Tale of a Tail -- Lady Aria Fruits Basket fanfiction

Fruits Basket fanfiction. My standard disclaimers apply.

Tale of a Tail

by Lady Aria (bukiminatenshi@lycos.com)

Shigure's most ecchi smile graced his face as he began typing away at his computer. Now that he'd managed to get Mit-chan off his back – of course, that is, AFTER he played 'tag' with her all over the house, almost reducing her to tears before giving her the manuscript, yet again – he was back to working on one of his more 'pleasurable' pursuits.

Writing yet another hentai novel.

However, just as he was about to get to the good part, his peace was shattered by the thundering of running feet and the shoji screen door slamming open to reveal an out of breath Yuki.

"Shigure...," Yuki heaved as he collapsed on the floor. "Tai hen na...."

"Ha...?" Shigure said as he blinked at Yuki.

Kyou appeared at the entrance soon enough with a downcast Tohru....

...Who had apparently, sometime earlier that day, sprouted a tail.

"Tohru-kun...," Shigure began, "sore wa...."

That's as far as he could get before he burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Ten minutes later, all of them were sitting around the kotatsu as Yuki began relating what had happened....

Yuki, Tohru, Kyou, Saki, and Arisa were on their way to the store to buy some stuff when they saw Saki's younger brother at one of the side streets. It looked like he was arguing with another boy his age – despite the expressionlessness of Megumi's face. They saw the fright in the other boy's face when he waved his hand, and they stopped to see what would happen next.

Unfortunately, some workmen carrying a mirror passed between the two boys....

"...And the next thing we knew, Hanajima was saying 'Tohru-kun, shippo' and...." Kyou gestured towards Tohru who was trying her best not to cry as her tail began swishing about behind her.

"Hmm," Shigure muttered as his eyes began studying Tohru's new appendage. "Did any of you ask Saki-chan if she knew of a way to get rid of it?"

"Well," Yuki began, "she said that she didn't know exactly what her brother had done so she couldn't really say. When we asked him, he said that he didn't know either, saying something like only trying to scare the other kid and that he didn't know that it would actually have an effect, let alone one that immediate."

Everyone in the room heaved a collective sigh at the apparent hopelessness of the situation. Shigure was the first one to speak.

"I think the first thing we should do is to find out what KIND of tail it is."

"How is THAT gonna help?!" Yuki and Kyou shouted in annoyed unison.

"Uh, um...," Shigure stammered. "Uh, so we'll know by what angle to approach the problem." He gave them his best smile. "Ne?"

"Shigure," Yuki began in a dangerous tone. "You're making it up as you go along."

"No, I'm not," Shigure said defensively, his smile faltering. "It could help."

"Fine, whatever," Yuki said, not very convinced. "But I'm warning you...."

Tohru yelped in surprise when Shigure pulled the tail towards him as soon as it was within reach in order to get a closer look, in the process, earning him a punch from Yuki and Kyou for scaring Tohru.

"SUKEBE!!!" The two of them shouted.

<This is going to take a while,> Shigure thought as he rubbed the top of his head and watched the two boys escort a jittery Tohru out of the room. <How do they expect me to find out what kind of a tail it is when they won't even let me to examine it?>

***

Tohru was wandering in the garden contemplating her predicament. She knew that Megumi hadn't meant to cast that spell on her, but despite her saying that it was okay, Saki had not been amused and it looked like she wanted to 'express' to her brother just how much so. A shudder ran through Tohru as thought after thought after thought of what would likely be in store for Megumi ran through her head. None of them pretty.

<I hope Hana-chan takes it easy on him,> she thought wholeheartedly. Goodness knows what Saki was capable of when she actually sets her mind to the task. She stopped beneath a tree and sighed as she swished the tail into her hands. She knew that it was as much part of her as the rest of her body because she could both control its movements as well as sense using it. <Demo, having a tail must have its advantages....>

Now she was trying her best to think of them.

Images of a happy Tohru holding a grocery bag in each hand with a third swinging from her tail began to flash through her mind.

An image of Tohru scrubbing the floor while her tail is holding a feather duster.

By this time, a smile was finally beginning to tug at the corners of Tohru's mouth.

Maybe having a tail isn't such a bad thing after all.

Then, an image of her tail getting caught in the door crosses through her mind.

Then of it getting stepped on.

Of her needing to cut holes into her clothes....

<Mou...!> Tohru's mind was starting to loop with worst case scenarios involving her tail.

"Sou da! Saru no shippo!"

"That is one STRONG tail."

Tohru blinked as Shigure and Kyou's voices brought her back to the present. <Demo, why is everyone upside down? Eh? Why is EVERYTHING upside down?>

Shigure, Yuki, and Kyou were staring at Tohru as she swung by her tail from a tree branch.

"Honda-san! Abunai!"

"Gyaaaa!!!"

And that realization brought Tohru crashing down to the ground.

Yuki and Kyou rushed to see if Tohru was okay as a smile lit Shigure's face.

"Sou ka," he said as he walked towards the front hall. "Time to make a phone call."

***

"Ne, what do you think?"

"Fine. Bring her here. I'll try to look for something."

"Domo!"

"But I am NOT making any promises."

"Ii yo. Ja, mata ne!"

A while later....

"So, it is exactly as Shigure said." Hatori gingerly touched the tip of Tohru's tail and it jerked instinctively away. "For once, he was telling the truth."

"Ha-san, hidoi yo!" Shigure said as obviously fake tears sprung from his eyes. "Demo," he continued, instantly regaining his composure, "did you find anything that could cure Tohru-kun?"

"Actually...."

"MINNA-SAN, KONNICHIWA!!!!!"

Everyone looked up to see Ayame bounding into the room and instantly latching onto Yuki.

"And how is my sweet, sweet, brother doing...?" He said as he nearly asphyxiated the boy.

"Off...," Yuki gasped as he tried to squirm out of Ayame's grasp. "Get... him... off!!"

"Ayame-san, konnichiwa," Tohru said as she smiled.

"Ah, Tohru!" Ayame said, finally letting go of Yuki. "Genki...?" The rest of his statement was cut off as he noticed the tail swishing behind her. "Are? Shippo?"

Yuki sighed. "I'm starting to get tired of telling this story...."

After yet another retelling of the story....

"Ah, sou," Ayame nodded. "Tai hen ne. In that case, let me help." He held Tohru's hands in his, eyes twinkling with fierce determination. "I will make sure that you will have no problem with your clothes!"

Tohru: "Ha...?"

Kyou and Yuki: *blink*

Hatori: "Mattaku...."

Shigure: "Brilliant as always, Aya!"

"Of course! It's my idea! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" With that, he sidled up to Shigure, speaking in low, mock-hushed tones. "Isn't that what attracted you to me in the first place, ne~~~?"

Shigure, with a deep voice, replied. "You have always been attractive long before your brilliance shined through."

"Mon amour...."

"Mon cher...."

"Je t'aime...."

"Bon appetit...."

"This is taking a turn for the disgusting," Kyou noted as they watched Shigure and Ayame flying into each other's arms.

The two stopped milliseconds from actually hugging each other and sat down on the floor instead, a pen and a tablet notebook magically appearing in Ayame's hands.

"Gure-san, what can you tell me about Tohru's fashion favorites?"

"Hmm, she's partial to dresses and casual clothes."

"And colors?"

"Pastels! Pink, blue, green...."

"YAMERO, FUTARI BAKA!!!" Kyou and Yuki shouted in annoyance.

Hatori just lit a cigarette. "If you two are done, maybe we could go about the business of actually getting rid of Tohru's tail."

"HAI!!" Ayame and Shigure replied.

"Good."

All of them settled around the low table inside Hatori's office where some old books were stacked. Some of them were so old and yellow their edges were starting to crumble. "I've pieced together some old stories and legends of the Jyuunishi and curses that could even be remotely related to the Jyuunishi, since Shigure said that he was sure that it was a monkey's tail. From what I have learned, there is a cure for this curse and it is comprised of two things: One, a special tea must be brewed for Tohru to drink." Hatori's voice suddenly became grave. "Two, she must wear one of the ancient Jyuunishi charms."

"Tea is easy to make," Kyou replied. "Give me the list of ingredients."

"Hatori," Yuki began, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"The problem isn't with the tea." He took one of the old books from the stack and opened it to a pre-marked page. "It's with the charm." He held up the book and showed it to them. "Look familiar? Ayame, Shigure."

On the page was a plain gold necklace with a pendant showing a monkey holding up a drum, on which was written the character for monkey.

Massive sweatdrops appeared on both Ayame and Shigure.

"Can't be helped," Ayame said as he stood up, pulling a tape measure out of his pocket. "Tohru-kun, please stand so I could take your measurements!"

"Hai, hai, Tohru-kun," Shigure agreed, "please let Aya take your measurements!"

"Chotto matte...." A bewildered Tohru began as Ayame helped her up.

"Oi." Kyou began, obviously pissed.

"Just what do you mean by 'can't be helped'?" Yuki said in a dangerous tone. "NIISAN?"

"Niisan?" Ayame echoed. "Gure-san! He's calling me niisan! Ureshii~~~!!!!"

"Omedetou!"

"BAKA! I ALWAYS CALL YOU NIISAN!" Yuki shouted, finally losing his temper. "Give me an explanation or I'll beat you to a pulp!" With eyes blazing, he added: "And I won't even need baka neko's help."

"Anou... Yuki-kun," Tohru said in an attempt to calm him down.

"Who you calling 'baka neko'? Kuso nezumi!"

"Omae."

"Maybe we should make our escape now?" Shigure whispered to Ayame.

"Let's."

"FREEZE!"

A collective 'eep' came from the two just as they were about to pass through the open doorway.

Kyou grabbed the back of Shigure's collar and dragged him back in while Yuki did the same to Ayame. In seconds, the two of them were being stared down by the two obviously pissed teens.

"Talk. Now." Yuki ordered.

"Anou... you see...." Shigure gulped. "That charm, well...."

"It's lost." Ayame completed. "Nothing we could do about it, now let's all go for tea! Ne?"

"Explain." Yuki was not about to budge.

Shigure heaved a sigh and started. "It's been lost for almost twenty years. I don't exactly see how telling you the story would help."

"You seem to know a lot about exactly HOW it got lost," Kyou said in a dangerously sweet voice. "Maybe you should tell us how it did."

Shigure gulped audibly upon realizing just how trapped the two of them were. Heaving a resigned sigh, he began his tale...

***

"Aya-niisan! Shigure-niisan! Hatori-niisan!"

The hana mabudachi trio turned to see a young boy wearing the traditional clothes for the new year's dance running at breakneck speed towards them.

"Rit-chan!" Ayame said happily as he patted the younger boy's head happily. "You look great in that outfit."

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu!" Ritsu said happily as stars began to show in his eyes, looking up at Ayame. "You are so kind! Even when someone like me who doesn't deserve such praise...."

"Ii yo," Shigure said as held up his hand. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"AH! GOMEN NASAI!" Ritsu practically screamed into their ears. "I'm being a nuisance to you all! Forgive me, forgive me...!!!"

All three of them clasped their hands onto their ears to block out Ritsu's screeching. Hatori shot Shigure a look that said 'do something!' It took but an instant before Shigure smiled and clapped a hand over Ritsu's mouth, effectively gaining the apologetic boy's attention as well as shutting him up.

"Ne, Rit-chan," Shigure said in a sugar-sweet voice, "you want to see some magic?" He smiled as Ritsu nodded and he removed his hand from over his mouth. "Aya just learned this neat... um, disappearing trick! Yeah, that's right!" He winked at Ayame to play along, smiling wider upon seeing the mischievous look on the white-haired Jyuunishi's face.

"Ayame-niisan, can you really make things disappear?" Ritsu asked in total awe.

"Um, yeah!" Ayame said, nodding confidently. "But just small things, though."

"Could you show me? Please?" Ritsu pleaded.

"Un," he nodded. "But I need something that I could make to disappear... how about your necklace?" He said pointing at the charm necklace Ritsu was wearing.

"Ah, anou...." Ritsu shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "But this is part of the costume...."

Ayame sighed. "Okay, if you don't want to see...."

That was as far as he got before Ritsu handed the necklace over to a smiling Ayame.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Hatori said as Ayame began swishing the necklace about.

"Relax, Ha-san," Shigure said, patting him on the shoulder. "You were the one who wanted him to shut up. Besides, this should be good."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Hatori muttered as Ayame began swishing the necklace faster and transferring it from one hand to the other at high speeds. He watched as the necklace sailed out of Ayame's hand and was caught perfectly by Shigure in the nearby woods, who then pocketed the trinket. Ritsu gave no indication that he'd noticed at all. Then, it was over, with Ayame presenting his empty hands to an awed Ritsu.

"SUGOI DESU!!!" Ritsu said as he jumped up and applauded a bowing Ayame. When he finally tired himself out, he looked up at Ayame in adoration. "Um... Ayame-niisan... could I have it back now?"

"Umm...," Ayame began as he looked at Shigure who was briskly shaking his head. "No." Ayame almost lost his composure at the wide-eyed look of panic that suddenly appeared on Ritsu's face. "You see... uh, it was a disappearing trick, right? So, I made it disappear!" He looked at Shigure who was nodding for him to continue that line of thought. "It wouldn't be magic if I didn't make it really disappear, right?"

Ritsu blinked as if considering this, making Ayame and Shigure sweat. At last he smiled and nodded. "Un, wakarimasu. Ja, minna-san! I'll see you later!" With that he bounded off in the direction of the main house.

"That was close," Ayame sighed with relief.

"You should've given it back," Hatori said disapprovingly.

"Relax, Ha-san," Shigure said as he pulled out the necklace from his pocket. "Give Rit-chan a few minutes and he'll completely forget about this." He looked at his watch and frowned. "Ugh. I promised to help out with the decorations. Ja~~!" With a wave of his hand, he ran in the direction of the house.

...Only to collide with a girl ten feet away from the entrance.

*POOM*

"Itai...," the girl muttered as she rubbed her sore bottom. She opened her eyes in time to see a black dog sitting on a pile of clothes with a necklace around his neck. "Kawaii!" she said as she pounced on Shigure, giving him a tight hug. "How did you get in here, you cute doggie?" She began scratching behind his ear, which Shigure didn't mind at all, considering that the girl was pretty cute. "Now, what to call you... how about 'Potchie'?" She mistook Shigure balking at the name for approval. "Potchie it is!"

"Kana!" An older voice called from inside the house. "Please come inside!"

"Hai!" She replied as she gave Shigure another hug. "Wait for me out here, okay?" She then skipped back into the house.

Shigure grabbed his clothes in his mouth and made a run for it. He had to hide lest he transform. Still, he couldn't be seen with the necklace or he, Hatori, and Ayame would be in big trouble. So, following his 'doggy instincts' he found a likely patch of ground near the back of the compound, buried the necklace, and hid in the trees until he changed back.

***

<Why does everybody keep naming me Potchie?> Shigure thought in annoyance when he finished his tale. <Couldn't they think of a better name for a dog?>

"Then what happened?" Yuki prodded.

"Ha?"

"You did go back for it, right?" Kyou asked, his voice getting dangerous.

"Anou...," Shigure smiled wryly. "You see, after all the excitement of the festivities, I completely forgot about it."

Silence. VERY ominous silence.

"You mean, it's still buried somewhere around here?" Yuki said quietly.

"Maybe."

"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Kyou grilled.

"Maybe, as in 'I don't know'!"

"Well, you're going to find it for us." Yuki said with such finality that not even Shigure wanted to argue. He then turned to Tohru and smiled kindly. "Gomen nasai, Honda-san." With that, he pushed Tohru in Shigure's direction.

*POOM*

Shigure shook his head in dismay, then balked as Yuki fastened a collar and a leash onto his neck.

"You buried it as a dog, now you find it as one," Yuki's eyes flashed. He shot a look that silenced the impending plea on Shigure's behalf that would've come from Ayame. "Don't even try."

The six of them made a rather odd-looking parade as Shigure tried to retrace the events of twenty years ago. Half an hour later, they were standing at a clearing near a stand of trees.

"Well, this is where it happened," Hatori said as he sat on a tree stump. "Anything coming back yet, Shigure?"

"Anou...." Shigure's ears suddenly perked up and he ran, dragging Yuki with him in the direction of the main house. He stopped outside a wall and dashed into a waist-high clump of bushes.

"Did you find it?" Yuki asked breathlessly as the bushes rustled.

"Actually...."

*POOM*

"...I was about to turn back," Shigure said, laughing a bit as he stood naked in the bushes, a seething Yuki glaring at him.

*SNAP*

"What's going on out there?"

Akito had opened the window to see what the commotion was about.

In time to see a shocked Shigure standing naked with a collar and a leash leading to an equally bewildered Yuki.

He regarded one then the other, eyes narrowing. "I don't think I want to know." He said before the window snapped shut once again.

"SHI-GU-RE!!!"

"GOMEN!!!"

Once Shigure was in dog form again, they were back to retracing his steps. Only to be thwarted by....

"When did this pond get here?" Shigure asked.

They all sported stunned expressions as they looked over the softly lapping waves of the pond, the occasional koi carp jumping out of the water.

"Are you absolutely SURE this was where you buried it?" Kyou asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Shigure confirmed.

"In," Yuki said, as he tried to push Shigure into the pond. Unfortunately, he wouldn't budge.

"I'm not the only guilty party!" Shigure protested. "Get those two to help!"

All eyes averted towards Ayame.

"I'm not a water snake!"

Hatori.

"No," he said firmly. "Besides, if Shigure did bury it somewhere where the lake is now, what makes you think it'll still be there? He couldn't have buried it that deep."

They all heaved a collective sigh of despair, the loudest of which belonged to Tohru.

Once they were back at Hatori's house, Kyou went about the task of making the tea saying that 'a partial cure was better than no cure at all'. Tohru just nodded and accepted the tea Kyou offered a few minutes later without a word. All of them felt sorry for Tohru. Meanwhile, Yuki and Kyou were still emanating hate waves in Shigure's general direction, who was, in turn, wondering why he's the only one they were blaming. Shigure felt like a total villain when his ears picked up a very quite sniffle coming from Tohru. He was about to offer his most sincere apologies when the mood was shattered by the arrival of Momiji.

"Tohru!" He sang out when he saw her. He tried to pounce, but Kyou managed to yank him by the collar.

"Itai!" Momiji yelped, then he saw the tail. He looked quizzically at Yuki and listened as Kyou took over retelling the story. He looked back at the miserable Tohru then immediately gave her a hug.

*POOM*

"Mattaku," Kyou said as he looked disapprovingly at Momiji sitting on Tohru's lap.

"Ii yo, Tohru," Momiji said, looking up. "It's not the end of the world, right? Don't look so sad. I'm sure it'll wear off eventually. Nakanai yo."

"Un," Tohru nodded as she gave Momiji an appreciative hug. "Arigatou, Momiji-kun." She set him down on the floor and began picking up his clothes. Something dropped from out of his shirt. They all ogled at the floor, earning a confused look from Momiji.

On the floor was the charm necklace.

"What... where...," Tohru stammered as she picked it up in trembling hands.

"Oh, that?" Momiji said, hopping closer to her. "I found it when the construction crew dug up the ground to make the koi pond. It's my good luck charm."

"It's good luck alright," Hatori said as Tohru put it on. "For Shigure, that is," he added dryly. Instantly, the tail disappeared. "You'll need to wear it for about a week, just to make sure that the tail wouldn't sprout again."

"Tasukatta!" Shigure collapsed into a relieved heap in Ayame's arms. "All's well that ends well, right?"

"You're lucky Momiji happened to have it," Yuki said in annoyance.

"Hai, hai," Shigure waved dismissively, relief washing over his face.

"Shitsurei shimasu," a female servant said as she bowed before them all from the doorway. "Akito-sama requests for the presence of Shigure-sama and Yuki-sama. He wishes to discuss matters regarding a 'certain oddity' that he said that he witnessed earlier this afternoon."

The ensuing silence was only broken by the chirping of a nearby bird.

"Shigure...," Yuki began, looking daggers at him.

"Eep."

"Here we go again," Hatori sighed.

***Owari***

Glossary:

1. ecchi/hentai – perverted

2. shoji – Japanese paper-and-wood door or screen

3. tai hen na – pertains to something bad or unfortunate, usually a situation

4. sore wa... – that is...

5. kotatsu – a Japanese room heater covered with a quilt. Usually looks like a low table with a blanket underneath.

6. shippo – tail

7. sukebe – lecher

8. demo – but

9. mou – an expression of frustration

10. sou da / sou ka / sou – of course / I see

11. saru – monkey

12. no – possessive (usually is usage) particle

13. abunai – "look out!", expression of danger

14. domo / arigatou – and their derivatives, 'thanks' in varying levels of politeness

15. ii – okay / fine

16. yo – word used for emphasis

17. Ja / mata ne – well, later, see you

18. hidoi – cruel, inhuman

19. minna-san – everyone

20. konnichiwa – good afternoon, more generic usage: 'hello'

21. genki – greeting: 'are you well?'

22. are – eh?

23. mattaku – good grief

24. mon amour / mon cher – my love

25. Je t'aime – I love you

26. yamero – stop / stop it

27. futari – two persons

28. baka – idiot

29. chotto matte / matte – wait a minute / wait

30. niisan – older brother

31. ureshii – happy

32. omedetou – congratulations

33. neko – cat

34. anou – um...

35. kuso – damn

36. nezumi – mouse

37. omae – you (derogative form)

38. gomen/gomen nasai – sorry

39. sugoi – wonderful

40. wakarimasu – I understand

41. itai – ouch

42. nakanai – don't cry

43. tasukatta – saved

44. Shitsurei shimasu – literally, excuse me for intruding