One Step Closer [Fruits Basket]

Chapter 2: The Cursed Zodiac Animals

"Hello! Package for you from Speedy Delivery!"

Tohru ran down the stairs screaming for a doctor or a vet while Natsu hollered after her retreating back. When the older Honda sister reached her younger twin, she saw the dog taking the post from the postman.

"What a smart dog! Have a good day, Ma'am!" the postman smiled before shutting the door and leaving.

Tohru started to panic again but Natsu walked up to her sister and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Tohru, please calm down." Natsu stated. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

At that moment, suddenly the orange-colored cat spoke up. It sounded like the boy named Kyo who fell from the roof.

"We can't even make a good cover story if you jerks transform too!" the cat yelled.

The Honda sisters stared at the animals with wide eyes in surprise.

The freaking cat can talk?!

"You're the one who slipped up first, you stupid cat." The grey-colored rat spoke up.

Wait?! Was that Yuki?!

"Excuse me?!" Kyo snarled.

"Stupid Cat." Yuki commented.

"Why you little-"

"Cut it out! Both of you!" Shigure scolded, who was now a dog. "It's better to tell them the truth than make up a story they won't believe."

Natsu blinked in confusion as she walked up to them.

"Umm, guys, what's going on?" she asked.

"Natsu, Tohru." Shigure spoke up. "I have a dog spirit. Yuki-kun has a rat spirit and Kyo Sohma over there has a cat spirit. We're all possessed. Others in the Sohma family are possessed by the other zodiac spirits too. It runs in the family for hundreds of years now. It doesn't give any special cool powers though. Pretty much all we can do is communicate with our respective animals and for some reason, we transform when we're sick or when hugged by the opposite sex. We automatically turn human again after a while..."

Then a poof sound went off.

"... buck naked, I'm afraid..." Shigure trailed off.

Natsu quickly covered her and Tohru's eyes with her hands and turned around with heavy blush on their faces.

"What the hell?! Can you give a better warning next time?!" Natsu yelled as Tohru screamed out in embarrassment. "Go put some clothes on!"

'So that's why Yuki shoves away girls who try to hug him...'

Once they were done changing, they all sat around the table in the living room, except for Kyo. He sat at the porch but was still listening.

"Sorry, you girls have to see that." Shigure smiled sheepishly. "Are you feeling a bit calmer now?"

"I've mostly processed things." Tohru mumbled, still blushing.

"Man, Kyo, you're such an idiot!" Shigure teased. "Should a trained martial artist be so easy for a girl to sneak up on? You really have eyes for no one but Yuki-kun!"

"Don't make me sound creepy!" Kyo growled, clenching his fists. "And don't blame me! What the hell are two girls doing here in the first place?!"

"Be quiet." Yuki frowned. "It's none of your business whether there's a girl in this house. You're an outsider."

"Shut up!" Kyo yelled as he punched the table.

The table broke in half and the side closest to us went up and hit Tohru in the forehead.