Author's Note: Heyyy everyone! This is another one of my stories that I am writing... Kind of in time for Christmas? I think I'm going to make it end of Christmas Eve. . . Well, please read and review... I'm not going to update until I get at LEAST three reviews per chapter! On with the story!

Chapter 1

Fate's Toll

"I'm next in line for the throne. Should the need for my assistance arise, I have to be prepared."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow… At dawn."

Yuki reminisced about what had just happened. One phone call had ruined all of his chances of becoming eternally happy with the one he loved. Tohru. Tohru. It was such a pretty name. She had been living with them for a year now. Ever since she came, Yuki had learned how to smile and enjoy every day of life as a new adventure, not as another day of pain, misery, and memories. She was his light in the darkness, his spring, his whole world. She was his everything. And now, she was leaving. Leaving. He would never see her again. Ever. All of his hopes and dreams were shattered into a million pieces.

Two Years Later

The rush of people at the shopping square was amazing. Of course, it was near Christmas, which means shopping, shopping, shopping. The looks of glee was on everyone's faces. And the chattering of the shoppers was incredible. The snow was lightly falling from the chalky blue sky.

The features of a young man were despicable. He was visible through the thick crowd because of his gray hair, and his piercing, purple eyes. He was wearing a long overcoat of charcoal black. His shoes made a noise on the hard gravel of the ground. He had his hands in his coat pockets… and while everyone had bulging bags of holiday shopping, he was empty-handed. He had an air of sadness and mysterious about him.

On the other side of the square, a young girl of eighteen was getting her shopping done. She had long brown hair that was swept up in a French knot. A deep green coat was adorned with a dark purple scarf. Her lovely face was rosy with the chilly wind blowing against it. She was carefully balancing three bags on each side. As she made her way up the sidewalk, she stumbled on a stone that was in the middle of the walkway. She ran into the mysterious man with the overcoat.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" As she tried to pick up all of her bags, the man glanced at her face. He gasped in surprise.

"Miss Honda!" the woman looked up in profoundness.

"Yuki?"

The two looked at each other. Yuki's features softened and split into a smile.

"It's nice to see you again," he said as he stood up with all six bags and as if they had not parted two years ago. "I thought that I would never see you again, Miss Honda."

Tohru looked at him mortally wounded. "It's been two years, Yuki. Please, call me Tohru." She smiled at him. Oh, how he had missed that smile! To even THINK about not seeing that smile made his heart ache, let alone enduring two years without it.

"Tohru," he blushed.

She laughed and it rang out like bells throughout the square. "Yuki! I've never seen you act this way before! What's gotten into you?" Her eyes sparkled at him and the snow in her hair made her look like an angel.

He was so mesmerized by her appearance that he didn't even notice Tohru looking at him with a curious expression on her face. He just smiled at her and said, "Would you care to grab a cup of coffee and catch up a little?"

She gratefully smiled at him and replied with a slightly playful note in her voice, "Certainly, my prince." She found Yuki's hand and took it in her's and walked joyfully with a somewhat stunned yet happy Yuki trailing after her.

At the Pandora Café, Yuki and Tohru sat facing each other at a table that looked over the scene of the happy shoppers and the big Christmas tree in the middle of it all sparkling with all it's might.

Tohru took off her coat to expose a gray skirt that came down to her knees, a white buttoned top and a delicate necklace sporting the Chinese symbol for rat on it. When Yuki saw it, he looked at it for a second too long, for Tohru saw what he was looking at and quickly hid it with her collar.

"Is that----" Yuki began.

"Let's put that off until another time, okay?" Tohru looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "I promise I'll tell you all about it then,"

"Shure," Yuki was a bit surprised. In all the time that he had spent with her, she had never acted like this before.

Tohru looked at Yuki's face intently. She cocked her head, "It seems that you haven't changed at all," Except, your eyes. They seem… to have felt a loss…" She drifted off.

Yuki looked down when she made that comment.

"Well, I suppose you could say I lost someone… Akito passed away about a year ago,"

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said gently.

"No, don't be. This way, we don't have to bothered by his presence." Yuki said this so bitterly that Tohru looked a bit alarmed. "We can live as we please. Hatori is the new head of the family." He paused. "He treats us well,"

"I'm glad,"

Tohru felt the change of the feelings in the air and decided that it would be better if she changed the subject. "It's really nice to see you again." She looked at the rim of her steaming cup of coffee. "I-I missed you." she said softly.

Yuki looked up.

"While my governess was teaching me all these things on how to become a queen… I relapsed into a period of depression. I didn't talk at all. I longed for you…" She quickly added, "And everyone else." "I was with my family, but I felt more at home with Shigure, Kyo, and you. I've finished my course of study. My uncle was generous enough to offer for me to stay there. Actually, they were barring my way when I wanted to leave. I felt trapped there. Everyone worked hard to make me feel welcome. My grandmother felt my pain, though. She convinced everyone that they should leave me in peace until the time came for me to rule." Her eyes were filled with tears now. "That's why I came here. This was where I grew up and this was where I was most happy." She laughed a shaky laugh that clearly showed that there was pain in her heart. "I bought the house that I grew up with my mother and father in." Two perfect tear drops fell slowly down her cheeks. But, she tried to act like they weren't there and brushed them away. "I was going to surprise you and everyone else and drop off some presents, but, here I am!" she once again tried to laugh, but all that escaped was a sob. "You caught me," She tried to smile, but, she failed and now she couldn't stop all the tears from falling.

Instantly, Yuki was by her side, he hugged her. "What have they done to you?" he whispered. He put his chin on top of her head, and Tohru wept into his shoulder.

"Take me home, please," Tohru managed to say.

"Okay," Yuki gathered all the bags and paid for the coffee and they left, Tohru trying to fight back tears that kept arising. Yuki kept looking at her full of concern.

On the way to Tohru's house, after she had controlled her tears, and regained some of her cheeriness, she realized something. "Yuki!" She gasped. "You didn't turn into a rat when you hugged me! Has your curse been lifted?"

"No, I still have my curse… But, I don't know. It could have been something to do with your necklace…" he gently replied.

She looked at him in surprise. "M-my necklace?" She felt for it. "I got it custom made while I was in Osaka."

Yuki looked at Tohru deeply. "The symbol for… rat?"

She blushed under his gaze. "Yes… It… helped me fight off the loneliness when I couldn't bear it anymore. You see, before I left, I failed to mention something to you. I--"

Yuki put a finger to her lips. "I think I understand… what you are trying to say,"

She blushed a deeper red than before. Yuki could read her thoughts so well.

They had reached Tohru's doorstep. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"Certainly," Yuki smiled benevolently.

The bags were put aside, and Tohru quickly brewed up some tea and brought it into the living room.

Yuki had pictured Tohru's house as something that was homey, yet, had something about her in every piece of furniture, curtain, and table. Clearly, he knew her well. But, most of the things were regal looking and there were only a few things that fit Tohru's personality. When Tohru saw him looking at the out of place things she quickly offered an explanation, "I just moved in two weeks ago. And my grandfather had assigned a decorator to move in some things. Unfortunately, he didn't get to know me well enough to figure out that I didn't share the same taste as him in certain areas. My grandmother has given me some money to buy other things, plus extra to spend on myself. She's my mother's mother. She's the only person that I ever felt that understood me at my stay at the palace."

He nodded. "I suppose you'll be doing some shopping over the upcoming few weeks. May I accompany you?"

"Absolutely! You can help pick out the things," she gleefully smiled at him. She sat primly, and sipped her tea with her pinky in the air.

"You've changed somewhat…" He noticed the pinky and the position in which she held herself.

"Oh, please, don't be silly! I'm just practicing so that I don't get slapped when---" she stopped. She hung her head in shame. She had said too much again.

Yuki looked at Tohru with concern. "They slap you? Who does this?"

"I'm not officially a princess until I have my coronation ball. That's not until May. Besides, Madame Rosmerta is just trying her best to make the most perfect princess out of me. She's from France and she has been training princesses for years. Surprisingly, she's only forty. I thought that she may be older." Tohru looked at Yuki's face that now had a shadow of anger on it. "Don't worry about me! It'll all turn out fine in the end! Besides, I don't want to think about that right now… I've gone on and on about me, but I haven't heard a word about you! What's been happening?"

Yuki set his cup down on the saucer. "Well, I've been working at my own company, Sohma Corps. Actually, I haven't been interested in having a social life." He hesitated. "After you left… It was so abrupt that I never even got to tell you…" He stopped.

"Tell me what?" Tohru curiously asked, even though she thought he knew what he was going to say. Actually, she HOPED it was what he was going to say.

He turned red, and muttered, "It's nothing… I just… It's just that… I…" He took a deep breath, "I love you," He looked up and saw Tohru's face which clearly showed joy.

"Yuki!" She cried. "I love you too," she whispered.

Just then, Yuki got thrown back and a spirit which took the form of a rat came out of him, "You have proven yourself worthy of being free from this curse. I leave you with well wishes and if you ever need help, call upon me," It floated up towards the ceiling and drifted towards the heavens.

Yuki's face was lighted with joy that made it's way to his eyes which sparkled brightly.

Tohru had tears of joy coming down her cheeks, "We did it. We broke your curse." She hugged him fiercely. His tears dripped onto her hair, and silently, they sat embracing one another, thinking of the days that they would spend together in the days to come. As the snow started to swirl and fall down on the spectacular world, the couple came to realize that without one another, they couldn't go on with life.