Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, nor do I follow the Manga. If at any time I fail to meet your expectations of the characters, then I apologize in advance.

Chapter 13: A Secret Love and The Truth Revealed

"Cursed?" Mii gasped in surprise, looking at the canine who sat wagging his tail at her side. "What do you mean cursed?"

"Well." Shigure explained, "There are thirteen members of the Souma family who transform when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, or put under a great deal of stress. We take the shapes of the twelve animals of the zodiac, plus the cat."

"Whenever you're hugged?" She asked softly, "That must be terrible…"

"Yes well, it does make life a little more difficult when one is in love." The dog sighed with a nod, causing Mii to blush softly, "It's also a large part of the reason I couldn't share my feelings with you."

"I understand." Mii smiled and kissed the top of his head.

Shigure's tail began to wag double time briefly, but slowed as he decided there was another fact he should share, "But, Mii…if I am being entirely honest, there is another complication I should mention…"

The editor blinked at him, wondering what else he could have possibly been hiding from her. Just then there was another puff of smoke, and Shigure transformed back into his normal self. This earned a small shriek of embarrassment from the startled editor, whose face went crimson.

Three lights clicked on, and footsteps were heard racing out to the porch, "What happened!" Came Kyou's voice from behind the door.

"How should we know, stupid cat. Open the door and find out."

"Please, don't fight! Let's just see what's going on"

The door opened and immediately Tohru began spazzing out at what she saw. There stood Shigure, naked, and at his side was a very flustered Mii, hiding her face behind her hands and blushing brightly. Tohru instantly hid her own face and ran back inside, apologizing for having seen.

Kyou's hair bristled as he screamed, "Pervert! Get dressed!"

Yuki sighed and rolled his eyes, "Honestly Kyou. He just transformed back, obviously."

"I know that you damn rat! But he doesn't have to stand around naked!" The cat fumed.

"I'll just get dressed now then…" Shigure said heading into the house, "If you would, Yuki, escort Mii to the living room."

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While Shigure was getting his clothes back on, Yuki led Mii into the living room. Mii sat on the couch, still obviously flustered over what had transpired. She looked at the grey haired boy, then at the orange haired youth behind him, "So…" She gestured at Kyou, "He called you" Here she gestured to Yuki, "A rat…does that mean your cursed as well?"

"Ah, so Shigure told you about the curse, I see." Yuki said gently, "Yes, I am cursed as well, with the sign of the rat. And Kyou is the cat."

"This is all so…bizarre!" Mii said exhaustedly as she sank back into the couch.

"Um," Everyone turned to see Tohru smiling sweetly from the entrance holding a tray of tea cups, "It's nice to see you again. Would you like some Tea?"

Mii nodded and graciously accepted the beverage from Tohru. At that point, Shigure walked in. He was straightening the tie of his suit as he sat beside Mii.

Looking at his cousins and Tohru he cleared his throat, "As you can tell, Mii has discovered the curse…again." Shigure took a cup of tea from the tray and sipped it before continuing, "Now, I hope you all understand, no one outside of this house can find out. Too much is at risk should word leak to Akito. Both Mii and Tohru could lose their memories."

Yuki and Kyou both looked at Tohru before nodding their consent. Tohru simply nodded as she said, "Right!"

Mii blinked confusedly and looked from the teens to Shigure, "Wh-what do you mean? Who's Akito?"

"That was the other thing I had to tell you, Mii." The novelist said. Yuki and Tohru decided this would be a matter best left for the adults to discuss in private. Kyou, of course, was clueless and only left after being asked by Tohru. After they had gone, Shigure continued, "Akito is the head of our family. He isn't very keen on our secret being leaked out. Very few people learn about it and get to keep their memories in tact. There is a method, similar to hypnosis, that my cousin, and one of my best friends, Hatori knows to erase portions of the memory. As though this is not bad enough, Akito is not a fan of love. Most of the romances involving members of the zodiac have not ended well."

Mii sat in silence for what seemed like ages. At last she spoke in a very soft voice, "Oh. S-so…that's the real reason."

"That's the real reason." Shigure confirmed, "Honestly, if it had not been for a rather severe reminder of Akito's dislike of romance the day we met…I might have acted much sooner."

Mii bit her lip as she took in everything he had said, "What happens. When Akito finds out, what does he do about it?"

"Well…" Shigure began hesitantly, not wanting to frighten her, "The day that you and I met, Hatori approached Akito to request permission to marry. In his rage, Akito injured Hatori, and my friend lost most of the sight in his left eye. The woman Ha'ri was in love with had her memory erased."

"I-I see." She murmured in response, "Then, he cannot find out. Because…I don't want you hurt, and I don't want to forget."

Shigure gave her a halfhearted smile, "Nor do I want you to forget." He said softly as her took her hand in his.

Ugh, I think everyone was way out of character in this chapter! Anyways, I can't respond to your reviews due to their damn new rule. Thanks for reviewing though, and sorry this took so uber long to get up. Oh, and anyone interested in trying out for a Fruits Basket RP, there's a link on my profile.