AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi there, long time, no see-Yuki here. Bet you thought this one would never pop up on your updates list (I think that's what it is, who knows).

Anyway, I'll be taking the story back over from here to the end-Mom ran out of time and writing has kind of fallen by the wayside to an extent. This year for Mom's birthday, I promised that I would finish When Spring Comes...Remember Me and here we are. There's somewhere between three and four chapters left (including this one) and my goal is to try and finish this up by the end of the year.

A few things I'd like to note here:

1) I don't own Fruits Basket, all Fruits Basket characters and such still belong to Natsuki Takaya, Sakura & her various family members are mine.

2) I still haven't read the manga even though it's been out for a while-I won't be reading it until after I finish up this story so I can stay as close to the anime as possible (as the anime is what sparked this to begin with), things from the manga that appear in my story are mostly coincidental.

3) It's been a bit over four years or so since I wrote any additions to this story, my style probably has changed a bit since then, but hopefully you'll enjoy these last few chapters-I've had a chunk of the ending written almost since I started the story to begin with.

4) Currently, everything I am writing does not have a beta (my beta of preference has eighteen or so chapters to catch up with before she can properly beta this)-hopefully it comes out all right ^_^

As always, thanks for taking time out of your day to read this and reviews are welcome. I am hoping to have the next basket finished before National Novel Writing Month kicks in for November (though who knows I may finish the story and count it towards my word count XD 50K written is 50K written ^_^)

~ Yuki

Basket Nineteen: Autumn Colors

Sakura drew in a deep breath, almost tasting autumn in the air. A cool breeze ruffled her hair, they'd been back in school for almost two weeks and she knew her time was running short. "Good morning, Alexander-sensei!"

Sakura glanced up and smiled as she saw Tohru running towards her with something in hand. "Good morning, Tohru-kun," she said.

"Isn't it beautiful today?" Tohru asked, her eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed a bit as she neared.

"Oh yes, it is lovely," Sakura agreed warmly. "What brings you out here so early this morning?"

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I want to give you this," Tohru said.

Sakura was startled and accepted the wrapped item and Tohru beamed up at her. "We've known each other for a year now, Sakura-san," Tohru said. "I saw this at the 100 yen store and thought you might like it, but…if you don't want it, I mean, I probably should have asked…um…"

"Tohru-kun," Sakura said, interrupting the younger girl's words. "Thank you."

She slipped a nail under the tape and slit it and opened it, pulling out a small leather-bound journal with cherry blossoms decorating the edge with a larger branch coming out of the left-hand corner. "I um, thought that maybe…" Tohru said.

"Thank you, Tohru-kun," Sakura said, cutting her off again. "It's lovely."

"Tohru!"

Sakura glanced up and saw Momiji and her eyes went wide. "Momiji-kun?" Sakura blinked, watching the blond young man race towards them—dressed in the boys' uniform.

"Alexander-sensei," Momiji beamed at her. "It's good to see you!"

"Nice to see you as well, how was the remainder of your summer break?" Sakura asked him. "And…uh…"

Momiji cocked his head for a moment and then laughed and tugged a bit uncomfortably at the boys' uniform he wore. "I outgrew the other one and it didn't seem to suit me afterwards…"

"Ah, I see," Sakura smiled at him.

The clock began to chime and Sakura smiled at the two. "I'd better head to the classroom; I'll see you two later. Take care!"

They assured her they would and she headed off, leaving them to chat.

Sakura stopped by her desk and pulled out a few notes for what they would be covering today and gave a polite nod to some of the other teachers before exiting. She entered the classroom a little bit before the final bell rang and smiled at her class who'd begun to filter in and be seated. As she went through her bag to pull out her folder, she noticed she had two messages waiting on her phone, and her stomach clenched momentarily. She'd have to check those at lunch break.

She glanced up at the class and smiled as the bell rang. "Good morning, everyone!"

The morning flew by and Sakura took the store-bought bento out to one of the quieter areas of the school and settled against the trunk of one of the maple trees that were slowly starting to change colors. She put the phone to her ear and listened to the messages. The first was Joshua, telling her they had an assignment for her and to give him a call back at her earliest convenience. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, calculating the time difference, it was eight in the evening there, she'd return that call later, when it was a bit of a better time to get someone in the office.

The second message was from Hatori reminding her of his offer of dinner that she had yet to take him up on and requesting she give him a call. Sakura hesitated for a long moment, but then laughed at herself. Dinner wouldn't hurt anything—even though she'd found ways to avoid him for the past few weeks. She dialed the familiar number and waited for him to pick up.

"Sohma."

"Good afternoon, Hatori-san," she said. "Is now a good time to call or shall I call back later?"

There was a murmured conversation for a moment and then Hatori came back on the line. "Now is not inconvenient," he said. "I assume you are calling about my dinner invitation?"

"Well, if it's still open…" Sakura said, her voice almost hesitant.

"I would not have called to remind you of it if I changed my mind," Hatori said firmly. "Would tonight be convenient for you? Perhaps after you've been to Shigure's house for your weekly visit?"

"I can do that," Sakura smiled. "Where would we be going? That way I can be sure to dress appropriately."

"What you typically wear for school visits will be fine, Sakura," Hatori said. "Around eight o' clock perhaps?"

Sakura nodded. "That will work perfectly. I will see you then."

She dressed a little more carefully than usual before heading out to the Sohma house to talk to Shigure and the three high school students in residence. She tucked a pair of knit gloves in the pocket of a sweater along with a scarf as the nights were getting cooler and she wasn't sure where exactly Hatori was planning on them going, though she knew it wasn't going to be too close to the main house—Akito wasn't happy she was still around.

"Kura-chan, it's lovely to see you again," Shigure said expansively.

Sakura smiled at him and greeted Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo and talked to them about their plans for post-graduation because with it being the second trimester of their third year they needed to know what they were doing. Kyo was oddly silent about it and Sakura kept her face smooth, but worry started gnawing at her stomach. "Kyo-kun, aren't you studying hard to go to college?" Tohru asked.

Yuki's face went oddly still as Tohru's question echoed and Sakura's eyes went to Shigure who was also oddly opaque—the worry began to turn into fear. What in the world was going to happen to the Cat after high school graduation?

Eventually Kyo reluctantly joined into the discussion, if only to quiet Tohru's worries. After a little while longer, the students excused themselves to take care of homework and Shigure headed back towards his study. Sakura followed him to the study and he looked up at her in some surprise. "You seem troubled, Kura-chan," Shigure said.

"What's going to happen to Kyo after graduation?" Sakura asked softly, her violet eyes meeting the dark gray of the Dog's.

"He will be going to junior college and studying to get into Tokyo University, isn't that what you just finished discussing with him?" Shigure asked.

Anger flared and Sakura stalked into the office and slammed her hands down on the desk, glaring at Shigure. "You're lying," she said flatly.

"Why ever would I lie to you, Kura-chan?" Shigure asked, giving her a hurt look.

The hurt that flickered through his eyes was fake. "Because it has something to do with the secret behind the Zodiac," Sakura stated.

She drew in a deep breath. "If I can't get answers from you, I am going to have to find them somewhere," she said grimly.

"Sakura."

Shigure's voice was unusually grim as he spoke her name and Sakura regarded him silently.

"You don't want to get involved with this one," Shigure said softly. "Trust me on this."

"And what if I do?" Sakura asked him.

"You won't like the consequences," Shigure said and pulled his keyboard to him. "I have a deadline I need to make, so I am afraid I will have to cut this conversation short tonight."

She knew a dismissal when she heard one and nodded curtly. "Good night, Shigure."

She left his office and was putting her shoes on when she heard a footstep behind her and glanced up and saw Tohru. "Oh, won't you stay for dinner, Sakura-san?" Tohru asked. "I was just getting ready to make it…"

Sakura summoned a smile for the younger girl. "I am afraid I have another engagement for dinner tonight. Thank you very kindly for your offer."

Tohru's face fell and Sakura stood and reached out gently tipping Tohru's face up towards hers. "If I hadn't already made plans, I would very happily stay for dinner. How about as an apology, you and I go out for an early dinner before you work tomorrow after school?"

"Oh, that's not necessary, I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble!" Tohru said.

"It wouldn't be any trouble," Sakura smiled. "Besides, I have a few things to talk about with you."

Tohru's eyes widened. "Oh, have I messed up something? Did…"

She trailed off at the shake of Sakura's head. "This is entirely unrelated to school," she said. "I will see you in class tomorrow."

With that she picked up her sweater and shrugged it on and stepped out of the house, letting her smile die as her eyes turned in the direction of the Sohma compound.

She hesitated momentarily, contemplating whether or not she really wanted to go to dinner with Hatori, but she'd made a promise. She shoved the roiling questions about Kyo's fate into the back of her mind and slammed a mental door, intending to pull them out and figure things out later.

She arrived at the gate of the Sohma Compound and chuckled as Momiji's head popped up over the wall. "Sakura-san! Ha'ri's running a little bit late today, he had an unexpected patient, but he'll only be a little bit longer."

Sakura smiled wryly. Figures, she thought to herself, but aloud. "Thank you for letting me know. I suppose I'll wait here and hopefully not freeze in the process."

Momiji looked concerned and Sakura laughed. "I'm kidding, Momiji-kun," she said with a smile. "I brought gloves and a scarf just in case and this sweater is more than warm enough."

"I'll go get you something to drink," Momiji said cheerfully and jumped down from the wall and vanished.

Sakura leaned against one of the trees and closed her eyes, trying not to let her concerns about what was going to happen to Kyo seep out of the box she'd put them in. "Here you go!"

She caught the can automatically and smiled as Momiji came through the gate to join her, another hot drink in his hand. She popped the top and sipped it appreciatively.

"Are you okay, Sakura-san?" Momiji asked her, cocking his blond head at her.

Sakura started and used another drink to cover her immediate reaction a lock of her long hair falling down to obscure her expression. "I'm fine, Momiji-kun," she said, taking another deliberate drink.

Momiji looked up at her and she knew that he wasn't fooled for a moment—the boy saw far too deeply for his own good. "No, you're not," Momiji said. "Is it the problem that you've been keeping from Ha'ri?"

Sakura wanted to pounce on the excuse, but instead turned her eyes to the stars. "Momiji-kun, what's going to happen to Kyo after graduation?" she asked softly, her eyes turning from the sky to the blond boy.

Momiji looked surprised at the question. "He's probably going to go to college or go back to the dojo with his master and learn more about martial arts or at least that's what I think he's going to do," Momiji said.

Sakura was quiet, trying to find some sort of hint that there was more going on beneath the youngster's words, but she couldn't pick anything up directly. Momiji smiled. "It's a beautiful night tonight, isn't it?" he said. "I heard a story once, want to hear?"

Sakura sighed inwardly and then sipped her drink. "Sure," she said amicably and the Rabbit launched into one of the folk tales he'd read in one of the books he seemed to constantly devour.

The door to the Sohma compound opened just as Momiji's tale was winding to the end and Sakura straightened from the tree as Momiji finished. "Is your patient okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, it was just a rather nasty burn that needed medical attention," Hatori assured her. "Thank you for waiting."

Sakura managed a smile. "Well, I've been waiting over a decade or so to go out on a date with you, so an extra thirty minutes or so really isn't much in the scheme of things," she said.

Hatori's good eye widened a bit and Sakura grinned. "However, I'm starving!"

Momiji smiled at them. "Have fun!" he said and bounded back into the compound, leaving the two adults in the silence of the autumn evening.

Hatori offered her his arm and he led her to his car and opened the door for her and she slipped into the interior and fastened her seatbelt after he shut the door and moved to the other side. Determinedly, she shoved everything back and resolved to at least enjoy this one date with Hatori—it was likely going to be the only one, especially if she decided to delve more into what was going to happen to Kyo.

He drove into town and parked, coming around to open her door for her and she smiled up at him and placed her hand lightly on his arm and they chatted quietly as she followed his lead. He led her to a quiet restaurant and spoke quietly to the hostess before coming back to her. "The hostess was able to successfully move our reservation," he said, sounding a bit relieved.

Sakura followed him back and the hostess took them to a quiet table in the back of the restaurant and they settled down and tea was brought as they went over the menu. "The curry here is very good," Hatori said quietly, breaking into her reverie.

Sakura started and yanked her mind back to the present moment and managed a smile. "Sorry, Hatori-san," she said.

"What troubles you tonight?" Hatori asked quietly.

Sakura shook her head. "My mind has just taken to wandering of late," she said apologetically.

"Have you received another call from your editor?" Hatori asked calmly.

Sakura nearly jarred the table as her eyes flew to meet Hatori's. "I have, but there's nothing going on there," she said, yet, she added mentally.

"And the other troubles you haven't been talking about?" Hatori questioned.

"I thought we were having a date, Hatori-san," Sakura said with a slight smile. "You don't usually talk about troubles during a date, especially a first date."

Hatori arched an eyebrow and Sakura regarded him with a carefully composed expression. "First dates are usually filled with awkward getting-to-know-you chat and I do believe we have gone somewhat beyond that phase, Sakura," Hatori said, a smile hovering on his lips.

Sakura started at the smile and was caught for a moment by it. "Let's not fill the discussion with troubles tonight, Hatori-san," she said softly. "We both have more than enough of those to deal with on the daily basis right now. What else do you do besides taking girls on romantic walks on the beach and fishing that I may not know about?"

Hatori looked for a moment like he wanted to steer the conversation back into the more serious topics, but the look on Sakura's face said that she wasn't going to stand for it and he smiled. You win for now, Sakura, he decided silently. "Have you had a chance to hear the Tokyo Symphony yet? I remember you saying that one of your aunts was a concert pianist."

"Aunt Hikaru is," Sakura smiled. "I haven't had a chance to hear them recently, but I did go to the Symphony Hall more than a few times with my parents before."

Sakura settled into dinner and her conversation with Hatori as both of them steered carefully clear of the troubling topics they knew were on each other's mind. Sakura felt slightly guilty, but as they talked of other things, she was able to more easily ignore the questions rioting in the back of her mind. After dinner, she put on her gloves and scarf as they took a walk towards the park and a free concert that Hatori had found out about. Almost shyly, she slipped her gloved hand into his as they walked and he responded by squeezing hers very gently.

It was quite late by the time they made it back to Sakura's house and she let him open the door for her and she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She hesitated as she looked up at him. "Let me walk you to your door?" Hatori said quietly.

She nodded in agreement and they made their way up the walk to the house and paused at the door. Sakura turned to look up at him. "Thank you for tonight, Hatori-san," she said simply.

Hatori smiled and leaned down and Sakura's heart pounded as he pressed his lips to her cheek gently. He lifted his head. "Thank you, Sakura," he said simply. "Perhaps if your schedule allows we can take in a show at the Symphony Hall some time."

Sakura smiled shyly. "I think I would like that," she said softly.