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Ch. 1


Disclaimer: All original Fruits Basket characters don’t belong to me blah blah blah Except for Hakiri, created on the base story line yada yada yada

The school day had ended. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were on their way home, walking and talking about random things, and somehow came across the subject of the zodiac, when a question suddenly crossed Tohru’s mind, and she turned to Yuki.

“Yuki... has their ever been two members of the Zodiac at the same time?” She asked. “I mean, two of the same animal?”

Yuki blinked in surprise to the abrupt question, but nodded his head.

“Yes actually,” he answered with a low tone voice. “It happened only once though. And the circumstances of his birth were very strange.”

“Oh!” Tohru said, smiling. “Whose the two animals?” she asked curiously.

“Kisa is actually the second tiger,” Yuki told her, and at this, Tohru became delighted at the thought of another member of the Zodiac she hadn’t met yet. And if Kisa was the second tiger, being as cute and adorable as she was, the other might be just as cute, Tohru thought, and in her mind she fantasized an image of an older version of Kisa.

“Whose the first tiger then?’ she asked.

Both Yuki and Kyo suddenly became completely silent. Tohru suddenly became worried that she had said something wrong to trigger the sudden grimness in her freinds.

“Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry…” she almost continued apologizing if Yuki didn’t raise his hand to stop her.

“No Ms. Honda. Its just that the other tiger…” he began to answer, but he paused, and it was Kyo who finished his sentence.

“He disappeared two years ago.”

Tohru looked surprised before asking another question. “Did he run away?”

Yuki shook his head. “Unlike Kyo, he wasn’t sparratic and a runaway,” the rat answered, giving an eye roll towards Kyo.

“ Hey! Whats that supposed to mean?” Kyo yelled angrily, tightening his fist. Yuki ignored him, and continued the story.

“He was kidnapped,” Yuki explained, “ Snatched from his parents duringa new years festival parade. We searched for him for months, but to no avail. Everyone believes he’s dead.”

Toru clasped her hand over her mouth with a gasp of shock, feeling horribly guilty for brining up painful memories.

“I’m so sorry!” she said, completely regretting that she had ever asked the question in the first place.

“Its okay,” Yuki said, trying to push away from the subject. “Its in the past” he told her calmly. It was the last sentence said the rest of the way home, as Tohru forced herself to stay silent before more of her curiousity got the best of her.

But as they arrived and took off thier shoes at the front porch, Tohru had to wonder one more thing about the first zodiac tiger.

“What about his parents?” she asked.

“They died with him,” Kyo answered this time, grimacing as he said the words. “After we stopped the search, they got sick...real sick. It got worse and worse. No one could figure out what was really wrong with them. then they just…”

Kyo had to stop as he caught Tohru's eyes, seeing large tears begin to well up as she fought not to cry.

“That so sad.” She mumbled, trying not to completely overwhelm herself. “There child just ripped away from them. The tragedy must’ve really made them sad..."

Yuki nodded, and Kyo kept silent. All three entered Shigure’s house sad and mopey from the memory of the lost tiger. Shigure looked up from his writing, and for once, decided to keep his mouth shut, having overheard the conversation. Torhu went upstairs to her room, looking for distractions that would cheer her up.

She tried to do her homework, read a book, take a nap, but the sad tale that Yuki had told her kept coming back to her mind. She shook her head, trying to concentrate, but with no success.

After half an hour of trying, she sighed, and slammed her text book shut.

I just need to get some fresh air..take a walk, she told herself, and got her coat on.

She let Shigure where she was going, and left the house, taking a walk out into the woods, trying to focus on clearing her mind.

The woods were peacefull, with only sounds of the occasional birds singing to its bretheren and a soft breeze ruffling the leaves. She closed her eyes and hummed to herself, breathing in deeply as her throat vibrated a happy tune.

It hadn't been more then ten minutes, when out of the bushes, a huge orange blur suddenly crashed into her, forcing her fall to the ground as its weight fell and rolled off her.

She herself up as quickly as she could, scuttling back in a panic. She blinked ain surprise to see what hit her, and jumped back again, startled.

A large, full grown tiger laid on the ground next to her. Numerous cuts were bleeding across its body with dried blood matting its fur, a large knife sticking out of its left shoulder. The creature growled, looking up at Tohru with its piercing green eyes.

"help..."

Tohru's eyes widened to hear a young male voice barely speak through the tigers lips. Was this...was this the first tiger yuki and kyo were talking about?

Before she could ask, the giant cat fell unconcious, and she scrambled to her knees, knealing on the tigers side and looking at his wounds.

"you need Hari fast..." she said. The first thing she thought about was run back to Shigures’ house as quickly as she could, thinking that Shigure could get them some help. She pat the tigers head, hoping It would calm him until she returned. The low growls told her to get going.

Running as fast as she could, she took off, going without stopping until she reached the house. Slamming the door open, she stumbled in, breathless, the noise startling Shigure from his writings and he looked up in concern to Tohru. She leaned against the wall, huffing and breathing heavily from how fast and how far she had ran.

“Tohru, what’s wrong?” Shigure asked, getting to his feet. Unable to speak, her mouth and throat being completely dry , she made a hand motion to tell him to follow her. Yuki came rushing down the stairs, wondering what the noise was. By the time he reached the bottom stair, he saw Shigure run out with Tohru, immediatly followed after them, catching up with them both easily.

Tohru quickly led them to the place where she had left the tiger, and found him still injured with a puddle of blood, his breathing becoming shallower with each passing second.

Shigure came to a sudden stop as they came upon the tiger, his eyes widening with shock and surprise. Rushing to his sid, he opened one of its closed eyes. Yuki came up next to him, showing the same shock that Shigure felt.

“You think this is Hakiri?” Yuki asked.

“I know its him,” Shigure answered without glancing away from the tiger. “Quick. Run back to the house, and call Hari,” he ordered. “Tell him what happened, and that were going to need a truck.” Yuki turned around obediently, and darted back to the house. Tohru and Shigure stayed with the tiger.

“Where has he been I wonder…” Shigure said to himself, looking over the mass of wounds that covered most of the tiger’s back, tracing a finger around the embedded knife.

A few minutes later, Shigures sensitve hearing picked up the rumble of an engine coming down the dirt road. An old pickup truck came speeding towards them with Hari in the front, driving with Hatsu-Haru in the passenger seat. As they got closer, the truck pulled a full U-turn, and reversed, getting the bed of the truck as close to the tiger as Hari could manage. They jumped out of the truck, and knelt beside the tiger in concern, both recognizing the family member that had disappeared so long ago. Without a word passed between them, they all placed a hand under the body, and with great effort, hoisted him onto the truck.

I know i'm totally in awe!! eek eek
I want to know more!!!!!!!!! eek xd eek eek eek
I'm glued!!! eek