I stumbled across this community on Livejournal called 30 kisses. It's a fanwork community where members request to write a series of 30 stories based upon 30 different themes where each story has to involve a kiss somewhere in it. Well, I took that idea and presented it to my friends list and asked them to request a story based around a certain fandom and/or pairing and the theme that they wanted for it. This is one of the stories that came out of my little experiment.

And now, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Baskets or its characters in any way.

Just one taste

#23 – Candy

Fandom/Pairing – Fruits Basket / Kyou and Tohru

"Tohru! Toooohhhhhrrrruuuuu! Are you home?"

The sing-song voice was unmistakable as it echoed throughout the house. Tohru's face immediately lit up with happiness when she heard her name being called.

"I'm in the kitchen, Momiji!" She washed her hands quickly and patted them dry on her apron just as the hyper young blonde entered the room.

"Tohru!" He practically flung his body towards her with open arms, preparing for a hug that would no doubt turn him into a fluffy white rabbit. And he would have succeeded too had there not been a swift hand to intervene, holding him at bay by his head. Momiji's arms were still reaching forward toward Tohru in oblivion, unaware that he had been stopped in his tracks.

"Kyou!" Tohru said in surprise. She always found it amusing (and sometimes sneaky) the way he often showed up without making a sound. It wasn't that she minded at all – in fact she felt the very opposite – but it would make her wonder just how he managed to do it.

"Hey brat!" He said gruffly as he let go of Momiji's head long enough to hit it. "You can't just barge in here and start hugging Tohru whenever you want and transforming. We have rules, y'know?"

A loud wail and tears quickly followed Kyou's assault. "Tohruuuuuuuuu! Kyou's being mean to me again!" His small hands began to rub his eyes to dry his tears before he continued to speak. "And why can't I hug Tohru, huh? She doesn't care when I transform and hugging her gives me the best feeling in the world! You're just mad because you can't hug Tohru yourself."

He stuck his tongue out at Kyou and lunged toward Tohru again only to meet with a fist that stopped him once more. There was more crying and whining and Tohru began to feel flustered.

"Oh no, it's fine. Please don't cry, Momiji. Kyou didn't mean it-"

"Yes I did!" He interrupted quickly.

"Well I don't mind Momiji coming to see me." Tohru was trying very hard to find the words to say to make everyone happy. "And I don't mind hugging him just as long as he doesn't get in trouble for it." She smiled brightly just as Kyou crossed his arms over his chest.

"He's a nuisance. What is he doing here anyway?" Kyou's question caused Momiji's tears to stop flowing down his rosy cheeks while his whining was replaced by a cheerful smile and an outstretched hand.

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot. I came here to give Tohru these!" He opened his palm and revealed what were small, brightly wrapped candies. "My Papa sent them to me from Germany. He says they're the best tasting candy he's ever had – and he's had a lot so he should know – and I wanted to share some with Tohru."

"Wow! I've never had German candy before!" She reached out and carefully took them from Momiji, admiring the colorful paper as she did. "They're too beautiful to eat…" she said wistfully as she picked up one that was covered in a sparkling emerald green wrapper.

"Keh, don't be stupid. It's not like you're going to eat the wrapper." And as soon as those words left Kyou's mouth, he instantly regretted them. The smile that he loved to see on Tohru's face had faded and her eyes fell to the ground.

"I know that, it's just…"

"Don't listen to Kyou, Tohru. He's just mad because I didn't bring any for him." Momiji grabbed Tohru's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at Kyou who immediately clenched his fists and turned away from the scene.

"Who does that little brat think he is, anyway? Coming into Shigure's house like he owns the place, looking for Tohru, giving presents to Tohru, and hugging Tohru! I'll show him…"

And with stout resolution, Kyou turned around and opened his mouth to deliver a scathing remark to Momiji only to find that he had already left. Tohru was back by the sink, peeling potatoes and humming happily to herself. In the few moments that Kyou had been seething with anger, Momiji had managed to return the smile to Tohru's face and left without drawing any attention. Normally, Kyou would have gone after him angrily but his mind was on more important things.

Tohru…

He calmed down instantly as a serene smile painted itself across his face. At that same moment, Tohru looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. She turned off the water and turned around to face him, her hand reaching into the front pocket of her apron to fish out the candy.

"I wanted you to try one with me." She held out the brightly packaged confection to Kyou.

"You know I don't eat those things." He answered as he shook his head. "Besides, Momiji brought them for you so you should eat them."

"Oh that's right. You don't like sweets, do you?" She thought back to Valentine's Day and the chocolate he forced himself to eat despite his own aversion to it. She nodded understandingly at Kyou and plastered a bright smile on her face.

"Well then, I'll make sure to eat enough for you and me!" Tohru removed the wrapper and was delighted to find that it was chocolate. She popped it into her mouth and reveled in the smooth taste as it melted upon her tongue.

"Mmmm!" She managed to mutter before she bit into the chocolate to reveal a strawberry filling. She licked her lips as the chocolate threatened to escape from the corner of her mouth and grinned awkwardly at Kyou. "It has a strawberry center," she explained quickly. "It's really good!"

"Really?" The orange-haired boy stepped forward earnestly and grinned boyishly at Tohru. He seemed genuinely interested in the flavour and Tohru took it at face value.

"Mmhmm, it's not too sweet and it goes perfectly with the dark chocolate."

"Hrm, well can I try some?" He closed the distance between himself and Tohru and watched in amusement as she nodded and quickly reached into the apron's front pocket.

"Let me see if I have ano-" She began to say before Kyou reached out and grabbed onto her hands causing her to lose all concentration.

"Idiot, I don't like to eat chocolate, remember?" He continued to hold onto her hands restricting her from pulling candy out of her pocket. Tohru blinked curiously at Kyou as the space between them grew smaller and smaller.

"Oh, okay. Well then, uh, how are you going to taste it?" She asked innocently.

Kyou smirked. "I have my ways."

"I still don't under-mmmph…" Her would-be question was literally taken from her mouth by a pair of warm, soft lips that pressed against her own. They lingered there for a few moments before they retreated as quickly as they came. Kyou grinned down at Tohru whose cheeks were flushed bright pink as her mouth hung open in surprise.

"Understand now?" Kyou asked gently as he reached one hand up to cup Tohru's cheek. "And you were right, it does taste good." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he waited for Tohru to say something but all she did was blink in shock. Her mind was swimming with thoughts of what to say or do while her heart was overflowing with emotion. After a few more moments, she finally regained enough of her senses to return Kyou's gaze and smile.

"Yes, I understand." She said simply, raising her right hand to rest against Kyou's face. "But maybe you can explain it to me one more time." Tohru smiled shyly at Kyou who nodded and began to lean in once more.

"Anything for you," he breathed against her lips before he kissed her again. This time he would enjoy Tohru's sweet kiss instead of the sweetness of the candy.