DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fruit's basket or the some of the conversation in the first half of this chapter along with other scattered phrases in italics because they are quotes from the Fruits Basket manga, volume 20, they are someone's translations of natsuki takaya's words so I didn't write them. Thank you.

A/N: First of allI want to thank you all sooo much for reviewing! Thank you!

Also, the are spoilers from volume 20 in this.

But anyway, Please Enjoy and Please Review!

CHAPTER 12:

That afternoon during lunch, Yuri and Hatsuharu wandered around, trying to find where Momiji had run off too. Instead of Momiji they found Yuki,

"Have you seen…Momiji today?" Haru asked Yuki calmly, Yuri waited for his answer apprehensively.

"Eh? I haven't seen him. Maybe he isn't here?" Yuki replied startled. Haru shook his head.

"No…he's here, although he came late, but…….maybe it's just me…" Haru looked up at the ceiling, musing. Yuri stared at the floor, fists clenched. She too had noticed something odd about Momiji, not to mention that he had dashed out of class, without them when the lunch period had started.

"Did something happen?" Yuki asked concerned. Yuri let Haru answer.

"Nothing. But…I wonder….something's…strange… He's the same as always, but…somehow…something's a bit…." Haru trailed off.

"I can talk to him, assuming he arrives." Yuki suggested.

"Ah…" the three of them turned to find Tohru striding towards them.

"Good afternoon." She said politely.

"Tohru!" Yuri said smiling, perhaps Momiji had went to find Tohru, that would make sense. Surely Tohru knew where Momiji was.

"Ah, good afternoon. Honda-san have you seen Momiji?" Haru asked calmly.

"Eh? Not today, is something wrong?"

"I wonder is there is…" Haru murmured vaguely

"Eh? Eh? What's g-g-going o-o-on?" Tohru exclaimed, looking extremely worried. She waved her hands around frantic.

"Haru!" Yuki said, scolding the younger boy for worrying Tohru like that.

"Nn?" Haru replied not understanding. Yuki just ignored him.

"Honda-san, that's not it. Haru was just asking. " Yuki said trying to reassure Tohru.

"Oh…Y-yes" Tohru said trying to calm down. "….Oh!" she said suddenly spotting something behind Yuri's head. Yuri turned to find Kyo walking towards them.

"It's you!" Tohru exclaimed. Yuri didn't hear the rest because she had spotted a blonde head across the way. Someone was looking through the windows at them, more specifically Tohru and Kyo, from across the courtyard. It was certainly Momiji. She dashed down the hall, not even noticing that she had gone the same direction that Kyo had just stalked off in.

She realized she must have when she came up behind him and Momiji.

"Huh? Momiji? Have you seen the others?" Kyo asked, startled by the way Momiji was standing, bent over slightly, clutching his chest. It startled Yuri too, and she held back. Something told her she shouldn't interrupt. So she didn't turn the corner into the hall they were in, but stayed behind it, listening.

"Have you…. … " Kyo asked again, when Momiji didn't reply.

"What?" Momiji said, looking up, he looked distracted and wholly unlike himself.

"Huh?"

"Ah…no." Momiji said finally, realizing what Kyo had asked him. Kyo looked at him bewildered.

"…? …Did…something happen…to you?" he asked hesitantly. Completely unable to handle such a calm and distant Momiji.

"My curse was released." Momiji said matter of fact. Kyo just stared at him shocked.

"Would you be surprised if I told you that?" Momiji said, a sad little smile on his lips.

"Huh? Why would you…" Kyo started, clearly surprised and confused. Momiji looked sadly out the window.

"More than my release…if you were released…Tohru would be happy. She would be really happy. But…" Momiji paused, and Yuri listening, gasped inwardly. She didn't want to hear such things, it really…hurt. She had known, for awhile now, Momiji really liked Tohru, but to hear him actually say such things….. She wanted to turn and leave, but something held her there. She admitted sadly to herself, she was curious. Once again her curious nature was doing her in.

"…You know?" Momiji continued sadly, "I'm the one…being crushed."

Momiji walked away from a shocked Kyo,

"Don't tell me." Kyo said as Momiji walked past him and towards the corner that Yuri was hiding behind.

"I don't want…to know that…to know such things…that's the worst…." Kyo said stricken. Momiji didn't respond, he kept walking down the hall.

When he turned the corner he found himself face to face with a wide-eyed Yuri. She planted herself directly in front of him.

"Is it true?" she exclaimed suddenly. "Is your curse lifted?" She bit her lip, trying to control herself. But that small smile that didn't reach his pained eyes that Momiji put on when he nodded was too much. She began to cry. Tears poured from her eyes, and she clenched her sides as she sobbed. Momiji looked at her horrified. He reached for her, but he checked himself. His hands held barely an inch away from her.

Yuri looked up at him, he was so close, but he felt so far away. It wrenched her heart.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She mumbled, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, you must be so happy, Momiji. Really, I'm sorry." She said, standing up straight and wrapping her arms around herself. Momiji just stared at her; finally he let his suspended hands drop.

"I'm sorry for ruining this for you." Yuri said, squeezing her arms around herself tighter, in effort to stop her trembling. Momiji shook his head,

"No, don't worry about…" he mumbled lamely, not sure what to do. He was very unused to Yuri crying like this, or rather crying at all. It wasn't a side of her he had seen all that much of.

"It's just….." she began. "I just can't stand the thought of being so far away from you." Momiji stared at her, unable to speak. Yuri looked at the floor, feeling really stupid. She knew she was being silly and she was crying over nothing. She knew she should be happy for Momiji. But….

"I'm sorry for not realizing earlier." Momiji said suddenly, bridging that gap that, to Yuri seemed to span miles, and laying a hand on her cheek. Yuri looked up at him startled.

"I thought…that what I wanted was for someone to be happy for me. The more happy for me than they would be for anyone else. I was upset because I knew that it would make her a lot happier if Kyo had been the one released from his curse." He paused, "But now I realize it wasn't that at all. Now I see what I really wanted was someone to care about me so much that the thought of being away from me would make them cry." Momiji grabbed her hand and held it tightly, he smiled softly at her.

"It makes me so happy to have you here to cry for me."

He had told Akito that even though he was free he couldn't be with the one he loved.

I'm so free, and yet….I became…so lonely. Although the curse is removed I still can't be with the person I love….

He knew that was true, but really….he had been seeing everything so wrong. It had been so natural he almost hadn't noticed it. He had been so used to Yuri being there that he had taken that fact for granted. He had told Haru just the day before that he felt differently about Tohru than he did Yuri. That too, had been true.

When he thought of Yuri not being there, that made him considerably more sad than the thought of Tohru being with Kyo and not him. Tohru was the first person that had cared about him that wasn't a member of the zodiac. She had a special place in his heart for that. And really when he thought about it, Tohru had been like the mother he never had. Yuki had said as much as well. Momiji, like Yuki, had been looking for a Mother in her. Tohru was important to him, but the person most important to him was…..Yuri.

"Thank you, thank you." Momiji said softly to Yuri, leaning forward and putting his forehead against hers. Yuri looked up at him blushing. It was strange really that this small touch was more intimate than any of the hugs they had ever given each other.

"Can you ever forgive me for not seeing it before?" he asked he softly. Yuri nodded, smiling slightly. He smiled brightly, acting more like himself. Yuri was relieved.

Then…..

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. When he pulled away Yuri looked up at him, blushing and completely shocked. He smiled.

"That…" Yuri began to say, but it turned into. "Tohru!" Yuri exclaimed seeing the brown haired girl walking towards them. Seeing how close Momiji and Yuri were standing next to each other and the way Momiji was standing over Yuri, his head bent close to hers, Tohru blushed furiously and began to wave her hands in front of herself frantically.

"I'm sorry! I've interrupted something! Sorry! I'm really sorry…." Tohru mumbled embarrassed. Momiji stood up and smiled at her.

"Tohru!" he called running towards her in his normal way. For a second Yuri's heart stopped, but Momiji's hand was still clasping hers and she ended up coming along with him.

"Tohru, guess what?" Momiji exclaimed. Tohru blinked. "I have a girl-friend now! Isn't she cute?" Both Tohru and Yuri looked at Momiji shocked.

"T-that's so great!" Tohru exclaimed happily. Yuri didn't say anything, completely confused.

"You know Momiji you really should ask people things like that." Yuki said exasperated, as he walked up to them, noticing the shocked expression on Yuri's face.

"Oh…" Momiji said. "I guess you're right." He turned to Yuri smiling. "Will you go out with me?" he asked, holding both her hands. It was so strange hearing those words, but so…nice. Blushing and still slightly in shock Yuri nodded.

"Yay!" Momiji cried. As he gave Yuri a small kiss on her cheek, making her blush even more, Haru and Kyo joined the group too. Kyo followed Haru guiltily; he had been the one to tell Haru, Yuki and Tohru were Momiji was.

"Kyo! It's so great! Momiji and Yuri…"Tohru began enthused. Yuri didn't hear the rest; she was looking at Haru, who was observing the whole thing, calm as ever.

Yuri caught Haru's eye and he smiled knowingly. Uncharacteristically he winked at her, and she laughed slightly. Everything had worked out as he had hoped. Which was good; anymore of Momiji's clueless-ness would have made him go Black. Any way you looked at it; it would not have been a good scenario.

Yuri smiled to herself. Happy, amongst a group of good friends, holding tightly to Momiji's hand….it was more that she could have dreamed, more than she could have hoped. She felt, really and truly……

Blessed.

END OF CHAPTER 12