DISCLAIMER - According to my psychiatrist, I do not own Fruits Basket. Pity.

Momiji Souma stood frozen in his living room, staring at his hands in disbelief. He didn't know what had just happened, but he had an idea. Quickly the rabbit ran out into the street, heading straight for the first woman he saw.

"What the-------who are you?" a frightened girl asked as she felt the young boy's hands go around her waist.

After a few seconds, he realized his instincts were correct. There was no puff of smoke. No scream of terror at an animal's sudden appearance. He turned to the stunned woman who he had just touched, harboring the biggest smile imaginable.

"I'm Momiji Souma, and I'm free!"

'I can't wait to find Tohru!'


Meanwhile, Kyou and Tohru were on the way back from their walk through the woods. They had traveled quite a bit farther this time than trips before, and Tohru was visibly tired. The neko decided to stop.

"Let's rest here for a bit, Tohru. You don't want to push yourself."

"Oh, it's ok Kyou. I'm fine."

"No you're not. Now sit down for a minute," Kyou said as he pointed at the ground next to Tohru. The young woman slowly lowered herself to the ground, careful not to strain the legs that only months before had no feeling. She smiled.

"Kyou?"

"Mm?"

"Thank you. For everything. Being with me when I was injured. Letting me cry there on your knees that night. I know I was so horrible, worrying you like that. You have no idea how glad I am when we go on these walks everyday. I haven't been this happy since………..since Mom was alive."

Kyou blushed at Tohru's comments. She was being very open today. More than usual. It didn't make him uncomfortable, persay, but made him tingle with a tiny bit of nervousness. It especially surprised him to hear Tohru refer to her mother in the past tense. So many things had changed since the accident.

"That day…………….. when you asked me about my father………… and you……."

Kyou was beginning to blush even more now.

"Thank you. It made me feel so much better to get that out. To talk about my Dad's death. I had tried to shut that away for so long."

"Shishou once told me that everybody has something to hide. Not a suspicious crime or anything like that, but something they think is so important that telling would………..would……"

"Would break the heart that the thing was held so close to?"

"Yeah."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Kyou spoke.

"You know, Tohru," he said with a silly grin on his face. "Sometimes I wonder if you and Shishou were separated at birth."

"WHAT! Oh no, Kyou, I was Mom's only child! There was no way she could have had Shishou, especially considering the age differenceImeanitwouldhavebeenimpossibleunlessshemetanothermanbutmomwouldn'tdothat….." the girl raved on and on, the neko too entertained to stop her.

'Tohru, sometimes I wonder about you. I guess that's why……that's why I love you.'


Nearby in the brush, Akito Souma and Kureno had been watching the whole scene unfold from their hiding place. Normally, to see the outsider and the monster enjoying themselves would have sent Akito over the edge in anger. But today, she was too excited about her plan to even notice the sparks between the two.

"Remember Kureno," she said as her fingers slid delicately across the somber man's face. "to follow my plan exactly. I want to rip her soul apart piece by piece, but we have to start slowly. You know what to do. If she tries to interfere with our plan, hurt her, but not too badly. I don't want her to weak to continue the game."

"Akito," Kureno choked out, unwilling to hurt Tohru but unwilling to disobey his superior.

"You know she will try to stop you."

"Heh heh heh, " the young woman cackled. "I know. Isn't it beautiful? Now let's go."

Kyou and Tohru jumped up in surprise as they saw the head of the family appear from the woods, followed by her faithful Kureno. Kyou could tell Tohru was trembling, but he dare not say anything in Akito's presence.

"Hello, my two little monsters," the Souma matriarch declared, arms outstretched in a welcoming fashion.

Kyou spoke up before she could say more.

"What do you want, Akito?"

The woman smiled.

"Why, I've simply come to take you home a couple weeks early, my dear monster. It's time for you to go to your cage, where you belong. The deal's off, not that you could ever defeat Yuki. So why waste time? Kureno will escort you to the estate."

Tohru looked on in fear as Kureno grabbed Kyou by the arms in a motion so swift the neko had no way to move. She had to do something. She couldn't let them take Kyou away from her. She had already told Rin he was her most important person. That he was the real reason for all the searching for an end to the curse. And then Kagura has slapped her and told her to say those words to Kyou herself. And now, as Kureno began to drag Kyou away, Tohru knew she had to summon the courage to stand up and fight for the person she had deemed her "most important person". She ran toward Kureno.

"NO! PLEASE PLEASE DON'T LOCK KYOU AWAY AKI----"

Akito's words cut her off.

"KURENO! NOW!"

Chapter 2 is done. I had a hard time trying to get the main storyline going, because I wanted to tie this story in with TSTST for all those who begged a sequel. I will be doing a doujinshi of TSTST if anyone would be interested in reading it when it's done.

And yes, things will start to move more quickly now. R&R.