The story of the Chinese zodiac is very well known. Although there are a number of variations, they all contain the central basic folklore. Fruits Basket is one of these variations... The original origins of the twelve animal zodiac system remains a mystery today. Legend tells of a bored king in heaven who wanted to see the animals that inhabited the Earth. He requested that his advisors bring twelve animals, which is a good sampling, to heaven. The advisor sent word to the rat, telling him to bring the cat. The rat ultimately preventing the invitation from being delivered to the cat. Additional invitations were sent to the dog, dragon, horse, monkey, ox, rabbit, ram, rooster, snake, and tiger, requesting thier presence at the palace the following day. Lined up at the palace, the king noticed only eleven animals instead of the requested twelve. He immediately sent an advisor to retreive a twelfth animal. The advisor hastily grabbed a pig and delivered it to the king. Standing in front of the king, the rat jumped on the ox's back and began playing the flute. The king was so impressed, he gave the rat 1st place. For being a good sport, he gave the ox 2nd. The tiger was given 3rd for being courageous. The rabbit recieved 4th, the dragon 5th, the snake 6th, the horse 7th, the ram 8th, monkey 9th, rooster 10th, and dog 11th. Last place, of course, was given to the pig. Upon conclusion of the ceremony, the cat begged the king to reconsider, but he was told he was too late.