A New Basket

Horses and Snakes

Sly sighed boredly as he surveyed the hallway he was passing through. First day back and nothing has happened! I knew this was going to be a boarding year but really! He thought as he let his hand sit in his pockets. 

Earlier that day, Sly could've sworn that he had seen Willow for a second as he had walked into school, but he knew it couldn't have been her. She never left the house, where she did who knows what. 

Growling under his breath Sly tried to quiet the pain that threatened to climb into his heart again, if he thought too much about Willow. Even though it had been years since they had last played together, he still missed her kind smile, and meek temperament. 

Taking a deep breath, Sly forced his thoughts of Willow into the deepest parts of his mind and continued walking. Trotting into the locker room, Sly began to look around for his locker.

"I-I can't believe I'm lost again..." Sly twisted around as the shaking voice reached his ears. His breath quickened as the girl he had seen earlier slipped into the locker room, not seeming to notice that he was even there. 

Willow... Sly timidly dare to think, it's her, that voice, that scent... but what's she doing here? 

Shaking his head for a moment, Sly quietly crept up behind the pale girl: "Oh, hey Willow." 

With a small cry of shock the girl spun around, her light blue eyes shining with the fright he gave her. 

Sly tilted his head, trying his best not to smile, as he stared into those blue eyes. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since New Years." Sly said cheerfully, stepping a little closer to her.

Almost instantly Willow's eyes sank to the floor. "I-I haven't b-been up to anything..." She replied shakily. 

Smiling mischievously, Sly stole a few more inches as he crept closer to Willow. "Really now? You have to be up to something, Willow." Closing his eyes for a second he took a deep breath, Willow's warm, earthy scent filling his mind with happy memories as he inhaled again. Yes, this is definitely her.

"I...I just transferred here... that's it." Willow murmured, stepping away from Sly. 

Frowning, Sly let his tongue slip from his lips like a snake tasting the air. "Nah, I sense somethings up.... Mmmm." 

"It's nothing! Leave me alone Sly..." He narrowed his eyes, as her voice reached something of a begging tone.

Realizing he may be scaring her, Sly tried to smile understandingly. "Hey, Willow, it's fine to be nervous, I get it don't worry, really." He said softly backing off a little.

He could almost taste the distrust she felt towards him, as she replied. "I'll be fine, really..." 

"You're lying..." Sly said before he could stop himself. Inwardly cringing he tried to make up for his rashness. "Hey... stop being nervous. If you keep being nervous, you'll turn into a horse, and we can't have a horse walking around school can we?" 

Willow simply hugged herself, not seeming to find this humorous. "I-I'm not that nervous...." 

"But if someone is bothering you then... then I will crush them to a pulp and then throw them into a grinder then I will throw the grinder off a cliff then..." At this point Willow's cheeks had lost all of the color then once had, and she was looking like she might be sick. "Oh um... sorry, I guess, I kinda lost it, huh?" He chuckled nervously. 

"I... I told you... no one is bothering me..." Willow whimpered, though her shaking voice seemed to say other wise.

Why won't she just tell me!  Had it been so long that Willow couldn't even trust me with a name?! 

Clenching his fist Sly, let his anger flicker over his enticing features. "Who is it Willow! Who's bothering you!" If anyone even touched Willow, Sly was sure he'd kill them personally. 

"I told you it's no one!" Willow cried, her lower lips trembling in an adorable way, as she backed away from Sly. 

Sly tried to keep smiling, even though his heart felt like someone had stomped on it. Why doesn't she trust me anymore? She used to tell me everything.

For a moment Sly's mind was dragged back to his warm childhood memories of sitting by the Koi Pond with Willow, back when she still had talked to him. 

"Come on Sly... Annie didn't mean it..." 

"She said I was and idiot!" 

"S-So? She was just upset that you pulled her hair..."

"Yeah, so? She had it coming for kicking that snake!"

"She did that cause I got scared... I'm sorry..." 

"Why do you always apologize! It's not your fault, it's stupid Annie's fault!"

"Annie isn't stupid Sly... and neither are you... Why won't you two get along? I hate it when you two fight like that! One day you might actually hurt each other's feelings..." Willow had started to cry at that point as she often did. 

"Willow don't cry! I'm sorry! I'll tell Annie I'm sorry just don't cry, okay!?" 

"O-Okay... J-Just b-be nice o-okay? Your... Your both my friends and I won't know what to do with out both of you..."

"You can't do everything yourself Willow! Please, I know I haven't seen you in forever, but you can still trust me!" Sly found himself once again, pleading with the retreating Willow.

"S-Sly, please... I promise you, it's nothing... and... and I do still trust you..." Willow said gently, her old, gentle self peeking out. "I... I promise! I just... don't need to trouble you with a dumb thing like this..." Willow sighed, her eyes sliding back down to her shoes.

"Well... I guess I'll have to wait for you to open up for me, huh? Oh well, um, we really should be heading to lunch right?" 

Willow nodded her head ever so slightly in agreement, as she cradled her small lunch box in her hands. Smiling widely, Sly snatched Willow's hand and promptly began half-dragging her towards the lunch room. 

"So, Willow how have you been?" Sly asked, as he slowed down a little. 

"O-Okay... Annie let me move in with her so I'd be closer to school..." Willow hesitantly mumbled.

Great... Annie's still alive... I mean is the universe just letting her live so she can continue her mission to torment me!? Sly inwardly groaned

"Bet she's making you do all the cooking and cleaning, huh? Lazy flipping dog..." 

"Sly! Annie isn't lazy! She was very kind to open her house to me! And I don't mind doing the cooking...." Willow stated defensively as she started to pull her hand out of Sly's.

"So she is making you do the cooking! And how come you always side with her and never me!?" 

"I do take your side!" 

"Yeah ri-" Sly was promptly interrupted, by Willow throwing herself in front of him, preventing a tall girl from running and hugging Sly. 

"Stupid witch get out of the way!" Sly recognized that voice, as Willow was thrown to the side.

Yura Tygomi, was arguably the most attracting girl in school, good grades, nice looks, and usually a lovely personality. Most guys fell head over heels for her, but personally, Yura wasn't really Sly's type. Yura however, felt that she and Sly would be the prefect couple and had decided to make her life's goal to stalk, and hound Sly, till he gave into her. 

Usually, Sly would've just ignored girls like Yura, but she was crafty and would do most anything to get her hands around him. Sly, once again, would not have minded the contact, if not for this nasty little curse placed on the Sohma family, that made Sly (and 11 other Sohma members including Willow and Annie) turn into assorted Zodiac animals when hugged by the opposite gender (unless that other person was part of the Sohma family.)