**This is my newest Furuba fic and I hope you like it ^_^. I don't own Fruits Basket, as you must well know, but I wish that I did.**
How I Feel About HerI could hear my alarm clock going off in the distance. As I sat up trying to shake off the fuzzy disarray of slumber, I realized that the last thing I had seen in my dreams before waking was her. Her image has been dancing in my head more frequently since my brother and his assistant forced her into that frilly get up. She was so shy in front of me. That soft pink blush covered her cheeks making her face glow. She tried her very best to hide that blush from me, but she didn't understand. She endeared herself to me even more just by that simple reaction. As a friend she has provided me with strength and courage to face the fiery depths of hell if need be. However, recently any friendly feelings I've had have deepened into something more. I think I may actually be falling in love with Honda Tohru.
I admit that I've always felt something toward her, even when we were young, but I never really had the opportunity to speak with her much until she came to live here. We were in the same class a lot and we even did a presentation in the same group a few years ago, but I never knew much about her. She always seemed happy. That's why it was a complete shock to find her alone out on our property after the death of her mother. She was still attending school and by looking at her you could never tell if anything was wrong. Her bravery astounded me. She was determined to keep that promise to her mother no matter what.
Her will to persevere gave the baka neko and myself the courage to push forward as well. She showed both of us that we weren't alone in our struggles and that we should draw strength from friends and family. Because of her I am able to open up freely to other people, something that I though Akito had beaten out of me. I was always admired at school, but still very much alone in a sea of strangers. Now I have a strong network of friends. I'm even friendly with Uotani and Hanajima. I was able to repair the severed bonds with many of my cousins, even Kyou to a degree. She even helped to set the relationship between my brother and I on the road to recovery. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything she can't do.
I changed into my school uniform quickly and then I made my way downstairs grudgingly. I'm not a morning person. I'm practically dead on my feet once I get out of bed. The smell of a freshly cooked breakfast hung in the air, teasing me, beckoning to me. Tohru could cook, that was for sure. It's a lot better than having burned miso soup. I made my way to the table and took my usual seat waiting in anticipation. However, I noticed that I was the only one there. The baka neko and inu were lazy, but to be this late was rude after Tohru spent time preparing our breakfast with such care. Just as I finished insulting Kyou and Shigure in my thoughts Tohru stepped out from the kitchen with a tray.
"Ah, Souma-kun. I'm glad you're awake. Breakfast is ready."
She smiled at me as she put the tray down and I smiled back. I can't help but smile when she's around. That's just the affect she has on me. She made a move to go back into the kitchen to get the rest of the food.
"Do you need help Honda-san?"
"That's okay Souma-kun, there isn't much left to bring out since it's just you and I this morning."
"Nani? Where are Shigure and the baka neko?"
"Shigure-san went to the main house to see Hatori-san and Kyou-kun went to see Kazuma-san. He said he would go straight to school afterward."
She smiled at me again and then she looked like she was thinking about something.
"Souma-kun, wasn't there something that you had to do this morning?"
Something I had to do? Was there? I thought for a moment and then realized I had an early student council meeting to attend. Shimatta! I forgot.
"Hai, that's right. I forgot that I had a student council meeting this morning. Gomen Honda-san."
"It's okay Souma-kun. I don't want to be the cause of your being late. I'll just put the leftovers away for some other time."
"Arigatou Honda-san."
I sprinted to the door and quickly threw on my coat and then I left in a mad rush. I ran quickly down the path with a picture of Tohru waving me on my way with her usual bright smile. Unfortunately she would have to walk to school alone today. I didn't like the idea very much. I'm rather protective of her at times, but this couldn't be helped. This meeting would decide what we were going to do for the class fundraiser. I thought of Tohru again. She helped me come up with a few good ideas the other day. I repaid her by running out on breakfast and leaving her to walk to school alone. That's when my mind went into hyper drive. What if there were perverts besides Shigure lurking around, waiting to prey on innocent girls. You can run into some strange people on the streets early in the morning. What if Tohru were unfortunate enough to meet such a person. I stopped dead in my tracks, whirled around, and made a mad dash for home.
As the house came into view I saw that the door was opened. What was the door doing opened? On a normal day, we didn't leave for school for another hour. Something was wrong. I rushed up to the door, quickly discarding my shoes and coat. Then I scrambled inside searching for Tohru.
"Honda-san! Honda-san where are you?"
I noticed that the breakfast dishes were still on the table. Where was she? I ran upstairs and peered into her room only to find it empty. I was starting to get a little worried now. Where on earth could she be? I walked down the hall, almost passing Kyou's room and that's when I heard a soft humming. I quietly crept over and opened Kyou's door. If he found out about this he would surely go crazy. I looked inside and saw that she was hanging sheets out on the clothesline. She was humming a sweet song to herself and I watched as the breeze blew her hair back. Her eyes sparkled in the early morning sun. Even in a school uniform she was a sight to behold. I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
"Honda-san?"
"Eh? Souma-kun? I thought you went to the meeting."
"I decided to skip the meeting."
"Nani?!"
"I don't like the idea of you walking to school alone, Honda-san."
"That's sweet of you Souma-kun, but you didn't have to worry about me. I don't want you to let the student council down because of me."
"I'm not worried about it. I should be allowed to miss a meeting every once and a while."
She nodded her head, though she didn't seem convinced by my reasoning.
"I'll go clear the table for you Honda-san."
"Iya, Souma-kun. You've done so much for me. It's my job so please let me do it."
"Demo, you're busy up here and I know how much you like to have certain things done before you go to school."
She nodded, finally agreeing to let me help her.
"Arigatou."
"You're welcome."Time passed quickly and the early morning chores were done just in time for us to leave. We put on our coats and stepped out into the cool autumn air.
"Autumn is such a sad time of the year," she said.
"Why is that Honda-san?"
"Well, in autumn nature seems to wither away. The Souma property looks so beautiful in the spring and summer months."
"That might be true, but think of how wonderful the trees look when the leaves turn from green to red, yellow, and orange. There is still some beauty left in the fall."
"Hai, I never thought of it like that."
"Even nature needs a rest every once and a while. Think of it as making way for the new life that will come in the spring."
I don't think I've ever sounded so optimistic before, but she must have liked what I said because she gave me her warmest smile. We continued on and made it to school at the usual time. I saw the glares Tohru received from the so-called Princess Club. Those three girls were particularly mean to Tohru and it annoyed me to no end. Why couldn't they just accept that she was my friend and let it drop? At first it flattered me that people thought so highly of me, but now it either creeped me out or proved to be an annoyance in my would be relationship with Tohru. We walked by them and she looked down as though she wasn't good enough to be seen with me. How could she think that after all we've been through? I gave the girls a stern glare, daring them to say something to her. They said nothing so we continued on towards the classroom.
I decided that today I would tell her how I truly felt. I didn't ever want to see the expression on her face that I saw when we walked by those girls again. I wanted her to know how special she was to me. Slowly I began to build my resolve.
"Honda-san, could you meet me before lunch. I would like to talk to you if Uotani-san and Hanajima-san wouldn't mind."
"Uh, hai."
"Arigatou Honda-san."
We walked into the room and I was immediately swept away from Tohru. I hoped that we could at least get a moment alone before lunch.