Chapter 1: Normality

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my first Fruits Basket fanfic…please be nice! I appreciate all feedback, good or bad. This is set just after the series with some references to the manga (as not all events are covered in the anime)

The main pairing is Kyo and Tohru, though I also think the friendships displayed in Fruits Basket are very important.

Some of you will probably come to this fic through my Gundam Wing fanfic, Job Interview – if so, please don't despair - an update for Job Interview will be up at some point next week.

Any of you who haven't read that fic, please give it a chance as well

Okay, after all that babbling…I finally throw my fic to the wolves…I mean readers…lol…hope you enjoy it!

If shame had a face I think it would kind of look like mine

If it had a home would it be my eyes?

- Sick Cycle Carousel, Lifehouse

He stalked towards her, muscles rippling beneath his skin. His movement was unnatural: smooth and predatory.

Lust had darkened his eyes to almost black in the shadow-filled room.

She backed away, involuntarily moistening her lips nervously. The wall was solid behind her as he advanced.

She had barely breathed his name when he was in front of her, body pressed against every inch of her own. His arm curled around her waist, pulling her tighter against him.

Their breath mixed for a second as their eyes met, before he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss that was all about possession.

Her hands were flat on his bare chest; she could feel his heartbeat like a butterfly trapped beneath her palm. The hands that had originally been intended to push him away now moved to his shoulders and pulled him closer. She tilted her chin up and gasped as he trailed a line of kisses down her neck, lingering over the pulse.

The feel of his lips on her skin sent shocks through her entire body.

She had just leant back into the reassuring support of his hands at her waist when she felt the wall behind her disappear and a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders.

Stifling a scream she snapped out of her dream and shot up in bed, colliding painfully with another person before slumping back down, clutching her nose.

Kyo was staring down at her incredulously, blood already beginning to drip between the hands he held over his face.

"Kyo…"

Tohru winced; waiting for the explosion she knew was coming.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!"

He stomped out of her bedroom and into the bathroom. Even in his rage he was careful not to let any blood drip on the carpet, his actions, as always, speaking louder than words.

Tohru looked absently at a drop of blood on her own hand, the image of Kyo's crimson eyes burning in her memory: so loving and full of a need for her…and ablaze with rage as the world once more conspired against him.

When Kyo returned from the bathroom he threw some tissues on the bed unceremoniously.

"Here!"

His voice was muffled by the toilet paper he had jammed up his nose.

Tohru finally met his gaze as she mopped the blood from her own nose. Kyo stared back at her defiantly and Tohru blushed with the recollection of her dream. It was so unlike her...as if someone else had taken her over.

He frowned at her blush, and then took a deep breath, carefully controlling his temper before muttering under his breath.

"First Yuki punches me, then you give me a nosebleed…I should have let you both sleep in but Shigure insisted…stupid dog"

"I'm so sorry Kyo"

"Don't apologize! What are you still doing in bed anyway? Get up! We're going to be late!"

He turned to leave, mopping his nose with more tissue.

Tohru looked at the clock on her bedside cabinet and her eyes widened. Simultaneously she threw back the duvet and leapt out of bed, exclaiming at the late time.

Kyo turned back towards her as she caught her foot in the quilt and began to fall. Two seconds later he was on his back on the floor with Tohru on top of him. For just a little while he could feel every inch of her body against his own and the pain where the base of his skull had struck the floor didn't seem important. But it was just a few seconds before there was a large "Poof!" as Kyo transformed.

Tohru was on her knees behind him, face hidden by her hair. He turned towards her, fur bristling and made a conscious effort not to yell. He had already done enough of that for one day. He counted slowly backwards from ten before attempting to speak.

She sounded close to tears as she apologised once more and Kyo felt his anger drain away as quickly as it had risen.

"Don't worry about it. And, um, don't worry about breakfast either. Just get your shower"

Tohru started to protest, but he glared at her.

"You. Shower. Now"

Kyo could feel the familiar tingling beneath his skin that signalled transforming back and he didn't want Tohru to be there when it happened. He had already been in that compromising situation several times before, as had they all, but lately it seemed to matter more. Recently he had begun to notice the fact that Tohru was a girl and he was a boy and the way being around her made him feel…confused.

The door had only closed behind her a few seconds before he transformed back and scrambled into his clothes. Surreptitiously he checked the hallway before venturing downstairs. He didn't want to know what that pervert, Shigure, would say if he knew Kyo had been naked in Tohru's room.

"How's my little flower this morning?"

Shigure bustled into the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of Kyo standing in front of the cooker, wearing a mask and stirring miso soup. A pile of completed rice balls lay on a plate next to the rice cooker.

"Getting domesticated I see" Shigure laughed.

Kyo bristled, "Fine! You can make your own breakfast then!"

He lifted the plate or rice balls and stalked into the other room to set it on the table. Shigure poked his head through the doorway.

"Where's Tohru? Ah, how the sight of her brightens my day!"

Kyo kept his back turned towards Shigure and mumbled through a mouthful of rice.

"In the shower. She slept in"

Shigure opened his mouth to reply but paused, nose twitching at the smell starting to emanate from the kitchen.

"Kyo, I think something's burning! Tohru! Save us from this cat's cooking!"

He fainted dramatically against the doorpost, one hand held to his forehead. Kyo pushed past him roughly, fighting the urge to jam his fist down the stupid dog's throat.

And as if his day couldn't get any better, Yuki came into the room behind him. Unusually for him he seemed fairly wide-awake. Kyo glared, but kept his distance. He had already been punched through Yuki's bedroom door once this morning and he wasn't planning a repeat. Yuki raised his face and sniffed delicately.

"Is something burning?"

Kyo grimaced as Yuki's words registered with him and slammed the pot into the sink harder than he had been intending. The bottom cracked and the singed miso soup began trickling out. Furiously, Kyo turned the cold tap on full blast to get rid of the nauseating smell of burnt miso and stomped across the kitchen to turn the cooker off.

Yuki and Shigure peeked around the kitchen doorway with Shigure making a big show of waving the smoke away with his hand.

"Is it safe to come in?"

Shigure examined the broken pot.

"Really Kyo. You know the main house said they wouldn't pay for anything else you broke. At this rate you're going to have to get a job to pay for it all"

Kyo bristled.

"Why don't you make that stupid rat pay for it as well? He's the one who threw me through the door this morning!"

Yuki looked up from where he was standing examining the contents of the fridge and let out a deep breath.

"Idiot cat. It's your own fault – your guard is terrible! It's not even worth my time fighting you"

"Right! Bring it on now, pretty boy. I'm going to beat you once and for all!"

He took up a fighting stance and beckoned Yuki who responded by turning slowly towards his opponent, sighing.

"If I must…"

As the two prepared to move Tohru entered through the kitchen doorway and stopped between them, blinking.

Yuki relaxed his stance.

"Good morning Miss Honda. I hope you slept well"

"Thank you, Yuki"

She crossed to the sink and picked up the broken shards of pot in puzzlement.

"Be careful, Miss Honda, it's sharp"

Yuki shot a glare at Kyo and helped Tohru empty the pieces into the bin.

"That stupid cat decided to make breakfast and messed it up as usual"

Tohru interrupted before Kyo could retaliate.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I slept in so Kyo volunteered to make breakfast…it's only a pot anyway!"

She smiled, oblivious to the bloody tissue that still protruded from her nostrils. Kyo fought not to snigger, and then blushed as Tohru stepped up in front of him and gently removed the tissue from his nose.

"You forgot," She laughed softly.

"Um," Kyo blushed an even darker red. "You too"

She turned an uncomplimentary tomato colour before rushing towards the bin and removing the tissue from her own nose as well.

Shigure looked between Tohru and Kyo with a gleam in his eyes.

"Oh! It looks like Kyo's been thinking naughty thoughts!"

He teased, his voice singsong. Tohru almost fainted dead away while Kyo turned slowly towards Shigure, clenching his fist tightly.

"Shut up! I was not!"

Yuki shook his head as the cat and dog bickered and left the room to get his schoolbag, lifting a rice ball to eat on the way. Though he would never admit it, cooking was one thing that Kyo could definitely beat him at. Most of Yuki's creations were indistinguishable from his last as they all resembled charcoal.

As he slid the door open Yuki could see clouds gathering in the sky and he could tell it would probably rain before long. A glance at his watch revealed that if they didn't leave now they would all be late for school. He looked back just as Tohru emerged from the kitchen and slipped her shoes on, followed by a muttering Kyo.

Watching the cat for a reaction, Yuki lifted an umbrella from the stand. Usually the weather didn't affect Yuki the way it did Kyo but he was already in an irritable mood after Kyo had wakened him that morning by shaking his shoulders. Autopilot was engaged and Kyo went sailing out through Yuki's bedroom door in response to Yuki's good morning punch.

Tohru lifted an umbrella without comment and Kyo had no explosive reaction, though the volume of his grumbling increased.

As soon as they stepped outside the first heavy drops of rain began to fall from the pewter sky and they quickly put their umbrellas up.

Kyo looked at Yuki and Tohru, then the depressing grey sky above him and let out a heartfelt sigh.

He could just tell it was going to be one of those days.

Tohru glanced at the cat beside her as he trudged along beneath his umbrella. He looked as if something were weighing heavily on his mind.

"Is something bothering you, Kyo?"

Kyo looked up in surprise to meet Tohru's innocent gaze, surprised once more at the concern she showed for others…even creatures like him.

He looked away, scuffing his feet in a puddle.

"It's nothing. Just this weather…you know how it affects me"

Yuki snorted with laughter from where he was walking slightly ahead of the other two and Kyo was immediately on the offensive.

"What're you sniggering at you stupid rat?"

Yuki looked over his shoulder, covering his smirk with one hand.

"I was just thinking that it's strange you even bathe when you hate water so much…although how often you actually wash is another question"

Yuki laughed softly and Kyo's umbrella hit the ground as he aimed a kick at his cousin's head. Yuki dodged effortlessly and Kyo followed up with a punch aimed at his stomach, which Yuki also avoided.

"Stupid rat! Fight back why don't you?"

"Whatever you say…"

Swiftly he brought his knee up to connect with Kyo's midriff and Kyo doubled over, choking for breath. As he tried to get up again, Yuki chopped the back of his neck and laid him out on his stomach on the wet tarmac.

As Kyo lay, struggling to breathe, Yuki shot him a look of disgust and turned away.

"Let's go Miss Honda. We don't want to be late for school"

Tohru paused, obviously struggling for words.

"But Kyo…"

She ran to kneel by his side.

"Are you okay?"

Kyo pushed himself to his knees, as Tohru held his retrieved umbrella over him. He was already soaked so it wasn't doing much good but he appreciated the thought.

Yuki had stopped a short distance ahead and was clearly waiting for Tohru. Kyo took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. Yuki had most certainly not been holding back and Kyo could still feel his attacks but he couldn't give up.

Tohru watched him nervously, dreading another fight. She shot a confused glance at Yuki...it had almost seemed as if he had been trying to start a fight.

It was unusual; Kyo didn't usually have the energy to fight on a rainy day and Yuki wouldn't normally have hit Kyo as hard as he had. Something was going on with the two of them that Tohru didn't understand. Something that had added a new serious dimension to their battles and a weight to their shoulders that hadn't been there before.

Kyo adopted a fighting stance and waited for Yuki to do the same, although he was already beginning to shiver as the cold rain worked its way to his skin. Watching, Tohru was surprised to see his shoulders slump.

"What's the use?"

The cat's voice carried clearly through the rain and Yuki's eyes widened in shock as they reached him. Kyo dropped his eyes, clenching his fists in quiet desperation.

Without another word he turned and took off back towards the house.

Tohru started after him with a cry but he didn't slow down. Yuki and Tohru watched until he was out of sight and then turned to exchange glances with one another.

"That was strange…" Tohru said quietly with a frown on her face.

Yuki nodded "Yes…" but he said no more, instead looking after the cat with an understanding in his eyes that Tohru couldn't explain. There was definitely something going on here that neither of the two had told her about.

Hope you liked it – it just popped into my head a little while ago and has been growing since then

Please let me know what you think – praise or criticism both receive equal welcome as it's the only way I can improve my writing

Sorry for any typing mistakes – I usually finish writing the fanfic and then post it quickly before I lose my nerve…it's scary showing it to the world!

Once again, hope you enjoyed it – please review and let me know!

Until next time!

^_^

Chrikaru