Just a quick A.N. guys! I don't own Fruits Basket. I'm sticking to the anime so Akito's gunna be a guy. Yeah there are some things changed here, just deal with me please (I was born on the year of the rat, so my character will be a rat.) :)

Every year, there are thirteen children in the Sohma family who are born able to turn into an animal of the zodiac. Only one usually survives. There are twelve zodiac signs, the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Pig, but one other is born, the cat. The cat however, is not part of the zodiac. The cat will never be accepted.

I, of course, don't have to worry about this problem. I am one of the rats of the zodiac. But even I have problems. I am Akito's favorite. I am kept separated from the others in the family, except for Yuki, the other rat, and Akito said it was for my own good. The others won't accept me because of what I am. They're jealous of me and Yuki, even more-so of me because I wasn't supposed to survive.

But Yuki ran away. So now it's just me.

My twin survived too. I don't know his name, but he grew up away from me. He was the cat, but the one who survived was supposed to be the Rooster. Neither of us are. We aren't supposed to get along, and Akito said that my mother could only keep one of us, and she chose him.

We're both the cat and the rat, but I'm more the rat, and he's more the cat. This only happens in twins. We can change at will because we are twins, and that's just one of the mysteries of the curse. We still unwillingly change when hugged by someone of the oppisite gender, and we can't change back at will then. But it's easier than being a normal zodiac animal.

Akito, he… he liked to keep me afraid of him, afraid of the outside world, too, after Yuki left, but mostly afraid of him. He said that Yuki had betrayed us. He'd left us all alone. And he had. Akito was meaner, crueler now that Yuki had left. Akito doesn't want me to have anyone except for him.

"Kyoko?" I heard Akito's cold voice say. "Come out of wherever you're hiding today."

I shivered and crawled out from under the desk I was hiding under. I couldn't disobey a direct order from Akito, none of us could.

He grinned cruelly "There you are. I have just heard back from your school about your midterms. It seems you got second in your year." He backhanded me across the face and I flew into a bookshelf. Something broke, and the shards cut my face and my hands. He came over to me and bent, his face in my face. "This is unacceptable. You are supposed to be first in everything you do! Haven't I taught you well enough?"

"Yes Akito," I replied without emotion. "I will do better next time."

"You should have done better. You missed a question!" He was unusually mad today. He usually would have calmed down after he hit me. Something else was wrong. "Stand up!" I stood. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I am sorry."

"Pathetic," he sneered. "Worthless." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then pulled a knife out of his robe. "Your arm?" He made it sound like a request. But it wasn't. I gave him my arm, hating myself for giving into this so easy, but not seeing a way out of it. He made three quick slashes on my wrist then put it away. "Clean up. Do something useful for once." He turned and left, locking the door behind him.

I pulled out a few bandages and tied them tightly around my wrist and got to work righting the bookshelf. A couple minutes later I heard the lock click again and saw someone slip into the room out of the corner of my eye. I turned and stared, but quickly turned it into a charming smile. "Hello," I said. "May I ask who you are and what you're doing in my room?" This is the first time I'd talked to any human other than Akito in years.

"I'm Hajime," the boy said. "Hajime Sohma."

"My name is Kyoko Sohma, I believe we're cousins," I grinned. "I'm sorry for the mess."

"Quit pretending you're fine. You're hurt."

I turned my smile a bit puzzled. "What do you mean? Pretending?"

"I saw Akito hurting you from out the window."

My smile fell. "You can't prove it."

"I know what I saw."

"You can't do a thing about it. I'm fine," I grinned again. "Now, you might want to leave before Akito gets back. He doesn't like people talking to the few of us he keeps separated from all of you."

He looked like he was going to argue, but decided against it. "I'm coming back."

I immediately argued, "No, you're not! If you get caught I have no idea what he'll do to you."

"I won't get caught, I'm like a cat!" he hissed playfully then left.

I smiled to myself at his antics, then found the broom to sweep up the broken pieces of the vase. Within a half hour of Akito being here, the place was just like it was, except the vase was gone. I was used to having to clean up like this. I did it all the time.

I was just opening the window when Akito got back. He was calmer now. Not as angry with me.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to get so upset with you. But you will be retaking the test and you will do better."

"Of course," I replied. "I won't mess up again."

"Good," the coldness seeped out of his voice and he sat on the bed. "Come, sit by me." I went and sat next to him. He put his arm around my shoulder, acting like an older brother to me. He did this sometimes when he wasn't mad. "You remember Yuki, right?" I nodded. How could I forget? "He is living with Shigure."

Shigure, he is the dog of the zodiac. I have heard of him.

"He is being shunned right now in that house. Ridiculed. Shigure is unhappy with him being there, and he wants him out. They are also living with the current cat, he is named Kyo."

"He's living with the cat?" I asked, sneering the word 'cat', just as Akito expected the rat to do.

"Yes, and the cat even is less hated by them than he is. And, even worse, he let a human find out about our curse."

"Even the lizard beast of the cat?"

"Not yet."

I put my head on his shoulder, knowing that this was ok. "As soon as the human finds out, will Yuki and Kyo and Shigure come back to us?"

"Kyo might stay with Kazuma again, but he's only the cat. We don't need him for us to be happy. For our family to be happy."

"Are you sure that Shigure will be happy?" I asked.

"Maybe not at first, but then he will be happy in the never-ending banquet."

I sighed, "Tell me again about the banquet." I knew it was his favorite topic. He loved telling me about it, I could recite it word for word.

"Why don't you tell it? I've told it to you enough."

"Really?" I asked. "Alright.

All of the zodiac animals, spread apart by fate, will come together, back here at Sohma house, for a party. They won't fail to come. It'll happen on New Year's, and then the door will shut and lock, with all of the animals still inside. The animals will try to get out, but after they realize it's hopeless, they'll be forced to stay here. And then, they'll start to realize how happy we make each other, and will begin to worship you for bringing them all together. We won't need anyone but each other. And we'll all be accepted and happy."

"Very good," he said. "You recited it almost perfectly."

"Thank you."

He sighed. "I must go now. Study for the retake of the tests." He left the room.

I had to get out of here. I needed help from Yuki. I needed to find him.