Here is the next chapter! If you want to know where Shigure and Ayame went, and what they got up to, in great detail, i have written a oneshot which is pure smut. titled 'White Heat' have a read if you like.....it'll be uploaded at the same time as this chapter.

let me know what you think, and vote on the poll!

oooh...btw.....i might write another one-off, about what yuki got up to in the bathroom......let me know if you think i should. :P

i don't own fruits basket and i dont make any money from this.

X-v-X

We made our way back to the house through the falling snow, bits of it were settling on his hair, littering his coat with a thin dusting. We walked shoulder to shoulder close enough to touch. And as I concentrated on not falling over, he took my hand in his and held it lightly, he was relaxed again, and we were truly together as we watched the winter cover the Sohma grounds.

The house came into view, the lights cast out a homely glow. Home. I considered that word. I had never really felt at home before. Yet in his presence and within the four walls of Shigure's house, I think I vaguely understood the meaning of home: A sense of belonging and acceptance that you don't receive from anyone or anywhere else.

As we got to the front door, I stamped my feet to rid them of all of the snow that they had picked up. Yuki did the same, not letting go of my hand until we had to walk through the door. we took our shoes and coats off and walked back through to the kitchen. Shigure and Ayame were gone.

"where do you think they went?" he asked me.

I found it surprising that he even had to ask.

"I have a good idea" I replied.

He seemed confused momentarily, and then he realized.

"oh...how many times are they going to put us through it?!" he exclaimed.

"probably until their dicks fall off" I was only supposed to think this, but instead I said it. We were both stunned at it, yet we carried on like nothing had happened.

We sat down at the table where we had been before and looked at our now cold bento boxes. They looked disgusting.

"I'm not eating this. I'm making rice. Do you want some?" I got up without waiting for an answer.

"you can cook?" the question was put more enthusiastically than I would have liked.

"...yeah....I can...so do you?"

"yes. Please. Thank you"

He watched me cook the simple food, it felt like he was admiring me. Although it embarrasses me to admit it, it felt quite good to be watched by loving eyes. It was something I was so unused to that it was completely new.

I walked over to the table, bringing our food. He looked at it approvingly, smiling as he thanked me for it. We ate in a comfortable silence. He finished first, having been hungrier than I thought and slouched.

"I'm so full." He groaned. "thank you, Kyo"

It felt strange, to cook for him, eat with him, and be thanked by him. I smiled in acceptance, finishing my food. There was a thud from above us, and we looked at each other sickened.

"do they ever stop!" I almost squeaked.

Yuki blushed and looked at the table smiling in a way I had never seen him look before.

"what is it?" I questioned.

"well...we say these things about them. But..." he stopped, his face reddening even more. "but we...almost.....you know...."

I felt like my head was going to pop.

"but....but that's different! That was......us. we're us. They're......our FAMILY"

"we're family. You do remember that don't you?"

"of course I do!" I shouted. He was winding me up.

He began to giggle, and my frustration soothed.

"and we DIDNT almost do...that" I was such a blushing virgin that I wanted to bang my head on the table, but I carried on. "I don't know what that was. But I can guarantee that it was nowhere near as bad as what they're doing up there. Perverts!"

He smiled at me.

" we were going to do the same thing....as them I mean...." he mumbled self-consciously.

"that's what you think!" it was my natural self-defence mechanism to shout at whomever may annoy me. "I don't know what you were we were thinking was going to happen. But that's just your filthy mind!"

"so why did you join in?" he was becoming as defensive as me.

"...it just....happened...and....I liked it...."

We both sat in an awkward silence. I could feel Yuki gloating, I didn't need to look at him. I didn't know where his sudden burst of confidence came from. I was happy never to talk about what happened up in his room, and even happier to just have it in my mind, as something I could think about whenever one of those moods I had been having lately took me.

"it was your fault anyway. You started it" I found it infuriating that I had resorted back to such childish tactics in an attempt to get myself out of the situation.

He just rolled his eyes in response.

"I need to talk to you Kyo. Somewhere private" he was sombre, there was no more teasing about what happened upstairs.

"this is pretty private." I replied.

"yes, but, they-" he pointed up to the ceiling. "-will be finishing soon, and we can't be interrupted"

I nodded.

"ok...where?"

"my room"

He got up and held out his hand for me to take, he helped me up, and we walked together, awkwardly through the house and up the stairs. As we came to his door, we heard a loud cry from Shigure's room. It was the dog. His voice was distinctive. We looked at each other disgustedly, I understood their passion for each other. But was there any need for that?! as I we recovered and began to walk again, there came another cry. Ayame.

"oh god" Yuki murmured. "ok. That is wrong"

I smiled. Yet in my head I was angry, they came home, wrecked our evening, and did....what we were supposed to be doing. I tried to shake that thought, it would only cause trouble, especially because he needed to talk to me, and it sounded serious.

As we entered, I saw his bed. His usually pristine and seemingly ironed sheets were messy, creased and it was obvious that someone had either slept on them. or maybe done something else. Yet I couldn't think of things like that now. I had to keep my mind on what Yuki had to say.

We sat facing each other on his bed.

"I...went to speak to Shigure today" he sounded uneasy.

I waited for him to continue.

"and, I told him we aren't going to the main house."

He seemed scared of what I would say, and so he carried on talking so I couldn't.

"I did it because when I was talking to Shigure he told me...." he paused for quite a while, I considered asking him if he was ok, asking him to finish his sentence, but how nervous he was made me think twice, I waited.

"he told me, that Akito knows. About us. And so anything she has lined up for us cannot and will not be pleasant. Especially for you." He took a breath.

"she?" this was obviously a slip of mouth on his part.

"ah....um....yes...she" he said uneasily.

"Akito? I don't understand?"

"Akito, is a woman" he confirmed. The revelation was overwhelming, and just didn't sink in.

"I...don't...understand what you mean. Akito. Is a man. He always had been"

He shook his head, no.

"b-but why? Why didn't he, no, she tell us all?"

"it's a long story, I'll tell you later, but I need you to know that we aren't going to the house Kyo, we'll get hurt. Look what she did to Hatori, I can't risk putting you in that situation. You're even more at risk because you're.." he stopped, he didn't seem comfortable with saying the rest of his sentence, so I did it for him:

"because I'm the cat."

He smiled sadly and nodded. I reached out and took his hand, holding it tightly.

"ok. We'll stay here, we'll lock ourselves in if we have to. It'll just be us." I smiled at him, trying to reassure him.

"ok...thank you" he smiled, looking at me with eyes that were heavy with tears.

I saw this and I couldn't understand the reason for it, but I didn't question it, instead I pulled him close to me, holding him tightly and whispering that it was ok, over and over again.

"I made you a present today" I only told him to try and cheer him up.

He pulled away and looked at me with pink cheeks and watery eyes.

"really?! You made it? What is it?"

"I can't tell you that!" I said in a voice that could only be described as sickly sweet.

"why not!?" it was so nice to see him happy again.

"because it's for Christmas." I stuck my tongue out at him. something I hadn't done since I was about five, and I was playing with shishou.

"well...I got your present today too." He threw back.

"what is it?" I couldn't help myself. People rarely bought me presents. Especially from within the family.

"not telling" he mimicking me by poking his tongue out.

"Yuki" I sighed, getting his attention. "I really hate you sometimes"