Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Resolutions ❯ Chapter Three, when second coincidence strikes and fate enters its hand ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own fruits baskets.

Resolutions

by: carpetfibers

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Chapter Three, when second coincidence strikes and fate enters its hand

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She liked the construction crew that worked down the street from the cafe. They were nice boys...that is men. They never minded when it sometimes took her an extra fifteen minutes to deliver their orders, and they never made passes at her. She particularly appreciated that latter point. That was rarely a problem in the cafe now, but when they first opened...let the gods strike all perverts down in their beds! Saori did not at all enjoy those leering stares.

Plus, her poor roommate had been oblivious to it all, and on numerous occasions it had been up to Saori to pluck Tohru out from a near problem. Then, after a few words with her brother, those nice burly and exceptionally silent men in black suits had shown up. After a week of having their arms broken and toes torn off (okay, well, nothing that violent, although she wouldn't have minded!), the lecherous fiends finally left for good.

Yep, yep, that was her 'Ni-san for you! She could trust him to make everything better.

She paused outside of the construction site and raised a hand to fix her short black hair. Her fingers fiddled with the green ribbon she wore today, hoping that it would bring out the green from her hazel eyes. She had only met him a few days earlier, but gods, was he cute! This was the third time she delivered for him, too...and this time, she was determined to get out more than the usual nods and grunts from him.

Saori straightened her skirt and her apron. Boys could be so predictable...all she needed to do was flash some leg and pout, and they'd be at her feet. Surely this guy could be no different.

"Atsumo-chan! The beautiful delight of my eyes and days! What kind of delicious meal did you bring me today?" The bulsterous yet kind hearted crew chief wiped off his dirty hands with a towel as he approached the waiting girl. Saori stripped off her disappointed frown and smiled back.

"Masato-san, you exaggerate too much. It's what I bring everyday," she winked deliberatedly, and the man burst into loud laughter.

"If only my son would bring home a girl like you, Atsumo-chan, then I could retire this life of dirt and metal and be happy."

"But why should I settle for the copy when I can have the original?" she teased back, and the laughter was even louder.

"Oi, Oji-san, the food's getting cold."

Saori whipped around at the familiar curtness. Ah...and there he was! The delight of her eyes. Maybe it was the way his red hair tangled over his eyes at times and he carelessly flipped it away, or maybe it was the way his damp shirts clung to rather muscled arms. Maybe it was even the way his flickering amber eyes seemed to constantly look into the distance, searching... She grinned. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was a cute boy who blushed easily.

"Konnichiwa, Sagara-kun!" she waved.

He reddened and turned away, marching toward the air conditioned trailer. Her shoulders sagged and the crew chief eyed her carefully.

"Atsumo-chan, you should know, Red's not interested in girls," he said gently.

Her hazel eyes flew open, a light blush on her cheeks. "He's- he's- no way!"

Masato burst out into his racorous laughter, his shoulders shaking. "No, Atsumo-chan, he's not like that. I think it's more that he's already called for."

"Ah..." Saori gazed toward the trailer thoughtfully. She was disappointed, but- there was always the hope that he had some equally cute cousin or something.

"Want me to add this to the tab again?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks, and tell Hanomi-chan thanks as well. If my son can't have you, maybe he can have her."

"Nope! She's engaged to my 'Ni-san."

He sighed. "Do you have any friends then?"

She laughed and pointed at the trailer. "I'll leave the food in there, okay Masato-san?"

"Yeah, yeah..." he said distractedly, his attention returning to a suddenly precarious balanced beam overhead. "Slackers! Idiots! What do you think you're doing with that beam? Get it back down here!"

Saori laughed to her self as the crew chief stomped off, his mouth still running insults. She walked into the trailer and stiffened, having forgotten its other occupant. He didn't look up, however, at her entrance. His attention was focused entirely on something in his wallet. Suddenly curious, she placed the packages and her purse on the counter and creeped up next to him. With a quick snap, he closed the wallet and scowled. She sighed, disappointed. All she had seen was a flash of a picture of a girl with brown hair. Too bad...

"You should mind your own business," he snapped.

"But mine is so dull and people can have such interesting lives!" Saori insisted.

"Interesting doesn't always mean better," he muttered.

The tall girl swung around, her eyes suddenly starry and her hands clasped. "Some people have all the excitement! Inner family villains, gorgeous cousins, mysterious secrets, and then searches for that one missing girl who stole all their hearts!"

Kyou blanched and backed away. How did this girl know all that?

She flipped back around, her face sorrowful. "But that kind of stuff never happens for real, only in the shoujo section of the manga."

He released his breath...this girl could have caused a heart attack!

Saori grinned and glanced at her watch. Immediately her eyes widened and she shrieked. "My roommate's been alone all this time! She might have given all the food away for free by now! I have to go! See you later, Sagara-kun!"

Kyou fell back into the couch relieved. Maybe he could arrange with his boss to not have his lunch breaks at this time anymore, anything to get away from this crazy girl. The trailer door opened again and the just thought of crew chief stomped his way in. Breathing heavily, he pawed at the food and stuffed the first ball of rice into his mouth.

"Those girls make the best food," he said contentedly, his mouth full. Masato swallowed his food and then picked up the foreign purse on the table. "This yours, Red?"

Kyou flushed and snapped, "Of course not!"

"Eh, Atsumo-chan must have forgot it." He picked it up and threw it at Kyou's head. "After work, take this back to their cafe."

"I'm not a gopher-"

"And tell Atsumo-chan to bring double the order of saki tomorrow morning at opening," the crew chief interrupted. Then, ignoring the fury on his worker's face, Masato dug into the rest of the food.

Defeated, Kyou slumped even further into the couch. Great, now he'd have to deal with that insane girl again...

* * * *

"Are you sure it's alright to close the cafe for so long?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"We'll only be gone til six. If people are really that desperate for our coffee or your food, then they can wait," Saori replied carelessly, her eyes trained on the windows beside her. "Besides, you refuse to make up your mind on what you want for a wedding present, so this is the only way I'll be able to find out."

The still apprehensive girl blushed guiltily. It wasn't that she refused, she just didn't like receiving presents...it always embarassed her.

"So tell me, Tohru-chan, what do you think of this dress?" Saori demanded, pointing at the window's display.

Tohru eyed the black clingy material with its low bust line and naked shoulders. "I think the designer forgot to add some things."

"Okay...what about this one?"

This time, the window showed a periwinkle blue dress with cropped sleeves and white ribbons around the waist. She nodded admiringly. "It's cute."

Saori swung around, her hands on her hips. "Tohru-chan, you're nineteen years old."

Tohru blanched. "Y-yes?"

"You're engaged to a handsome and talented man."

This time she blushed. "Yes..."

"You're going to be married in less than three months."

The red deepened. "Yes..."

"Then dress like it!" Saori cried, exasperated. "Change of plans, Tohru-chan. Today, instead of trying to weasel out what kind of present to get you, we're going to find you a new wardrobe."

"Eh?" A new wardrobe? Chosen by her roommate who had an ample flare for skin and gloss? The worried look was back instantly.

"And don't frown at me and try to make me feel guilty. We're going back to that shop-" Saori pointed back toward the display of the black dress "- and you're going to try on at least twenty different things. Those that I approve of, we'll buy."

Tohru tried to think of some excuse to escape the soon imposed torture. "I think I forgot to put the fish away in the kitchen! Yes- I have to get back or it'll spoil!"

"No, you didn't forget anything. I made sure everything was put away."

"But-" she tried again.

"But nothing," Saori said, her voice signalling the conversation was over. Suddenly, the tall girl was all smiles and humor again. "Besides, Tohru-chan," she began slyly, "'Ni-san will like it."

"Eh!" The blush was back as well.

* * * *

Tohru held a hand to her forehead, her poor mind thoroughly numbed after the three hour struggle of shopping with her roommate. In her hands were four bags filled with clothing that she knew she would die if she ever had to wear in public. She looked exhausted and more than one passerby on the sidewalk gave her a sympathetic glance.

Saori, on the other hand, held the smile of one completely satisfied with herself. Mentally, she was patting herself on the back and crying out congratulations. It wasn't that she wanted to corrupt her soon to be sister-in-law. Not at all! She wouldn't want her friend's nature to change in the least. But honestly, didn't Tohru realize there was more danger in dressing like an innocent school girl than in dressing like an adult female? Mou...someone should have taught that girl the dangers of perverted men. The world was filled with men who fantasized about putting innocent girls like Tohru into maid costumes and the like.

There were even shops that catered to wants like that. Saori's eyes darkened. If she ever caught one of those store owners, why she'd hurt him in ways he never could have imagined. Things involving mutated alligators and rusty nails...

Tohru edged away from her friend, wary of the suddenly twisted look in her eyes. Sometimes her roommate could be a little scary...

The sound of muffled barking drew her attention back to the windows on her right. The scene in the window made her clap her hands and forget the horrors of clothing waiting in the bags. A pet shop! And in its front window were clusters of adorable puppies, their hapless black noses pushed against the glass in hopes of licking her hand.

"Puppies! Oh, look at the puppies, Saori-chan! They are so kawaii..." Tohru gushed, and then went into the store. Saori followed, wary. Animals were cute to look at, but puppies meant house breaking and destroyed shoes.

The store clerk greeted them and offerred to let Tohru hold one of the puppies, but already her attention was elsewhere. Her brown eyes had found the kittens hidden in the back of the store. The eager clerk opened one of the cages and took out the small, gray striped kitten, putting it into her hands. Tohru cuddled it to her chest and laughed as the tiny thing yawned in contentment.

Saori watched this with open amusement. Did her brother realize how hard it was going to be to deny Tohru anything if he had to witness cute displays like this? After all, if it was this hard just for her...and then an idea dawned. Maybe two birds could be killed with this one day of shopping after all.

"I've got it, Tohru-chan! I know what to get you for your wedding!" she cried.

Her attention still on the small bundle of fur cradled in her arms, Tohru just nodded.

"A kitten! 'Ni-san won't mind, especially after he sees you holding it. You're too cute to resist," she went on. "But tell me, what kind do you want?"

Tohru looked up, "Kind?"

"Like siamese or burmese, like that."

"Oh," Tohru puzzled for a moment, the kitten still burrowed into her warm chest. She smiled softly down at it, a little surprised at how natural it felt to hold a cat. Did she used to own one? The thought made her concentrate and a headache began to form.

She could remember it! She knew she could...the image was hazy, but already she could see the outline of the animal. Not a kitten, but a full grown cat...it didn't like to be cuddled and frequently ran away. But it- but he- always came back.

Now, if she could only remember what kind...

And then, almost like a gift, she remembered. Her brown eyes opened and she nuzzled her head into the kitten's soft fur as she began to cry.

"Tohru-chan!" Her roommate exclaimed. "Tohru-chan, what's wrong? What happened? Listen, if it's about the clothes, I'm sorry. We can take them back, even go and go buy those other ones if you want-"

"I can remember, Saori-chan! I remembered something!" Tohru cried, bringing her happy smile back into view. She wiped at her wet eyes. "I remembered."

Saori smiled back and blinked away a few tears of her own. "I'm glad, Tohru-chan. I knew you would."

The store clerk edged away from the two crying girls. He really really hoped that the manager didn't return any time soon. Between this and yesterday's debacle with the five year old who decided he wanted to see what iguana tasted like, he doubted he'd have much a job left.

Tohru returned the still sleeping kitten to its cage and smoothed the fur from her blouse.

"So, what kind of cat would you like?" Saori asked once they were back on the sidewalk.

Tohru lifted her face upward and smiled into the sunlight.

"I want an orange one."

* * * *

"This is wasting valuable time."

"Shut up."

"You should be more responsible by now."

"I said shut up."

"And not involve others in your mess."

"Damn it! I said shut up!"

Kyou's final yell caused nearly every eye in the crowd to turn and stare. Reddening under the sudden attention, he snapped under his breath.

"It will only take a minute. I give the dumb girl her purse and then it'll be done."

Yuki sighed, his fingers absently running the zipper of his jacket up and down. His violet eyes, while seemingly purposely, were trained on the sidewalk's many faces. He was annoyed to have his plans postponed, but he wasn't really angry. Few things got him angry...in comparison to the events of the past, there were few things that warranted it. Even if it was due to some amount of incompetence by his cousin.

He eyed the red haired young man who marched forward, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his lips. Kyou could never mask his emotions well, and right now Yuki could see each and every thought on his face. It was almost amusing really.

"What's the name of the cafe?" he asked carelessly.

"Chiyo's," Kyou muttered.

At the name, a hundred different memories ran through his mind. The small sea side village and the few months of happiness spent there- words and thoughts did no justice to all that it stood for. The time there taught him that life was not something driven through and passed by, but grabbed and created. His future was something to be made.

He nearly stumbled into his cousin when Kyou suddenly stopped. He glanced over the small cafe with its wide windows and tiled floor. In western characters, the cafe's name was scrawled in red and white letters across the center window. On the doorway hung a small sign.

Kyou read it once and then twice before shouting angrily.

"Closed? What the hell! It's only six o'clock! What kind of idiot closes a place so early?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "A total waste of time. We've lost at least a half hour."

"It's not my fault that this place is run by idiot women! I bet it's that crazy girl's idea too- she probably took off to go shopping or something." The red eyed man scowled at the glass.

"Quit being a baka. You can return it tomorrow."

"The hell I will! I'm going to leave her damn purse and it'll serve her right for not being here when I came to return it," Kyou snapped.

"I'll repeat myself. Quit being a baka."

"Oi! What did you..."

But then all words stopped. Both boys stood still and silent as a long unheard voice broke into their hearing.

"I'm so sorry! You've been waiting! I'm so sorry! Please, let me make it up to you..." she cried.

Neither turned, perhaps they couldn't, as the voice's owner ran up from behind. Her breath could be heard rushing as she continued stammering her apologies and promises for free meals as restitution. Before vision could prove the hopes true, a second voice broke the spell and whipped the present into full motion.

"Eh? Tohru-chan! I said no more giving stuff away for free!" the indignant girl exclaimed.

It was Kyou who first turned, his red eyes widening. There she was...there she was! His Tohru...the girl who left him behind so many months ago. There she was, standing as she used to, her lips moving as they used to, her hair falling over her eyes as it used to. All was as it used to be- and yet! The most important of details was missing. There was no recognition in those brown eyes, no sounding of greeting coming from her lips, no resonant cry of 'Kyou!'

She looked at him as a stranger meeting a new person.

He couldn't understand how it was that Yuki managed to speak, as he could only stand voiceless when his cousin hoarsely inquired if she was the owner of the cafe.

"Yes! Pleased to meet you, I'm Hanomi Tohru!" she said, bowing.

Yuki fell into the motions stiffly, the sensation of the unworldly overwhelming him. "I'm Sagara Yuki and this is my cousin, Sagara Kyou."

Kyou still didn't speak, his eyes rapt, almost unbelieving on Tohru's smiling face.

The other girl sparkled into the conversation with energy and shoved the three into the next event.

"Sagara-kun! Did you come to visit me? How sweet!" Saori gushed as she unlocked the door and ushered them in.

The hot tempered teen bristled and quickly retorted, "Don't be an idiot. You forgot your purse and Oji-san made me return it." He shoved it into her face and she beamed.

"Thank you so much, Sagara-kun! As a reward, I'll let you take me to dinner tonight!"

"Nani!" he yelled.

Yuki fell silent as he watched Tohru go into all too familiar motions of appeasement. The words and sounds muted as he watched her move from her present friend to her forgotten friend, smiling and waving her arms. It was unreal. It had to be impossible. Chance never gave over so easily as this...surely this was some horrible joke that Shigure managed to cook up and throw into action. This girl...she must be some actor hired. Had to be! Because it was all too unreal...too wonderful to be true.

"Sagara-san?"

He blinked back into the world of sound. She was looking at him, her brown eyes curious. Roughly, he pushed back at his bangs and smiled. "Thank you, but we'll pay for the meal."

Tohru nodded and stepped back behind the counter, to its safety and seclusion. Her heart was racing and she felt the warmth of a blush under her skin with each glance toward these two men. Anxious to push away these puzzling thoughts, she set her hands to making the two men their meal. Even as she moved behind the counter, the dishes all but making themselves, she could feel the press of their eyes on her. And what surprised her more than anything, what almost frightened her, was that she welcomed it.

With her hands trembling and the echo of her friend's still chattering voice booming through her ears, she gave the violet eyed man his dish first. Not daring to raise her eyes, she hurried to give the next dish to his cousin. She almost dropped it when his hand accidentally brushed hers.

"I'm s-sorry! Did it burn you?" she asked, her cheeks flaming.

With a touch of annoyance in her voice, Saori broke in, "Why're you apologizing to 'Red'? He's used to people dropping things on him. He's probably thankful it's not some giant metal pole or something."

Kyou's eyebrow flexed angrily, but he lowered his voice and sought out Tohru's hidden eyes. "I'm fine. Just...you shouldn't be so clumsy."

Tohru stood rivetted as a strange happiness filled her heart. The feel of the familiar crawled beneath her skin and warmed her blood. She felt as if she had heard these words so many times before, said in the same way.

"I think-" she began, her words faint as if coming from behind a thick wall. But the words went no further, for the tinkle of the door's bell rang and in walked a new figure.

"My Tohru-hime! Where have you been all day? Your poor Genji was lonely all afternoon without your pretty face to comfort him."

With a laugh, Saori dropped her dish towel and raced to her brother who pretended to avoid the hug.

"'Ni-san! Don't joke like that. And Tohru-chan's been out all day with me shopping for wedding presents."

It was Yuki again who spoke first. "Wedding presents?"

"Hai, hai- Tohru-chan and my Ni-san are getting married. Isn't it great?"

The silly girl laughed and for the two Sohmas, the world suddenly grew black.

To have found her only to lose her again...

* * * *