Hi again to all my loyal readers! (And some new ones, too! ;) ) Thanks for all your input on the last chapter I wrote. I hope I don't disappoint anyone when I say I don't intend to do a lemon (this is a T rated story, after all) but I am doing a fluffy lime scene in a later chapter. Right now my plans are for around 17 chapters. I hope that isn't too long! Please tell me if it is! So, anyway, I just got Fruits Basket #8 manga, which was great because the author really developed Haru's character. But I got an unhappy surprise! A surprise called Rin! Well, I thought Haru was supposed to be gay...anyway, I don't think I'll include her in this story, so let's just forget about her. I only write shouen ai. ha ha! Enjoy and review!

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Waving his arm frantically from side to side, Momiji bounced in his seat. "Pick me! Pick me!"

"Yes, Momiji?" The teacher sighed, massaging her forehead.

"The Japanese won the war against Russia in 1905, and after that some of the poor Russian people were sad so they asked their leader why this happened. But the army got mad and started killing them!" The blonde proclaimed gleefully, as if this were a piece of very good news rather than a historical tragedy.

"That's correct. Thank you for doing your reading assignment." Flashing a half smile, she continued to pace around the classroom. "Now, can anyone tell me who was the czar of Russia at that time?"

Nearly springing from his desk, Momiji answered with unintelligible squeals.

"Does anyone," she annunciated her interrogation, "besides Momiji know?"

"Haru-kun, you know this, right?" Momiji whispered a bit too loudly. "It's czar Nicholas! Nicholas!"

Whirling around with narrow eyes, the teacher tried to maintain a patient tone. "I appreciate that you are so engaged in class, Momiji. But I think that you should give other people a chance to answer. Don't you agree?"

"Tut mir leid!" He replied with a sunny laugh. Quieting his movements, he sifted through his back and extracted a box of vivid crayons. Soon his hand scrawled over a piece of paper on the table in front of him, using color after color in a hurried work of art. Touching the container, he froze, eyeing it suspiciously. "Haru-kun?" He leaned forward to tap his cousin on the shoulder. "Have you seen my pretty purple crayon?"

"Oh, sorry," Haru joked sarcastically. "I must have forgot to return it last time I needed to use it."

"That's OK!" The smaller boy caressed the nape of the cow's neck, adoration radiating from each touch. "If you want it, you can keep it!"

The white-haired boy had to smile at his friend's generosity. 'After last night, he seems so happy. He's acting like all the problems with what happened are irrelevant.' Studying his hands, Haru exhaled. 'But he's like that, I suppose. Maybe that's why I need to be near him. I just wish I could forget all the trouble in the world, for one second. Then I might be able to enjoy what I have without fearing the worst.'

Silencing the other boy's musings, the rabbit leaped forward to rattle his companion once again. "I made something for you, Haru-kun! Look. It's a picture!" He smiled proudly, sliding a leaflet onto his classmate's desk.

Hatsuharu's eyes widened as he saw the drawing, and he had to suppress a grunt of surprise. On the paper in front of him, two sketchy animals floated amidst a sea of pink hearts. A cow and a rabbit. And from the rabbit's mouth, Momiji had added the words, "Haru-kun, will you be my boyfriend?" in bold ink.

Lifting his pen, Haru looked back, hoping to find a response in the smaller boy's face. But instead he was met by hopeful eyes and blushing cheeks: An expression that begged for an affirmative answer. 'Boyfriend?' His muscles tightened. 'I haven't been called that since, well, since Rin.' Feeling the air around him freeze as the hurtful memories sliced into his mind, he shuddered. 'No! No! I can't do this to Momiji. Doesn't he know how much this relationship will hurt him? He thinks he wants this, but he just doesn't know. It's just a crush! A childish crush! It isn't worth it if it hurts him!'

His vision swirling, the white-haired boy felt as if his heart could burst. 'Oh God!' Biting his lip, he stared at the sweet message in wonderment. 'What do I do about this? I got myself into this mess, and now anything I do or say will hurt him.' His past memories haunting him, he remembered Momiji's nighttime cries. 'If I reject him, he'll think that I hate him. That's worse! I couldn't live with myself if he ever thought that! I can't bear to imagine him feeling that way about me.' Losing control of his hand, he scrawled an uncertain "yes" next to the other animal.

His whole arm trembling, Momiji reached to retrieve the response. He paused a moment, and then squealed so loudly that the entire class turned to watch him. His face beaming with infatuation, he ignored the curious stares as he rubbed his cousin's back affectionately. "Ich liebe dich!" He giggled. "Ich bin froh! Ich bin froh!"

"Momiji." The teacher interrupted, glaring at the two boys. "I'm glad that you're in such high spirits today, but can you please contain yourselves until after class? And keep your hands to yourself," she added, gesturing to the rabbit's wandering fingers and then to Haru's mortified expression. "I'm not sure your cousin appreciates it."

Taki snorted, shifting in his seat in order to get a better view of the compromising situation. "Oh, I think he does!"

The class roared with laughter, the whole room watching Hatsuharu as if they were expecting another spectacle to erupt. Only the teacher and Momiji appeared puzzled, their eyes scanning face after face in an attempt to decipher the sneers. The bell buzzed and interrupted the excitement, but even as the students filed past the cow's slumped form, they snickered.

Heat slashed at Hatsuharu's skin, his blood rushing in response. 'That's what your life will be like if you stay with me, Momiji!' He felt a heavy weight enclose his body. 'Do you want that? Don't you even care what they think of you? Don't you see that I'm slowly dragging you into hell?' Turning back to acknowledge the smaller boy, his eyes darkened like an ocean churning in a storm, swelling with depression and shame.

"Don't be sad!" Momiji's exclamation echoed through the deserted classroom. Tilting forward in his chair, the blonde encircled him in a warm embrace. "Get up! We need to go eat lunch! Ich habe Hunger! Let's go! Please! Please!"

Giving in to his new boyfriend, the cow rose to his feet and offered an unsure hand. "Do you know what this means for us? I hope you understand how much people will reject our relationship. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Burying his face in the taller boy's chest, Momiji brushed his fingers against the black fabric of the uniform. "I'm so happy, Haru! I love you, and you love me, so it's OK, right? I don't care what other people think of us if we're happy!" Dropping his voice, he became very serious. "The most important thing is what you think of yourself, Haru-kun. I realized that when my Mutti kept turning me away. She would start screaming that I was worthless, and then Vati would chase me away from her and wait hours before apologizing. I'd sit in my room and cry, begging Mutti to love me, but in all that time I never changed her mind."

Sighing, he looked up at the larger boy with shining eyes. "When I finally said goodbye to her, I felt like I had no reason to be alive anymore. My one purpose had been to show her that I loved her, and I thought I had messed up. I went to Ha'ri-san's house for the first time that night, and I felt so alone that I imagined nothing could ever be happy again. But finally I learned that I could be happy as long as I was happy with myself. That's the only way I survive without my Mutti and Vati." Grinning brightly in spite of his sad story, he pulled Haru down to his level. "And now I have you to love me, too!"

'Sometimes you're so strong,' Haru thought as he twisted his fingers through the blonde tresses. 'Most people would never guess. You keep smiling, no matter what happens. I'll do anything to keep that smile on your face. But I'm afraid I'm too stupid to know what's right. I just don't know what I should do.' Drawing closer, he saw a blush ravage the smaller boy's cheeks. "So, you're my boyfriend now. Do you want me to kiss you?" He asked calmly.

Managing a hopeful nod, Momiji squeezed his eyes closed and awaited the contact. His heartbeat echoing through the room, he let his fingers snake across his larger cousin's back.

Haru's eyes scanned the door for any signs of movement before he leaned forward to capture the rabbit's soft lips in his mouth. Against the quivering body, Haru's arms melted into a protective hug. Fire licked through his veins as he traced his hand along Momiji's spine, his mind disappearing into the emotional touch.

Licking gently at the other boy's mouth, a sudden guilt surged within his heart and left him feeling like he was doing something forbidden and dangerous. Like a child stealing cookies from his mother's cookie jar. In the swirling turmoil, he quickly withdrew and offered the blonde little more than a sheepish grin. "I'd really like to have that drawing back, if you don't mind?" His voice laced with both fear and contentment, he pulled Momiji away from the blissful trance, bringing them both back to reality.

Momiji's face exploded with joy, his shaky fingers scrambling to find the note. "Yes, I want you to keep it! So you can always know how much I love you!" Sliding the paper into the other boy's palm, the blonde added, "And, besides, I don't need it because I'll always have that poem you gave me."

Hatsuharu looked away to mask his embarrassment. "So, you figured me out?"

"Ja!" Momiji spun around proudly. "But now it's time for lunch! I really hope they have M&Ms left in the vending machine, because I really want some! I'll share with you, if you want! Let's go find Tohru-kun and our other friends!" His hands locking around his boyfriend's arm, he took off skipping down the hallway.

"Hey, Momiji?" Haru tried to slow him down as he caught sight of Yuki and Kyo. "I think it would be best if you don't tell Yuki and the others about us right now." His eyes narrowing in concern, he smiled sadly. "I don't want Yuki thinking, well, I just don't want them to be mean to you." His chest swelling, he mentally added. 'I don't want anyone to hurt you again, least of all because of me. You don't deserve to suffer.'

"I know, I know!" Momiji insisted, hurrying toward his friends. "I'm not a Dummkopf!" Giggling, he waved at Tohru, plopping down in the chair beside her and instantly spreading his lunch box over the vacant space on his other side. "I'll save you a seat, Haru-kun!"

Joining Momiji, the white-haired boy tried to relax. "Hey," He mumbled, attempting a natural smile. But inside, his heart contracted violently. It seemed like ever one of the other students was scrutinizing him. Their stares bore into him, causing him to cringe in guilt. 'What if they know?'

"Hi Haru-san and Momiji-kun," Grinning, Tohru met them with a happy wave.

Yuki nodded, unable to make eye contact with his younger cousin. "How was your day?" He forced a polite tone, though it was transparent. Ever since his discussion with Hatsuharu, their relationship had been strained.

Momiji cut in, his voice bubbling with glee. "Oh! It was so fun! In art class this morning, we started painting. And Haru-kun got orange paint all over the floor. The teacher looked so mad! It was so funny! And then, in history class-,"

Momiji's chatter drumming in his head, he smiled in admiration. 'How can he act so normal when my legs still feel weak? And to think that just a few minutes ago he was the one that looked shy and overwhelmed.' Haru blushed as he studied Yuki's expression. 'Can he see what just happened between Momiji and I? He must be able to read it on our faces.' Sweat drizzling down his neck, Haru exhaled in frustration. 'You know that I've taken advantage of him, don't you, Yuki? You're the only one who sees how sick I am inside!'

Pausing to toss a handful of chips into his mouth, Momiji's greasy fingers found Haru's hand under the table as he crunched the snack between his teeth. At the touch, the cow's heart blazed with shock. Between the entwined palms, sparks sizzled, causing Haru to shiver with both pleasure and restiveness. 'They all see what he's doing to me. They must.'

But the conversation continued obliviously. "Shut up, damn happy rabbit!" Kyo snapped suddenly, lunging at the blonde.

"Waaaah!" Releasing his hold on Hatsuharu, Momiji sniffled behind his hands. "Kyo's being mean to me!"

Glaring threateningly at the cat, Haru's blood burned. 'This is only the beginning. I guess you'll have to learn soon how mean people can really be, and I'm just afraid I won't be there to protect you.'

Momiji's German lesson #9

Tut mir leid- I'm sorry

Ich bin froh- I'm happy!

Ich liebe dich- I love you (of course!)

Ich habe Hunger- I'm hungry

Mutti- Mom

Vati- Dad

Ja- yes

Dummkopf- literally "dumb head", a mild German insult.