Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Family Secrets ❯ Dinner at the Sohma's ( Chapter 2 )

" WHAT? How could you invite someone here without my permission!" cried Shigure.

" I'm really sorry, I just…she seemed so lonely and I though-" explained Tohru.

Shigure began to laugh. " I'm only joking Tohru, it's fine. You can have your friend over for dinner."

Tohru's eyes lit up with happiness and relief. " Oh thank you!" And with that she took off running towards the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Yuki sat silently watching television in the other room. He looked up to see a flash of brown hair fly past him heading towards the kitchen. Sparking his curiosity he stood up and followed her. He leaned against the doorway watching Tohru as she hurriedly started fixing dinner. He had opened his mouth to ask her why she was in such a hurry when suddenly Kyo barged his way into the kitchen and headed towards the fridge for a drink.

" So how come you spent lunch with that girl instead of Uo and Hana?" asked Kyo his hand pushed away condiments and leftovers in search of a refreshing beverage.

" You mean Miya?" said Tohru as she began cooking the feast that would soon become their dinner. " Well, she wasn't having a very good day, so I thought maybe she'd like some company."

" I heard she's really weird." Kyo commented casually.

" She's not weird, she's deaf," protested Tohru as she turned to look at Kyo.

" It's not that, I heard that her hands are horribly disfigured and she's like a super-human when it comes to sports," said Kyo.

" I've seen her hands, there's nothing wrong with them," replied Tohru as she turned back to the simmering meal on the stove. " And so what if she's good at sports, besides she's coming over for dinner tonight."

" WHAT?" exclaimed Kyo as he exchanged a worried glance with Yuki.

" She should be here soon, please Kyo, be nice to her. I don't think she's had very many friends before."

Kyo walked out of the kitchen leaving Yuki to continue watching Tohru as she continued to prepare dinner.

Just after seven there was a knock on the door. Tohru was still busy with the feast so Yuki had decided he would answer the door. He opened the door to find the young white haired girl standing awkwardly on the doorstep. Her hair instantly reminded him of Haru. It wasn't often that you could find a person with hair so white. Yuki looked into her bright yellow eyes, it seemed as if they were looking through him, not at him. He sensed something at that moment, but whatever it was, he couldn't put his finger on it just yet. He remembered that Tohru had said she was deaf so instead of saying hello he simply bowed and extended his arm to show her inside.

" I'm sorry, I'm looking for Tohru Honda," Miya said as she looked down at the ground. She hadn't moved from the doorstep. She had expected the nice girl from school to answer the door not some strange boy.

" Miya…please…come…in," said Tohru appearing suddenly behind Yuki. Yuki glanced at her wondering why she was talking. She had said Miya was deaf hadn't she? Tohru looked at Yuki, and noticing his confusion, answered his unasked question.

" If we speak slowly, she can read our lips."

Yuki looked back towards Miya and said, " I'm…Yuki…Sohma…it's…nice…to… meet…you."

" It's nice to meet as well," Miya replied still staring intently towards the ground. She followed Tohru towards the dinner table and gracefully seated herself upon the floor. Yuki seated himself across from her and waited for Tohru to bring out their dinner. Kyo entered the dining room only a few moments later and sat himself down rather close to Miya. He wanted to see these mysterious hands for himself.

" Welcome Tohru's new friend!" said Shigure happily as he entered the room.

" She can't hear you, you moron, she's deaf," said Kyo as if somehow Shigure should have already known this little fact.

" If you speak slowly she can read your lips," Yuki explained to Shigure.

" Oh, umm……wel……come……to……ourR 30;…home……I……am……Shi…… ; gu……re……Soh……ma," he said excruciatingly slowly using large hand gestures.

Yuki hung his head. He had told him to speak to her slowly, not speak to her like she was from another planet. Tohru came in bearing their feast for the evening and everyone began eating. Kyo glanced over at Miya's hands as she ate. Tohru was right, they weren't disfigured by any means, in fact, they looked just like anyone else's hands. Except for her fingernails, they seemed strangely long to Kyo, but maybe she didn't just didn't cut he thought. Kyo soon noticed that Miya had stopped eating and was now staring intently up at him. He locked eyes with her for a brief moment. Her expression was not a pleasant one, she seemed angry, ready to lash out at him. He slowly slid away from her and began eating again, hoping that she would do the same. After they had finished dinner, Shigure spoke up in hopes of learning more about Tohru's new friend.

" So……wh……ere……are……you… ;…fr……om?"

Miya looked at him disconcertingly, it was going to be a long night if he continued to talk in syllables. She gazed longingly at the grooves in the table as she replied, " I've always lived here, I just changed schools."

" What…school…did…you…come…from?" asked Yuki, hoping that if he spoke a little faster to her maybe Shigure would catch on.

" Shinra Private Academy," replied Miya.

" How……come……you……left?" said Shigure, still as slowly as ever, clearly not being clued in by Yuki's attempt.

Miya looked up at Shigure in shock. How come he would ask her that? Did they already know? Were just waiting for her to tell them herself? " I should be going, it's getting rather late and I have to walk home."

" I……ho……pe…….you……will… ;…come……for……din……ner…̷ 0;a……gain," said Shigure as the four members of the Sohma house stood at the door watching Miya as she prepared to leave.

" Thanks for coming Miya," said Tohru smiling.

" No thank you, dinner was really great, I had a nice time," replied Miya looking down at her laces as she tied her shoes.

" Uh…see…you…at…school…tomorrow," said Kyo still a little put off by the unpleasant moment they shared during dinner.

Yuki's closed his eyes. He was sensing something again, but what was it? He opened his eyes and looked straight into the black pupils of Miya's yellow eyes, and in that instant, he knew exactly what he had to do. He leaned forward and hugged her. The other three members of the Sohma house watched on as their jaws dropped to the floor. This wasn't like Yuki; he didn't do things like that. What he could possibly be thinking? Miya also stood in shock. A boy had never hugged her before, and she was unsure how to react. She slowly raised her arms and hugged the young boy back. Yuki drew back and looked Miya in the eyes.

" It…was…nice…to…meet…you…Miya."

Miya glanced back towards the floor, " You as well Yuki."

Yuki closed the door behind Miya as she left. He turned and headed back into the house to head up to his room. His three other housemates were still staring at him with their jaws dropped.

" Close your mouths. I knew I wouldn't transform," said Yuki as he walked past his onlookers.

Kyo and Shigure exchanged glances. They hadn't even realized that he hadn't transformed. They were too busy being occupied with the fact that Yuki had just hugged a girl they had only met. Why hadn't he transformed when he hugged Miya? Why was she different from other girls?

" Shigure, what happened?" asked Tohru in confusion.

" Maybe she's a he," said Kyo matter-of-factly.

" Maybe," said Shigure.

" She's not a guy," protested Tohru.

" Ask her tomorrow then,' stated Kyo.

" Uh…what?"

" Yeah," interjected Shigure. " Ask her tomorrow at school."

Tohru sighed. She had an uneasy feeling that if she didn't ask Miya about this tomorrow Kyo probably would.