A/N: It's 11:30 at night, I'm not tired in the least, and I suddenly realized that I haven't written these two EVER. It made me sad. I really have no idea where this is coming from. I tried. Really.
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya. The 100 drabbles idea belongs to fanfic100.
Too Much"Toooooooohruuuuu!"
A young girl of about fourteen poked her head out from behind a wall, glancing over at the woman who was dragging herself across the room towards her, arms raised.
"Mama wants foooooood!" Tohru squealed as her mom's body draped on top of her, arms enveloping her in a warm hug.
"Mom!" she cried, feeling the weight of her mom pull them both down to the floor, crashing into each other. Tohru blinked, dots flashing in her vision. Her mom's body still lay on top of her, and she felt it hard to breathe.
"Mom, I'm making dinner," she managed to choke out. Kyoko's body perked up immediately. She swung herself up, sitting cross-legged in front of her daughter excitedly.
"Really? Supper for your mama?"
Tohru wiped her hands on the apron she wore out of habit as she kneeled up. "Yes!" she cried, giggling. "Why were you so tired when you came in?" Kyoko followed Tohru into the kitchen, where a pot of water was simmering gently. Kyoko looked into it, frowning and ignoring Tohru's question.
"There's no food in here!"
"Well, not yet, I have to get the vegetables and everything else out first!"
Kyoko shrugged, slinging an arm over her daughter's shoulders as she diced a carrot. "I'm so happy to have you," she crowed, resting her cheek on top of Tohru's head. Tohru blushed, dicing the carrot faster.
"I'm happy to have you too, Mom."
"I'd be lost without you, you know."
"…I know."
"I mean, how would I eat? I'd be starving!" Kyoko clutched a hand to her stomach as she glanced at the empty pot again. Tohru sighed, glad to see her mom turning back to her old joking self.
"Only a little bit longer, Mom."
Kyoko grumbled something under her breath, grabbing juice from the fridge. "Maybe I should just teach you how to cook," Tohru stated, grinning in spite of herself. Kyoko made a strangled noise.
"Me? Cook? Never! I tried it when you were a baby, but without your father's help…" Kyoko's voice drifted off into silence. Tohru didn't pay any attention at first, until she heard her mom sliding down the floor. She looked back, startled; to see her mom's forehead resting on raised knees as she sat at the base of the fridge. Tohru laid the knife down hurriedly, rushing to bend by her mother's side.
"Mom?" she asked hesitantly, gripping her arm. Kyoko occasionally did this; happy one minute, depressed the next. It didn't happen often, but when it did…it scared Tohru. So much.
"I just—I miss him!" Kyoko raised her head, tears streaming down her face. Tohru gasped quietly and wiped a tear off of her cheek. Kyoko sniffed loudly. "I don't mean to do this…I don't…it's just—I don't know why…" Kyoko let out a sob, and Tohru shushed her calmly, resting her head against Kyoko's shoulder as she sat down beside her. "It's just…too…much—sometimes…"
For a while, the only noise was Kyoko sniffing, trying to get herself under control. Then Tohru began to hum. She closed her eyes and squeezed her mom's arm tighter, humming a familiar lullaby her mom always used to sing to her. Kyoko seemed to recognize it, because in a few moments her feeble hums mixed in with Tohru's until it was just the two of them, humming softly to try and erase the pain.