Second chappie! I've kinda got a sugar rush right now and it's 1 AM, so forgive me if it isn't terribly deep!

Disclaimer: blech…must you keep reminding me? Fine, I don't own Fruits Basket.

Accident

"Hatsuharu-san?" Tohru asked, the next morning. Haru had just walked into the kitchen, blindly. "Oh no! I hope I didn't wake you," she said in a hushed whisper. He shook his head really quickly with his eyes half closed. When he tried to walk forward, he only succeeded in stumbling, still dizzy from sleep. Tohru giggled and offered him a cup of strong tea, hoping to wake him up.

They sat at the table in a comfortable silence. Finally Tohru spoke.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you like this, Hatsuharu-san." She said politely, hoping to strike a conversation.

"It's no trouble…But can I ask you something?" Haru asked, and she nodded her head in response.

"Why do you always blame Kyo's and Yuki's arguments on yourself?" He casually asked. Tohru lowered her eyes, and stared into her half-empty cup. When she spoke, her voice was tight.

"Because I'm baka…They can't trust me to be by myself, not even for two weeks." She said, ashamed.

"You're no baka…they're the bakas." He interrupted, gritting his teeth. 'Why the hell am I so angry?' Here was a girl who had been through so much, and the people who were supposed to care for her, thought she was hopeless. This girl was the strongest person he knew!

"What I mean is, you lived alone in a tent for a while, right? That has to be more dangerous that living in a house alone for two weeks…"

"Sometimes I just wish…" She bit her lip and forced a smile on her face. "Never mind."

Haru gripped his hands under the table. You had to have patience when it came to this girl! She never spoke her opinion if she feared that it might offend someone. Instead of lashing out at her for not speaking her mind, he spoke in a calm steady voice.

"Go ahead Tohru-san…I won't mind if you tell me your problems."

Whether she did it because she didn't want to disappoint him, or just because she was comfortable talking with him, neither of them knew. But Tohru found herself complaining for the first time. She told him about how Yuki and Kyo never let her out of their sight.

"I mean, it's not like I am going to run away!" She said loudly, surprising herself. "Oh, dear. I've been babbling haven't I? Please don't tell them I said that!" Tohru whispered loudly, covering her mouth like she had uttered a swear word. He chuckled at her dilemma.

"You said nothing wrong…but I won't tell if you don't want me to. But you should really tell them how you feel," Haru said smiling.

"I can't do that!" She replied, sweetly. "They are all so thoughtful for caring, and I should be grateful."

"But?" Haru asked, noting the hesitation in her voice.

"But it would be nice to be somewhere where someone wasn't watching you all of the time, you know?"

Haru nodded, remembering the feeling of people whispering behind his back about how he looked like such a delinquent. Just because of the way he dressed and looked, people expected him to be a shoplifter or some kind of druggie. Though Haru was quite sure she was being watched for different reasons, he still felt her pain.

XxX sensitive Haru is hot XxX…

"Good morning Kisa-chan!" Tohru exclaimed brightly, while the young tigress rubbed her eyes. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Kisa nodded her head and soon all three were sitting down to a wonderful breakfast. While Kisa helped Tohru clear the dishes, Tohru asked her what she would like to do that day.

"Could we meet Hiro at the park?" She asked, her eyes lighting up. Tohru giggled at her enthuism.

"You really like him don't you?" Tohru smiled fondly at her, while rubbing the top of her head.

"He can be rude sometimes, but he's really sweet once you get to know him." Kisa said quietly.

A few minutes later, Tohru, Haru, and Kisa were walking to the park. Happy that it was summer, both girls skipped down the road, hand in hand. Haru smiled and walked behind them leisurely.

Hiro met them near a bench, and immediately killed everyone's happy mood. Ragging on Tohru, was one of his favorite things to do and today was no exception.

"Would you shut up dammit!" Haru yelled after a particularly pointless complaint. Haru really didn't want to turn black at the moment, but this kid was just a brat! "Why don't you guys go gets some crapes or something?" He sighed, controlling his temper. They walked off hand in hand, Hiro wearing a stupid smirk and Kisa biting her finger nails and muttering an apology.

"Man, how can such a little kid be such a bastard?" Haru asked, still on the verge of being black. Tohru smiled brightly at him, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"But Hatsuharu-san did a very good job at controlling his temper!"

"I'm glad someone noticed…" he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Tohru inquired, innocently.

Soon, Haru found himself in the same position Tohru had been in that morning. He talked for a good ten minutes about how everyone expected him to burst out any moment and kill someone. He talked about no matter how hard he tried to control his temper, no one was satisfied. He told her that the reason why he got angry so much, was partly because it was expected of him. Tohru listened intently, and offered advice every few minutes, but Haru did most of the talking.

"I'm honored that you would share something like this with me." Tohru said politely. "We hardly ever get to talk at school."

"Why aren't you scared of me?" Haru blurted out, realizing how stupid he sounded. It had been on his mind for a while now. She didn't know him very well, but she never failed to listen to his problems, or anyone else's for that matter.

Tohru giggled bringing him out of his daze. "Is there a reason I should be? Haru may have a temper, but that is no reason to be scared. I know that your black side isn't really what you are like and I know that you don't want to be like that. You just have to be patient with people, and show them the real you." She said, making his mouth open in shock. "I see how you act when you are around Kisa-chan, and I know that is who you are…and who you want to be."

It was at that moment, that Kisa and Hiro decided to return. By now, it was past lunch time and Hiro declined Tohru's offer for him to come to lunch.

"Besides, I don't have time to eat something that will be to salty or sugary." He said while brushing past her. Kisa smiled and whispered to Tohru, "He just wants to get home and play with his new little brother."

XxX Bastard Hiro XxX…

The summer wind lazily whipped through their hair as the walked down the road. Rain threatened to fall any moment from the dark clouds. Haru gave a frustrated sigh when it finally fell from the sky in large, scattered drops. One particularly large drop splashed in the end of Kisa's nose.

Tohru raised a finger in the air and rummaged through her bag for a moment before pulling out a large umbrella. "Aha! I thought it looked like rain today!" She exclaimed brightly, popping it open. A sudden gust of wind got caught in the now open umbrella, yanking it from Tohru's hand. Panicking, she chased it down the walkway and it blew into the street.

"Ah! Caught ya!" She reached for the umbrella in triumph, but was interrupted by a loud scream and the blaring of a horn. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she turned to see a car barreling towards her. Frozen by her fear, Tohru was yanked backward by a strong hand, making her land on her butt on the sidewalk. The car that almost hit her, slammed on its breaks making it squeal and the driver ran over to her worriedly.

"I am so sorry! Are you ok? I wasn't watching where I was going! You are very lucky to have this young man here!" The frantic woman cried, pointing Haru who was also on the ground. Tohru sat wide-eyed for a moment, recovering from her shock. Kisa ran towards her, and threw her arms around her while sobbing.

"Oh Oneesan! I thought you were dead!" She wept, hugging Tohru tightly around the neck. Tohru blinked, still in a daze, and assured everyone who had come to see the scene that she was fine. In the end, the woman hailed a cab for them, and even paid.

"It's the least I could do…I hate to think what might have happened if this man hadn't been here." The woman visibly shuddered.

Everyone was quiet on the car ride home, with the exception of Kisa, who was still clinging to Tohru's waist, crying. When they got home, Kisa scurried into the house to fix a very strong cup of tea for everyone. Haru reached for the handle, but turned around to face Tohru before entering.

"I'm glad your ok." He said, avoiding her eyes. 'What would have happened if…' He didn't have much time to finish the thought, before Tohru hugged him tightly. A small poof was heard, and Tohru clung to the cow's neck. She sobbed into his fur, blurting out apologies and thank you's all in one. He let her stay for a moment, feeling relieved himself, until Kisa finally came onto the porch to see why they weren't inside yet. Kisa gave Haru a small smile, while Tohru gathered herself together and entered the house. Tohru hummed while she poured them all cups of tea, happy to be alive.

XxX saki's notes XxX…

Long chapter huh? I'm finally over my sugar rush… -Saki-