A/N: Hi everyone! Well, I haven't gotten too many new reviews...or reviewers for that matter...Oh well...But I wanted to update...because my friend drew her Fruits Basket character as well as Tohru and Hana-chan and they came out awesome! Also, I re-read volume 10 and am thinking about submitting some art to Tokyopop...I will have the same Pen-name, so you'll know it's me! Anyway, I got my friend to read my story and she really liked it and it made me feel more motivated, so that's what this chapter is for. As always, I will thank Lee Totema for her review and give her a s'more...And to BlackDragonofdarknessflames...here's a s'more for you! It's thanks for reviewing every chapter! And to my friend Yuri! You get s'mores as well! Okay, enough babble, I'm sure you want to know what happens next...So without further ado, here's chapter 5 of Shizuko!
RECAP
"Let me introduce myself, I'm Sohma Shizuko! I just transferred to this school. I'm also part of the Zodiac!"
"Nice to meet you! What animal are you?"
"Well, I'm kind of a special case... I'm not like any other Zodiac member from generations before me."
"I could kind of tell, since all of the Zodiac are already here for this generation," Hatsuharu-kun says.
"I'm the snow tiger. I'm not sure how that happened, since I was born before Kisa-chan."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. How come we never met you before now?"
"Yeah! We should have at least seen you at the banquets!"
"Well, I was actually in a type of captivity in my own house for thirteen years and just recently I-"
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" The warning bell goes off. That scared me!
"Well, I'll be seeing you later! I'm in Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun and Tohru's class!" With that, I run off in the direction I came. Wow, that was productive!
"Ow!" I suddenly bump into somebody and a puff of smoke surrounds me. I look up and see a guy sitting on the ground, but I can barely see him through the smoke. It starts to clear and the boy looks right at me.
"What? What's a tiger doing here...? A white one...?" I stare at the boy and it takes me a few seconds to register...I just transformed! And someone saw me!...Wait...I know this boy...He's the one who tried to hit on me yesterday! "Hey...wait a second...Why is there a girl's uniform just lying here...Is there a naked girl around somewhere?"
At that, he stands up and walks away, seemingly looking for the naked girl. Someone please tell me not all boys are so stupid...or perverted! I scan the area...Good no one else is around. I grab the clothes in my mouth and go towards the nearest girl's bathroom. One inside, I hide in one of the stalls. How do I turn back to my human form? I look down at my...paws...they're small and furry and white...with a black stripe on each...So...this is how I look when I've transformed...Huh...? I feel strange...With another puff of smoke I'm much higher off the ground and standing...naked...I blush and quickly put my clothes back on. I didn't know transforming meant transforming back naked! Although I wasn't wearing clothes as a tiger... I walk out of the girl's bathroom...and...Uh-oh! I think I'm lost!
"Shizuko-chan! There you are! I was worried when you never showed up in class. You're fifteen minutes late for our first class," Yuki-kun tells me as he walks over to me.
"B-but...what about you? Aren't you late now?"
"Heh, don't worry about me. I was given permission to go look for you after I explained the circumstances. But, where did you go? Honda-san told me you went to find Momiji and Haru, but it shouldn't have taken you so long," he says, a worry look on his face. I hang my head and blush out of embarrassment, both because of the look he was giving me and because I had been so careless. "Well? I hope nothing bad happened."
"Well... It's like this...Once the bell rang, I separated from Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-kun and I...well...bumped into a guy..."
"What? You transformed in school? In front of someone!" Yuki-kun yelled at me. I covered my head with my hands, as though that's protect me from his harsh words.
"I-I'm sorry!" I say in a small and high-pitched voice. He looks at me and softens. He holds my shoulders and I blush, but my face is still hidden, so hopefully he doesn't see.
"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you, Shizuko-chan. I didn't mean to get so upset. I understand that this is your first time to transform. But you must tell me exactly what happened, alright? I need to know what steps need to be taken." I nod slightly.
"W-well...I just...bumped into him. But he was pretty stupid. I don't think he saw me before hand... When he saw me transformed, he was still clueless...But when he saw my clothes..." At that I blush slightly. "Well, he thought there was a naked girl walking around somewhere. Yuki-kun, please tell me not all boys are like that...stupid and perverted..."
Yuki-kun was laughing at what I'd just told him. "No, I promise not all boys are like that... However there are those that are, as you have seen first hand." Yuki-kun was still laughing.
"Uhm... Yuki-kun?"
"Y-yes?" He said, still laughing slightly. I guess it is pretty funny, considering everything.
"Do you need to know who it was who saw me in my transformed state?"
"Yes, that is very important. Do you know their name? If not, you can just point them out to me later," he said, back to being serious. I nod slowly as he leads me back to the classroom. And then I see him. The boy who saw me transform today...
"Y-Yuki-kun..."
"Hmm? What is it Shizuko-chan?"
"That's him..." I say, pointing down the side corridor. Yuki-kun turns to look as well. I think he recognizes him the same way I did.
"Isn't that the one who..."
"Hit on my yesterday? Yes. That was him..."
Yuki-kun's eyes turn cold. I've never seen anyone get like that before. He walks up to the guy. Uh-oh...I hope nothing bad comes out of this.
"Excuse me, I need to talk to you." The boy looks at Yuki-kun and stares at him.
"Well, hello Mr. Student Body President. What can I do you for?"
"It's a matter dealing with my cousin."
"You're cousin...? You mean that guy who picks fights with everyone?"
"No."
"The blond boy-girl thing?"
"No." Yuki-kun said through gritted teeth. Oh no...this might get bad...
"Then the one with mood-swings?"
"No."
"There's another cousin?" He says, surprised and stands straight. When he does that, he can see beyond Yuki-kun's shoulder and sees me. "Well, if it isn't the pretty little polite girl who got her pretty little ass saved by the one who picks fights with everyone. What're you doing here?"
"For your information, I go here now. And I'm the cousin Yuki-kun was talking about."
"Oh, so you're the one...Of course you're a Sohma, that's the only explanation for why you can be so pretty."
"Eh-hem, I believe we were the ones talking here." Yuki-kun is getting angrier. I don't think he's used to being ignored like that.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll get back to you in a second..." He walks past Yuki-kun and closer to me. "So, what's your name?"
"Like I'd ever tell that to pervert scum like you," I spit out at him.
"Ooh, spirited. I like that." He leans closer to me and he backs me into a wall. I look sideways and Yuki-kun is coming to my rescue .
"You can go to hell!" I yell at him. He winces slightly, but the smirk never leaves his face.
"Get away from her." He turns to look at Yuki-kun.
"What if I don't want to? What are you gonna do, huh?" I really don't like where this is going. I know that violence is not tolerated at school, so if Yuki-kun does anything, he could be in trouble...I don't want that! So instead I do the first thing that pops into my head. While he's distracted, I push him away from me and hide behind Yuki-kun.
"Che, of course, hiding behind your 'powerful' cousin! All girls are the same. They're weak without a guy to protect them."
"Why you...I'll have you know I refrained from getting serious! I don't wanna get expelled on my first day for sending someone to the hospital!" I yell at him from over Yuki-kun's shoulder. "And...I did it to protect you from getting in trouble.." I say much more quietly into Yuki-kun's ear so only he could hear.
He turns his head to look at me with a stare of disbelief. Well, I had to stop him from doing anything rash. I look at the clock that is protruding from the wall...Oh my god!
"Yuki-kun! Look at the time! First period is almost over!" I say in disbelief. How did fifteen minutes late lead to forty minutes late! Yuki-kun looks at the clock in disbelief as well.
"We'll finish this discussion later..." he tells the guy before grabbing my hand and leading me away. He's leading me down a corridor I know doesn't lead to our first period class.
"Yuki-kun? Where are we going?" I ask as we exit the western building and walk outside under the walkway.
"To our second period class, considering first period is nearly over. Then we can talk." I nod, though I know he can't see me, being that he's looking straight ahead.
We walk through the hallways, completely uninterrupted, since no one was out of class yet and no one could possible be running this late except us...oh and that guy I guess. We stop in front of a classroom door and Yuki-kun sits down opposite it, under the window. He motions for me to join him and I do. For a while we're both silent.
"Shizuko-chan?"
"Mm? What is it, Yuki-kun?"
"Well, I was thinking about what just happened...and I was wondering...What did you mean by 'I did it to protect you from getting into trouble'?" I blush at his comment. Why did I have to say something as corny as that!
"W-well...I was thinking that if I hadn't done that, you might've hit him and then you'd get in trouble since there's not fighting in school..."
"You were worried about that? I was more worried about what he would've done to you if you hadn't done that. And I wasn't sure if I could've protected you." I hug my knees to me and blush, my hair just covering my red cheeks. After I get the blushing under control, I push my hair back from my face and smile at him.
"You were really that worried about me, Yuki-kun?"
"Of course! I can't stand the thought of him getting so close to you. Promise me you'll stay away from him. I know you might want to beat him badly, but leave that to Kyo. You're a girl, you're gentle and sweet and shouldn't have to deal with him."
"Alright, Yuki-kun. If it'll really put your mind at rest. I promise I'll stay away from him and let Kyo-kun take care of it." I rest my cheek on my knees and stare at Yuki-kun. The only boy from my memories is sitting right here, next to me. The one I considered my first love since he was the one I felt I knew best out of anyone except my parents. Yuki-kun sees me staring and turns to me with a smile.
"What? Is there something on my face?" I shake my head slightly and smile back at him. I feel like I've been doing a lot more smiling than I ever have in my life. I wonder what this feeling could be called?
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!" The bell goes off, signifying the end of the first period. I look to Yuki-kun before standing up and brushing off my skirt. I hold my hand out for him and he uses it to help himself stand. We smile at each other before the horde of students begin to leave the classroom in front of us. Most of the girls stare at Yuki-kun with dreamy looks in their eyes. I blink because I can barely believe it, but most of the guys are staring at me!
"Shizuko-san! Yuki-kun!" We turn to the voice and I smile as I see Tohru walk up to us. "Shizuko-san! I was worried! After you went to go find Momiji-san and Hatsuharu-san, you never came back! I was afraid you'd gotten lost or something and that it was my fault for not going with you! And then Yuki-kun went to find you and both of you didn't come back! I was worried!"
"I'm so sorry, Tohru! It's just that...something happened..and it got a little out of hand...B-but don't worry! I'll have Kyo-kun take care of it!"
"Have me take care of what?" I turn to the voice and see Kyo-kun. "Why were you missing, huh? You don't seem the type to skip out on your first day of school..."
"Of course, you would know. Jumping out a window before class even started," Yuki-kun says, smirking at Kyo-kun.
"WHAT WAS THAT YA, DAMN RAT?" Kyo-kun yells, taking a step closer to Yuki-kun, his hands clenched into fists.
"Ky-Kyo-kun!" Tohru said, her voice quivering slightly.
"Please...stop!" I say, pleading.
"You can't fight in school!"We both say in unison. We look at each other and the boys are staring at us.
"W-well...I know we'll get along well, Tohru...We're similar..."
"Y-yeah...I guess so..." We smile slightly at each other before the beginning of class bell rings. We all go inside and sit...well, they sit at their desks, I stand there dumbly in the front of the room, not sure where my seat is.
"Shizuko-chan, come sit here. No one sits here, so it's okay," Yuki-kun tells me. I nod and sit at the desk next to him. The girls all glare at me...I can feel their hate and it's making my hair stand on egde. I turn to look at them all...eep...scary dark aura...
"Okay class, settle down. I see the new girl has already found a seat. Come up here and introduce yourself." I nod and stand up. When I turn to face the students, the girls are still glaring at me and the guys are staring at me with weird looks on their faces.
"Uhm...I'm Sohma Shizuko...I'm Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun's cousin. This is my first time going to a co-ed school...public or otherwise...uhm...I hope you will treat me well..." I stutter out, not sure what to say. I bow and quickly return to my seat.
"Well, Ms.Shizuko, I'm sure you're in good hands when it comes to being shown around the school. Welcome to class. Try to catch up, okay?"
"O-okay. Thank you."
"RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!" The ending bell rings as the last class finishes. I stretch out and stand up. Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Tohru and her friends come up to me.
"How was your first day here, Ms. Orangey?" Uotani-san asks me.
"M-Ms. Orangey?"
"Yeah! You're hair's orange like Anger Management boy here."
"What did you call me, Ya damn Yankee?"
"Heh, still got quite the temper, huh?"
"Shut up!"
"Uhm...Shouldn't we stop them...?"
"No, they're always like that. We usually just wait for them to finish. So, how was your first day?" Hanajima-san tells me as I voice my concern.
"Oh! Well, it was certainly...quite eventful..." I say pointedly looking at Yuki-kun. He nods grimly.
"That's right! You never said why you missed first period!" Tohru exclaims.
"Oh, well...uhm..."
"That's more of a personal matter that can be handled within the family. I'm sure you understand," Yuki-kun says, looking to Uotani-san and Hanajima-san.
"Yeah, sure. It's private. Gotcha." Uotani-san says, nodding. Hanajima-san stays quiet but nods slightly.
"So, what are we going to do today?" I ask as we all stand around my desk.
"Shizuko-chan? Are you here?" We all turn to the voice which belongs to Momiji-kun.
"Yeah! Hi Momiji-kun! Is Hatusharu-kun coming too?"
"Hi." We see Hatsuharu standing in the doorway. I smile. My cousins are all here now! Momiji-kun hugs me and smiles, glad to hug someone of the opposite gender, I'm sure.
"So, what are you guys gonna do today?"
"We're not sure, Momiji-san. Do you want to hang out with us?" Tohru asks him with a smile.
"Okay! You wanna, Haru?"
"Yeah. Sure." I smile at Tohru
"They're coming? Why do they have to come?"Kyo-kun says irritatedly.
"Because they have the right to hang out and get to know their cousin."
"Shut up! Just because you think you're all high-and-mighty, Damn Rat..."
"Well, you're the one who seems to have a problem with having them around, stupid cat."
"They're annoying! Momiji's too happy and is such a cry baby and Haru can turn black at nothing!"
"They're still family, though, right? I mean, you learn to love your family..." I say, getting between them as they argued. "Besides, they seems nice and fun!"
"Whatever! If you wanna hang out with them, I won't tell you not to."
"Thanks, Kyo-kun! You're a pretty good guy!"
"Whatever!" Kyo-kun yells, looking to the side. I smile and we begin to make our plans.
A/N: Okay, so what do you think? I was originally going to follow Lee Totema's ideas, but then the story began to write itself and this came of it! I didn't know that I'd start with the romance this soon! But the story made me do it! -tears- Anyway, yeah. That's the pairing. What do you think of it? You can disagree with it, I just want to know what you honestly think! Anyway, please review and you get s'mores...and something else...which will be announced at the beginning of the next chapter...That means review people!