Hello, all!
I'm sorry about how late this is. You know what? I'm gonna try harder. Right now, I'm in a fluff mood, so if I write anything else, it'll be all sweet and sappy. Which is probably how this will turn out. Oh well. Crash course in fluff writing. (I honestly don't think I'm any good at writing sap, so this is my sap-practise. But don't worry. I won't go overboard. If anything, it'll turn into pure angst. I accidently do that a lot.)
Okay, let's get started!
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, Fruits Basket. Natsuki Takeya does. I do not.
Five minutes past when he was expected, Ritsu came crashing through the door. Literally.
The bike he had ridden was stuck to his legs. Ritchan's pants had gotten tangled up in the many gears. His face was flushed, and his shirt had a huge grease spot on the sleeve. It would appear that he had lost his balance and falled into the back door, causing it to spill open and pour him onto the ground.
"Gomen ne for being late!" cried Ritsu, not even bothering with the bike that was now glued to him. "Please, forgive me! And on my first day as well! Oh, please fire me! I'm not worthy to work here! I'm a disgrace to the Sohma family! Gomenasi! G-"
"Rii-kun," said Ayame. "You're all tangled up! Are you alright?"
"Gomen for worrying you!" cried Ritsu. "I'm fine! "
"What happened to your shirt?" asked Miine-chan, stepping over and proceeding to help Ritsu up to his feet.
"I had to fix the water again, and the pipe spilled slime all over me," said Ritchan. "I'm such a disgrace! I should go back home and stop burdening you."
"No, no!" cried Ayame. "It's fine, Ritchan. I'll find you something of my own design to wear!"
"O-oh," said Ritchan. "I couldn't possibly! Oh, I'd just make it look ugly!"
"Of course you wouldn't," said Miine-chan soothingly. She patted Ritsu on the back supportively.
"A-a-are you sure?" asked Ritchan tentatively.
"Of course," beamed Aaya. Poor Rii-kun! He helped his cousin up, while Miine-chan removed the bike from his legs.
The minute the bike was gone, Ayame began to tug Ritsu along with him. The poor monkey had to jog to keep up with his cousin's confident stride.
Finally, they reached some sort of dressing room. Ritchan could only gape. He was surrounded on every side by outfits of every size, shape, and color. Especially color. The effect all the bright pinks and deep blues and russets had on Ritsu's eyes was amazing. He felt like he was blinded.
Immediately, Aaya let go of his cousin's arm and headed towards a rack of clothes. While Ritsu looked around in awed silence, Ayama pawed through a rack of clothing.
"No...," he said to himself. "No... Maybe, no wait, that wouldn't work... No... Still no... I'll keep this in mind... No... Yes!"
Rii-kun looked over, startled Aaya's outburst. Unfazed, the fair snake of the zodiac turned around, revealing a lovely shimmering, golden, floor-lenght kimono.
The sleeves had a design of lotus petals going down them. The hem was a vibrant red, which stood out against the golden background. On the front was a red bird, with wings that looked like fire. Ritsu was so stunned, he didn't know what to say.
"I-it's marvelous," he finally whispered, not taking his eyes off of the kimono.
Ayame smiled softly. "It is pretty, isn't it?" he asked. "Now, why don't you put this on and go help Miine-chan finish some of the orders. I'll be back shortly."
"M-m-me?" Ritsu squeaked, pointing at himself. "Oh no, I couldn't! It's too lovely! I'd probably spill something on it or rip it!"
"Now, Ritchan," said Aaya patiently. "I'm sure this would look fabulous on you. And a skilled designer such as myself is never wrong. Please wear it. Onegai? For me?"
Ritsu blushed a brilliant red. "O-of course!" he cried. "If it's for you, Aaya-chan, then I will."
He gently took the kimono from Ayame and admired it. Ayame watched, pleased that he had convinced his cousin to wear it.
"Now," said Ayame. "I'll leave you to get changed. Miine-chan is in the back sewing room. Once you're finished, just go see her for instructions."
"Okay," said Ritsu. Then, he hesitated for a second before blurting, "Will you be alright, working alone?"
"I'll be fine," Aaya beamed. "I just have to take inventory. Now, I'm off!" With that, he turned and flounced out. Ritsu watched admiringly, clutching the kimono to himself.
He wasted no time getting changed. On his way out to go help Miine-chan, he couldn't help but steal a glance in the mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself.
The kimono complimented Ritsu's chestnut hair perfectly. His lovely brown eyes seemed to stand out a bit more. Ritsu may have looked feminine, but somehow he also looked very distinguished. Ritchan couldn't help but touch his face, just to make sure it was really him. When he was sure that it was, he could only gape at his reflection.
Suddenly, though, he remembered where he was going. He quickly darted off down the hall, and towards the second sewing room. Yanking open the door, he slipped in.
"Gomenasi for being so late! Oh, I have to learn to be more careful! I apologize if I inconvenienced you!" cried Ritsu, bowing apologetically.
"Oh, you look lovely!" Cried Miine. She ignored Ritsu's frantic apologies and darted over. "Wow! Boss-sama really did a good job picking out an outfit for you! You're look so dignified and refined!"
"A-arigatou," said Ritsu, blushing bright red.
"Now," said Miine. "Why don't you work on sewing on this sleeve. You can use a sewing machine, right?"
"Hai," said Ritsu, nodding.
"Good," Miine-chan responded. "I'll be working on sewing this veil onto this outfit. If you need anything, just ask!"
"Okay," said Ritsu. As Miine-chan turned around and went back to sewing the outfit she was working on, Ritsu sat down and got to work.
His first day, and already he fit in.
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When they finally stopped for lunch, Ritsu was surprised to see how late it had gotten. He had been busy all morning helping Miine-chan and running small errands for Ayame. He couldn't help but feel satisfied, though. He had worked hard and enjoyed every moment of it.
Ritsu rifled through his brown paper bag and pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. he had been living off of them ever since the refridgerator broke. The jam stayed in the cooler they were using to keep everything from spoiling until Ritchan and Lisbeth had enough money to call a refridgerator repair person. So far, they were short by the entire fee. Ritsu hoped to change things soon with his new job, though.
He munched thoughtfully on his sandwhich, wondering how long it would take him to save up the money. He couldn't fix the refridgerator himself. Ritsu just couldn't find the problem.
"Does Boss-sama's cousin want company?" Asked Miine-chan, seating herself next to Ritsu with a bright smile.
"O-oh, sure!" said Ritsu, moving his things away from Miine-chan's space. Ayame was still working on a design of his. He had allowed Miine and Ritsu to take a break, though.
"Does Ayame usually eat lunch at this time?" asked Ritchan. "Or is today the only day he hasn't?"
Miine-chan sighed. "Unfortunately, he almost never eats lunch regularly. He just... Doesn't, I guess," she explained. "He likes to have a good chunk of his work done before taking a break. I keep telling him that working this hard can't be healthy, but he just waves it off with a brush of his hand. Next time Mr. Hatori-kun comes over, I'll ask him to talk to Ayame for me."
"Oh," said Ritsu. "Does he stop by often?"
Miine thought about this. "Well, I wouldn't say often," she said. "Just a few times every two weeks or so. He seems like a busy man."
"He is," said Ritsu. "I suppose our family keeps him busy."
"Ah," said Miine. "I used to want to be a nurse, when I was a little girl. But, sadly, my math skills and comprehension of science was sorely lacking. That's when I decided to make dresses! Your cousin gave me a wonderful opportunity."
"Really?" asked Ritsu.
"Yup!" said Miine happily. "I love my job, and the hours are fairly flexible as well!"
"Oh, good," said Ritsu. "Sometimes I have work I need to do on the apartment where I live. If the hours are flexible, I won't have to stay up late and get up early. I had to do that with my one job."
"How awful!" said Miine. "People can't function properly without enough sleep! My Mother always used to say that."
"My Father says that too!" said Ritsu.
"Really?" asked Miine. "Then maybe they knew each other!"
"Maybe," said Ritsu, perking up.
Suddenly, the door to the second sewing room opened, and in walked Ayame. He stepped gratefully past the materials strewn about, and smiled his dazzling grin at his two employees.
"Oh, is Boss-sama done?" asked Miine.
"Nearly," said Ayame happily, seating himself gracefully at the small table with Ritsu and Miine. He pulled out a brown paper sack, rifled through it for a second, and then produced an apple. With a smile of staisfaction, he took a bite.
After he swallowed, he looked over at Ritsu. The monkey looked absolutely beautiful in the kimono Ayame had picked out for him. Like a work of art, the snake decided. Like a beautiful painting.
"Have I told you how nice you look in that kimono, Ritchan?" asked Aaya with a beam.
Ritsu turned bright red and muttered something into his sleeve. Miine-chan smiled as well.
"Doesn't he look dignified?" she cooed. Ritsu turned even redder.
Miine-chan smiled and patted him on the head. "It looks like it was made for you," she informed him.
"D-does it?" Asked Ritsu, moving his sleeve away from his mouth a bit.
"Yup!" said Ayame and Miine-chan at the same time.
'He really is kawaii when he blushes like that,' Ayame thought. He beamed again at his young cousin. 'I'm glad he works here with me.'
Ayame thought. He beamed again at his young cousin. 'Ritsu watched his cousin smile. Ayame really was beautiful. Ritchan fought the urge to reach out and feel a strand of his hair. Vaguely, he wondered how Aaya kept it so healthy and shiny.
Miine-chan noticed the dreamy expression on both of her companion's faces, but wisely chose to ignore. Her woman's intuition told her that something was going on, and that she shouldn't interrupt them. Instead, she busied herself taking another bite of her roll and pretending not to steal glances at Ayame and Ritsu.
She wondered what on earth they were thinking.
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That... Could have been better. Aw, hell, who am I kidding? That bit. I'm sorry. I really am. It was so... Random, and weirdly put together. I had it written out much better, but my computer did a freeze-up and it was lost forever. (I'm gonna cry.)
Well, please review anyways. And please tell me how to improve! I'd really like to know!