Episode 5: A Rice Ball In A Fruits Basket
Back To: FB Summaries
Tohru is in the school library, picking out books to help her
understand her new friends. She picks up a gardening book for Yuki, a martial arts
book for Kyo, and recipe book for Shigure. She wants to become closer to each of
them and wants to be a better friend. While picking out the books, a teacher informs
her that she has a phone call from her uncle. The renovations are done and she can
come live with him now. She goes to Shigure's house and inform them of the news.
Kyo is confused of this news, at first, not knowing of Tohru's
story. When Shigure explains, that Tohru had only planned to stay with until the
renovations were done, Kyo gets annoyed. Tohru decides to pack, right away, and leave
that night for her grandfather's. But she is a little sad. She wishes to stay with her
new friends, but that wasn't the plan. Tohru then remembers the game she played, as a kid,
called "Fruits Basket". Each kid has to name him or herself a fruit. But her classmates
called her an "riceball". Tohru was innocent, thinking this was a good thing, "Ooh, a
riceball! That sounds yummy!"
So one by one, the kids called out fruits, and the fruit that was
called was able to run and play with the others. Tohru sat there, waiting for someone to
call "riceball!" so she can play too. But a riceball has no place in a fruits basket,
because it's not a fruit. So now, once again, Tohru feels like the riceball... she has no
place with the Sohmas. Tohru left her address with Shigure and the others, leaving the house
to live with her grandfather.
Tohru arrives at the house and her grandfather has allowed her aunt
and cousins move in as well. Her family is cold to her and treats her kind of mean.
That night, she looks sadly at the moon and wonders if Shigure and others are watching it
too. Yuki and Kyo are watching the moon, Shigure is reading in his study. That next morning,
Shigure heads into the kitchen asking, "Tohru? What's for breakfast?" But she is no longer
living there, Kyo and Yuki are in the kitchen. Shigure apologizing, explaining that he forgot.
Yuki comments that it sounds like he forgot on purpose.
But Shigure assures them he is not, but comments on the loss of Tohru,
dramatically. Kyo yells, "Dammit! You are saying it on purpose!" He moves to fight
Shigure, but he holds Kyo off, suggesting they should eat the stew that Tohru left for them.
Yuki grabs the pot from the fridge and Shigure tells him to heat it up. Yuki scoffs, suggesting
that he wouldn't be able to heat the stew. So Shigure tells Kyo to do it. Kyo protest, not wanting
to do anything Shigure tells him to do. "Alright," says Shigure, dramatically, " If you don't mind
the last of Tohru's delicious stew, which she's work so hard on for us, being burned..." He goes on
saying how they had once lived on a charcoal-diet before, when Yuki cooked for them, which included burnt
eggs and more.
As Shigure stops his speech, Kyo is cooking the meal, without fussing. He
serves the stew from the pot, at the table, and Yuki comments that Kyo's serving skills are poor.
Kyo shouts, "Then serve it yourself the next time, you damn rat!" As Shigure eats the stew, he
comments on how it's a shame that two handsome boys couldn't keep Tohru from leaving the house.
He then reflects on how lonely the house is without her. He takes out a towel, the only thing left
behind from Tohru, explaining that whenever he want to remember Tohru all he has to do is smell in
her scent, left on the towel. He takes a deep breath!
Kyo: "You sick bastard!"Yuki and Kyo clobber Shigure and continue to eat their stew. The next day
at school, Tohru is happy to see Kyo in the hall! She greets him, cheerfully, but he is cold
and turns away from her. She then runs into Yuki, this time getting a warm welcome back,
and they chat for a while. Tohru lies about her family treating her nice and Yuki is glad
to hear that she's fitting in. But during the day and after school, Yuki and Kyo seem distant
from her, as if she's moved away to another planet. She thinks to herself, sadly, "Well... I
guess that's it..."
She comes home from school, only to be confronted by her family. Her aunt
had hired a private detective to look into where Tohru was staying, while waiting for the
renovations to be done, finding that Tohru was living in the house with three men. Tohru's cousin
accuses her of having all sorts of "fun", while living with these men. Tohru's grandfather slaps
that cousin and apologizes to Tohru, for his family's rude behavior. Her grandfather then pulls her
in the next room to explain to her, that even though he may put up with this family, Tohru didn't
have to.
Tohru wants to go back to the Shigure's home, but she doesn't want to seem
ungrateful to her grandfather. But she truthfully admits that she wished to stay with Yuki and the
others. That they were her friends and she missed them. That she never wanted to leave. Yuki smiles
at her, standing right next to her, suggesting that maybe she should come back. He then apologizes to
her grandfather for barging in, but the grandfather understands. Kyo grabs Tohru around the face and
drags her outside. As Yuki asks Tohru's grandfather for her things, the family comes out to see her
being dragged away.
The cousin comments that these must be the guys "that little slut was shacking
with." This comment makes Yuki very angry. He comes in close to the cousin's face and threatens them
to never talk of Tohru in this way. Outside, Kyo is angry because Tohru didn't make up her mind, sooner.
He explains that since she left the house, he's been angry and when he couldn't figure out why, that made
him more pissed off. And he was also angry that Yuki hogged the directions to Tohru's house and he had
to run in circles with him, just to find the place. He also tells Tohru that she needs to complain more
and tell people what she really wants.
Tohru starts to cry. She finally complains, telling Kyo that she wants to go home,
back to Shigure's house. Yuki watches, as Kyo grabs her hand, pulling her down the street. "Come on,"
Kyo growls, "Walk already! I'm not going to carry you back!" All three walk home together.
Child's Voice: "Riceball!"