure and Hatori look away. She made a sudden connection.

"You're going to see if we transform." She said calmly. Danielle looked at her, then at the two men behind them. Akito's smile was cold.

"Yes, I am. Have you heard of the least used version of the legend of the Zodiac?" He asked them. They shook their heads. "Well, in that version, instead of God telling the animals about the banquet, He sent a messenger. That messenger was the wolf. She was betrothed to the cat. The wolf went around, delivering the message. She told the fox also, although neither the fox nor the wolf were invited. The fox was sad that she wasn't invited, for she was a student to the dragon, and was in love with him. And, well, you know the rest." Akito ended his tale. Danielle and Joanne stared at him.

"So, you think we're the wolf and the fox?!" Danielle cried. Akito nodded, a smug smile on his lips.

He turned to Hideki and said, "Well, choose who's first." Hideki looked at them and then walked up to Danielle and hugged her. There was a flash, and when everyone's eyes cleared, Hideki was holding a fox in his arms. Danielle's clothes lay in a pile on the floor.

Joanne was stunned. -Danielle actually transformed! How did that happen…?- Hideki released the fox and hugged Joanne. There was another flash and this time, Hideki was holding a wolf. Hideki let her go. Joanne looked at Akito and saw his eyes burning with triumph. Joanne sat down.

"Well…Meaning no disrespect, but can we go home now? I'm kinda…tired." Joanne asked. Danielle nodded in agreement.

Akito waved his hand in a shooing motion and said, "Yes, yes. You may go." There was another flash of light and the two girls sat on the floor, naked. They dressed hurriedly and followed Shigure out. Hatori followed a minute after. They got into his car and drove home in silence.

End Chapter 7

Angel: Well, it's another short one...

Ni: You'll make the next one longer, right?

Angel: Of course! I'll do my best!

Ni: Well, please read and review so she can do her best...