Summary: Each Sohma realizes how he really feels about Honda Tohru.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket, nor do I own any of its
characters, even though I'm borrowing them for a bit. I own the
thought behind this story, and that's all. So please don't sue me,
Natsuki Takaya. Just understand that I love your stories so much and
the wait for them to be translated to English is killing me, so I
have
to write and read fanfiction so as I don't go postal.

CHAPTER 1: MOMIJI

"It's just a little bit further!"

Momiji bounded ahead of Tohru, then stopped and skipped back to her.

"Come on. I can't wait for you to see it!" He grabbed her hand and
pulled her behind him, skipping merrily along the trail.

As they reached the edge of the glade, Honda Tohru saw that the
clearing actually gave way to a little pool of crystal blue water.
The edges of the pond were covered in pink and purple flowers
interspersed with large rocks. As her gaze followed the large rocks
around the edge of the water, she saw that they led around to a
mountain, where a small waterfall let into the pool. The falling
water was almost lyrical in the soft tinkling.

She let out a tiny gasp, then held her breath as she noticed a young
fawn on the other side, drinking from the pool. Momiji gave her hand
a short squeeze to let her know that he saw it too, and they both
waited for the fawn to finish his drink and confidently walk back
into
the glade. Then they both let out the breaths they were holding and
advanced to the water.

"It's so... beautiful!" she whispered, as she sat on a rock that
overhung the water.

"I knew you would love it," Momiji whispered back.

Tohru reached down to touch the water – so clear that she could see
straight to the bottom. The water looked to be about 4 feet deep
under the overhang where they sat. As her fingers touched the water
she gasped again. "It's so warm."

"That's because there's a hot spring under the rocks. This is very
special place. A place of balance. The hot springs bubble up under
the rocks, and the cool water comes off the mountain in the
waterfall.
Bathing in this pool is supposed to bring great peace. I come here
sometimes to meditate – when I need to get away from everything – so
I
just knew you'd love it."

"Oh, Momiji. I can't think of a nicer gift than sharing this place
with me. I know Mom would have loved to see this place. But maybe
she can look down on us and share the beauty with us."

Momiji reached over and squeezed Tohru's shoulder. Then, like the
quicksilver rabbit that he was, he jumped up and, running toward the
waterfall, said, "Come on over here! You can walk behind the
waterfall!"

Tohru followed behind as Momiji practically danced the entire way
there, bending to sniff a flower here or gaze into the water there.
At the edge of the cliff, there was a little pathway that led into a
small cave. Momiji glanced back at Tohru and said, "Come on in to my
Fortress of Solitude!"

Momiji stopped and picked one wild flower and continued into the
cave.
As they walked carefully behind the waterfall, the sun shone through
the water, giving the cave an ethereal glow. A well-lit natural
cathedral.

"It – it's like... it's like nothing I've ever seen!"

"Yup! I like to think of it as my own private monastery. I come here
when I want to think. When I want to pray. This cave has natural
healing powers, so it should heal all hurts right? ...Just not the
curse."

Momiji walked over to a natural shelf on the east wall of the cave.
On the shelf were hundreds of beautifully dried blooms. More dried
flowers had been woven into garlands that decorated the cave wall
above the shelf. The wild blossom was placed on the shelf as he sat
down in front of it.

"I've never shown this to anyone before. Only you."

He looked up at her with a sad little smile. Then jumped up and said,
"Let's go swimming!"

"But I didn't bring a suit."

"We can go in our underwear. No one will know. Then when we're done,
there's a rock shelf and we can lie in the sun until we're dry."

"Well, I don't know..."

"Oh, please, please, PLEEEAAASE!"

"Well, um, I- I guess it should be allr-"

"YAY!" He jumped up and down and before Tohru could blink, he was
already in his skivvies. Then he ran toward the waterfall and jumped
through it yelling "Follow MEeeeeeeeeee!"

Tohru looked over, and by the shelf, Momiji had left his clothes in a
pile. She picked them up and folded them into a neat stack. Then,
blushing, undressed down to a T-shirt bra and cotton briefs. (AN:
nothing see-through, just cute and functional.) And before she could
change her mind, she ran at the wall of water and jumped through,
holding her nose closed with one hand and flailing the other arm
wildly.

SPLOOSH. She hit the water and went down, down, down. She opened her
eyes, and could see just a little bit of sun. She began kicking her
legs to bring her up and up. As she reached the top, she burst out of
the water with a wild spray. Once she got the water out of her
eyes, she scanned the pool for Momiji. He splashed up beside her.
"Isn't this fun? And so relaxing. Ooh! I know! Try floating on
your back!"

"Um. Okay."

As soon as she was on her back, Momiji floated up beside her and
Glomped on to her.

POOF!

"Oh!" Tohru sprang up and lifted the little bunny out of the water.

"No, no," Momiji said, "don't worry! Just keep floating on your back,
and you can be my raft. Won't that be fun?"

Not wanting to argue – that would be rude – Tohru lay back to float,
resting Momiji on her belly. Momiji leaned over her side and used his
giant ears as paddles, rowing them toward the falls. As they got
closer to the falls, Tohru gasped.

"Yeah! You can feel the warm water coming up and the cool water of
the falls. Feels neat, doesn't it? This is supposed to be the point
of balance.

"Oh! I know. Let's go lie out on the rock to dry!" He jumped off
Tohru's belly and swam to the middle of the pool where his underwear
were floating, put one paw through them to hold onto them, and swam
to
the west side of the pool where there was a clear landing. Tohru
followed him.

He ran up a path going up a side of the cliff where there was a shelf
ledge that caught the afternoon sun. Both of them laid down and
basked in the rays – the heat making them feel warm and lazy. Tohru's
honey hair spread out so it would dry quickly. Momiji cuddled up to
Tohru, so that he wouldn't transform back right away.

"Thank you, Momiji YAWN for showing me your... special... place." And
she was asleep.

Momiji returned the yawn and mumbled, "I always... wanted... to spend a
day with you like this..."
He snuggled closer and looked up at her, "I love you so much..." - and
the sun shone off her short gold hair as her blue eyes smiled kindly
at him – "Mutti."

Momiji sat bolt upright in his bed.
"That was a dream right? Right?

"Okay. It had to be a dream. I don't know any place with a lake like
that."

Then his bunny nose started twitching. Was that apfel-pancakes he was
smelling?

A knock on his door made him jump. "Come in."

"Happy Birthday, Momiji!" Tohru came in with a tray bearing a German
apple pancake that was bigger than his head.

"Did Ha'ri tell you that this is my FAVORITE breakfast?" He was
bouncing up and down in his bed.

"No. I'm so happy! I just looked up some German dishes, and I
thought – well, you're an usagi, and rabbits do like apples, and it's
sweet, just like you!" She poked him playfully in the nose. "And
after all, this is one of the 18 most important days in the year.
It's the day you were born! And I'm so happy that you were so that I
could meet you!"

Momiji looked sad for just a second, then smiled up at her with a
tear
in his eye. "Thank you, Tohru." He hugged her, and neither one of
them cared when he transformed – although he would have to wait til
he
changed back to eat his breakfast.

Momiji thought: Well. This is the best birthday I've ever had. And
Mutti, maybe someday, maybe someday you'll remember me and love me,
too.'