The chapter opens up with Tooru giving some parting instructions on household care to Shigure while Yuki and Kyou listen in the background. She gives Shigure her grandfather's address and thanks them for taking care of her. Shigure thanks her as well, and Tooru promises to keep the Souma family secret. Shigure tells her to be happy at her new home and Tooru says she will.

Left alone with Yuki and Kyou, Shigure scolds them for not attempting to get Tooru to stay.
Yuki says that it was supposed to be temporary from the beginning. Kyou says it's weird to have an outsider here anyway. Shigure reflects that the atmosphere has gotten heavy.

Packing alone upstairs Tooru thinks how wrong she'd been thinking so far. She'd thought she was part of the family. She remembers how she hadn't been able to fit for most of her life, remembering how she was teased and outcasted when she was a child. When she was little her class was playing a game called "Fruits Basket", each child is assigned a fruit name. You get to join the name when your fruit is called. But the boys who were teasing her told her she was a 'riceball' (onigiri)... She waited patiently, not realizing she was being teased. Of course.. she was never called to join the game, since there is no riceball in a Fruits Basket.

As she finished thinking this we get the first view of her family, her aunt, older male cousin and a girl cousin about her age and her grandfather. It's just a brief glimpse, then it flashes back to Shigure's house where Tooru has left breakfast for the Sohmas. Shigure reflects to Yuki that it had been a clean goodbye, but it still made him feel sad.

Yuki sits in his garden surrounded by his memories of Tooru. He remembers the things she said to him. He remembers how she said she loved strawberries and how she wanted him to remain her friend even if her memory was erased.

Kyou sits on the roof and thinks of his own memories of Tooru. He thinks about how she said she liked the cat. He remembers how she talked to him on the roof and tried out her 'right punch'. Both boys remember how it was to have her in the house.

It goes back to Tooru who is wondering how things are going at the house. She wonders if she should have said goodbye and looks at the libary bookson martial arts and gardening she'd taken out to better understand Yuki and Kyou. Her cousin barges in and asks if she's done getting ready yet and complains about having to share a room in their new big house. Her grandfather (calling her Kyoko, her mother's name) tells her that someone wants her downstairs.

Her Aunt is waiting for her wanting to discuss some things 'up front' with her. It turns out she's had a detective agency check up on Tooru. She'd found out that she'd been living with men up until then. Her female cousin is shocked that Tooru is more progressive than she is. Her Aunt explains that she'd had her investigated because he son wants to be a policeman and a problem family member could prevent that.

Even her aunt thought that a detecive agency was a bit much. But she remembers how wild Kyoko was in her youth. (They show a picture of her in her Yankee Battle Garb) Thinking that "Like mother, like daughter" she warns Tooru to watch her step while she's living there. Her male cousin makes a snide comment about perhaps her and the males in that house doing indecent things.

Everyone is surprised when her grandfather slaps him. Her grandfather apologizes to Tooru (still calling her Kyoko) saying they are just unlikable people. He tells her that even though they are rotten, he can stand it. He thinks she shouldn't though and if there was someplace she'd rather be that she should go there. Even her father had said that "Kyoko" should live somewhere where she could be free.

Tooru is suprised, but protests. She's received too much to ask for more, she thinks. She's had a mother who loved her to the utmost. She has two dear friends, a roof over her head and the her time at the Sohmas had been nice. Still.. she thinks, she misses the Sohmas house. She hadn't thought it would be so hard to leave.

She wants to go back there. She wants to share meals with them. She wants to talk with Yuki and Kyou. She wants to continue to learn more about them. She hadn't wanted to leave.

A voice asks "Is that so?"

"Then come back." Yuki says appearing beside her. Tooru gasps. Her aunt and male cousin wonder who he is. (Her aunt thinks he's cute, her cousin thinks he's a girl.)

Kyou startles her from behind, grabbing her by the head and dragging her out with a brisk "Let's go." Her family watches this in amazement. Yuki smiles at them, says the door was unlocked and apologizes for intruding. He asks if Tooru's things are upstairs.

Her aunt protests asking what he is doing there. Yuki says he's come to collect Honda-san. Amazed that he's a guy, Tooru's male cousin asks if he's one of they guys "Tooru-chan" has been living with.

Yuki flicks him hard on the forehead and tells him not to call her so casually. He calls the cousin a very informal term that can be translated as "You Peasant" or "You Idiot."

Meanwhile Kyou is still tugging Tooru down the street by her head. Tooru asks why they came. Kyou angrily reminds her that she was the one who left the stupid map. He complains that he even had to go there with Yuki. He confesses that he doesn't know why he came to get her, but that he can't be calm when she's not there.

Tooru is amazed that even though they were fighting they still endured it and came to get her. Kyou further shocks her by saying that if she hadn't wanted to leave that she should have said so. She goes red as he continues saying that they had heard everything she said.

He says even though it would be annoying it it happened all the time, if it was her... it was okay to complain now and then. It was okay if she complained, or was sad, or weak. It's okay. Tooru is so touched that she starts to cry. She confesses that she wants to go back.

She wants to go back to the house with everyone. There is a cute mutual blushing moment. Kyou grabs her hand and says he knows already, so lets go. Yuki is waiting for them and smiles at her.

Her eyes tear and she sees in her minds eye her as a child leaping off a chair as somone calls "riceball". She walks home hand in hand with them.

Shigure meets them at the door, complementing the boys on stealing back the princess. Kyou and Yuki comment about Shigure's character. Tooru says that she's come back. Shigure says that he'll take care of any problems in the future (and thinks he won't do anything). Tooru assures him there won't be any more problems.

He comments that Yuki got very exicted, and that he hadn't seen him like that before (though Kyou was just as excitable as always.) Yuki protests that he wasn't any different than usual (blushing a bit). Kyou says that his face shows his guilt.

Yuki punches him, saying that it's him. Shigure sighs about his house being destroyed and welcomes Tooru home and to take care of them. Tooru says okay and thinks that she's home as Yuki and Kyou continue to argue in the background.

Chapter end.