Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket or the song. Song used: Dirty Laundry by Bitter:Sweet

Warning: This chapter is rated T for some situational stuff and implied sex.

A/N: Oh how I do love to torture some of my favorite characters... hope you like it.

The mall was unusually busy for an early Friday afternoon, but the small group that wandered through it was in good spirits despite the fact. Shigure was being led around by a very enthusiastic Serina while the kids followed a short distance behind them. Kyo was roaming his eyes over all the shop fronts, hands in his pockets, with a rather neutral expression on his face. Yuki walked with his hands at his side, obviously bored by the fact that he'd been taken shopping by Shigure and his girlfriend. Tohru, however, was just as eager to go shopping as well, though for much different reasons.

"I've got a bad boy and that's alright with me"

"Perfect!" Serina called out suddenly. The boys looked up to see Serina dragging Shigure into a dress shop on their right. Yuki let out a soft sigh and Kyo rolled his eyes, but the two reluctantly followed the blonde into the shop when they saw Tohru rush in.

"What kind of dress are you looking for?" they heard Tohru asking the older girl.

"Not sure yet," Serina replied with a shrug. "Just something formal and sexy."

"I-I see," Tohru replied, blushing slightly at the word she used to describe her dress.

Shigure chuckled and took his hand back gently from Serina and smiled down at her. "I guess that means I can't see it just yet?"

"You're the one who said you wanted me to go formal tomorrow night," she smirked in reply.

"His dirty laundry is nothing that I can keep clean"

The three men stood at the doorway while Serina searched for a dress with Tohru's help.

"She's something, isn't she?" Shigure said suddenly, watching Serina take delight in making Tohru blush deep crimson.

"Yeah, somethin' all right," Kyo muttered in reply.

Shigure frowned at him. "You don't like her?"

"I don't think that's the problem," Yuki answered for his cousin.

"Oh? Then what is?" Shigure's eyes were alight with curiosity as he regarded his cousins.

"And when he needs an alibi
He can use me all night"

"What do you think of this one?" Tohru asked, holding up a knee-length, emerald green dress.

Serina considered the dress for a moment then shook her head. "Too short," she said simply. "And too green – green is definitely not my color."

"Well, what is your color then?" the brunette asked with a smile as she replaced the green dress on the rack.

"Black," Serina replied quickly. "Or maybe red. Depends on the dress really."

"Anything else that the dress should have?"

Serina thought for a moment before answering. "It has to be floor-length, with a lower neckline... Not sure what else it really needs for sure though." She shrugged. "Like I said, it depends on the dress."

"What's the fun in playing it safe?
I think I'd rather misbehave
Your way"

"So you're saying that, because you don't know her, you don't want her living in the house?" Shigure was surprised at the fervor with which both Kyo and Yuki were now telling him how much they disliked the idea of Serina living with them.

"It's not just that," Yuki said, obviously exasperated by the writer's misunderstanding. "You haven't even known her for a month, and already she's taken over your life. She's coming and going from the house at all hours of the day and night, and it's frustrating to know nothing about her than her name."

"Anything else?" Shigure asked with a smirk, leaning against the doorway of the store with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Yeah, can you keep it down in the middle of the night?" Kyo added irritably. "I can't sleep when you two go at it."

Shigure's smirk only widened. "We can try."

"I'm just a bad girl that's why we get along
Won't make excuses for anything I'm doing wrong"

Serina tilted her head slightly as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had tried on the crimson, strapless dress with the expectation that it would fit to her curves nicely. The dress, however, had a mind of its own, which was obvious by how it started to make its way outward starting at her waist. Frustrated by yet another failure, she stepped back into her dressing room and proceeded to pull the dress off.

"I found another one for you to try!" Tohru called happily from just outside the door. "This one's navy blue, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Serina called back. "Bring it on in."

Tohru smiled to herself as she opened the dressing room door then nearly dropped the dress when she saw that Serina was dressed only in her strapless bra and panties. Her eyes widened as she looked the woman up and down, the click of the dressing room door behind her completely unnoticed.

"I'll pull the trigger in a flash
Watch out honey, step back"

"Something wrong?" Tohru vaguely heard Serina asking. It wasn't until the dress was being taken out of her hands that she realized she hadn't replied. She blushed a deep red and shook her head.

"N-n-no! Nothing's wrong! I just... I'm, ah, sorry, for... um... seeing you..." She looked down at her feet as she trailed off.

Serina laughed as she slipped into the dress. "I've still got some clothes on, so don't worry about it. Besides, you're a girl too, so I'm even less worried." She looked herself up and down in the small mirror in the room and shook her head. "No, I don't think I like this one either," she said with a frown.

"What's the fun in playing it safe?
Wouldn't you rather misbehave
My way"

Shigure stood just outside of the hall full of dressing rooms, pouting. "Serina," he called in a whiny voice, "have you found one yet?"

"I think so!" she called back. "But you can't see it before tomorrow!"

"That's not fair! I'm paying for it after all!"

"Then don't pay for it – last night's paycheck alone will pay for it."

He raised an eyebrow in a suspicious manner as he tried to peek around the corner toward the dressing room she was in. "Just how much does this dress cover?"

"Just enough to drive you crazy."

"Oh baby who me the money my evil friend
Let's go to Mexico, drink margaritas in sin"

Serina smirked as the poor girl behind the counter counted up all the bills she had set on the counter to pay for her dress. She seemed flustered by the fact that there were so many, but she never once complained. As she finished counting it for the second time she nodded.

"Exactly two hundred and fifty eight dollars and thirty four cents," she said. She smiled softly at Serina as she handed over the dress, which was already hidden in a black garment bag. "Thank you for shopping with us."

"Thanks," Serina replied with a smile of her own. She held the dress over her right shoulder, holding onto the hanger with just two fingers. "What's wrong?" she asked, an innocent smirk on her face.

"Where the hell did you get that much money? And in cash?!" Kyo asked, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open slightly.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "The job I had until last Monday." She smirked when Yuki's eyes widened as well. "I made good money," she added.

"I'll light a candle for good luck
Now come on baby let's..."

The trip back to the house was unusually quiet. Serina seemed rather pleased with herself, Yuki and Kyo were still in shock, Tohru was as silent as she had been when she had emerged from the dressing room with Serina, and Shigure was trying to figure out a way to sneak a peek of the dress before tomorrow night. The only thing that occasionally broke the silence was Serina snickering when she looked up to see such a determined look on Shigure's face.

"What's the fun in playing it safe?
I think I'd rather misbehave
Our way"

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully with most everyone keeping to themselves. Even dinner was uneventful, which was always a rare occurrence in Shigure's house. Everyone had been so focused on their own thoughts or avoiding someone else – usually Serina – that hardly a word was spoken throughout the whole meal.

When night finally settled over the house, Shigure wandered into his study and sat down in front of his computer, contemplating writing a little something to appease his easily excitable editor. He balanced a pencil under his nose for a while as he stared at the screen, so focused on it that he didn't hear the screen door slide open or the footsteps that ensued.

"Hard at work I see," Serina said with a soft laugh. Shigure turned around immediately and smirked at her.

"We're simply mad"

"I don't seem to have the right kind of inspiration at the moment," he replied with a shrug.

"Oh?" she asked. "And what kind of inspiration would you like?" She smirked as she walked over and sat down next to him.

"Simply mad"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sure the table could help out a bit..."