'kay, this is Ritsu/Mitsuru (who I blatantly don't think have enough ficcage). Each chapter is going to be about a milestone event in their relationship (gah, I can't explain things) Oh, & the Japanese honorifics, I'm pretty sure I've messed them up. I was going to miss them out, but then I thought, what the hell, and looked them up on Wiki and had a go. But any advice and help would be good! I'm happy to take criticism on this part. I don't like it much either :( but this is my third attempt at their meeting, and I can't keep twiddling it forever. Thankies for reading.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fruits Basket. Nope. Sad, innit :(

The First... Meeting

Tohru-san leads the way back to Shigure-san's house. I clutch tightly to the bag of takoyaki, not daring to even think how awful it would be if I dropped it on the dirty ground. I almost bump into Tohru, who has suddenly stopped walking.

"Mitchan-san?" She asks, her voice sounding questioning. I have to lean to the side to get a view of who she is looking at. A young woman is kneeling, trembling, on Shigure-san's doorstep, loudly dictating the note she is writing. I gasp as I hear her words, it sounds like a suicide note. Tears are pouring down her face and I can't help but feel awful for the woman, even without knowing her trouble.

Suddenly, a jovial Shigure-san appears behind her, waving cheerfully at Tohru-san and myself.

"Did you get my takoyaki?" He asks, but before I get a chance to answer, Mitchan-san's tears turn into anger. Her words are quite hard to distinguish from each other in her hysterical state, but I think I hear 'manuscript' repeated shrilly several times.

Shigure-san goes slowly into the house, his face looking calm and serene despite the woman's obvious panic. He raises a piece of takoyaki up to his mouth, and says: "The manuscript? What makes you think I possibly have it finished? A certain someone named Ritsu showed up and kept me from my writing."

Mitchan-san and I gasp in unison. I feel utter guilt at taking up Shigure-san's precious time, and thus being the one ultimately resposible for Mitchan-san's upset and desperation. I'm not even sure who to apologize to first. Mitchan-san makes the decision for me though, as she immediately goes on a hysterical rant about his writing. She couldn't hear me over the noise she is making at Shigure-san for his manscript, even if I tried to apologize to her, and I just feel guiltier and guiltier.

I apologize to Shigure-san, trying to get him to hear me over Mitchan-san. Then I hear Mitchan-san say something about having to drop the story. I could possibly have just wrecked poor Shigure-san's career with my shamelessness, then a thought strikes me. "Please write with takoyaki power!" I beg of him.

Mitchan-san stopped mid-hysteric as I say this, and I, suprised by the sudden silence, hesitate too, long enough for her to lock eyes with me. "Tako..."

"...Yaki." she finishes for me. The tears still glisten in her eyes, and I can feel my cheeks are still damp when she asks me what 'takoyaki power' is. I explain to her, as Shigure-san did to me earlier, about how a bite of takoyaki, and he turns into a great warrior. She's silent for a moment, looking down towards the floor, as if taking it in, then her brain seems to click back to the job in hand.

"Oh yeah! Sensei, the manuscript!" She says, panic setting back into her voice, which knocks my alarm bells ringing again.

"That's right, Nii-san, the manuscipt! The manuscript!" I join in with Mitchan-san. Shigure sighs, and signals for Mitchan-san to follow him into his office.

I pause to exhale, a slight sense of relief setting in, and I can feel my erratic heartbeat returning somewhat back to normal. I turn to a rather bemused looking Tohru-san. "Um, Tohru-san, I had better go, I think.."

"Oh!" Tohru-san says, waving her hands frantically, "You don't need to do that! We love having you here, don't feel you have to go-"

"No, thank you so much, for everything, Tohru-kun." I bow slightly, "I must go back to my mother, though, she'll be getting nervous if she doesn't see me soon."

Tohru smiles at me warmly. " Of course, but please, come back soon, please?"

I smile back slightly, and nod, feeling my cheeks redden, not used to people being as kind as Tohru-san.

Walking away from Shigure-san's house, I feel I have got slightly closer to my dream of being like Ayame-san. With Tohru-san's help, I think my confidence has grown, grown just a little bit. I, like kind Tohru-san, would dearly love to find my reason for being alive in someone else. Someone who would want to eat takoyaki with me more than with anyone else.

I reach the road a short distance away from Shigure-san's house, feeling slightly happier than I have done in a long time. The sun is shining, and I raise my head slightly, to admire the pure clouds in the sky. It's only when I hear the shuffle of paper underfoot, that I once again glance down. Mitchan-san is kneeling, tears in her eyes, papers scattered all around her.

"Mitchan-san?" I ask, alarmed, "Are you alright?"

Her head turns pitifully to face me. Her cheeks are red. "I-I tripped, a-and the manuscript..." She extends her hand slightly, indicating the scattered papers.

"Oh, oh no!" I gasp, "Are you hurt?" I lean towards her slightly, my eyes desperately searching for obvious injuries.

"H-hurt?" She sniffs sadly as if the thought had never occured to her. "The manuscript..." She repeats again.

I instantly start picking up sheets, careful not to miss any.

"What if I've lost some?" She wails,"Or if it's too dirty to read?" New tears leak down her cheeks, and she brushes them weakly away. "I-I've failed. They'll drop the story. They'll think I'm a b-bad editor."

"N-n-no! They won't think that! Of course they won't! And, and, you can still read all the sheets, they're hardly dirty at all, look!"

I put the wad of paper into one of her hands which is resting limply on her lap.

"No, no I can't look. I-I don't know what to do. Sensei w-won't write it out again, t-this was the only copy, and I r-r-ruined it."

"M-Mitchan-san, please, please look, it's alright, not damaged at all." She sniffs bravely, and I see her fingers close around the manuscript slightly. I glance around for more pages, as she slowly scans the words. There doesn't appear to be any more, and I turn back to her just in time to see her smile slightly, and I feel compelled to do the same.

"T-thank you." She says, looking up from the papers, and smiling more bravely at me. I feel undeserving of such warm gratitude. She lets out a small sound which just could have been a laugh. "M-maybe I overreacted, j-just a little bit."

She stands up slowly, on slightly wobbly legs, and I follow her lead. She's clutching the papers tightly under one arm as she starts walking down the road. She looks back, and seeing I'm not following, asks: "Are you not going this way?"

I nod hesitantly, realising she's inviting me to walk alongside her. I feel she's being too kind to a person like me, but I shamelessly take a few strides to catch up with her.

"Y-you never even told me your name..." She prompts.

"Uh, it's Ritsu, eh, Sohma."

She face seems to noticeably darken. "Y-you're a relative... a relative of... of HIM."

"Um, yes, uh, I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner." I say quietly.

"I'm Mitsuru." She says quietly. She doesn't seem to know what to say for the next couple of minutes, and we keep walking in silence, approaching the crossroads where I believe our paths may split. "You don't seem like him..." She starts, "You seem a kind, um," She pauses for a second, "man?"

It almost sounds like a question.

"Oh!" I say, blushing crimson.

She glances over at me. "Are you alright?" She asks.

I nod meekly, ever fibre of my being telling me to deny it, and tell her that I'm not worthy of her kindess and admiration.

We come to the crossroads, and we stop, I stare at my feet, not sure I can face her.

"Maybe I'll see you, see you again soon?" She asks politely, "Maybe we might bump into each other at HIS house again." She almost growls at the thought of Shigure.

"Mmm," I say, non-commitally.

"Okay, well, maybe see you then, then." She smiles slightly, "Thanks again." She turns to go, and I, too, turn in the opposite direction. "Um, Sohma-san..." She turns back, and I look back over my shoulder questioningly.

"Is it right that you have a relative, one who makes garments for, well, special occasions?"

"Ayame-sama?" I ask, "Y-yes, he owns a shop."

"Oh, it's just that Sensei was saying something about it once, and I have a friend who's getting married soon, and I have n-nothing to wear for the wedding." Her cheeks had a pink tint to them. "I don't suppose you could show me the way there, some time?" She sees my face, reads it as shock, and quickly backtracks, "But if not, that's fine! It's just I don't really know around here very well! I've only ever been in this area to visit Sensei's house, but I'm sorry, I was too forward and rude-"

"Um, I don't mind, showing you the way, maybe, if you'd like..."

She smiles, relieved, though her forhead still has a couple of light worry lines. "Maybe this w-weekend you could take me?" She asks, " We could meet outside Sensei's house?"

I nod slightly numbly.

"Thank you, Sohma-san, thank you very much!" She smiles, and turns, "Saturday at eleven, maybe?"

"Yes, yes, Um, I'll see you then Mitsuru-san."

She waves, and I wave limply back. Now what?