Tohru-ella
(ALL-PROSE VERSION)
A Fruits Basket fanfic by Raberba girl

Author's Notes: This fanfic has been partially altered to conform to FFdotNet's (very silly) anti-script rule. The original version (which I prefer) is posted on my Web site - see my profile.

Once upon a time, there lived a young girl named Tohru. Tohru's father died when she was very small, and a few years later her mother, Kyoko, married again. Then Kyoko also died, and Tohru was left with no one in the world except for her wicked stepfather and her two wicked stepbrothers.

Tohru did all the cooking and cleaning for her new family. Every night, she would tuck in her stepbrothers and read them a story from the big book of fairy tale retellings that her stepfather had written. Because Tohru reminded them of a character in one of the stories, Tohru's stepbrothers sometimes called her Tohru-ella.

This is a typical morning in Tohru's house:

"Oi, Tohru," the first wicked stepbrother would call. "Have you done my laundry yet?"

"Ah, no!" she would exclaim. "I was about to start it. But I have just finished Yuki's clothes! Will you please take them to his room when I have folded them?"

"Ragh!" the first wicked stepbrother would then respond. "You did HIS clothes before you did MINE? How could you like him better than ME!"

"Ah!" Tohru would exclaim. "Oniisan, I'm so sorry!"

"And stop calling me 'oniisan!' It's annoying!"

Then the second wicked stepbrother would usually trudge in, rubbing his eyes.

"Ah! Good morning, Yuki!" Tohru would exclaim cheerily.

"Ohayho, Tohru-ella-chan," he would reply. "Kyo, if you keep harassing Tohru I'll kick you through the window again."

Upon which point the wicked stepfather would come up behind his wicked son and say, "Boys, don't break the house, please. It's getting expensive."

Okay, so maybe they are not wicked after all, and they're really Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo.

One day, the prince of that land decided that he needed a new companion, because he had beheaded his last one a while ago and was getting bored. So he decided to turn his annual New Year's celebration into a royal ball and invite every girl (and maybe some of the prettier boys) in the country, so that he could pick one to be his new toy.

Thus, a letter arrived at Tohru's house:

Dear Yuki, Shigure, and Baka-Neko,
I am having a New Year's party. Come to this one or I will kill you. And possibly eat you, too.
Love,
Akito
P.S. Don't forget to bring any girls you happen to find lying around.

"That jerk!" Kyo yelled. "No way we're letting Tohru anywhere NEAR him!"

"I agree," Yuki said. "It's much too dangerous. What if he were to take a fancy to her?" He shuddered.

Tohru looked so sad at the prospect of missing the ball that Shigure, seeing her face, said reproachfully to the boys, "Now, now, think about Tohru-kun's feelings. She's never been to a royal ball, and it sounds like so much fun, doesn't it? There will be lots of good food, and fun dancing, and beautiful clothes, and nice people to meet--"

"Okay, okay, you manipulative old geezer!" Kyo yelled at him.

"She can go," Yuki grumbled. "But, Tohru-ella, promise me you will avoid the prince? Stay with Kyo the whole time. Akito hates the sight of him, so he won't bother you."

"Hey!" Kyo exclaimed, "That's a good thing, why are you making it sound like that?!"

So the day of the ball rolled around, and Tohru was kept happily busy keeping up with the housework and getting her stepfamily ready for the big event. It was rather difficult, since all of Kyo's clothes seemed to clash with his hair, Shigure kept being chased around the mansion by his editor and was impossible to pin down, and Yuki and Kyo would not stop throwing buttons and scissors at each other whenever they had the chance. Finally, however, they were ready.

Tohru yawned. "Oh my! I'm so very tired, I must take a short nap before we leave."

"But Tohru, you haven't even finished your dre--" Kyo started, before Yuki elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ssh," he hissed so that only his brother could hear. "Maybe she'll forget to get ready herself, and then she won't be able to go, and then we won't be able to leave her all alone, so we'll get to skip the ball, too!"

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're an idiot."

"Say that again!" Kyo screamed, this time loud enough for the whole mansion to hear.

However, things did not go quite as planned, for either Tohru or her stepbrothers. Shortly before it was time to leave, the doorbell rang. Yuki, rather foolishly, opened it without checking to see who it was first.

"MY DEAR YUKI!!"

Yuki found himself enveloped in strong arms and a sheet of silvery hair, being squeezed to death as surely as if he was caught in the coils of a python.

"'Niisan," he managed to gasp out. "Can't...breathe..."

"AHA HA HA HA! NONSENSE, YUKI! YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Well...that too..."

"AND LOOK, KYONKICHI, WHO I BROUGHT FOR YOU!"

"Oh no!" Kyo gasped. He turned to flee, but Kagura was too fast for him.

"Kyooooooo-kuuuuuuuuuun!!" She made a flying leap, landed dead on target, squashed Kyo flat, and began cuddling him violently. "Kyo-kun! You're taking me to the ball, right?"

"NO!"

"Don't joke, of course you are! Come on, Kyo-kun, the carriage is waiting!" Kagura zoomed out, dragging Kyo behind her like a streamer, and Ayame laughed.

"AHA HA HA HA! COME, SHIGURE MY LOVE, LET'S NOT KEEP OUR DEAR AKITO WAITING!" Ayame leaned close and whispered conspiratorially, "Won't we look good together, 'Gure-san? Look, our outfits even match!"

"Yes," Shigure said slyly. "We'll give the kingdom something to talk about for a few days, eh?"

The two friends made the thumbs-up sign and laughed together. "Yes!"

With Shigure at his side and Yuki still in a neck-hold under his arm, Ayame strolled out the front door, talking away at the top of his voice.

No one noticed that they had forgotten to wake Tohru.

So Tohru awakened late, and soon realized that she had been left behind. She cried for a few minutes, but then put on her determined, optimistic attitude and decided to clean the house to make herself feel better.

"Really, it just shows how much they care for me, right? Yuki and Kyo were so worried about Prince Akito meeting me that they decided to protect me the best way they could! You see that, Mother? They love me so much! I will work hard so that when they arrive home, the house will be sparkling clean for them!"

With that, Tohru tied a rag over her hair and put on her oldest clothes, and set to work with a will. She had not worked very long, however, when the doorbell rang.

"Oh? Now who could that be so late at night?" She went to open the door. A handsome yet grim-looking man, with a stethoscope and a black bag, stood on the front step. He was accompanied by a yellow-haired child in extraordinary and colorful clothing.

"Hello," the man intoned, "I am Dr. Hatori Sohma. I have come to check on Yuki's bronchial tubes. Is he here?"

"Oh, no, he's not, Dr. Sohma. I'm so sorry!"

"Wretched brat, he keeps avoiding me," Hatori growled.

"They've gone to the ball," Tohru offered helpfully.

"Hey, hey!" the adorable child piped up, "Did you hear that, Ha'ri? There's a ball! Let's take Tohru! Let's take everyone!" He paused. "Wait, everyone is already there, right?" He gasped. "Tohru! They didn't leave you ALONE?!"

Tohru smiled and pretended she didn't want to cry. "Well, see, they were trying to protect me from Prince Akito, and--"

"No, no, Tohru! This simply won't do! Ha'ri, you're smart and you're a doctor, can't you make a fairy potion or something that will get Tohru to the ball in style?"

"Fine."

"Yay! Tohru, Ha'ri will be your fairy goddoctor!"

"Shut up, Momiji," Hatori growled. "Now, Tohru-ella, go fetch me a pumpkin, some mice, a rat, and some other stuff."

"Okay!" Tohru raced off to do as he said. Hatori mixed all the things up, poured them into a bottle, shook the bottle a bit, then handed it to Tohru.

"Be careful," he cautioned. "The potion wears off after a few hours." He calculated on his fingers. "Let's see, that would be midnight exactly. Do you understand, Tohru-ella? You must have left the ball by then, because when the clock strikes midnight your carriage will turn back into a pumpkin, your coachman back into a rat, your horses back into mice, and also your beautiful ball gown will disintegrate into nothing. Stop looking so thoughtful, Momiji, I was joking."

Momiji grinned.

"Really, your dress will just revert back to the rags you're wearing now."

"Okay, Dr. Sohma, I understand," Tohru said obediently. Then she drank the potion. There was a popping sound and a lot of colored smoke, and Tohru found herself wearing a gorgeous dress, with a beautiful orange pumpkin-carriage waiting to conduct her to the ball. "Oh, Dr. Sohma! It's wonderful!"

"Isn't it?" Momiji beamed.

They all climbed into the pumpkin and set off.

MEANWHILE, AT THE BALL:

Kyo came panting up to Yuki and Shigure. "Yes! I ditched 'em! Now Kagura's beating up some idiot I tricked into telling her she looked like a pig, and Ayame is still trying to untie his hair from the leg of the refreshment table." Kyo snickered.

"Oh, poor Aya," Shigure said with a dreamy smile.

"I congratulate you, Cat," Yuki said coolly. "Good work."

Kyo looked stunned, then furious. "How dare you compliment me?!"

"I just noticed something," Shigure said suddenly. "Tohru-kun didn't come with us, did she. We must have forgotten her in all the, er, confusion of leaving."

"Good," Kyo said, folding his arms. "So she's safe."

"You stupid Cat, now she's all alone at the mansion," Yuki said angrily. "She's probably crying her eyes out, thinking we've abandoned her."

Kyo stiffened. "Let's go home!" he yelled. He whirled around and stalked out of the ballroom, with Shigure and Yuki trailing behind. They reached the long line of identical black carriages outside, and stopped.

"Now, which one is ours?" Shigure hummed thoughtfully.

"It'simportant, you fool!" Kyo yelled. "I can't believe we didn't mark it somehow!"

"Look who's calling who a fool, stupid Cat," Yuki glowered.

"Shut up, Rat-boy!" Just then, another carriage rolled up to the end of the line. The bright color caught Kyo's eye, and he laughed derisively. "Ha ha! Look at that! That's the stupidest color ever!"

"Yeah, stupid like your head," Yuki muttered. "It's practically the same shade, moron."

Kyo, thankfully, did not hear. "Who the heck would ride in a thing like that?" he continued, then choked when Momiji hopped out and elegantly helped Tohru down after him.

Tohru blushed when she saw her stepfamily. "Oh! Hello, everybody!"

Momiji bounced up to Kyo. "Hiya, Kyo! Look, Ha'ri and me came to the ball, too!"

"Get away from me! Get away!" Kyo screeched.

Yuki gave them a disgusted look, then stepped daintily past them and came up to Tohru. "We didn't leave you on purpose, sweet Tohru-ella," he said with a meltingly adorable apologetic look. "It's just that 'Niisan and Kagura arrived at the last minute, and things got a little hectic, you see."

"Oh, please don't worry, I understand perfectly! Really, it's all right," Tohru said. Then she blushed when Yuki took her hand, bowed, and kissed it.

"If you don't mind, Princess Tohru, would you have me as your date for the ball tonight?" he asked in his most princely tones.

"Oh! Of cou-- Um, that is, if Kyo doesn't mind."

"Never fear! Kyo can be MY date!" Momiji laughed.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU PUNK!" Kyo roared.

"Waaagh! Kyo's hitting me!"

Shigure smiled at Hatori's long-suffering look.

After Hatori had checked Yuki's bronchial tubes and embarrassed him in front of all the palace guards and waiting coachmen, Hatori and Shigure went back into the ballroom together to decide whether or not they should rescue Ayame. The younger ones followed, Tohru on Yuki's arm and Momiji on Kyo's nerves.

"Princess Tohru, remember what I said. Keep away from Prince Akito, and if I am pulled away for some reason, stick close to the Cat."

"Got it," Tohru said with a determined, concentrating look.

When the four of them entered the ballroom, everyone there turned to stare at them for being late, but then they all gasped in wonder. Yuki was so beautiful, he made all the girls in the room seem hideous in comparison. Tohru, at his side in her gorgeous gown, instantly made a great many enemies.

One of these enemies was Prince Akito. This is the conversation that went on near the royal dais:

"That girl is with my Yuki," the prince growled. "I am insanely jealous. I must destroy her."

"Of course, Your Highness!" a random lackey piped up.

"Would it be better, you think, to marry her, or to send Heero Yuy after her?" Prince Akito mused.

Another, slightly more intelligent random lackey said hurriedly, "Well, you know what happened when you assigned him to assassinate Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian..."

Akito glared at a loving couple across the room. The man, Heero, looked up from his conversation with a guy who had hair like Ayame's. Heero saw Akito staring, and pointed his fingers like a gun at the prince. Bam! Then he patted menacingly at his fancy jacket, where Akito knew the real gun was concealed. Heero turned back to his blonde companion and kissed her defiantly.

Akito curled his hands into fists. "Grr! I'd better marry that rotten Yuki-stealing girl, then. That is, after I smash a vase into Heero's eye."

The slightly more intelligent lacky gulped. "For your own safety, sir, I would recommend that you not do that."

Four more of these enemies were members of the secret Prince Yuki Fan Club. This is the conversation that went on as they all huddled together and twittered angrily:

"Who is that little twit clinging to my dear Yuki?" Motoko growled.

"Yeah, who does she think she is?!" Minami demanded.

Mio flipped her hair. "Motoko-sempai, I think you and Prince Yuki would look much better as a couple than him and that - that seductress!"

Mai gasped. "Ooh, seductress!"

Motoko clenched her fist. "We must protect the prince from the grasping little fingers of that--!"

A hand clamped down on Motoko's shoulder. Motoko whipped around and gives a little shriek; one of the palace guards had hold of her and was giving her a menacing look.

"Oi," Uo rumbled. "You causing trouble here? 'Cause I can kick you out real easy, and then you'll lose your chance at the prince, you money-grubbing little pig."

Thinking she was talking about Prince Yuki, instead of the real Prince Akito, Motoko cried, "Eeek! I must not let this happen!"

A girl dressed like a maid, though her uniform was so spotless and clean that she can't have been working very hard at all, was standing on Motoko's other side. "Behave," she said in a soft, dangerous voice. "Or I will beep you with poison waves."

"WAH!" the Fan Club shrieked, and ran away.

No one, by the way, noticed Kyo and Momiji, except some family members who went over to say hello.

Kyo grimaced. "Ritsu, why the heck are you wearing a ball gown?"

Ritsu blushed.

"I think it's pretty!" Momiji announced.

Ritsu smiled. "It is inappropriate, isn't it?" He suddenly grabbed a fistful of Kyo's fancy shirt and began screaming. "I AM SOOOO, SO SORRY! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! PLEEEEEEAAAAASE FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEE!!"

"Ack!" Kyo squawked. "Get away from me!"

Momiji turned to greet his other relatives. "Hi, Kisa! Hi, Hiro! Haru, how long did it take you to find the palace?"

"...I just got here."

Hiro shook his head. "Dolt. The palace is so big, you can see it all the way across the city. How'd you ever get lost looking for it?"

Hatsuharu shrugged. "I dunno."

Meanwhile, Tohru and Yuki had been mingling with the crowd.

"Oh! Excuse me!" Tohru exclaimed when she bumped into someone.

The woman laughed. "That's all right. Hello, I'm Relena Darlian Yuy. This is my husband, Heero, and my brother, Milliardo Peacecraft."

"Pleased to meet you, everyone! I'm Tohru Honda."

"Yuki Sohma," Yuki introduced himself.

Yuki and Heero sized each other up suspiciously. Tohru and Relena smiled at each other and became instant best friends. Raberba girl apologized to Relena-haters, but went on with it because she thought it was funny.

Zechs/Milliardo frowned. "That man over there looks like he's having trouble. I'd better go see what the problem is." He went over to the refreshment table with a sympathetic look on his face, where Shigure and Hatori were eating popcorn and watching Ayame try to free his hair. Relena and Heero trailed after him.

"Stay right here, Princess Tohru," Yuki said. "I'm going to sneak over there and get us some drinks before 'Niisan's free to notice me."

"All right," Tohru said. She stood there and hummed along with the music, swaying a little as if she wished to dance.

Apparently, someone noticed.

Tohru felt a hand slip gently under her elbow.

"Hello there, miss." Tohru looked up into beautiful eyes in a beautiful face surrounded by beautiful dark wispy hair. Her breath was quite taken away. "Will you share this dance with me?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Tohru gasped before she could think. 'My goodness!' she thought, 'This man is almost as beautiful as Yuki!' She gasped. 'Yuki! He told me to stay right there!'

But it was too late. Tohru's gorgeous dancing partner had already whisked her away, and they now stepped and glided among the swirl of dancers in beautiful clothes.

'Oh well. It was only the prince they were worried about, anyway. This man is so nice, he can't be the terrifying person that Yuki and Kyo keep warning me away from.'

Tohru sighed and threw back her head, letting herself be guided by her partner. The domed ceiling towered high, high above her, covered with so many twinkling lights that the ballroom was brightly lit, despite the late hour. Light glinted off exquisite, expensive tapestries and paintings, and reflected brilliant, flashing colors in the jewels being worn by everyone in the room.

'I feel like I'm in a dream,' Tohru thought happily. 'At this moment, things are so perfect.' She brought her head back and smiled at her partner, and he shot her a melting smile in return that quite took her breath away. 'I think I'm falling in love.'

"Come," he whispered when the dance ended. "Let us go out into the garden. All these people, all this dancing, you must be hot and tired."

"Oh, thank you! How thoughtful," said Tohru.

When they were out in the garden, Tohru's dancing partner pulled out a ring. "Marry me," Akito ordered.

"Oh! Um, uh, er..." Tohru stammered, flustered for several minutes.

'I am very bored and irritated,' Akito thought to himself.

"Okay!" Tohru agreed brightly.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Akito bellowed.

Tohru looked at him in confusion.

IN THE BALLROOM:

Yuki turned to Kyo, alarmed. "Did you hear that?"

Kyo sighed. "Yes."

They ran together out into the garden, but it was too late.

"Hee hee hee!" Akito cackled. "You're too late, Yuki! The riceball is mine!"

Tohru waved. "Hi Yuki! Hi Kyo! Look, I'm getting married!"

Kyo choked.

"Akito, I will kill you!" Yuki cried furiously. Just then, a sound rang through the air:

Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong, Bong.

"Oh no!" Tohru exclaimed. "It's midnight! I have to run!" She kissed Akito hurriedly. "I'll see you later!" she added, before rushing away.

Akito stood stunned, reaching after her feebly. "But, wait...you're my prisoner..."

Kyo laughed and pointed. "Ha ha ha ha! Dummy!"

Prince Akito got a frightening gleam in his eye, and Kyo backed away nervously.

"Just be glad there aren't any vases handy," Yuki said to Kyo.

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Later that night, the door opened and Shigure stepped into the dark mansion, holding the door open for Yuki and Kyo. Yuki went to check on Tohru, then came back, whispering that she was asleep. Shigure and the boys also got ready for bed.

"Tohru," Kyo muttered as he was dropping off to sleep, "I'll die before I let that pretty-boy Akito touch you."

In his room, Yuki nestled into his pillows and murmured, "Akito, if you want Tohru, you'll have to get her over my dead body. Kyo's too, probably; I think the sap's in love with her."

"Shut up, Rat," a sleepy voice called muffily through the wall.

The next day, everyone in the kingdom was abuzz with the news: Prince Akito was engaged, but he did not even know the name of his bride-to-be, and on the night of the ball she had rushed off without leaving anything behind except a glass slipper that had fallen from her foot.

"Tohru, you idi-- you silly goose," Kyo raged at breakfast. "How could you be so careless? Couldn't you feel it fall off? Now he can track you down with it!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize he was the scary prince," Tohru said faintly.

"What was Hatori thinking, giving you glass slippers?" Yuki wondered.

"Oh, those things!" Shigure laughed. "Do you know what it reminds me of? When we were teenagers, Aya and Ha-san and I all tried to summon our fairy godmothers, but only Aya's came. He talked to her so much that she threatened to chop his hair off if he didn't shut up, but he didn't, so she did; and then he cried, so to make him happy she spun his cut-off hair into magic unbreakable glass slippers, but then he threw a tantrum because they didn't fit, so his fairy godmother gave him a waitress outfit instead, and Aya was happy with that, so he gave one of the 'glass' slippers to me and one to Ha-san. The shoes didn't fit us either, but we still kept them. At least, I thought I kept mine, but now I can't seem to find it."

Shigure looked at his children and smiled.

"Right," said Yuki.

"I am going to leave this room and get more milk," said Kyo firmly.

Just then, however, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Tohru sang out merrily.

"No, let the Cat get it, since he's already up."

"Why don't you get it, Rat, maybe it's your precious fan club!"

"Ah! Why don't I get it?" Could be high school girls!

"NO!" Yuki and Kyo stormed out together to answer the door. A minute later, Tohru and Shigure, still sitting around the breakfast table, could hear Kyo's frantic loud voice and Yuki's frantic cool voice.

"Nope, no girls here!" "I am afraid you have the wrong house." "Buzz off, yankee." "Thank you. Good-bye. Have a nice day."

There were scuffling sounds, a faint explosion, then a cat-like growl and a faint squeak. A moment later, a tall blonde woman in a palace guard's uniform came sauntering into the dining room. She had one hand squeezed around a rat and the other dangling a sulky-looking cat by the scruff of its neck.

"These yours?"

"Um, yes." Shigure sweatdropped.

"If they try any funny business when I let them go, they're both mulch."

"Right," Shigure said faintly, attempting to smile.

Uo dropped the cat and the rat unceremoniously next to Shigure and then pulled out an official-looking announcement. Without opening it, she tapped it impatiently against the table and rumbled out, "The prince is looking for his woman, all he's got to go on is a glass shoe, and he's making every girl in the kingdom try it on. Any other girls in this house besides cutie over there?" Uo stuck out a thumb at Tohru.

"Nope! We didn't need servants anymore once we got Tohru, so we dismissed them all," Shigure said brightly.

"Okay then, sweetie, hand me your foot and we'll try this on," Uo said cheerfully. Just when she was bringing the slipper close to Tohru's foot, however, there were two popping noises and clouds of smoke. Uo felt two big somethings knocking into her, harder than necessary, she thought, and there was a crash.

"You clumsy oafs!"

Tohru shrieked and covered her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry!" Yuki said cheerfully to Uo.

"Yeah," Kyo added brightly. "Never can tell, you know, when we're about to change back. Ha ha! Guess we shouldn't have been standing so close!"

Uo grabbed them both by the throats. "You did it on purpose, maggots," she growled into their faces, seeming unconcerned that neither had on any clothes.

"Oh! Please, Guard-san, don't hurt my stepbrothers! Look, I have the other slipper, maybe this one will fit just as well."

"TOHRU!" Kyo and Yuki cried in exasperation.

"Oops...did I do something wrong?"

"It does fit, though," Uo said critically after she had slipped it on. "Perfectly. Come on, darlin', we're going for a ride."

So Tohru was taken back to the palace, where the engagement was officially announced and there was great fake rejoicing. The night before the wedding, the prince was assassinated,

(What? Why are you looking at Kyo and Yuki?)

and there was great real rejoicing. After a few years, Kyo and Yuki introduced Tohru to their cousin Hatsuharu, and the two of them married and everyone except Akito lived happily ever after.

THE END

Author's Note: This fanfic was written both before I stopped hating Akito and before his true nature was revealed in the manga. Please don't leave me reviews about Akito's Secret, because I already know. I hope you enjoyed the fic!