A/N: Hi all! Back again with a new ficcie which I hope you will enjoy! Makes me excited for summmmer ahh :)

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine

Summer Time, Summer Ties

Chapter One

Beach House

"I have an idea! How about we all take a break and go to the Sohma summer beach house in the mountains?" Shigure said a bit too brightly as he filed his nails in the living room where everyone was seated enjoying a cup of tea.

Kyo snorted and rolled his crimson eyes but instead of saying a biting comment took a sip of the tea from the new jade green cups Tohru had bought that week.

"What you really mean by break is actually a clever cover up to avoid your editor?" Yuki asked softly. Shigure still hadn't finished the writing for his current shojo romance story and his editor was making daily visits. It was starting to put everyone on edge and the house would get deathly quiet when they heard that familiar 'rap tap' on the door.

Shigure would usher her in and then make some ridiculous excuse like "Kyo injured my writing hand" or "I think I've fallen into a deep depression". The editor would just huff and puff, cry a few hysterical tears then leave with a slam of a door, her mascara smeared everywhere and if one were outside they could hear her darkly muttering obscenities.

They had also all become familiar with Shigure's master escape plans.

"You know Shigure, you are going to have to face her someday. You need to finish the manuscript." Yuki said shaking his head as if disappointed in him but really just getting tired of the editor's daily visits. It was even putting him on edge and he was a pretty low key kind of guy.

Tohru smiled and clasped her hands together. "That sounds perfect Shigure. Never mind the double motives here, let's go to the summer house! I'll go upstairs and pack my bag! Don't forget your baaathing suits!" And with that she hopped out of her seated position from the table and flew up the stairs.

"I knew I could count on Tohru." Shigure said muttering to himself as he left the room scratching his unkempt hair. He'd been up late trying to work on the manuscript but he hadn't gotten far. A vacation away might be just the trick. And perhaps he would even shower.

Kyo grumbled and then got up. "Whatever. I guess I'll go pack too then."

C

The three Sohma's and Tohru piled into Shigure's little puddle jumper of a car and headed out on the highway towards the cottage. The day was full of promise with the sun shining and the sky a clear powdery blue. There were streaks of wispy white clouds and Tohru saw a bird flying in great swoops as if delighted with the weather himself.

She leaned up against the window and smiled. Summer break had officially just begun and this was the perfect way to begin it. She had phoned Uo and Hana but they had both declined saying maybe they could come by later next week.

The seating arrangements were predictable; Tohru was squeezed in between Yuki and Kyo while Shigure was in the front talking Hatori's ear off on his cell.

Tohru felt herself yawn and closed her eyes musing to herself. How had the school year gone by so fast? She'd been living with the Sohma's for so long now it truly felt like home. She wouldn't know what she'd do without them now. Her head slowly nodded and drooped down to Kyo's shoulder.

Kyo gave a little start and was about to push her off with a flick of his hand but then noticed she was actually asleep, her little shoulders softly moving up and down underneath the light blue summer dress she was wearing, her mouth letting out little sighs.

He rolled his eyes but resisted giving her the boot. Instead he also began to be lulled by the soft sighs and gradually began to feel his eyes close too.

C

"Hatori, if you could only see this! The picture of innocence. Maybe I can work it into my story that so desperately needs a total reworking. Where's my camera when you need it?" Shigure said rummaging through his travel bag as he talked on the phone. It was dark out and the sky was now full of tiny shards of glistening white, the moon overhead wide and full.

Tohru had somehow managed to slide her arm in through Kyo's and was leaning in towards him, her head now snuggled underneath his chin. Yuki had fallen asleep, his head on her shoulder and Kyo's head was comfortably resting on Tohru's chin.

"Aha! Found it!" Shigure said with satisfaction and he snapped a shot, the flash coming out in a blinding white glow.

Kyo started and one crimson eye popped open. Then another and when he looked down to see Tohru curled up underneath him, a blush began to spread across his face. But then he saw Yuki leaning on Tohru.

"What the hell!" And he quickly tried to disentangle himself before the rat woke up.

Tohru yawned and mumbled, "Come back here pretty kitty" and clutched even tighter on Kyo's arm making the blush grow and an embarrassed expression to appear on his face when he realized she was probably talking about him in whatever dream she was having. He wasn't so sure if he even wanted to know what she was dreaming about...

"WAKE UP!" He yelled so loud that both her and Yuki stood up straight their eyes blinking rapidly.

"Geesh you dough heads. About time." Kyo said and he slid out the car rather ungracefully because you heard a crash outside and then, "DAMMIT!"

Yuki rubbed his head and cracked his neck to the left, his grey hair swirling around him. "Serves him right."

Tohru laughed and then seemed to finally clue in. "We're heeeeere!" She said in a singsong voice rushing out of the car and throwing her hands up towards the dark sky as if to collect one of the brighter stars.

"It's beautiful here isn't it Ms. Honda?" Yuki asked when he'd stepped out of the car much more gracefully than Kyo, and circled around to where she was standing. His grey hair was all crumpled up and she laughed and pulled some of it down where it was sticking up.

"I love it." Tohru said her eyes shining from excitement. "Let's go in!"

She grabbed her suitcase along with a bag filled with food from home for the kitchen and headed upstairs whistling cheerfully. Shigure and Hatori were upstairs in the cottage already and they had solemn expressions on their faces. She felt her heart sink a little from their expressions so she placed down her bags.

"Everything ok?"

Shigure let out a long wistful sigh. "And I'd thought I was here for a vacation! Akito just called and he wants all the Sohma members to report for a family meeting for a few days. He said by the weekend we'd be back but still!"

Tohru laughed. "Aww that's too bad but hey that means we can just stay a little longer right?"

"Ah you see the positives in everything Tohru." Shigure said still looked slightly disgruntled.

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and then opened her mouth. "But does that mean I'll be here all by myself?" She asked in a small voice.

She saw Kyo move down from the shadows of the back room moving towards them now with lithe grace. He let out a gruff laugh that had a hint of something in it although she couldn't quite place it. He straightened up his garnet eyes flashing with emotion. "No, you won't be alone. I'm not invited to these family meetings ever cause I'm not considered part of the Zodiac."

Tohru's blue eyes brightened and she swept a hand through her brown bangs that were growing off to the side. "Well th-that's good then." She said stuttering a little bit and if anyone had been looking at her carefully they would have seen the reddening of her cheeks but she ducked down to slip off her canvas shoes, her brown hair swinging around her.

Shigure moaned dramatically. "Well he said not to waste time getting there. So drop your stuff upstairs Yuki and we'll head over I guess."

Yuki had just made it upstairs and his violet eyes narrowed a bit. "We have a family meeting? Akito called it?"

Tohru watched him and felt her heart go out to him, immediately wishing she could give him a tight hug but knowing he would just transform. Yuki and Akito's relationship, well if one could call it a relationship, had always been rocky and for a long time Yuki always responded to any mention of Akito with fear. He'd been working out a lot of the inner turmoil this past year but she still knew it wouldn't thrill him to be going there.

"Yes unfortunately. He does have terrible timing with these things." Shigure said shaking his head.

Yuki nodded silently and slipped upstairs to drop his bag off.

Shigure whirled on Kyo who was stretching and doing high kicks in the air, his orange hair moving with his sudden jumps. "Now now now, since you'll be home alone with our little flower, please don't do anything I wouldn't do and but in any case if things do suddenly get steamy, because stuff can happen quick, PLEASE wear a-"

"SHADDUP!" Kyo said whirling on him and aiming for a real kick this time to Shigure, his red bright with embarrassment at the implicative tone Shigure's voice had, his garnet eyes flashing in warning.

Shigure squeezed out some pretend tears as he deftly missed the punch and said, "We just never had this talk before and it's better to be prepared!" Kyo let out a strangled embarrassed sound and then jumped out the door letting it slam behind him with a loud clang.

Tohru had been graced not to hear that last exchange and was upstairs in the attic putting away her bag and hanging up a dress. "Uhm, Yuki. Are you doing ok? I mean, will you be alright at the meeting?"

Yuki turned towards her his violet eyes soft and searching her own. After a few moments of silence he let out a sigh and placed his arms behind him making a triangle shape.

"I think so. Things have gotten better for me this year." He finally said.

Tohru smiled meeting Yuki's violet eyes and said softly, "I'm glad."

A few moments later Shigure yelled down that they were leaving and Yuki nodded goodbye and she found herself in the cottage alone. She wasn't sure where Kyo had gone to but decided not to let herself ponder this new development too much. For some reason she'd noticed a shift in her feelings but wasn't sure what it was.

She slipped out of her traveling clothes and when she saw the red digits on the alarm clock read 9:49 pm she decided to get into some comfortable summer attire. She'd found a dusty old cd player and plugged in a CD Uo had given with her with the title 'funny tunes' written on it in red marker. Once she popped it in she turned the volume up and tied her hair two brown mini buns on her head.

Tohru let her head sway to the music and she shrugged out of the cotton dress she had been wearing that day not feeling the least bit cold as it was much warmer where the cottage was. Even the window was open and late as it was, a warm breeze was filtering in.

Unfortunately for her, she hadn't heard the door close downstairs nor did she realize Kyo was back in the cottage because she was just busy dancing upstairs without anything on but her loose cotton boy shorts, the matching soft pink bra and a long silver necklace dangling down her pale chest. She'd placed out her soft cotton pajama set on the bed but was moving to the music, once again lost in her own world.

Hana and Uo had showed her this cheesy move from a music video and she was trying to replicate it but ended up laughing hysterically at her failure. She turned around, her bluish grey eyes bright and wide from laughing but then stopped dead in her tracks, a little choked squeak sounded as if caught in her throat that didn't quite make it up to escape her mouth.

Kyo was standing at the top of the stairs his mouth agape and his crimson eyes wide taking in the scantily clad girl before him, both of his hands gripping tightly to the sides of the railing as if to brace himself, the air between them seeming to crackle.

A/N: EHEHEHEH! Oh oh...all alone ;) PLEASE review! I know you've got it in ya haha! Peace and until next time!