Author's Note: I wrote this like, several months ago. Then recently I considered posting it here instead of just leaving it on my deviantART gallery. Besides, I kinda wanna even out my number of Fruits Basket fics as compared to Death Note fics. I love them both, but DN's been getting more of my attention recently lolz. But anyways, here's this random Yuki/Machi fic. Not the best YxM fic ever written, but please be nice to me!


Machi sat in her seat during the student council meeting. Absolutely nothing was being accomplished, as usual. Well, besides her half-brother Kakeru acting obnoxious and Kimi being annoying. So it would probably be better to say nothing productive was being accomplished.

Quieting down the commotion (or at least attempting to) was Yuki's job, since he was the president. And it was a frustrating job, to say the least. Machi wanted to help him calm them down, but if they wouldn't take him--the president--seriously, then there was no way that she would be taken seriously. Instead, she sat quietly in her seat. Her mind started wandering, and soon the noise of the room grew dim.

She had been thinking a lot lately, about Yuki. She didn't know why his face was suddenly in her head 24/7, or why she was afraid to look him in the eye, much less talk to him. She knew that she was a shy girl anyway, but the mere mention of his name made her heart rate double, if not triple. The fact that he had three cousins at the same school didn't help either; she was almost to a point that she was basically always jumpy when someone said the name "Sohma", even if they weren't referring to Yuki Sohma.

Could it be possible that she had a crush on him? No, absolutely not, was her mental response. She refused to open any doors that would make people compare her to those stupid fan club girls. If there was anybody at Kaibara High that got on Machi's last nerve (besides Kakeru or Kimi), it was the Prince Yuki Fan Club. She wasn't jealous of them ("Why the hell would I be jealous of a bunch of annoying girls like them?!" she asked herself), they hadn't directly wronged her in any way (besides calling her the "wierd quiet girl", and everyone called her that. She didn't care; she knew it was true)...but she just...hated them. They were annoying, and that was a good enough reason for her.

And because of this, she hated to admit that she actually agreed with them on one thing: Yuki was pretty cute...

Then it dawned on her. Maybe she did have a crush on him. He was one of the rare few that didn't pick on her, and he was good-looking. And maybe that was why she hated the other girls that liked him. Maybe it was jealousy. Perhaps she did hate them for being more confident than she was when being within a five-meter radius of Yuki. No, instead she was just plain, ordinary, quiet, shy Machi Kuragi.

The sudden sound of shuffling chairs broke Machi out of her daydreams. She looked down at her notebook to discover that while her mind had wandered, apparently her hand had as well. She had unconsciously written her initials, a heart, and the initials "YS" several times in the margins ("Oh no," she thought in terror, "I'm just like THEM!")

"Um, Machi?" a sudden voice asked. She jumped. She looked up, seeing a very concerned-looking Yuki.

"Are you all right? The meeting's over," he said.

"Um...er...I, ah..." Machi stuttered, blushing. She tried to cover her paper, but his eyes beat her hand to it.

"Uh, Machi?" Yuki asked, trying not to embarrass her too much. "Do you, um...like me?"

"What difference would it make to you if I did?" she asked softly. She wasn't facing him; she was looking down, causing her long dark hair to form a veil in front of her face.

"Well, that depends. Do you?"

Machi remained silent for a moment, but then she couldn't stand the pressure anymore.

"Yes!" she blurted out, half-shouting. "Yes, okay? There, I said it! I do like you, President Sohma-kun!"

Both of them stood in stunned silence. Machi was shocked by her sudden outburst of bravery, and Yuki was just...shocked.

"Well?" she asked in anticipation. "I answered your question. Now you answer mine."

"Okay, obviously, you're...not the only one to tell me that. I know other girls feel that way. But to answer your question, Machi...the difference is that you...well, it is you."

"W--what?"

"You're not like those other girls. And I like that about you. In fact...I've liked you for quite some time now..."

"Pr...President S--Sohma-kun..."

"Please," he said, smiling, "call me Yuki. And, uh...would you mind if I walked you to class? I wouldn't want you to be marked late because of me. I'll even carry your books for you, if you want."

"Um, okay..." she replied, blushing a bright shade of pink when Yuki held his hand out for her. She picked up her books and handed them to him. The way he smiled made hear heart beat faster, and this time she realized that the fluttery feeling in her stomach didn't mean she was sick. It was love.