Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. It's storming up a… storm. Here. Perhaps because of my story…. Or because we haven't had rain in ages…. It's my story. Definitely.

Mom…

I forgive him.

At least… I think I have.

Tohru succumbed to her friends' love.

But I'm not ready to see him just yet.

"Uh huh. Well, thank you for calling. Then we'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow? Please be careful. Uh huh, good bye."

Yuki walked into the hallway to see Shigure hang up the phone.

Shigure turned and smiled at Yuki. Yuki returned Shigure's smile with a quizzical look.

"Well, that was Kyo. He's not coming home tonight. I can't say that I blame him; I'd want one more night of freedom too if I was about to be locked up without another thought in the next twenty-four hours."

Shigure brushed past Yuki and walked into his office. Yuki stared at the phone. Without thinking, he brought one arm across his body as if to protect himself.

Locked up… in a dark room…just for him…just for me…

"I wonder… where is Tohru? I'm hungry…" Shigure muttered before he shut his office door with a soft thud.

Yuki, still in a trance, walked into the dining room as if to see about Tohru cooking dinner. It was usually about this time that she was putting dinner on the table; it was unlike her to be so late.

The table was bare except for the few flowers that Tohru had picked and placed in the middle of the table for Kyo's celebration on getting into University; he hadn't even been there to celebrate.

He won't be here for much longer.

There had been a time when Yuki would have been thrilled at the thought to not see the cat in the same house as he. But…

But instead of being here he'll be put in some small room with a barred window, no light except for what little filters through it.

Yuki felt his bones chill.

I too have been locked away in a dark room. Deemed just for me.

Yuki felt his blood run cold as he remembered the torturous hours spent in a room with no light. Akito locked him there without another thought, wanting to keep Yuki all to himself. Soon, Akito would be doing the same to Kyo.

But… only to Kyo?

Yuki knew that Akito was still biding his time before he would drag Yuki back to the main house to force him to stay by his side. He knew that Akito wanted all the Junnishi at the main house, so that his greed of owning lives could be fulfilled.

But if we all will be at the main house… what will happen to Honda-san?

As if right on cue, a slightly bedraggled Tohru stepped through an open paper door and into the dining room, her shoes in hand. Her hair was falling out of its ribbons. Her face was red and splotchy from past tears, and her eyes were wide and unseeing with her thoughts reining her senses. Her shirt was rumpled from where her friends had been holding her so tight, and her knees and legs had dirt smudges from Kyoko's grave.

The two looked at each other for a moment, seeing one another and yet not seeing; both their eyes seemed to have glazed over with inward thoughts.

Yuki was the first to break.

"Honda-san."

Tohru's eyes unglazed and she looked at Yuki through unclouded eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll get dinner started."

Yuki was surprised. He had never heard Tohru sound so… insincere with an apology. It was as though she apologized out of habit and not out of actuality.

As she started for the kitchen Yuki stopped her with a sentence, his arm still crossed in front of him as if for protection. He didn't look at her, but instead out of the open paper door.

"You have no need to apologize."

Tohru, her frame already bowed again with the weight of the day, slowly straightened a little to look over at Yuki.

Yuki, still not looking at Tohru, tightened his grip on his protecting arm. "You have no need to apologize for spending your life the way you want to."

Yuki glanced over at Tohru.

"You can think about whatever you want, whoever you want, whenever you want. You can even… love who you want. Please, just don't apologize for it."

Tohru's eyes widened slightly. Is Yuki telling me…?

"I heard. On Wednesday night. I had been in my secret base thinking and… I was about to open the outside paper door to eat some dinner and accidentally eavesdropped. Honda-san… Your mother would be happy for you no matter what you chose. I don't feel that she would like it if you loved only her ever. Imagine if she had only room in her heart to love your father. When he died there would have been no room in her heart for you. Our hearts are made to grow and expand with our experiences. We can love limitless individuals in countless ways. You… are no exception."

Silent tears rolled down Tohru's face, her face pale. "But I'm breaking my promise…"

Yuki smiled gently. "The only thing your mother wanted you to promise her was to complete school. You fulfilled your promise."

"No. The promise I made myself after her death."

Yuki looked at Tohru, his hand lessening the grip on his protecting arm.

"I promised myself that I would love only my mom. I never wanted to forget all that she'd done for me and how much she had cared for me. My mom placed me number one in her heart and I wanted to place her number one in mine as well."

Tohru rubbed the tears away, her hand making a fist as she wiped with the back of her hand.

"Then where does that leave Kyo?"

Tohru stopped rubbing, her heart beating faster with the mention of his name. She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand, her fist still ready to wipe away tears. The small spring of emotions that leaked in her heart began to trickle again, and her heart felt larger than it had even at Kyoko's grave just that afternoon. She felt the room that was saved just for her mom expand and grow even more. Her love for her mother was deep within the catacombs of her heart, but more rooms began to appear with each moment. Soon it was filled with Uo-chan, Hana-chan, Shigure-san, Yuki-kun, Haru-san, Momiji-kun, Kisa… a new person filled each new room created by the spring of emotions. But…

Yuki watched as Tohru's breathing began to quicken and then slow. Her fisted hand slowly uncovered her eyes and was brought to her side, and Tohru looked over at Yuki.

Perhaps…there won't be a dark room…

"I… I don't know what to do about Kyo-kun. I th-think I know how I feel about him… but I-I just don't know."

Yuki stepped forward and put a hand on Tohru's head. "You don't have to know just yet. Give yourself a break; you'll give yourself a fever."

Tohru laughed weakly.

"Besides, we still have until tomorrow…" to save Kyo.

And perhaps…all of us.

Yuki patted Tohru's head and took his hand away. Smiling down at Tohru, he watched as Tohru smiled slightly to herself.

"Thank you, Yuki-kun. I'll start dinner right away."

As Tohru turned to walk into the kitchen, a bell was heard ringing throughout the house.

Tohru turned to look at Yuki, and Yuki in turn stared quizzically back at Tohru.

Voices could be heard, and then the soft shutting of a door.

Shigure suddenly walked into the dining room, bags in his hand, the scent of food wafting through the air.

Shigure smiled over at Tohru and Yuki. "Oh Tohru! I didn't know you were home! I thought that since I was hungry, I'd order take-out! I also figured since you two are graduating tomorrow, why not celebrate with some curry and rice! Tohru, would you be so kind to put on some tea to accompany this wonderful food?"

Tohru smiled over at Shigure, grateful. "Yes!"

Pattering in the kitchen, she felt a chill run through her body.

Tohru frowned slightly and put a hand to her heart, a foreboding feeling filling the vacancies.

Kyo… I hope you're safe…