Fruits Basket

Heart of the Rat

By Rezu-chan

Author's Notes:

Rezu: All right! My first Fruits Basket fic! .::smile smile::. When I read the first two books, yeah, I fell in love… And then I saw all four of the movies! GOD, IT ROCKS!

Rown: .::sweatdrop::. Settle down, Kitsune… We've got some Notes to get done!

Rezu: .::sighs::. Right, right… Geez, I swear it, Rown-kun… If I didn't know any better, I'd think of you as a cross between Hatori and Hiro Sohma…

Rown: .::blushes::. Wh-What?! Why!?

Rezu: .::giggles::. You're serious like Hatori, and you try to hide but at the same time show that you like someone, just like Hiro with Kisa!

Rown: .::turns bright red, turning around and leaving::.

Rezu: .::laughs::. Not to mention he looks so much like Hiro-kun! Except for Rown's blue eyes and Hiro's brown ones… .::looks to Readers::. All right, I've held you out for far too long!

This is a Yuki/Tohru romance, and it's mostly about Yuki's struggle to confess his love for the girl! But wait… What's Ayame up to? And what is Akito going to do?!

I think I'll go ahead and get things started now…

Disclaimer: Rezu-chan does not own Fruits Basket, or any of the characters from the show that will appear in this fic.

Warning: Slight Hentai (Coming from Shigure, no doubt!), Cussing (Kyo),

Chapter One

Realization

The silver-haired beauty stood in the upstairs hallway of the Novelist's house, looking down from where he was to the chocolate-haired girl who was talking to that perverted novelist.

"… And since Kagura can't go, I was wondering if you could do it? Ayame and I would be very grateful if you could model the outfit for Ayame's new Fashion Magazine!" Shigure Sohma explained with his fake innocence. "It would mean the world… to us…"

Yuki Sohma just sighed, shaking his head with a slight grin on his cream-colored skin. Everyone knew that Tohru Honda was just too naïve for her own good at times. She couldn't tell when someone was faking, but then again, knowing Shigure, it must be very indecent.

"Oh… Of course, Shigure! Now can I possibly say no? I love Ayame's designs!" Tohru replied, smiling sweetly. "What do I have to wear?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Shigure exclaimed in his singsong type of voice.

He pulled the outfit out from behind the door he stood by, showing it to the girl.

Yuki gasped as he stared at the very, very short dress. The top was midnight black with light pink cherry blossom petals going from the left shoulder down to the left thigh. The skirt part of the dress was probably the most attractive thing Yuki had ever seen; it had the same color pink lining to separate the top from the skirt, and it looked sort of like a Celtic design. The skirt was, of course, the same color black as the top.

Yuki gulped, blushing bright pink at the thought of Tohru wearing that. It was only lucky that the top was kind of like a leotard, so if she did wind up proving that the skirt was way too short, her panties would be covered at least. However, this thought was driving the Prince crazy. He couldn't stop blushing, and he was struggling not to transform at the same time.

"O-Oh my… Wha-What a lovely design…" Tohru stuttered, sweatdropping as she stared at the outfit with a nervous look.

"Hmm? Oh… You don't… like it?" Shigure asked, looking crestfallen.

"N-No! No! Of course not! I love it!" the girl spoke, turning her nervous grin into a full smile. "Not to worry! I will wear it for you!"

The moment Yuki heard this, there was a POOF of pink smoke. His clothes fell to the floor immediately, and then he, in his Rat form, landed on top of the soft fabric.

Tohru blinked, looking up the stairs and wondering what happened. Shigure knew what had happened, and so he laughed quietly to himself, and then held out the outfit to Tohru.

"Why don't you go try-" Shigure began, but then he was smashed over the head with a frying pan.

With anime swirls for eyes, the poor Dog fell to the floor in a lump. The little Onigiri looked up, seeing the hotheaded Cat glaring simply at the stupid Dog who now had a bump as large as the frying pan itself on his head.

"You stupid pervert!! Quit acting like a lecher get with the damn program!!" Kyo shouted in anger, griping the frying pan and getting ready to take another swing.

"No! Please, it's all right, Kyo… Just leave him the way he is…" Tohru exclaimed, trying to calm Kyo Sohma down.

The Cat-boy looked at her with a confused look, but just one look at that smile, and he settled down. Taking a deep breath, he dropped the frying pan and stomped up the stairs, going to his room.

Yuki the Rat watched with narrowed eyes. For the first time, he actually thought Kyo as a threat! How could he? I mean, that stupid cat can't even touch him when they get into fights, so how on earth could he possibly feel threatened?

He then heard footsteps running up the stairs, turning around quickly, he saw Tohru walk over to him. Seeing that smile on her face… it could make any man melt, especially Yuki. With a red color stinging his little cheeks, he felt himself get picked up into the hands of the girl.

"Oh no! Yuki, did somebody hug you?"

The Rat shook his head, managing to choke out. "Y-You forget… Not only when we are hugged by a normal person of the opposite sex do we change form, it is also when we get really… really nervous…"

"Huh? But what's there to be nervous about?"

Yuki gulped at this; he'd have to make something up. He couldn't tell her that he'd imagined her in that Skimpy Little Dress of Ayame's! Thinking quickly, he immediately answered.

"W-Well… When Kyo was walking to his room, I guess I got a bit nervous that he'd step… on me?" he spoke, keeping in his nervous snicker. "Umm… W-Would you mind… putting me down?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Of course!" Tohru said, placing him safely, back on the floor. She then smiled and got up, holding the dress in both her hands now. "I'll see you later then?"

Yuki nodded, staring at her with those big purple eyes. Tohru couldn't help but giggle at how cute he looked right now.

And so, the girl skipped to her room, leaving the Rat Prince to stand there in the hall. It was then that there was another POOF of smoke, and the Rat had changed back to the silver-headed Prince.

Slipping on his clothes, Yuki blushed lightly as he thought about how strangely he'd been acting around Tohru. His heart had been beating so fast for that time he was with her, and he'd been stuttering and blushing and transforming whenever he was around her! What was wrong with him??

Then it hit him, he ran down the stairs and appeared beside Shigure in his room in only 2 seconds. The Dog had been startled at first, but he recovered and asked.

"All right, what do you need?"

"I need… to know why I'm feeling so strangely around Honda-san…" Yuki answered simply, sitting down in one of the chairs. "You're a Novelist of lots of books, right? Well then, tell me this! Why does my face get warm whenever I'm with her? Why do I stutter? Why do I get so nervous? And when I see her and Kyo talking, why do I get this feeling that he's a threat??"

"Whoa! WHOA! Let's slow down now, Yuki!" Shigure insisted, watching as the boy's impatience changed to patience. A smirk settled on his face as he recalled all that Yuki had said, giving Yuki the feeling that he shouldn't come to Shigure for answers. "Well, my friend… That thing with Kyo, that's to be expected of the Cat and Rat, but… it seems that you are… You are in love with our little Tohru!"

With wide eyes, Yuki blushed just a little bit. "But… how? I've always known that I liked her… Just as a friend… She was just like a sister to me… But… How could I love her in the way you' re talking about?"

"Well, it's really quite simple… You were the first of us to meet Tohru, right? Well, it's natural that if you know someone as kind as her, that you'll fall in love… It's happened with many of the Sohmas… Momiji, Hatori, Kisa, Ritsu… Even myself and Kyo!"

"WHAT?!" Yuki shouted out when he heard that stupid cat's name.

Shigure laughed nervously, "Just kidding! Of course not Kyo! He's just… well… a little too stupid for his own good… But that's actually a good thing, don't you think? All of us love her as one of the family, but it seems that only you love her the way you do…"

Yuki looked away from Shigure right now, looking at the floor to his right side, listening to what the Dog had to say.

"If you really do love her… Then tell her… It'll feel much better once you've done so…"

"But what if… she doesn't feel the same way about me?"

"Well then! You'll just be moping around my house and, if worst comes to worst, you'll want Hatori to erase your memory of her…" Shigure said.

Yuki glared menacingly at the Dog. "I would never!! Even if she doesn't return my love, I will never want to forget about her!!"

Shigure smiled at Yuki's determination, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. "Why don't you come to the Modeling Shoot with Tohru and I? Maybe you can tell her then?"

"I… I don't know… if I could…"

"Well, the offer's wide open for the rest of today and tomorrow morning… Because we'll be leaving tomorrow at noon."

Yuki nodded in response, walking out of the room and closing the sliding door behind him.