FRUITS BASKET: WHAT MUST BE DONE

by Vashkoda

(Disclaimer: This work of fiction uses characters belonging to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha without their permission. I am getting no profit from it. I only do it because I think Fruits Basket is a great story, and I want to help keep it alive!)

Author's Note: There are only 2-3 more chapters left in this story. Assume nothing! Trust no one--oh wait, wrong show. =P Thanks again for all the positive feedback! You guys are the best.

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"Honda-san?"

Yuki was surprised to see Tohru coming towards him alone. The teen looked around for Shigure, spotting his older cousin still seated at their table. The man gave Yuki a wink and a thumbs up.

Yuki turned back to Tohru in confusion. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for Yuki to make the next move.

"So.... Are you ...having fun?" he asked slowly, trying to find something to say.

"Oh- hai!" answered Tohru quickly. She seemed surprised at his question; obviously she was waiting for him to ask something else. He watched the other students out of the corner of his eye, and got his inspiration.

"Would you like to dance, Honda-san?" He bowed slightly and presented his hand to her. Tohru blushed at the gesture, causing him to blush as well. Did he look foolish? How could he know--he'd never done anything like this before!

"Hai! That should be fun!" she agreed, taking his hand. Her smile gave him courage, and he led her to where the other couples had already gathered near the stage.

As they danced, he noticed quickly that Tohru felt uncomfortable. Her movements were very slow and hesitant, and she kept him away at arm's length.

"It doesn't seem like you're having much fun. If you'd like, we can stop," Yuki told her, feeling slightly let down.

"Gomenesai, Yuki-kun," she apologized. "I've never danced like this before. And I'm worried that I might stumble into you and make you...you know," she said, waving her hands and sounding flustered.

"Ah. Well I appreciate you concern," he smiled, feeling somewhat relieved. "In fact, that's why I had to leave my date after our first dance. She was trying to get too close, and I was afraid of what might happen."

"Oh!" exclaimed Tohru worriedly. "Where is she now? It must seem awfully rude for me to be dancing with her partner. I have to find her and apologize-"

"You will do no such thing," said Yuki sternly. "It's time she grows up and realizes that I'm not in love with her, nor will I ever be." His heart ached with the desire to tell Tohru that it was her that he really loved, but he feared how she would react.

"Oh," said Tohru thoughtfully, and was silent until the end of the song. Suddenly the rhythm began picking up, the music blending into one of the more popular songs currently playing on the radio. Yuki let go of Tohru, at a loss of how to continue their dance when the beat was going so fast.

"I love this song!" Tohru giggled, clapping her hands and jumping up and down as other kids were now doing. Yuki stared at them all in surprise.

"C'mon, join in!" she laughed, grabbing his hands again and guiding him through the moves. Tohru had lost all her past shyness, whereas Yuki was now the one dancing uncomfortably. Didn't the other students care how silly they looked? How could something like this be considered dancing?

Yet he had to admit...it was kind of fun.

As the fast-paced music continued, Yuki began noticing how hot and stuffy the room had become. He saw that Tohru's face was flushed.

"Would you like to cool down outside?" he asked her, having to shout over the music.

Tohru nodded. He led her out of the banquet hall and past rows of guest rooms. At the end of a long corridor was a lounge area he had spotted earlier, opening onto a small wooden balcony.

"Let's go out here," he suggested, sliding open the glass door. She followed him out and sighed in relief as a cool night breeze took away some of the excess heat.

"Feeling better?"

"Mmhmm," nodded Tohru, smiling. "I'm really having a wonderful time. Aren't you, Yuki-kun?"

Yuki hesitated. A short while ago, Tohru had been dancing in his arms in what was traditionally the most romantic night of the school year. She had walked over to him willingly--him, not Kyo. And now they were alone.

He worried that his good fortune had already been stretched to the limit. But would it really be asking for too much if he-

"Hond-...Tohru-chan," he said slowly, realizing that there was no need for formalities between them any longer. Indeed, maybe there hadn't been for a long time. "Would it be all right if...if I kissed you?"

He expected shock, embarrassment, denial--perhaps even a little outrage. He was surprised, therefore, when she nodded timidly, and even initiated the move by leaning in towards him.

It was like embracing pure sunshine. The heat from the dance was nothing compared to the warmth of Tohru's touch. Her light rushed into him, chasing away all the dark corners of his soul that had been filled for so long with loneliness and fear. Her breath filled him with life, and he felt his heart almost burst with joy.

It was over in a moment, but in that span, he felt like he could have lived several lifetimes. Indeed, he felt as if he had just been born anew.

It was confusing. She knew, deep inside, that none of this made any sense. That should have tipped her off. But at the same time, her thoughts were clouded, and her mind refused to make logical connections. Until she could prove otherwise, therefore, she was forced to assume that this was really happening.

The flowers in her hand were important. She didn't know how she knew this, but she accepted that it was true. They would have a very big impact on whoever she gave them to. That was her choice to make.

She was in the woods again. Raindrops were falling hard against the muddy ground, yet somehow they didn't touch her or the others around her. Although it was night and the clouds shrouded the moon, there was still enough light to see by. She recognized Yuki in the nice black suit her had worn at the dance. Likewise, she expected to find herself in her prom dress, but looking down, she was surprised to see that she wore instead the princess outfit she had tried on at Ayame's store.

Lying on the ground a few feet away was Kyo. Hatori kneeled beside him, pressing down on the boy's sternum as he performed CPR. He was dying. Tohru knew this, but again she did not know how she knew.

"Kyo's weakness is his heart," Hatori explained, although he was speaking in sensei Kazuma's voice. "Don't worry, Kyo doesn't fear pain," he reassured her. Indeed, Kyo's face was free of any emotion. He looked already dead.

A large black raven settled onto the branch above her head, shaking some raindrops loose. "Who do you choose, Tohru-chan?" it cawed, somehow managing to sound like Shigure.

Tohru knew that she was almost out of time. Her eyes fell on Kyo, watching his life slip away, and she hurriedly made her decision. She joined Hatori at Kyo's side and rested the bouquet of flowers on his chest.

Hatori turned to look at her sharply. Speaking in his own voice now, he demanded, "How can any of us be saved if you refuse to do what must be done?"

"N-nani?" she asked him, terrified by the look of disapproval on his face. And then suddenly... it was gone. The rain had washed all the features from his face. It was like looking at an unfinished doll that had Hatori's general shape and size, but was still waiting for the toy maker to paint on its new face.

"Honda-san?"

Tohru turned to look at Yuki, but his face had also washed away, turning him into an empty shell. Tohru gasped in fright.

And then she detected the rotting odor she had smelled only once before. Backing away, she looked down with the expectation of seeing Kyo become the monster once again. But to her surprise, Kyo's body had disappeared completely, leaving a large indentation in the mud that was quickly filling up with rainwater.

An image shone upon the puddle's turbulent surface. It was in that reflection that she finally saw the monster. It too, wore a frown of disapproval, made all the more frightening by its rows of glistening fangs.

And then a rooster crowed.

Tohru bolted awake. As she sat up in bed, clutching the sheets around her tightly, she thought she could still hear echoes of the rooster's cry.

It was just another bad dream, she told herself firmly. Everything's all right. No one's going to die.

But that wasn't really true, was it? Hatori had told her that the Sohmas didn't have much longer to live.

Needing to clear away the horrible memories of the dream, Tohru rolled out of bed and walked over to the small television set Shigure had bought for her room on her last birthday. Tohru flipped through the channels quickly, pausing when she saw the chart of the weekly forecast.

For months now, they had had warm, clear weather. It was the reason Tohru had encouraged the Sohmas to spend so many afternoons outside. According to the forecast, however, that would soon be changing.

Tuesday would be the season's first day of rain. That was only three days away.

She remembered how the weather had been stormy in her dream. Did that mean something?

Someone knocked on her door. Realizing that she didn't look very presentable in her night shirt, Tohru hastily slipped on her robe.

"Come in," she choked, discovering that she still hadn't recovered from her recent fright.

Yuki opened the door slowly, making sure that it was safe to come inside. He smiled at her warmly as he saw her, then entered the room carrying a tray of strawberries, chocolate and two glasses of milk.

"Good morning, T-Tohru-chan," he said, still stumbling over the familiar form of her name. He lowered the tray onto the nightstand beside her.

"Good morning, Yuki-kun," she replied, blushing in appreciation of his gift. She couldn't help but avoid looking at his face, however. The dream was still too fresh in her mind.

"Are you all right, Tohru-chan? You don't look too well." He reached out to feel her forehead. Tohru shivered at the touch.

"Maybe I should make you some soup," he suggested, sounding concerned. "Then again, maybe it would be better that I get the neko to cook," he chuckled, making fun of his own poor skills in the kitchen.

It was strange to see Yuki laughing so openly. It delighted Tohru to see him this happy, yet she realized in dismay that she didn't feel well enough to join in his good cheer.

"No, thank you, Yuki-kun. I think... I think maybe I should go see Hatori-san instead."

The mirth was suddenly gone from Yuki's face. Wanting to see Hatori meant that her condition was serious.

"Are you sure? Then I will go with you."

Tohru was about to protest, but she could think of no excuses why he couldn't at least accompany her to the office. Then she had an idea.

"All right," she nodded. "But I would like Kyo-kun to come too."

Yuki frowned at her suspiciously. "Why do you want that baka along?"

"Yuki-kun," she began, hoping that he would understand, "I know that last night changes things...between us. I don't deny that it happened; I'm very glad it did," she reassured him quickly. "But Kyo-kun is still my friend. I don't want him to be upset over this. It's a happy thing for the two of us, but don't you see, it can only cause him pain."

Don't worry, Kyo doesn't fear pain, a voice in her head whispered. She tried her best to ignore it.

"I don't care if he's not happy about it," grumbled Yuki. "The neko does nothing but cause me problems. Why should I try to make his life easier?"

"Please, do it for me?" she begged him, realizing that she was using her leverage unfairly, but knowing no other way to make him agree. She rarely asked for anything, which she knew would make it harder for him to refuse her request.

Yuki continued to frown. "So you want us to pretend like nothing happened?"

"Only around Kyo-kun," she amended. "Not forever...just until he has a chance to get used to the idea."

She was surprised that they had even managed to keep it a secret from Kyo last night. The fan club president had chosen to go home with her friends, allowing Yuki and Tohru to sit next to each other and hold hands during the ride back. To Kagura's annoyance, Kyo had spent the entire trip unconscious, snoring loudly in the back seat. Shigure later confided in Torhu that he had snuck in a bottle of real champagne and had talked Kyo and Uo into challenging each other to a drinking contest. Kyo had apparently no tolerance whatsoever, and fell asleep right after his second glass. Uo had gone on to finish the bottle.

"So when will you tell him?" Yuki challenged her.

"Soon," she assured him. "Just, not right away. Please?"

Tohru could see Yuki's fists clench as he suppressed his anger. "Fine," he growled. "I'll go find him."

Tohru was alone in her room once more. She wondered briefly if she had really woken up, or if this was just another part of the nightmare....