OH, MY, GOSH. I am so, so so. sosoosososoos SORRY, I have not updated this story since, er... *checks nervously* about my birthday, like three months ago...
...
I am really, truly sorry. Feel free to rant at me in a review.
That said, 'bout this chapter. It is again, a split chapter if you will, as in I started writing it and it got longer and longer, and while I could upload a chapter of about 5,000 words, this just seems easier. Oh my word, I can't tell you how sorry I am for neglecting this. The next chapter, HONESTLY, is being written. If this seems like a filler chapter, it's not, it's more of a "leading up to" chapter.
Thank you all for putting up with my pathetic updating schedule.
Merry Christmas.
Oh, and special internets cookies to whoever knows what Tohru's song is.
Anime based.
Het, (male/female) Shounen-ai, (male/male)
Rating is and will continue to be T
Thank you for all the reviews, and please continue to let me know what you like and how to improve!
Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Fruits Basket, nor do I claim such, or make any profit off of this. How could I?
It was a peaceful, beautiful morning, the kind you wish you could wake up to every morning. Birds were twittering softly outside; hidden in the dark shadows that had yet to retreat. His bedroom window was open a crack, rustling sheer white curtains and letting the cool autumn breeze drift in and over him, causing him to snuggle deeper into his blankets. Yuki rolled onto his back and blinked at the shadows, sleepily contemplating life. It was one of those rare times he woke without the alarm, which meant he had a few moments he could lay in bed and let his body wake up slowly, without the harsh screaming of his clock prodding him to move quicker. He leaned over and forced his sleep-clumsy fingers to flip the switch turning off his alarm, before sitting up and stretching.
Downstairs, Tohru had just finished packing the three bento lunches for the day, and instructing Shigure on how to heat up the previous night's leftovers. Humming a nameless tune, she paused in the hall to adjust her left hair bow. Silly bow, stay straight!
At Kaibara High school, Minami Kinoshita had called an urgent meeting. A group of near-zombie looking girls sat around, listening to the most interesting story. As Minami spoke, wails and screeches of terror and rage echoed out across the school grounds. Alarmed teachers tried to discover what was wrong, however....
Yuki stumbled his way around his bedroom, and finally ready, although still half-asleep, stumbled his way down-stairs to where Kyo-baka and Honda-san were waiting. Kyo wore his usual scowl, not surprising at all, does he have to look like he wants to tear my head off so early? Idiot. Honda-san smiled cheerfully and bade him good morning, and off they went peacefully, to have a wonderful day at school that was somehow both interesting and educational (a Christmas miracle come early), after which Kyo went to the dojo. He and Honda-san spent a peaceful and pleasant day working in his garden, and harvesting berries for pie. Yuki was half-way through making a delicious pie, with his wonderful and not at all terrifying cooking skills, while Haru was stealing berries when he thought Yuki wasn't looking, and Honda-san was setting the table, when he woke up.
"Yu-Yuki-kun! You're just getting up?!" A perplexed and somewhat worried Tohru was standing in his bedroom doorway, and there were absolutely no pies in sight. The sun was letting a fierce glare through his window onto him, and the birds' songs had ended.
Yuki blearily rubbed his eyes, and glanced at his clock. The clock, that I turned the alarm off on...
"Yuki-kun, we should have left 10 minutes ago!"
"Honda-san..." I turned the alarm off... on the clock... and now...
Tohru ran over to Yuki, and as roughly as she dared took him by the shoulders (Tohru's roughness rivaled a kitten's strength) and shook him. "Yuki-kun," with all possible scenarios about Yuki and Kyo and herself being in trouble for late, how she should have made sure he was up, how... "Yuki-kun, we're late!"
If the situation had been different, Yuki may have mused on how it's rather interesting that when you're half asleep and just waking up, information you're being given may not register; and how when it does, it does so all at once.
"Honda-san!" Yuki half stumbled half fell out of bed, grabbed his school uniform, and without waiting for her to leave began to strip out of his pajamas. Tohru let out a squeak and apologized as she fled the room.
Done changing, neglecting breakfast and brushing teeth and all those pleasantries, he ran down the stairs and nearly straight into a furious Kyo. Steaming, Kyo turned and started for the door. Yuki and Tohru began to follow him, but a were interrupted by a bemused Shigure standing in their way. "Oh, Yuki-kun, I never got to ask you about your lovey-dovey date--''
"No time!" Yuki snapped.
"And just whose fault is that?!"
"Well, why did you wait?!"
"Because, a stupid-lazy-moron who can't ever wake up like a decent human be--"
"Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun please!"
Kyo left off and snatched the bento lunches from the table, and shoved roughly past Shigure. Yuki and Tohru followed, but not before Shigure was able to throw in a parting remark about Yuki and late night activites, and the benefits and pit-falls of such.
Yuki checked his watch repeatedly as they power-walked to school. Both he and Kyo were walking slower than they could have, of course, but there was no way they'd push Tohru. It's a twenty minute walk; if we keep this pace we'll be five minutes late. It's not so bad, I suppose, although I'm sorry for making Honda-san late. That idiot, however... why does he even care?
Thought turned to voice, and he turned and asked irritably, "Why does it even matter to you, Baka-Neko, what time you arrive at school?" Like he doesn't leave school frequently, like he even-
Kyo glared with an unexpected heat, "Because, Rat, Tohru has a promise she likes keeping."
Oh... yeah. He's upset because I inconvenienced Honda-san, of course that's why he waited too: he waited for Honda-san. And... I didn't even think of that. He looked downward at Honda-san, sensing more than saw that she was upset, and he hoped more than reasoned that it was because he and Kyo weren't getting along, more than the fact that they'd be late. "Kyo's..." yuckyuckyuck "right, Honda-san, I'm very sorry for making us late."
"Eh? Oh no, Yuki-kun, it's not really your fault." Tohru had stopped walking and was looking at him earnestly; Kyo was looking at him murderously, as if to say, 'if you so much as let her think this is somehow HER fault, I will seriously murder you.'
"No, Honda-san, if I hadn't--"
"Oh, Yuki-kun, I waited so we could all walk together... even if we're a little late, it's OK. Mom always said, 'Even if you succeed with your goals, it's important that you remember to enjoy yourself at the same time.' So..." She seemed to space out for a moment, before she continued, "Mom said that to me a lot... but! It's even fun to be a little late sometimes! Uo-chan thinks so!"
"But maybe at this point we should start walking again?" Yuki couldn't help but smile, and in the background he noticed the idiot's glare had softened.
"Eh... yes! YES!" Tohru began to power-walk again, snatching Kyo's right hand, and Yuki's left. Together the three of them marched, and Tohru began to sing an odd song about marching.
"Here comes a dog, strong and brave -- woof! Here comes a dog --"
"Who the heck is the dog here?" Kyo demanded, "what, did Momiji teach you that song?"
"Oh no, it's a song from one of my favorite movies!" This earned Tohru one of those looks that couldn't quite be deciphered.
They had long since left the trees, and now they were passing through the school gates. The first place Yuki's eyes went was the large clock above the school's main entrance. Since Tohru had taken his hand, he hadn't been able to check his watch. This isn't good, we are so late.
The three broke hands and ran now, as those do who are in sight of reaching their goal. Barely slowing through the hallways, they hesitated once outside the homeroom door, attempting to catch their collective breath. Poor Honda-san's almost wheezing, we're so late, we are so late. Stop thinking and go in. He reached for the door, but Kyo stepped in front of him, and taking one last gasping breath, shoved rudely into the room as he would on any morning. Tohru followed him, and then Yuki. Tohru turned and began speaking, but stopped in a mid-bow of apology to the teacher, who was absent.
"Hey, it's about time. We were starting to wonder if you three weren't coming in today." Uo got up from sitting on her desk and slung an arm easily around Tohru. "Geeze, you forget to breathe again?"
"Eh-ehhehe..." The breathlessness of Tohru's giggles earned the two Sohma boys a glare from the Yanki. Before Kyo could become indignant at being falsely accused, Yuki cut in with the all-important question.
"Where is Sensei?"
"Sensei," Yuki flinched horribly as Hanajima spoke from right beside him without warning, "has been called with some other teachers... to take care of the incident."
Incident? The word echoed in his mind, and he tried not to stare at the goth girl gliding seamlessly to Tohru's side, What... incident? Was Hanajima-san... involved, with the... incident? Incident is only used to describe something unpleasant. 'How unpleasant, does it have to be to be called an incident?' Piped up some corner of his mind, which he forced down immediately. Some questions are better left unanswered.
"So just where have ya been?"
"Princess over here likes to get his beauty sleep," Kyo snapped irritably, before huffing to his desk and falling into a slouch.
The Yanki turned to Yuki with an expression of mild disbelief, "Oh, really? I had you pegged as one of those people who wake at the crack of dawn to do good."
"I see, um, thank you? Actually, Kyo-baka is the one who wakes up early, although I can't quite say it's to do good." What on earth did she mean by that statement anyway? Honda-san's friends are so odd. Not that I have a right to comment on such a thing, I suppose. Maybe Honda-san is just attracted to unusual people?
Uo's eyes widened comically before turning to Kyo with a smirk, "Oh, really? What does Orange-top wake up so early for?"
"None of your damn business, hag. Some people just like getting up decently."
"Oh, come on really? Maybe the Prince knows?" Her eyes flitted to Yuki's with question, and although Yuki usually just found himself annoyed by their argumentative banter, it was somewhat amusing. He followed Hanajima's and Tohru's example and found his seat.
"He wakes up extra early so he can train; he has dreams of grandeur." He smiled patronizingly, and Kyo expectedly bristled. It was less expected, but still within the range of normal, that Kyo should leap out of his seat and begin hissing, literally.
"Listen you-- you! I WILL--"
"Sohma Kyo," Sensei-Mayuko glared at her pupil as she took her place at her desk, "take your seat now or I will dye that awful hair of yours black." Uo quietly slid off her desk and into her chair.
"What, when did you? This... is my NATURAL HAIR COLOR! And HE FIRST," an accusing finger thrown at Yuki, "was the one to--"
"SIT. DOWN. NOW." Kyo blinked once and then sat down sullenly, with all the grace and storm clouds of a cat who'd been locked outside. "Today is so not the day," Mayuko muttered, before snapping out, "Lit, page 98."