Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, and I take no credit for any of these characters. Please do not sue me... puppy eyes

Yuki sat alone, staring dreamily at a row of strawberries. His silvery brows were furrowed in deep thought and no one had dared bother him all day. He'd been like this all week; sort of off in a daze, his head in the clouds. His narrow chin rested in one palm, the other hand sat across his knee. He'd been in this pose for about half an hour now and Tohru was trying to decide whether or not she should approach him.

"Excuse me... Yuki-kun." She said timidly. He didn't seem to have heard her. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She cleared her throat and moved a little closer. "Yuki-kun?" She asked, a little louder.

Yuki shot up rigid and spun to face her. "Oh! I'm sorry, Honda-san. Please forgive me. Is there something you need?" He asked with a gentle smile. His lavender eyes gazed softly at her and for a moment Tohru had forgotten what she had even come to him about. He waited silently, his smile never faltering.

Tohru nodded. "Ah, yes. Dinner is nearly ready, if you're hungry. I wouldn't want you to miss another meal today..." Her expression suddenly changed. "Is Yuki-kun sick?" She asked, with a pleading look. Yuki hadn't eaten anything all day, in fact, his eating had become sparse altogether and she would often awake in the middle of the night to see light shining from underneath his bedroom door.

"No, no, Honda-san." Yuki took her hand in both of his. "I'm feeling quite well. I just have a lot on my mind lately. Thank you for coming to get me though, I am rather hungry." He bent down to gather his gardening tools and place them all in the empty watering can. He and Torhu walked back to the house in a comfortable silence.

It had been nearly three years since Tohru had come to live with Yuki and Shigure. Tohru, Yuki and Kyo had graduated together and all had decided to enroll in a nearby college. After much persuasion from Shigure, Akito even agreed to pay tuition for the three of them. Yuki had fit right in immediately, being the bright, intellectual type. Kyo and Tohru didn't seem to take to college life quite so well. Tohru, aside from working her part-time job, was often up late hours studying and Kyo was usually frustrated with the more challenging curriculum. Things were as they had been for so long.

This is what troubled Tohru the most. Why, all of a sudden, was Yuki acting so strangely. It seemed so out-of-the-blue. She had decided to back off and just let him resolve things, but that only seemed to make it worse. Perhaps there is something wrong at school? No... Tohru's mind worked over the event of the past few months, trying to find any reason for his behavior. Yuki had started acting like this only recently.

Her thoughts were interrupted by yelling coming from the house. For any normal family, this would be cause to pick up the pace and find out what was going on. However, Yuki and Tohru both knew why there was commotino and screaming. "Kagura-san!" Tohru beamed, happily. Yuki just tried to grin and bear it.

Yuki watched as Tohru raced up the the house to greet Kagura, who was in the process of busting every bone in Kyo's body with a mind-boggling bear hug. Tohru bounced happily into the house and out of his sight. He sighed and slumped slightly. Yuki had never felt like this before. He had known from the first night Tohru stayed with them that she was special... However, he hadn't expected her to become special to him! He ran a dirty hand through his shimmery hair and walked in through the back door, kicking off his shoes before entering. He set the watering pail down and went upstairs to change. No one saw him going up the stairs... Except Tohru who followed him.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru called after him, down the hallway. He stopped and turned to face her and Tohru though for a moment that Yuki might faint. He looked so tired. "Do you want me to bring some food up to you? You look like you might need some rest." She explained calmly. Yuki just nodded and continued down the hall, sliding open his bedroom door and slamming it behind him.

He tugged off his shirt and threw it into the clothing hamper in one corner of his room. On his desk was a stack of folded clothes with a little note on top. Yuki-kun, I hope you don't mind, but I ran out of your fabric softener and used mine instead. Let me know if this is a problem! - Tohru Yuki lifted the shirt to his face and sniffed. It smelled just like her. He threw off his pants and quickly changed.

He sat down on his bed, leaning back onto the wall and staring out the window. The afternoon sun had set and the evening had turned the sky purple and red. It was a beautiful mixture and Yuki wished he could take a photograph to store away in his memory. When did I start thinking like this? He asked himself. He never used to contemplate the sky or the mountains and admire flowers. Even his garden, he tended to it affectionately now. He glanced at a picture on his desk. In it, Yuki and Tohru smiled happily, Kyo shrugged his shoulders and stood away from the pair, an unsure smile trying to fight it's way onto his face. He had considered cutting Kyo out of it entirely, but decided against it.

A knock came at the door and Tohru entered, carrying a tray of food. Soup and fish and vegetables and rice were set precariously. "I brought you your dinner." She smiled warmly and brought the tray to his bed. She set it on the floor beside him. He climbed off of the bed and sat on the floor next to her. Tohru put a hand to his forehead. Yuki was surprised for a moment at how soft her touch was. "Hm. No fever." She said witha curious look.

Yuki just grinned. "I'm fine, Honda-san." He said with a laugh. "Thank you very much for bringing my dinner. I'm sorry I made you work so hard. Itadakimasu." He lifted the spoon to his mouth and sipped the soup. He had nearly forgotten how things were before she came along. Their food was either delivered or burnt. "Honda-san, it's delicious." He took another sip and Tohru smiled.

"Ah! Look at the sky! It's beautiful!" Tohru jumped to her feet and stepped out onto the balcony. She stood in the cool evening breeze, staring up into the sky. A few stars peppered the purple sky and the red streaks sunk into the horizon. Whispy clouds reflected the last few golden rays of sunlight. Tohru was surprised to find Yuki beside her. "What do you think, Yuki-kun?"

Yuki wanted so badly to say something sweet. Something about the stars in her eyes and how the cool breeze is like her gentle touch. But at the thought, Yuki's mind froze. "Uh.." He stammered, feeling more idiotic by the moment. "It's very nice..." Tohru just smiled and nodded. "Honda-san?"

Tohru turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Would.. Would you eat dinner with me?" He asked, motioning to the tray inside the room.

Tohru's face lit up. "It could be just like a picnic!" She exclaimed. "I'll hurry and get my dinner." She said, scampering out of the room.

Yuki stood upright. For the first time in a long time, he had actually said something right. He used to be so cool around girls, never getting worked up or flustered. Perhaps that was part of what made Tohru so different; she had such an affect on him. He lifted the sleeve of his shirt to his face and inhaled Tohru's scent. If anyone else did it, it might seem weird, but Yuki understood now. He pushed a lock of hair out of his face and sat down at his dinner. Tohru joined him shortly.

"Would you like to go to the fair with Kyo, Kagura, and I?" Tohru asked sweetly, pouring Yuki a cup of tea.

Yuki's expression darkened. "I'm afraid I have to go somewhere tomorrow." His mind seared with frustration. It seemed all the good opportunities to be with Tohru were vanishing.

"Oh!" Tohru giggled. "I'm sorry. I suppose I should have asked if you'd like to go Friday. We're not going tomorrow. Silly me." She explained, knocking her head with a small fist.

"In that case," Yuki beamed back at her. "I'd love to." At last, things were actually looking up! Tohru held his gaze for a moment. Yuki didn't want to look away. Her blue eyes shined with delight and he was astonished at the thought that he was the one who put that shimmer there. He found himself blushing and returned to his food.

Tohru and Kagura washed the dishes together. Kyo, it seemed, had run for fear of his health and well being. Yuki was upstairs studying.

"Toooohruuu-kuuuun." Shigure's voice sang from behind her. "My sweet little one, that was the most wonderful meal!" He patted her head lovingly. "I don't know what I'll do when you leave me. Perhaps just become a hermit, living out the rest of my lonely life in the mountains. For I'll have no reason to go on living." He cried, melodramatically.

Tohru blushed. "Oh, Shigure-san, my cooking can't be that wonderful." She waved a soapy hand in front of him.

Shigure just smiled. "Oh, it's not just your cooking, Tohru-kun! It's you're cleaning and your smile and that wonderful atmosphere you bring to our house... Not to mention those adorable little dresses you wear --" Before Tohru knew where the conversation was going, Shigure was on the floor, Kyo and Yuki standing over him.

"Cut it out!" They snarled in unison. If it were physically possible for flames to shoot out of there eyes, Shigure would have been a cripsy little ball by now. Tohru had come to accept the violent nature of the family and only smiled softly at the two young men.

Kagura laughed. "At last, something they can agree on!"

Shigure just rubbed his head. "I thought you were in the other room." He whined, feeling the knots that had already sprung up. He had gotten used to these attacks over the years, but it didn't mean he appreciated them any more.

"Your whiney voice could be hear throughout the whole house." Kyo glared at him and turned away.

"You're lucky we went easy on you." Yuki huffed and began back upstairs. Shigure just winked at Tohru and left for his study.

Yuki collapsed onto his bed. The next day would take all the energy out of him, of this he was certain. He had spent all day preparing himself mentally. He had decided long ago that he loved Tohru, though he had never told her this - not directly anyway. However, he had no idea what to do about it. Girls had never really been his area of expertise. Unfortunately, there was someone who excelled in love and romance and all the things that Yuki never really bothered with. So tomorrow, Yuki decided he would go into town to seek advice from... And Yuki shuttered at the thought... Ayame. Yuki briefly wondered if he'd gone insane, seeking help from that ego-maniacal pervert. But if there was one thing he was sure of, it's that that damn snake knew how to act around women. Yuki sighed and rubbed his forehead. I can't believe I'm actually doing this... I'll never hear the end of it.

My first Fruits Basket FanFic. I've only seen the series, I've not read the manga, so I'm not really sure what happenes after Episode 26... so please bear with me. I know it's a small chapter, but it's really late here (or early, now) and really, all the fun starts in the next chapter (Of course! It's Ayame!!) Please, R&R and let me know what you think. I'll be posting the second chapter soon, so feel free to check back in a day or two!