A/N: Once again I bring you my story! Thank you to the people who reviewed! Anyway some things to address: I based the school system on my schedule. At my school you can take physics (honors and non honor), AP Chem, Regular chem., and Bio 2 for the people who don't try. We rotate from classroom to classroom. But that doesn't really matter. And the tree theme isn't really a theme. I just wanted to relate Akito's illness to the dead leaf (I think I got a little to deep for my own good.) I just like naming all my chapters with something in common…I think that's all for now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:

I fear that I shall never see

The show Fruits Basket belonging to me

XXX

Akito was sprawled on the floor of his porch. He was lying on his back studying the pattern made by cracks in the old wood above him. He realized his days were becoming emptier. Though, to him, his life had never been filled with much anyway. To fill the empty time he had, for a short time, taken up sketching what he saw of the outside world, a talent that was ruined by the unpredictable shake in his hands. Reading had been a quick respite to places he would never go, but focus on the print brought an onslaught of blurry vision and headaches.

Had Akito been a little more normal, he could have watched TV, entertaining himself with the broadcasted lives of others. Sadly, Akito preferred to remain in the real world and entertain himself by manipulating the lives of the people who came near. Perhaps it made him feel like a god, the power he had over the people in his family. He certainly was sacrificing enough for them. Making people suffer seemed like the only thing he could do to make them realize how much he suffered. But…they never got the point.

Akito turned on his side to face the garden as he mused. He rarely ventured far out; he was a spectator. Suddenly, Akito remembered the rabbit and the cow as they had watched him at his window. Who did they think they were? Was he some kind of animal? They were the animals…

He reached down from the porch to the grass and snatched a dandelion from a patch of wildflowers. As he brought it to his face, he slowly blew the parachute seeds from their home. Even the weak breath of the sick was enough to scatter the seeds to the wind and from there to everywhere. Had anyone seen Akito now, they would have thought him a careless child. But, anyone who could think that, obviously did not know him.

XXX

No sooner had Kyo and Hatsuharu ascended the stairs then someone walked in from the porch.

"Oh Momiji!" Tohru exclaimed, arms full with bags. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for a visit with Haru."

"That's so nice!" Tohru smiled, a little surprised at the sudden company. Slowly she made her way forward, but nearly fell, face first as she hit a bump in the rug.

"Let me take some of those," Momiji offered.

"Oh no I couldn't make you do that! You're a guest." Tohru recovered her balance and sure footedly walked to the kitchen. Momiji followed.

Once in the kitchen Tohru put down the bags and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm.

"That was quite a workout," she laughed.

"I'm sure it was!" Momiji looked around. "Hey, where's Yuki?"

"I almost forgot!" Tohru reached into her jacket pocket and continued reaching until her hand was on the outside of the inside lining.

"Oh no! Yuki must have fallen out! Yuki! Yuki!" Tohru went down on her hands and knees crawling around the kitchen, searching for the tiny rat. She got up. "I..I guess I'll have to retrace my steps, but… what if he hurt himself, or hit his head? What if he got amnesia, or worse…that if he changed back in the middle of the street!"

By this time Tohru had gotten herself very worried and was hopping up and down, hand over her mouth in absolute horror.

"Tohru calm down!" Momiji put his hands on her shoulders and looked the teary Tohru in the face.

"But…It's all my fault. If I had warned him about that old, blind lady about to walk into him, then he wouldn't have transformed and…" At this time a little grey rat, with a large bump on his head, hopped onto the porch and slowly walked (two legged) towards the kitchen.

"Miss Tohru, I'm fine," came the tiny voice from the floor. Momiji looked down and Tohru broke into a teary eyed smile.

"Thank goodness!" She hunched down. "I'm so sorry, I won't ever put you in my pocket again!"

"It's quite alright," he massaged his head, "though I could use something for this."

"Of course!" Tohru skittered to the medicine cabinet.

Momiji carried the injured rat to the kotatsu and set him down. He couldn't hold back his amusement any longer.

"I guess you're not much help at carrying groceries!" he giggled.

"No it seems not."

"Here." Tohru came in and gave Yuki a tiny bag of crushed ice.

"Thank you." Yuki took the little bag in his paw and gingerly placed it on the large bump. "So, what brings you to here, Momiji?" He asked, turning purple eyes to the rabbit.

"Uh…I wanted to talk to Tohru and Haru needed some tutoring in physics. Kyo said he would help him."

"I'm surprised that stupid cat could help anyone at anything." Yuki muttered. "…I think I'm going to go upstairs."

"I'm so sorry, if you need anything…"Tohru started.

"It's alright," Yuki turned (if he had been in human form, he would have given her a 'princely smile'.)

Momiji wondered how he would make it upstairs as Tohru asked "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure!"

XXX

Kyo and Hatsuharu stared at the open text book. Hatsuharu was lying on his stomach, folded arms supporting his chin on the floor. Kyo sat cross-legged next to him.

"Why'd you want me to help you with this? I took this class last year. I doubt I can remember anything"

"Well, most of the people in my class don't understand what's going on either, and I know you're really good at math."

Kyo snorted. It was a little known fact that Kyo was very good at math. In relation to Yuki, who was good at everything, Kyo was slightly better in the math department, if nothing else. Kyo still didn't seem to appreciate this fact about himself, and when he could have been congratulating himself doing well on a math test, he berated himself for failing a writing assignment.

"So, what chapter is this?" Kyo leaned over the book and ran his finger down the page as he skimmed the paragraphs. Kyo's face was inches away from Haru's. For some reason this made the cat uncomfortable. Haru seemed to be staring at the side of his face. Kyo picked up the book and placed it in his lap.

"Stop staring at me. It's creepin' me out."

"…I was looking at the book," Haru answered simply with what sounded like a bit of humor.

Kyo mentally punched himself for being so self-conscious. "Whatever…This stuff isn't hard at all. Force. All you have to know is Newton's second law, which is Force equals mass times acceleration. Just plug numbers for that into the problem."

Kyo looked over at Hatsuharu who was now sitting up and still staring at the book (which was now on Kyo's lap). This also made Kyo uncomfortable, and he hastily put it on the floor.

"I don't understand what the hell is so hard. It's just plug and chug!"

"Well," Hatsuharu began. "The teacher hasn't taught us any of this yet. She gives us the homework assignments and then teaches us how to do the lesson. She gave us a bonus problem to do and…" Haru looked down at his hands. "I need the extra credit."

Kyo sighed. "Let me see the problem." Kyo again skimmed the page with his finger. It involved a monkey hanging from the top of an elevator that was accelerating up. "Find the tension of the rope." Kyo finished (he had been reading the problem out loud.)

"That's cute," Hatsuharu commented.

"A monkey in an elevator?"

"No, the way you read with your index finger."

"Wha..Wha." Kyo found it hard to formulate words, especially since he could feel himself turning beet red. As soon as he found some composure, "Listen, I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean," he stood up and pointed down at Haru, "but I'm not that damn Yuki! If you want to do that kind of weird crap with someone, find him!" Kyo sat down again, glaring at the physics book. "If you want some god damn help in physics than just shut up and listen."

Haru felt no need to reply. He had said what came to his mind, and so had Kyo. He just sat and let Kyo explain force of tension and gravity, even though Kyo was still slightly red.

XXX

Yay! You finished (only this chapter there is more to come.) So what'd you think? coughreviewcough Thank'ums

I'm going to stop giving "next chapter" previews. Sorry for that. They feel to constraining (even though their just a sentence long.)