Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket in any way, shape, or from. I do however own my ideas...

Chapter 1

Salvation

Icy sheets of rain clouded my vision as I strained to run away. Run away from her. That damn Tohru Honda. How could she do this to me? To us? I thought I meant more to her. I guess I was fucking wrong.

I could hear shouting and footsteps following behind me but I paid them no mind. All I focused on was getting away. As far away as I could. Visions and thoughts of her and that damn rat together flooded into my mind. I tried to push them away, but I couldn't.

Seeing the two together again in my mind was worse than seeing them together in real life. Because in reality I could run away. But there is no way to escape the imprisonment of one's mind. And my mind really was a prison. It forced me to endure the heartbreaking image of their love all the while threatening to tear me apart.

Something moved in the corner of my eye and I turned. A streak of white was wheeling towards me and before I could make a move to halt its advancement, it bowled me over.

I was thrown to the ground and my attacker landed on top of me. I hit my head on something and the pain of it made me squeeze my eyes shut.

When my head stopped reeling, I opened my eyes and looked up into the smoky gray eyes of Hatsuharu Sohma.

"H-Haru?" I stuttered, Why was he here?

He smiled before slapping me across the face, "Why are you doing this Kyo? Are you trying to kill yourself? Are you trying to scare me half to death?"

My cheek stung from where his hand had met my face. "What do you care? I'm an outcast. An object of ridicule. People make fun of me for something that isn't my fault. And now I'm more fucked up than ever." I placed my hands on his chest and heaved upward. The force of my shove sent Haru sprawling. I felt like beating the shit out of him, but I didn't. I just sat there in the pouring rain, watching him.

He pulled himself up to his knees and crawled back over to me. "I do care, Kyo. I have always cared about you."

"Right Haru! You care about me eh? Then why don't you get away and leave me the hell alone." Speaking of being alone, I glanced about, looking for the people who were chasing after me.



"They're not after you anymore. I told Shigure and Hatori that I would catch up to you and take care of you. And I can't leave you alone, Kyo. Letting you be at a time when you needed me the most would make me a pretty awful friend."

"You're not my damn friend Haru. I have no fucking friends!" I shouted at him. Somehow my harsh and vulgar words had no effect on him. He continued to stare at me blankly. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere.

"You may not consider me one but I think of you as a friend. And I'll be damned before I let you do this to yourself." Haru edged closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged him off. Or I tried to at least. "Haru-" he silenced me with his other hand. His fingers brushed my lips and a shudder was sent down my spine. My heart was filled with feelings and desires that I didn't know I could have for him. As if reading my mind, he pulled me into his lap and hugged me tight to his chest.

I didn't resist. I needed someone to heal my wounds that Tohru had broken open. I let the tears flow freely down my face. I clutched at Haru's rain soaked clothes as he rocked me.

Lightning streaked across the sky and illuminated Haru's face. Tears had begun to flow from his eyes as well. I sobbed into his shoulder and he lay his head on mine. We sat like that until the rain stopped. Haru comforting me while I grieved over Tohru's lost love and him crying simply because I was.

What a sight we must have been. Two teenage boys cuddling together in the rain. Or it must have looked like cuddling. But who would have known that we were crying? With the rain, who could tell? So it shouldn't have been a surprise when someone called out to us to get a room. But it was and the idiot received a flick of Haru's middle finger while I continued to sob.

I didn't notice when the rain stopped falling, or when Haru picked me up and carried me back to my room in Shigure's house. I didn't notice when he laid me down on my bed and Hatori came in to make sure I was alright. I just continued to cry. But I wasn't crying over Tohru anymore. I was crying because I realized that someone actually cared about me. And that I cared deeply for him. Though one would have never been able to guess that we cared for each other. Because over the past years we had grown distant with one another and had gone our separate ways. He took the path that led to that damn rat and he fell in love with him. Or became smitten really. And I… I took the path that led to my ruin and now… to my salvation.

Haru didn't leave me that night. After Hatori had looked me over and decided that after I rested up and wasn't bothered too much I would be fine, Haru came into my room and slid right up beside me on my bed.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my onto his chest. I cried for a while on top of him before his quiet, delicate breaths lulled me to sleep.

A/N:

So?? Whaddaya think?? Please review and tell me whether you liked it or not.

Thanks,

ShikamaruXSakura