Hiya! This is my first Fruits Basket Fan fiction. It's also my first romance one so please help me by reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.

Chapter one

Tough times

Kyo walked down the busy streets of Kyoto. It had been a year since the end of the Revolution and Kyoto was finally getting back on its feet. As Kyo past, girls in fancy and unfancy kimonos watched him, giggling and whispering to him. His orange hair, and muscular build made him impossible to miss. And if you got close enough to look into his eyes, you would see an eternally burning flame reflected in them. "Hey you! Samurai!" Kyo stopped and turned around. A police man ran up to him. "Swords are illegal in this town!" Kyo looked down at the sword tied around his waist. "You heard me! Hand it over!" Kyo felt his mind race and prepare himself to fight but he held himself back. He could tell by just looking at this guy, he would be nothing if he wasn't an officer. Fighting him would be just like him beating on people weaker and lower in class then him. Kyo hated that about the officers and he wasn't going to do the thing he hated. He untied his sword and, after hesitating for a second, handed it over. The officer took it from him and left. Kyo felt strange with out the weight of his sword but he had no choice. He kept walking to where he was headed. There was a shop that sold anything you could need: food, clothing, furniture, you name it. The owner was a man named Akito. By day he was just a infamous shop owner; but at night he was well known on the black market. Kyo had heard of him while he was fighting in the war. Akito was someone who didn't take sides but sold weapons and poisons to the highest bidder. Akito was never a peaceful and respectable man, when a group of Imperialists tried to cheat him out of some money, Akito sent a assassin to kill them all and get the money they owed him. Whenever Akito's name was mentioned, Kyo felt a rush of hatred and anger fill his heart. So why was he going to the shop Akito owned? Kyo didn't know himself but now that money was hard to come by for a swordsman or a fist fighter, and Kyo was both, he had really no choice to let such an offer go. Employees of Akito-san are paid very well. the man who had come to talk to Kyo assured him. So Kyo was on his way to see the man he felt so much hatred toward.

Tohru Honda sat on the porch, her long brown hair tied back in a bun. She was dressed in a blue kimono that brought out the color of her eyes. She lifted a pale hand and caught a falling cherry blossom. Suddenly a memory flashed in front of her eyes.

Eight year old Tohru looked up at the falling cherry blossoms. Someone laughed near her. "Aren't they pretty, Tohru chan?" Tohru turned to face her mother Kyoko and smiled. Her mother's blond hair flew around her as she laughed and a few cherry blossoms fell onto her shoulders, making her look magical.

Tohru let out a sigh. Her mother had died a year ago, along with her father. They both fought strongly against the Imperialists until the end. Kyoko was a strong women who fought by her husband's side no matter what. Her husband was calmer and quieter then she but the same love of justice burned in his soul as hers. They both died at each others side, leaving Tohru in the care of Akito. Tohru felt tears well up inside of her and she blinked them away. No, she couldn't cry, she couldn't let herself be sad. "Tohru!" Tohru looked over her shoulder at Uo-chan and Hana-chan. She smiled at her two friends.

"Konichiwa Uo-chan, Hana-chan," Uo and Hana knelt on either side of Tohru.

"We haven't seen you since Akito called you. We wanted to make sure you were alright," a shiver went down Tohru's spine as Akito's name was mentioned. Another memory flashed by, a darker one.

Fifteen year old Tohru walked up to the door to Akito's room. Gently she knocked. "Come in," a cold voice ordered. Tohru slid the door open and stepped inside. The room was almost pitch black. The only light was a small candle on a table and the moonlight seeping through a window. "What do you want?" a voice from the shadows asked.

"Um. Um, sorry to bother you but I-I am Tohru Honda," there was silence for a few seconds then a pale hand beckoned to her.

"Come and kneel before me so I can look at you," hastily Tohru obeyed and knelt in front of the table. She was now able to see a shadowy face of a person, man or woman, she couldn't tell in the dim light.

"A-Akito san?" Tohru asked, shivering. Akito smiled coldly.

"Correct. Now, let me see," he leaned forward slightly so he could see Tohru better. He muttered something under his breath that Tohru could not understand. Suddenly he stretched out a hand and touched her cheek. "You're so fragile, I'll have to be careful with you," he said coldly. He lowered his hand and leaned back but didn't let his eyes stray from Tohru.

"Um, may I ask what you mean?" Tohru asked, her voice shaking slightly. Akito surveyed her then spoke.

"So that no fool sees you and feels sorry for you and spreads terrible rumors about me, there are plenty of them as there is,"

"You mean, they're not true?" Tohru asked. Akito laughed coldly.

"I do not remember ever saying they weren't true," Tohru shivered slightly but quickly changed the subject.

"Who do you call fools?" she asked.

"People who believe in peace and Equality for all people. People like your parents. Look what peace and equality got them a place in hell,"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Tohru cried. Akito glared at her and then:slap: Tohru was knocked to the ground.

"What did you say?" Akito asked in a dangerous voice. Tohru, who was still stunned, couldn't answer. "Never show me so much disrespect again!" he stood up then knelt beside Tohru, grabbed her hair, and lifted her up so that her ear was next to his mouth. "I'm your only way of surviving me, show me so much disrespect again and I'll throw you out!" he released her and she fell to the ground, trying hard not to cry. Akito moved back to his seat. "Get out of here, now!" Tohru scrambled out and closed the door, shaking from the power of her sobs. She ran a little bit more then sank down to the floor and sobbed as hard as she could.

"Hey Tohru, are you listening?" Tohru snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face Uo. "Nice to see you're with us. Anyways, I was just saying there's a new employee coming here. One of the maids just saw him," Hana nodded.

"Yes. And there saying that this one is an ex-samurai," Tohru looked, questionley at Hana.

"But what would Akito-san want with an ex-samurai?" Uo shrugged.

"Who knows. But whatever it is, you can be sure it's nothing good,"

There yah go! First chapter! As some of you may know, in the manga, Akito's a girl but in the anime, Akito's a boy, which one should he/she be in this story? Please tell me in your reviews!

Baka Neko2