Author's Note: Enjoy this chapter!

Shattered Dreams

Disclaimer: .agnam revossorc eht ro teksaB stiurF nwo ton od I

Chapter 11:

When was it? When was it that Hatori had decided? Ah yes… It was in the beginning… After Hatori had escorted her into that room, he had…explained to her.

"I will not be erasing your memories because I believe that you do not want your memoris to be gone. I shall spare you. However, if you do come back after this and tell anyone about it, I shall be erasing your memories. After I 'erase' your memories, please… do not look back. If you want Kyo to be freed, I suggest you take my advice."

All that was whispered into her ear as Hatori came in from behind. The room was dark, she remembered. She had started crying because all her memories would be erased…

Gone, disappeared. Kyo, just like that, would disappear from her memories.

But…

Hatori had spared her from the pain of not remembering… However, everyone of the Sohma's thought that she had forgotten…

She remembered when she woke up about an hour later…

She remembered seeing Yuki's strain smile. She remembered him telling her that she had collapsed and that he had recognized her has one of his former classmates and had helped her.

But she knew that wasn't true.

Not true at all…

As soon as she left the estate, she ran.

She ran away.

She ran all the way to her Grandpa's. Hatori had already taken cared of her relatives by telling them that she wanted to let go after graduation.

They believed it.

So she ran all the way to her room. Her now empty room that she owned all by herself. She remembered that her Grandpa had told her that her cousin had moved in somewhere…she couldn't remember that part.

She remembered crying her heart out half lying on the bed, half sitting on the floor.

It was truly painful for the person whom she loved the most to think that she had forgotten.

But the next day…

She got up on her legs and went to her job.

She was so happy and surprised that Momiji had found her.

It was like old times…

Only… Momiji thought that she had forgotten. Momiji told her that they knew each other a bit last year and Momiji had just ran into her that day.

She felt light as a feather.

She felt so happy – so happy that she would hug him.

She knew better than to hug him so she didn't try it then.

But now… When she hugged him just now…

He didn't transform… How? Why? What about Kyo?! What did this mean?!

Never in her life had she ever been that confused.

--

Sohma Yuki couldn't help but laugh at the Machi's sleepy face when she entered the café. Her delicate features were covered by her sandy black hair – which she did nothing to it (except a little brushing) – and she was carrying small handbag in which she probably threw a bunch of random stuff that she saw lying around her apartment into.

She gave a sigh as she plopped herself down in the seat across the cursed-mouse. "Why did you have to call so early?" she asked, giving into a yawn. She held a hand over her yawning mouth.

Yuki laughed again. "What are you saying is early? It's nearly noon!" he replied as he began to exit out of the programs in which he had been playing and toying around with to keep himself occupied until Machi came.

Machi suddenly woke and watched Yuki's face as he clicked the "X" button on the top right hand corner of all the windows with interest. "What are you doing?" she asked suddenly as she got up around the table and sat next to him, leaning over to watch.

He didn't reply. He kept clicking out all the "X" buttons – which was quite a few – and noticed that Machi was abnormally close to him. Maybe she was still half-asleep? "Um… Just closing all the windows out…" he finally replied as Machi took a seat next to him.

She nodded in response and then, she asked, "Could I check my emails?" After watching Yuki finish closing out all the windows, he opened up Mozilla Firefox and scooted over for her to use the laptop.

Moving her finger skillfully over the small square pad, she clicked the address box and quickly typed in "www . yahoo . com". Yuki smiled. "U-Um…" she suddenly said as she typed in her username and looked over at him as if saying that she was going to type in her password.

"Oh!" Yuki realized as he turned away to look at his surroundings instead while Machi typed in her correct password without the tension of having someone watching.

He noticed now that there were more people due to the time. But still far less than what he had expected. Maybe this could prove some useful timing for some privacy… If that made any sense at all…

The waiters and waitresses behind the counter were either filling up drinks or wiping the counter with a damp rag. Then it hit him. He spun around and asked, "Machi… Do you want anything?"

Machi looked up from reading an email from her half-brother. "Eh… Um… Sure?" she answered quite timidly.

Yuki smiled and he raised a hand, motioning a waiter to come over to take their order. The waiter came with a notepad in hand and asked politely. Yuki had to nudge Machi in order for her to stop stuttering and give the waiter her order.

After their orders were taken (Yuki wanted some more Mocha), Yuki went to watching Machi answer a few emails ignoring the ones that had the letters "FWD" in the subject box. She also ignored the rest of the emails from Kakeru with the exception of the first one which she found out was just a teaser.

"President…" Machi started suddenly, eyes still on the laptop screen.

Yuki turned around to look at her at the word "President". He looked very surprised. "Eh? 'President'? I'm not that old am I?" he asked as he took a sip of his mocha.

Machi felt her cheeks heat up at his simple comment. God, the things he said were so simple and yet they made her cheeks go through a lot of torture. "N-No… I meant… Like in the Student Council…" she managed to stammer out.

"Ah…" Yuki said and gave a sigh, "Machi… I've already graduated…" he reminded her as he brought the cup down from his lips.

Machi turned to look at him when he had sighed. She quickly turned away for fear of him realizing that she was blushing and that he would start to tease her. Which by the way, Yuki might very well do now a days…

"Sorry…" she muttered as she turned to look at the small screen once again, "Sohma-kun…"

"Didn't I tell you to call me by name?" was Yuki's response to the apology.

She looked as if she wanted to apologize again but Yuki gave her a look and she ended up looking away – cheeks flaming.

"What is it?" he asked suddenly as she turned away.

There was an awkward silence between them as customers came and went. "D-Did you…really mean that?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Mean what?" Yuki asked innocently. Machi resisted the urge to turn away. The ex-Student Council President just looked… So...!! ARGH!!

"That…" she started, trailing off, "you-liked-me-and-all." The last phrase was pretty awkward and she had said that pretty fast. She wasn't even sure if he had heard her right.

Yuki only blinked once, then twice and smiled, "Oh that!" he realized, "Of course! I mean every word."

Perhaps he had heard her wrong? Machi thought as she looked up at his face with embarrassment. "Eh… Did you hear what I said?" she asked.

Today, she was talking a lot.

And I mean, a LOT.

Almost as sudden as Yuki had called Machi, he suddenly jolted up as if he remembered something.

"AH! I almost forgot!" he shouted, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the restaurant. "I'm sorry Machi, but I have to go now," he apologized, getting up, putting on his coat and bowing.

"You can borrow the laptop!"

Machi stared as he left in a hurry with unblinking eyes.

Okay…So her boyfriend – could she call him that now? – was a bit weird…

She raised an eyebrow – too weird.

Click!

--

Machi sighed and quickly started to pack up the laptop and its contents. Luckily, her new boyfriend had left the case he usually carried it so she set the laptop in, gently and carefully.

She would make a trip to the library then… It was summer break and the term wouldn't start until a few more weeks but she thought it was best to study a little bit…

And maybe get a little more time online…

The walk was short seeing as the library was pretty close to the café – now she knew why he liked it so much. Since the library was close and all, he could study and get all the mochas he wanted.

She smiled at his "obsession" with it.

Opening the door with ease, she quickly headed towards the back of the library – where she wouldn't be disturbed and set up the laptop.

Soon, she was absorbed in the machine and found herself rather attached. It was fun, certainly but she had to get going in studying.

So she started to dig through her bag to look for the textbook. AH! What was that? She thought to herself as she felt something rather…soft… did she have her… - she blushed – bra in here?

No, it can't be, she shook her head and pulled the soft thing out, shutting her eyes in the process, hoping that it wasn't.

She slowly opened and found that it, indeed, wasn't. But she frowned and stared at the soft object.

Instead, it was a pure white feather with strange markings on it. Her frowned curved even more downwards. What was this thing? Feeling the need to keep it, she tucked it in her bag once more, hoping that she would remember that she had it.

Elsewhere, the sky started to twist and turn and soon, was stretched so much towards the ground, it blew up into a bubble-like thing and popped, leaving the sky back to normal and four travelers.

Strangely enough, there was no one nearby to recall that incident.

Author's Note: Again, short chapter. Sorry… I just… Can't really write any long Fruits Basket lately… Been into Prince of Tennis… OO! Oh and this will be on hold until further notice. Also, un-betaed. Will be replaced once betaed.

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