Hello, and welcome to my first ever fanfic! Well, first on here, anyhow..! Please note that this fic contains yaoi, swearing, possible violence, alcohol use... and also note that I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET! I wish I did, but I don't. I'm just messing around with the creators characters. Please review!

Chapter One.

The deep slate-grey eyes turned away from the house, fighting tears away as he headed back in the direction he had come from.
"Stupid, stupid... I should have known, all of us, all these years we should have all seen it coming..." Hatsuharu raised a single hand to his head, and ran his fingers through the snow-white hair on top of his head, before subconsciously toying with the pendant around his neck. The pendant his only love gave him... the same love that had broken his heart over and over so very many times before.

"Haruuuuuuu!" the loud yell came as he approached the main gate. Oh fantastic... just what I need... Haru thought, as he spied the tell-tale blonde hair and unmistakeable girls clothing bounding toward him. "Momiji, hi"

"You weren't gone very long Haru... were Shigure and the others not home?" Momiji asked loudly, as always "That's a shame, I was thinking of going to see if anyone had heard from Tohru".
"Momiji... Tohru hasn't written in quite some time now – her studies must be keeping her in a mad panic constantly, you remember when she was at school with us... she's probably even worse at Tokyo U... " Haru trailed off as he saw his cousin's face fall, before lightening his small speech "don't worry, though – I'm sure she'll call or write soon".

Momiji's small face, though starting to age into a more boyish look lit up with a huge grin "Yeah! Let me know if she calls, promise? You WILL tell me won't you? Won't you?!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever Momiji... listen, I... I gotta go... I have an appointment to keep with Hatori... you know what he's like if we miss out on our checkups, don't you?" Not waiting for a response, Hatsuharu turned away, walking through the gardens toward the family clinic.

He wondered briefly if he would see Akito leaning from the window, as he did most days since Tohru had left. That thought was quickly snuffed out with a hope that he wouldn't – the features of the once twisted family head were too much like... his. Haru choked back tears, and thought back over the past couple of years.

After confronting her, and telling her over and over how she wished to befriend ALL of the Sohma's, Akito had... changed. Tohru had touched her, and she had become less – well, less sadistic. Her visits to the main house had brought life into the whole family, happiness and a joy that had never been there before, or at least not that he could remember. Since Tohru had left for Tokyo U, however, Akito had once again become withdrawn, her illness once again showing – though just the smallest hint of Tohru and her eyes would light dimly, her pale features changing into a warm, but still pale smile. That made Haru happy, the fact that of, out of all people, she had been the one to change everything – but then, why did she leave? Just one day up and announced she'd been accepted into university and was taking it?

His eyebrows furrowed, but he quickly calmed himself, realising he had reached his destination. Raising his hand, he quickly checked to ascertain that his tears were indeed gone, before lightly rapping against the door. He'd barely taken his knuckles from the panel when it slid open to reveal an older man, maybe in his early thirties, wearing a crisp white coat over a fairly casual suit with his hair brushed forward over his left eye. The old Akito might be gone, Haru thought, but the scars still remain...

"Hatsuharu, you're late" Hatori stated blankly, matter-of-factly - as always – as his good eye looked the younger Sohma up and down, before a flicker of concern clouded his face as he moved aside. Walking in, Haru tried to hide his eyes, but for a man with only one eye... damn, he can see everything..!

"Take a seat. And tell me what's wrong, Haru." Hearing his 'pet' name spill from the elder Sohma's mouth, Hatsuharu lost it – the tears flowed freely down his cheeks, the sobs came out in large, ragged gasps, as he threw himself into the family doctor's arms, wanting nothing more than to be hidden away in the arms of anyone... but more so in the arms of one person in particular...