Fruits Basket: The Guardians of the Zodiac

The Celebration

After a long day with Yuki in his secret base, Tohru treats him with a special dinner. As she raced back to the house, she stopped in her tracks to see her mother boiling noodles in a pot while preparing animal-shaped mochi.

"Mother?" Tohru whispered as she got closer to her mother. Only to stop short as the figure turned to face her with his cat shape mochi. "Oh, it's you." Tohru smiled sadly as Kyo just stared down at her.

"Wait, you thought I was your mother?!"

Tohru shrugged and prepared the meal. She took out a kettle, turning on the tap, she starts to fill the kettle to the top before placing it on the hob and put it on a boil. Kyo watched as Yuki steps in the room with a basket of veg in hand. What felt like hours, the food was cooked. It felt unreal, to cook for the rat zodiac for his new year. If she was asleep, she never wanted to wake up. She remembered making so many mochi, riceballs or dumpling-like buns, with different kind of fillings. She had a steady hand, which helped with decorating the riceball or dumplings. As she placed down the bowl of noodles and mochi in front of Yuki, she could see that he was shocked and impressed. Kyo just shrugged and looked away as Shigure hid his smile with his newspaper.

"Miss Honda..." Yuki began as he glanced up at her in confusion.

Tohru fidget once more as she tries to find the words, he watched her getting nervous which made him warm inside.

"It's... new year for the rat... so, I thought... maybe, I could... celebrate it with you..." Yuki's eyes widen. "I always celebrate every zodiac year..." Tohru explained as Yuki got up and stood in front of her, making her even more nervous. She starts to stutter.

"Miss Honda." Yuki smiled as he placed his forehead against hers. "Thank you." He smiled, he was aware that Kyo was watching with a mean glare. "Shall we?"

As they all digged in to their mochi, Tohru glanced around the room that was filled with warm smiles and soft music in the background. Tohru could see that Kyo was enjoying his mochi, which had salmon rather then almonds or plum. While Shigure at his noodles and played with his mochi as if they was his pets. It made Tohru smile, and seeing Kyo and Yuki getting along made her even more pleased, that was until Kyo started once again. Seems like they won't ever see eye to eye... Which reminded her of the story of the Gaurdians of the Zodiac. In fact, it was almost like living with the Somas. But instead of a curse, it was a scroll with incredible powers.

"Miss Honda?"

Tohru blinked and stared up at Yuki, who leaned forward and looked at her with concern.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, it's fine..." Tohru smiled back while waving her hands around. "Why do you ask?"

Kyo slammed his hands upon the table, jolting her to look at him. "Cause you've been staring at nothing this whole time."

"And you haven't took one bite out of your mochi." Shigure finished making Tohru glance down at her bowl and begin to stuff her face with mochi and noodles.

"Easy, not too fast, or you will choke." Shigure watched as Tohru begins to cough. Yuki jumped up and raced to get a glass of water. Returning to her side, he offered the glass and watched her took huge gulps down at a time. Kyo and Yuki gave Shigure mean stares. "I don't know why you, looking at me for?"

"It's fine. It was my fault..." Tohru placed her hand against Yuki's. "I was actually thinking of something, that's all..." With the confused stares from her new family, Tohru chuckled. "I was just thinking about what my mother told me. She would always make up stories of the zodiacs."

"Make up stories?" Yuki repeated as if he was intrigged.

"About us?" Shigure finished as he leaned back wanting to hear the stories she once told. "I'll love to hear them."

"As usual, there's no cat." Kyo put his elbow on the table and rested his head against his hand, with his back facing Tohru.

"Actually." She begun, "She does try to include every zodiac. But this one is one of my favourites. It's called the Guardians of the Zodiac."

"An interesting title." Shigure nods as he beamed at her with interest. "Can you tell us, please?" Both Yuki and Kyo turned to face him as if knowing what he was up to.

Don't you dare, use Miss Honda's story as your own and get all the benefits.

"Sure."

She is clueless.

"Brilliant."

"It starts of just like the banquet, but instead of a banquet was the Great Race." Tohru begun as the image of the animals lining up against a white line, getting ready to run. "Every thousand years or so, every zodiac member take part in the race, to complete to see who will be the new king or queen of the zodiacs. Only the next generation gets to take part in the race. And just like the old folktale, the rat was the first to cross the line."

Kyo huffed angrily at the thought.

"So, this story ends up having the rat being the king, great." Tohru blinked at the thought. "So, this rat, was faster and stronger then the other animals? How ridiculous." Tohru's mind returned back to the day they had the marathon at school. She remembered Yuki being ill, but that didn't stop them from running... or she say sprinting off in a competive match. And both was pretty fast, until Haru decides to use the string to stop Kyo in his tracks and make him fall head first on the ground litually.

"Actually, it wasn't like that." Tohru said making them turn to face her and waited for her to continue. "Just like the folktale, the rat jumped off the ox's back and arrived first." Kyo rolled his eyes at her words.

"I thought so." He then glared at Yuki, who did the same.

"After the ox, was the tiger. Then the rabbit. The dragon, snake. The horse, the sheep and monkey. The rooster. Dog and the boar." Tohru said as Shigure started to jot down the notes as she told the story, nodding at every animal.

"But, no cat." Kyo suggested as Tohru just smiled weakily.

"Sorry, Kyo..."

"Of course, no cat. Cause the cat isn't part of the zodiac order. He is an outsider." Yuki said as he took a sip of his tea.

"Shut up!"

"So, the rat was the king?" Yuki asked surprised that the dog was last. Tohru nod while Kyo hissed.

"It shouldn't be fair. I mean, the rat cheated. Riding the ox. He must have rode on his back the whole race."

"No. It was only when it came to the stream that, he climbed up the ox's back... You see, the ox was about to win, when he stopped short at the bay of the stream. The current was strong and the ox was scared. So, the rat climbed up and started to sing a lullaby in his ear. It calmed the ox down as he swam through the current, to the other side. As they reached the other side, the rat jumped down and finished the race. With the ox and tiger coming in second. The rabbit, third and so on."

Kyo and Shigure started to chuckle making Tohru stop and blink at them in confusion. Yuki stared at them with a evil glare.

"Him? Sing?" Kyo laughed. "As if."

"Now. Now. Maybe, he might have a beautiful voice." Shigure barked as Yuki started to flick Shigure against his forehead.

"That's enough."

"Come now, we wasn't laughing at you." Shigure waved his hand up and down at Yuki.

Yeah right.

"So, what happened next?" He asked as he lifted his pencil and notepad, while Tohru smiled as Kyo yawned and Yuki drunk his tea.

As you can see, things are just about to get interesting. And your stories mother, are now their stories too. And who knows, maybe I'll include the cat.
Tohru smiled as the night grew closer.