Well, well, well… okay here's yet another chapter dedicated to… um… you guys! Yeah! Anyways, forgive me if this chapter is a bit weird cause I've been watching Foamy, if that means anything to some of you. If not, just know that he's a neurotic cursing squirrel. No lie. If you want to watch him, go to illwillpress with the www and the .com (I had to write it like this so it shows up). Anyways, have fun with this chapter and review if you feel like it. My favorite character (one of them) appears so I'm happy for now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket but I do own Yukiko.
Innocence
Chapter 8
Flamboyant Visit and Dinner
"So, it's almost May. Some of these should be ready to pick soon, right?" Tohru asked as Yuki, Yukiko, and she sat in his 'secret base.'
"Uh-huh… I'd say, the carrots, the turnips… the leeks," Yuki replied.
"Um… Yuki?" Yukiko asked as she softly felt some of the vegetables.
"Yes Yukiko?" Yuki replied as he watched her.
"Do you think… maybe we could plant some peaches?" Yukiko asked looking at him with the puppy dog eyes.
"Sure," Yuki said smiling. Tohru was sitting next to Yukiko and was laughing.
"Oh that would be fun. I love peaches," Tohru said happily.
"Hmm… The strawberries are almost ready also. They should be delicious," Yuki added looking at the garden. Tohru suddenly sneezed startling Yukiko who was watching some bugs crawling on leaves.
"Are you okay?" Yuki asked. Yukiko had fallen over in alarm at Tohru's sneeze.
"I'm fine… I guess it's just a little chillier out here than I expected," Tohru replied helping Yukiko sit back up.
"In that case… We're almost done here…" Yuki started. Tohru was only wearing a dress and her legs were probably cold. Yukiko had done the same because she wanted to play dress up before they left. Tohru and Yukiko's friendship had grown and they were a lot like sisters. Tohru picked out an outfit for Yukiko and they laughed the whole time.
Yukiko had on a light pinkish-white shirt that had scrunched up short sleeves. She had on a pair of light brown pants like Kyo's that were a little loose. Around her neck was a burgundy choker with a big gold bell in the front. On top of her head was a pair of fluffy cat ears that matched her shirt. It was a headband that she found in her room. Kyo hadn't seen her outfit but he would certainly say something about the ears. Her dark green hair was in a messy ponytail, compliments of Tohru.
"Why don't you go on back to the house?" Yuki suggested to Tohru and Yukiko.
"Oh… are you sure…?" asked Tohru. Yuki's stomach growled making Tohru and Yukiko giggle at his embarrassment. "Okay, when you put it like that! I'll go back and make us something to eat." Tohru got up and walked up the path back to the house.
"We can go get some peach seeds later if you want, Yukiko," Yuki said.
"Alright," Yukiko replied cheerily at the thought of having peaches again. Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream in the distance. They both rushed up and ran down the path thinking the same thing.
"Tohru!"
--
"Ah, dammit, I'm hungry!" Kyo ranted as his stomach growled again.
"Tohru should be back soon… Try being patient for once," Shigure said calmly, reading the newspaper.
"Forget it! I'll just make something myself," Kyo spat walking into the kitchen.
"Hold on, Kyo… I have a better idea," Shigure said. "You can snack on these to tide you over until Tohru gets home…"
"Are you crazy! You know damn well I hate miso!" Kyo screamed throwing the bowl out of his face.
"You know… You really shouldn't waste food like that… Terrible…" Shigure screeched at Kyo watching the bowl and food. They turned as they heard the door open. "There, you see? Here they are… now…" Yuki stuck a snake in Shigure's face.
"You want lunch? Here. Skin this and eat it," Yuki said. Tohru and Yukiko entered the room behind. Yukiko shrieked at what Yuki said and grabbed the snake from him.
"What? You can't eat this poor snake. It's a living thing. Can I keep him Uncle Shigure?" Yukiko asked the shocked man while she cuddled the snake to her chest happily.
"Uh… is that Aya?" Shigure asked looking closely at the snake.
"He belongs to someone already?" Yukiko asked tears welling up at not being able to have a pet.
"Oh it is! But… what is he doing here?" Shigure asked. Yukiko looked down longingly at the snake she wanted to keep.
"Never mind! Just skin this thing and eat it!" Yuki advised glaring at the snake.
"No!" Yukiko cried hiding the snake from Yuki's eyes.
"Hold on… I think both of you need to calm down," Shigure said soothingly. He petted Yukiko on the head to calm her fierce stare at Yuki.
"Why can't I keep him?" Yukiko asked. Shigure tried not to laugh at the thought of Ayame as a pet.
--
"I still don't see why I can't keep him," Yukiko muttered as she sat on her bed working on her homework. Shigure and the others were downstairs talking about something. Shigure suggested Yukiko go finish her homework. He already let her put it off to go to Yuki's base.
Yukiko jumped when she heard raised voices coming from downstairs. Getting up, Yukiko walked down the stairs and into the room the others were in. She walked into the room in time to hear Shigure and someone else shout yes.
The man standing next to Shigure had long silver hair and yellow eyes. Walking further into the room she wondered who he was.
Kyo was the first to notice her and gawked at her for some reason. She figured it was because she hadn't changed from what she was wearing earlier and still had the headband on.
"What the hell are you wearing!" Kyo screamed at Yukiko's temporary ears. Everyone turned to see what he was yelling about and saw Yukiko's surprised face.
"Um… clothes?" Yukiko said nervously.
"No, why the hell do you have cat ears on your head?" Kyo asked again.
"Why not? Aren't they just adorable on her?" Shigure asked sliding over to the lithe girl and rubbing the ears on her headband.
"Oh who's this?" Ayame asked going over to Yukiko also and looking her over. "This can't be my little niece that I heard so much about from Shigure here, is it?"
Shigure laughed and replied, "It is. Ayame, this is Yukiko. Yukiko, this is your other uncle, Ayame. He used to go to school with Hatori and me."
"Oh! Hello, Uncle Ayame," Yukiko said bowing slightly.
"Oh no, no, no! None of that," Ayame said pulling her upright. "Yes, we'll need some time to get acquainted. I suggest we go out for dinner. Yes, perfect."
"Um… is that okay, Uncle Shigure?" Yukiko asked.
"Of course it is," Shigure replied.
"Goody. Shigure, do you think you can take her to my store? My assistant will dress her up all nicely. We'll be going to a nice restaurant and get to know each other," Ayame said happily to Shigure. Shigure nodded then turned to Tohru.
"By the way, this is the one and only Tohru Honda!" Shigure announced. "You came to see her today also, right?"
"Oh, yes that's right! I'm sorry about earlier… I am Yuki's older brother… Ayame…" Ayame said, respectfully bowing to Tohru.
"Oh, right! Pleased to meet you!" Tohru said.
"So, you really do exist… The princess I've… heard so much about," Yukiko heard Ayame say before she walked into the kitchen in search of a drink. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a container of white grape juice, pouring herself a glass.
"You never answered my question," said a voice scaring Yukiko. She spun around to see who was talking to her and saw Kyo. "Why are you wearing cat ears?"
"Oh, um… I found them in my room and just put them on. Tohru liked them and I wanted to make her happy," Yukiko replied shyly watching her feet. "Kyo, you're part of the zodiac right?" He leaned back against the counter and stared at her.
"Yea, what of it?" Kyo asked closing his eyes.
"I was just wondering which animal you were," Yukiko said putting her now empty glass in the sink next to Kyo.
"It doesn't matter," Kyo replied fiddling with his bracelet a bit.
"Oh, okay," Yukiko said. "I guess I better get ready to go to Ayame's store." She turned to leave the kitchen when a hand on her wrist stopped her. She looked back to see Kyo watching her.
"I'll… um… go with you if you want," Kyo said nervously.
"Sure. I'd like that," Yukiko replied pleasantly before skipping out of the room. Kyo shook his head as a small smile grew on his face.
--
"So this is it?" Yukiko asked standing outside of Ayame's dress store.
"I guess," Kyo replied looking disgusted at the shop.
"Well, let's go in, shall we?" Yukiko asked before taking Kyo's hand and walking into the store. She had changed earlier into something warmer, so she wouldn't get cold outside. She had on a peach colored dress that was sticking out slightly at the bottom under her brown coat. Over the coat, was a small peach shawl to cover her shoulders and had a dark red tie on it. To match her coat, she had a brown hat that looked similar to the ones Momiji always wore. Brown boots completed her outfit, and went halfway up her calves like most of her other shoes.
Inside the store, they were greeted with a hyper woman. She bounded over to them when they walked in.
"Oh, you must be Yukiko. Ayame called and told me you would be coming. How lucky you are, going to such a nice restaurant!" the lady exclaimed. "Oh, I'm Mine. Nice to meet you!"
"The pleasure's all mine," Yukiko said politely smiling at Mine.
"Alright then. Shall we get you ready then?" Mine said. Not waiting for a reply, she dragged Yukiko into a back room leaving Kyo to get comfortable in a chair.
After a while, Mine popped back into the front room bouncing up to Kyo.
"She's ready and I must say gorgeous! Ayame is going to be so proud!" Mine said happily. She went back to the door and grabbed a shy Yukiko from behind the door.
"Here the little beauty queen is!" Mine exclaimed pushing Yukiko in front of her. Yukiko blushed under Kyo's avid stare and shuffled her feet.
Kyo's eyes bulged when he saw what Yukiko was wearing. She had on a white dress that had short sleeves. The sleeves were scrunched up around her arms. Between her chest and waist, a burgundy ribbon was tied and the ends hung down past the dress itself. The bottom half of the dress was bunched and hung around her. It looked pleated and was cut in different lengths, the longest going down to her ankles. The neckline of the dress was split and was cut down until the ribbon. The bottom was unlike anything he had seen before, not of the parts of it were the same length. She also had on a plain burgundy choker and matching boots. The boots had a thin, small heel and the tops were scrunched around her ankles.
"Well, how does she look?" Mine asked, obviously impatient at Kyo's silence.
"Fine, now let's go," Kyo said turning around embarrassed. He didn't want to admit to himself how beautiful she actually looked. Especially with her hair straightened and hanging down to her waist.
"Is that all you have to say? Don't worry sweetie, he's probably just embarrassed by your adorableness," Mine chirped. Kyo turned around to yell at her when he noticed Yukiko looking sadly at the ground. Sighing, he walked up to her and raised her gaze to him.
"You look beautiful," Kyo said blushing a bit. Yukiko gave him a small smile, and Mine clapped happily.
"Thank you," Yukiko whispered before lowering her eyes again.
"Now that's more like it!" Mine said.
"Shut up! Come on already," Kyo said pulling Yukiko towards the door.
"Wait, here's your other clothes. And a coat," Mine said holding out a bag to Yukiko. Yukiko barely had the chance to yell thank you and take the bag before Kyo dragged her out the door.
"It's cold out, put that coat on," Kyo ordered noticing her shiver in the chilly weather. She nodded and reached in the bag. Pulling out a coat matching her boots and necklace, she put it on happily.
"Everything matches," Yukiko said following Kyo to the house.
"Yeah, yeah. Walk faster," Kyo said grumpily. Yukiko just started skipping beside him, annoying him further.
--
Walking down the stairs later, Yukiko noticed Kyo stopped on a step with his hand on the wall. She went up behind him and started at his surprised expression. She heard talking in the room at the bottom of the stairs and whispered to Kyo.
"What's happening?" Yukiko asked. Kyo turned slightly towards her, still listening to Yuki and Tohru.
"Tohru's back. Ayame should be with her," Kyo said. They both listened to Yuki and Tohru again.
"I wouldn't say I… dislike him… He's just a little too much for me sometimes…" Yuki said.
"Well, if that's all, we can overcome it!" They heard Ayame say. "I will do all in my power to meet you half-way, my brother!" Yukiko giggled as Kyo fell down the last couple of stairs in shock.
"Uh… you see… it got really cold on the way home from the restaurant, and he transformed!" Tohru explained as Yukiko jumped down the steps to help Kyo up.
"Stop laughing!" Kyo yelled at Yukiko as he stood up.
"Sorry," Yukiko said as she still giggled.
"And he said that if snakes get too cold, they can die!" Tohru kept talking as she didn't hear Kyo and Yukiko.
"Well I am a snake," Ayame agreed.
"You may be a snake, but you're no brother of mine!" Yuki said grabbing Ayame.
"You can't change the truth, Yuki!" Ayame shouted laughing.
"Ah, welcome back, you two," Shigure said watching them fight.
"Shigure… Have you picked out a place for me to sleep tonight?" Ayame asked, still a snake. Yukiko and Kyo were just watching the others, waiting to be noticed.
"Oh? You're staying over?" Shigure asked. Yukiko giggled before walking back upstairs. Noticing Yukiko gone, Kyo followed her and stopped her from shutting her door.
"Yes, Kyo?" Yukiko asked.
"Tell me if he does anything," Kyo ordered. He didn't wait for an answer before entering his own room and slamming his door shut. Yukiko sighed before walking into her room.
--
"Oh Yukiko! Are you ready?" Yukiko heard a shout from downstairs later at night. She kept messing with her dress, trying not to let it show too much.
"Um… Yes!" Yukiko replied exiting her room and walking down the stairs.
She was met downstairs by Ayame, Shigure, Tohru, and Yuki. Kyo was probably still in his room or on the roof.
Ayame flounced over to her when she walked into the room. Yuki's jaw dropped, Tohru started rambling about how cute Yukiko looked, and Shigure started on his high school girls song.
"Mine certainly did an excellent job. This is my creation and I don't think it could have been made for a more perfect person!" Ayame said before dragging Yukiko out the door.
"Bye guys," Yukiko yelled back to the others. Tohru threw Yukiko her coat before Ayame pulled her out of the house.
"Have fun!" Tohru said back. Yukiko waved again before disappearing from view with Ayame.
--
"So you're going to school with Haru and Momiji right?" Ayame asked as they ate their dinners. It was one of the only Italian restaurants in the city and they both ordered spaghetti.
"That's right. I'm excited about being in the same class. They're both very helpful and nice," Yukiko said.
"Kyo isn't bothering you, is he? Sometimes he can be forceful or say terrible things," Ayame explained.
"Oh no! I understand completely if he says anything. I don't blame him," Yukiko said softly. "He's just has trouble controlling his temper. I can't get upset at him."
"That's good. At least someone doesn't get hurt from his comments. He's just had a rough time," Ayame sighed.
"What animal is he?" Yukiko wondered. Kyo hadn't told her but Ayame might.
"You're going to have to ask him. It's not my place to, no matter how much I want to though," Ayame muttered at the end. They finished their meal talking about various things before leaving.
"I want you to keep that dress. I don't think I could ever find someone else that looks right in it," Ayame declared happily. "And since you're my niece, you get it for free!"
"Oh! Are you sure? I couldn't ask for such a beautiful thing," Yukiko said, nervously touching her dress.
"Of course I'm sure," Ayame said. They walked up to the house and walked inside. Ayame stopped her and bowed deeply to Yukiko.
"Thank you for such a wonderful night, Yukiko," Ayame said.
"Oh no, thank you for taking me," Yukiko replied, mimicking his actions before kissing his cheek politely. "Goodnight, Uncle Ayame." She walked to her room to get ready for bed. She fell to sleep after grabbing one of her teddy bears and burying herself under the covers.
--
"AHHHH!" Yukiko woke up to a scream reverberating throughout the house. She rushed out to the room that the yell was issuing from. Kyo's door slammed open and Yukiko found Ayame grabbing Kyo.
"Hush, I'm still sleeping," Ayame said pulling Kyo closer to him. Yukiko stood there shocked while Kyo screamed at Ayame.
"Uh… Kyo, are you alright?" Yukiko asked inching out the door.
"Get him away from me!" Kyo yelped at her. She covered her mouth to smother her giggles with her hand before rushing away from the room.
--
"Why the hell didn't you go to Shigure's room? Like yesterday?" Kyo asked Ayame as they sat down for breakfast.
"Because… if I had… Shigure would've kept me up all night," Ayame said.
"Aya… not in front of the children, please," Shigure said calmly.
"Oh, cut it out!" Kyo yelled at the two.
"Don't worry… If it bothers you that much, tonight I'll sleep with Yukiko, my cute little niece," Ayame exclaimed. Yukiko backed away from him a little bumping into Shigure, who grinned down at her.
"You will not!" Kyo and Yuki both shouted at the same time, appearing behind Ayame.
--
"Really! Aya's there? I haven't seen him since New Year's!" Momiji said.
Momiji and Tohru were talking while Tohru swept the ground. Haru and Yukiko were sitting under a tree not too far away from them. Haru had a butterfly in between his hands and Yukiko was watching him amazed. He smiled at her awed face.
"So I heard you went to dinner with Ayame," Haru said to Yukiko.
"Ah… Yeah, it was fun. I got to have one of his dresses in his shop," Yukiko replied. "It's really pretty and he let me keep it."
"I'd like to see it sometime," Haru said letting go of the butterfly when they saw Yuki walk by.
"Hey, Haru… Is it weird for Aya to leave his shop? I mean he is the owner," Momiji said suddenly.
"Oh? So you mean Ayame runs his own business?" Tohru asked.
"That's right… He sells outfits for nurses, stewardesses, maids, things like that…" Haru replied. Momiji and Tohru walked up quickly to hear more about Ayame's store.
"So then, he makes… uniforms?" Tohru asked.
"Well, uh… not exactly," Haru said.
"But the dress he gave me didn't look like any one of those would wear it," Yukiko added slightly confused.
"He doesn't just make it for them. He designs dresses also for special occasions," Haru explained.
"Aya says he makes fantasies come true!" Momiji exclaimed loudly. Haru sighed at the confused expressions on Tohru and Yukiko's faces.
--
"My, my! This is unexpected!" Ayame said as Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and Yukiko walked in from school. He was drinking tea with Shigure and there was an album on the table.
"Dammit!" Kyo seethed.
"He's here…" Yuki said defeated.
"Welcome back!" Shigure said cheerfully.
"But how nice! You boys wanted to see me so badly you came straight home from school… And here I thought Tohru and I would have the whole afternoon to ourselves," Yukiko heard Ayame say as she walked out the door to put her backpack in her room. She exited a minute later and walked towards Kyo's room.
'I wonder if he'll get mad that I going to his spot,' Yukiko thought. She walked into his room and over to the ladder leading to the roof. Once on the roof, Yukiko slid over a few feet before lying down on her back. She noticed Ayame leave with Hatori after a while. She needed to talk to her father soon because he wasn't visiting like he promised.
"Why are you up here?" Yukiko heard from beside her and turned to see Kyo.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted somewhere to relax for a while," Yukiko responded. He sighed before sitting down next to her.
"Only for today," Kyo said. They sat in silence before Yukiko became uncomfortable.
"Kyo, you still haven't told me what zodiac animal you represent," Yukiko said trying for conversation.
"I told you it didn't matter!" Kyo said quickly.
"I was just curious. It doesn't matter to me, I wanted to know though," Yukiko explained.
"It's none of your business," Kyo interrupted before she could say anything else. Yukiko quieted before her eyes caught sight of his bracelet of black and white beads.
"Okay, well, why do you wear those beads?" Yukiko asked hoping he wouldn't get angry again.
"Shut up! I told you it's none of your business!" Kyo shouted. Yukiko looked at him depressingly before leaving the roof through Kyo's room. Kyo flinched as he heard his door slam. He had an expression of deep thought for a moment, before shaking his head and scowling.
--
Okay, well this was a super long chapter and I'm glad it's finished. Well, I'm having trouble figuring out whom to pair Yukiko with. There's many choices and I love them all. It's either Yuki, Momiji, Kyo, or Haru. Let me know what you think. No promises though that's what I'll do, but it may give me more incentive. I'm sorta leaning towards Kyo (actually a lot of leaning) but I like the others also. Anyways, review and tell me what ya thought. Oh, I might put up pictures on a website of all Yukiko's outfits so you know what they look like. I'll let you guys know about it.
Love, Archer