Summary: Ayame knows that Tohru didn't choose Yuki. But he'll do what he can… to give his little brother one last morning with her. one-sided Yuki x Tohru

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Author's Note: Ok, I don't actually know what happens in the manga. But in this version of the story, Tohru does realize that she's in love with Kyou, not Yuki. Yes, I realize Yuki doesn't take off to some big city in the end of the anime, lolol.

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Making the Morning Sun

Small tribute to a wayward brother

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"Will you just look at them? They make me smile. Did the three of us ever look like that?"

"No… well, no. No we didn't. I don't think we ever really smiled that much. We just pretended."

"It's nice."

"Yes…"

"I'm sorry about Yuki."

"So she chose Kyou, then?"

"Yes."

A sigh. "Somehow, I had a feeling it would turn out like this. Yuki would have been perfect for her… but Tohru-kun goes where she's needed most, doesn't she? Although… I think Yuki still needs her more than he'll admit to anyone. To me, anyway."

"Remember what I told you- he's still a child. Take care of him."

"I will. Heh… maybe this is my chance to be a real big brother to him, after all?"

"Be careful."

"I will! Haa-san, trust me."

-

Yuki tossed restlessly on his bamboo mattress. One of his hands tangled up in his sheets, twisting the white fabric… like it was something he disliked. Something he wanted to hurt, so badly. Someone… who had taken his world away from him.

Ayame guessed his brother's dream. He smoothed out the tousled gray hair and stared at the seventeen-year-old intently. Who knew when he would see him again?

"I don't want you to go, Yuki," Ayame whispered. He smiled. "Hell… seems like you just started talking civilly to me."

Yuki yawned widely, and Ayame quickly snatched his hand away. The teenager opened his eyes and scowled at his brother. "What were you blathering about, Ayame? You woke me up."

Ayame grinned. "Sorry, Yuki. It's time for you to wake up, anyway."

"Hmm? What time is it?" Yuki glanced up at the clock. "Si- six! I thought I told you to wake me up at five thirty at the latest! I want to get out of here, not sleep in. Why the hell did you just sit there when you knew I wanted to wake up early?"

Without waiting for a response, Yuki stormed out of the room.

Ayame sighed to himself. He smoothed out the still-warm bed sheets.

-

Yuki mumbled to himself as he shaped some cold, lopsided onigiri. Didn't matter what they looked like. All that mattered was that he remembered what to do, all of what to do once he got out of Shigure's house for good. Ayame had to invite himself along, to drive Yuki to the airport. But once he was on the plane… he would be free.

The memory of a softly warm and generous girl crossed his mind.

A tear fell on the rice. Damn, but he didn't want to be free! He wanted to be here, he wanted to be with Tohru, and stay with Tohru. That damn cat. He'd never lost anything in his life to that cat. And now… the only thing that mattered!

He'd gladly lose every other battle in his life, if he could win this one.

"Yuki?"

His damn brother again. "What?"

Yuki blinked in surprise when Ayame crossed the room and swept him up in his arms. He protested loudly, but Ayame didn't even seem to hear. Yuki relaxed slightly. He hoped that his brother wouldn't notice his tears.

"It's not fair," said Ayame. Because it was a time to be good to Yuki only, he added, "You would be worlds better for her than that cat."

"Damn right," muttered Yuki. "That idiot was even right about her. She never does what's good for her."

"I know… I know…"

"Let go of me, will you?" Yuki pushed away. "Why am I even listening to you? I'm going to go pack, I'm going to pack and then let's leave, all right? Before anyone wakes up?"

Ayame shrugged. "All right."

-

Yuki dragged his only suitcase onto the front porch. Shigure's front porch, he corrected himself. Not his home anymore. If he ever came back here- not that he would ever come back here- it wouldn't be his home. It'd be Shigure's home… or…

Or Kyou and Tohru's home.

He sighed with the thought of it- for the moment, his store of tears had been emptied. He turned wearily to the mountains in the east. A few rays of piercing yellow sunlight were just beginning to streak out from the tops of the ridges and forests.

"Goodbye forever," Yuki told the forest's quiet world. "I'll miss you…"

"Yuki-kun!"

Yuki spun around, his eyes wide. It couldn't be- Tohru stayed the night at her classmates' house. He had specifically chosen this day so that she wouldn't be home that morning!

"Yuki-kun, what are you doing?" she asked. "You're… it looks like you're leaving…"

"Damn," Yuki cursed into his hand. He looked up and smiled at her. The same gentle smile he always had for her- he'd be damned if he let her see anything else. "Tohru-kun. What a surprise…"

"You're leaving," she said. "Aren't you."

The finality of her voice made him want to cry again. No. No tears. "Yes, Tohru-kun. I'm sorry… I wanted to leave this morning, before anyone found out." He smiled ruefully. "Too late, I suppose."

"You would have left without saying goodbye."

"I- I didn't want to say goodbye." He put down his bag. "Not to you."

"How would we have known what had happened to you?" she asked.

He fidgeted. "Ano… well, Shigure and Kyou knew…"

"Yuki-kun! Why did you want to not tell me?" Tohru started to fling her arms around him, but thought better of it. She settled for taking one of his hands, avoiding his eyes and rubbing the softness of his palm instead. "You haven't been very nice to us lately."

Yuki sighed. Exactly why he didn't want this kind of scene. "Look, I really have to be going, Honda-kun…"

She looked up in surprise. "Sohma-kun!"

The teenagers stared at each other for a long minute.

Finally, Tohru smiled a little. "It seems like we already knew in our unconscious," she said. "Even though neither of us wanted to say anything."

Yuki swallowed. "I'm sorry, Tohru-kun-"

"Sohma-kun!" she cried. She blinked. "Ano… Sohma-kun. It's okay."

"It's too late, you mean."

"Ano… where are you going, Sohma-kun?" Tohru asked suddenly.

Yuki decided to smile. "Now, if I told you, I'd have to go somewhere else, now wouldn't I?" He took her hand. "It's somewhere very good for me, I promise."

"Sohma-kun…" whispered Tohru. She brought his hand up and rubbed it against her cheek.

"What are you doing?"

"So I'll remember what you feel like," she said. Then she smiled. "All right, Sohma-kun. I think I knew for these two months that you were going to go away. So I'll stop asking you to stay, and I'll smile at you and wave you goodbye instead. Ok?"

Yuki nodded. "Take care of my strawberries, Honda-kun."

She nodded solemnly back at him. He took that last thought and hefted up his bag with it, and stumbled down the porch to the open trunk of Ayame's little car. When he had closed the lid, he looked back at the house. To Yuki's surprise, Kyou had joined Tohru on the porch.

"Damn mouse is finally running away, is he?" Kyou asked loudly.

Tohru touched his arm. "Kyou-kun…"

He shrugged. "What?"

"It's all right, Honda-kun," Yuki called to them. "He's… right."

Kyou looked surprised. "Yeah, I am… Hey, nezumi! You know what?"

"What?" Yuki asked in annoyance.

"You're all right," said Kyou. He nodded at the other boy.

"Brother! I'm glad to see you're ready!" Yuki turned to see Ayame walking towards him from the back of the house. "I just had to say a little goodbye to Gure-san" –Yuki rolled his eyes- "But I'm ready to drive you now!"

"Don't be an idiot." Yuki got into the car, as Ayame started up the engine. From the corner of his eye, he watched Tohru and Kyou go back in the house.

-

"Tohru-kun? Ah, Tohru-kun. This is Ayame-san. I know you're at your classmate's house, but I wonder if you could do a nice favor for me…"

-

The airport was loud, and busy, and tense. The bad air gave Ayame a headache. He didn't really like this kind of modern world, and he knew Yuki didn't either. He wondered that his brother would willingly jump into a foreign broth like this.

They hadn't talked. Yuki brooded in the car for the hour to the airport, and Ayame was afraid to ask him anything. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea.

"Ayame-kun?" Yuki looked at him intently. "Is anything wrong?"

His bag was checked… he looked like he didn't have a possession or a care in the world. Maybe, thought Ayame, he didn't.

"Nothing," he smiled. "Just thinking that you've really… grown up."

Yuki rolled his eyes. "They're calling my flight," he said. "I should go."

"I wish you would tell at least me where you were going," said Ayame. "Dear, dear… I wish you'd trust me, but…"

"Yeah, but maybe I don't want every Sohma knowing my plans?" asked Yuki.

"Yuki-kun."

"See you, Ayame-san," said Yuki. He stood up. "And… for taking me to the airport… thanks."

Ayame nodded silently. Dear, dear little brother.

Yuki nodded back, and rocked on his heels. When neither said anything more, he shrugged and turned to leave… to join the crush of people on the automatic walkway. Ayame hugged himself as Yuki momentarily disappeared, and he was relieved when he saw the gray head again. Incredibly enough, his brother was looking back at him.

"Nagasaki," Yuki called.

Then the walkway descended into a long tunnel, and he was gone.

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A/N: If you liked it, please review : )

And if you like Hatori-san and Shigure-san as much as Ayame-san, please check out my other Furuba story, "To the day my heart stops". It's… kind of romance? Between Shigure and Ayame, how's that. But the main story is about Hatori-san, or actually Hatori-kun, since he's 16.