The Sohma Estate was bathed in shafts of light. Springtime blossoms dotted the trees of the landscape. In the distance, the call of cicadas added to the tranquil atmosphere.

Yuki Sohma raised a mug of tea to his lips and drank. His textbook sat heavily on the dining table unattended. His purple eyes glossed over.

He hardly flinched as a leg kicked at his head and missed entirely, leading to a huge thump on the floor.

"Is your aim getting worse?" Yuki asked calmly. An orange-headed boy lifted his head off the floor. He cut his red eyes at the grey-haired teen. He meant his kick to be harmless but but startling. He pointed up at him.

"Hey! I was wide open. You could have easily hit me. You were distracted!"

"It's called thinking." Yuki sipped his tea. "You should try it sometime."

Shoji doors slid open.

"He was probably distracted with thoughts of our lovely little flower." The lazy writer cooed knowingly from the entrance.

"Shigure!" Yuki seethed. The Dog made everything sound dirty.

The grey-haired teen had been thinking of Tohru. The image of wide blue eyes, a warm smile, and a strawberry ice cream cone filled him with an unnamed-able feeling sort of like nostalgia. Slowly, he'd come to appreciate that smile and even to rely on it.

Shoji doors slid open again, followed by light footsteps and a rustle of plastic.

A slim brunette stepped in carrying a bag. The three male's eyes softened as she explained how she found gifts from the store that were perfect for Yuki and Kyo.

Tohru Honda casually flipped a braid over her shoulder as she fished through her shopping bag. For Kyo: some bandages. He refused at first, until Yuki mentioned an upcoming visit from Kagura. Defeated, he huffed and pocketed the bandages before slinking away to the roof.

Tohru Honda looked at Yuki nervously, thinking of her gift. Would he find it too silly?

"What did you get me, Miss Honda?" the Rat prompted gently.

She simply presented him with the bag. Yuki reached inside and found a packet of pencils with some cutely designed rat heads on the tips. He imagined Tohru's reaction upon seeing them at the store. Her whole face would light up to find such a cute gift. It gave a nod to their little secret in an endearing way that almost made the curse seem like an inside joke. Yuki immediately loved them, since they would make him think of her.

She looked downward.

"Um. If you don't like them, I can always take them back! I know they look a little sill—"

"Oh no!" said Yuki, cursing himself for giving her the wrong idea. "They're perfect!" He opened the package and took out a pencil. "You're too kind!"

"Oh not at all!" she gushed with obvious pleasure. "You all are so kind to me, I could never repay it."

Yuki gave a soft smile. The girl was always so grateful.

"I still wish you would spend some of the money from your part-time job on yourself."

At that, girl got some kind of weird glint in her eye. "Actually," she said with triumph, "I did!"

Shigure looked up from pretending to read his newspaper.

"Really?" asked Yuki, skeptically.

"Yeah!"

"What did you get?" Yuki and Shigure both asked in unison.

With gusto, she pulled out a brand new pair of… cleaning gloves.

"Hanajima was talking to me about doing more for myself so I decided to get these gloves. They were a major splurge!"

Yuki's smile faltered a little. At least she was trying. The fact of the matter was that she was a bit hopeless at thinking of herself.

Tohru felt like a child who had eaten too much birthday cake. Hanajima made getting something for herself seem like such a great idea at the time. But now she was wondering how she could justify her spending. Hanajima meant well but if she made her loved ones happy then that was enough, wasn't it?

And Yuki… he was so sweet for calling her kind. He really was like a Prince. What would Yuki's fan club think if they saw how casually they exchanged gifts and compliments?

She gulped. She'd be in trouble for sure.

After all, Yuki was the Prince of their high school and she was such a plain girl. They'd never accept that someone so handsome chose be close to a girl like her. She really was lucky just to be his friend.

Still, there were times when he walked her home from her job or he helped with the dishes or carried some of her bags and he would look at her with so much gentleness in his eyes that she would hold her breath and wait…wait for what she didn't know but she was always waiting for something. And then the moment would pass and that feeling of suspense would fade away.

What could she possibly be waiting for? He was already doing enough by letting her stay in the Sohma estate. He was so kind to her and always made time in his busy schedule to spend with her. To ask anything more would just be selfish.

Yuki expertly twirled his rat-head pencil on top of his thumb knuckle.

The fact remained that he was not like her. She was kind to people out of the goodness of her heart. He was only nice to get people to like him. She was too gracious for him. He had no courage to match her gentle strength. He really was just a mess of self-pity and self-loathing on the inside.

Sure he was talented in many areas, but he hated his stunted, reserved nature to the point where he would gladly give it up for Kyo's sociability. Besides, if he ever caused her to have to face Akito's wrath, he'd never forgive himself.

To truly love her, he would protect her from harm. His increasing feelings would have to be subdued somehow.

Tohru slumped in her seat before stretching back into a yawn. Arching her back, she curled her hands into fists and reached back, extending her toes before recoiling to hunch over her math textbook. Yuki looked away. Unlike him, she seemed comfortable enjoying herself without reservation.

The brunette wrapped her hands around brown locks of hair, drawing the teen's eyes to her slender fingers. She pushed an eraser tip against her bottom lip, sighing at the formulas in frustration. When he caught himself staring, he looked away at his textbook. What was wrong with him?

"Yuki..?" Tohru asked hesitantly. She hoped he didn't find her stupid. "Could you help me with the formula again?"

"Sure Miss Honda. Set the problem up like this…" From there, they fell into a familiar rhythm. At the end, the Rice Ball tried to thank him profusely, but Yuki just shrugged and suggested she could return the favor and help him pass home economics. At this Tohru smiled so brilliantly that his heart beat a bit faster. Why was she so happy?

"Ah! I've got to get dinner started!"

Moving effortlessly, Tohru hummed a nameless tune as she whipped out the pots and pans. She wasn't sure why, but she felt happier than usual. Maybe buying the gloves were a good idea after all. Her mind wandered as she placed a large pot on the stovetop. Yuki was so kind to her. If she could actually help him in home economics, she would finally prove herself useful to him.

Kyo slinked down to his seat at the smell of food and Shigure rubbed his stomach in anticipation. Yuki put his homework away and sat as far away from Shigure as possible.

Tohru's hair was beginning to spill from one of her braids. She tucked a few strands behind her ears as she served the food. It was a simple western meal of spaghetti. However, her placement of the herbs from the garden as a garnish gave the dish a touch of refinement. She was always one for the little details. Her movements were practiced and graceful. Yuki sat with his hands locked together, his eyes shielded. He barely noticed when she came next to him with a teapot.

"Yuki, are you okay? Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss Honda, I'm fine. I'd like some."

Then she poured. Loosened hair partially shielded her face. She paused to look up at him—to ask if it was enough. He looked up at her. Immediately, she forgot to ask and looked back down. He looked away just as quickly. He wanted her to look at him again. He placed his fingers on her wrist.

"That's enough, Miss Honda."

She started and spilled some tea onto the table. More flustered than usual, she sputtered.

"Yuki. I'm sor—it's my fault. I'll wipe it up!" she did a hop skip and walked a bit too quickly to the kitchen. 'Why am I so nervous?' she thought.

'Idiot' Yuki berated himself. Still he couldn't help but wonder at her moments of uncertainty around him. Whenever she got acted in a way that might be suspicious, he could always chalk it up to wishful thinking or Tohru's magnanimous actions portioned equally to everyone.

He looked at Shigure. He was humming obnoxiously in contrived innocence. Somehow, that was more irritating than if he had just made some lewd comment.

After dinner, Yuki offered to help wash the dishes. Tohru smiled her thanks as usual, but felt concerned. She'd seen that dark look after her spill. Maybe he was irritated with her.

"Yuki, is something bothered for you? I'm sorry I spilled the tea earlier. I know I can be clumsy."

Yuki scowled as he rubbed the rag round a dish. His sleeve was rolled up and Tohru noticed clearly the veins that stood out of the muscles in his lower arm.

"You shouldn't feel sorry for me, Tohru. I'm just selfish. That's all."

With a little gasp, Tohru shook her head, tendrils of hair loosening from her braid. She tucked her hair behind her ears again before insisting,

"No, you mustn't say that about yourself. You're smart and kind and generous!"

Yuki sighed.

"I'm only kind to win favors from others."

He could scarcely believe the denial in her eyes as she put her dish down.

"But that's not right. Selfishness is to want something at the expense of others. Hanajima told me that you should treat yourself like someone who you care about." She took a step closer.

"Think, Yuki. If someone you cared about said they were just selfish, what would you tell them?"

Yuki put down his dish. He knew she was asking for his sake but all he could think of was her. He moved his bangs aside.

"I'd tell them they were wrong-That they have ways of making the people around them feel special and wanted even if they don't deserve it. I'd tell them they brought meaning into people's lives without asking anything in return."

Tohru held her breath in awe. It was touching, yet oddly specific. If only he could see how those words applied to him!

"Then give yourself the same credit. All of that is true about you!"

Yuki's knuckles gripped the counter. "You really think so? "

The Rice Ball smiled with confidence. "Yes. You mustn't be hard on yourself. Okay?" she giggled a bit nervously.

Yuki stepped forward. Her face had a pretty flush. Slowly, he lifted a hand and tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear.

"On one condition.."

Tohru's breathing became shallow. He was very close now.

"What is that?"

"You must also treat yourself like someone you care about. And you mustn't be hard on yourself."

She blustered a bit and giggled nervously. It was a bit overwhelming to think about when she applied her advice to herself.

"Promise?" He asked. He leaned forward, trapping her between himself and the counter. She blushed. Why was he so close? What if he transformed? Was it what she was waiting for? For Yuki to finally let his guard down and share his struggles? Like with most girls, the aura of the Prince was taking its effect. She could hardly breathe. Again, she waited.

"Yeah." She whispered. Her half lidded eyes closed. Her heart was beating fast and she began trembling. She curled her toes.

At once Yuki seemed to realize how close he'd gotten. His stomach dropped.

"Miss Honda, I'm sorry!" he said, blushing fiercely, and sprang apart from her. He buried his face in his hand.

"No Yuki, it was just nice to be so close without transforming you."

Heart beating wildly, Yuki's thoughts splintered in a thousand directions. 'You can be close to me all you want.' Went a baser one. Over and over, her words rumbled around in his head, wracking his brain, turning his concentration into mush. He was melting fast and her presence was like the heat of a warm sun.

No, he couldn't have her. He had to fall back before it was too late. She was slowly drawing him in with her sincerity and innocence. But doing the right thing was more important-Way more important than pinning her to the counter and kissing her senseless.

He dried the dishes as if they were intensely interesting. Tohru began to get an off feeling, like she had said something wrong. She was a girl of awkward moments. Sometimes she wondered if Yuki didn't feel a bit sorry for her. Right now, though, he seemed troubled. She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Yuki immediately drew his hand away, as if burned.

"Tohru I -," he began. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

She drew her hand to her chess and closed her eyes. Confusion and loss gripped her as she stood there. However she realized that that was the first time he called her Tohru.