Disclaimer:
1. I do not own fruitsbasket (fuburu). Natsuki Takaya does.
2. There be lemons here mates.
3. If you're not fond of lemons or are under 18, skip to the next chapter, or DO NOT read the parts between BBB and EEE. No excuses for you've been told. BBB Start of Lemon, EEE End of Lemon.

Chapter 13: Between Love and Hate

Haru turned to his companion. "Thank you Uotani-san."

"Aw hell." She wiped the smudge of blood off of his cheek. "Call me Uo-chan. After a battle of this magnitude, I consider you a friend." She leaned forward to ruffle his odd-colored hair.

"Don't."

"Don't what? Ruffle your hair?"

"Right. I'm on a very thin line right now and it won't take much to snap it."

She leaned very close, intentionally pushing his buttons. "And what happens when the line snaps?"

"This." He grabbed her around the neck and pulled her to him for a quick kiss. At first, she tried to break free, but then she realized this was something she wanted and it was self-defeating to fight off what she wanted.

It was hard to tell which one of them was more ferocious in their passion. Haru had her gripped tightly at the shoulders, reminding himself constantly that if he pulled her closer, he would transform. Arisa had his face gripped tightly in both of her hands, devouring his mouth with licks and bites, stopping only when his tongue entered play and demanded to be tangled with. They only came to their senses when their kissing had grown so violent that they had both forgotten to breathe. As they stopped to gather air, Haru looked at her. "We have to stop, or find someplace private."

Arisa smiled. "Come with me, I live in that apartment building." She pointed at the building he had noticed earlier by its run-down appearance. She grabbed his hand and they started walking.

"Uo-chan, I had no idea…"

She stopped and stared at him. "Not all of us can live in nice fenced-in palaces, some of us are happy to have walls and a door… Besides, I'm not unhappy with my life. It's a good place to live, I have privacy to be who I am, and it's safe."

Haru smiled and gripped her hand tighter. "I may not understand, but I understand."

She smiled again. "Than come on."

"Oh, don't worry, I plan to." He winked at her, and she blushed.

Once they reached the apartment, they jumped each other again, abating only long enough to notice that they were the only two there. "Poker night." She grunted as she pulled his shirt loose from his pants.

"Ah" He groaned as a hand slid down into his pants and fondled what was already begging to be let loose. "Where?"

Arisa looked up dazedly. "I don't care, here."

"No, I'm wild, but I'm not a beast…" He laughed. "Okay, maybe I am, but I'm not going to treat you like that."

Arisa blinked, touched by his consideration. "My bedroom is in the back."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Haru would have liked to pick her up and carry her, but he had to settle for walking her backwards while feasting on her neck and collarbone area. By the time they got to her room, Arisa wasn't sure she could stand. He pushed her to the bed and followed her down, being careful not to touch her torso with his. As he unbuttoned her shirt, he laid it open and followed the edge of her bra with his fingers. "More" she moaned. He obliged by flipping her over and undoing her bra before flipping her back and latching his mouth onto one pointy nub while he used his fingers to pinch and pull on the other.

Uotani had been working her way down his ribs, counting each one with her fingers, when he flipped her over and flipped her back. Startled, she could only suck in half of a breath before he latched onto her breasts, causing her breath to stick in her throat. She arched and groaned in delight. As she finished unbuttoning the last button on his pants, he rocketed her into ecstasy and she arched again. This time, she noticed that he very deliberately arched with her to keep from touching their upper bodies.

Suddenly she realized he'd never touched her chest-to-chest. In fact, she'd never seen him hug anyone. Pushing away, she sat up and stared at him. "What is it with the Sohma men? Why can't you allow yourselves to physically be close to your women?" She waved her hand. "Never mind. Just do what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, and get out. We both need relief and I'll be damned if I sacrifice that because you're frozen inside.

Haru had been running a hand through her hair. At those words, he stopped and stared at her. "Do not push me woman, I have limits and you're just about there." He leaned forward, nipping her neck. "I could hurt you, I don't want that to happen. There are constraints to what I can do, things you know nothing about."

"Because you won't let me!" She shoved at his shoulders, making him angry again. "Do what you need to, but get it over quick."

"You're not ready, and we will both later wish we hadn't." He leaned forward, caging her between himself and the bed.

"Fine! Then GET OFF of me!" This time when she went to push him off, he caught her wrists pinning her to the bed.

"Do I get off or do I stay, you have two seconds to decide." He licked her collarbone, and almost missed the faint nod of 'stay.' Given that go ahead, Haru slicked the rest of their clothes off, entering her suddenly and thrusting fast and hard until they both shouted out in the mingled pain/release associated with violent mating. Neither of them could say how long it was before he pulled out and wiped off with a corner of the sheet.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Uo saw him rub his face with his hands before getting up and putting his clothes back on. She closed her eyes and missed him turning around and looking at her with both regret and amazement. Somehow she had managed to temper the black in him, without turning him completely white. When she looked again, he was gone.

Haru walked the streets, now more confused than before. The world was changing, and he no longer understood what he saw. Determined not to let it get him depressed, he started walking home, finding himself there without any problems for the first time ever. Akito watched him walk into his quarters, happy that he had apparently not left here for a rendezvous with that Uotani bitch. Shutting the window, Akito walked to the bed, wishing Hatori was here to stand guard until sleep claimed the odd Sohma.

sssssss

Hatori was very glad he was NOT at home tonight. He was sitting on the couch in the meeting room with the woman of his recent dreams reclining on the pillow beside him. A slightly tipsy Rio leaned forward to ask a very private question. A drunken whisper, which equated to a full-volume inquiry, was heard by all the awake parties. "Do you think Honda-san is asleep yet?" He caught her before she fell into his chest. She giggled. "Whoops, sorry. I had too much sake with dinner."

Rio was as intoxicating as she was intoxicated. "Yes, Tohru-kun is asleep; but I'm not doing ANYTHING with you in this state. I'll not have you reminding me during the next fifty years worth of visits that I took advantage of you in a drunken state." She snorted in disbelief. "I'm serious. You still rub my face in the one mistake I made growing up, and that whelp turned out to be someone else's. If things with Kana-kun hadn't ended the way the way they did, I never would have gotten drunk and let that girl seduce me."

She smiled. "Like I am?"

He smiled back. "No, I'm afraid that tonight only one of us has been doing the seducing; and my little peach, it's not been you." She pouted and he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "You seduced me earlier, remember? I'm just evening the score." Her mouth widened in an 'Oh!' and Hatori took advantage to clamp onto her upper lip, running his tongue along the dip in the middle. He was trying to figure out if coffee would sober her up enough to guarantee she was making a clear-headed decision. They had been close friends for years and although he wanted to further their relationship, he was only willing to if she was in agreement.

"I think there's some ice cream and whipped topping in the kitchen." She stood unsteadily and pulled his hand.

He allowed her to think she'd pulled him off the couch and dragged him to the refrigerator. "Or at least some COFFEE."

She smiled at him and opened the door. She started scrounging around and Hatori took the opportunity to start a pot of coffee. Then he leaned against the counter and enjoyed the view. Rio was bent over, her body stuck in-between the second shelf and the crisper drawer. He could hear her muttering about how she couldn't find the ice cream, and he didn't have the heart to inform her that she was rooting around the fridge part, not the freezer. As the coffee spluttered to a stop, he gently put a hand on each side of her hips and suddenly jerked her back. She was so surprised that she froze and he was able to extricate her without a single bump or bruise.

"What was that for?" Adrenaline was a pretty good sobering agent, and Hatori was going to use that and the coffee to dry her out quick. He didn't think his tortured body could handle too long of a wait.

"Coffee's ready. I'll find the ice cream, you drink a cup of the black stuff." She started to whine, but he put a finger to her lips, stopping her cold. "No hanky-panky in your condition. Sober up, or I'm going to leave your drunk and horny ass down here while I go up to my room and take care of things in my normal manner."

She poured a cup and turned to look back at him teasingly. "With Mrs. Thumb and her four sisters?" She took a huge chug of coffee, having sobered enough from the adrenaline to realize she needed it.

"And a towel, don't forget the towel." She was humored at the picture it put in her mind, and he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "What?"

"You need this more than I do. At least I have Bob the Vibrator to keep me warm on cold, lonely nights."

They both looked at each other with amusement. Suddenly Hatori held up the can of whipped cream and a honey bear he'd located next to the stove. "So, how about if we throw Mrs. Thumb and Bob out for the evening and try milk and ambrosia instead?"

She smiled prettily and cocked a finger at him. "Bring it on big-boy."

"Are you sure you're sober?" Her arch glance laid any doubts to rest. He gently encircled her waist with his fingers and placed her on the counter, pushing on her shoulder until she was laying flat. "Tonight, I'm the artist and you're my masterpiece." She lay supine, turning only her head to look at him.

"Okay, but if you get honey on my silk robe, I will NOT be nice to you in the morning."

Two minutes later, thin trails of honey were being slowly licked off of Rio's body. Hatori wouldn't touch her anywhere except with his tongue. "Are you trying to pleasure me, or torture me?"

He chuckled evilly, causing a chill to course up her spine. "Ask any of my patients, they will all attest to my Marquis de Sade techniques."

A few minutes later, she could take no more. Sitting up suddenly, she slid of the counter. "Your turn. I'm going to be a chef, and you're my main dish." She patted the counter and he obligingly jumped up. "Lay down." He started to, when she placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "On your stomach."

The next five minutes was the most pleasant torture Hatori had ever experienced. Instead of picking up the honey or the whipped cream, Rio opened a bottle of sesame oil and slathered her hands with it, starting at his shoulders and rubbing her way down his back. He barely choked out a request that she not get oil on his pants before she told him to shuck them or sacrifice them. He wondered how much a pair of pants would cost in the long run; but decided the price would not be worth paying if Akito realized the meaning behind the stains. Pushing up, he unbuttoned and unzipped them, sliding them over his long legs before throwing them across the room at an empty kitchen chair.

"Good aim." She ran oiled hands over his buttocks, causing him to suck in a breath. "I hope your aim is always dead on." He managed to lie still until she reached under him to massage one last part. Hopping down, he stood in front of her.

"Enough hand-jobs for today." He caressed her face. "You have to tell me NOW whether we break out Bob and the Mrs., or if we finish this between the two of us."

Rio looked him dead in the face. "I'm as sober as I'm going to get. I want YOU, not Bob, not Atani, just you."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Hatori picked her up and placed her back on the counter, sliding between her legs. She made the perfect spot for him, and he placed her legs around his waist before thrusting true, making them both groan simultaneously.

There was very little noise for the next few minutes. Just heavy breathing, the sucking sounds associated with intercourse, and the occasional grunt or moan. Suddenly the silence was broken with an "Oh!" and a "Hatori!" Then the frogs were the only noise in the night.

When he finally realized what planet he was on, Hatori pulled out and turned around, picking her up and climbing the stairs to his room without letting her body touch his chest. Placing her in his bed, he left long enough to retrieve a washcloth and make things a little more comfortable for both of them. Touched by his thoughtfulness, Rio smiled and thanked him. Hatori climbed back in bed and turned his back to her, placing a pillow between them so that they could be close without risking a transformation. Just before he fell asleep, a stray thought occurred to him. Atani? Concerned, he whispered in the dark. "Who's Atani?"

Rio chuckled silently, and laid a hand on his back. "My bullet vibrator. If Bob is the big one, Atani is the one that keeps me going all day long." She placed her hand between his shoulder and his neck and went to sleep. Hatori was now wide-awake with the thought that she'd been walking around all day with Atani for company.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Too bad she's so tired, now I'm ready for round two. Resigned to dealing with it, he told his other partner to settle down, and slowly fell asleep.

A/N: Well, I hope each of you has had a great week! Sorry I didn't get this done yesterday, but Batman won out over FanFiction. Good movie, great plot, lots of humor for such a dark film. I can't believe I actually agreed with Ebert and Roper for once, I gave it a two-thumbs up. In fact, if it hadn't been 11pm, I would have turned around and bought another ticket.

If this chapter is out of bounds for ratings, someone let me know. I tried to keep it within the guidelines, and I marked it very well so everyone had plenty of opportunity to SKIP the lemons. However, I don't want to get booted because my idea of NC-17 and isn't the same.