Episode 1: The Strangest Day

A girl named Tohru Honda is living in a tent, in the woods. Her mother has died in a car crash and she's been alone for a while. But she's determine not to let that get her down, heading to school with a smile. On her way to school, she notices a house in the middle of the woods. She stops by and sees twelve ornaments of the Chinese Zodiacs on the pouch. And while she's admiring the work, a strange but handsome man comes out of the house. It's Shigure! And they talk about the Chinese Zodiacs for a while. But Tohru is disappointed, when she noticed there's not a cat ornament among the others. Confused at first, Shigure then smiles and asks the girl, if she's refering to the old Juunishi story. Tohru goes on tell him the story, told to her from her mother.

Long ago, God invited all the animals to a special banquet. And told them not to be late. But the rat decided to play a joke on his neighbor, the cat, telling him that the banquet would be held the day after. The animals all went to the banquet, but the foolish cat stayed asleep and missed the whole thing, excluding him from the zodiac family...

And Tohru told Shigure, how when she was a little girl, she cried for the poor cat and decided that rather than remaining the year of the dog, she would become year of the cat. Shigure then wonders what would the cat think, if he knew he had an fan! Before Tohru can figure out what Shigure means by "he", Shigure begins to grin and insist that they have a bound. "I knew there was more to you, than just your pretty fa- Ow!" A bookbag is dropped on his head, by the second member of the house, Yuki Sohma! He is in Tohru's classroom and the most popular boy in school! After introductions, Yuki offers to walk Tohru to school.
But while walking with Yuki, the "Yuki Fanclub" girls notice, and they are pissed. They harrass Tohru in the hall, claming first dibs on Yuki, because they are his stalkers. Poor Tohru tries to explain that it was all a concidence, walking to school with "Prince Yuki", but the girls don't believe her. Suddenly two girls, rush to her rescue, ready to defend Tohru! They are her friends Hana and Uo. Hana threatens them with, "Wanna be -BEEEP- with electro shocks?" The fanclub girls run away, screaming. Tohru is happy that her friends saved her and thanks them. Later in class, she tells her friends about how she manages to walk with Yuki this morning, leaving out the part about the tent. But she mentions that she was nervous around the most popular boy in school.
And the gossip begans, first with Hana saying, "I feel very unusual electro- waves from him." Uo comments that Yuki is mysterious. She begins to tell Tohru the school rumor, how a girl had tried to hug him and he pushed her away. Then he said he was sorry and ran off, leaving the girl in the hallway. Changing the subject, Uo asks Tohru if she's working that day and Tohru says yes. Then Uo wonders why Tohru is working so much lately, worried if her grandfather is treating her right and if he were stealing her paychecks. Uo notices Tohru getting nervous and says, "I know! I worry too much... But seriously, if you need me to rough someone up-"
But Tohru thinks it isn't good to tell her friends the truth. After her mother's accident, she decided to stay with her grandfather, but since he lives on a small pension, she said she'd pay for herself. So, when her grandfather had his house remodeled, he had asked her if she could stay with a friend for the duration. Tohru didn't want to trouble her friends, so she decided that she might as well start living on her own, in a tent. After school, she runs into Yuki and they start to talk about the zodiac. Yuki asks her about wanting a "Year Of The Cat" and Tohru admits she's a cat fan!
Yuki comments that cats are foolish creatures. He then explains that the zodiac started as a calendar, that no one knows why the animals were added. Also that there was never any room for the cat, claiming it's better that way. Tohru asks if Yuki hates cats. He never answers, stopping a fallen leaf from touching her face, then comments that she looks pale. After saying goodbye to her, Tohru rushes off to work. That night, Yuki and Shigure are heading home, through the woods. They notice a very tired Tohru wandering the woods, as she heads for her tent, after work. She says hello to her mother (a photo in the tent) and then heads for lake to wash up. But outside the tent, a very confused Yuki and Shigure are waiting outside! They stand in arkward silence, Tohru staring at Yuki and Shigure, and they towards her.

Shigure: "AH HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!!"
Yuki: "Shigure? Don't you think you're over doing it?"

After that embarrassing moment, they invite Tohru back to their place, but Shigure is still laughing. He doesn't stop laughing, until Yuki is trying to convince Tohru that it's not safe for a girl to camp in the woods alone, then he chimes in with agreements. "Are you done laughing?" asks Yuki. "Eh." replies Shigure. But Tohru tries to convince them it's okay, that she can handle living in the tent, but then collapse of a fever. The guys are in a panic, looking for ice! Shigure goes to check the kitchen, but it's full of garbage (not clean at all! >_<). "And you say the forest is dangerous?" smiles Tohru. "You have a point." laughs Shigure, nervously.
Shigure hears the howl of a wolf and notes that there's just been a landslide. Yuki asks if it happened nearby. "Just near that tent," says Shigure, then quickly chokes and sing, "I mean, not at all!" They rush to the buried tent, Tohru is frantically trying to dig, screaming "Mom! Mom! Mom's in there! We have to get her out! She might get... hurt..." Shigure explains to her that her mother wouldn't want Tohru to be hurt, and since she was sick with fever, that it would be best if she stayed that night at their place. He also assures her that they will come back for her things later.
Tohru lies sick with fever in Shigure's house. She tells him the sad sorry about how she didn't wake up on time, to wish her mother well, on the day of the accident. Her guilt about not saying, "Be safe." to her mother, the morning before she died. And the promise that her mother wanted Tohru to keep, for Tohru to finish highschool and to hold that diploma in her hand. So, Tohru vows to finish school and do just that. "And I can't stop," she says, slowly fading off to sleep, "Just because of... a little fever... like this." Moved by her story, Yuki heads out into the night to retrieve Tohru's things. But he isn't going alone...
The next day, Tohru wakes up, her mother smiling at her. The picture is sitting right next to her, Yuki had retrieved as well as the rest of her things. But they insist that Tohru stay... "As our brand new housekeeper!" sings Shigure. They began moving her things into the spare room and Tohru protests, but Yuki points out that she has to accept, because where else she going to go? Tohru realizes he's right, but demands she isn't paid any money for being a housekeeper, just in exchange for her room. They assure her that whatever she decide, it's okay, that she can do things her own way here. Relaxing a bit and borrowing a few of Yuki's clothes, she watches as Yuki gets her room ready.
Suddenly, the ceiling cracks and breaks, and a strange orange-haired guy comes crashing in. He lands on his feet, his back towards a very stunned Tohru, not noticing. He threatens Yuki and they're about to fight, but Tohru trips and falls onto the strange guy... turning him into a cat! Tohru freaks, shaking the cat, and apologizing. "We have to get him to a hospital!" she screams. Shigure shows up, "Yuki? What were all those, weird crashes I heard?" Tohru is still freaking out, but a piece of lumber from the ceiling breaks off and smacks her on the head, she falls! Shigure and Yuki tries to catch her, but they too turn into animals! A dog stares at her, a rat stares at her, and a cat is folding it's paws, brooding...

Tohru: "Oh, mom! I must be dreaming! Everyone is turning into animals!"

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