Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. I only own Rika. (I put the wrong disclaimer here before XD sorry about that.)
Thank you to those of you who reviewed.
"As long as we're going to be living here, do you think it would be all right if I told two of our friends where we are? I'm sure they'll really want to know, if that's okay." Tohru said.
"So long as you don't mention anything about, you know, the zodiac and whatnot, I don't particularly mind..." Shigure said.
"Thanks so much!"
"Want me to help you tell them?" I asked.
"Help?" She asked.
"This is Arisa we're taking about." She blinked.
"Would you?" She asked with a sheepish smile. I chuckled.
"Of course."
"What!?" Arisa said when we told her at lunch. We were on a large blue blanket outside. "So not only were you two living in a tent, but now you've moved into Prince Yuki's house?! Seriously?!"
"Yes. I'm sorry for not saying anything about it sooner. There was a lot that happened, but everything's fine now... And they're all really nice people. So there's nothing to worry about!"
"This is definitely a bolt out of the blue..." Saki said. "I wonder... How will the Prince Yuki Fan Club girls react when they hear the news?"
"Let's not tell them." I said.
"I thought it was strange how you've been spending so much time talking to the prince and orange-top lately... Now I understand..." Arisa said.
"Perhaps we should have them invite us over." Saki suggested. "I'd like to see for myself whether or not this is a suitable environment for you to be living..."
"Hey, great idea."
"Let's check it out right now." Arisa agreed.
"Wait. If we show up unexpectedly, they may not serve snacks."
"Ooh, another good point. You're two for two. Okay then... we'll stay over tomorrow night."
"Uh... wait..." Tohru said. "..Okay!"
We were all at the table. Tohru was in long yellow dress with brown stockings. And I was in a white tank top with a short black shirt.
"High-school girls..." Shigure said in singsong wiping the table while the five of us sat there. "High-school girls... 1 -2 -3 -4 High-school girls... Ahh... I can't help but wonder what kind of girls these friends of Tohru's are..." He said.
"A Yankee and a psychic." Kyo said and Shigure stopped.
"Ah! They're here!" Tohru said getting up and running to the door. I giggled at Shigure. He and the others looked at me.
"…What?" I asked looking at them.
"I've never heard you giggle before." Shigure said.
"I didn't think you could sound so cute-" Kyo coughed and looked away hiding a forming blush. I looked at Yuki to see if he would say anything. He only looked away with a light pink on his cheeks.
"Hi, come in! I guess you found the house okay."
"No. We got lost." I heard Arisa say.
"I'm thinking this was a bad idea." Kyo said.
"Just don't do anything stupid."
"That goes double for you, you damn rat."
"Yes... all of us would do well to be careful while they're here." Shigure said.
"Because I wonder, if either of these girls were to find out about the family curse, what would happen... do you think? At the very least, I suppose that Tohru and you," He said glancing at me. "would no longer be allowed to stay in this house. Well, either way... something's bound to turn out! ''Que sera sera''."
"You just like hearing yourself talk, don't you?" Yuki said.
"There's a dog." Saki said. The three jumped.
"Over there." She said and looking at a brown puppy on the porch.
"Oh! Yes, that's a dog!" Shigure said.
"So these are my friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima." Tohru said as we all were sitting at the table.
"Hey." Arisa said.
"A pleasure." Saki said.
"Yes, welcome, welcome! Please, make yourselves right at home." Shigure said.
"Say, it's 'Shigure', right? This is your place? So what do you do to pay the rent around here?
"Me? I'm a writer...Well a novelist, actually." He said.
"Did you say you're a novelist?"
"Why the heck are you so surprised?" Arisa asked.
"This is the first she's heard of it." Saki said.
"Right... I really I had no idea..." Tohru said.
"What was it, again?" Yuki asked. "''Fine literature,'' or something?"
"Uh-huh... that's right." He said before holding up a manga book. "This sort of story." Everyone stared.
"Oh sorry, my mistake..." He said holding up another book. "This is my real work... This one here was just something I did for fun."
"So that makes it OK to write that dime store smut!" Arisa said.
"You're a sicko, you know that?!" Kyo said.
"What were you thinking...?" Yuki said.
"Shigure, that's amazing! I mean, to think I actually know someone as important as a novelist... !" Tohru said excitedly.
"Careful, Miss Honda. You don't want to inflate his ego too much." Yuki said.
"Like his head could get any bigger than it already is..." Kyo said.
"Well, enough about me." Shigure said. "Why don't you tell us something about yourselves? You could start by telling us how you met Tohru and Rika.
"What, serious?" Arisa asked.
"I'm sure we'd all like to hear! Right Yuki? Right Kyo?
"Uo saved me." Tohru said. "''Hey, pinhead! You better not step on those... you!''" She started quoting but stopped. "Wait let me back up... This one time in middle school, I dropped all my notes in the hall...
"What have I done..." Shigure said.
"Yeah, I remember that." Arisa said. "I guess I could get a little... 'rough' back then."
"Back then?" Kyo and Yuki questioned.
"Well, you were still a Yankee then... Weren't you?" Tohru asked.
"Right... I started runnin' with them in-5th grade was it?" Arisa said.
"You always used to wear those masks all the time..."
"And I had my eyebrows thinned out, and wore those long skirts."
"You're forgetting. You do all of those things now, Arisa." Saki said.
"I guess you're right." She said before laughing.
"That's lovely... She's so... How shall I say it- by putting it into words," Shigure said. "I'm afraid the nobility of it all would only be obscured..."
"Of what?"
"You know, she's so spunky!"
"You sick bastard." Kyo said.
"How sad... Love, doomed from the start." Saki said reading the other book Shigure wrote.
"You're reading that?" Arisa asked.
"That silly little thing? Oh I'm flattered! So what do you think?" Shigure asked. She turned to look to him slowly.
"You don't want to know what I think."
"Oh... no?"
"But when is Volume 2 coming out?"
"Look, can we just knock it off with the books? Okay?" Arisa asked.
"I know! I just thought of something fun we could do!" Tohru said getting up. "Wait here, I'll be right back!"
"So then... Saki, you never did tell us how you and Tohru got to be friends..."
"Are you sure you're ready to hear?"
"Oh ah... that's okay, as long as you're friends now! That's what's important!"
"We were in middle school, and I was transferred into Tohru's class..."
"Ah-h... is that so?"
"Yes... You see, at my previous school, I had caused something of a disturbance..."
"Well, that is a wonderful story, isn't it. But I just remembered I have some work to do, so if you kids will excuse me..." Shigure said before leaving. I chuckled .
"I gotta say, I didn't know what to make of all this when you told us, Rika, but it looks like you and Tohru are fitting right in here..." Arisa said. "I'm happy for you... and I guess I can understand why she didn't want to say anything at first... But still... We made a promise. The four of us swore over Kyoko's grave, that when the time came, we would be there to help each other, no matter what. That probably sounds a little bit overdramatic. But it wasn't really, for us...After all, you two was our first real friends and everything... Tohru... You, Tohru, and Kyoko, you... you see, they were there for me when I needed someone most..." Arisa said to the boys. "Thanks to them, I found the strength to climb my way up out of all the crap I had fallen into... They helped me to believe in myself... that I could change if I wanted... And when I met the three of them... for the first time... I discovered that I did want to change... I wanted to be someone Tohru and Rika could be proud to call their friend; the way I was proud to call them mine... So, this time around, with everything that's happened... the fact that I wasn't there to help them ...that bothers me. I mean, that you would even think you had to go through all this trouble by yourselves... Maybe you didn't think you could count on us... Or maybe we're just not that good as friends..." She said. I shook my head but before I could say anything Kyo spoke.
"Nah, I just don't think Tohru's the kinda' girl who worries about stuff like that."
"Miss Honda is... she's the kind of person who puts others' well-being before her own..."
"And of course Rika only thinks about Tohru." Kyo added. I scratched the back of my head.
"Huh...?" Arisa said.
"Sorry it took so long..." Tohru said coming back into the room.. "I hope you're all ready to play!" She held up a deck of cards. "Rich Man, Poor Man!"
"Ah, that's a fine idea, Tohru."
"Okay, how 'bout we pick it up where we left off? I don't think I got to finish makin' a fool outta' orange-top here."
"Yeah, talk it up! But this time, when I win, you have to dye your hair black!"
"Oh? Well, when you lose, you have to bleach all the dye outta' your hair, and leave it white!"
"It's naturally this color!" Kyo shouted.
"Is that right?" Saki asked.
"That's right!" He said.
"Yuki... Would you like to shuffle the cards?" Tohru asked.
"Uh... I... Sure."
"Why, you rotten little-! You and your cheap-ass tricks!" Arisa shouted.
"Cheap nothin'! That's fair game! You're the one playin' tricks, Yankee!" Kyo shouted.
"Next time you pull that crap, I'm gonna light you up!"
"Go ahead and try! It'll be the dumbest thing you ever did! I will take you out!" Kyo said getting up. Arisa got up too and blocked him.
"Oh yeah, some tough guy! You're runnin' away!"
"Who's running?! I'm going to the bathroom!"
"Aww. Gotta take a leak?"
"What's it to you?!" He said trying to get around her.
"Better hurry! We don't want you to piss yourself!" She said blocking him.
"Dammit, you got a foul mouth!" Suddenly she bumped into him and there was a puff of orange smoke.
"Ugh!" She said falling back.
"Something wrong, Miss Uotani?" Yuki asked as she looked around.
"Uh... no..." I swallowed. Kyo was on the ground next to her, a cat, half in his clothes.
"Ahh. Well, that's good." Yuki said as Kyo made his way outside, dragging his shirt onto the porch. "It's just that things sounded like they were getting pretty heated there for a minute..."
"I know! Until Kyo gets back from the bathroom, why don't we all play a quick game of Sevens!" Tohru suggested.
"Yeah... sure let's play..." Arisa said stepping forward suddenly slipping on Kyo's pants. She started falling onto the table.
"Ohhhh…!"
"Uo!" Tohru said getting up to catch her but she slipped on her pillow.
"Miss Honda, look out!" Yuki said going to catch her. My eyes widened as I watched.
"Tohru..." Arisa asked and Yuki ran under the table before running outside. "Are you okay?"
"Are you hurt at all?" Saki asked.
"No... I- I'm all right." The two looked down at Yuki's shirt on the floor. "Ah! You see? I didn't fall!" She wrapped the shirt around her hand. "Just cleaning up! Scrub Scrub Scrub Scrub Scrub Scrub." She giggled. "Dust dust dust."
"OI' orange top sure is takin' his time." Arisa said.
"Sure is..."
"And the prince just up and disappeared. Guess he..."
"You're right. I wonder where our kind hosts have run off to."
"For the love of... we can't even start this game of Sevens, you know?"
"A cat..." Saki said and I looked up seeing Kyo who was trying to get his shirt.
"Oh! You're playing Sevens, right?" Shigure said blocking the view. "That sounds like fun! Think you have room for one more?"
"Well if it isn't the master novelist. You any good at this game?" Arisa asked.
"Well," He chuckled. "you should know, in the old days they used to call me ''The Sevens Bandit''." He said.
"Oh? Really?! That's incredible! !" Tohru said.
"I'll say. It's a lie." Arisa said.
"But enough about me! Let's get to playing, shall we? So what are the rules?" He laughed. Suddenly I heard Kyo change back. I looked over to see his arm grabbing his shirt.
"You guys hear that?" Arisa asked. "Sounded like some kinda' 'boom'."
"There was a definite, 'boom'." Saki said. I bit the inside of my lip. My eyebrows went up as both Tohru and Shigure reached for Yuki's clothes. They both grabbed them and threw them. Shigure threw it making Tohru go flying into his back. He turned into a dog and Arisa and Saki looked over. He barked.
"Ahhaha!" Tohru laughed still hugging him. "I thought you'd run away! I'm so glad you're back! Uh... Um, Spot." I sighed. He barked more.
"That's odd... It appears we've run out of snacks..." Saki said. "I'll go find the kitchen." Saki turned around and went to walk but bumped into Kyo. Shigure suddenly started running around like crazy barking. Suddenly there was another pop and Yuki was transformed back. Shigure grabbed Yuki's clothes and threw them to him..
"That's weird... I swear I thought I saw orange-top in here..." Arisa said. "Ooh!" Shigure suddenly put his paws on her arm.
"Miss Honda..." Yuki came in fixing his shirt. "I think Spot is trying to tell us he's hungry, don't you?"
"Yeah... That must be it!" Tohru said getting up. "Here! Come on boy! Let's go to the kitchen, Spot!"
"Tohru, wait." Saki said.
"Uh... yes?"
"Some more snacks? If you don't mind."
"Oh! Sure!" She said before going into the kitchen.
"Come on!" Arisa groaned.
"This game isn't going very well... now is it?" Saki asked.
"Uh... Why don't I-? I'll go check on her..." Yuki said getting up and going to the door when suddenly Tohru came out.
"Sorry to keep you waitin-" She bumped into him making the jelly-buns go flying. My eyes widened. I quickly moved and pulled out the bottom of my shirt to catch Yuki and a bunch of the jelly buns. Tohru caught a jelly bun and squeezed it so the filling came out.
"Hey-y! Tohru, nice catch!" Arisa said.
"Although, Rika caught most of them." Saki said. I chuckled.
"I'm gunna go a clean plate for these." I said getting up and running into the kitchen. I went over to the counter and looked down. "Uh Yuki?" He suddenly his little house popped out of the jelly buns and I giggled at how cute it looked.
"T-Thank you Rika." He said looking up at me grateful.
"Oh course." I said with a smile. He jumped out and I put the rest of the jelly buns in a bowl. Shigure came in, still a dog, and came over to the counter. He stopped next to me and laid down.
"Shigure!" Yuki scolded. I tilted my head and looked down at Shigure who had his head on the ground and was looking up. I held down my skirt and moved away a bit.
"S-Shigure." I felt my cheeks heat up. He stood up and Yuki jumped on his head with a little glare on his tiny face and started hitting Shigure's head with his tiny paws as Shigure walked towards the laundry room. I sighed and picked up the bowl and walked back into the room. "More Snacks." I said with a smile putting them down.
"Hey why don't we check out your room?" Arisa said getting up. She opened the door and was about to step forward when Saki spoke up.
"Arisa... You're about to step on..." My eyes widened as I saw Kyo with a bunch of clothes around his neck. Suddenly Shigure grabbed him in his mouth and ran outside before jumping in the bushes.
"Yeah? Step on what?"
An orange cat, with clothes tied around its neck...being carried in the mouth of a dog..." She was pointing outside. "..who went that way."
"One-two, one-two, one-two, one-two..." Shigure said, in human form rubbing his back with a pair of jeans. Kyo, also in human form, just glared at him. "Nothing gets the blood flowing like a rubdown with a dry towel!" He said. "A-one-two, one-two, one, two, one-two..." Yuki popped his head out.
"Idiot."
"Tohru why don't you show Arisa and Saki upstairs, I'll clean up." I said. Tohru nodded and got up before leading the girls out. She closed the door and I sighed. I walked to the doorway outside and crossed my arms. "Well that went well."
"Oh shut up." Kyo said picking up a shirt and putting in on.
"Shigure, when you're dressed, would come here?"
"Hm?" He said pulling on the pants he was rubbing his back with. He got out of the bushes without a shirt on. "What is it?"
"Put a damn shirt on!" Kyo yelled. I looked down and starting playing with my hands.
"U-Um…" Shigure titled his head and bent over a bit.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Well.." I said very quietly. He leaned closer to hear me. I suddenly punched him; he landed on the ground and looked up at me confused. "That's for looking up my skirt!" I said crossing my arms again. Suddenly a silly grin appeared on his face along with a light blush. I held down my skirt again, blushing bright red. "Shigure!" Yuki came over, fully dressed, and hit Shigure on the head.
"I apologize for his behavior, Rika." He said. I bit my lip.
"I-I'm gunna go upstairs." I said turning around and running upstairs. The others had already changed into their PJs. Tohru had a yellow shirt and pants, Arisa had a long button up shirt, Saki had a long dark night gown, I walked over to the wardrobe and changed into a pair of dark blue short shorts and a black cami.
"This is a fine bed." Arisa said.
"Isn't it? Shigure bought it for us."
"There wasn't enough room for two beds but we've shared as long as we've known each other." I said sitting next to Saki.
"Well... from the looks of it, he must really think big of you, huh?" Arisa said.
"That's exactly how it appears." Saki said.
"As long as he's at it, this room could probably use some more, you know, girl stuff." Arisa said getting up. "Like right here." She indicated with her hands. "You should have him put in a dressing table, or something like that."
"Oh, no, I couldn't!" Tohru said. "I couldn't think about wanting more! I'd be asking for it! Really... I mean, I've only just I started to realize how lucky a person am to have so much already, you know?" She said. "We have a new home, living here with the Sohma's... And I have the best older sister and the two most wonderful friends in the whole world, who care about me so, so much..." I looked at her a bit startled. She's never referred to me as her big sister. "Just knowing that I can always count on you to be there for me, and how much strength that gives me... I'm already so lucky. If I'm not thankful for what I have, I'd just be asking for it! I love you three.
"I guess they do understand her. Pretty well, I'd say..." Arisa said quietly.
"That they do..." Saki said. "Tohru is that kind of girl." The two came over and hugged her. "Invincible love."
"That's right." Arisa said. "Get over here Rika." I smiled and hugged Tohru.
The next day Tohru, Kyo and I were in the kitchen. She was chopping something, Kyo was drinking milk from the carton and I was eating a muffin.
"Uh..." Kyo stopped drinking to see Yuki standing in front of him. He had his eyes half open. "Hey, Yuki... are you-?" Suddenly Yuki's head landed on Kyo's right shoulder and he let out a tired sigh.
"…ahhhh!" Kyo started freaking out.
"So, Yuki. You're having a hard time waking up as usual..." Tohru said.
"Yeah, yeah, just keep movin' will ya'..." Kyo said.
"Wow, Kyo. With as much as you want to beat Yuki, you still don't try to sneak up on him when he's like this." Tohru said. "It's very admirable."
"No, that's not it. It's not like that." Kyo said. "He's stronger when he's half-asleep."
"Really? I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, so you have tried to attack him, then?" Tohru asked.
"Yeah, I tried! And I got beat even worse than when he's awake! Okay?!" Kyo said. "Do you know what that means?!" He asked. "It means that stupid, dirty little sissy-boy rat is always holding back on me!" Suddenly Yuki punched Kyo. "What gives?! I thought you were still out of it!"
"Your stupid voice woke me up." Yuki said.
"Fine! I don't care anymore, dammit! Asleep or not, it's you and me! Right now! I'm gunna mop up this kitchen with your face!"
"How can you even talk about this nonsense so early in the morning?"
"A cat and mouse..." Saki said and the two went ridged. "That's what they're like."
"You think?" Arisa said.
"The way they're fighting, it's like a cat and mouse..."
"Just like the ones in the old cartoon."
"Yeah... Something or other and Jerry."
"Tom and Jerry." I said and Arisa nodded.
"Yeah him. So, the two of you don't get along too well, do ya'?
"I suppose not..." Yuki said.
"Even so, this seems like a pleasant enough house..." Saki said. "Which is good, because if it had been a poor environment for Tohru and Rika to be living in... There are many things I would have to do to correct it. Yes... Many things." She said. "But I can see that the two of you... both have fine electric signals..." The two looked confused. "Oh, you didn't know? That's even better, I think."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do your best to be nice..." Arisa said.
"To Tohru, we mean." Saki said.
"Rika can take care of herself." Arisa said with a smirk to me which I returned.
"Oh, Uo... Hana..." Tohru said tears coming to her eyes.
"We'll come by for another visit soon." Arisa said.
"Yes, let's..." Saki said. "I'm curious to learn more about the Sohma family's unique signals..."
"Okay! Now how 'bout some breakfast?"
"Yes, breakfast."
"Hey, hey hey! You gotta be kidding! Damn girls are takin' over!" Kyo shouted.
"I- I know it must seem that way! But, they mean well... !" Tohru said. "You'll see! Uo and Hana are both really, really good people! So, please..."
"Fine. Whatever." Kyo said.
"After all, they are your friends, right?" Yuki said.
"Right!" Tohru said. Suddenly Tohru put down the trash basket she was holding and hugging me. I froze and looked down at her. "And Rika's my older sister!" I blinked.
"Hey why are you crying?" Kyo asked. I chuckled and hugged Tohru back.
Next one out tomorrow. Tell me what you think! ^_^