Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya, not me!

"Breakfast is ready!" Tohru called cheerfully. As soon as the call was made, Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo came racing downstairs. Tohru just sighed with a smile. She served up some eggs with bacon and pancakes, and then busied herself making seconds.

"Honda-san, why don't you sit and eat?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, I'm too busy. Who's going to feed you if I stop cooking?" Immediately, Kyo grabbed his chopsticks and shoved a piece of bacon into Tohru's mouth.

"You'll eat it," he said simply. Tohru quickly chewed the bacon before she started choking, then once again sighed. She grabbed a plate, put a few helpings of eggs, bacon, and pancakes on it, and sat down.

"Aw! Kyo doesn't want Tohru to starve! Young love is so sweet!" Shigure sang. Kyo got a vein pop, Yuki got a sweat drop, and Tohru just laughed. She loved living with the Sohmas. They were very good friends. But that was just it. They were only friends. Momiji was too immature, Haru was in love with Rin, Yuki was dating Kimi, nick-named devil woman, because she stole men's hearts, and Kyo, well, he wasn't the type who seemed to love. Besides, if Kyo and Tohru did start going out, Kagura would be after Tohru's blood. Ayame, Shigure, Hatori, and Kureno, out of the question! Older men did not appeal to Tohru. Hiro was much too young, and he loved Kisa anyway.

"Well, I have to go. I promised that I'd meet her at the park," Yuki said, disturbing Tohru from her thoughts. Yuki never mentioned the "devil woman" by name. It was like he was disgraced. But he couldn't be. Why would he be dating her if he was disgraced?

"Yeah, I wanna go for a walk," Kyo said. He had been inside for a while studying for a test. "Bye," he said with a smile to Tohru. It always made Tohru feel so happy when Kyo smiled at her. She smiled warmly right back.

"Oh! Everybody's leaving! I wanna leave too!" Shigure whined. So he picked up his coat and left. A sweat drop dripped from Tohru's head, but it wasn't her place anyway. So she cleaned up the dishes from breakfast and sat down debating what to do.

Ding dong! Ding dong! DING DONG, DING DONG, DING DONG, DING DONG, DING DONG!

Tohru raced to the door. When she opened it, fear struck her, but she had to contain it, because standing in the doorway was Akito.

"Akito-sama! Welcome! Come in, please!" Tohru exclaimed. She had to use her best manners.

"I will," Akito growled. He had made a plan to end her meddling, once and for all.
Tohru had an uneasy feeling……something else had taken over. She went to her backpack, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, and wrote:

Dearest Friends,
If you are reading this, I'm dead. But I didn't kill myself... Akito did.
Love,
Tohru

When she regained consciousness, she read the note. She chuckled at the note, but something told her to keep it. So she folded the note up and pocketed it, and returned to Akito.

"Sorry about the delay. May I help you Akito-sama?" Tohru asked.

"I don't need a reason to come to my own house!" Akito snapped. "But I do have a reason I'll share with you." And when he said so, he pulled out a knife.

"A-Akito-sama? W-wh-why?" Tohru stammered.

"Why? WHY! Because you bitch! You're stealing my men away from me! It was a mistake to let you even stay with my two most prized possessions!" Akito screamed.

"P-please! D-d-don't do this!" stuttered a frightened Tohru. But it was too late.

Akito grabbed Tohru, turned her around so that her back was against his chest, and slit her throat. Her blood poured out. She was dead before she hit the floor. Akito laughed, and made a quick exit.

"Hey Tohru, what's for lunch!" Shigure called. Kyo and Yuki followed right behind. "Tohru?"

The Sohmas journeyed to the living room, where they found her body with blood all over the floor.

"T-Tohru?" Shigure said weakly. Kyo fell on his knees, while Yuki repeated over and over, "Why? I thought she was happy. Why?"

The crime was labeled as a suicide. The funeral was to be held on Sunday at 10:00. All the Sohmas, Tohru's grandpa and relatives, and Hana-chan and Uotani-chan attended. Eventually, everyone at the funeral except for the Sohmas and friends left a little after 1:00.

Then Hana said in her creepy voice, " I don't trust police to label this as a suicide. If I were an officer, I'd see how it was obviously a homicide." Then in tears, she and Uo left.
"Hey, cat. What's that thing sticking out of her pocket?" Hatsuharu asked Kyo. Following Haru's hint, Kyo reached over the corpse and grabbed the thing sticking out. He unfolded it and read it:

Dearest Friends,
If you are reading this, I'm dead. But I didn't kill myself... Akito did.
Love,
Tohru

As soon as the note was read, everyone raced to the head house. They barged into Akito's chambers, only to find that he was gone.

"I don't need a reason to come to my own house!" Akito snapped. "But I do have a reason I'll share with you." And when he said so, he pulled out a knife.

"A-Akito-sama? W-wh-why?" Tohru stammered.

"Why? WHY! Because you bitch! You're stealing my men away from me! It was a mistake to let you even stay with my two most prized possessions!" Akito screamed.

"P-please! D-d-don't do this!" stuttered a frightened Tohru. But it was too late.

Akito grabbed Tohru, turned her around so that her back was against his chest, and slit her throat. The blood poured out. She was dead before she hit the floor. Akito laughed, but made a quick exit.

"Huh?" Tohru muttered. "What? H-how? I'm suppose to be dead. How can I still breath and speak and…" she stopped talking once she saw who was before her. "Mom!"

Kyoko smiled, a tear of joy and sadness slid down her cheek. "You died so young..." She drifted off. She snapped out of it, and began to reunite with her daughter. "I've missed you so much! That family was really good to you... well, except for Akito," She sighed.

"I must be dead. I mean…. Oh mom! I've missed you so much!" Tohru sighed. She went to her mother and hugged her.

"Let me explain. I'm here to show you life in the Sohma's without you. So that you'll know how much you were loved," Kyoko said.

"I know I was loved! I mean, they were always caring for me and…."

"I mean love. Truly loved. Not like a family member, but like a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, etc."

"Oh please mom! No one loved me like that!" Tohru laughed.

Kyoko just chuckled softly. "Come." Tohru followed her mom all the way to the Sohma house.

Inside, Shigure was at the kitchen table, drunk. "She was so pretty. I miss her. I can't believe Akito killed her. I hate that bastard. Why…?" Then Shigure started crying. Tohru cried with him. "Oh, Shigure-san….." She cried. Kyoko gave her a little pat but showed her to the next room.

It was Yuki….he was on his bed with his face in the pillows... crying. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't….He was muttering something. But before Tohru could lean in closer to hear, he sat straight up and went right through her.

He shivered after passing through her, but dismissed it and cried, "Oh Tohru! Why! I only dated her to make you jealous! I wish I didn't because I…I…I LOVE YOU!" After the outburst, he just shoved his head back into his pillows and continued sobbing. Tohru, meanwhile, was flabbergasted. She thought he truly loved the devil woman…..but now she was dead…gone…no hope for her now….so she just started to cry. She pulled herself close to him, and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry. I love you too."

Once again, Kyoko ushered her into another room. "I'm sorry you have to see this, kiddo."

It was Kyo's room. Or at least Tohru thought it was. Everything had been broken, and Kyo was right in the middle of the mess, panting in fury. "Dammit! She didn't do anything wrong! She could only do right! What is that bitch's problem? Why did she have to die? Why? Why? I loved her like hell! And this is how she repays me!" He ran straight to his closet door and chopped in half. He seemed angry, but it was actually the way he expressed his sadness. Then Tohru realized that she couldn't have them both. Actually, since she was dead, she couldn't have them at all. But she made up her mind. She loved Kyo more. Yuki was so handsome, but guys shouldn't go out with other girls just to make them jealous. It wasn't right.

Kyoko whispered, " I still have to show you the rest of the Sohmas. Momiji is next."

Before Tohru knew it, she was in Momiji's room, but Momiji was crying on Hatori's lap.
Then Tohru saw something that made her have to rub her eyes to make sure it was true. Hatori was crying, also! Not like Momiji, but he was crying! "Oh, Ha-san! Tohru was always so nice to me! She would listen to me when I told her about mom, and dad, and she was there for me when Akito punched me and…." Hatori simply hushed him and patted him on his back. "I'll miss Tohru, too…." The scene swirled before her eyes, and before she knew it, Kagura was in her own room, with Rin.

"I just can't believe it! She can't be dead! She just can't…" Kagura stated through tears. Rin just shook her head. She didn't have any tears, but she said, "There's nothing we can do about it. I wish she were alive, too…." Kagura just shook her head and yelled, "Kyo loved her like he'd never loved me! I would've given him to her, too! If only…." The world once again swirled. It was Kisa and Hiro.

Kisa was sobbing madly, and Hiro was shaking his head as tears fell. Kisa cried, "Sissy! Please come back! Don't leave me! She was always so good to me…she was my sister…and now she's….she's…"Before she finished, Kisa just shook her head and cried on Hiro's shoulder. "I'll miss her…I was always so mean to her…I couldn't say anything nice….nothing….I feel so terrible…" Hiro said. Then he wrapped his arms around Kisa as they comforted each other. Tohru was getting dizzy with all the room swirling, but she had to get used to it. Because now she was looking at Hatsuharu as he sat in his room barefooted.

He was crying somewhat. He was the type who hated to show his feelings unless he was white Haru. Right now he was black. Black with hatred for Akito and taking Tohru's life. "I could've saved her! I know it! I feel like it's all my fault, dammit! Why? Bastard!" He shouted, then he just hit his head against his desk over and over. Tohru shook her head and through her choking sobs, she replied, "Don't beat yourself up because of me! You couldn't have saved me! Please don't be so ridiculous! Stop it! Stop it!" She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was gazing at Ayame.

He was blowing his nose in a white hankie that had irises embroidered at the corners. He sighed dramatically, "My brother had a beautiful lady right there! She was practically throwing herself at his feet, the way she would care to his every whim! She was always doing his laundry and making his meals and….what a jerk! He turns around and goes and dates some random girl! I on the other hand would date Tohru if I were Yuki! Oh well…I'll miss her. She was always saving me when Yuki wanted to kill me." Tohru was really surprised, because he was the only one who said a lot. It made her a little happier. He blew his nose in his hankie really loudly again, and then once again the room swirled. It was Ritsu, and he was of course blaming himself as usual.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! TOHRU DIED BECAUSE OF ME! I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! I SHOULD JUST DIE! I SHOULD HAVE SAVED TOHRU! I DON'T DESERVE THE VERY AIR I BREATHE! WHY!" Tohru just sighed. Ritsu was always this way. But it made her more worried. Would he try to do something to hurt himself?

"Mom, please. Stop. It hurts too much." Tohru sobbed.

"Yes, but you are given an opportunity nobody else has ever gotten. You get the chance to go back in time to prevent your death. Ya wanna do it?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes! Yes! Please!" Tohru cried. Kyoko smiled, gave Tohru a kiss, and waved goodbye. "I love you. And don't worry, we'll see each other again."

Tohru opened her eyes, and believe it or not, she was sitting at the table with a table that had pancakes, bacon, and eggs. She smiled, and then realized something important. When she had written a letter that said that Akito murdered her, and how she felt possessed, she understood that Kyoko had done that. It made her happy.

"Well, I have to go. I promisedthat I'd meet her at the park," Yuki said. She remembered this…

"Yeah, I wanna go for a walk," Kyo said. "Bye." Tohru knew why her mom had sent her here. Tohru had to prevent her death.

"Kyo? Can I go walk with you too? There's something I need to tell you," Tohru asked.

Kyo blushed but responded, "Uh, sure." So they went for a stroll in the woods.

"Um, Kyo?" Tohru said shyly.

"Hm?"

"I um….well you see….uh….I…." Tohru stuttered.

"Spit it out!"

"I LOVE YOU!" Tohru cried.

"R-really?" Kyo blushed. Tohru just nodded. A smile erupted on Kyo's face. He leaned in close, and in her ear whispered, "I love you too."

Then he went down to her lips, kissed them, but Tohru pulled away with her face completely red. She breathed in and out, then turned to him and smiled. She closed her eyes, and returned the kiss.