Authoress' Note: I have been writing way too much Naruto lately and I need a break. So, I come here, the Fruits Basket section to vent! I'm not exactly sure if this couple is supported by many fans (as I write this story — March 27, 2008— I can't exactly check the fan fiction archive as of now because my internet is down) but I support it. Heh…
P.S. The summary kinda doesn't match the story. Sorry…
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.
The Color of Snow
Large clumps of soft, white snowflakes covered the Sohma main house gently. It was accompanied by bitter wisps of chilly air, some of which were hardly audible. As the soft wind blew, it sent the icy, quickly melting clusters every which way, and the brunette's dainty face was no exception.
She lay on her side idly on the ligneous porch, watching the almost ideal setting that was snowfall. It was strangely calming to her, these bleak winter days, listening intently to nothing at all, and gazing at frozen water falling tranquilly from the heavens above. It was surreal, in a way, that the Earth could seem so peaceful all of a sudden.
Clad in an oversized grey sweatshirt, she hugged the bulky fabric closer to her thin frame to suppress the nippy air from making a frosty contact with her skin. She sighed contently, primarily to watch as her own breath became vapor in frigid air, before dissipating into nothing.
The porch she lay on soon began to vibrate softly, but the young girl paid it no mind. The brunette could perceive the presence of another, and suddenly felt somewhat balmy. The person stood over her immobile body.
"Hey, Kagura," the person spoke reverberatingly, "It's not good for you to be out here all the time. Why don't you just come inside, where it's warmer?"
She smiled; he was quite the worrywart, primarily over her. The girl said in response to his question, "Silly Haru-kun, don't you get it? I want to be out here — and it is warm for someone like me, who's used to this cold weather."
The boy could only stare down at her, feeling nothing but sheer pity. "How many times are you going to do this? He's a jackass. Forget about him," he ordered, and waited for her answer. Alas, it remained silent, and the girl kept her eyes on a lone snowflake. "Kagura?"
She contradicted mellifluously, "How many times are you going to keep asking me that? And don't call Kyo-kun that dirty word…" Kagura sighed at his persistence, "Why do you care so much anyway?"
"I don't know… it may be the fact that you keep giving him what he won't appreciate."
"No, I don't think it's that," Kagura said softly. She sat up lethargically, pulling her bare knees to her chest. With arms that were covered in heavy grey cotton, she wrapped them around her legs. "I think you like me."
Hatsuharu blushed just slightly, shoving his frostbitten hands into his pockets. "What gives you that idea?"
"It's weird, because you're always somehow the first person I see after I meet with Kyo-kun. There's usually this peculiar look in your eyes, like you're afraid I had just gotten my heart broken…" She trailed off in thought, before continuing quietly, "I like you, too…"
"Don't say things like that." His black eyes were no longer directed at her, but at the snowy scene she found fascinating.
"But I honestly do though. You're hair is what I like most about you, I'm sure. It reminds me of snow, and not just talking of the color. On the outside, although you seem as hard as stone," Kagura leaned forward, grasping snow and holding it up to her face. "you're really just mush on the inside." She squeezed it, causing the liquid to seep from the corners of her fingers.
Hatsuharu knitted his eyebrows in confusion, "Are you trying to say that I'm a weakling?"
"No, I'm not — mush is good. It means you're romantic, and I like that. So, therefore, I like you. Don't you see the way it blends?" She ran her numb fingers in the small area of water she had previously created. "The only person I've ever wanted was someone who felt the way I did about them… but I guess…"
The man abruptly went down on his knees. Both his arms went around her thin frame from behind. He continued her statement, "Yeah, Kagura, people like that actually do exist. You just have to let them in."
She bowed her head in shame, "I can't Haru-kun. You have to understand, it would be wrong. We can't be anything more than what we are. Why can't you stay contented with that? Fighting for something more… a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
"What?"
"It's better to keep something that you can be certain of than risk losing it in an attempt to get something better," she explained, "Stop trying to make us something we're not."
He buried his face in her hair. "If it's so wrong, then who cares? If we're happy, then nothing else matters. Is it that you don't want yourself to be happy, Kagura? Is that it?"
"I do… I want to be happy…"
"Then stay here."
She allowed her head to fall back on his chest. Kagura then rested her fingers on his arm. "I will. For now… at least…"
Authoress Note: How was it? Pardon me if it's out of character, because the last episode I watched of it was about six months ago. This is also only my second story in this section, mind you.
If you would be so kind, review.
