Fruits Basket and its characters do no belong to me. They are the property of Natsuki Takaya. The Saku-chan mentioned in this chapter is an original character, Sakura Alexander, created by Yuki Seki in her fanfic, "When Spring Comes, Remember Me". She will be cropping up from time to time so don't be surprised when she appears. Yuki is my daughter and we work together on stories from time to time.

Author's Notes: Hello all. I'm back again with the final chapter in Part 1. I was going to stop with five chapters but this one seems to belong in the first part as well. The format is a little different with this one and the presentation is somewhat different.It's a lot shorter than the last one. Please R&R. Thank you.

To my anonymous reviewer, it would be wonderful if I could e-mail you. My e-mail is hihosherio at yahoo if you want to contact me directly instead of throught the anonymity of your review. You have some very good suggestions. As you will see this chapter, I had already taken into consideration one of them. Some of the other suggestions, I may be able to use as well. Thank you so much.

What came before:

Yuki looked at the two men. "Shigure, Hatori...I and Kyo will be at Tokyo University next year. We won't be able to watch over Honda-san from so far away. Will you two please keep her safe?"

"We will do our best" Hatori promised.

"Thank you, then I will say good night."

"Can we keep that promise?" Shigure asked.

"I don't know, but we have to try for Tohru-san and for their sakes."

Chapter 6 Remembering the Red Butterfly

Shigure and Hatori

Shigure nodded in agreement. "It seems those two boys have become men in just a few hours."

Hatori nodded his head "Indeed."

"Shigure, do you recall the time I was ordered to erase Kyoko-san's memory?"

"I do, although I didn't know who she was at the time. You know, that slightly opened door is always a little difficult for me to resist."

"I know. It always has been. The point is, it didn't work. She did not forget anything."

"That's true. Why is that I wonder?"

"There was one other time my memory technique did not work."

"Oh yes, that time with Saku-chan, right?"

"Yes, and I think I understand why. Both Kyoko-san and Saku-chan were very strong willed. They were determined that their precious memories would not be erased. I think that is why it didn't work."

"So what will this mean for Tohru-kun?"

"If I am ordered to erase her memories, there are three possibilities. One is that it may not work. Two is that it may work and she will forget her time with us Sohmas. Three is that she will fight so hard against losing her memories and my technique will be much harsher as a result. If this happens then Tohru-san could suffer complete amnesia."

Shigure sighed. "And if it doesn't work and Akito finds out..."

"Exactly. If it doesn't work, she will have to pretend that it did so the result will be just as sad for us Sohmas. She will suffer as well because she will remember but will not be able to continue to interact with the Sohmas. Akito's threat has made sure of that much at the very least."

"Then we will have to make sure the time never comes when Tohru-kun might be subjected to your concealment technique." Shigure said in a determined manner.

Hatori looked at Shigure closely.

Feeling his scrutiny, Shigure grinned.

"After all, to no longer have Tohru in this house cooking her delicious meals and being such a wonderful little wife is an agony too harsh to comprehend."

"You are impossible!" Hatori said with just the hint of a smile.

Kyo

Kyo left Shigure's study and headed for his bedroom. He tossed and turned as his thoughts would not let him sleep. Failing sleep, he decided to go up on the roof for a while. On his way out the door he passed Tohru's room with the door slightly ajar. It seemed to invite him within. Feeling a little odd, he entered. He looked at the feminine décor and the picture of Tohru's mom prominently displayed on her desk. He smiled as he remembered the reaction of Tohru each time Shigure added another piece to her room.

"Shigure-san, you shouldn't have! This is too much! I am certainly going to get it. I already have so much to be thankful for"

Shigure would just smile and say "but Tohru-kun, it gives me such happiness to do this for you, you wouldn't want me to be sad would you?" Of course Tohru would immediately apologize for her reluctance and Shigure would walk away with a grin on his face. The dog did have his good points at times, but Kyo would never tell him that.

Kyo realized he had probably seen the picture of Kyoko Honda hundreds of times but tonight it seemed to beckon to him. He picked up the picture and sat down on Tohru's bed to really look at it. He would straighten the covers before he left.

He thought about Tohru busy in the kitchen preparing meals, busy in the yard hanging out the laundry, busy with the household chores, Tohru singing, Tohru laughing, Tohru smiling and his eyes grew suddenly heavy and sleep overtook him. It wasn't long after that before he began to dream.

"Kyo, Tohru fell asleep again. Let me take her up to bed and I'll be right back."

"Kyo, Kazuma has allowed you to spend the day together with us."

"Kyo I just love you, but I love your cat form too."

Kyo tried to wake from the dream but it held him close like a mother's loving arms. Was this a dream or was this a memory? The kaleidoscope of events continued.

He was a young boy, only 8 years old, and had run from his master's dojo looking for something. Suddenly he was at the park watching a young girl about his age and her mother. A few blinks later and they were building a sandcastle together, then he was in an apartment listening to the wonderful mother tell a story from the zodiac. Suddenly Akito invaded the dream and was removing his bracelet in front of the girl and her mother. NO! they mustn't see, the girl has fainted but the mother was standing there talking calmly to his ugly form. Suddenly he was a cat and laying in her lap.

"KYO, you pervert! What are you doing in Honda-san's room and laying on her bed!!"

Kyo suddenly woke up to Yuki's angry voice and found himself flying out of Tohru's room into the hallway.

"It's not what you think" he yelled.

Yuki had already retreated to his room and slammed the door. Kyo looked at the picture he had miraculously not broken when Yuki attacked him. The woman in the picture, Kyoko Honda-san, had been the mom in his dreams and the little girl had been...Tohru?

Kyo gently replaced the picture on the desk, straightened Tohru's blankets which he had wrinkled and climbed to the roof. As he lay there watching the night sky he wondered. Had the dream been just a dream or something more, perhaps a long forgotten memory?

Yuki

Yuki stormed into his room. Why had that stupid cat been in Honda-san's room? How could he have fallen asleep in her bed? What did he think he was doing?

As Yuki calmed down and his rationality returned he realized that he had been on the verge of entering her room as well. If Kyo had not been there, would he have been just as guilty? His mind flashed back to the scene. Kyo had fallen asleep half on and half off the bed. It was quite likely that he had been drawn to the peaceful atmosphere of Tohru's room just as Yuki had, and that he had been sitting there thinking when he fell asleep. He knew Kyo had been just as exhausted as he from all the business today with Akito and then with Hatori and Shigure.

Yuki knew he was truly exhausted but his thoughts had not allowed him to rest . He had been considering a walk to his secret base. It was his place to sit and think, just as the roof was Kyo's. Why had he even considered entering Honda-san's room. Perhaps it was the slightly open door, perhaps he just wanted to feel close to her though she wasn't home. Tohru's room was always the most peaceful one in the house. It held her essence. It was as if she would walk in at any moment and he needed that peace right now. She was only gone overnight but Shigure's house, except for that room, felt cold without her. And tonight of all nights he would have welcomed that warmth. He had stepped into her room and seen Kyo asleep on her bed with a happy peaceful look and Yuki's reason had fled. Yuki shook his head. Being at Tokyo University without her would be difficult but at least she would be safe and he could still see her at the holidays. That was preferable to not having her in their lives ever again.

Kyo Again

As Kyo lay on the roof and considered his dream, he began to feel it had been a long forgotten memory. The warmth, the acceptance he had felt from the Red Butterfly, Kyoko Honda, and her daughter must have been real. He would ask Master tomorrow if it had happened. Please let this be true he thought as he drifted off to sleep.