I do not own fruits basket

Chapter 3

"Hey, Ryouko?"

"Yeah Tohru?"

Tohru nibbled on an onigiri . "Have you met Kyo and Yuki?"

Ryouko licked some sauce from her rice off of her finger. "I've met Kyo, but not Yuki." She thought for a second. "Does Yuki have silver hair and purple eyes?"

"Yeah" Said Uo.

"Well he sat next to me in two of my classes." Ryouko said, "Or, a guy with silver hair and purple eyes."

"So, you haven't really met him?" Tohru asked. "So then you don't know that he's the student body president."

"He is?" Ryouko asked, surprised. "He looked so laid back and, friendly, I would have never of guessed."

"You should meet him." Hana said, almost as if talking to herself. "His waves are almost as interesting as yours."

"Eh, okay." Ryouko said, wondering how she should take that.

"I know!" Exclaimed Tohru, her face lighting up with excitement. "Why don't you come over to my house! Then you can meet him!"

"Um, but how would going to your house make me meet Yuki?" Ryouko asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Oh yeah." Tohru blushed. "I didn't tell you this before, but I live with Kyo, Yuki, and their cousin Shigure."

"No way!" Ryouko exclaimed. "Don't you live with your family?"

"No, my mother and father died." Tohru's face fell. "But then the Sohmas took me in, and now I live there!"

"That's terrible Tohru." Ryouko said, grabbing Tohru's hands. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't bother," Uo whispered to Ryouko. "She wont take apologies, she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her."

"But me and Tohru are almost the same!" Ryouko said desprately, her eyes full of pain. "My parents and brother all left me, because," she broke off and hung her head, tears streaming down her face. "I-I've said too much."

"It's okay Ryouko. It's okay to cry every once in a while." Tohru hugged Ryouko. "We all have our memories that give us pain. But it's okay to cry about it, you can't hide your feelings forever."

Ryouko flung her arms around Tohru and sobbed uncontrollably. Why all of a sudden do I trust Tohru so much? I've never cried like this before. I guess it's just her nature, she can help people in so many ways. I'm so lucky to have become friends with her.

"It's okay Ryouko, I'm here." Someone whispered in her ear.

Ryouko stopped crying abruptly. "Did you say something Tohru?"

"No." Tohru came out of their hug. "Did you hear something?"

"Yes, someone said 'It's okay Ryouko, I'm here.'." Ryouko said, wiping her eyes. "I could swear that I heard it."

"Yes," Hana said. "I sensed very strange waves at the moment that you heard the voice."

"Okay, that's just really creepy." Uo said, but was interrupted by the bell that signaled the end of lunch.

"I'll see you after school!" Called Tohru as she head to her next class.

"Yeah, see ya." Muttered Ryouko,

Then it was just the same as it had always been, in every school she had ever gone to, teasing, jokes, stares, gasps, and everything that she did not want to hear.

Slumping down in her chair, Ryouko couldn't wait until the day was over.

"Ryouko!!" Tohru waved from exit. Kyo and Yuki were waiting with her. Kyo looked very uncomfortable standing next to the franticly waving girl. Yuki look relaxed and smile played about his lips as he gazed at Tohru.

"Hey." Ryouko said as she walked up to them. "So you must be the Yuki guy I heard about."

"Yes, I am Yuki Sohma, pleased to meet you." He bowed and Ryouko bowed back.

"Let's get going." Kyo said gruffly. "We don't want Shigure to get worried."

Yuki stared at Kyo suspiciously. "Since when have you cared about worrying Shigure?"

Kyo didn't respond, he just stomped out the door yelling over his shoulder. "Come on!"

They followed him, and walked silently behind him the whole way to their house. It was a very homey looking house, with a man in a traditional Japanese robe sitting on the porch, apparently waiting for them.

He stood up as soon as they approached. "Hello Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and..." He paused, not sure what to make of Ryouko. Her single eye blazed at him, its red color seeming almost fiery. Yet her face was totally expressionless. "Who is your friend?" he asked.

"I'm Ryouko, you must be Shigure." There was no emotion in her words whatsoever. During the walk to the house, Ryouko had gone completely expressionless, in Ryouko language it meant that she had gone into defensive mode, as she thought that this Shigure person would be nothing like the kindness that she had received from Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki.

"Err, yes, nice to meet you, please, come in." Shigure was very nervous, Ryouko could tell, he would be like all the others, disgusted by her scar, and terrified of her other eye.

Going into the house, Kyo politely opened the door for her.

"Thank you Kyo." She said.

He just blushed.

They all sat down at a table in silence. It went on and on until Tohru couldn't take it anymore.

"Ryouko!" She stood up, her voice not unlike that of a hero. "I will get you some snacks!" and then marched into the kitchen, where she could be heard making snacks for everyone.

"Tohru is really something." Ryouko said, leaning on the table. "I'm glad to have come to the school, and to of met her."

"Yeah," Kyo said, "You just cant help but smile when you're with her, she just has that effect."

Shigure drummed his fingers on the wooden table. "So, tell me, how did you choose to come here? I mean the area."

Ryouko launched into her tail.

"My parents and brother left me when I was 10. I've had to fend for myself for 7 years. I originally lived in an apartment, but, a 10 year old cant pay for that. So then I moved in with my best friend, Usagi, and live there until they had to move, when I was 12.

"Ever since then, I have been transferring to new school when I can't stand the other one any longer. I've been living in apartments, working as a waitress on the night shift at restaurants in the area. I heard that the school here was a good one, so it thought that maybe this time it would b different then all the others, and I'm glad I came."

"I can't help but ask," Yuki said cautiously. "But, how did you get that scar?"

Ryouko shot up, her eye blazing, totally outraged that he would have the nerve to ask. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and toppled over. Kyo grabbed her as she fell, and everything was like it was slow-motion from then.

As he caught her, he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable transformation.

Yuki and Shigure froze, scared of what to say when Kyo would transformed.

But…..

Author's note

Sorry for the cliffhanger!