@(^_^)@

Does anyone know how any reliable companies which sell Fruits Basket manga over the internet ?

Thank again, everyone ! I'm so touched by the number of responses I've had to my miserable little chapter 5a ! I'm so sorry that the chapters have such varying lengths, but sometimes I jump from one place to the other, and it'll make it too confusing if it were in the same chapter. Gomen nasai everyone !

Special thanks to Dojomistressbra who told me the name of the Princess' Fanclub ringleader.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Fruits Basket", it is the property of Natsuki Takaya. The story line is mine though, and so are any characters of my creation which I may choose to introduce.

I hope you'll enjoy my fic (and if you don't, please tell me how I can better this story through your reviews)

Summary: A/U. Tohru Honda and Yuki Soma have been friends since childhood. As they grew up, that friendship developed into something more. But will the arrival of Yuki's controversial cousin, Kyo, change the bond between the two sweethearts ? Is Tohru attracted to Kyo's fiery character ? '…why do I feel myself drawn to him ? Why does my heart start to beat faster in my chest and my breath become shorter when he's near ? It has never been like this with Yuki. With Yuki, it is a tenderness that I feel, a gentleness and warmth … Is it the sheer masculinity and power that Kyo radiates, which attracts me to him ?'

" "- speech

' '- thoughts ( italics also display thoughts)

Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed my fic ! Love you all !!

Growing Up

Chapter 5b

Early the next day, Tohru was waiting for Yuki at their arranged meeting place (under a sakura tree), when she noticed, not one, but two figures making their way towards her. Once they came closer, she was able to identify Kyo walking sullenly a few paces behind Yuki. He wore the boys' uniform of her school, but his shirt was unbuttoned to show a black shirt underneath.

"Ohayoo Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun !" Tohru waved enthusiastically. She quickly walked up to them and Yuki bent down to give her a gentle peck on the cheeks.

"Ohayoo Tohru-chan." He said softly.

"Yo!" Kyo said casually.

They proceeded to walk to school together, the onigiri in between cat and mouse.

* * *

At school, the trio were greeted with a huge commotion. Some girls were swooning and staring avidly at Yuki, while the Princess' Fan club was doing their usual cheerleading routine, but added to that, there were girls standing in groups and whispering loudly about the other young man who had accompanied Sohma-kun and Honda-san to school.

* * *

Kyo gave the hordes of girls a frightened look. All those females were staring at him ! It made his hairs stand on end. He tried to edge towards the office blocks, but girls started to surround him from all sides !

* * *

Yuki shot his cousin a cold smirk, when he noticed all the girls crowding around him and Kyo's panicking expression. However, his smile vanished when he saw some of the ringleaders of the Princess' Fan club harassing Tohru.

"Stay away from Sohma-kun, Honda ! You're nowhere near good enough for him !" Motoko said viciously.

"Right !"

"Definitely right !"

"Totally right !" 

Yuki couldn't see Tohru's expression, but he noticed that her shoulders slumped slightly. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly, but he didn't let any of the anger that he was experiencing show on his face. Regally, he walked up to the group.

"Konnichi wa ." He said coldly, as he regarded his girlfriend's tormentors. Immediately, Motoko and her mob had stars in their eyes, and their cruel expressions turned into masks of simpering adoration.

"Sohma-kun…" Motoko said breathlessly, but the prince ignored it, and pulled Tohru away from them, nodding curtly to the Princess' Fan club.

"Are you alright, Tohru-chan ?" Yuki asked once they were away from the four.

Tohru tried hard to mask the hurt that she experienced, and gave her protector a dazzling smile.

"Hai. Don't worry, Yuki-kun, I'm fine."

This seemed to convince the silver-haired youth, for moments later, he gave her another sweet kiss and excused himself to council meetings. Tohru was left there, looking at Yuki's retreating back sadly. However, she snapped out of her daze, when she noticed a familiar orange blur bolting past her and into the school building. Hot on his heels were a horde of screaming girls.

"SOHMA-KUN !!!" They all screamed as they ran after the hapless Kyo.

Tohru was left in the dust of their rapid exit, her eyes huge. 'Oh poor Kyo-kun !' Quickly she ran after the girls, hoping that she won't be coming too late from saving Kyo of a horrifying fate. (having a mob of girls chasing after you, whatever the reason, is not pleasant ! ^_^;)

After searching most of the classrooms of the building Kyo ran in, Tohru became worried. He was in none of the rooms; she had searched meticulously, even rifling through all the chemical cupboards and huge waste bin used in art class. Finally, she decided that there was only the roof left. Quietly, she ascended the narrow stairway, and opened the trapdoor.

She was deeply relieved when she saw Kyo lying on the roof, his eyes closed with a suffering expression on his face. Tohru moved towards him slowly.

"Kyo-kun ?" She asked tentatively.

Kyo's eyes snapped open, and he shot to his feet in an instant, ready to flee. When he saw that it was only Tohru, his tense position relaxed a bit, and sat down again. Tohru stood uncertainly a few feet away.

"Your girls always like this ?" He surprised her by asking wryly.

Tohru shot him another worried glance. 'Is he angry ? Oh, I hope he wont change schools because of this !'

"Iie. They are usually not so aggressive, it's just that they haven't seen such a handsome man before." Tohru blushed as she said this, but then the corners of her eyes crinkled and she began to laugh.

Kyo had blushed as well, when he heard Tohru's compliment, but then he heard her laugh.

"What's so funny ?" He said harshly, forgetting that he wanted to keep a cool composure. He regretted it instantly, as Tohru's laughter died abruptly.

"Gomen, gomen ne, Tohru-kun…" He said, flustered and embarrassed.

"No, I should apologize, Kyo-kun," she said, " I should not have laughed. It's just that this is very much like a scene I have remembered from the past."

"Hm?" Kyo made a curious noise, and motioned to Tohru that he accepted her apology and wanted her to explain further.

Tohru settled down next to Kyo on the roof.

"It was exactly the same, five years ago. But then it was with Yuki…" Kyo stiffened as he heard his cousin's name," …he had been chased to the rooftop as well. I guess looks and charms run in the family, ne ?" Tohru grinned at him, and Kyo found himself blushing again.

"Did Kyo-kun attend school while he lived with his shishou ?"

"Sometimes. "

Tohru suddenly became aware of how close they were. She only needed to extend her arms a bit, to touch Kyo. Furthermore, she could smell the faint traces of soap on him, a mixture of sandalwood and something else. 

"So, how long have you been seeing Yuki ?" Kyo asked casually, but his shoulders felt tense and his face seemed to be abnormally warm. 'She's too damn close ! I can smell the strawberry shampoo she uses !'

Involuntarily, he leant forward, his breath shortening and coming more rapidly.

"Tohru-kun…" He murmured in a low voice.

Tohru was mesmerized by Kyo's eyes, her heart beat accelerating until she could hear it pulsing loudly in her ears. Those dark orbs burned with an intense light, which made her feel strangely elated and excited at the same time. It was like as if an electric current ran through her body, making her become more sensitive to everything: the heat radiating from Kyo's body, the small distance that separated them, his wonderfully manly scent…

Suddenly, a voice broke the atmosphere on the roof.

"Tohru-chan ?" Yuki's voice called in concern, as he looked for his girlfriend.

On the roof, Tohru started, shot a fleetingly frightened look at Kyo, and fled down the stairs. As she rushed down the narrow steps, she futilely tried to calm her erratic heart rate. 'What happened ?!' She thought desperately, her mind refusing to accept the strange new feeling that she had towards Yuki's cousin. Her boyfriend's cousin !

Confused and scared, she didn't notice Yuki standing in front of her, and ran right into him. Upon feeling the familiar body against her, with his scent of lavender, she tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Tohru-chan ?" Yuki said, surprised.

"Please hold me, Yuki-kun !" Tohru said desperately, her voice muffled as she snuggled closer to her sweetheart.

Yuki was slightly worried about her strange behaviour, but complied nonetheless. However, Tohru, held securely in his arms, did not feel any relief from the doubts that were plaguing her mind. '…why do I feel myself drawn to Kyo ? Why does my heart start to beat faster in my chest and my breath become shorter when he's near ? It has never been like this with Yuki. With Yuki, it is a tenderness that I feel, a gentleness and warmth … Is it the sheer masculinity and power that Kyo radiates, which attracts me to him ?'

Tohru did not want to contemplate this new discovery. She did not want to place a name to the strange emotion that she had experienced when she had been so near Kyo, nor did she want to face what she had felt while being held in Yuki's arms.

"Yuki-kun, please take me home."

The silver-haired boy didn't object, even though it was the beginning of the school day, and they would miss out on classes.

As Yuki led her outside the familiar iron fences of the school gates, Tohru gave a fleeting glance at the roof. Her hands unconsciously tightened on Yuki's arms. 'Why do I feel such a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach ?…such a longing…'

I'm so sorry for forgetting to post Japanese translations at the bottom of each chapter, I always seem to forget ! T.T

Gomen, gomen ne-  sorry, I'm sorry

Shishou- I think it means mentor or master

ne- huh ? It's usually used at the end of a sentence, to address the other person/ ask the other person's opinion in an informal way

iie- no

hai- yes

sakura- cherry blossom

ohayoo- good morning

onigiri- riceball

I hope that the pace of my story has picked up a bit. I'm planning to add a bit more waff later on, but as one reviewer told me, it seems pretty mean of /unlike Tohru if she simply ditched Yuki and went for Kyo. And I agree. I'm not saying that this is going to be a Kyoru fic, it's still undecided, but there'll definitely be a Tohru/Kyo attraction.

Enjoy the fic and don't forget to always R&R !

~*~//chibichibi-neko\\~*~