The Neighbors ( A Fruits Basket Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

I was starting to come out of a deep sleep, as I heard talking through the car. I realized it was Kim and Lacy, but I didn't recognize what they were saying.  I finally opened my eyes as I looked out the window, seeing the world pass us as we continued on the ride. The area looked like a forest, but different from the one that surrounded my house. The trees were brighter and gave off more of a yellow tint to them. The sky looked to be brighter, but that could be because the sun is still out. The breeze that hit me from the window was cool, but not enough to freeze me completely.  I heard Kim chuckle as the conversation continued, which made me realize that I was awake enough to function. I moaned a bit as I started to shift comfortably in my seat, rubbing the rest of the sleep out of my eye. "Had a good nap, bestie?" Kim asked as I looked at her. I yawned as I held up my finger, telling her to wait for a few moments. Lacy chuckled as she looked in the rearview mirror. "If you're still tired, go back to bed" she suggested as I finished the yawn. "No thank you.  It's just that I stayed up too late last night.  There were still things that I had to pack up for the trip." I sat up more as I studied out the window in thought.  I looked at Kim as she spoke. "I'm surprised that you went to sleep in the car.  Usually, you're wide awake" she said, as I nodded. "Yeah. Must've been tired I guess" I said, as I looked out the window. I watched as the trees were aligned with each other, some having flowering buds that broke with the wind and others with their leaves that rustled with each other. I looked up at the light blue sky, seeing white puffy clouds as the drifted across, almost like faint shadows.  I sighed as I continued to study the view. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" I asked, not directing it to anyone. Lacy looked in the rear view as she nodded. "Yeah, it is. Such a nice temperature. Probably warmer than where you're from" she said, as I nodded. "Yeah, it gets pretty cold where we're from," I said, as Kim sighed. "Winter's are very cold, but summer makes up for it later" she explained. Lacy nodded in agreement as she continued to drive.

Lacy cleared her throat as she spoke. "Mal, you look interested in weather. You wanna do something with it after you graduate?" she asked as I shook my head. "Not really. I get nervous in bad weather, so I like to know what it's like at all times. Also, it's so I can plan ahead on days off from school. Nothing special" I explained.  Kim scooted in her seat as she spoke. "Storms make Mal nervous, even if she has to drive in it" Kim explained as Lacy nodded. "That's understandable. You don't want to get stuck in the middle of something too bad. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on it. But don't worry, no storm clouds in sight" she said, as she kept on driving.  "At least it's nice out for a move," I said, as Kim nodded. "Yeah. Would stink moving boxes in the rain" she said, as I looked ahead of the car. The woods opened up to a little opening, with about a couple of houses sitting right next to each other, but spaced out enough to give some privacy. The houses were a little on the big side. One was a bigger style house, looking like it had many window's that surrounded it. It had a little wooden porch that came off of the front of it, which looked welcoming for anyone that came within it. The one next to it looked more like a Victorian house, with a glass garden house and a little shed in behind it. It had a big front porch with a little swing that sat in front. I studied the house more as we turned into the parking lot and stopped.  Lacy shut the car off as she opened the door. "Well, here we are.  I'll unlock the door and help bring your stuff in" she said, as she stepped out of the car.  I looked at Kim, then looked back at the house.

I opened the door as I stepped outside and took a stretch, relieving my body from the long ride here. I grabbed what I had up front as I met Kim in front of the car. "This place looks nice," I said, as Kim nodded. "Yeah. Wonder what the inside looks like" she said, as Lacy opened the front door. "Come on in. I'll show you girls to your rooms, then I'll help bring the rest of your things in" she said, as she walked into the building. "Bestie first," I said, as Kim started to walk in the house. I took one step as I made sure the door was shut. We walked into a room that was a dining room, which broke off into a conjoined living room and kitchen. The living room was a light off-white, with white furniture and a glass coffee table in front of it. On both sides of the couch stood matching glass side tables, with little plants that sat on the shelves under them.  The kitchen was a light, sky blue with pure white tiles for the floor. The sink and appliances were stainless steel, with a white-stained wood island in the middle of it. I walked in the house as I put my bags down, still looking in awe.  Kim joined me as she spoke. "Wow. This looks a lot different inside than what the outside makes it look" she complemented with. Lacy turned to us as she spoke. "Thanks. I put a lot into the house. Looks a lot better than when I first bought it, that's for sure" she said, as I looked around the living room more.