DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Fruits Basket. I wish I did, but I think we can all agree Ms. Takaya is best for that job ;)

Hey guys! My first FB fanfic, but not my first fanfic overall. I tried not to put spoilers in it. And don't expect me to get the technical stuff in the wedding right. I typically will do my homework and research that kind of stuff to enhance the reading experience, but each religion has different wedding processes and I really didn't want to get into religion in this (Akito was, after all, God to the Zodiac), so I just did it off my general knowledge. Might be a oneshot, might continue it. Let me know in the review section. Enjoy!

"Aw, dammit, the tux doesn't fit!" growled the orange-haired, handsome young man who had just graduated college. He looked around for his best man agitatedly, and when he couldn't find him, he banged his fist on his dresser, startling the young women trying to get him ready. "Where's that damn rat?"

"I'm right here. Calm down, you stupid cat. What's the matter this time?" Another handsome young Sohma stepped in through the doorway and leaned against the wall. His grey hair was combed back neatly, and he stared at his best friend with amusement.

"This stupid outfit won't let me breathe!" Kyo continued to wrestle with his tie as his face became redder and redder. Yuki calmly took the knot, loosened it, and unbuttoned the top button of the cat's tux in one swift moment. The color returned to Kyo's face, and he grunted. "Whatever. I hate weddings, anyway."

The rat looked at his orange-haired friend with amusement. "You stupid cat, this is your wedding."

Kyo's face went blank. "Oh, yeah….oh, crap, yeah! Does my hair look okay? How about my tie, is it straight? Is there any cat hair on my tux? Ah, damn it, I need more time!"

Yuki chuckled as he walked out of the room. "You have five minutes." He left behind the cursing cat to attend to some last-minute best man business.

"Calm down, Kyooo", insisted Kagura. With some difficulty, the cat sat back down in his chair. For the next two minutes she worked on him in silence, until he asked quietly,

"Kagura?"

"Yes, Kyo?" He didn't know what to say. How was he supposed to ask that? She sensed his dilemma. "Were you going to ask…If I'm okay with this?"

"Well…no-I mean yes- I mean- AUGH! I don't know!" exclaimed a frustrated cat. Kagura smiled, almost sadly, but not quite.

"Look, Kyo. Thanks a lot for being worried about me, that means a lot. I did love you… but loving someone means that you want the best for them, and that you want them to be happy. And, Kyo… Tohru makes you happy. That's obvious to anyone. I've known you for, what, ten years? And I've never been able to make you as happy as she can just when you see her face. Yes, I loved you at one point- and sometimes it still hurts to know that I couldn't be for you like she is for you. But…I'm moving over that. I'm just glad that she could save you."

Kyo didn't know what to say. He just sat there, red-faced and silent. Who knew Kagura could have so much composure? She fixed his last strand of hair in to place and said with satisfaction, "There. Now, go get married, or else you're going to be late."

Kyo looked at his watch, cursed, and thanked Kagura as he practically flew out of the room. She smiled as she watched him, and leaning against a chair, whispered: "Thank you, Tohru."

-o-o-o-

Tohru wasn't nervous at all, which surprised them all. Not nervous, just… giddy. And excited. This is the day she'd been waiting for her entire life, the day that every little girl dreamed about since she was little. She had finally found her prince charming, and…. She was getting married. She looked at the picture of Kyoko with tears in her eyes. "Mom", she whispered, "I finally found him."

Of course, Uo-chan and Hana-chan hadn't been too happy with her selection initially, but when they saw how happy Kyo made her, they couldn't object. They were her bridesmaids, along with the female population of the Sohma family. Yuki had laughed at all of the girls that wanted to be bridesmaids, with Kagura and Rin and Kisa and even Momiji wanting to be in on the party. Of course no one was surprised by Momiji, though Rin was a surprise. Akito had to try to keep from asking to be a bridesmaid herself, but Tohru asked her anyway. So, it was settled- Rin, Kagura, and Akito would be Tohru's bridesmaids (besides Uo and Hana, of course), with Kisa being a flower girl along with Momiji (no one even tried to talk sense into him), and Hiro as the ring- bearer. Some of Kyo's other best men were Haru and even Shishou, and of course his best friend of late, Yuki. Everyone besides Tohru was surprised at that, but she would just smile.

Her grandfather popped his head into the room where Momiji was fussing over Tohru's headdress. "Almost ready, honey?"

She smiled. "Yes, grandfather. I'm coming."

"Absolutely not!" insisted Momiji. "She's not ready yet!"

Tohru patted his head. "Momiji, you did an excellent job. Thank you. But I have to go, or I'll be late for my own wedding!" Momiji crossed arms but smiled and walked out with her. They saw a flash of orange rush past them and up to the top of the aisle.

"That stupid cat, he just barely made it. He can't get anything right, can he?" Tohru turned to see Yuki walking towards the priest, as well. As he passed, he looked at Tohru appreciatively, and smiled. "But, then again, he's marrying you."

Tohru blushed and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Yuki."

The old rat of the Zodiac smiled. "Why? I should be the one thanking you. You finally got Kyo to be less annoying." Tohru chuckled as her grey-haired friend walked up to take his place next to Kyo as his best man. The doors closed, and Tohru could hear the wedding march beginning to play. She took a deep breath and looked at her grandpa.

"Ready?"

He nodded with a smile and as they opened the doors and began to walk down the aisle, step in step, he whispered in her ear: "I'm so proud of you. And I'm sure your parents are, too." Tohru felt her heart swell.

When she saw Kyo, it suddenly became much harder to keep her composure walking down the aisle. She just wanted to run to him and kiss him… to be with him.

Kyo's reaction, though, was much harder to control. When he saw the woman he loved, the woman who saved him, walking towards the aisle towards him in the most beautiful dress she'd ever worn, her face glowing, he nearly choked. And it wasn't the tie this time. How did he, the damned cat, forever cursed by the world, end up with such a beautiful treasure? He felt Yuki nudge him, and his best man whispered, "close your mouth, you stupid cat."

Kyo shut his jaw with some difficulty. She was just so beautiful…. It made him want to say, "Aw, hell with the ceremony, time for the honeymoon!" But he knew that Tohru's bridesmaids wouldn't take too kindly to that.

For both of them, it took her too long to reach him. Everyone, especially the Sohmas, were chuckling quietly at their impatience. It was a fairly small wedding, with only the necessary people attending. Of course, the bridesmaids and flower girl(s) and ring bearers and best men were there- Akito and Kagura and Rin and Uo and Hana and Kisa and Momiji and Hiro and Yuki and Haru and Shishou. In the crowd were the other Sohmas- Ritsu and Shigure and Hatori and Ayame and even Kureno were there along with some of the Sohma maids who wished to come. Some of Tohru's family was there, along with some friends from school. Kyo's dad had failed to show up, even though Tohru had insisted on inviting him. That was fine, though- some things would never change, and Kyo was kind of glad that he didn't have to worry about his father screaming in everyone's faces.

Finally it was time for Kyo to unveil Tohru's face from her… well….veil, and when he pushed back the thin mesh he nearly gasped. She was the most beautiful he had ever seen her, and that was saying something. He nearly passed out, but he managed to stay upright and stable. He grinned like an idiot and Tohru giggled, as if they were small children on a playground.

Each of them caught phrases here and there of what the priest was saying, but they were both too busy staring at each other and wondering how they got this lucky to pay much attention to the words that neither of them really cared about. It was what the words meant that was important, rather than the words themselves. Tohru, ever cautious about possible upsets, had asked the priest to take out all the parts that included God for Akito's sake. It kind of messed it up in the beginning, but they found a way to do it, and Akito was inwardly grateful for that. She didn't want to hear those phrases that said, 'God brought you together' and 'God made you to match each other'. She certainly hadn't made Kyo OR Tohru, and that would have been awkward for the Sohmas.

Then came the vows. Kyo, the ever-awkward cat, had some trouble saying the words in the beginning, but eventually he became more fluent as he spoke, and his words brought tears to Tohru's eyes: "Tohru, I remember the first time I saw you- not a couple years ago when we were just going into high school, but even before that, when I saw you in a picture your mother showed me. You were cute… and now you're beautiful. I'm not much one for words, and I know you know that, but you saved me from a damned fate, and I know I'll love you until the end of time. You helped me through everything, I owe everything to you- and for that I am eternally grateful. I will never know how I got so lucky, and I can't believe that I'm marrying the most wonderful woman in the universe- there's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. The pickled plum on your back is truly beautiful." This last sentence no one understood but them, but it brought tears to Tohru's eyes and she had to resist throwing her arms around him for just a little longer. Everyone in the audience 'aww'ed, and Kyo flushed red. He facepalmed, and everyone laughed, but Tohru's vow made him take his hand away and look at him in wonder.

"Kyo-kun, that first day I met you…. You crashed through the roof of my new room." Here, Yuki and Shigure had a hard time composing themselves, and the rest of the Sohmas, having heard the story too, also chuckled. Tohru continued with a smile and glistening eyes. "You always gave so much to me, and I vowed and hoped with all my heart that I could give something back to you. I don't know when I first fell in love with you, but I remember that wonderful feeling in my heart whenever I saw you- like the world just got ten times happier. I still feel that now, and I'm amazed that I was able to find a prince charming such as you." The crowd started to coo, but Tohru wasn't done. She said with a sly smile, "And I really think…"

Everyone leaned in… "you're the cat's meow."

The room erupted in laughter, especially the Sohmas. For once in his life, even Yuki was rendered speechless by laughter. Even Kyo, through his wildfire face, chuckled and shook his head. "That was really bad", he whispered, and not being able to resist anymore, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Hey, you have to wait until I say you can do that!" objected the priest.

Kyo tore himself away with difficulty, and growled at the priest, "Then hurry up and marry me to her already, dammit!" The laughter increased, and Tohru giggled and smiled. The priest rushed through the rest quickly, and before he was done with the 'you may kiss the bride', Kyo had already started. Everyone cheered and laughed.

The reception was amazing. Kagura had planned everything perfectly, and both she and Momiji smiled in satisfaction as everything went perfectly. The guests had a hard time talking to Kyo and Tohru each, as they never separated from each other. Tohru had insisted on a mother-daughter dance and father-son dance so Kyo wouldn't be without a partner. When he had objected that she wouldn't have anyone to dance with, all the female Sohmas along with Uo and Hana had looked at him indignantly. He had been smart and shut up.

So now, he was dancing with Shishou. It was kind of awkward, considering that they were both guys and neither knew how to dance, so they compromised with comparing dancing to martial arts, and that way they both swiftly (yet still awkwardly) flowed across the dance floor. Nothing was said between the two of them, but the pride and happiness that radiated from Kyo's foster father was all that was needed. Shishou didn't need to tell the cat that he was proud of him, or that he wished him the best in his new life, or that Kyo deserved it. The cat knew (though he still disagreed slightly with the claim that he deserved Tohru- she was just too good for him, though he couldn't imagine life without her) all those things. Though he did blush a little when, at the end of the dance, his master leaned into his ear and whispered, "Now, make me a grandpa, you hear?"

Tohru's dance was no less pleasurable. Uo and Hana danced with her so they were a trio stumbling across the dance floor, laughing. Some of Tohru's other friends tried to intervene, but when they got within five feet of Hana they suddenly felt almost ill, as if… their waves had been disturbed. The feeling went away when they retreated from the trio, and in that way the three best friends laughed and smiled and Tohru's two foster parents cried at how their little Tohru had grown up, and how they couldn't baby her anymore. At the end of the song all three of them hugged each other tight, and even a tear and a small chuckle appeared at the edge of Hana's lips. This day, this one day… she had switched out her black for white, and she looked beautiful. After the dance, Shishou came over and commented on this, to the pleasure of Hana and the disdain of Kyo.

There was one… Akito stood in the corner, a smile almost ghosting across her face. The way they loved each other… Kyo and Tohru. Even the once damned cat had found somebody to love and accept him. As she looked around, she saw other couples… Hiro and Kisa were laughing, Haru and Rin were in the corner making out, Uotani was holding hands with Kureno, Ritsu was trying not to break anything along with Shigure's editor, Ayame and Mine had recently been wed and were looking at each other admiringly, Yuki was talking with his shy fiancé (whose name will not be mentioned for spoiler purposes) Kagura was talking excitedly with Momiji (given, they weren't a couple, but right now they were happy [Momiji had found a pretty, kind, and smart girl at school who he adored]), and even Hatori and Shigure had found two beautiful women to share their lives with. Akito sighed. It seems that now the only thing about her that was unique was that she hadn't found her other half. But she smiled and looked at all the happy members of the old Zodiac, and took some pride in knowing that it was because she had the courage to let them go, to become normal, that allowed them to hold their lovers in their arms. (I'll probably do a fanfic soon where Akito finds someone to love, check back for that ;))

When all was over and done, Tohru eagerly pulled Kyo into the limousine, and he followed with an amused smile. As they drove away from all their loved ones who had watched them grow and bid them a tearful farewell, cans rattled on their strings attached to the "Just Married" sign. Tohru turned away from waving and whispered to her new husband, "So, where are we going?"

He smiled. "Honey, we're going places."

Tohru laughed. "And you said my joke was bad." Kyo shrugged and blushed. Tohru smiled and kissed him. "How did I get so lucky?" she wondered aloud.

"Heh, I should be the one asking that", he whispered back to her, and she nuzzled against him. He smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. He looked so handsome in his tux, though he had ripped off his tie the moment they got in the limousine. At the airport, Tohru stopped for a second and bent down to see a stunning, vibrant red butterfly perched… on a motorbike. Her eyes watered.

"Tohru? Something wrong?" asked Kyo, looking over at his shoulder. He saw the butterfly, and realized what she must be thinking. Maybe he was just imagining it, but he thought he saw its face twitch… as if… it were winking?

"Hello, Kyoko," he whispered, and Tohru gasped slightly at the mention of her mother's name. "She's still looking out for you, you know", he whispered into his wife's ear, and she smiled.

"I know."

The Red Butterfly took off, and Kyo could almost hear in its wings the word…

"Jari."

Well, that was fun. I usually do fanfics for Sym-Bionic Titan (it's such a wonderful show), but I always loved Fruits Basket. I might make more chapters on this, like the kids and grandkids and overall moments in the lives of Kyo and Tohru. I tried my best not to include any spoilers, but if you haven't finished FB yet then you probably won't understand the "Jari" reference. When you do, though… teehee… anyway, let me know if I should do that thing with the collection of moments or not. I'm working on other ongoing fanfics too, and I might make one where Akito falls in love (but not with Shigure or any of the other old Zodiac members). It was really weird, adding all their names to my Word dictionary so they wouldn't be marked as typos… ah, but you don't care. Anyway, please review, and have an Abbysolutely (NCIS reference, woot woot) fabulous day .