Me: Hi! It's been a long time since I've written a story.
Drew: Yeah it's been a long time.
Me: May, get Drew out of here! This story isn't even for you. It isn't even pokemon!
Yuki: Yeah, cuz it's for me! Right, Miss Marcelle?
Tohru: Don't forget me! *smile
Me: All-righty then! On with story!
Tohru: Marcelle doesn't own the song or Fruits Basket.
Yuki: By the way the song is What Hurts the Most- Cascada
Normal Text
"thinking"- (may vary if inside a flashback)
Fashback or emphasis
Song or EXTRA emphasis on words
Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure sat together eating the delicious fish and vegetables that Tohru had cooked for dinner. She had prepared it especially for Yuki's arrival. All the food was fresh. The vegetables were from the Secret Base, Yuki's and her little garden which Tohru had been looking after while Yuki was away at college. The fish was fresh too! Just yesterday, Shigure somehow was able to convince Kyo and Tohru to go fishing with him at one of the Sohma's private lakes. Well, at least they had food now, right? Plus, it was even more delicious because it was fresh!
Months ago, Yuki left Shigure's house to go the college out of town. His high school and current girlfriend, Machi, went to the same college with him. They stayed at the dorm rooms there, trying to save money for the gas was getting really expensive. Plus it saved time because the school was a two hour drive from Shigure's house.
Since Yuki was gone, Kyo decided to make him move on Tohru. Of course, Tohru didn't say no. She wasn't sure if she really liked him at the time, but she still accepted. Even if it didn't work out, at least she wouldn't be the one to hurt Kyo's feelings. The couple went to a college that was cheaper and closer to home.
Each couple knew that the other couple was dating. That was no problem to either couple, but even so, something lingered in Tohru's heart. It bothered her every night as she slept. But, she ignored it. "It's probably just me missing some friends," she would tell herself over and over agian. Then she would fall back to an uneasy sleep.
When the Yuki sent them a letter of his arrival the following week came to them Tohru's heart jumped for joy, much to Kyo's displeasure. He hated to admit it but he knew that Tohru loved Yuki too. It hurt him to say it, although he knew Tohru was totally oblivious to the fact. But he could not hide from the truth, and that was the truth. He tried his best to ignore it, and enjoyed the time he had with the lovely brunette.
As Yuki stepped through the door, Tohru nearly crushed him with her hugs. "It's so great to see you again, Yuki!" she cried. Luckily, the zodiac's curse was gone and Yuki did not turn into a rat, like he usually would when he was hugged by a girl.
"Great to see you too, Miss Honda," he smiled his ever so sweet smile. His eyes sparkled with delight as he hugged her back.
"Where's Machi?" she asked after she let go, looking around for the darker haired girl. Although they were friends, Tohru did not know why she felt happy that Machi wasn't there. It was hard to explain and she was dying to ask Yuki for some of his advice, which he usually gave her when she was having troubles; but this was Yuki's girlfriend. She didn't want to hurt Yuki's feelings, of course, so she kept her thoughts to herself no matter how much it bothered her inside.
Yuki continued to look at her, his smile never faded. "She went to go visit her parents," he replied in his naturally sweet voice most girls feel over heels for, especially those many, many fan club girls, and occasionally guys, of his. The sweetness in his voice would hide any emotion other than kindness from a normal acquaintance, but Tohru knew better. She could sense the disappointment in his voice and that hurt her to see that come from him. "She's going to be staying there for until we go back to school."
"Oh ok!" Tohru smiled, masking her uneasiness. That's when Kyo came behind her and trapped her in a bear hug.
"Come on, Tohru," he smiled at his girlfriend. Then he turned to face Yuki and frowned at his cousin, "Let's eat."
Yuki decided to take his chance to tease the orange haired boy. "Awe, no hi for your cousin, you stupid cat?" He chuckled a bit remembering the good old days.
The said boy looked back at the purplish-silver hair boy and scowled, "Just get in and eat, you damn rat!"
They ate and enjoyed each other's company. Shigure insisted on talking about his new series he wrote. He just released the first book that week and was very excited with the amazing results. Sadly, his less enthusiastic cousins growled at him and punched him.
"What?" he questioned them while rubbing the two bumps on his aching head. He looked at them with pleading, big puppy-dog eyes. Just because the curse went away doesn't mean that their personalities changed with it.
"Just reading the title is plain perverted!" Kyo yelled at his older cousin.
"How many perverts are there in this sad, sad word?" Yuki frowned, rubbing the temples. Mad was he annoyed and disturbed. Why did Shigure have to make a living out of that?
"Now boys, boys, don't fight!" Tohru said hysterically, trying to calm them all down. "We should be happy that Yuki-kan came to visit us!"
Shigure smiled silently thanking the girl who sat across from him for getting him out of it, "That's right. Hey, Yuki?" he started, trying to change the subject. He turned toward the man Yuki's becoming, "You never did tell us why you came to visit."
"Well, I had some news I want to share with you," he blushed slightly. He looked down, trying to avert his eyes from all of them, especially Tohru. He did not know why but I it hurt him so much to say it, at least, in front of her. His head said yes to what he did, but whenever he thought about Tohru, his heart disapproved of it. "Machi and I," he stammered, having such a hard time. His heart pounded, trying to keep him from saying it. "Why is this so hard? Well they are going to find out sometime."
"We are engaged," he finally let out quickly.
His two cousins and Tohru were somewhat shocked. They let it sink in all sink in then smiled. Kyo had a sense of relief fill him. Now that Yuki was out of the picture, Tohru could finally be his. At least that's what he thought.
Shigure just smiled his usually approving smile, although he sensed some stress and doubt coming from Yuki's voice. They all remained silent as they could hear rain start to fall outside.
Breaking the awkward silence, he commented, "I'm really happy for you two."
"Thanks," Yuki smiled a little, but something inside made him upset.
"That's great," Kyo forced out, trying to be a little polite. It wouldn't kill him to congratulate the man, who was getting married, would it?
They all looked at Tohru. She hadn't spoken the past few minutes and they were starting to get worried. Her head hung down with her bangs covering her face. She did not know why, but when he said that, when the words finally spilled out, her heart stopped. It was like a knife stabbed her or a bullet when through her heart. She felt like she was so selfish for thinking like this, but it just hurt her so much. She could feel her hot tears starting to form at the edges of her eye as they blurred her vision.
A bright flash of lightning was seen outside their window, and a loud boom! of thunder was heard. All the lights were knocked out leaving the house in complete darkness. Only a small light from the candle that burned in the kitchen could be seen in the darkness. As sudden and as fast as the lightning which appeared and left again, Tohru got up and ran for the door.
"Miss Honda!" Yuki cried. He stood up trying to grab her arm, but missed. She ran out and slammed the door. He looked at Kyo who sat in his seat, stiff a stick.
"Tohru," he sighed and looked up at Yuki. Another flash of lightning revealed his red, cat-like eyes. Tears could be seen forming in his eyes when he snapped at the rat-boy, "Why are you just standing looking at me like an idiot, you damn rat? Go get her!"
"B-but why me? Aren't you her boyfriend? Shouldn't you go after her?" his heart ached. Could it really be him who made the sweet and jaunty natured girl so upset? It pained his already confused heart to see her cry and run away into the darkness of dense forest.
Kyo sighed and let a few tears fall down his cheeks, "If I truly love her, I would want her to be happy. She never really loved me. She loved to make people happy, so she thought that she did love me when really, she just loved seeing me happy." By now tears began to stain his face and his eyes began to turn as red as his pupils. "She loves you!" he slammed his hand against the table and let his bangs hang, hiding his face.
Yuki's eyes widened. His heart stopped, then began to race at those three words. He looked at Shigure who gave him small, a supporting smile and nodded. Another flash of lightning appeared and he dashed out the door, into the coldness of the pouring rain.
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and jus' let 'em out
Tohru sat in the shed she had made next to Yuki's and her Secret Base. She made it as a surprise for Yuki, that their friendship would stay strong liked the shed that held everything needed to care for the small yet beautiful garden. She planned on showing him it the next day, but that's when the truth came out.
"Machi and I, we are engaged."
I'm not afraid to cry
Ev'ry once
In a while
Even though
Goin' on
With you gone
Still upsets me
There are days
Ev'ry now
And again
I pretend
I'm okay
But that's not what gets me
Tohru cried and cried, listening as the rain fell down, falling hard against the roof of the shed. It was as if the clouds were crying with her. She always thought she'd be okay. She was okay with Yuki dating other girls, but—
"But, dating is just dating. That doesn't mean they are forever. Now they are getting married. I can never be his."
She tried to figure out why she felt this way. She was dating Kyo, she shouldn't want Yuki! She has a boyfriend. Why did she feel like this? Why… That's when she realized why—
"I was never in love with Kyo. It felt like love but… I just loved to make him happy."
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away (away)
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do
She looked up slightly, letting her soaked hair fall in front of her face. She pulled her legs to her stomached to keep balance while she leaned against one side of the little shack. She tried to remember the good times, but all she could remember was that girl Yuki was engaged to— Machi. The girl who made her feel this way. The girl what made Yuki break her fragile heart.
Tohru and Kyo laughed as they were walking together to their next class when Yuki and Machi came up from behind them. They were all friends; even Kyo and Yuki tolerated each other since it was their last year in high school. They did it, at least for Tohru's sake.
Tohru could remember every detail of that day. Until now, she did not know why her brain bothered to care about that specific day…
Machi's hair was tied with one blue bow on one side of her head. She was holding on the Yuki's arm while smiling a sweet smile. Yuki smiled back at her before smiling at Tohru and Kyo. I wasn't hard to expect that. The two spent so much time together, seeming as Yuki was the president of their school, and Machi was his vice president. It was just a matter of time before it happened.
"I bet I can guess what you want to tell us," Kyo looked at the two as indifferently as always.
"That's right," Yuki started.
"We are going out now," Machi finished for him.
Tohru could remember the pain she felt that moment.
Tohru stood there silently, trying to let it all sink in. Then, she shrugged off the little blush that appeared on her face. She felt something tugging at her heart, yet she was confused and undoubtedly oblivious to why in the world she felt that way.
She forced out a really fake smile, for her friends' sake, and stammered, "T-that's great! I'm so happy for you two."
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you ev'rywhere I go
But I'm doin' it
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone
Tears continued to run down her soft face. They started to form little puddles on her sides. "Why did this have to hurt so much?"she asked herself. She didn't even cry this much when she found out her mother had died. She had never cried this much in her life. She felt like trash, like she was just a nuance to the Sohma's. As if no one cared…
Still harder
Getting up
Getting dressed
Living with
This regret
But I know
If I could do it over
I would trade
Give away
All the words
That I saved
In my heart
That I left unspoken
More memories popped up unconsciously in her mind.
Tohru sat outside against a cherry blossom tree. The sun was shining brightly in the blue, cloudless sky, and a cool, refreshing breeze brought the scent of the cherry blossoms to the rest of the campus. She decided that it was a beautiful day to eat outside. Plus, she loved the scent of the cherry blossom. She didn't tell her friends where she was. She didn't want to bother them and make them feel obligated to come and sit with her outside even if they didn't want to. Enjoying her lunch of last night's leftovers, Tohru spotted a familiar face.
"Yuki?" She wondered as she stepped into the shadows of the tree as to not be seen. "I wonder what he's doing out here all alone."
That's when that question was answered. A girl laughed by his side as the couple walked around the school yard. They were probably out to enjoy the nice weather as well. She could here Machi scream with delight as Yuki stared to chase her around playfully, with cherry blossoms wandering around with the breeze. It looked just like a movie, just like a fairytale.
Tohru's heart hurt a lot. At that moment, she did not know that it was jealousy. All she knew was that she didn't like a bit of it. Tears formed unknowingly at the edges of her greenish-blue eyes. She felt like her heart was a boat and it just crashed into an iceberg. She sank down and leaned against the tall tree. There she cried, not having a clue why she felt that way.
But now she knew…
She looked up once, only to see them laughing and smiling at each other, obviously finished with their little game. Then they walked off together to the other side of the school building: hand in hand.
"Why did I just sit there and cry like an idiot?" she thought, crying to herself. "Why didn't I just tell him how I felt? We could have been the one to be laughing with each other. We could have been chasing each other and holding each other's hands. We could have been so much more…"
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away (away)
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin'... to do, ohhhh
Ohhhh yeah
Yuki ran, groping around in the darkness of the forest. The wind pulled him back, making it hard to keep his balance. He stumbled frequently, tripping on the roots of the tall trees. Along the way, he wondered why he was so stupid. Everything that she had done for him, and he still didn't get her faint hints! All the kind words, all the support, all the love…
"I promise I won't tell a soul…"she babbled on, telling him how he would never tell anyone about their family's curse, "…I'll right it in blood if you want me to."
"Thank you for being concerned about me," she picked Yuki up in his rat form. "But really, it's okay. I'm fine. I'm not scared. So don't worry. I mean, I completely understand that you and your family don't want anyone to know about you secret. That's why it's called a secret, right?" she smiled at him. Her eyes sparkled; full of trust, full of innocence, and full of sincerity.
"You can erase my memory, but afterwards, promise you'll still be my friend."
Those few words touched Yuki's heart as he cried. Tears fell down his face. She was so sweet to him; she wasn't scared or judgmental like the other kids that found out were.
"Yuki, where did you learn how to tie a tie?" she giggled softly when he finished putting his uniform back on.
"I guess I've never really been that good at this sort of thing…" he looked down at his tie.
She giggled again then smiled noticing the embarrassment on Yuki's face, "Don't feel bad. Nobody's perfect." She walked up to him and fixed his tie. "Good thing you have me here."
I'm not afraid to cry
Ev'ry once
In a while
Even though
Goin' on
With you gone
Still upsets me
There are days
Ev'ry now
And again
I pretend
I'm okay
But that's not what gets me
Yuki ran around aimlessly. He did not know where he was going, or where Tohru could have ran off to. But he promised himself that he would find her. If he didn't, he wouldn't know if he could ever forgive himself. Finally, he reached his Secret Base. There was something different there which caught his attention. A little shed was placed next to Tohru's and his garden. If he didn't know any better, Tohru probably made that from scratch; and if anything, that would be a place where she would hide.
Sure enough, Yuki could hear sobbing coming from inside. He wiped some of his own tears then opened the door.
Tohru heard the door open. She tried to keep quiet while trying to hide behind the shadows of the shelves. Sadly to her dismay, she could not hide from Yuki's keen eyes. Again, just because the curse was gone it did not mean the character traits were gone. He still had the ability to see better than most people in the dark. Not that much better, but enough where he could faintly see her. Plus, quiet sniffling could be heard.
"T-tohru," he whispered. He ran to her and took her into his cold arms, he hugged her tightly. She buried her face into his soaked clothing, and continued to cry. Yuki coughed and Tohru hugged him tighter. She looked at him with worried eyes. He must have been looking for her all this time in the cold pouring rain.
"A-are you o-okay?" Tohru mumbled. Yuki could see she was worried because of his condition. His asthma attacks continued to lessen in the years where now, it should no longer be a problem, but he had been running around in the rain for quite a while. He really pushed it.
He coughed again and reassured her, "I'll be fine as long as you're okay."
He kissed the top of her head while continuing to hug her. Tohru blushed a bit while she still sobbed in pain. "I'm sorry, Yuki."
"No, Tohru, I'm sorry. I should have been more considerate to your feelings as well as my own," Yuki looked down at her. He tried to smile, just for her, yet tears still continued to fall down his face. "I rushed into things. I didn't even check to see how my family— how you would feel."
"Y-yuki," Tohru cried, "don't be sorry. You shouldn't have to ask me how I felt. I'm so selfish! First of all, I already have a boyfriend. Second, it's your life. If you want to marry Machi, you should. I should be happy for you; I should be supporting you. But no, I'm such a selfish little-"
"No! Don't say that. You are anything but selfish," Yuki snapped, hugging her even tighter. He took her face in his hand and gently forced her to look up into his eyes. "You're the nicest person in the universe, Tohru."
Tohru blushed and she felt her heart skip a beat. That was the first time he had ever called her by her first name. She looked deeply into his eyes and saw something there that she has never seen before; not even when he was with Machi. "Y-yuki…"
"Tohru, I was the one who made a big mistake. Something always pulled me back, away from Machi. My mind told me I loved her and that was enough for me. But my heart, my heart always knew my mind was wrong. I don't love Machi."
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away (away)
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do
Yuki looked at her in the eyes and smiled sweetly, "I love you!"
Three word… Three words were all it took to turn everything upside down. Three words were all she needed to hear. Those three words…
Yuki leaned in suddenly and kissed her. Tohru was taken back by surprise, but just as suddenly as Yuki, she kissed him back. The world seemed to stop at that moment. Their painful hearts filled with joy. Both felt like they were in heaven. All their wishes had come true. Everything that seemed dark seemed bright again. Everything that felt lifeless, felt alive again. Everything that didn't make sense made sense again.
What hurts the most (What hurts the most)
Is being so close
And having so much to say (much to say)
And watching you walk away (you walk away)
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do
They looked lovingly into each other's eyes and they smiled. Yuki brought up a hand to wipe away her tears. Before he could place his hand down again, she took it on her own and kept it on her face. Her sweet voice came back with life as she whispered to him, "I love you too, my Prince."