Falling for a Prince?

By: Senko Tenrou

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Author's Note: I'm back with absolutely nothing to say... Read, enjoy, and review!!

Previously…

School passed in a haze for Tohru and the next thing she knew she was racing out of the classroom with Kyou on her heels. "Tohru, don't you have work today?" He asked, trailing behind her.

"Yes, Kyou-kun but I'm not going today; Yuki-kun's sick and I promised to go straight home." Tohru rep

"Whatever." His reply came out sour and disapprovingly. He hated how Yuki could so easily gain her attention, her time, and her care. He hated how the rat could get that from anyone, where only he would gain new rivals who thought of him as a cat-lover. Kyou sweat-dropped at the thought.

Chapter 7: Someone

Tohru ran into Shigure's home, slipped off her shoes, and ran up to Yuki's room while announcing her arrival to Shigure.

She knocked once on Yuki's door then quietly opened it and stepped inside stealthy just to be sure not to wake Yuki if he was sleeping. She glanced at his bed and found that Yuki wasn't there. She peered around his room and, laughing silently, she found him asleep at his desk, papers thrown everywhere. 'Must have gotten bored. Poor thing.' she wondered to herself. "Yuki-kun?" she called softly.

Yuki bolted up and immediately pushed all the scattered papers into a neat pile. "Yes?"

"Um, why are you sleeping over there? That's what beds are for." Tohru blinked, pointing to the chair that Yuki was presently seated in, and then to the vacant bed.

Yuki gave her a quizzical look then realized he was sitting in his desk chair where he assumed he had fallen asleep. He crawled out of the chair and sat on his bed, cross-legged, facing Tohru. "Sorry. So, anything interesting happen at school today?"

"If something did, I didn't notice," Tohru answered, slipping into Yuki's forgotten desk chair.

"Why not?" Yuki asked, tilting his head at her.

"School was no fun," Tohru responded, shrugging simply. 'Not without you,' the silent reminder flashed through her mind.

"Oh." Yuki replied softly.

"Well, how are you feeling? Did Hatori-san come over?"

"I'm feeling much better and, no, Hatori didn't come, after all."

"Oh? Why's that?" Tohru asked. "Shigure-san seemed really enthusiastic about calling Hatori-san."

"Oh, I just convinced Shigure that he didn't need to come over," Yuki said, smiling innocently.

"Yuki-kun, you didn't do anything you would regret, did you?" Tohru was forced to become cautious as soon as he flashed her that innocent smile of his.

"No, not really, Honda-san. I just told him that Hatori didn't need to come over and if he did I would tell Mii-chan where he hid his latest manuscript."

"You know where he hides those things?"

"No. But he believed me anyway." Yuki's smile widened when he saw Tohru's eyes light up with hidden amusement.

Tohru tried very hard not to smile as she scolded, "Yuki-kun! You shouldn't do such things! It's not nice!"

"Well, neither is having someone poking at you with needles and stuff," Yuki reasoned calmly.

'He's got a point…' Tohru sighed, and moved to sit on the end of his bed. "Well, it was for your own welfare, Yuki-kun; it's good if it's to keep you healthy!" Tohru protested.

"I am healthy!" Yuki insisted. "I was just a little overworked, I guess."

"And that's what leads to sickness, Yuki-kun."

Yuki sighed this time. 'Great. Now she's got a point,' he thought. "Well, alright, but… I wasn't planning on getting sick,"

Tohru giggled, "Silly! You can't plan whether you get sick or not, Yuki-kun,"

Yuki thought about that for a moment and sighed. "Alright, Honda-san, you made your point and it is understood. But I still don't want a check-up from him!"

Tohru smiled sweetly. "I win again? Wai! That's two times in one day…"

"Yes, Honda-san, you win and yes it is two times in one day…" Yuki confirmed kindly.

"You're too sweet…" Tohru gushed and smiled again. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. She had never really heard if the curse went the same way with hugging but was willing to take that chance, nearly sure that it didn't have the same effect.

A dark blush flooded Yuki's face and the familiar noise echoes through the room in a cloud of smoke, leaving, once again, a grey mouse in his place.

"Oh no!" she moaned, "I didn't know it worked the same way! I'm so sorry, Yuki-kun!!"

'The thing is, it doesn't…' He scurried under his pillow to hide the visible blush spreading across his adorable whiskered face. "It's alright, Honda-san. Don't worry about it so much. It's really not as big a hassle as you seem to think."

"But—"

"Honda-san, don't."

"Yuki-kun!" she whined, "You can't tell me you don't hate me for all the times I've made you do that!"

"Yes, actually, I can say that. Easily, in fact, Honda-san; I don't hate you." Yuki replied calmly, "No one could,"

Tohru looked down, visibly embarrassed. "I doubt that, Yuki-kun,"

"You shouldn't." Why did he feel so uncomfortable to talk to her right now?

Tohru smiled gratefully. "Okay. Thank you, Yuki-kun," she responded shyly. "Well, you need to get your rest, okay? Are you hungry at all? I was about to go make dinner." She started after a long pause.

Yuki smiled and nodded. "Yes, actually, I am a little hungry. Are you going to let me out of my room to eat or am I going to be forced to eat in here?" he asked with slight sarcasm.

Before Tohru could have a chance to answer—Poof!!

Yuki was sitting on his bed again, bare skinned, with a pillow slumping over his brow. Tohru instantly spun around and clambered into the chair at his desk, turning away, and blushed like crazy.

Once Yuki assured her that he was dressed, Tohru turned back to face him and answered, "I think I'd like you to eat in here. I'll come back up with you," then added so not to sound demanding, "If you'd like, that is,"

Yuki smiled genuinely. "Yes, Honda-san, I'd like that,"

Tohru felt her cheeks warm, once again, as she rose from the chair and turned away. That smile of his always got to her for some reason. "Ah, well, I—I'll, um, go make dinner now. I'll, uh, be back… soon, 'kay?"

"Yes; alright then. I'll be waiting." Yuki said, flashing an extremely kawaii smile that Tohru would have been thankful for not seeing or she would have swooned right there.

Tohru walked out of the room and down to the kitchen rather quickly.

.

Twenty minutes later, after Tohru finished dinner, she set Kyou and Shigure's portions on the table and traveled back up to Yuki's room again, hoping that by the time dinner was over Shigure would still be in one piece. Kyou seemed rather irritated at the fact that she wasn't eating with them.

.

Shigure saw her leave and smiled somewhat. They certainly were spending quite a lot of time together but he didn't bother about that; there was food on the table! He was really hungry!

.

Tohru entered Yuki's room and saw that he was sitting up on his bed and reading. "Yuki-kun? Dinner's ready!" she exclaimed.

Yuki looked up, smiled, and put his book to the side. "Thank you, Honda-san,"

Tohru simply smiled and took a seat at the end of his bed. "So, how did you keep yourself busy all day?"

"Thinking, mostly."

"Oh, what were you thinking about?"

"…Someone." Yuki shrugged like it was nothing. It wasn't often that Yuki looked sneaky, but now was one of those times.

Tohru felt her heart sink but she kept her cheery expression strong though a slight sadness did flicker across her features. "Anyone I know?"

"Very well, in fact,"

Tohru lowered her gaze. "Oh," she responded quietly.

'Don't you understand, Honda-san?' Yuki sighed silently.

Tohru and Yuki ate their food in silence. Once done, Tohru collected their empty plates and felt without so much as a 'good night' or a 'hope you feel better soon' and it frustrated him, knowing he'd made probably the biggest mistake he possibly could.

.

Tohru washed the dishes and gave a faulty goodnight to Kyou and Shigure. She clambered up the stairs though she hesitated at Yuki's door, her fist in a mid-knock. Tohru sighed and knocked. She needed to apologize.

"Come in!" Tohru heard Yuki call through the door. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Why was it so hard?

"Hey, Yuki-kun. I just… I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior and say good night. Are you going to be okay or do you need something before I start off to bed?" She said with an almost forced smile. She really didn't feel like smiling right now but she couldn't let on that anything was wrong.

"Well, you're forgiven, Honda-san, and no, I don't need anything right now. If I do, I'm pretty sure I can get it myself. Good night and sweet dreams, Honda-san." Yuki responded. He could see something wrong with the way she looked at him but he just assumed it was exhaustion taking over.

Tohru merely nodded and left to her own room though she was not tired at the least bit. She wanted the solitude and confined feeling of her room so she could think things over.

Tohru fell on her bed and stared lifelessly at the ceiling, door securely locked. 'So, Yuki-kun likes someone, eh? Someone I know? Someone I know very well? Who is it?!… And why do I care so much?' She let out a silent sigh. 'It's not like I can tell him who to like or not but...' But, she felt so helpless. She wanted to do something about it! But what?! There was nothing she could do! She couldn't change his feelings!

Nothing.

She could just lay here and wait 'til he tells her who it is, of course; but that would be selfish. Tohru knew she wouldn't do that. But, for right now, she was going to stare at the ceiling and think. She was going to single out the options of who this person could be and be happy for them the best she could. But the more she thought, the more depressed she became, knowing it was not her he was thinking about and most likely caring for.

The girl felt tears sting her eyes but no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't blink them back nor ignore them. Tohru didn't want to admit to herself that all she wanted to do was cry into her pillow because that would be weak and she hated feeling weak.

"Someone," she whispered with a dry, humorless laugh. "He's thinking about someone. And that someone isn't me," Though she always tried to see the good in situations, she saw none in this one. A tear slipped down her cheek and went unnoticed by the girl. One would think that knowing he cared about someone else means she would give up. But, not Tohru Honda; she wouldn't give up on her motto,

"Tohru Honda never gives up!"

Hah! That certainly seemed laughable right now. Sure, she wanted to get rid of those feelings, to get rid of her heartache. But she couldn't push them away. She couldn't stop loving Yuki Sohma . . . no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't shake that feeling.

Even if that feeling was causing her pain, she couldn't just leave it behind.

.

Okay, so sue me; it's sad and I realized Tohru might seem a little OOC. Sorry! Oh and I didn't mean that literally. I'm broke, money-less, basically poor at the moment . . . Hmm. checks penny bank I have exactly five dollars in my possession at this moment. Nothing really to give, ;; Well, tell me how you liked this chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

5th Of July, 2004

Mwuhaha!

Senko Tenrou