Chapter Five – Rat's Observations

The last three months had been some of the best of Yuki's entire life. Working at the Fruits Basket Café – Bookstore had proved to give him more than just a job. It became his favourite place to be, even when he wasn't working. The atmosphere there was always so friendly and welcoming. Though, he supposed, that was probably due to Tohru.

Tohru Honda, possibly the kindest, most giving person Yuki had ever had the pleasure of meeting. There was nothing that was too much trouble for the girl. While she was only twenty-four, she had managed to achieve her life-long dream already, to own the place. She was the best boss he had ever had.

Originally Yuki had only applied for the job out of curiosity to see if he would get it. He was studying medicine full time at Tokyo University, but he could always do with some extra cash in his pocket and waiting tables had seemed like a pretty easy way of doing it at the time. However, it was when he had walked into the interview room and seen her sitting there, almost more nervous then he was, that he had begun to think that maybe this was a really good idea, possibly one of the best he'd ever had.

She had fumbled about at the beginning, a pink blush steadily turning red the more embarrassed she got. It was endearing in a funny kind of way. Yet, once he had heard why she was so determined to succeed, Yuki had found himself wanting to help her achieve her goals, to make her mother proud even after death.

"Hey, Yuki, get that table over there would you?" Kyo called out, snapping him out of his thoughts, he looked over at the table the idiot was pointing at.

Yuki had known who Kyo was the moment he'd heard his name. There weren't many people who had such a violent reputation, along with such a long list of places that weren't willing to employ him. Yuki guesses that Tohru's normal good opinion of everyone was all that had really given him the job. He wondered quietly to himself what that interview had been like…

Since working with him, Yuki had been slightly surprised. Although Kyo did have a temper and he often yelled, when he did do something 'violent' it wasn't really all that hurtful. Sure, he hit Momiji over the head all the time, but it was more like a brotherly hit than a truly malicious action.

'Besides,' Yuki thought dryly. 'If Kyo didn't do it then I'd end up doing it; that kid is exhausting to be around.'

How Tohru got along with him so well was a complete mystery to him; although, that was probably one of her attributes that drew him to her.

Kyo's temper had simmered down noticeably in the three months Yuki had known him anyway. He suspected it was a combine effect of being around Tohru, who was such a sunny and gentle spirit to begin with, and Hastuharu, the quiet boy that was practically joined at the hip with Kyo. From what Yuki understood, or rather what Arisa had bluntly told him; Kyo liked Haru and was making an effort to be good around him so that he might notice him. She said that Haru already liked Kyo and was just enjoying watching Kyo squirm. When Yuki had asked why Haru didn't just tell Kyo he liked him, she had looked at him pointedly and asked him when he was planning on asking Tohru out.

Needless to say they hadn't spoken about Kyo and Haru's love life – or lack thereof – since.

Walking over to the customer, Yuki was silently thankful to get away from Momiji's constant chatter. The high school senior was in the shop practically every day for hours on end. Privately, Yuki wondered what was at home that he was trying to avoid so much.

Yuki knew what it was like to have a crappy home life. Ever since he was little his parents had been mounting the pressure on him to succeed, to come in first at everything, even if he had no interest in it. It didn't help that he had been naturally good at a lot of things, so those that he wasn't good at were very noticeable. Cooking, for example, he was rubbish at; he always liked the irony behind working in a café and not being able to cook…

It hadn't helped that his older brother by ten years, Ayame, had been exceptionally skilled in most things too. Of course, when Yuki was nine his brother had decided that he wanted to go into fashion, something that had succeeded in getting him kicked out of home by his horrified parents. That had only added to the pressures that were put on him, his parents trying to compensate for having a gay first son by having the perfect second son.

When he was younger he had fully blamed his older, flamboyant brother, who appeared to care for no one beside himself. However, it had been when he was thirteen that he saw his brother again, having not seen him since he had been kicked out. Yuki had been walking home after a cram class when he had seen someone leaning against a building on the street. He had a vague thought of danger before pushing it aside at the sight of silver coloured hair.

He'd only ever seen one person with hair that colour.

Yuki had been unable to do anything more then stare accusingly at the person who, in his eyes, had made his life a living hell. He hadn't spoken to Ayame that night, nor the next night when his brother had managed to find him again, or the night after that. It had gone on for a whole month, Ayame cornering Yuki on his way home, only to have Yuki completely ignore him for the entire time, no matter what Ayame said.

It wasn't until one night when Ayame didn't say anything, just walked with him in silence. There was something about that silence that had spoken to Yuki, made him suddenly desire his brother's company after so long alone. That night, as they walked to Yuki's parents house, Yuki had spoken for the first time.

"Will you be here tomorrow night?"

It was a simple sentence and for a moment Ayame had smiled at him, serious in every sense of the word, until it was over and he had gone back to being his usual stupid, over the top, loud self.

They had an odd relationship, with Ayame dropping in on Yuki whenever he was in town and Yuki always finding himself annoyed and exhausted with the visit only moments after it had begun. Usually Yuki ended up yelling at his brother and telling him to get lost, but Ayame always seemed to take everything he said with a grain of salt and would leave a card when he left saying he promised to come back again soon to see his 'darling younger brother'.

"Hi there, what can I get for you today?" Yuki smiled at the slightly familiar girl sitting at a table that was almost secluded from the rest due to its position. She was younger then him, probably still in high school from the looks of it. With long black hair and dark brown eyes that almost seemed black, her pale skin hinted at a fairly sheltered life.

"Um, just a coke." She said quietly.

"Sure thing… you're beginning to become something of a regular here, aren't you?" He asked, smiling in what he hoped was a friendly manner; however she just gave him an almost frightened look before staring determinedly at the tabletop.

Figuring she was just extremely shy he simply turned and went over to the counter.

"Will you just shut up!" Kyo yelled angrily beside him, reaching out to hit Momiji over the head but missing when the kid leaned away from him laughing.

"Aww, Yuki, Kyo's being mean to me." He whined, turning big blue eyes on him to no avail.

"Momiji, I'm pretty sure whatever it is you did was worthy of getting hit." Yuki said dryly, siding with Kyo on this and this alone. Normally they argued like cats and rats, but this was something they both agreed on.

"Come a little closer so I can reach you, you brat." Kyo snarled quietly, trying to reach further over the counter to the blond, only to have him stick his tongue out at him.

"You're such a bully Kyo. I don't know what Haru will say when I tell him you tried to hit me again." With a cheeky wink the kid skipped over to the table at the back of the shop where Haru was sitting with Tohru, the girl talking away happily.

"MOMIJI!" Kyo yelled, face-flushing red with embarrassment and anger.

"Don't worry, he won't actually say anything. Knowing Haru, he'll just agree with you on hitting the midget." Yuki off-handedly consoled the orange haired man.

"Sh-shut up!" Kyo snapped at him before grabbing a tray and stomping over to a recently vacated table that needed to be cleaned.

"Stop sniggering, you idiot." Yuki said quietly to Shigure who was lurking at the door to the kitchen like usual, delighting in the embarrassment of Kyo.

"Aww, Yuki you're such a party-pooper." He complained, but disappeared into the kitchen again anyway.

Rolling his eyes at the idiots he had to deal with on an almost daily basis, Yuki finished the drink and made his way back over to the shy girl.

"Here you are. Was there anything else I can get for you?" He asked politely.

"N-no, thank you." The manners were tacked on the end, her eyes trained on something else as she paid him little attention.

Curious, Yuki followed her train of sight and saw it rested on the table at the back of the shop where his friends were seated, talking loudly and laughing.

'Maybe she knows someone there?' He thought to himself, however he remained silent when she showed no sign of acknowledging him. Turning he wandered back over to the counter, thoughts still on the mysterious girl in the corner.

"Yuki, come tell Momiji about what you learnt in class today. He thinks he knows more about medicine then you do!" Shigure suddenly called out. Looking over at him at the table, Yuki guessed he had snuck out of the kitchen – as he was prone to doing – and gravitated to the loudest area of the room like always.

Shaking his head, Yuki made to walk over to them; the customer knew to ring the bell at the counter if they really wanted anything. However he only managed a few steps when the chime suddenly sounded above the door, announcing the arrival of someone only half wanted.

"YUKI! My darling younger brother! Have you missed me?"

'Just when I thought things were going well; this idiot turns up.'