Author's Notes: Well, here we go; the beginning of the end. It's been a long time coming, ne?

Anyway, disclaimers ahoy!

I do not own Fruits Basket, the characters, nor the world that it has created—I just play around in it from time to time.

I've only ever seen the anime, the manga is still waiting on the shelf for me to finish up these last few parts ^_^ Any resemblance between this and the manga is usually coincidental.

There's only three (ish) chapters after this…are you excited yet?

I know I am ^_^

Basket Twenty-Three: Tangled Branches

"Tonight?" Megumi asked, her eyes going wide.

She'd only been in town for a few days and they'd spent most of the time working out the specifics of Sakura's last will and testament and putting together plans to help a "troubled young man" out of a bind if necessary—Sakura didn't get horribly specific in what she was doing, but Megumi had long ago learned her cousin didn't talk unless she wanted to.

"You were supposed to be here through the New Year!"

"I know," Sakura said, falling back against the ladder back of her chair. "But there are rumors the airport I need to get to is going to be closed down by then and Joshua is desperate for this story…"

"So what are you going to tell the others, we've all been making so many holiday plans…" Megumi said, her eyes stricken. "Everyone wants to spend the holiday together with you."

"If things go perfectly, I might be back just after the New Year," Sakura said. "Joshua is positive this shouldn't take more than a couple weeks."

"And in an ideal world every child has a puppy and a container of bubbles to play with," Megumi snorted.

"Megumi…"

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I've seen some of those places you go to," Megumi stated. "I also know the likelihood of everything going perfectly is about as great as snow in July in the Arizona desert. I did a video there last year; I'll take it over Death Valley…barely…"

"What can I do, Meg?" Sakura asked softly. "If I don't do this, Joshua can haul me back to New York and force me to finish out my contract. It's this now or at least five more assignments then."

"Would going back to New York be that bad?" Megumi asked.

"Yes."

There was no hesitation in Sakura's response.

Megumi sighed deeply. "So what's your plan now?"

"I'm still figuring it out."

"I was afraid of that."

Sakura folded the last garment into the small bag she was taking with her and checked over her passport and credentials one more time before shutting the top and zipping it. She shivered a bit as the zipper clicked into place and glanced at her clock. "I guess I better get going, I said six…"

She slipped out her door and grabbed her winter jacket, small purse, and keys then hurried out to catch the bus to a familiar part of town that she hadn't visited in some time.

Hatori pulled his gloves on and stepped out of the car, his eyes going to the gnarled branches of the cherry tree spread out overhead, a thousand memories flooding his mind as he placed it. He remembered the numerous times he, Shigure, and Ayame had met up with Sakura under this very tree and his eyes strayed to the roof of the exclusive boys' school they'd attended. Sakura's young women's prep school was a few streets over and he couldn't see it as easily.

He checked his watch—it was still a bit early, but better early than late.

He wondered idly why Sakura would call him all the way out here on such a cold day. He tightened his scarf and smoothed his hands over the material of his great coat. There was a crackle and he turned and spotted Sakura making her way over the ground, dead leaves crunching beneath her booted feet. She spotted him about the same time he saw her and gave him a small smile.

"Hello, Hatori-san," she said softly. "Thanks for coming all the way out here to meet me."

"It isn't often you make a request of me, Sakura," Hatori said, the distant look in her violet eyes was beginning to worry him.

She gave him another of those small, almost shy smiles and placed her white gloved hand on the trunk of the tree, the bark catching lightly on the knitted material. "Do you remember this tree, Hatori-san?" she asked softly.

"We used to meet under it while we were in high school, I remember," he said.

"Do you know why I chose this tree?" she queried.

"You never said."

"It's because of all the trees in this area, it was the last to bloom, but the blossoms were the most beautiful."

"Why are you talking about that now?" he frowned.

"Be patient with me, I'm working up to something," Sakura said with a wry smile.

He frowned at her and she turned to look at him, her violet eyes serious despite her teasing tone. "When we were in school, we'd thought we'd live forever, that nothing would ever go wrong, and everything would be perfect once we were just a little bit older," Sakura said, "but since then I've come to a realization."

"What's that?"

"Everything has a certain time allotted to them and when time is up it doesn't matter when or where you are in your life, it's over," she said and turned to stare at the cloudy sky above the dormant branches. "We live in an amazing world, Hatori."

"What's going on Sakura?" Hatori asked softly, reaching out and catching the hand that rested against the tree trunk.

"There is something, I need to tell you, Hatori-san, and it is probably the last thing you need to hear," she said. "Don't feel obligated to say or do anything in return. In fact it will be better if you don't…"

"Sakura…" he began.

"I'm leaving tonight," Sakura said

Hatori's fingers tightened around her hand. "I thought you were staying through the New Year," he said.

"They changed my itinerary on me at the last minute," she said. "I'm not really in a position to say no."

"Why not?" Hatori asked despite himself.

"Because if I do, Joshua will consider me reneging on our deal and he can make me come back to New York and finish out my contract," Sakura said. "I don't want to spend another three years there if I can help it. You understand, don't you, Hatori-san?"

"I don't know if I do," he replied, "but you will do as you always have and completely disregard any advice I may give anyway."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "Probably," she said, "but anyway, I realized when I was packing that I couldn't leave again without saying anything. In fact, if I leave tonight and don't say it, I'll regret it forever…so…"

She took a deep breath and met his eyes head on. "I love you Hatori," she declared softly, "but you don't have to feel the same way. Our friendship is something I will always treasure."

Hatori was silent, his eyes widening.

She gave him a bright smile. "Take care of yourself and the others."

Before he could say anything she pulled her hand out of his and began to move away.

"Sakura."

She turned and looked at him. "It's okay, Hatori-san. I know you can't return the feelings, but…I had to, you know?"

Her eyes turned to the tree. "Hatori…"

"What?" he said.

"When spring comes, will you remember me?" she asked.

"Of course."

She beamed at him.

"Sayonara."

With that, she vanished between the trunks of the tree and Hatori clenched his gloved hand. "I love you too," he said, the words torn away from him by the uncaring wind.

Sakura paused at the gate and turned a tremulous smile on Megumi. "Well, off I go," she said, her fingers tightening around the handle of her rolling suitcase. "You've got everything?"

"Yes," Megumi said. "Tohru's graduation and birthday present, the presents for Yuki and Kyo, something for Shigure and Ayame, but…what about Hatori?"

"I gave him his in person," Sakura said. "Don't burn my house down."

"I'll do my best," Megumi assured her gravely.

Sakura vanished through the checkpoint and Megumi watched her melt into the crowd. "I don't like this, Sakura," she said softly.

"Neither do we."

Megumi jumped and turned to face the three elder Sohmas. Hatori had an odd look in his eyes as he gazed at the milling sea of people beyond the checkpoint.

"Where is she going Megumi-chan?" Shigure asked, turning on the big puppy dog eyes he excelled at too well.

Megumi looked surprised. "Jos, didn't she tell you?"

"No. She didn't."

The sun pounded down on the open top of the jeep and Sakura tried and failed to find a comfortable spot while the others in the vehicle crowded in. She was the only pale-skinned person in the jeep and she felt it more keenly than usual. She knew that once she started her investigation the butterflies in the pit of her stomach would go away and she'd be able to attain her usual detachment that created the stories her boss was so fond of.

The jeep began to slow and Sakura's eyes lifted to the road and she saw a stalled out truck blocking the way. Several men were milling around it and she swallowed slowly as their attention turned to them.

Their driver stopped the car as one of the men wiped his hand on his grimy pants and reached into the vehicle and pulled out a gun. "Welcome," the armed man said in heavily accented English. "You've just hit the toll road…"

He gave a toothy grin and Sakura's stomach clenched.

She didn't like the feel of this at all.

More Author's Notes:

From here on out, it gets a little complicated I guess. This is where "When Spring Comes" starts melding into "Legacy of the Red Butterfly" by Otaku Mom (if you'd like to read it, here's a handy-dandy link: s/1989656/1/Legacy-of-the-Red-Butterfly) So, if you haven't read "Legacy of the Red Butterfly", might I suggest that you head over and give it a look? It's complete so you won't be waiting for new chapters ^_^ (and it'll kill time 'til I release the next chapter ^_^)

If you don't want to, that's cool, I plan to hopefully weave these last few chapters together nicely so that you don't –have- to read it, but, trust me, it's worth it ^_^ (I may be slightly biased though…she is my mother ^_^)

Sakura, unfortunately, is a bit occupied for now and the narration is going to pick up from Megumi's point of view in the next chapter.

For those curious, Jos is a town in Nigeria, Africa. My aunt lives in a small village a ways out from the town and so I often keep an eye on any information that may cross my dash, searches, etc. from that area. It's a very restless area, there's a lot of tensions between the Muslims and the Christians there and a lot of tragedies have happened. I'm not entirely comfortable detailing them so I'm sorry, you won't be getting anything really juicy and dangerous from there. Let's just say it is not a nice place and there are some very not-nice people there (there are also a lot of nice people there too from my aunt's stories).

Thank you for your patience with me. Please hang on for these last few chapters, I think it'll be worth it ^_^

3 Yuki