AN: A strange cross over, I know. I kind of got the idea for this from my little cousin (who has an account on here) who was really into Fruit Baskets. I hadn't read the manga in years but she piqued my interest in the manga again. I had long packed the manga away and not feeling like trying to find that box I turned to FanFiction.

At that time I was really in to the Natsume anime (still am). Then I started seeing the similarities between Natsume's character and Kyo's. Then I thought that they would be good friends. That's how this story happened. It played out in my mind for over a year before I finally got the courage to write it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 1

Takashi Natsume was sitting on a swing in the almost familiar park. He had seen so many parks in his life it was hard to tell one from the other. He let out a sigh as he looked at the setting sun. He thought that things had been going well with the Fujiwaras. He had kept his ability to see yokai a secret and as far as he knew they didn't suspect anything.

Then Touku Fjiwara's sister got sick, very, very sick so they decided to stay with her until they found her a decent caretaker. Since his school had a fire and was being rebuilt and not knowing how long they would be gone for the Fujiwaras decided that they would take him with.

Natsume was lonely though. For the first time in his life he had friends and he was missing them. It didn't help matters any that Touku's sister didn't like him very much. She would barely look at him and when she did she would snap at him. This always seemed to upset the Fujiwaras and they would apologize on her behalf. This upset him but what really upset him was the thought that they might listen to her and get rid of him. He didn't want to live with another family especially with him owning The Book of Friends.

He wished that Nyanko-sensei was here just so he had someone to talk to but he ran off with a group of smaller yokai saying something about sake. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing the cat until very late that night but most likely not until that next morning. When he went out drinking he went out drinking.

Natsume knew that he should probably head back as it wasn't the best idea to be outside alone when it was getting dark but he didn't want to. He didn't want to be looked at with disdain and he didn't want the Fujiwaras to apologize. He didn't sense anything so he decided that he could sit in the park a little while longer.

He liked the familiarity of the place. Natsume knew that he had been here before. There was something almost comforting about the swing he was currently swinging on. He couldn't remember why as he had been in so many parks in his young life that it was hard to keep them all straight.

With a resigned sigh he got up from the swing and was about to head back when someone else walked into the park. Natsume hesitated a moment as he studied the other boy that stood a few feet in front of him. He was fairly tall and on the slim side with short orange hair. The boy looked human but there was something different about him. Something almost animalistic. There was also something familiar about him.

Natsume glanced towards the sandbox in thought and a vague memory flashed through his mind. He was sitting in the sandbox building a sandcastle with another kid that looked similar to the boy standing in front of him. Then along forgotten name popped in his mind.

"Kyo…" Natsume said hesitantly.

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Kyo walked to the park needing to get away. Away from school. Away from his family. Away from life in general. Normally he would head to his roof but when he heard all of the loud voices coming from the house he turned around and headed towards the park. The park was usually empty at this time of the day as it was nearing nightfall. That was why he was surprised to see another boy standing there looking just as surprised to see him.

The strange boy was studying him so Kyo studied him back. The boy was thin and shorter than him with shaggy light brown hair. Kyo watched as the boy's brown eyes flicked over to the sandbox before looking back at him.

"Kyo…" the other boy said almost hesitantly like he wasn't sure if he had the name right. Kyo frowned at him wondering who this boy was and how he knew his name. Then he remembered something. Something he hadn't thought of in years. When he came to the park as a child there use to be a strange little boy that he played with then one day he was just gone. He looked for him but after a few weeks of not seeing him Kyo gave up and put the strange boy out of his mind.

"That's right," Kyo answered. "We use to play together here as kids, didn't we?" The other boy slowly nodded but didn't say anything. "Sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Natsume Takashi," the other boy, Natsume, said quietly. Natsume then sat down on the swing when earlier it looked like he was about to leave.

Kyo sighed not sure what to do now. He wasn't in the mood to deal with someone; it's why he came here in the first place. But Natsume looked so sad and lonely. Something that he knew all-to-well. And he wasn't ready to go back as everyone was probably just sitting down to dinner about now. He knew that Tohru would worry but then she worried about everything.

"So, long time no see," Kyo said as he sat down in a swing next to the smaller boy.

"Yeah we use to play here a lot," Natsume said with a small smile.

"What happened?" Kyo asked almost accusingly. It wasn't like he had a lot of friends and to lose one of the few he had hurt.

"I…moved," Natsume said quietly. Kyo could tell by the way the other boy spoke that wasn't a happy memory for him either and decided not to press for an answer.

"Just back for a visit?" Kyo asked.

"Something like that. I'm not sure how long I'm going to be here for," Natsume said again sounding sad. Kyo winced at the tone in the other boy's voice. And he thought his family were the only ones that felt angst that strong.

"Then maybe…" Kyo said and then hesitated a moment not sure if what he was about to suggest would be a good idea but then again how many childhood friends did he have. "Maybe we could hangout while you're here. Get to know each other again."

"I'd like th…" Natsume started to say when a strong breeze blew by them. Natsume fell off his swing and hit the ground. Hard.

"Are you alright?" Kyo asked as he looked down at the boy in concern.

"I'm fine," Natsume said as he glared at the nearby bushes before slowly getting up and rubbing the middle of his chest.

"I'll walk you back. Where are you staying?" Kyo asked as he got off his own swing.

"I…" Natsume started to say and then stopped looking confused. Kyo sighed. At least Natsume had a legitimate excuse for being lost unlike someone else he knew. "I have the address." Natsume reached into his pocket, pulled out a small piece of paper, and handed it over.

"I know where this is," Kyo said glad it was close. "Come on." He then started walking. It took a moment before he finally heard Natsume's footsteps as well.

"Thank you for the help," Natsume said sounding sincere.

"Don't worry about it," Kyo said surprised by the sincerity.

"I forgot about how big this city was," Natsume said as he looked around.

"I guess," Kyo said with a shrug never really thinking about it. "I heard that they're filming a movie here but I don't know a lot about it. Maybe we can go check it out tomorrow. We can meet at the park after I'm done with school. Around three work for you?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Natsume seeming to finally begin to relax.

It didn't take them long to reach the house which looked like a typical house. Not overly fancy but not rundown either. Kyo was just about to tell the other boy goodbye and leave until he heard something that sounded breaking in the house followed by shrill screams. Both Natsume and Kyo winced at the sound and the smaller boy's hand hovered over the doorknob like he was afraid to open it. He didn't have to though as the door opened and an older couple stepped out.

"Takashi-kun," the older woman said looking flustered. "You're back so late. Did you get lost?"

"No…I…ah…I ran into an old friend, Kyo," Natsume said sounding uncertain and if Kyo wasn't mistaken with a hint of fear in his voice.

"I see," the old man said giving him a smile.

"Thank very much for doing that I…" the old woman started to say when something else broke in the house and the shrill screaming started again.

"If that boy is back I don't want him in my house! There's something wrong with him! He's not right!" the woman inside screamed. Natsume flinched like he'd been struck and Kyo barely held his back. That woman sounded just like. Like too many people that he could name.

"Kiki! Takashi is a good boy," the old woman said as she hurried into his house. The older man had a frown on his face as he watched her hurry into the house.

"Don't take anything she says seriously. She's sick and it's only for a few more days until we find a nice caretaker for her," the man explained.

"I know," Natsume said quietly sounding so uncertain and unsure it was almost heartbreaking.

"Thank you again for bringing Takashi home," the man said.

"If," Kyo said as he licked his lips not believing what he was about to say but pushed through anyway not really thinking about it. "If you would like Natsume could stay with me and my family while you're here."

"Are you sure?" the man asked.

"Sure about what?" the woman asked as she once again joined them outside.

"Kyo offered to let Natsume stay with him while we are here," the man explained to her.

"Really? Are you sure that's alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kyo said with a casual shrug even though he was anything but. He figured that if Yuki could invite Tohru over and she ended up living with them then he could invite over his childhood friend for a few days. All he knew though was that he couldn't leave Natsume there with that woman.

"I think that's a good idea. Is that alright with you?" the man asked as he looked at the smaller boy.

"Ah…yeah," Natsume said looking nervous. Not that Kyo could blame him. It's not like they really knew each other and he wasn't sure how Shigure was going to react.

"I'll pack your bag," the woman said as she went back into the house.

Not ten minutes later Natsume was quietly following him looking overly nervous and upset. Kyo was feeling the same. There was no reason for that woman to treat Natsume that way. He was a normal kid. At least his family had a reason. He glared down at the bracelet that he had to wear. They had a good reason.

"Do they always treat you that way?" Kyo asked no longer able to stand the silence. Natsume blinked at him a few times like he was surprised that he was being talked to.

"No the Fujiwaras are the nicest people that I've said with. Touku-san's sister though…" Natsume said as his voice trailed off. Kyo frowned realizing that Natsume had his own story. He thought that the older couple might have been his grandparents or his aunt and uncle; something along those lines but they weren't his family at all.

"This way," Kyo said as he turned into the grounds and waited for the surprised sound people made when they walked into the wooded area. He turned to look at the quiet boy following him. Natsume didn't look awed or surprised he looked wary. His eyes kept looking on either side of the path like he expected something to attack them.

"There are no wild animals in here," Kyo said with a roll of his eyes. Or at least not at the moment but he thought it best not to add that. Natsume mumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'It's not the animals I'm worried about.'

Soon enough they reached the house and he wasn't surprised to see that Tohru was waiting on the porch. Shigure was also with her which was a little unnerving but he figured he better get it over with.

"Kyo I was getting worried," the girl said as she nervously rung her hands, "is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. I just ran into an old friend," Kyo said as he glanced over his shoulder to see Natsume standing there looking ready to bolt. "He needs a place to stay for a few days so I said he could stay here."

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't see you standing there…" Tohru started to prattle as she hurried over to Natsume who, to his credit, looked only slightly overwhelmed.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to have him stay here?" Shigure asked quietly.

"Tohru lives here besides it's only for a few days. It's not like he'll have time to figure anything out," Kyo explained.

"I know but at you at least you went to school with Tohru. This boy is a complete stranger. Why would you invite him to stay here?" the man asked as they both watched as Tohru fawned over Natsume.

"He's not a complete stranger," Kyo mumbled suddenly feeling embarrassed by his answer. Shigure raised an eyebrow. "He's a childhood friend of mine."

"A childhood friend," Shigure repeated. "The boy you use to play with in the park."

"You remember him?" Kyo asked surprised.

"Of course I do. You talked about him all the time," Shigure gave him a wicked smile before he flounced down the steps towards Natsume and Tohru. "So you're Kyo's long lost childhood friend. I'm Shigure. Kyo's favorite cousin."

"Stay away from him," Kyo said as he grabbed Shigure by his collar and tossed him back. The man immediately started to whine.

"You're sooo mean," he said with a sniff. "I'm going inside where I'm wanted. Yuki! Kyo's being mean. Even with his friend here. You'd think with company…" his voice trailed off as he walked into the house. Kyo realized that in his own weird way Shigure had just given a warning to Yuki that they had someone normal around.

"There's plenty of dinner left over for both of you and I've kept it warm!" Tohru said with a big smile as she walked into the house.

"Come on," Kyo said as he walked into the house. Natsume followed albeit slowly.

"Dinner's on the table," Tohru said as she sat down. Yuki also sat even though he didn't have a plate but neither did Tohru. It looked as if him and Natsume weren't going to have a quiet meal. Yuki gave Natsume a curious glance before he sent a glare Kyo's way. He was glad that Yuki wasn't saying his usually jibes. Kyo figured that even he could tell that Natsume was upset and didn't need to see or hear one of their fights.

"If you're going to be staying here for a few days I need to know your favorite meal so I can make it for you before you leave," Tohru offered in her usually cheerful manner.

"You don't have to go through the trouble besides I'm not really picky," Natsume said as he gave the girl a kind smile. Kyo couldn't help noticing how mellow the boy was being. Complete opposite from everyone else he knew.

"So Shigure said you and Kyo were childhood friends," Yuki said although the way he said it, it was more of a question. Natsume nodded

"Yeah we use to play at the park," Natsume said and didn't add more.

"Well that's nice. You two running into each other again I mean," Tohru said. Natsume nodded and continued to eat his dinner while talking to Tohru; actually she did most of the talking while Natsume nodded and made non-committal noises.

"I hope you know what you're doing with him," Yuki said quietly.

"It's only for a few days unlike your guest. He'll be gone before anyone will even know he's here," Kyo muttered. He was tempted to tell him why he had to stay here but he doubted anyone in his family would understand or care.

"For your sake and his I hope you're right," Yuki said as he got up. "Well I'm going to bed. Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight Yuki," Tohru said cheerfully. Natsume said a quiet goodnight and watched Yuki leave with the most curious expression on his face.

"Thank you for the nice meal. It was very good," Natsume said as he got up with his plate in hand.

"Don't worry about the dishes I'll do them. You can go on up to bed you look tired," Tohru said as she took the plate from him.

"Thank you again," Natsume said.

"Come on you can stay in my room," Kyo said as he grabbed Natsume's bag and headed up the stairs giving the other boy no choice but to follow.

"Your family seems nice," Natsume said once he closed the door to the bedroom.

"They can be," Kyo muttered not wanting to think about them anymore. He opened his closet and started to pull out the futon Natsume immediately helped him. "You can have the bed if you want."

"No the futon's fine," Natsume told him and then yawned. Tohru was right Natsume looked beyond tired.

"Bathroom's through there if you want to change for bed. Knock though because I share it with Yuki," Kyo said as he pointed towards the door.

A few minutes later the light was off and they were both in bed trying to sleep. Keyword trying. Kyo's sensitive ears picked up what he thought were quiet sobs coming from the other boy. He wasn't sure what to do. He had never really comforted someone before and he really didn't know Natsume that well. Plus he was trying to hide the fact that he was. If he didn't have such sensitive hearing he never would have heard it in the first place. In the end he just let it go deciding that he would trying and cheer the other boy up tomorrow.

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Important Info:

1: I didn't finish the Fruit Baskets Manga. I only read through till you (the reader) found out Akito's secret. I didn't read past that. So for the purpose of this story Akito will be a boy. I hope that doesn't offend anyone.

2: I will use a few Japanese words in this story but only ones that don't have a translation. Such as yokai. I will also occasionally use the suffix on the end of names again because there is no translation for them except when dealing with the Fujiwaras. They will be Mr. and Mrs. so it will be easier to distinguish between the two.

3: I don't know the age of the characters but the purposes for this Story Kyo will be 17 and Natsume 15.

4: This story takes place after season 4 of Natsume so there will be spoilers and for Fruits Baskets not set after anything certain but again spoilers.

5: You probably know from the description that this story will be BL (BoyxBoy) (nothing graphic) but in case it wasn't clear you have been warned.

Please enjoy the story and leave a review!