A middle aged woman slid a ten dollar note across the bar before swaggering out, flashing Kyo a cocky smirk. Kyo rolled his eyes, picking up the money and placing it in the tip jar.

The restaurant was quiet tonight, Kyo thought as he began to clean up some of the used glasses. He glanced around at the few customers left. He concluded it was mostly couples who probably struggled to spend time together. The life of a New Yorker was busy. And it was hard to find time for relationships. Kyo knew all too well.

Over six years ago, on the night of his graduation, the night he was supposed to be locked away by Akito because of that stupid bet he had made, Kyo decided he couldn't stand a life like that. He was an inmate on death row. It wouldn't even be a life. It would be like dying. And if one of those criminals could escape, Kyo was sure they would. So he grabbed a bag, called for a cab, and went to an airport. Kyo had money from his mother and he picked a departing flight for a random place.

He ended up in New York the next day and had been there ever since.

Kyo was resourceful and within a week had a job at the very restaurant he was in now and was lodging at one of his co-workers apartments in Brooklyn. He had a visa within two months. The actual possibility of having a life after graduation drove his work ethic. It drove him to build a life for himself. He was content. He felt safe, strangely. New York was one of the largest and loneliest cities in the world, but Kyo was secure here.

Six years on, Kyo had the life he wanted in the city that never sleeps and he was happy. He was now manager of his restaurant and he had a great group of ordinary, for the most part, friends. They would go to the same bar every few days and he lived in his own apartment with one of his best friends and in the most exciting part of the city; Manhattan. He was happy.

Kyo often thought of his family and of Tohru who he had so cruelly left behind, without a word. He often thought about how they were all doing; Tohru, Kazuma, Shigure, Haru… he even thought about Yuki. Kyo bought all of the books Shigure published since he moved but that was the only reminder of the life he had left. Sometimes he wondered if they still thought about him. Were they worried about him? Had they tried to find him? He would shun those thoughts. They didn't care about him. He was the cat and he didn't matter.

Curiously, his curse had broken when he moved to New York. Kyo would never forget the moment he bumped into a woman in Times Square, naive to how busy the place was. He had waited for the inevitable, but it didn't happen. Kyo had surged forward and hugged the woman he had bumped into again to test it out. His curse was broken.

Kyo took that as a sign that he had done the right thing.

The only communication with his family had been his package with the cat beads in it. Even that gave no real clue as to where he was. He sent them while he was on a road trip to San Francisco with his new friends, six months after arriving. There was no way for them to track him.

Kyo had escaped. He would never have to fear Akito's wrath again. He would never have to worry about all the hateful looks and words he experienced from his own family members. It was relief.

It was an hour until closing time, but Kyo didn't expect many more customers. He would sometimes get an odd person come in for a drink after a long day of work, or a drink to help them sleep.

Speaking of which, Kyo heard the door creak open and sighed when he heard the footsteps of only one person approaching the bar. One person meant conversation. They always wanted to vent to the bartender. It was just standard New York practice.

Kyo hardly looked up at the person who sat down at the counter, continuing to clean the glass in his hands.

"What can I get ya?" Kyo asked, slowly walking towards where he had registered the person was sitting.

When there was no answer, Kyo finally looked up. His eyes widened.

Yuki Sohma. It was unmistakably Yuki. Of course he had grown a bit and his face was more mature, though still held that girly charm. His hair was longer. But Kyo would never mistake those piercing purple eyes. His archenemy, his cousin.

Yuki looked at him with equal confusion and bewilderment. Kyo stood and Yuki sat there for what felt like an hour, just staring. Suddenly, Yuki's face began to relax into that sarcastic scowl that only seemed to be reserved for Kyo.

"Scotch on the rocks," Yuki said simply and in English rather than Japanese.

Kyo loosened ever so slightly, setting two glasses down, accepting that he needed one himself, "I would never have pinned you as a scotch drinker."

"When in Rome."

Kyo poured drinks for both of them. He kept glancing up at Yuki, whose gaze was inscrutably fixed on him. Kyo kept blinking, thinking this may just be a hallucination of some sort. Maybe he was tired. He had been working overtime. Or perhaps he was just going mad. He kept hoping the image of his cousin would disappear. But it didn't. Yuki was really here.

Kyo placed a glass in front of Yuki and they simultaneously took a large gulp.

"What the hell are you doing here, Yuki?!" Kyo burst, the words sounding far more harsh than he meant.

"I could ask you the same question," Yuki sneered.

"You mean… you didn't come here to find me or something?"

"Why on earth would I come all the way to New York City to find you?"

Kyo was backed into silence. He could tell Yuki was expecting a snappy reply but he didn't know what to say to his cousin. He hadn't seen him in six years. It was overwhelming.

"So this is where you've been for the past six years?" Yuki asked, more softly this time.

"Yeah… I picked a place at random on the night of graduation. I just had to leave," the redhead said weakly.

"You could have said goodbye!" Yuki said through gritted teeth, "You could have told us where you were going! I don't understand how you could leave everyone like that! Kazuma! Tohru! We all looked for you in any way we could! We all thought you might be dead until you sent that package to the main house!"

"You wouldn't get it, you damn rat!" Kyo felt years worth of pent up emotion explode, "I know it was selfish, I know! But I had to do it! You don't know what would've happened if I didn't get out of there!"

"Akito would have locked you up. In the cat's cage," Yuki said simply. Kyo gasped ever so slightly when he realised Yuki knew, "He told me. He told me about the bet. He blamed me for you leaving."

Kyo lowered his head while Yuki spoke. He didn't want to imagine the damage Akito may have inflicted upon Yuki if he decided it were Yuki to blame. Akito was completely irrational. He knew that Yuki could never stand up to Akito too.

"I don't understand, stupid cat. I don't understand why you always had to run. You would never let anyone else help you with any of your problems. Never. And then when it finally came to dealing with them, you would run. You would always run. You always pretended to be tough. But you never had the nerve to face anything head on."

"You're making it very easy right now to not regret leaving."

Yuki lightly slammed his fist down on the counter, "Damn it, Kyo!"

Silence fell upon them once again. Kyo's heart beat wildly, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Yuki never said his name. They both took a few more sips of their drinks, before Kyo gathered the courage to speak.

"How long have you been in New York then?" he muttered.

Yuki looked up, surprised, "Um, nearly a year. I work here."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a lawyer."

Kyo scoffed, "Figures. You were a righteous bastard even back then. You always thought you were right. Makes sense."

Yuki smirked, "When it came to you, I usually was."

"Do you still talk to Tohru?"

The smaller man's expression softened, "Of course."

"How is she?"

"She's great. She's engaged."

Kyo smiled widely, "That's cool. I'm happy for her."

"You'll never guess who to…" Kyo raised an eyebrow before Yuki finally revealed, "Momiji."

Kyo laughed loudly, "Damn, he always did like her didn't he? I bet they're the most annoying couple ever."

Yuki gave a sincere chuckle, "They can be insufferable, definitely."

"Was Akito really okay with that?"

Yuki frowned and stared at Kyo for a moment before saying, "Kyo, Akito is dead," Kyo's heart jumped into his throat with those words, "He died three years ago."

"How?"

"He just got sick," Yuki shrugged, "One day he was fine, the next he was gone."

"I guess I should have figured. He would never have allowed his precious little rat to move halfway across the world, right?"

Yuki smiled sadly, "Perhaps not."

Kyo watched Yuki through his lashes. Yuki traced the rim of his glass with a finger.

"Do you like it here? New York?" Kyo asked shyly.

Yuki sighed, "It's not everything I hoped for."

"What d'you mean?" Kyo said, almost offended that Yuki would say such a thing, "New York is amazing! It's the best place in the world!"

"It is amazing… it's just lonely. I don't really know many people here. It's not like home where you're never left alone by any of the Sohma family."

"You obviously just haven't met any of the right people…" Kyo took a deep breath, and he didn't know if it was the scotch speaking, "You could come and meet my friends. I mean, it would be a step, right?"

Yuki stared blankly at him, "You would really do that… for me? You hate me."

"I hated you six years ago. People change," Kyo said with a sympathetic smile.

The rat smiled back, "You certainly have."

The cat and the rat spoke until closing time. Yuki helped Kyo clear up the place, and they left together. Kyo pulled out a cigarette and lit it automatically. He felt Yuki watching him and he offered the packet to him. Surprisingly, Yuki took a cigarette and the lighter.

"I didn't think you would smoke."

Yuki lit the cigarette with ease, and Kyo couldn't keep his eyes off those plump lips as he blew smoke out, "It's been a strange day. I needed it."

They stood in silence as they finished off their cigarettes. A multitude of thoughts rushed through Kyo's head. He was still finding it hard to believe Yuki was standing next to him after all this time.

The taller Sohma plucked his phone out of his pocket and thrusted it in Yuki's direction, "Give me your number," Kyo said as an explanation, "We go to this bar on 98th Street, Upper East Side. It's called Mojo. Come along tomorrow. I'll text you what time."

Yuki's lips were parted and he was wide eyed, gazing at Kyo in a daze, "I'll be there."

Yuki tapped his number into Kyo's phone and handed it back to him.

"Are you okay getting home?" Kyo asked.

Yuki stepped to the side of the curb and held out a hand. Within a second, a cab pulled up to the side.

"I'm fine," Yuki glanced back at Kyo, that signature smirk gracing his face, "It was good to see you."

When Kyo finally got home, he threw his keys on the couch. His face fell in his hands. This was the strangest night of his life. He had worked so hard for a life here, he had built it up in six years and now a branch of his past had nestled its way through. It could all come crashing down.

Not only that, but he and Yuki had actually got on well. Was it Yuki that had changed? Or was it him…? Of course it was him. He had moved to a completely different city. He had grown as a person. Matured. Maybe after all this time… he and Yuki could get on. Maybe… he could make up for running away like he did. To all his family.

~x~

Hello everyone! So I recently re-watched Fruits Basket and couldn't resist writing a story! This is kind of a similar premise to a Fruits Basket story I wrote ageeees ago, but set in New York because I'be just always wanted to set a story there!
I'm not following the manga or the anime in particular, kind of a mix of the two. I haven't read the manga for a long time so I'm just using some elements of it.

So I hope you liked this chapter, it would be great to hear so feedback.