Disclaimer: I Don't Own Fruits Basket... but $20 and a cookie could change that...

"They were orphans, deemed unworthy of love. That was the way he always saw it. But she didn't believe that, and when he fell in love with her, he realized that didn't believe it either."

A gray door opened into a room, bunk beds lined the walls in neutral gray tones, chrome bars and cold, uninviting sheets. The walls were a plastered gray, and the room dripped with, well, nothing. No emotions, no feelings, no love. It was barely there, and the small silver haired boy standing in the doorway was sure that at any moment, if he just closed his eyes, the darkness beneath his eyelids would be more colorful than this room; and maybe, just maybe, if he closed his eyes hard enough, the room would just fade away.

The nurse behind Yuki gently pushed him deeper into the room. It had windows, he noticed. Two long stretched ones that let in light; but not the light Yuki was used too. It wasn't a soft gold, and it wasn't warm or comforting--it was clear. A clear light, only made visible by the dust particles that it held, clear and cold, made stale by its dead surroundings. There was a shadow in the light; a small girl, sitting in the corner where the sun rested over her chocolate brown curls as she played with a doll.

Yuki walked over to her and sat down directly across from her. She lifted her head and her deep cerulean eyes met his amethyst ones, and in that instant, she trusted him. She smiled warmly at him and he looked down at his shoes, unsure how to respond to the gesture. The girl's smile melted into a frown and she cocked her head to the side, ready to break their silence for the first time.

"What's wrong?"

Yuki's cheeks turned a bright pink and he brought his eyes up to meet hers for a brief second before returning them to the floor. At six years old, advanced as he was academically, socializing was not his forte. The young girl, frustrated that her new playmate wouldn't answer; climbed over herself and crooned her head, so that even hiding under his long eyelashes and silver bangs, he was forced to meet her eyes. She noticed the heat in his cheeks and the fear in his eyes; and even as young as she was, she understood his feelings. The girl held his eyes and smiled gently, smaller than before, and tried again to break the silence.

"What's your name?"

Yuki felt the instinctive need to look at the floor, but something in her eyes wouldn't let him look away. He took a deep, shaky breath, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she had to lean closer to hear the whisper that escaped his lips.

"Yuki Sohma," The girl's eyes lit up and she smiled a little wider when he finally responded. She sat up straight and Yuki held her eye contact.

"I'm Tohru Honda," she squeaked in a high pitched voice so full of life that it captivated Yuki to hear it. He nodded and left her eyes to search the room once more. The older nurse that had showed him the room had left, seeing that he had made a friend. Yuki thought about that for a second, a friend, he had never had a friend before; his parents had never allowed it. He looked back to Tohru who was watching him curiously, wondering what he was looking for all of a sudden. Suddenly, Yuki realized what he was looking for; something he would never find.

"Honda-san," he asked shyly, unsure of the answer he wanted to hear, "where are we?"

Tohru blinked and raised a delicate eyebrow, "The boarding rooms?"

Yuki shook his head and pursed his lips together, trying to find the right words to express his question. "Why are we here?"

Tohru looked down at her hands and began to fiddle with them uncomfortably. She thought for a moment and decided to answer his question with one of her own. "Do you still have your mommy and daddy?"

Yuki understood, even as young as he was, that he had been disowned. Given up by his parents for their own sick benefit. He knew that technically he still had his parents, they were alive, but he doubted he'd ever see them again, this was his home now. He fumbled around for the words to answer his new friend, "No, they left me here."

It was true enough, they didn't drive him there, but they sold him, and when Akito became too sick and got rid of him, they didn't want him anymore. So his brother, too young to take care of him, had called the orphanage and had him brought here. Yuki looked at his new friend and struggled with the burning question he had for her; he didn't think that she would want to answer it, but he knew she would anyways. Yuki watched Tohru play with her hands and he whispered softly, "Do you still have your mommy and daddy?"

Tohru kept her eyes on her hands for a moment, not entirely sure how to answer. She decided to tell Yuki her story, and she lifted her head so that her curls framed her face and her blue eyes changed emotions as she spoke, "My daddy got sick a long time ago, he used to cough all the time and one day when I woke up, Mommy said that Daddy couldn't fight it anymore and that he was going to sleep for a long time. Mommy got sick later, she had to go to the hospital and she told me that we'd see each other again someday, but I had to go away for right now; then my grandpa brought me here."

Yuki listened to her story and marveled at Tohru's ability to be happy, even when she had been through so much. He understood now, they were orphans, deemed unworthy of love by a higher power. They had nothing, except each other, and they had all the time in the world to realize it. He brought his eyes up to meet hers and felt a bond, a feeling of trust that children so innocently give. She gave him attention and company that he had been denied before, and with the hope that she would always be there for him, Yuki decided that he liked this new place.

He smiled at his new friend, a smile that he hadn't given anyone before, because he had never been open enough to give it. Tohru noticed his smile and returned it with a beam of her own, ecstatic to have made a new friend. She stood up and Yuki followed suit. He was taller than her, she noticed, and they walked over to one of the bunk beds set up against the gray walls. They sat down on a bed and talked aimlessly about dolls, which Yuki insisted were only for girls, and their favorite ice cream; strawberry for Tohru, and vanilla for Yuki. They spoke until the nurse returned and told them that it was time for bed. They got ready and hopped into beds parallel to each other, giggling about secrets before the nurse turned out the lights.

Tohru beamed as she recalled the time she had spent with Yuki earlier that day, she liked him. Not like liked him, boys had cooties after all, but Tohru wanted to keep him as a friend forever, and unknown to her, Yuki was thinking the same thing, not 10 feet away from her.

She turned on her side and curled her body under the covers. Looking at Yuki, she smiled one last time, "Goodnight Sohma-san."

Yuki, exhausted from the long day, turned to face Tohru, a soft smile still playing on his face and yawned, "Goodnight Honda-san."

And with that, the two drifted off to sleep, with dreams so colorful and bright they made they rivaled the sun, awaiting the laughter they expected to come the next day.

Thanks sooo much for reading!!!! I really hope you liked it. Next chapter takes place 10 years later, they'll be sixteen and thats how the story will continue... so please keep reading, at least through chapter 2.

If you liked it, you should check out my other story: Nothing Else Ever Mattered.

Comments, Questions, Suggestions, and Ideas are appriciated!!!! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

review please!!!!