Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket... that's sort of obvious. Wow, I feel dumb...

A/N: You may notice that this is different from any of my other stories. I didn't want to add too much humor into this one becauseit's based on a really serious song called "Skin" by Rascal Flatts. And I heard it and I thought of a situation like this. Don't think that I'm depressed because I got another KyoxTohru funny one coming up.

Skin

It was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Not just her or her circumstance. It was everything. The words that people said. The words that people didn't say. It was just... hopeless. Nothing would make anything better. The overly airconditioned Hospital didn't make things any better either.

Tohru clung to her mom's picture and tried to hold back tears. She always said that she would do her best. She would never give up hope. She would always be happy...

That was before the bruises wouldn't go away.

She had thought that... actually, she didn't think. She just ignored it, hoping it would stop. Kyo was the first one to notice them once she had crumpled to the floor after he gently punched her like he always did. Before then, she had been feeling so tired, it was unbelieveable. The punch, as gentle as it was, probably just did her in. Tohru hadn't meant for her weakness to show and was embarassed when it came up. Kyo didn't even hesitate to call Hatori up. The look that was in his eye now was the same look that she saw once he had called Hatori. He was scared to death. Just as she was.

Kyo caught her looking at him and he smiled. A very small smile it was, but it still made her feel the tiniest bit better.

Yet, all she could do was read old magazines and squirm. She didn't know what to do with herself. After the curse was broken just a month or so earlier, Tohru thought that things would be much better. Yuki had found so much happiness in Machi and holding her. Shiguire was having a beautiful relationshop with Akito. Kyo had stopped fighting with everyone so much. Even Hatori was smiling again. Everyone had turned out just fine... except for her.

"Tohru Honda-san?" The nurse called out to her and Tohru looked up. Why was the nurse smiling? Didn't she know that something was wrong with her? She had a disease! She could...

Shaking a bit, Tohru stood with an unsteadiness, and followed the nurse into the erie room. Kyo, Yuki, Shiguire, and a few others of the Sohma family followed suit. The doctor was waiting for her, also smiling. But his smile was different. Grave... sad... knowing.

The severity ofthe newshit her like a ton of bricks. Something was wrong with her cells. Between the red and the white blood cells, something just wasn't right. She was sick. Terribly sick. She wasn't sure there was ever a time when she was as scared as she was now. In somewhat of a daze, she listened as the doctor explained the situation and a cure for it.

"Six chances in ten, it won't return with the therapy we're going to try," the doctor was explaining. Tohru nodded, unaware of the reactions of the rest of the Sohmas. "It's just been approved, and it is the strongest we have. I think we caught it just in time for the therapy to start..."

Tohru closed her eyes and took a breath. She fell into somehwhat of a dreamland where she was... happy. She was dancing in a large, lighted room. Nothing was wrong with her. Her hair was flowing in the breeze as she twirled around without a care in the world. A boy was dancing with her, but she could not tell who he was. His face was... blank. There was a neck and all, but no face. Still, she felt safe with him, so she danced.

Forcing herself to open her eyes. Tohru looked the doctor in the eye. "I'll do it."

A few weeks later, the night of the Senior Prom, Tohru was crying. Sheheld her mom's picture as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was gone. Just that morning, she had awoken to all of her hair, or what had been left of it. Not attatched to her head, but lying on the pillow. That lovely brown hair had disappeared in just two weeks. She used to be... well, at least somewhat pretty. Now she was... bald.

As Tohru wiped the tears away, she felt dissapointed in herself. Not only was she being just a bit pathetic, but she was wearing her prom dress. Hana-chan and Uo-chan had spent months looking for just the perfect dress, and they found one. It was simple. A long, pink, a little fluffy, and thin-strapled dress. It was beautiful, and she was beautiful... until the therapy.

Originally, she was going with Hana-chan and Uo-chan. The terrific trio, even without dates. Then, after the hair left, Tohru decided that she wasn't going at all. She didn't want to humiliate Hana and Uo and she didn't want to humiliate herself. She was afriad that people would laugh. She was afriad that people would judge her and ridicule her and hate her...

She sighed. What kind of person would take her to the prom anyway? Closing her eyes, Tohru let herself slip into a dreamland just as she had when she was at the Hospital. She was in her prom dress, dancing in a room. There were more people now, staring at her and her gorgeous gown. Once again, the mysterious man was there, dancing with her. She could feel her hair blowing in the wind...

"Kyon-kyon!" Shiguire's voice from downstairs was high-pitched and surprised. "Where have you been all night? We were all so worried about you!"

"Ah, shut up, stupid dog," Kyo mumbled. Even though it was a bit of a rude comment, Tohru could tell that he said it light-heartedly.

A small smile crept onto her face as Tohru wiped her tears away. She stood and walked to the top of the stairs, forgetting that she was still in her prom dress.

"Were you at the dojo, Kyo-k..." Tohru stopped and looked at Kyo.

"Well, it seems as if you are both ready for a fun night!" Shiguire teased, his smile growing bigger.

They both stared at each other for a good long time. Kyo was wearing the traditional black and white tuxedo with a black bow tie. She could tell that he hated it, bit he wore it for some good reason. He wasn't bad-looking and was actually somewhat handsome. But the one thing that really stood out at her was his head. He was wearing a bright orange beanie, covering his orange hair. It clashed with eveything.

Kyo cleared his throat after looking at her like she was a goddess. "You look... beautiful."

This made Tohru's heart feel like it weighed nothing. Especially because he had looked past the lack of hair. This had been happening quite often. Even when she did have hair and was doing something as ordinary as cooking, she would catch him looking at her. Instead of looking away, Kyo would just stare. For seconds, and, a few times, moments, Kyo would hold her gaze and look directly into her soul. Most of the time, he would say nothing with his mouth, but everything with his eyes. Other times he would just stare, caugh, and then walk away. Still, whenever he looked at her, she felt like everything was ok, or going to be ok. As long as she was there, he was there, watching over her.

Tohru cleared her throat and tried to hide her burning face. "Ah, you must be hungry, Kyo-kun! I'll make us something to eat..." Tohru quickly descended the stairs, but Kyo didn't move from her path. She was caught off guard so of course she bumped into him.

"Eh?" Tohru looked up at him. He smiled, a glint in his eye that wasn't exactly readable.

Without saying a word, Kyo stepped back to give her space and pulled off the out-of-place orange beanie. Tohru gasped and felt the tears spring to her eyes. Shiguire covered his mouth with his hand and Yuki had just walked into the scene, staring wide-eyed.Kyo was looking at her and she was looking at his head. She slowly reached up, then paused.

Softly, she touched just skin.

Kyo gently took her hand in his and pulled it away from his bald head.

"Come on," he said quietly.

The limo and the outside world was a blur to her because all she could remember was his head, then the school's gymnasium. She was thinking of him. She was thinking of his beautiful, orange, hair, or... lack thereof now. This morning, it had all been there. Now, it wasn't. She was thinking of his heart and his feelings. Even as everyone else stared at them, she was thinking of him. Kyo didn't say anything, but that was ok. He didn't have to.

And they danced. That entire night, they both twirled around the dance floor. Neither of them cared about anything but each other. Tohru didn't feel her hair blowing in the wind just as Kyo didn't feel his cloud his forehead. As the night moved on, she felt Kyo's arms wrap around her waist and she let hers slip around his neck. He held her close and the music slowed. And as they danced, with a smile on both of their faces, Tohru felt it.

In that moment, she wasn't scared. Not at all.

hm. dunno if i could have done better. but thats not for me to decide. its for you all to decide. so please review.

oh! and please please please please PLEASE... listen to the song. It's SO cute and it's a lot better than the story.