DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fruits Basket. I own Yasuko. And I'm reforming the FB universe to amuse me. I'm like a god, but without powers. So, I'm like a CEO. A CEO lusting after Shigure and Hatori. MMMmmmmm...

A/N: I'm back! This chapter (and the next couple I'm ashamed to admit) have been written for about four months now, but I had a job that sucked the soul from my body, followed by a new job that I'm just now settled in to, and it took forever for me to get around to typing it out. I hope you all enjoy where the story is going. I have many twists and evil surprises coming.

. . . Momiji, Please come to the roof tomorrow before school. I need your help. Yasuko. . . .

Momiji stared at the note Tohru had given him in shock. Sure, he and Yasuko got along all right, but she had never really reached out to him specifically before. A postscript at the bottom caught his attention.

. . . p.s. Please come alone. I really need you. . . .

"What's that, Squirt?" Kyou raised a brow.

"It's a note from Yasuko," Tohru answered, taking a seat at the table in the Sohma sitting room. "She asked me to pass it along after school today."

"Making your own play for the lady?" Shigure teased, throwing an almost imperceptible wink to Momiji.

"Oh, yeah!" Momiji laughed. "You caught me. We're just setting the time for our date."

"That's great, Momiji!" Tohru exclaimed, oblivious to the joke. "Oh! You two should coordinate so you don't wear the same thing!"

Shigure and Momiji burst out laughing and Yuki covered his mouth to hide his own grin. Tohru chibied into a confused state, waving her arms frantically and begging to know what was so funny. Kyou, however, just growled and stalked from the room. Silence fell over the group and the sound of a bedroom door slamming was clearly heard. Yuki chuckled again, followed by Shigure.

"Is Kyou okay?" Tohru asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"He'll be fine," Shigure waved his fan. "So, Momiji, what's really happening?"

"I'm not sure," he answered soberly. "The note just asks me to come see her in the morning before school. I hope nothing's wrong."

"Well, don't hesitate to call on me if I can do anything."

Yuki and Momiji threw Shigure a shrewd look and they could almost see the thought bubble over his head where Shigure danced across the schoolyard singing 'High school girls! High school girls!'

Up on the roof, Kyou lay staring at the moon. If she wanted to go out with that squirt, let her. Why should he give a damn anyway?

"Kyou?"

At the sight of Tohru's head popping over the roof, Kyou sighed.

"What do you want?"

Tohru climbed up the last rungs of the ladder and crawled across the roof to sit beside her friend. She chewed her lip, trying to formulate her thoughts. She was concerned about her friend, who had been moodier than usual lately, and Tohru had the sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Yasuko.

"That was funny, huh?" She said at last. Kyou sat up and gave her a 'you're crazy' look before turning away to stare over the garden and Tohru continued unsurely. "That was a good joke Shigure and Momiji played on me, about Momiji and Yasuko dating."

Kyou's eyes opened wide and he stopped breathing. An all too familiar clench in his chest loosened, and when he inhaled at last, he realized breathing felt good again.

"They really had me going," Tohru laughed.

I'm not a complete ditz, she thought to herself. How did I miss for so long that Kyou likes her?

Kyou forced himself to laugh and turned back to face Tohru.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Stupid joke."

Tohru smiled widely and Kyou felt warmed by her kindness. Tohru could always make him smile, and he felt such affection for the girl, he felt guilty for even thinking about Yasuko. He looked away again, back toward the garden and Tohru leaned back to stare up at the moon.

"It's too bad though," Tohru said after a long moment of silence. "Poor Yasuko seems so lonely." Kyou's head snapped around to look down at Tohru. "I mean, I have friends at school, just like she does now, but I get to come home to you and Yuki and Shigure. I get the feeling sometimes that Yasuko doesn't really have anyone at home."

Kyou turned away and inhaled a deep breath.

"Has she said something to you?"

"No," Tohru sighed. "But sometimes she looks sad, watching you and Yuki, or talking with Hatori. Plus, she never talks about her family. Haven't you noticed? Only that one story about surfing, and never again."

Kyou thought back on his conversations with Yasuko and the banter she generally exchanged with Shigure and not once could he recall her talking about her family after that first night. Tohru was right. Had they all been blind?

Momiji stepped out onto the roof and froze at the sight before him. Yasuko turned slowly to face him, and the sky flashed to a dusky blue filled with falling orchid petals. A breeze rose up and blew Yasuko's braid loose into a blanket of curls. Her ocean eyes shimmered with tears and her lips quivered as she clutched her hands before her chest.

All this would have been enough to halt Momiji, but his gaze was caught on her clothes. Yasuko was in the boy's uniform.

Haru has to see this. Momiji shook his head and stepped forward.

"Yasuko," he tilted his head. "What's going on?"

A sob burst from Yasuko and she turned away, holding out a note behind her to Momiji.

. . . The boy's uniform costs less and my parents want my sister to use my old uniforms. I have to wear these… they – . . .

Momiji took in her appearance. The black tunic over black pants looked smart and almost provocative. The cloth hugged Yasuko's decidedly female figure and the white tie, currently hanging loose with the first two buttons of the shirt undone, set off the natural glow of her skin. Momiji raised a brow.

Yasuko looks better in the boy's uniform than Yuki or Haru.

Yasuko was sobbing by now and close to hysterics. Momiji began to panic and chibied into a frantic state.

"You look good," he cried. "Honest. I hope I look half as good when I finally start wearing the boy's uniform."

Yasuko's tears doubled and she began hiccupping. Momiji felt lost and alarmed.

"Let me go get Tohru, okay? She'll know what to do!"

Yasuko sniffled pathetically and gave a sad nod. Momiji spun on his heel and sprinted down to room 2D, bursting through the door.

"Tohru!" He ignored Yuki and Kyou to grab Tohru by the hand, yanking her out of the room.

"What is it, Momiji?" Tohru had never seen Momiji so frightened.

"You have to come. She- she's crying and there's nothing I can do! Hurry!" Momiji flew up the stairs, dragging Tohru behind him out onto the roof. Behind them on the stairs the other Sohma boys followed, along with Hana and Uo, all wondering what was happening.

"Momiji," Tohru dug in her heels, halting her small friend. "Who's crying?" Tohru almost dreaded the answer. Kyou had been in a bad mood since last night and he wasn't exactly known for remaining calm.

"Yasuko," he answered, tugging on Tohru's arm. Behind her, everyone else had gone still. "She's over here. I tried to tell her it looked alright, but she wouldn't believe me."

"What happened to Miss Hiro?" Yuki stepped forward. "Is she alright?"

Momiji tossed the note to Yuki and began pulling on Tohru's arm again. Yuki read it and quickly stuffed the note into his pocket before the rest of the parade behind him could move to take it. Something about Yasuko made it fun for Yuki to frustrate Kyou. Yuki was concerned that he was becoming more and more like Shigure in his desire to tease the cat.

"What did it say?" Kyou demanded.

Without a word, Yuki moved to follow Momiji and Tohru around the corner. When they all caught up it was to see Yasuko sitting on the ground, bent over with her face in her hands. Her hair created a dark blanket of curls that fell back when she looked up, her eyes shimmering with tears. Tohru gasped and rushed forward to pull Yasuko into a hug, burying the other girl's face in her shoulder. The men watched in silence while Uo and Hana moved forward, whispering their own words of encouragement to the girl when they reached Yasuko's side.

Kyou just stared. Why was she even prettier in the boy's uniform? Why the hell was she in the boy's uniform? His gut dropped at the sight of Yasuko crying, and he could understand Momiji's panic. Even Kyou wanted to hold her, to calm her tears and comfort her, and that wasn't possible for any of the Sohma men. She needed Tohru.

"Did you gather that her sister will be attending our school as well?" Yuki asked Momiji in a whisper. Kyou moved forward to hear the answer.

Haru was lost in a world of rose petals and slow jazz, looking back and forth from Yasuko to Yuki. The possibilities stretched before him in a dazzling montage in soft focus.

"I didn't get to ask, but that's my guess." Momiji shrugged and chewed on his lip. "Hatori might know. She comes to see him all the time."

"What?!" Kyou fought the stab of jealousy and glared back at the smug-looking Yuki.

"Yeah," Haru spoke up, coming back from his daze. "He's been working with her."

"He thinks she might be able to speak again," Momiji nodded distractedly.

Yuki and Kyou both gasped in shock, staring at Momiji.

"Remember my… accident a few weeks ago?" Momiji blushed when the older boys both raised a brow at him. "Well, do you remember how she screamed?"

Kyou thought back and realized with surprise that Yasuko had screamed that day. Yuki nodded as he recalled as well.

"Well," Momiji continued. "Hatori figures if she can scream she can learn to talk. They've been working together, but from what I've heard, she spends most of her time arguing with him."

Momiji grinned and Yuki smiled in response. Kyou turned back to watch the girls, fighting the flutter of hop in his chest. What did it matter if she could speak? Kyou sighed as Yasuko laughed at Tohru's attempts to flatter the uniform and shook his head. It mattered.

Yuki smiled at the sight as well. Tohru was amazing.