UPDATE *09-19-11. Eight years later, eight years older, I turn back to stories of the past and wince at my spelling, grammar, dialogue etc. Thus, I am endeavouring to go back and fix my fics where ever possible. I hope this story flows better then its predecessor.

Hope you enjoy it.

I don't own fruits basket, that honour belongs to its creator Natsuki Takaya.

1

All was well in the Soma household. The cicadas were chirping are they delighted in the dew-soaked trees and the sun shone surprisingly bright for how early in the morning it was.

The weekend morning continued in this pleasant fashion as Tohru, Shigure and Kyo awoke from varying accounts of restful sleep. A temperature of around eighteen degrees generally confirmed an amiable Kyo. Well, as amiable as he could be. They exchanged their morning greeting and sat down for a civilised breakfast…

"FUCK, YOU DRANK ALL THE MILK, DAMN DOG!" Kyo roared, holding the milk carton as a few measly droplets hit the bottom of the glass. Shigure waved his hands in a placating manner as he attempted to back away and hide behind Tohru, he did not make it in time to avoid the carton launched at his head with force that cardboard should not possess.

Shigure was nursing his wounded ego and mumbling about milk mania when the kitchen door slid open with a deliberate slowness to reveal a disgruntled Yuki. The purple of his eyes complemented the sleep deprived purple bags under them and his hair, normally styled with the utmost attention was tussled, and not in a stylish way.

He did not not wish them good morning and shuffled over to the table in a slouch. Honestly, he looked like a wilted violet. But flowers were not covered in red spots.

Having previously been stunned into silence by such a piteous display of the school renowned prince, Tohru snapped out of her daze and practically ran over to Yuki.

"Oh my g-goodness! Yuki are you alright? Do you need anything? Water, milk -oh no, we're out of milk- but I can get milk for you if you need some, just say" Tohru's excessive kindness continued to spill over, like oil. While Yuki found Tohru endearing, even he had his limits, especially so early on a such an inconvenient day.

Yuki attempted to muster a smile, but felt it falter and most likely appeared as if he had chugged a gallon of sour milk and then forced to apologise to Kyo for it.

"I am alright Miss Honda, truly, there is no need to worry about me" Yuki murmured, his gentle tone husky after coughing half the night. At the thought, Yuki began coughing and spluttering anew.

Torhu's limbs only gained a faster momentum in frantic concern. Kyo pretending to be disinterested, slowly slide over his freshly refilled glass of water to be within reaching distance of Yuki.

This small gesture was not lost of Shigure, and being the sly dog he was, concocted a plan immediately. He sighed dramatically as he wound an arm around Tohru's shoulders and directed her towards the door way.

"Well Torhu, it would seem that the burden falls on us, You and I must go on a quest. The only such cure for a sore throat is milk and honey! Did you know that? Of course, you do, you are our little domestic goddess. Come along now, we must make haste!" Shigure completed the heroic speech by dropping to one knee and holding out his hand towards Tohru. Not knowing how to respond, Tohru just stood there for a good few seconds before her stuttering protest.

"But shouldn't I stay here and look after Yuki?" Tohru wondered, couldn't Shigure or Kyo get the milk?

Shigure waved off her concerns as if they were flies "My dearest Tohru, Kyo here is able to lift Yuki if she were to collapse. It is Kyo's familial duty to ensure that our prince regains his former glory. Think of it as a bonding exercise." Completely forgetting to mention that there was no risk of collapse with chicken pox.

There were several seconds of buffering silence before Yuki went a paler white and Kyo jumped to his feet with cat like agility, the hair on the back of his neck raising as he hissed "THE HELL YOU PLAYIN' AT? I SURE AS HELL WON'T BE PLAYING NURSEMAID, EXSPECIALLY FOR THE DAMN RAT!"

Shigure paid no heed to Kyo, as he grabbed his wallet in one hand andTohru's hand in the other before he strode towards the exit while calling back "You'll be fine for half an hour or so. The skin soothing ointment is in the cupboard beside the fridge and make sure that Yuki doesn't itch his sores. Don't give me that look, think of it as a challenge Kyo, farewell."

The door slammed, leaving nothing left to be said. Yuki looked down at his rice and tried to eat without meeting the burning gaze he felt on the nape of his neck and stayed his hands that twitched in urge to scratch at his thighs. He was able to abstain for at least five minutes before the crawling sensation on his collar bone became too much to bare and he gave in to giving it a small scratch, which evolved into scratching his whole neck red raw.

He bit back a curse as his one of the sores stung more than normal, it must have been cut.

Yuki was so distracted by the itching of his limbs that he forgot completely about Kyo's presence until he felt a hand hotter than his own catching both of his wrists mid-scratch and forcing them to him sides. Kyo's low voice dangerously close to his ear.

"Don't you have any self-discipline rat?" Kyo's self-satisfaction and mocking tone made Yuki's skin crawl in an entirely different way.

Yuki's fist clenched at his sides, but he couldn't pull away due to his exhaustion from tossing and turning in delirious discomfort last night. He did not respond to Kyo's obvious jab.

Clicking his tongue, Kyo got a closer look at the source of Yuki's dilemma. The skin around Yuki's throat looked aggravated and tender, one large sore spot in particular was bleeding sluggishly. The rest of his skin was a bit flushed, but nothing as serious as the neck.

"Who seriously gets chicken pox at your age? Did you grow up in a bubble or somethin'?"

Kyo's accusation caused Yuki to freeze, a wild kind of fury- or was it fear- in his eyes, before it was supressed and Yuki shrugged.

"Not all of us like to roll in the dirt cat and catch all of the diseases on offer, I took care to look after myself" Yuki's voice went low and each word was said briskly and cold.

Kyo let go of Yuki's wrists as his vision went momentary red, but when realeased, Yuki's hands went straight to the itch his behind he left shoulder blade.

A growl of frustration escaped as Kyo threw his hands up in frustration "can you not be left alone for a damn second?"

They relapsed into silence as Kyo rifled in the cupboards until he found the ointment and threw it, aiming for Yuki's head. Unfortunately, Yuki's sole attention was on his present pain and his reflex to duck came too late; the tube struck him on the temple, he let out a small cry before touching the area gently to assess the damage.

The feeling of triumph Kyo expected to feel didn't come and he walked in sullen silence back to his, now cold, breakfast.

Yuki commenced in rubbing the cream over his neck and down his arms. The overpowering stench of antiseptic and something dull and undiscernible attacked Kyo's sensitive nose, but he didn't leave the room. The ointment stained the cuffs and collar of Yuki's shirt white, but there was no move made to remove it.

Eventually, every visible inch of Yuki's skin felt soothed, but this only made him aware of how much his skin of his back was crawling and how he wasn't able to reach it. He had always been stiff in his shoulders. He didn't look, but he turned his attention to the only other person in the house. Shigure and Tohru would be gone for another twenty minutes at least.

"I need your help"

When Yuki turned to Kyo he was, as always, struck by his loud presence, as even in silence, Kyo was never quiet. Whether it was tapping on a table to a tune stuck in his head, or the whisper of his clothes as he shifted his legs, a bundle of unrestrainable energy. Kyo's eyes widened and his raised eye brows spoke volumes.

"What?" Kyo asked, his tone incredulous.

Despite Yuki's growing fear clawing up his throat, he knew it was too late to back out of this now. His back was in a lot of pain. He didn't repeat his previous statement. Instead, he whipped his head around to glare at Kyo, half in annoyance, half in pain.

Kyo's shocked expression morphed into one of superiority.

"And why should I help you rat?" Kyo's entire being radiated smugness as he folded his arms and leaned back casually against the wall. His dark eyes lidded and sparkled; seeming to delight in the sight of Yuki's weakness.

Gulping down his pride, Yuki almost stood up and walked out without a word, his back be damned. He almost took a stride to kick that infuriating look off Kyo's face.

But he looked down instead. Intent on looking as submissive as possible.

"There is no reason" he admitted "I cannot reach my back with the ointment and the feeling in quite unpleasant" he didn't mention that it felt as though his back was covered in a swarm of literal fire flies.

Not raising his gaze, he heard Kyo sigh as he walked -stomped- over to Yuki's side, ointment in hand and waiting.

The expression of Yuki's face didn't change, but his stomach clenched, and his breath hitched in anticipation.

Both boys were lost for words, but Kyo was always one for action over needless talk, so he tugged lightly on the collar of Yuki's shirt. The universal sign to take it off.

This wordless exchange left Yuki breathless, as he slid his shirt over his head and winced as the travelling fabric irritated his sores. Kyo's suuden intake of breath was a good indication that his back was most likely in bad condition.

Kyo unscrewed the cap off the ointment tube slowly and let it drop to the floor where it rolled under a chair. Yuki had steeled himself physically for the sudden shock of cold that quickly quenched the constant itch. He was not emotionally prepared for the warmth that began to pool in the stomach as strong hands swept his back and massaged his muscled with surprising care.

The heat travelled throughout Yuki's body until it reached his eyes. The sudden urge to cry took him by surprise. He wanted to push Kyo away. He wanted to scream at him. Kick him. Talk to him. Kiss him. But he did not.

The pressure on his back lessened until it was merely the ghost of fingers. Kyo's hands lingered on his shoulder blades a few extra seconds before he flinched, like Yuki's back had been dusted with embers.

Yuki didn't turn to watch Kyo walk away. He just clenched his shirt in his hand.

"Thank you Kyo" he whispered.

Yuki stood up to return to his bedroom. However, he was startled to find that Kyo had not left the room and was standing within arms length, looking down at him with an indiscernible look. Yuki's eyes burned, and his hands itched to cross the distance and run his hands through Kyo's soft hair, down his back. He imagined embracing someone without the result of transforming.

But he did not.

Instead, Yuki gave him a faint smile and moved to walk around Kyo, when his arm was caught.

The tension radiated from them both and Yuki allowed himself to be tugged closer to Kyo, close enough to kiss if he leaned forward. But they were frozen. They were not aware of how long they analysed the various colours of their eyes when the front door slammed.

"I HAVE GOT THE MILK" Shigure bellowed.

Yuki and Kyo fell apart, eyes wide and cheeks flushed, as Shigure and Tohru waltzed in. Tohru immediately went red at the sight of a shirtless Yuki and covered her eyes, mumbling apologies before rushing out of the room.

Shigure looked over them both and raised an eye brow, smirking.

"My goodness, Yuki, what are you still doing out here?" Shigure put the milk carton down on the table and started to herd Yuki towards the direction of the door "You should be resting in your room, study if you must, but you work so hard that you should take a break and read something more interesting. You can borrow one of my books if you would like, I have this one that I'm working on and feedback would be wonderful."

Yuki shuddered at the thought of reading anything that Shigure had written, and politely declined. After a last brief look in Kyo's direction, he set off at a brisk race to the sanctity of his bedroom. Somewhere he could quell his racing heart.

Not even five minutes had passed, when there was a knock on the door.

Yuki sighed, thinking it was Shigure back to beg him into reading the manuscript after all.

However, when he opened the door, no one was there. Instead, on the floor was a lone mug of warm milk, aromatic with the scent of honey.

Yuki cradled it to his chest before drinking deeply. The warm sweet liquid soothed his aching throat and spreading through his limbs. His heart felt warm as he thought of the sly cat and he smiled.

END.