Hello everyone!

So, this is extremely difficult for me but I have decided to re-do my 'Miniature panther' series. It's been almost two years and I feel like my writing has some-what improved. I will be writing the first ten chapters in advance. But to make sure I keep a clear schedule I will be posting the first chapter on September Fourth.

Which means in the month of September I will upload four chapters. :D

Wish me luck!

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so glad to be back! I've had this written for a while and I couldn't seem to post it because I wasn't about my case of writers block but the next chapter I'm really excited to post the next chapter because I think you'll all enjoy it! I should be posting it soon! Thank you to all who have favorited/followed Ankous story. It means a lot to me!

I wrote a chapter that comes before this but after chapter seven. It's really cute Hatsu-haru/Ankou fluff. Review if you'd like me to post it as a chapter! I actually really like it but I'm not sure if you guys want just a chapter of talking and fluff. Haha, so feed back would be amazing!

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Fruit Basket. Solely the twisted plot of the panther, Ankou Scythe and her story.

Flash Backs Are In Italics

It's been over a month since my run in and my bruise was just a faint smudge. It was a clear morning and I was lying barefoot on the patio deck in a tank top and cargo pants. My iPod was lying long forgotten beside me in my shadow. One of my arms was covering my eyes from the sun and the other was holding my head. Yuki and Kyo were in the kitchen bickering and the door to the patio was wide-open revealing Shigure reading the newspaper sitting across from Tohru who was also sipping at a cup of tea.

"Hatsu-haru?" I paused as Kyo argued with Momoji taking their distraction as a gift. "Is Akito angry…?" I trailed off. Hatsu-Haru stared off into space responding with an 'mhm' sound, "Oh." I glanced at my sneakers, "C'mon! Hurry up!" Kyo shouted. I glanced up to see him crossing his arms impatiently, "Let's go, before it starts raining. Dammit!" He shouted, "I'm coming!" I cried, " See yeah, ne?" I smiled before I started walking to Shigure. I paused mid way and ran back, "Thank you." I thanked him for the second time this morning. I quickly hugged Hatsu-Haru, I made sure I didn't touch any of his skin or get too close. When I pulled back he smiled at me crookedly, "Anytime." He muttered as I jogged to catch up to my friends .

"Um, as long as I'm going to be living here. Do you think it's okay if I tell my friends where I am? I'm sure they really want to know." Tohrus' voice was faint from my arm covering my face and using my cat ears I tuned in to the conversation, "Uh…" Shigure started, "If that's okay?" Tohru paused, "So long as you don't mention anything about, you know, the zodiac and what not. I don't particularly mind." Shigure smiled, "Thanks so much!" Tohru nodded smiling happily.

I sat up from my spot cross-legged knocking my headphones crooked. Kyo and Yuki appeared in the door just in time to see Tohru thank Shigure, "Uh?" They stuttered looking suspiciously at the two at the table. I made eye contact with Yuki before shrugging and starting towards the kitchen to find food, leaving my iPod and headphones on the deck.

"High school girls! High school girls!" Shigure hummed happily while scrubbing the kitatsu clean, "Which high school girls?" I asked peering over my book from where I sat on the couch, "Tohrus' friends are coming over!" Shigure beamed, "Eh…?" I blinked, "I'll sleep on the couch then so they can have Tohrus room all to themselves." I mused but Shigure was too excited about his 'high school girls' to listen to me, "… one! Two! Three! High school girls!" He continued, "Hey! What about me?" I glared, "It doesn't rhyme." Shigure sang.

"I can't help but wonder what type of girls Tohrus' friends are." Shigure mused with a grin, "A Yankee and a psychic." Kyo grumbled, Shigure froze from cleaning, "Ha… Ha… ah." He stuttered, the sound of a door sliding open surprised us all, "Oh, they're here!" Tohru beamed running out of the living room to answer the door.

I set down my open book with a thud the spin bending in half, "Aha!" I smacked my fist into my open palm, "Miss Scythe?" Yuki asked, "That's why you two are sitting side by side." I pointed between Kyo and Yuki, "You just realized that?" Shigure facepalmed.

We could hear the sound of shuffling of feet from the other room, "Hi! Come in, I guess you found the house okay?" Tohru asked, "No, we got lost." Came Uos' muffled reply, "I'm thinking this was a bad idea." Kyo started, "Nobody consulted me until two seconds ago." I glared at the group in front of me, "Just don't do anything stupid." Yuki closed his eyes, and Kyo growled, "That goes double for you, you damn rat." He glared in annoyance of being singled out, "Ankou, don't get too close." Yuki murmured and Kyo glanced at me in surprise as if just remembering I couldn't touch anybody.

"Yes, all of us would do well to be careful while they're here because I wonder if either of these girls were to find out about our curse, what would happen. Think." Shigure replied in complete seriousness, "At the very least I'd guess that Tohru would no longer be able to stay in this house. Akito would be very upset. We'd all be punished." My heart skipped a beat and my eyes turned big in fear. Yuki tensed up, "Who gives a damn about Akito." Kyo muttered under his breath and we all knew it was his way of covering up his worry, "Well, either way something is bound to turn out!" He chuckled after mumbling nonsense.

"You just like hearing yourself talk." Yuki stated to Shigure, "I have nothing to worry about at least where Uo and Hana are concerned because I'm wearing long pants and a sweater!" "Are you kidding?" Kyo huffed, "Your panther ears are going to pop out any second." He added, "There's a dog." Hana stated walking into the living room, "Over there." She pointed behind the guys, everyone sighed in relief, as there was an actual brown dog on the porch, "Yes, that's a dog." Shigure laughed waving his hand about.

"So these are my friends, Arisa Ou Atoani and Saki Hana Jima." Tohru smiled, "Pleasure." Hana murmured, "Hey." Ou saluted, "Yes! Welcome, welcome, make yourselves right at home." Shigure chuckled, "Say it's Shigure, right? This is your place? So what do you do to pay the rent around here?" Ou asked zeroing in on Shigure, "Who me? I'm a writer, a novelist actually." Shigure shrugged, "Did you say you were a novelist?" Tohru gasped knocking over the bottle of juice, "Why the heck are you so surprised?" Ou asked, "This is the first she's heard of it." Hana stated, "Oh, right. I really had no idea." Tohru glanced down at her drink.

"What was it again, fine literature? Or something?" Yuki asked trying to get the conversation rolling, "Uh-huh, that's right. This sort of story." Shigure beamed pulling out a pink paper back with a couple on the front. Everyone froze in utter horror that is everyone but Hana who had the same blank expression as always, "Shigure, what do you define as 'fine literature'?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh oops, my mistake. This is my real work…" He held up a second hard cover book made from green leather, "… this here is just something I did for fun." He said waving around the pink booklet, "So that makes it okay to right that dime store smut?" Ou shouted, "You're a sicko, you know that!" Kyo shouted smacking his fist on the table, "What were you thinking…" Yuki trailed off lowering his head.

"Shigure! That's amazing, to think I actually know someone as important as a novelist." Tohru gushed, "Careful miss Honda you don't want to inflate his ego to much." The edges of Yukis' mouth turned up into a smile, "As if his head could get any bigger then it already is." Kyo and I replied at the same time, "Jinx!" I shouted punching the air, "You owe me a soda!" I grinned, "We're under a roof idiot!" Kyo bristled, "Don't make me walk two feet." I raised an eyebrow, "Not if I get there first!" Kyo shouted but I was already bolting towards the doors.

Shigure chuckled waving his hand about, "Enough about me, why don't you try and tell us something about yourself." "Success!" I yelled staring up at the cloudless sky, "I was out here first and you know it!" Kyo growled, "Oh were you cat lover?" I shouted back, "Ergh! Let's fight and see who really got out here first!" Kyo challenged, "Eh guys?" Tohru asked, we both lowered our defenses while we turned to look at her.

I ducked into a crouch and swung out my leg catching Kyo off guard. He swore as he fell backwards knocking his head against a rock, "Coming Tohru!" I called bouncing back towards the house, "Ya, damn panther! What are you a sissy?" He called as I swung myself onto the deck, "You're the one who's sitting in the dirt complaining like a little kid." I pointed out, "You used a cowardly ass move!" He shouted back.

"Panther?" Ou raised an eyebrow looking between Kyo and I. We both froze in a panic, "Umm, just a nickname." I laughed waving my hand in front of us. Kyo pressed his lips together but said nothing.

"You can start by telling us how you met Tohru." Shigure started the conversation once again, "I'm sure we're all dying to know. Aren't we? Kyo, Yuki, Ankou." He gushed, "Ou saved me!" Tohru instantly caught the guys' attention, "Hey pin head, you better not step on those… you…" Tohru raised her voice and as if a light had turned on she started with another story, "Wait, let me back up, this one time in middle school I dropped all my notes in the hall…" She stopped again as another light turned on. Two for two.

"What have I done…" Shigure breathed out the words with dread, "Yeah, I remember that, I guess I could get a little rough back then…" Ou laughed, 'Back then?' I thought, 'she's like that already!', "You were still a Yankee back then weren't you?" Tohru asked, "Yeah, I started running with them in fifth grade." Ou recalled, "You always used to wear those masks." Tohru stated, "I had my eyebrows pinned down. Oh and I used to wear those long skirts." Ou smiled.

"You're forgetting you do all of those things now, Arisa." Hana interrupted, "I guess you're right." Ou laughed, "That's lovely, she's so, how should I say it? By putting it into words I'm afraid the nobility of it all will only be obscured." Shigure sighed, "What language are you speaking?" I asked nonchalantly, "Of what?" Yuki questioned, "Oh you know, she's so spunky." Shigure replied happily, "You sick bastard." Yuki glared,

"How sad, love doomed from the start." Hana sighed, "You're reading that?" Ou scoffed looking at Shigures' manga, "Oh that silly little thing? Oh I'm flattered! So what do you think?" Shigure asked rubbing his hands together, "You don't want to know what I think." Hana looked Shigure in the eye, "Oh…. No?" He replied, "But when is volume two coming out?" Hana asked, "Yeah Shigure you said it was coming out this year! They were meant to be together." I added clapping my hands together like I was praying to God, "You read that too?" Kyo shouted, " ' Proof edited' " I held out four fingers imitating a set of brackets, "Hey, can we just knock it off with the books okay?" Ou stated.

"I know! I just thought of something fun we could do! Wait here I'll be right back!" Tohru jumped up leaving us with Ou and Hana, "Ne?" I muttered, "So, Saki you never told us how you and Tohru got to know each other." Oh Shigure always bringing back the memories, "You don't want to know. Are you sure you're ready to hear?" A dark shadows seemed to gather around Hana, "Ah that's okay as long as your friends now. That's what's important." Shigure replied sounding like he was going to cry while waving his arms in a different direction; "We met in middle school when I was transferred into Tohrus' class." Hana started, "Ah, is – is that so?" Shigure stuttered inching away from Hana.

"Yes, you see at my previous school I had caused some what of a disturbance." The room went deadly quiet as we all kept our imaginations to our selves, "Well is that so, I just remembered I had some work to do if you kids will excuse me. Ta-ta!" He glided out of the room, "He ran off." Yuki whispered, "He ran the hell away." Kyo gritted his teeth, "Lucky." I muttered.

"I got to say I wasn't quite sure of this when she first told us but it seems Tohrus' fitting right in." Ous' hair covered her face, "I'm happy for her. I can understand why she didn't want to say anything at first. But still, we made a promise. The three of us swore on Kyokos' grave that when the time came we would be there to help each other – no matter what. That probably sounds a little over dramatic but it wasn't really for us. After all Tohru was our first real friend and everything. Tohru, Tohru and Kyoko both. You see they were there for me when I needed someone the most. Thanks to them I was able to climb my way up through all the crap I'd been through. When I met the two of them I discovered for the first time that I did want to change." Ou paused to catch her breath, "I wanted her to be proud to call me her friend. The way I was proud to call her mine. So this time the fact that I wasn't there to help Tohru… that bothers me." She finished.

"Nah, I guess she's just not that type of person who worries about that." Kyo said, "Miss Honda is, well she's the type of person who puts others before her own well being." Yuki softened, Hana looked over Shigures book in surprise as Ou gasped, "Sorry I took so long! I hope you're all ready to play!" Tohru laughed holding up a deck of cards, "Rich Man Poor Man." "Ah that's a fine idea Tohru." Hana replied, "Okay how about we pick it up where we left off? I don't think I got enough time to make a fool out of orange top here." Ou added smugly.

"Oh yeah talking it up, this time when I win you have to dye your hair black." Kyo challenged, "Oh yeah well when you loose you have to bleach all of the dye out of your hair and leave it white!" Ou raised her voice higher then Kyos', "It's naturally this colour!" He retorted, "Is that right?" Hana taunted, "That's right!" Kyo shouted, "Yuki, would you like to shuffle the cards?" Tohru asked holding a deck in front of him, "I… hm, sure." Yuki smiled.

"Why you rotten little! You and your cheap ass tricks!" Ou shouted, "Cheats nothing! You're the one playing cheap ass tricks Yankee!" Kyo yelled, "Next time you do that I'm going to light you up!" Ou got right in Kyos' face screaming, "Go ahead and try it'll be the dumbest thing you ever did. I'll take you out!" He bit back standing up holding his hands in fists, "Oh yeah, some tough guy you're running away!" Ou threatened, "Who's running away? I'm going to the bathroom." Kyo growled in frustration, "Awe, got to take a leak?" Ou taunted, "What's it to you?" He yelled, "Oh we do want you to hurry, don't want to piss yourself." Ou grinned, "Dammit you got a foul mouth!"

A poof of orange smoke appeared with a bang, Ou grunted taking a step back. Ou looked around when Kyo had suddenly disappeared, "Is something wrong Miss Suatoni?" Yuki asked politely, "Ah no…" She replied in confusion, "Ah that's good, it's just things started to sound like the were getting heated for a minute." Yuki smiled, "I know until Kyo gets back from the bathroom why don't we play a quick game of sevens." Tohru offered, "Yeah sure let's play." Ou went to sit back down and slipped on a pillow flying one way. In the meantime Tohru tried to jump up and slipped falling in slow motion. I watched in horror as Hana just kept shuffling not even noticing as Yuki jumped towards Tohru trying to catch her.

There's was a puff of purple smoke and a small rat appeared under Tohru. Yuki quickly squirmed out from underneath Tohru running towards the patio as Hana and Ou ran to help, "Are you hurt?" Hana asked. With a quick look we all realized she was holding Yukis' shirt and he was gone, "Uh…" Ou started, "Oh you see? I was just cleaning up!" Tohru quickly balled up Yukis' shirt and started dusting the floor while chanting 'scrub' 'scrub' 'scrub'.

And so It begins.

"Orange top is sure taking his time." Ou muttered, "Sure is." Tohru chuckled weakly, "And the prince just up and disappeared." Ou glanced towards the table with a sigh, "You're right, I wonder where or kind hosts have run off to." Hana added, "For the love of- we can't even start the game of sevens you know?" Ou interrupted herself.

Scratching sounds were audible and I glanced over to see a orange paw reaching up for the sweater disserted on the porch, "A cat…" Hana started, "A cat paw." She murmured turning slowly around.

Chapter Nine Preview – Akitos Return

All three of us turned our heads as to the sound of Shigures' voice, "Some one is here to see you Ankou." He sounded dead serious, why didn't he come tell me in person? I wondered, I looked up at Kyo who was staring at me oddly with a mixture of worry and curiosity. I never invited anyone or have had anyone over before, "Umm; okay. Sounds good." I bounded up to the front and door, "Good morning-" I called stopping when I saw who was standing there, "A-Akito." I stuttered in a whisper falling to my knees in surprise.