Author speaking: "I started this because I've adored fruits basket (so bite me) but I thought 'id like to try creating a world for them where maybe things could be different but good. Don't get me wrong like all stories I will be writing in problems, but instead of Tohru being the main character this will be for Kyo. LONG LIVE GINGERS. Hmm I believe that was a South park reference. Anywho For any of those reading this (I always skip the authors note so I'm a sucky person.) This will probably be centered more around the anime then the manga, but I've gone through both, so points from both may pop up. Good luck with that. By the way I'm really really going to tone down any of Shigures dark side.

Main Pairing: Kyo and Yuki. YES THIS IS A YAOI, if you feel uncomfortable please backtrack your web browsing, for everyone else- Hola` my compadrays ^.^

DISCAIMER: I in no way claim the Fruits Basket plot or any of the characters. All rights belong to the rightful owners (not me) and author Natsuki Takaya. This is fan made and I get no profit.

Kyos Point of View

Kyo felt himself coming to and groaned, he let out a sigh and blinked his bleary eyes. Where had he fallen asleep this time, in a tree or by the stream? Maybe he'd actually made it to the cabin this time. Kyo's eyes swept around and he vaguely recognized he was in a room.

That's right The red head thought foggily I'm not training in the mountains anymore, I'm living with those two and the girl. Kyo felt a familiar sense of regret that he wasn't with his master- loving everyday of training up in the mountains. Now he was staying with people who had never thought of him as family, under rules that were meant to confine and exclude him. At least since Tohru had come things had been fun, she was a good girl.

Kyo sat up, scratching his head absentmindedly. What time Is it? A quick glance at the clock showed that it was just past three in the morning. Kyo stretched and hopped up, Shigure said that Kyo had sleeping patterns like a cat, he'd sleep for a few hours and then prowl around and then go down for a few more hours, even during the day it wasn't unusual to find him sun-bathing on the roof periodically.

Feeling wakeful the cat spirit host shimmied on a shirt over the pants he'd slept in, cracking the bones in his neck with a twist of his head Kyo headed over to his window, the bright moon illuminated the forest around him. Kyo paused for a moment, hadn't he had a dream that had to do with moonlight and a forest? The boy shrugged it off and popped the window open, jumping out with practiced skill.

At the very least Kyo was glad he got to live surrounded by wide open woods, just recalling the stifling madness that came with imprisonment was enough to make his heart lurch in panic.

"Kyo you can't go outside! Just stay here with Mama its ok."

"Do you still have your beads on? Good boy, I know you want to go outside but Mama knows best. "

"You'll stay with me won't you Kyo?"

Kyo groaned, enough of that he wasn't going to lets some memory stop him from enjoying his nighttime prowl. "I love you Mama….Mama?" The second Kyo's feet had hit the ground he was off, his bare feet hitting the cool earth, the feel of the wind rushing around him. There was nothing in the world he loved more then the freedom he got while running.

Kyo pushed off a rock and lunged deeper into the woods, For some reason he had never been able to get lost in the woods, a concept his master had never understood. There was more then one time that Kyo would wander off to go practice the kick or movement his adopted father had taught Kyo that day and he would end up having to wander around the woods looking for the master himself because he had gotten lost looking for Kyo.

At fist Kyo would yell at the man for not knowing the way around his own mountain (Kyo had been shocked to find that his master owned the whole mountain, what kind of person owns a mountain?) but after a while Kyo would just sigh indulgingly and with a small smile go off to find the person who insisted on getting lost everyday just to make sure Kyo was ok. Kyo was pretty sure that his Master and Haru where from the same side of the Sohma gene pool.

Kyo's feet ran him further into the woods where he finally slid to a stop in front of a giant oak tree. Taking a deep lung filling breath of fresh air the boy launched himself from the ground and swung up to the lowest branch. Content with lounging right there the red head stared up at the branches that obscured the night sky. When was the last time he'd climbed a tree just for the sake of climbing it?

Feeling strangely calm Kyo took a moment to review the things that had been pressing upon his mind lately. The foremost being that Kyo had never planned to live like this. Even if he had told himself that his own family had to acknowledge his existence as more then just a body for the cat spirit once his master had taken him away and taught him what it really meant to be a part of something loving, he had been able to forget.

It had hurt, hurt the small child so bad to be thought of as a monster, of less then the dirt. At first it had been easier to ignore, like how Haru and Kyo had been friends, Kyo always leading Haru where he needed to go, even if it was just down the hall to the bathroom, until Kyo's mother came to find him. Kyo had carefully made sure his fellow Zodiac didn't get lost, and then one day someone had told Haru how worthless Kyo was. After that it took Kyo a while to pick up that Haru was acting like the adults,. A while after that Kyo had seen Haru following the mouse zodiac around and Kyo stopped trying to help him.

Living in the secluded area set apart in the Sohma land, for members of the zodiac he had plenty of times run into the others, and even if they treated him better now he would never forget the way he had been treated- the way he was still treated. Kyo knew he yelled a lot, he had figured it was his way of showing that his own family had betrayed him, and on some level Kyo felt that he would never forgive them for that.

So how had he ended up with the people who had shunned him so mercilessly? One day his master had just dropped him off at the house and told him to try his best. Yuki had been living there a year before Kyo, and at first Kyo had done everything he could to avoid the boy, he just didn't know what to make of him. Naturally the Rat/Cat relationship had been Kyos burden for years but still he didn't really know this kid and he'd lived with his master for so long only coming to the main house for special events like New Years or a new Zodiac birth so who knows how he'd turned out, but then it seemed Kyo could do no right. Kyo knew that he was loud and he didn't understand quite how society wanted him to behave, what did you expect when he'd been alone for so long?

"At first for just a while he had thought 'maybe we can be friends, maybe he wont care about the zodiac past?" Kyo should have known better. Every tentative invitation to spar was shot down

"you're not really competition anyway"

Any try for conversation

What's it to you if I like this show?

The real straw breaker had been when Yuki had an asthma attack about a month after Kyo showed up. Up until then Shigure (a person Kyo had only met a few times prior and still barely ran into spending more time in the woods then anywhere else) had told Kyo that Yuki just had a rough time with people, and Kyo figured being around Akito so much that was understandable. But when Yuki had his asthma attack while tending his self proclaimed 'secret base' Kyo had tried to help, but when he'd reached out for Yuki the Rat had smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me -Go away! You're just the cat, I don't need help from you. If I wanted anything to do with you I'd have bothered!"

Under the circumstances Kyo could see how a person might be under stress just then, but his whole life, his whole damn life of being treated like that. Kyo had walked away, "Fine you damn rat" the next time Kyo had seen Yuki he'd hissed

"What the hell do you think you're looking at?" Kyo could have sworn he saw regret in those violet eyes, and just for a moments (though Kyo would never admit this) his heart had sputtered to a stop. But Kyo wouldn't be so foolish again. After that Kyo never stopped yelling, and he never tried to please anyone around him, why bother?

Pretty soon everything escalated in the tension between the two, a wrong look and Kyo would get angry You're just the cat! and he'd pick a fight or Yuki would be watching something on T.V. and Kyo would make a snide remark 'a girly gardening show for a girly man?' and he'd be sent flying. Now it was more just to have someone to fight, even though Yuki still pissed him off.

Of course there was that small detail about why Kyo would never win a fight, but it was something Kyo was unwilling to fully examine himself. Kyo loved a good fight, the thrill of a challenge but even if he engaged the battle ready to give it his all, that thing. The thing that always caused him to lose would happen and that one thing was enough for Yuki to send Kyo through the wall.

Kyo scowled as he shifted position on his tree branch, the boy's face softened into a frown when it occurred to him that he was kind of thirsty. Hopping down Kyo let the moonlight guide him The moonlight reflected upon the many spirits, what on earth had the Rat Spirit been thinking? The cat Spirit felt his godly aura darken. 'Be careful my friend' he thought pleadingly..

Kyo jerked startled and glanced around the forest, "What was that?" Kyo shook his head, wasn't that part of the dream he'd had? Kyo couldn't remember, a little freaked out the boy crossed his arms and padded back to the house.

Kyo padded down to the kitchen, after another couple of hours of sleep he'd gotten up and gotten ready. For most people getting ready would mean brushing of teeth and stumbling around for a shoe, and although Kyo did these things he had more of a morning schedule then the average Joe.

Kyo had brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and then slid on a white martial arts uniform. Not really worried about anybody seeing him (it being just past 6 after all) he made his way to the back of the house, silent just as he'd been taught

"Kyo if you're trying to be silent or sneaky its not working. Neither is hiding that lizard behind your back."

"O-oh… I'm really sorry, please don't be mad Ill try to be sneakier next time! I promise!'

"Kyo I'm not mad, I know things where…difficult for you with the rest of the zodiac but you live with me now, I'm not going to be angry at you for doing what all little boys do and I mean the lizard not the lack of subtlety."

"…your not mad then?"

"Why would I be mad little one?"

"People are always mad at me, just cause I was born. I don't always know why…Mama was mad a lot, when she thought I wasn't looking."

"Do you want to talk about it Kyo?"

"Na not really…it just- I mean I thought."

"You thought what Kyo?"

"I just thought that since you're the greatest fighter that ever lived ever you'd be mad I can even do something like walk quietly, ya know?"

"I don't know about 'greatest that ever lived' but you don't have to worry about being anything but yourself. But I wonder…Kyo would you like to learn to fight and uh be sneaky?

"Really you'd teach me just like you teach that Yuki and Hatsuharu and stuff? Then I'd be cool like you? That'd be sooooooo cool!"

"Hmmm alright here is your first lesson, when walking silently step first with your back heel then roll your foot forwards."

"OK! Um….but are you sure your not mad?"

"I'm not mad"

"Even though the lizard got away?"

"What!"

Smiling a rare gentle smile Kyo stepped onto the wet grass and took few meditative breaths of crisp air. Feeling calm and aware Kyo dropped into his front stance, moving flawlessly into a back stance knife hand block he slowly worked his way through his form, he couldn't let himself get weak now could he?

SMASH! Kyo's ears perked up at a familiar noise. "Mousy's in a bad mood." Normally Kyo would have yelled at Yuki for the noise but this noise meant one thing: Yuki had smashed his alarm again, which equaled the fact that his half asleep fumble this morning would be more violent then usual. Kyo grinned daringly, actually his master had always told him that Kyo would have been a good street fighter, he was always looking for his next challenge and even when he was loosing just the thrill of giving it everything he's got was enough to keep him pumped for a week. That was probably why he was gonna go pick a fight with Yuki now…probably.

Kyo stretched for bit, giving Yuki time to remember what a toothbrush was for (The rat was seriously the out of it in the mornings, low blood pressure or something) and then he padded to the house. Now far be it from Kyo to say how things are supposed to run but upon his entering the dining room it was clear something was off, Shigure was sitting next to Hatori at the table, both of them dressed in Business suits, Tohru was sitting across from those two with Yuki next to her staring absently at the wall.

"K-kyo! Welcome back! How are you feeling? I hope your well!" Tohru had half risen. "Oh Kyo if your hungry just take a seat we've prepared all of your favorites." Shigure said "And by we you mean Tohru" Hatori said without taking his eyes off the paper he was reading. Kyo stared at the scene not only was Shigure up bright and earley but Hatori was here and nobody was ill! Kyo felt a sinking in his gut, like something was wrong.

"Kyo?" Tohru asked. Right about this time Shigure's words sunk in, stepping into the room Kyo saw that Shigure was right, fried salmon and rice with a side of miso soup had been set up at each persons place, at Kyo's spot instead of water in his glass he could see frothy white milk. Kyo felt any excitement he had felt for the day drain out of him.

Really things couldn't be that bad right? Kyo felt panic well up within him as his eyes darted from person to person, hunching over he turned to Yuki. At least he'd be normal. Yuki however just raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Aren't you going to have a seat?" Kyo sunk to the floor right where he stood. His eyes where wide with panic and fear.

No no no no what does all of this mean? Why is Hatori here? And Tohru's gone out of her way to make all of my favorites? That's never happened, I don't think I've even told her that I love these foods, that means one of the others told her and that means…..something's wrong. Kyo thought gulping in air. "Kyo are you feeling well?" Hatori asked over the top edge of his paper, Kyo looked up miserably from his spot on the floor.

"You can just tell me you know" Kyo said unhappily "What is it cancer, heart failure, hydomicompthymia?" Now they where all staring at him. "What are you going on about?" Yuki asked. Even he wasn't being snaky, instead he was staring at him like a strange growth. "You don't have to sugar coat it, I get it I put the pieces together, the food, the doc" Kyo gestured unnecessarily to Hatori. "I'm going to die ain't I? That's what this is, or could it be Akito decided to-" Shigure broke that train of thought hastily "No no its nothing like that and Hydomicom-whatever-a isn't a real word, don't be so dramatic you're acting like you've never had one before." He said waving his hand and rolling his eyes.

"One what?" Kyo asked. "A birthday party you idiot, don't you even know when your own birthday is?" Yuki rolled his eyes and picked up his chopsticks. Kyo frowned, a birthday? "Oh that's all?" Kyo picked himself off the floor and padded over to the table. "If its something dumb like that then don't act all weird, you freaks where weirding me out." Kyo said as he plopped down at the table.

"Now Kyo that isn't very nice, Tohru found out when your birthday was because it was on the student ID card she found in your pants pocket while doing laundry, she came to me just sobbing and begged we throw a celebrations." Shigure cried/scolded. "Um I don't remember crying" Tohru said blankly. "Haven't you ever had a birthday party Kyo?" Tohru asked half teasing

"Nope" Kyo said carelessly around a mouthful of rice. "Never?" Hatori had put down the paper unfinished and was studying Kyo. The person himself frowned at Hatori slightly 'guess it was a boring paper?' "Kyo you've never had a birthday party?" Tohru asked surprised "But surely your mother-" The warning looks that where shot in her direction made her trail off but only for a moment. "But Kyo your Master must have given you a party!" She plowed on enthusiastically.

Kyo shrugged 'why are they lookin at me like that? Birthdays ain't that big of a deal, TV. blows'em outta proportion anyway.' Kyo thought, noticing that Tohru was giving him an expectant look, the cat regretfully put down his bowl. "Look it ain't that bigga deal, I mean Master would show me a new move or something and then he'd try to cook dinner for me and he'd burn it and I wouldn't even know what was going on unless he'd tell be Happy Birthday before bed. One time I even went half a year thinking I was eight when I was nine. Its not like some birthday suddenly makes you feel older or something, It don't really matter."

"But I remember Yuki telling me that the Zodiacs all held banquets for the new year, births, and birthdays, I thought that…" Tohru trailed off as the truth sunk in.

The cat isn't part of the Zodiac banquets. They didn't share table with a monster.

Kyo sighed as Tohru took off on a panicked apology, that child knew bits and pieces of most of the Zodiac members but that didn't change that she just didn't know everything there were still so many secrets, but this truth was apparent even to her. The cat wasn't part of the family, no matter what his last name was. To Kyo's surprise that thought didn't infuriate him, he felt ticked and hurt but he was holding his temper. Must be the milk…mmmm milk. Kyo thought absently.

Kyo felt a tingle on the side of his head, turning his head to follow the 'your being watched feeling' he saw Yuki, the boy was looking at him, he'd even put down his chopsticks. Kyo's eyes widened as his heart suddenly missed a beat 'what the hell?' Yuki's face had a quiet aura and he almost looked…sorry for Kyo, and apologetic? Kyo could deal with a lot of things but he would never be pitied! "What are you lookin at?" Kyo snapped.

Yuki shrugged, Kyo growled. "Kyo!" Startled the red head turned to look at the girl. "U-um." Her face gentled in that way the made Kyo think that if things had been different and he'd had normal mother, he figured she'd look just like that. "I wish you could have had lot of birthdays but we still have today, and its your birthday. And even if you don't care I'm really glad you were born and I got to meet you so happy birthday Kyo."

Reaching down she pulled out a small gift from under the table. Kyo slowly reached out and took the small and carefully wrapped package. The blue and green stripped paper was off set by a beautiful white ribbon. "Its from all of us." Shigure said. Startled Kyo swiveled around to look at each face, even Yuki looked up to meet Kyo's eyes, waiting.

Kyo however just sat there, he looked down at the gift. "Kyo" Hatori broke in made his presence known. "If you're finished with you're breakfast I need give you a once over, its kind of important and I am on a tight schedule, so if you don't mind." Kyo looked up at the doctor inquiringly. "A checkup, what for?" Kyo figured a check up was fine right until Hatori and Shigure traded that look.

"Shigure?" Yuki asked slowly. So Yuki had seen the look too, the look that they shared only for dire and usually Zodiac related matters. 'Well there goes the fun birthday crap' Kyo sighed. "Don't worry Kyo, you go have you're check up and I'll start on your Birthday cake!" Tohru said obliviously. "You don't have to do that." Kyo said absently, as he stared at two of the three alleged musketeers.

"OH don't worry about it!" Tohru said excitedly as she began to gather dishes and cart them toward the kitchen. Apparently breakfast was over. Yuki spared a glance to make sure the girl was out of hearing range "What's going on? Hatori wouldn't be here unless something big was going on." Shigure sighed dramatically "Oh young youth always so skeptical and head strong. Don't you worry about it, its nothing really."

Hatori just raised an eyebrow. "Come along Kyo." He said softly. Kyo debated for a moment weather or not to fight this one. Looking around like the room was going to give him a clue he met eyes with Yuki, and once again his heart skipped a beat. Screw that I'm outta here. Kyo got up and Followed Hatori.

"Don't you need a stethoscope or something?" Hatori sighed, and for the first time Kyo got a good look at him. "You do know it tradition for the Cat to be locked up on their seventieth birthda-" Kyo hissed "Shaddup I know" Hatori winced. "Is that what this is about?" Kyo demanded.

Hatori offered him a weak smile. "No, not really, listen Kyo I'd like to ask you a few questions." The cat raised a orange/red eyebrow "Like what?" Hatori's face slipped into its a cool as always mask "Just some average questions Kyo, I need you to answer them fully and to the best of your ability." Kyo slumped back in the chair he'd plopped down in. "Fine" He said stubbornly.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"Fine"

"How are you getting along with everyone?"

"What kinda question is that?"

"Kyo-"

"Alright, alright fine. I guess things are fine, the dog and damn mouse piss me off, my classmates piss me off, Tohru's friends piss me off, Tohrus ok, you piss me off-"

"So you're doing well?"

"Yeah I guess"

"How do you feel about Yuki?"

Kyo sat up "What kinda questions are these?" Hatori observed him over his lased fingers, "Kyo I need you to answer me honestly…why do you never hit Yuki?" Kyo froze 'He couldn't know could he? There's no way.' "Kyo Don't lie to me, Kazuma your master told me that you've even managed to get in a few really good hits with him. And nobody's ever done that." Kyo swallowed thickly "Are you trying to tell me Kyo that you who has lived with the martial arts master, cant hold his own against a asthma ridden boy?"

"What do you know, he's really good!" Kyo cried angrily. 'I've never told nobody, he can't know.'

"Kyo Why. Can't. You. Hit. Yuki." Kyo growled "I could if I wanted, what do you know! Nobody round here knows nothing about me. Just shut up, if you knew anything you-you just shut up." Hatori just studied his exiled cousin. "Alright Kyo have it your way, I'll be checking up on you, happy birthday." Hatori stood and threw one last glance over his shoulder at Kyo before he slid the door shut behind him.

Kyo ground his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

'I've never told anybody but- whenever I go to hit Yuki no matter how angry I am I just can't, and its not me that's holding me back.' When Kyo turned into the cat monster his voice changed, he was always terrified whenever his bracelet somehow got off of his wrist but he was never too terrified to listen to the change in his own voice, it went from his own tone to deep and somber, even when the cat monster was growling with fury it was a earthy cool voice.

Every time, every damn time Kyo tried to fight Yuki that voice turned on - like a radio In his head. Kyo would fall into a fighting stance because Yuki pissed him off and immediately inside his head Don't be angry, rat don't look so furious at me I cannot bare it. It would only make Kyo angrier, he was such a freak, every time that voice would pipe up Kyo would want to sob.

Kyo would go to throw a punch I don't want to hit you, I miss you so much. and Kyo would falter, RAT! And the fight would be over-with Kyo lying on his back and for just a moment Kyo would be swept over with grief that wasn't his Im so sorry I want to see you just once more, tell you thank you, rat. It just made Kyo more furious it was all that damn rats fault that he was such a freak, such a unwanted freak. So next time Kyo would end up getting angry and the same damn thing would happen.

Sometimes Kyo had to wonder if Akito knew about the voice, if that was why he went out of his way to pitch Kyo against Yuki, but how could he know?" Kyo took a shuttering breath, and stood. No, there was no way they knew. Kyo stood up and left, deciding that if anything would help it would be a glass of milk. 'so much for a happy birthday'

That's the first chapter, nothing to plot shaking but we'll get there (next chapter). I've got big plans a lot of them already written out and compiled into neat chapters. See I have this thing where I get excited and start a story and post a chapter and then get board and leave unfinished stories all over the site, so I've decided to type most of the story before I do any posting, so if your reading this that means there is definitely more to come.

Review if you want to, I love em.

But I would like Flames more, I want criticism so I can adjust my writing to be better and Id like any plot ideas you have as you read or any thing you have to say, don't hold back Im trying to make myself a good author not a buttered up one.

Thank you