Attention: TheKnightsOfThePentagonalOttomen Do Not Own Fruits Basket or any of the included characters. We do however own the Taiyou Family! Enjoy!

Author's Note: I would like to dedicate this chapter to my friend's late mother, Pam Reynolds, who recently passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. She was like a second mother to me and always supported me in all of my undertakings. She will forever be missed. Be aware. Get checked. And don't forget, men can get it too.

Alarice made her way towards the auction block. When she arrived, all of the other classroom representatives had already gathered backstage in the waiting room and were anxiously awaiting their cues. To her surprise, even the President of the 'Prince Yuki' fan club, Matoko Minagowa was there; she looked like she had been priming and prepping for at least three hours leading up to the event.

'I don't want to do this.' Alarice whined to her self, and then she noticed Yuki quietly sulking in the corner. Alarice figured she wasn't the only one who was less than enthusiastic about the auction and walked over with a smile on her face.

"So, you ready to be sold?" She asked, trying to get at least a smirk out of him.

"No. But it is for the school, so I guess I should just try to be patient." Yuki smiled back, but Alarice could tell from the look in his eyes that he was anything but and that this was the last place on Earth he wanted to be. 'I know exactly how he feels…"

The auctioneer climbed the steps leading to the podium, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, hello and welcome! I know you've all been anxious and more than likely saving money for this next event. So, without further delay, we present today's main event; The Auction of the Classroom Representatives." The crowd roared with screaming girls and hooting boys, and the apprehension backstage was so thick, that many of the representatives were afraid they would smother.

"This is it!" Aiden smiled.

"This is it!" Gypsy giggled.

"This is boring." Caira griped, annoyed by previous events.

"Lets start the bidding with the third year representatives. First up is the lovely Miss Matoko Minagowa."

Matoko sashayed on to the stage. The guys hooted and whistled. The bidding started. But soon the auctioneer shouted, "Sold for $250. Next up…" The auction continued until the last people to go were the most prized of them all. Yuki Sohma and Alarice Taiyou.

The pair smiled wearily at each other.

"Next up is the man everyone has been waiting for, Yuki Sohma." The girls went wiled.

"Good luck?" Alarice offered.

"You too." Yuki nodded, marching off like an expensive cut of meat.

"We will start the bidding at $50, do I hear 50?" The auctioneer called.

"50!" a girl shouted and jumped at the same time.

"60!"

"70!"

"90!" The bids kept going higher and higher. The fan club was pooling their money.

"500 dollars!" The fan girls shouted. Soon the audience went quiet.

"I hear $500 dollars. Going once, going twice…"

"600 dollars." A voice in the back called.

The voice sounded very familiar, and the three Taiyou girls turn to see Gypsy raising her hand with a sweet innocent smile on her face. They all gawked at her.

"Umm…600 dollars going once…going twice…" The auctioneer looked over at the group of girls to the left of the front stage but they were in shock and they didn't seem to have any more money.

"Sold to the girl in the back for 600 dollars."

Aiden turned to Gypsy in a huff. "Gypsy, why did you buy Yuki Sohma? I thought we told you there was something weird about them."

"Well, I think he is cute and I, for one, would like to see what he is like. Besides what could possibly be so bad about the Sohmas anyway?" Gypsy quipped as she made her way to the stage to pay for her date.

As the commotion began to die down the auctioneer prepared for the next person.

"Okay, and for the last beauty to the block, we have Miss. Alarice Taiyou." The room practically exploded from all of the cheering when Alarice came out from behind the curtain. She was nervous and began fidgeting. In an attempt to calm herself down, Alarice began playing with her hair, and when she flipped it over her shoulder, the glitter that the little girl put in her hair flew around her, adding an extra sparkle to her aura. Everyone swooned.

"Miss. Taiyou's hobbies include playing with kids, reading romance novels, going to the beach, singing, and taking very, very, very…long…baths? Well okay then." The auctioneer smiled as he read Alarice's info card aloud.

'I didn't fill out any personality cards... Unless…' Alarice scanned the crowd and saw Vanya waving at her and smiling; paling when their eyes made contact.

'Oh she is so dead. I SO HATE YOU!' Alarice glared and smiled at Vanya, almost to the point of hurting her self: Yet another fruitless attempt at calming herself down.

"Let the bidding begin, lets start at…"

"90 dollars." Someone shouted interrupting the auctioneer.

"Well, we have…"

"120" Again the auctioneer was interrupted.

"150"

"150? 190 dollars"

"Is that all she is worth to you? 225." The boys were beginning to argue.

"Oh that's my cousin, Alarice Taiyou. She is so wonderful; she's making the Taiyou family very proud." Vanya clapped and glowed with pride, secretly enjoying the misery Alarice must be going through.

"Yes, she is very cute. I must bid for her. But I haven't the slightest how much I should bid." Ayame pondered over how much he had on him. He was, after all, disappointed about not wining the bid for his brother.

"Oh I would wait a little bit longer before placing my bid. You still haven't seen her "true beauty". I think she'll reveal here shining self very soon." Vanya smiled, raising her arms and twisting her wrists and hands with entrancingly fluid movements.

Ayame shrugged. He assumed Vanya was just raving along with the background music.

Alarice was starting the blush. The boys were arguing over how much she was worth and she was more than a little worried that a fight might break out amongst the boys in the group. Suddenly a motion in the crowd caught Alarice's attention. She noticed Vanya doing some kind of dance with her arms while she was sitting.

"Oh no." she whispered, taking a step back.

'She's casting her heavenly light! NO!' But no sooner had she realized what was going on when a beam of sun light broke through the clouds shining down on Alarice. She was now surrounded by a heavenly glow of golden yellow light, making any movement seem divine in nature.

Everyone was in awe. Alarice was looking around frantically.

'How could Vanya use her powers in public!?! Margo is going to be so pissed!'

The president of Alarice's fan club was in deep fantasy mode and when the light cascaded down over her, he nearly died from loss of blood from his nosebleed. "I must have her." Nearly drooling, the president turned and looked over to the other officers an noticed they were doing the exact same thing. But before he could say anything, a female voice cut through the silence, "Sing!"

Then another voice, "Sing!"

"Yeah, sing!"

"Sing a song."

The cheers kept increasing. Alarice was becoming frantic.

'Who started this? I can't sing. Bad things will happen. Well I guess I can say I was forced to.'

"Miss Taiyou, everyone's calling for a song. Will you sing for us?" The auctioneer asked.

Alarice forced a smile onto here face, looking poignantly at Vanya.

"I would love to." She took a few steps forward to stand center stage, the auctioneer handing her a cordless microphone. Taking a look over her shoulder, Alarice looked at the technician, "All You Wanted, Michelle Branch?"

Smiling, he nodded his head.

As the music started to play, a hush came over the crowd and Alarice started to sing.

"I wanted to be like you

I wanted everything

So I tried to be like you
And I got swept away "

After the first few bars, the men in the room were completely mesmerized. As for the majority of the females and a certain amethyst-haired boy, they were unaffected. Yuki sat in the crowd, watching as something unnatural unfold before him.

"I didn't know that it was so cold
And you needed someone
to show you the way
So I took your hand and we figured out
That when the tide comes
I'll take you away "

"If you want to
I can save you Alarice reaches out with her hand and pulls back in
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
Was somebody who cared"

Alarice looked directly at Yuki and for a moment a wave of euphoria passed between them. Yuki turned away, startled. Alarice just continued singing; she had other things on her mind.

"I'm sinking slowly
So hurry hold me
Your hand is all I have

To keep me hanging on
Please can you tell me
So I can finally see
Where you go when you're gone"

'Why is Yuki unaffected by the call of the siren? He should be hypnotize along with the other men.'

"If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
Was somebody who cared"

"All you wanted was somebody who cares
If you need me you know I'll be there
Oh, yeah"

Alarice began letting more emotion seep into the song. At that point, Vanya started to become worried. 'I thought she would turn down the singing! Oh that little brat is going to be in so much trouble.'

"If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
Was somebody who cared"

"Please can you tell me
So I can finally see
Where you go when you're gone"

As the music started to fade, everyone began cheering. The girls may have been jealous of her, but they had to admit she could sing. Smiling, Alarice bowed and took a deep breath trying to recover from exhaustion. Bowing again, she whispered, "Release". The link broke instantly and some of the guys were left rubbing their eyes or shaking their heads.

'Good. She released them.' Vanya gave a sigh of relief, thinking to herself she clapped along with the crowd. Mass cheers and applause gave way to loud talking, when a voice cut through it.

"800 dollars!" Ayame shouted excitedly, pointing straight at Alarice. Everyone turned to look at him.

The auctioneer snapped out of his daze when the guy shouted out his bid.

"Uh…umm…going once, going twice…sold. Miss. Taiyou, sold, for 800 dollars. Okay that is it for the main event. The other activates will continue until the end of the school day. Please feel free to explore and thank you for your participation."

The auction was finally over and everyone began filing out of the gymnasium. The light began to fade around Alarice, and with a sigh, she made her way backstage to meet up with the other representatives.

Alarice could tell instantly that Yuki was upset. Clenching his fists, Yuki stood staring through the curtain at the tall man with the silver hair, wearing a full length purple Korean style robe. Alarice made her way over to Yuki, seeing his unusual glare.

"That's the guy that bid on me. Yuki, do you know him?" Nudging him slightly with her shoulder. Still in shock and showing no visible reaction to her nudge, Yuki managed to choke out, "He is my brother."