***** "Something New" a Fruits Basket fanfic by Ysabet MacFarlane (ba087@chebucto.ns.ca) Written for "anime_babble" online. Contains spoilers for ch. 106 and 107. ***** Walking without thinking was dangerous. Kagura's childhood habit of stalking Kyo had lasted far enough into adulthood that her feet carried her halfway to Shigure's house before she realized where she was headed and stopped herself. She stared down the narrow road winding its way between the trees. If you didn't know, you'd never suspect there was a house further along, so far away from the other Sohma homes. Kagura herself had never really been aware of its existence until Shigure had abruptly moved out of the Main House. *Has it really been two years?* she wondered. *More than two years, I guess.* She shoved her hands into her pockets and shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to decide what to do. *I've come this far, so I might as well drop by. It's been months since I've visited, so it should be ok.* Her feet didn't move. The idea of walking up to that house made her tense, never mind that she liked all of its residents. Wanting to see Kyo didn't mean she could think of anything to say to him; they saw each other at the dojo from time to time, but she had stopped trying to schedule her lessons at the same time as his; besides, it was safe there. Kazuma's home and dojo were sanctuaries for both of them--for so many Jyuunishi children, whether they studied karate or not. There, it wasn't unbearably awkward to stick to the subject of kicks and blocks, or to say nothing at all. Anywhere else, though . . . another matter entirely. Kagura stared blankly at the road, trying to decide what to do. "Hey." Kyo's voice behind her made her spin around and lose her footing on the slippery ground, martial artist's grace gone along with her internal balance. He grabbed her elbow when she wobbled, pushing her back onto her feet with the same casual ease that Kazuma might have used on a sloppy student. "Hey," she echoed. "Are you coming or going?" Kyo asked. She stared at him blankly, and he rolled his eyes. "From the house. Coming or going?" "Oh." She tried to pull herself together. "I'm . . . I was just walking, and I wound up here. It's my lesson day, but Kunimitsu-san called and said Shihan had to cancel, and I didn't feel like staying home--" "What's wrong with home?" Kyo slung his schoolbag off his back and dropped it to the ground, stretching. "It's just too quiet there." The words sounded stupid, out in the middle of the trees, with no sign of civilization in sight. "Mom and Dad are working a lot right now, and Isuzu's sick again, so she hasn't been home for months now." "She's getting better," Kyo said. "Yeah, Mom said Tori-chan sounded pretty happy about how she was doing, last time he called--" She realized Kyo was staring at her, and cut herself off. "What?" "D'you know where she is?" Kagura shrugged uncomfortably. "At a hospital out of town. Probably terrorizing the staff--you know how she is." Talking about Isuzu made her feel awkward, but at least the other girl was _something_ to talk about. Kyo understood how off-balance Isuzu could make people, how hard she was to live with sometimes. Or maybe always, with her moods and sullen silences, her frequent refusal to talk to anyone for days except in monosyllables and the occasional outburst. Six years of living together, and Isuzu still acted like they were strangers, not family. "I wonder if she'll go live somewhere else when she gets out? She's old enough to get her own living allowance from the family." Kyo was still watching her, his eyes shuttered in a way that unnerved her. "'Course, the way she takes care of herself, she could starve to death in her own apartment and no one would know." "Kagura--" She almost kept talking, but something in Kyo's voice silenced her. "What?" "No one told you guys that she's ok?" "Why wouldn't she be ok? The family just sent her off to a specialist, so she's--" "They didn't send her anywhere." "Of course they--" "She's at Shishou's place. That's why lessons're canceled." "That doesn't make any sense--I've been having lessons since she left in January--" "She got there last week. Look, keep quiet about it--I promised Shishou I wouldn't tell Tohru or Shigure." Kagura stared at him, trying to make connections he wasn't offering her. "She wasn't sick?" Kyo shrugged. "She's really thin, so she wasn't doing great." "She's _always_ really thin, Kyo-kun." His hand closed over her wrist, and Kagura let herself be distracted by the rare warmth of his touch. "You're pretty thin," he said, pulling her arm out in front of her. One finger pressed on the side of her arm, and another touched the inside. "Her arm's like _that_." Kagura stared at the distance between his fingers. "That's barely wide enough for bones, Kyo-kun." "That's all she is." Irritation at the younger girl melted. "I need to go see her." "You can't. I told them I wouldn't tell anyone." "Who's 'them'?" "Shishou and Isuzu and Haru." Kagura glared at him. "If Haru-chan's there, I can--" "No." Kyo suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Haru's staying there. We don't need to." "Why is he--" Kyo's discomfort turned into an actual flush, and she stared. "Oh." "Yeah." "Isuzu and _Haru_?" "Yeah." "That's just--" She tried to imagine it: Haru's usual good-natured calm, partnered with Isuzu's stormy moods. "--weird." "You're the one who always said it was good if cursed people fell in love," Kyo muttered. "That's--" Kagura turned away and stared at the trees. "That was different." Kyo mumbled something under his breath that ended with 'sorry'. "Tohru-kun's really changed you," Kagura whispered. "Are they happy?" "Huh?" "Isuzu and Haru-chan. Did they look--" "Oh. Yeah, I guess." He hesitated. "I don't think I've ever seen Isuzu happy, y'know? And she's kind of a mess right now--" "It'd be nice if she was happy." Kagura risked a glance at him and looked away again. "Yeah." "And Haru-chan's a sweetheart." " . . . I guess." Kyo sounded dubious. "Oh, he _is_. Come on, Kyo-kun." Kagura turned and scowled at him. "Have you ever had to beat him up 'cause he wouldn't stop trying to fight you?" "Um. No." Kyo scratched behind one ear. "Bet Isuzu could take him. She's vicious." Kagura rolled her eyes. "Haru-chan doesn't fight girls." "'Course he doesn't." Kyo met her eyes awkwardly. "None of us fight girls. Shishou taught us better'n that." "Maybe things would've been better if you'd have hit back once in a while," Kagura said, surprising herself with a flash of bitterness. "Look, Kagura, that wouldn't have--" "I don't mean 'maybe you would've fallen in love with me'," she interrupted. "Just . . . maybe _everything_ would've been better. Maybe I would've really caught on sooner. Maybe we'd still be friends or something." Silence. Then, "I thought we were friends." "We haven't even talked in months," Kagura said quietly. "_You_ stopped coming over. Tohru'd probably like to see you." "Has she said anything?" "That'd be too much like complaining," Kyo grumbled. "She's been worrying herself sick for a while, though." "What about?" "Dunno exactly. Sometimes she gives us these weird looks, but she doesn't say anything. She hasn't said anything to me, and the rat's been spending most of his time with the student council--" "What about Shi-chan?" Kyo snorted at the idea, and Kagura shrugged. "Ok, maybe not." She rubbed her nose thoughtfully. "Think she'd tell me?" "Not really. She doesn't--" "Yeah, she'd probably think she was complaining." Kagura sighed. "But--" "Want to come by the house?" Kyo asked. "To see Tohru-kun?" "Her and the rest of us." "Ok," she said after a moment. "To see all of you." "Ok," he echoed. "Come on, or she won't know to make supper for you." He turned and started walking. "Are you going to tell me anything else about Isuzu?" "Don't know anything else. Go see her yourself." He stopped in his tracks. "Not right away, ok? She'll kick my ass if she thinks I told you." "And you'll let her, huh?" Kyo flushed; she watched the tinge of color creeping across the back of his neck. "Never mind. Let's go before it gets dark." He started walking again, and Kagura followed in his footsteps. A moment of wistfulness gripped her: the memory of his hand warm and trusting in hers. And then she laughed under her breath. "What?" "Just . . . Haru-chan and _Isuzu_." "Yeah." And Kyo was shaking his head, disbelieving amusement; when he turned and met her gaze Kagura smiled in spite of herself. "I think she was happy," he said. "Yeah. I think she was." "Good," Kagura said, and meant it. Kyo reached out and nudged her shoulder with a knuckle. She waited for her heart to clench at the touch; when it kept beating evenly, she punched him lightly on the arm. "Let's get going. I want to see Tohru-kun." The thought of the younger girl lightened her step as she and Kyo walked down the path together. [fin] Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work! "Something New" © 2005 by Ysabet MacFarlane (ba087@chebucto.ns.ca). Comments and criticism welcomed at the above address. This story may be reproduced and archived so long as the original text is preserved and the author's name and contact information remain attached. Notifying the author of any such use is an appreciated courtesy. NO CHANGES OF ANY KIND ARE PERMITTED.