Ooc- :3 I'm back!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket nor it's characters… blah blah. :3

Also, thanks to whoever nominated me for my HaruxRin fanfic on the UFO site. 33 Tons of love!

Expecting the Worst

Never Prepared for it

He knew things could get worse. After all, he was a member of the Zodiac with an unstable leader. A jealous, irrational God that struck down on any man or woman that got too close to his men. However, in a single glorious week, Haru felt everything broken was being glued back together, piece by piece. There was a beautiful, raven-haired woman that came to see him nearly every night. She was there to talk to him, to pour out all of her pent-up frusterations and vocalize what had happened in every moment of her day. She was there to lean against him and occasionally respond to the infrequent kisses Haru pressed to her shoulders, neck, and cheek. It was impossible to deny how much he still loved Isuzu – Rin – with every fiber and microfiber of his being. Haru was going to be there for every bad day she had and he was all ears when she wanted to talk about it. If she needed anything, she would merely have to suggest it and it would be done. When Rin needed some physical comfort, Haru was on board for it. There was never a moment when she had to ask twice for something to be done. In his complete, whole love for Rin, he had become almost like a personal assistant. Did he care? Absolutely not, because it meant spending time with the sole woman he loved, even if it meant disregarding the only man he had ever confessed his love to, the the only person that he loved that only considered him a friend. Right now, with someone on his mind, he could deal with that numbing pain of rejection. He didn't have to dwell on it right now. It was a release he had been begging for and Rin fit the bill perfectly.

It was just one of those days. Haru spent most of his time waiting for the sun to sink below the horizon, even if it was only noon. He tried to find things to do to pass the time: watch television, read a book, go outside, or even go visit Shigure or Momiji. Anything to waste time until Rin could safely come visit him. They were already on thin ice, especially with Akito on such high alert. It was stupid to even think about seeing Rin, because somehow the word would get back. But Haru was hopelessly in love, and to make things worse, he was a teenager. Nothing could stop them because they were in love. At least that's what they assumed. "Hey Momiji," he greeted the chipper Rabbit. "Hey Tohru," added the two-toned male. If it wasn't for Akito, Rin and him might just be like Momiji and Tohru: nearly inseperable. A green wave of envy shot through him. Momiji started up a conversation, half of which Haru listened to as he ambled alongside the bouncing pair. Somehow the story went from the ocean to talking about chocolate-covered ants. Haru never doubted that Momiji was a little strange… but chocolate-cover ants? From the bouncing blonde, he heard they were strangely delictable.

This day was going to be perfect. He was going to waste his lighted hours with Tohru and Momiji, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure (if the novelist wasn't dodging his frantic editor). When the sun sank below the horizon, signalling the time that he and Rin could be together, he would think nothing except her. It was the benefits of summer vacation. He had all morning to recuperate from the night before. Then his cycle would begin all over again. The two-toned male paused, his thoughts returning to the bouncing duo as they neared Shigure's cozy home, cozy because of Tohru's feminine and adoring care of it. Apparently a picnic was about to take place. If he was paying attention, perhaps he would have been forewarned. He just hoped that Momiji left the chocolate-covered ants at home. "Come on, Haru! Pick out your watermelon," Haru heard Momiji's call. What was with the Rabbit and watermelon? Rolling his dark eyes, Haru took his time in approaching the watermelons on display. Momiji already had his arms around his watermelon, claiming to Tohru that his watermelon had a plethora of seeds. He was confident that he would win the watermelon eating and the seed-spitting contest. Haru paused from his watermelon inspection and glanced at the perky blonde. When wasn't there an event or a family get-together stirring in Momiji's mind? Did Momiji ever stop to sleep? Haru shook his head, unsure if he could answer those questions himself. So, Haru tapped and weighed the watermelons in his arms until he was sure he had a piece of fruit that could outdo Momiji in both contests. He smirked in triumph. "I'm going to beat you at this, kid," Haru said, his voice oozing in an upcoming challenge. Now he only had to challenge Yuki and Kyo to this (Tohru didn't have the air power to spit a seed over a few inches) and it would be a real competition. Haru was half-glad, though, that Shigure wasn't home. He knew that the novelist could talk up a storm without so much as a single lungful of air. He would be doomed to second place if he ever joined the contest.

In the midst of his enjoyment, Haru failed to notice the ashen face of his Rat cousin. He was too busy telling Momiji that he was going to soar above him in both challenges. For one thing, he could wolf that watermelon down because he failed to eat breakfast and another, he had been running to waste his time away, and his lungs had improved tenfold. His third (or forth) favorite cousin, Kyo, ducked through the front door. Again, in Haru's delight, he failed to notice the sullen look on his face. Frankly, he didn't care what was going on the Sohma household. Maybe Kyo lost the game of love to his silver-haired cousin, which he doubted, but there was something that would explain the look on his face. The look of sadness wasn't as profound as his second love, Yuki. Quickly, Haru brushed it off. He hoisted his and Tohru's watermelon onto his shoulders, Tohru carrying the picnic basket, and Momiji rolling his on the grass. He was just about to follow after the chipper pair, but he was stopped by his somber cousin. "Haru… can we talk?" his silver-haired cousin asked, refusing to look him in the eye, or even in the face. Haru glanced back at the chipper duo, then back at Yuki. He had seen Yuki sad before, multiple times, even, but this was beyond sadness. It was grief. Of course he wouldn't turn down Yuki in the midst of his agony. Haru shifted the melons on his shoulders and waited for Yuki to speak. By the looks of it, speaking was a mighty pain for him… Haru wanted to be able to comfort him, but how could he? He had no idea what was the source of all of his agony.

It seemed like hours before Yuki even opened his mouth to draw a ragged, uneven breath. The Rat looked like he was holding back tears. "Haru… I…" Haru tilted his head to the side, waiting expectantly. He waited patiently for what Yuki struggled to tell him. He expected the worst. He expected some sort of love declaration. But what he got was the worst, just something completely unexpected.

"I don't know… how to tell you this delicately… but Akito found out about you and Rin."

Haru felt his arms go numb. Miraculously, the watermelons remained, albeit a little shakily, on his shoulders. He felt his limbs shake and fury race through his entire being. Most of all, he could feel terror. Where was Rin? Immediately, he felt the desire – no, the need – to go find Rin and tell her. Send her away, protect her.

"And… he pushed her out a window…"

Haru could feel the breath hitch in his chest. Would he ever be able to pump oxygen through his system ever again? Not until he heard Rin was alive and well. If she wasn't, he'd afraid his lungs would shrivel and die, just like he ultimately would. He had gone without Rin before, but to know that he would never feel her soft, ivory skin or kiss her beautiful lips again… if he couldn't even look at her without staring at a gravestone first… he'd…

He'd die.

"And she didn't make it. Hit her… she hit her head on a rock, Haru." A strangled sob tore from Yuki's chest. He didn't know if it was out of pity for him or true sorrow for Rin. But it made him feel sick. Yuki didn't care about her the way he did. Yuki didn't know what she felt, who she cared for, what she feared! It almost disgusted him to hear Yuki cry.

The watermelon's dropped behind him, splitting in two on the rocky, uneven terrain. Anger shook through him. "No! Don't you cry for her like that. Don't you think that you should… should feel sorry for someone you never truly new. Just… don't!" and he ran. Haru ran the opposite direction of Yuki, Black Haru ripping through him as anger filled every emotion he had saved especially for Rin…

He felt like he had died from the inside out. He could feel his happiness rotting and crumbling at his attempts to rescue it. Everything, his entire being, was shattered into millions of pieces that would take decades to carefully piece together. He was ruined. Akito had ruined him.

Ooc- Well, there's the first chapter! Sorry for my absence… never felt the need to start writing. This is a plot I created for a roleplay (one that's still going 3) and I hope you enjoy.