Disclaimer: I, Tori the Fanfic Fan, hereby testify that I do not under any circumstances own the story or characters of the anime or manga known as Fruits Basket. All of those rights belong to the author Natsuki Takaya. I do however claim ownership over the character known as Kaoru.

Reference: xenophobia- the fear of strangers or foreigners

Chapter Three

Outside of the Mind

The storm clouds from the night before melted away at the first sign of daybreak, giving way to another perfect day. However, the storm brewing deep inside the walls of one Shigure Sohma's house had yet to completely blow over.

Kaoru's socked feet walked sleepily down the stairs, almost like she was sleepwalking. Despite the tension from last night, she was really looking forward to breakfast. She really couldn't wait to wakeup.

As she came down, she ran into Tohru coming up the stairs. They both smiled, exchanged greetings, and went their seperate way. Kaoru needn't ask her where to find breakfast; she could smell the sweet aroma from where she was. She was already starting to feel more awake. There was just something about pancakes that really made her feel alive in the morning.

Once she straightened up her hair and her clothes, a Myco concert shirt and denium capris, she slid the door open to the dining room and walked inside. Two of the three Sohmas were already sitting at the table. The oldest, Shigure, sat at the head reading the newspaper and drinking tea while one of the younger ones, Kyo, sat eating his breakfast. Neither looked up or said anything to greet her. So, naturally, everything was left up to her.

"Good morning."

Shigure was the only one to look up and reply. Kyo just continued with eating his breakfast.

"Ah, good morning Kaoru! Sleep well?"

The older man was much more cheery this morning. 'Tohru must have talked to them about last night,' Kaoru thought to herself.'Hopefully they'll feel a little bit more comfortable around me now.'

Situating herself in the same spot as last night, directly across from Kyo, she continued to exchange pleasantries with the older Sohma.

"Yes, thank you. And you?"

"Like a newborn pup!"

Shigure took a sip of his tea and soon buried himself deep into his paper again. Kaoru took this as a chance to talk to Kyo.

"And you, Kyo? Did you sleep well?"

Kyo looked up from his breakfast, his red eyes glared threateningly back into her own as if to say, "Go to hell!" Kaoru squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. He, apparently, still disliked her company.

"Um…o-kay…" Looking back down at her breakfast, she began to fiddle with the corner of one of her flap-jacks. Kyo looked back down as well and continued to scarf down his food. The safest bet for a civil conversation seemed to still remain with Shigure.

'One down, two to go.'

"Hey um, Shigure?"

"Huh?"

The dog looked back up from his paper.

"I want to thank you again for allowing me to stay last night. Your generosity is very much appreciated. And I also wanted to apologize to the two of you if I did or said anything to make you feel uncomfortable."

A look of confusion passed over Shigure's face at the last comment.

"Uncomfortable? What would make you think you did anything to make us feel uncomfortable?"

Picking up her eating utensil, she begin digginginto her food.

"It's okay Shigure. You guys don't have to pretend anymore. Tohru explained everything to me last night."

A slight feeling of uneasiness suddenly plagued the atmosphere of the room. A dark and serious look now enveloped Shigure's features. Even Kyo seemed to stopscarfing to listen in on the conversation.

"Oh, Tohru explained everything, did she?"

Kaoru nodded gingerly. Something about Shigure's expression really made her feel uneasy.

"Yeah. And, really, it's okay. Xenophobia isn't really that big of a deal."

If she had waited a moment more before looking back down at her breakfast, Kaoru would have caught the passing signs of relief cross the two Sohmas' faces.

Kyo looked about ready to burst out in a rant but Shigure quickly silenced him by slamming a hand over the cat's mouth.

"Yep, that's us! One big xenophobic family!"

Kyo's muffled words grewquieter as he continued to struggle under Shigure's grasp, however the dog wouldn't let him go. He was afraid that Kyo's big mouth might spill something that he wasn't suppose to to their guest. However, unbeknownst to Shigure, Kaoru was already starting to suspect something. She was about ready to say something when Tohru ran down the stairs, panic written all over her face.

"SHIGURE!"

Everyone looked up and out into the hallway towards the hysteric Tohru. Shigure was the first to say anything.

"Tohru? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Tohru took in a few shaky breaths before continuing.

"It's Yuki! I think he's having another asthma attack!"

Kaoru sat at the bottom of the stairs, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped securely around them. Gazing off toward the kitchen, she could see Tohru's small slipper clad feet scurry franticly across the floor, hither and thither. What she was doing, the older girl could only guess.

Hearing footsteps coming down, she turned her head back towards the stairs and watched anxiously as Shigure descended. Quickly, she stood up to greet him.

"Shigure," a cry of mild emotion flew from her mouth. "How is he?"

"The attack seems to be minor, but still," he paused for a second, glanced momentarily up the stairs, and added in a soft voice, "I better call Hatori."

The last part was directed more towards him then to her, but Kaoru still couldn't help but overhear it. Shigure looked back down and moved quietly to his study, sparing a quick glance towards the kitchen as he passed.

Karou walked quietly behind him before going into the kitchen. The whole time she wondered silently to herself, 'Who is this…Hatori?'

Something about that name seemed familiar…

Tohru buzzed frantically around the kitchen trying to make soup for Yuki. Kaoru stood nearby, trying desperately to calm Tohru down as much as she could, while Shigure was in his office making a call to who she assumed to be that "Hatori" person he had mentioned earlier. The other boy, Kyo, seemed to have disappeared. After hearing about Yuki, he excused himself from the breakfast table and slinked out of sight. Looking back on it now, Kaoru couldn't help but recall the look of disgust Kyo wore on his face when he first heard the news from a certain hysteric rice ball. It was almost as if he was…jealous?

'I guess second helpings at dinner isn't the only thing those two boys fight over. I wonder if she has ever taken notice of their behavior-'

CRASH! A bowl of vegetables fell to the floor at Tohru's feet.

'Then again, Tohru was always a little bit on the clueless side.'

As Tohru quickly fell down to her knees to collect the fallen ingredients, Kaoru gracefully knelt down and placed a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Tohru, you need to calm down. I'm sure that Yuki's going to be just fine. Shigure said that was just a mild attack-" She was quickly interrupted by Tohru's fervent voice.

"But what if it gets worse before Hatori gets here? What if he falls into a coma or something? I don't remember him coughing so much the last time! I don't really know what I can do to help him!"

Another tender squeeze was applied to her shoulder, trying desperately to be comforting.

"Kiddo, you're not going to help him by making yourself sick. Just take a deep breath; we're going to get through this. It's going to be okay."

Tohru gave a small sniffle and tiny fragments of tears could be seen gathering in her eyes. Kaoru could feel her heart clinch in her chest: her "Big Sister" instincts were once again going to push her out of her newly constructed comfort zone. She sighed, and complied.

"I'll tell you what, you stay here and finish the soup, and I'll go up and check on him. And if anything happens, I promise to come down right away and tell you. Okay?"

Kaoru was not exactly crazy about the idea, but what else could she do? She couldn't bare to watch Tohru cry; the feeling of guilt wasn't exactly weighing pleasantly on her conscience! Besides, Yuki might actually need someone to check in on him again.

Another tiny sniffle escaped Torhu's mouth as she quietly gave a reply.

"Okay."

The deal was sealed.

Kaoru walked silently down the length of the hallway before stopping in front of a door to which she assumed was Yuki's room. She hesitantly knocked three times before she heard an answer. The call was so faint that she almost would have missed it if not for the loud coughing which followed soon after.

Slowly, she slid the door open to the room. What she saw next was anything but surprising. Everything she saw, from the neatly organized papers on his desk to the mint-conditioned furniture, was exactly the way she thought it would be. Like Yuki himself, everything was composed, organized, and charming. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

'Almost too perfect… He doesn't make gourmet meals and do his own laundry by any chance, does he?'

COUGH!

Anotherraspy coughbroke her train of thought and made her take notice for the first time the pale, fevered form of one Yuki Sohma, still dressed in his nightly wear and tucked snuggly under the covers. A bag of ice rested under his head to cool his fever.

"Hey, Yuki. How are you feeling?"

Moving up closer to the bed, Kaoru placed a cool hand upon the surface of Yuki's face, checking for a rise in temperature. He was warm, but he wasn't sizzling. Replaying Tohru's report in her head, it actually seemed as if Yuki had calmed down a little bit since twenty minutes ago. Slight coughing and wheezing was still evident, but nothing too serious. 'Must be a good sign…'

"Miss Miyamoto?" his eyes peeked open a bit to see her face, "What are you---?" Another cough erupted from his throat, making him unable to finish his question.

"I volunteered to check up on you, to make sure you were okay. And also to set Tohru's mind at ease that you weren't going to die on us. Do need anything? Water, a blanket?"

"Um…no… thank you."

Dark purple clashed with baby blue as both the rat and the cousin stared quietly at each other, neither really knowing what to say. Kaoru took this as her chance to leave.

"Okay then…well… I guess I better go…"

Before either one of them new it, she was already at the door and ready to wrench it open. However, a small, weakened voice prevented her from going anywhere just yet.

"Miss Miyamoto… may I…(cough)… ask you a question?"

Turning around slightly, she once more locked eyes with boy in the bed.

"Yeah…sure…"

Yuki paused, took in a few breaths, and continued with slight hesitance. Apparently, she wasn't the only one emotionally uncomfortable in the room.

"Forgive me but…(cough)… are you here to take Miss Honda away from us?"

Kaoru was taken aback by the question. Was Yuki really trying to open up to her about last night? She had to know.

"Is that why you guys acted the way you did last night? It was because you all were afraid that I came back to Japan to take Tohru away from you?"

Yuki looked down and blushed deep with embarrassment. Not even the slight pink from his fever could hide it.

"We must have seemed rather cold and distant to make you think that, didn't we?"

Now fully turned around and facing the bed, she walked with a much less timid step back towards him. Gracefully, she knelt down by the side of the bed.

"Not as much as you may think. But let's just say that when it comes to first impressions, you Sohmas haven't exactly won a gold metal with me."

Yuki smiled and laughed delicately at her comment. The laugh however was short-lived as it soon erupted into a painful fit of coughs. Kaoru quickly eased Yuki off his pillow and into a sitting position. Her hand went to his back, patting him softly to try to calm him down. The manner in which she showed reminded the young rat of an older protective sister looking out for her sick baby brother. It gave him a sense of security knowing that she was there, though in some ways he wished that it was Tohru who was there instead of her.

After the coughing died down, Kaoru gently pushed Yuki back onto the pillows but not before she stood them up, fluffed them, and replaced the ice pack for him; a sisterly instinct mixed with a debtor's sense of duty. However, it was the words that came next which really surprised him.

"You know Yuki, someone once told me that to truly love someone means to always put their feelings before your own. Even…even though it may seem painful to watch that person find happiness with another and… the world may seem lonelier without them always being there at your side… it's important to always remember that love…true love is infinite. You can always make more… The heart really isn't as small as some people may think…"

Her words stunned Yuki greatly with their deep sense of sincerity, even the small tear that fell from her eye couldn't hide from him how deeply she cared for their little flower,their beloved Tohru. Kaoru wasn't the only one who felt guilt today.

'I think…we've made a terrible mistake…'

"Miss Miyamoto…"

Kaoru took in a deep breath and quickly removed the tear from her face. She wasn't finished yet.

"It's because I know this that I would never take Tohru away from something that makes her happy. I would never take her away from the people she loves… no matter how bad the first impression may have been."

She laughed slightly at her own joke and Yuki's blush grew even brighter at the last comment.

Kaoru reached up her hand and placed it on the bed, right on top of Yuki's and squeezed it both gently and in a friendly manner. She didn't fully understand the cause of this particular action, but, for some reason, she felt the need to make a promise. The promise.

"Don't worry Yuki, Tohru's not going anywhere; neither by me nor by any other force of humanity."

Sliding her hand over, she hooked her pinkie finger gently with his.

"I promise."

She felt Yuki's finger tighten slightly around her own, saying that he accepted the promise.

Letting go of one another, Kaoru stood up and slid her hands into the pockets of her capris. Silence once again filled the room; but this time, it was much friendlier.

Clearing her throat, Kaoru broke the silence once again.

"Well, I guess I better go check on Tohru to see if the soup is ready. You take it easy until then, okay?"

"'Kay."

For the second time that morning, she saw a shy smile break across the younger boy's face. In her heart, she felt as if that was his way of saying 'I'm sorry'. She, of course, had already forgiven him.

As she began to walk back towards the door, a thought from earlier made her stop in her tracks.

"Oh, uh, by the way…Yuki, your family really isn't xenophobic, are they?"

A rather comically confused look stamped itself onto the young rat's face. If he hadn't been sick, Kaoru would have exploded with laughter and be rolling on the floor at the hysterical expression.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, nothing! Never mind. Just mindless babble! Take it easy, okay?"

She quickly excused herself, walked a few feet down the hall, and exploded in a fit of hysterical laughter. A few minutes passed before she finally felt the ability to compose herself.

'This visit may not have been such a bad idea after all.'

Her feelings of hysteria finally settled, the girl turned around to what she thought was a wall but instead found a small outer window. Looking up at the sky, she smiled as she watched the fluffy, white clouds float by and the sun shine down upon the world as if it too were smiling.

"It's going to be a beautiful day."

She turned away from the window's view just as a dark, western style car began to pull up in front of the house.

Hatori didn't need permission to come in. He was family after all as well as the Sohma doctor. He had perks higher than usual visitor's knocking. Besides, they were expecting him.

Sliding open the side door, he absentmindedly removed his shoes out of habit. But before he stepped even further in the house, he stopped when he noticed an extra pair of shoes nestled securely between his own and the other usual four sets. They looked to be a pair of girl's tennis shoes with a "no boundaries" brand mark and strong signs of being well broken in. What scared him was the fact that none of the Zodiac women owned such a pair of shoes.

'Is there another outsider staying here?'

"Ah, you're here finally."

The dragon looked up at the sound of the dog's greeting. Shigure by this time had come out of his office and noticed the doctor just standing there at the door, his eyes fixated on a pair of shoes.

"Hey. The door was unlocked so I let myself in. Where's Yuki?"

Shigure smiled and jabbed a finger into the air, motioning to the floor above them.

"He's in his room and in bed. If I'm not mistaken, Kaoru went up there a little while ago to check up on him. She should be down in a minute."

The unfamiliarity of a name caught the dragon's attention.

"Who's this…Kaoru?"

"Shigure, is that-," Tohru stepped out of the kitchen, a steaming bowl of leek soup held securely within her oven mitt hands. "Oh, hi Hatori!"

Hatori bowed his head slightly in a respectful greeting to the little rice ball.

"Good morning Miss Honda. Were you about to take that up to Yuki?" His good eye had noticed the steaming substance.

"Huh? Oh, yes I was! I thought some leek soup would help him feel better. But if-" Tohru stopped when she heard a familiar sound of socked feet coming down the stairs. She gave a small gasp. "Kaoru! How is he? Is Yuki okay?"

'Kaoru?' the look of confusion returned to the doctor's face. 'Who is this-'

A soft but mature feminine voice interrupted his train of inner thought. A voice he thought he would never hear outside his dreams.

"Yes, but his still coughing quite a bit. Is this the doctor?"

Tohru smiled and nodded in reply.

"Uh-huh! Hatori, I would like you to meet my cousin, Kaoru Miyamoto. She just moved back from the U.S. Kaoru, I would like you to meet Hatori Sohma. He's the family doctor."

Hatori could feel his heart bound heavily within the cage of his chest. In his mind he could already picture the girlof dreams standing there on the last step, her light brown hair elegantly pulled up, and her blue eyes glowing with an immeasurable amount of light. Turning around hesitantly, he found himself staring dead on into a pair of deep baby blue eyes.

However, the gasp that followed wasn't his. Rather, it was Kaoru. She recognized him, too.

"I-it…it's you!"

Hatori just stood there, locking his eyes with hers. His face didn't show any expression but inside he was as astounded and frightened as the young woman standing before him. He didn't know what to say. What do you say when finally come face to face with the person who haunts the deep depths of your subconscious 24/7?

"Yeah."

Well, surely no that! Hatori mentally kicked himself over his lame reply.

'Maybe I should take Shigure up on his offer and write that book: "How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less".'

But the girl, Kaoru, did something he did not expect; she stepped down off the last stair and walked over to him. Without warning, she dipped into a deep and respectful bow, smiling even as she came up. Her cheerful greeting matched beautifully with her smile.

"Nice to meet you… Hatori."

Author's Note: FINALLY, it's done! Okay, you guys know the drill: I write, you send reviews, I get impatient waiting for them! Oh well, that's the dramatic life of an amateur writer. Que sera, sera!

Until next time,

Tori

Fact: Kaoru's a monkey; she's two years older than Tohru. Zodiac charts say that the best compatibility for monkeys is found with rats and dragons. But don't worry; this is still a "Hatori romance" story! Kaoru only thinks of Yuki as a little brother figure. And, as you have read, Yuki does not (and will not EVER!) harbor romantic feelings for Kaoru! So please don't romanticize them!