Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. Earlier chapters of this fic are available in Fanfiction.net and Mediaminer.org

April 4, 2003

Seven Days : Day the Fifth

By Ina-chan

The tension in the room was heavy. The writer held his breath as he waited for the storm happening around him to pass. He eyed one particular pair of legs warily, neatly folded in the near distance. He braced himself in anticipated, just in case the owner decided to swing a foot out at his direction at the wrong moment. Ah… when he chose to live the life of a writer, he didn't expect that his life in the real world would just be as dramatic and be as life threatening just like in the world of his imagination.

"You can come out now, Gure-san," A low voice rang in amusement, "Your editor has gone wandered off to the yard."

"Coward," A second voice muttered as the writer's head popped out from under the low table

"Haaaa…. How courageous of you to say such a thing, when a certain someone is playing hooky from school…" Shigure teased playfully as he wiggled out from where he was hiding to take his place around the low table in the sitting room where his two cousins were seated around

The mouse grit his teeth patiently, "And whose fault do you think it is that the school won't let me come?"

"Now, now, Yuki," Ayame tsked as he non-chalantly shrugged his shoulders, "You put yourself in this position when you went out of control like that. I think it was wise of Tori-san to keep you home from school at your current state of mind."

"But YOU didn't have to tell them that I was ACTIVELY seeking TREATMENT!!!" The boy flushed visibly as he glared angrily at the two older men in room

Shigure grinned, "Well, if you weren't so stubborn and just took your medicine like a real man, we wouldn't have had to resort to that form of insurance to keep you from sneaking out to go to school."

"Oh God…" Yuki buried his head into his arms, "I'd rather die than show my face in school again…"

"Well then, let me give you some brotherly advice," Ayame stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "At times like these, resistance against the stream will only cause you grief. It would be best to PLUNGE along with the direction of the flow, and use that force to help you repeatedly THRUST away your obstacles."

"HA-HA! That's a good one, A-ya!" Shigure commented gleefully

The younger man lifted his head and rubbed the painful throbbing on his left temple, "Being stuck here with you two is only giving me a headache."

"Eh!? A headache!?!?! This is an emergency!" Tooru suddenly exclaimed as she set the tray of hot tea she was carrying onto the table. She instantly knelt down beside the gray-haired boy worriedly, "Is Yuki-kun alright? Do you want some ice? Is there anything I can do?"

"Ah! There is one thing you can do, Tooru-kun…" Shigure quipped impishly

"Shut up!" Yuki glared at the dog angrily before turning back to the worried girl in front of him, "I'm fine Honda-san."

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" The girl asked, still unconvinced

"Yes," The boy insisted with a warm reassuring smile

"Alright then…" Tooru replied half-heartedly, before breaking into a smile of her own," Ah! I brought back something nice from a shop that Uo-chan, Hana-chan and I went to after school. I'm sure it'll cheer everyone up."

"Ah, such a sweet girl, that Tooru-kun…" Shigure sighed dramatically as the girl left the room, "You're really a fool… the brass ring is right over your nose, but you still refuse to grab it…"

"Shut up!" Yuki growled in a low voice, his eyes making an involuntary glance at the direction where the girl disappeared to, making sure she was beyond earshot from the garbage the dog was spouting

"You know, Yuki-kun…" Shigure continued, naughtily, "Curse or no curse… if you don't use it regularly, it'll to fall off and you might as well die."

"SHUT UP!!!" Yuki finally snarled harshly

"Yare, yare…enough of this nonsense," Ayame sighed as he started to take the steaming yunomi from the tray that the girl left and set one of each in front of them, "Otherwise, if Tooru-kun comes back and sees Yuki all upset, she'll simply worry more."

The dog and the mouse stopped and turned to the snake, speechless and surprised at the silver-haired man's unusual words.

"Come now," Ayame continued happily, ignoring the expressions on the other men's faces as he lifted the cup of tea in the air, "Why don't we enjoy the tea that Tooru-kun has so lovingly prepared for all of us?"

Silence fell into the room as the writer and the boy blinked at the other man, who was making a very good imitation of a model posing for a tea commercial.

"But…" Shigure began again, trying to regain his bearings as he turned back to the mouse, "You should really stop lying to yourself like that, Yuki-kun. Haven't you heard about what happened in that story about the boy who cried wolf?"

"You're the one to talk," The Mouse gave the Dog an unfazed bland look, "It's obvious that you haven't heard about the story about the girl who got away with murder."

Shigure blinked before turning to the silver-haired man beside him. Ayame simply stared back at him blankly, still stuck on his tea commercial pose. The writer turned back to the boy and gave him a look, daring him to continue, "Very well then, carry on. What is this so called story?"

"This story happened many years ago at this bakery in the Shibuya district. That shop was infamous for baking the most delicious almond cakes. Everyone even claimed that they were to die for," Yuki began

"A father and daughter owned that business, and they lived in a small apartment upstairs. The girl's mother died when she was young, but still, she lived happily with her father. Helping out in the store, and baking the delicious almond cakes that her father loved."

"But that happy life came to an end when her father re-married a manipulative woman who didn't really care about anybody or anything else but her beloved dog. The girl's stepmother pretended to be a loving wife and mother in front of her husband's eyes, but as soon as his back was turned she would show her true colours to the girl. Abusing her, demeaning her, treating her no better than a servant. The girl took everything in silence, out of love for her father."

The boy's voice lowered down to a quiet tone, as if chanting enchanted words to bring the story he was weaving to life. The two older men, listened as if spell-bound. Ayame, who has been uncharacteristically quiet all that time, seemed to be drawn to watching his little brother's fingers, which were unconsciously tracing light circles along the lip of the yunomi.

"As if things wasn't bad enough, the girl's father acquired a mysterious illness and eventually died, thus leaving her with the abusive stepmother. But with his last breath, he made his daughter promise to always be kind to her stepmother. She never forgot that moment. The sight of her gaunt and weak father, the painful taste of grief, the smell of bitter almonds…" Yuki continued, "Afterwards, she suffered silently. To make things worse, her stepmother's dog also started to get sick and she was being blamed for it. One day, while her stepmother was away, the dog died from its illness."

"Perhaps it was out of her fear, perhaps it was out of temporary madness, perhaps it was some her deep-sated anger awakened," The pace of the boy's voice build up its tempo, as he lifted his eyes and made an extra effort to emphasize his words, specifically directing his gaze to the writer, "She took the little dog's body, chopped it to little pieces, and made it into a stew. It smelled delicious, the distinctive smell of almonds that the shop was known for, delicately wafting from it."

The writer raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Though his face didn't betray his thoughts, inside he could feel his heart pounding nervously as he blandly stared back the malevolent gray eyes in front of him. Right then, those eyes were absolutely identical to another pair that he was familiar with… but still, he refused to be the one to break the eye contact with the younger man.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, her stepmother came home that day, drunk," Yuki continued again, accepting the older man's challenge, "The girl was relieved. At least her punishment would be postponed. But before she could get rid of the stew she impulsively created, her stepmother found it and the gluttonous woman… ATE. IT. ALL."

"That was… interesting," Shigure commented bravely, but still visibly paling down two shades of colour

"GAAAAH! I can't believe my sweet little brother would actually come up with a disgusting story like that!" Ayame gagged and theatrically made a show of holding the yunomi in his hand, "Come now, a nice cup of tea full of Tooru-kun's love is sure to wash all the bad feelings away."

The boy made a self-satisfied smirk at the older men's reaction as he lifted the cup of tea in his hand and lazily rested his cheek against it, "Ah, but my story isn't even over yet."

The two older men instinctively froze at the boy's words.

"The next day," Yuki drawled as he idly played with the porcelain cup in his hands, "The stepmother was found dead for cyanide poisoning. The police arrested the girl for murder. But upon further investigation they discovered a shocking secret."

He paused and leaned forward for dramatic effect, "It turned out, that the stepmother was secretly sprinkling small amounts of cyanide in the share of almond cakes that her deceased husband ate everyday. As soon as he died, she started doing the same for her stepdaughter. But because the girl couldn't get herself to eat the sweets that her father loved after he died… she was actually secretly feeding to the little dog."

Deafening silence hung heavily in the room, as the boy paused once again, stealthily watching the reactions of the older men sitting before him.

"They said that bakery in Shibuya is still there," The mouse smiled, "And it still bakes the most delicious almond cakes that were to die for."

"Well," Ayame said hoarsely as he lifted the cup to a toast, "That definitely deserves a cup of tea!"

The boy instinctively raised the cup to his lips at the suggestion.

"AH! This is wonderful!" Tooru burst back into the room cheerfully, a tray of goodies at hand, "It seems that everyone is having fun! What were you doing?"

Yuki put the cup down on the table and folded his hands neatly, once again, automatically switching his facial expression to flash her one of his warm 'Prince Yuki' smiles, "Nothing really important."

"Ah… Well…" The girl flushed as she nervously, before setting down the second tray on the table excitedly, "Here. Uo-chan, Hana-chan and I bought these from a bakery in Shibuya earlier."

The two older men gawked in shock at the treats the girl set in front of them.

"We were lucky to get the last box! This almond cake is so popular from that bakery," Tooru explained as she served each gentleman around the table apiece, "They said that it was to die for!"

Shigure covered his mouth as he choked, while Ayame simply let out an uncharacteristic nervous laugh as beads of sweat dropped from his forehead.

The girl blinked, puzzled at the older men's strange reactions, "Shigure-san? Ayame-san? Is there something wrong?"

"INothing, nothing at all!" Shigure exclaimed with a forced laugh

"Of course, I'm sure the cake is splendid! After all, Tooru-kun selected it with all her love," Ayame added cheerfully, "Saa, Yuki. Why don't we enjoy the cake together with a nice cup of tea!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it tastes as delicious as you say…" Shigure continued on lamely

"If that's the case Shigure, why aren't you touching your share?" Yuki demanded quietly, giving the writer a long unblinking stare, a small sardonic smile lifting the corners of his lips, "It will be rude to Honda-san if you are to refuse to eat a piece with us."

"I never said that I wasn't going to…" Shigure began to reply in a low measured tone

"Hnnnnn… that wasn't the impression you were giving though. It almost seems as if you're afraid to eat it…" Yuki interrupted as he cocked his head to one side, giving the writer a wide-eyed innocent look, "What's wrong Shigure? You're afraid to eat the cake that Honda-san has thoughtfully brought back for us, aren't you?"

"I di---" Shigure began, starting to look frustrated

"Aren't you?" Yuki interrupted again leaning forward, now giving the dog an almost predatory grin

"Eh?" Tooru uttered looking absolutely bewildered as looked back and forth at the two men passive aggressively glaring at each from both sides of her.

Ayame sweatdropped again, raising his yunomi in the air, "Aaaaah, the air in here is so intense! Drinking a nice cup of tea woul---"

"SENSEEEEEEIIII!!!!" The writer's editor screamed as suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sitting beside the dog, tears flowing down her face with her hands clasped together tightly, as if in prayer, "SENSEI! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!!"

"Ah, Mit-chan! How nice of you to join us!" For the first time, the writer cried out in relief at the sight of the harried woman, "Why don't you relax for a bit and have some tea?"

"SENSEI! PLEASE STOP RUNNING AWAY! YOU'RE BEHIND SCHEDULE AS IT IS! PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR LAST 500 PAGES NOW!!!" Mit-chan cried out hysterically as she grabbed the dog by the sleeve and started tugging on the man's arm almost violently

"Hai! Hai!" Shigure replied, letting the woman shake him, before pushing his share of cake, "It's already done, and I'll give them to you as soon as you have some cake and tea with us."

"Is that a promise?" Mit-chan sniffled suspiciously, immediately calming down at the writer's words

"Yes, yes! It's a promise," Shigure stated hurriedly as he poked the piece of cake with his fork, "Now open your mouth and say 'aaaaahn'…."

"Aaaahn…" Mit-chan said obediently, but quickly choked as Shigure literally shoved the entire piece down her throat

"Ah! Sorry, Mit-chan!" Shigure exclaimed in alarm as he quickly grabbed his cup of tea, forcing its entire contents down the woman's mouth as he whacked her repeatedly on the back

"Ano… Gure-san…" Ayame began

"Idiot!" Yuki muttered under his breath

"Eh?!" Tooru said again, shocked and confused at what was happening before her

"SENSEI!!!" Mit-chan gasped when she managed to free herself from the man's ministrations, and once again burst out into a flood of tears, "DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME?!?"

"Saaa, saaa…" Shigure said reassuringly, "It was just a joke! A joke!"

"WHY DON'T YOU STOP JOKING AND GIVE ME YOUR LAST 500 PA--aaaaa…" With that, the woman seemed to have acquired the appearance of a deflating balloon as she fell back on the floor lifelessly…

Once again, silence descended onto the room as its occupants gaped in surprise at the fallen editor on the floor

"EEEEEEHHHH!?!?!?" Tooru exclaimed in super-shocked mode, hair standing at end

Ayame sweatdropped, looking away uncomfortably.

"OH MY GOD!!!" The dog yelled in horror as he turned his gaze back to the equally bewildered mouse

"IT WAS JUST A MADE-UP STORY!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!! I SWEAR!!!" Yuki cried back defensively, as he inched forward cautiously, "Is she dead?"

Shigure carefully poked the woman with the blunt end of his fork.

"…senseeeeiii~~~you…idiooooot…*SCHNOOOORRR* …"

Both the dog and the mouse let out a collective sigh of relief, before the writer gave the boy a disapproving look, "Ara, never in my life did I imagine that you would actually sink so low and do something so careless and irresponsible"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" Yuki glared at the older man indignantly, "This is a something that YOU would do, so don't you pin this on me!"

"Wha-wha-wha-what's going on!?" Tooru stammered apprehensively, eyes still wide in super-shock mode

"Now, look at what you've done, Yuki-kun. Tooru-kun is all upset now. What kind of man would upset a woman on purpose," Shigure shook his head melodramatically, "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME ON YOU!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" Yuki yelled in frustration

A loud bang echoed through the walls as a pair of hands slapped the low table to gain a semblance of order in the room. The girl, the mouse and the dog immediately froze and turned their attention to the silver haired man, who melodramatically raised a hand to rub his forehead as he let out a long sigh, "That will be enough, Gure-san. Yuki is telling the truth, he is innocent. I, as his older brother, will vouch for his honour."

"A-a-ayame-san?" Tooru uttered hesitatingly

"A-ya? What are you talking about?" Shigure asked

Yuki's eyes narrowed into small angry slits, his voice dropping into a low, bland, monotone, "It's YOU, isn't it. YOU did something."

The snake grabbed his younger brother's hands into his own, giving the younger man a pleading look, "But I did it out of love, my dear sweet little brother! Please understand that I can't stand idly by, watching you get sick needlessly. Out of the strength of our brotherly love, I did it all for you!"

"A-ya…" Shigure began uncertainly, "…don't tell me that you actually knew about that story and somehow put something in the cake…"

"Non, non, non!" Ayame shook his head, silver tresses flying in the air, "I did no such thing."

"Honda-san, did my brother offer to do something in the kitchen when you were preparing the snacks?" Yuki asked in a measured tone, trying to control the anger in his voice

"Ha?" The girl blinked as she snapped out from her stunned state, "Ano… Ayame-san insisted on making Yuki-kun's tea…"

"HA-HA-HA-HA~~~!" Ayame laughed gaily as he pulled out a small can out of nowhere, and held it in the air with the expert prowess of a TV commercial model, "Ayame Tea Special Blend Part 2! An exquisite blend sure to bring a deep relaxing sleep… and even have dreams of indescribable pleasure… leaving you feeling refreshed and energetic the next day!"

"Ah, a new A-ya tea blend creation," Shigure smiled mischievously, instinctively joining in at the other man's pace "Is that a guarantee about the dreams?"

"SENSEIII!!! STOP TORTURING MEEEE!!!" Mit-chan suddenly sat up, crying miserably in her sleep, before falling back down on the floor with a loud snore

Ayame glanced at the woman for a moment, with a large sweatdrop hanging over his head, before quickly recovering to face his cousin in his usual suave manner. No expense spared for the glittery and flowery special effects, "As long as you dream about me, Gure-san."

"Then I'll see you in my dreams tonight, A-ya!" Shigure replied in the same manner

"YOSH!"

"Haaa…" Tooru mumbled again with a nervous smile

"Idiots," Yuki muttered under his breath again, turning his head away in disgust.

"But Yuki-kun, I am very impressed," Shigure stated, his voice taking a more serious tone, "How you managed to switch your tea cup with mine without me noticing."

The mouse instantly turned back to glare indignantly at the dog, "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!"

"Ah… well… Originally, I was preparing a special separate cup for Yuki. But knowing how smart my sweet little brother is, I figured that something like this could happen. That's why I dumped the whole pot and made my Special Tea Blend for everyone!" Ayame interjected before anyone else can say more, his face turning solemn as he clasped his hands together, but still looking rather pleased with himself, "Isn't that a great idea?"

"EEEEH!?" Tooru cried out, once again going to super-shocked mode as the other conscious occupants of the room looked down at their respective yunomi with dotted eyes.

Shigure smiled pleasantly at his best friend, despite the visible vein throbbing angrily on his forehead, "Anoo… A-ya…Are you sure all that hair care isn't doing anything to weigh down your brain?"

Ayame shook his head in a huff, dramatically spraying the beautiful silver strands in the air, "Non! Non! Non! Hair as glorious as this can only be a symbol of my mental virility! How can Gure-san doubt the evidence of his own eyes?"

A peal of silvery laughter suddenly rang in the air. The occupants of the room turned to the source in astonishment, as the found the mouse hunched over the table, eyes hidden under his bangs, shoulders trembling, as he continued to giggle uncontrollably, "You were going to poison me. You're all out to get me, aren't you? You're all crazy."

"Yu-yuki-kun?" Tooru stammered as she reached out to touch the boy's shoulder uncertainly

"WATCH OUT!!!" Shigure immediately reached over and instinctively pulled the girl out of harms way anticipating the boy's explosive reaction to her movement.

The boy shrank away, half stumbling to get on his feet to get as far away a distance as possible, as he brandished a spoon in front of him defensively like a weapon. The writer frowned once again, the rare serious expression dominated his face as he instantly recognized the wild-eyed look in the boy's face that he is all too familiar with, seeing it from the person who shared the mouse's identical expressive gray eyes.

Even Ayame watched in frozen caution as the boy inched away backwards, eyeing all of them suspiciously, the spoon glinting dangerously in his hand, until he reached the hallway. From there, the mouse spun on his heels and disappeared in the corridor. The remaining occupants of the room didn't even dare take a breath until the boy's hasty footsteps finally ended with the loud slam of a door.

"Ooops…" The snake whispered, strangely speechless, as he turned to the dog with a small secret grin

The dog returned his cousin's expression in kind. Yuki was just so predictable. He's pretty much through the motions of their plan as if the mouse, himself, read the script and acting out a part of their elaborate production.

"Shi-shi-shigure-san? Wh-wh-what…?" Tooru stuttered, trembling and frightened beyond words

Shigure let out a sigh as he patted the girl's head in silent reassurance. Even so… the situation was certainly starting to become a bit too serious for some members of the supporting cast to handle. He glanced at the silver-haired man and noted the uncommon pensive expression on his best friends' face, instantly knowing that the other man was silently thinking the same way. They had to put the rest of their plan into action as soon as possible.

"…sensei… there's not much time…" The editor said softly as she curled up into a more comfortable position in her sleep

"Hai, hai," Shigure agreed cheerfully.

After all, there were only two days left…

To be continued…

Author's squawk:

Again this chapter would not be possible without the guidance of the muse, Merrow-chan! ^_^. The Ayame line about the hair is actually hers! ^_^. Can you believe it? It's almost done! ^_^.

Anywayz… this chapter ended up longer than I thought. So, in case anyone was wondering what happened to Kyou and the others… well, in the original outline, they were supposed to be around the table too. But it was way too many characters to juggle. And Yuki would probably really snap like a rubber band if Shigure and Haru did a double team on him re: teasing him with Tooru. Heh-heh… and not to mention Kyou's volatile reaction! Besides, with what happened earlier, Haru and Momiji got grounded in the main house, and Kyou ran off to Kazuma's dojo for some respite from the insanity in Shigure's for a few hours. Besides, he'll need all his wits to make sure Tooru is protected from Shigure and Ayame's diabolical plan… ^_^. Anywayz… I decided to give Hatori a break too, he's been coming over to Shigure's house almost everyday…

Also, I decided to go to another insanity break on the next chapter… I plan it to be a little more serious, since I wanted to do a serious waffy scene between Yuki and Ayame. Until then, I'm rotating my fics… I'm probably going to try to write a chapter of "Fumei" first… since I'm craving for some angst! Then the second chapter of "Unseen" (which is going to be in Ayame's perspective) so it'll prepare me for the Yuki-Ayame scene on the 5th Day…

Comments, criticisms and flame throwers at ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!
Ina-chan