Title: Always In Mind

Author: Ashi

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and its characters are not mine. (No matter how hard I wish that was a lie.)

Pairing: None

Rating: G

Summary: Shigure can't think of a summary for his new book. Can he find any inspiration in the Sohma household? (Better than it sounds. Shigure isn't the only one with summarization problems.)

A/N: This is a short one-shot fic I did for Fruits Basket because I just finished the anime series. So, I guess this is my little finale tribute, ne? Anyway, this is in Shigure's perspective. Not POV, but perspective. I know there's a difference but I'm too lazy and tired to explain. Ano.. enjoi, minna!

- - -

Always In Mind

- - -

It was still blank.

He had been 'working', as he had claimed, on the summary for his new book. He was really only balancing a pencil on his nose. But his editor had been obsessing over it all day, though he luckily managed to trick her into thinking she was sick and send her on her way home.

He was always crafty like that.

But the words would not come to him. He couldn't think of a way to describe his new masterpiece. Though the people who inspired him to write the book were around him, always, in everyday life, he somehow could not think of a way to explain. This troubled him.

A little, at least.

Sighing as he made his way up and out of his study, he walked into the living area of his house. Shigure smiled to himself as he saw his inspiring people sleeping soundly.

Kyo was sprawled out on the floor, drool escaping from his mouth, along with a small snore occasionally. The majority of his body was under the table, obviously enjoying the heat. Yuki leaned against a wall, his head bobbling from side to side before leaning over to rest against his companion's head. Tohru was leaned against her study partner's body, her head resting on his shoulder. A school textbook was in her lap, and Shigure watched as an answer sheet slipped from Yuki's grasp and slowly fell to the floor.

He turned the television off, to end it's disruption of the peaceful scene, as he made his way over to the two on the wall. Lightly laying a blanket over them, he couldn't help but shiver. There was still a hole in the shoji-door from Kyo's punch; he had let his anger boil over again.

But he was used to it now.

Smiling fondly, he watched them sleep. He knew that one day this would change, that they would be grown up and gone. He knew that this wouldn't last forever, that they would get older and have a family and live somewhere else, and he would live alone.

However, knowing this did not discourage him. He would still be with them, as they would still be with him. They would all grow up with these memories. Memories of late night studying together and long, unrelated lectures. Perhaps some cooking mishaps and friendly fights. Many things in which they would endure. But they would go through it together, like they had always planned.

Even so, Shigure wanted time to stop.

But he knew that wouldn't be fair. He knew it would be selfish to hold them back from new experiences; the journey of life that lay ahead. So he developed a new technique. A mental picture was taken, and he stored it away to always remember and look back upon.

He was inspired again.

Scuttling back into his study, Shigure diligently jotted down the new ideas to summarize his story. After a couple minutes of revising, erasing, adding, and editing, he had finished.

He leaned back slightly as he held the paper out in front of him and read it to himself, just one last time before sending it off to the publisher. A smile formed on his features as he tucked it in a safe place.

He turned out the light.

Snapshot

By: Sohma Shigure

One's life is full of many experiences. Some are good and some are bad, but almost all are remembered. But there are those memories that are tucked away. These memories are those meant to be remembered and thought of often, meant to never be forgotten. Some are images of special moments in a person's life, and some are phrases or quotes that are meaningful in some way only known to that individual. We go through life so quickly, but we can still stop time in those precious memories. Photographs that can never fade; whispers that can never die; dreams that can never break. We will remember. Always.

~Owari~

A/N: ::Sigh:: FF.net can be really frustrating at times. Like how it won't come up in the layout I want it in. If anyone can explain to me why all the writing from where it says 'Snapshot' won't go down three spaces to where I want and why it won't stay in italics for me, I would be most grateful. ::Bow::

Well, regardless of this problem, please review! Arigatou! ^-^