Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Learning to Stand ❯ Partners ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Partners

The next day I showed up at the library early. I ignored my excitement and told myself I only arrived early because I also needed to find some references for another paper I had to write. Isuzu-san hadn't arrived yet (why did I think of her as Isuzu-san? Something in her manner must intimidate me) and I ignored my disappointment. I listlessly found some references for a paper I needed to work on and settled at a deserted table in a corner. I easily lost myself in research and was surprised when I heard her pull out the chair across from me.

"Gomen, Tamae-san. I didn't intend to disturb you." Her voice told me that she had. I ignored the flare of irritation at her callousness.

"Ie, I was just doing research for another paper. How are you today?"

She stared at me. "I'm fine. No different from yesterday." She rubbed the back of her neck. "What are you studying?"

"I have to do a paper on technological improvements in the Industrial Revolution and its impact on society. It's interesting."

"Interesting? Sounds boring." She snorted again. It startled me that such a rough sound could come out of such a lovely face.

"No, it's really fascinating. All those improvements, and yet people still weren't happy. In fact, crime rose as more improvements were made. And the gap between the rich and the poor widened-" I stopped myself. She stared at me again.

"You really like history, don't you?"

"Yes. It's like a huge storybook that actually happened. It's fun to think of all the people you read about actually living and breathing, having to eat and sleep and go to the bathroom!" I couldn't help getting excited about it. I guess it showed, because a ghost of a smile quirked at the corner of her mouth. I realized that she didn't want to like me. She was fighting to keep aloof. In that moment I became determined to become more than just her partner. I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to break through that wall she had around herself and show her that it was okay to let people in sometimes.

"I never thought about it like that." She said. Her mouth was once again stubbornly set and her eyes were flat. She waved her hand at my accumulated mess.

"Can you move this stuff? I don't want to lose your places." I blinked.

"S-sure." I wrote down page numbers and text titles, closed books and stacked them neatly on a corner of the table. Once I was done, she glanced about her before pulling the fat scroll I'd seen before out of her bag. It was wrapped in a scarf to protect it from any damage. I couldn't deny that I was excited to see it. She set it on the table, her face serious as she carefully unrolled it. I leaned in to get a closer look.

"Where did you find this?" She jumped at my question before glancing around again. When she answered it was barely a whisper.

"At the main house. In a corner of the records room."

"The main house?" Her mouth set in that expression that was becoming familiar. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We're partners, right?" She blinked at me for a moment before turning away, arms crossed over her chest. I returned to my inspection of the document before me. The kanji was unusual, with weird marks in strange places. At first glance, it looked almost like a child's writing. I looked back at Isuzu-san and chose my next words carefully.

"We're going to need to find the primer."

"The primer?"

"Yes. I'm studying ancient Japanese writing right now and this is nothing like that. On the surface I'd say it is, but see these odd marks? I've never seen anything like them. I think it's written in some sort of code. We'll need to find the key to translating it." Her shoulders fell.

"How long will it take?" I shrugged. I couldn't let her see my excitement at such a challenge so I kept my eyes on the scroll.

"Who knows? A day, a week. It could take months or even years." If anything, her shoulders fell even lower. She rested her face against her hands and looked at me as if I'd just told her her dog had died. "Relax, Isuzu-san. We're in this together, ne? I'll help as much as I can."

"I shouldn't have asked Tamae-san to help me. I don't know if I'll even be able to do anything with it once we know what it says."

"Why don't we show it to sensei? He might be able to help-"

"No!" I rocked back on my heels, stunned at the force in her voice. Heads turned in our direction. She took a deep breath and continued in a lower tone, "No one else can know about this." Her hand shook as she brushed back a wayward lock of hair. She looked angry and frightened. I stared at her for a minute as she composed herself, then forced my shoulders to relax and leaned back over the table. My hand grabbed hers, forcing her to look into my eyes.

"All right. I won't tell anyone. It'll take some time to find the right references, though. Can you wait?"

"I guess I'll have to." She didn't sound happy about it.

"Isuzu-san." She looked back up at me. "I'm guessing that they don't know you have this. Where are you hiding it?"

"I still live at the main house. I've just been hiding it in my closet."

"Do you mind if I take this with me? If it's that important that no one know you have this, it might be safer to leave it with me. I don't share my room with anyone right now." She stiffened, obviously unwilling to part with the document. Then she sighed in defeat.

"All right. Just let me know if you make any breakthroughs?"

In spite of her reluctance, I smiled. "Of course, Isuzu-san." I rolled up the scroll with what I hoped looked like efficiency and wrapped it in the scarf. Then I looked at her again, allowing my irritation at our previous encounter to color my words.

"Now, what was that crack about my needing new clothes about?"