The Four Musketeers (Fruits Basket)

Chapter 18: Secret

(Flashback -- months before high school starts)

Even though winter was coming to an end, it still remained chilly. Adjusting her scarf, Kaede buried her face within it and shoved her hands into her coat pockets to protect herself from the cold wind. The streets were practically empty as many preferred to stay in doors, except a few individuals like herself.

Kaede found herself going on an early 'back to school shopping' with Ayame, why so early, she would never know. She was always questioning how his mind worked but eventually gave up on worrying about. Kaede huffed in slight frustration and exasperation as she truly questioned why Ayame couldn't wait another month or even weeks later when the snow would melt.

Walking towards a familiar meet up spot, Kaede enters the park and pulls out her phone as she texts Ayame that she was at the park. As she further entered the park, her eyes narrowed as she saw a pile of clothes stuffed into a bush.

Kaede turned her head and scanned the park, seeing no one there except her. As she glanced around a bright red jacket caught her eye and she furrowed her brows at the familiarity. Approaching the bush, Kaede leaned down and picked it up finding that the clothes were awfully familiar to Ayame's. She widened her eyes as she scanned the clothes and found it weird that someone literally left all of their clothes on the ground. Picking it up she further looked at them and a phone fell out, raising her brow, she widened her eyes at the sparkly purple phone case: Ayame's.

"What the heck?" Kaede furrowed her brow as she saw her text that she sent him. Looking around she frantically picked up his clothes and held the phone close to her chest.

"There's no way, he would never leave his stuff out here like this. He's not a complete idiot to go walking stark naked." Kaede mumbled to herself as she wandered around the park and called out his name in worry.

"Ayame! Are you here?! Are you playing a joke with me? Are you hurt?!" Kaede called out in worry as she picked up her pace as thoughts consumed her mind, worried for the boy she walked among the trees inside of the park.

As she was searching and calling out his name, Kaede didn't realize a white snake quickly slithering towards her. Before she knew it she felt something crawling up her leg and into her jacket. Screaming in shock, she dropped Ayame's clothes and both of their phones.

Kaede quickly yanked off her jacket and shivered once the cold air hit her and saw a small white snake pop its head out of her jacket. Widening her eyes in shock Kaede quickly grabbed Ayame's clothes and tried to shoo the snake away, and in the process kicking her jacket with the snake in it.

"K-kaede." the snake cried out in slight pain and curled around itself even more.

Widening her eyes in shock, Kaede stared at the snake for a couple moments before rubbing her eyes and pinching her cheeks. "The snake talked...."

Stepping away from the snake, Kaede looked around the area and shook her head as she dismissed it as just her imagination. "Ayame!!" Kaede continued to shout.

Before she could walk away and leave the snake it talked once more.

"Kaede....I'm Ayame!" The snake appeared to have a burst of energy as it shouted and glittered as it appeared to smile and wink at her, before curling back into itself and shivering.

Kaede paused as she heard Ayame's voice from the snake, she turned around and stared at the snake for a while. "Ha..Ha.... the snake really talks...--- wait Ayame-?!" She did a double take as she felt like she was going insane. She backed away as she shook her head. "I'm going crazy...there's no way a freaking snake spoke and sounded like Ayame." She mumbled as she felt her head hurt from this nonsense.