TITLE: Echoes of Heaven

AUTHOR: Simply Kim

PART: One-Shot

WORD COUNT: 5,268

CHARACTER/S: Hatsuharu + Kyo

DISCLAIMERS: By no means does the series Fruits Basket belong to me. All I own is the story you're about to read. If you see places and people that resemble those that and whom you know, such is mere coincidence and nothing more.

NOTES: I have decided not to let ailments and papers bog me down in creating pieces from the stuff that keep on popping in my brain. I need mental release, and this is the best way to do it or I'll go crazy. Anyway, just a few reminders:

1. Blah and Blah Reiterations or stresses

2. /Blah/ Flashbacks or phone/messenger conversations

3. /Blah/ Conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking

4. Blah Thoughts or random Japanese words (Most are footnoted)

ECHOES OF HEAVEN

Amidst the fury that was the storm brewing right outside his door, Souma Kyo did his best to keep himself warm. He twisted and turned under his blanket, trying to keep the tips of his fingers and toes going numb with the cold.

It wasn't as if it was raining or anything.

In fact, there was no predicted atmospheric disturbance since it was the middle of summer. However, it remained that he felt cold. The reason was the flurry of activity sprouting right outside the confines of his room.

They were celebrating something that made the demons he thought were buried long ago haunt his senses once again. Burnished hair catching on the fibres of his pillowcase, he squeezed his already close eyes even more, as if to block out the world. He wasn't too successful, unfortunately – after all, no one could ever drown out Momiji's loud and totally hyperactive tones.

Even at this age, he still retained his childlike spirit...

And for some weird reason, he found it worthy of his envy. Green dripping claws were worming their way in his heart once again, gripping the tissues that composed it, squeezing, lacerating with their sharp edges, puncturing the flesh in a way that showed the intensity of hatred Fate had for him, if not the vengeful spirit that lounged inside him.

He let out a huge bated breath and stilled.

It was pointless to even consider escaping. Even if he did escape the festivity preparations, he would still he hounded by the fact that he had lost everything he had. It only took one word from a gentle, stammering, and blushing mouth... just one word...

And everything shattered.

All his ambitions, his present and his future, his dreams and his hopes, everything – they gleamed off, fragile pieces of glass shards that once composed his reforming soul cutting through the wall he had erected to counter the assaulting memories he had of his past.

They all came rushing back, engulfing him completely, and rendering him feeling much alone... just like before, when all the madness over a new housemate started.

He had never fully understood the meaning of the phrase 'back to square one' until now.

He felt cold... and that was why he kept on trying to make himself warm.

Questions plagued his mind once again, as the onslaught of self-doubt and self-deprecation washed over him. He had answers to most of them, such as 'why was I not the one chosen?' and 'would she really be happy?'

However, those that he didn't have any answer to, those that really mattered outweighed them. And as before, he was left with nothing. Nothing but questions, some of them stemming from the ghosts of the past, the past he had no control over.

'Did the cat not have any friends but the mouse?'

'Did the cat really trust the mouse so much that he didn't doubt his words and never asked anyone else?'

'Was it really stupid, trusting someone completely and unconditionally?'

And most of all, the biggest question of the bunch...

'Why didn't anyone think of looking for the cat upon knowledge that he was not in the festivities?'

Kyo sighed, finally opening his crimson eyes, staring at the traditional wooden ceiling of the equally traditional wooden home his cousin Shigure ruled over. The dark patterns darkened even more from he lack of proper lighting. True to his character though, he could see them clearly. The lazy swirls relaxing his eyes, reminding him of his mother – and her penchant for dressing him up in pyjamas sporting swirly lines when he was five.

Mother. The only semblance of a mother he had even known after his own faded away was once again leaving him. All those times he was baby-ed, those times he was treated with such care and outmost concern... all those were going away too.

The eyes that never wavered as they saw him in his most gruesome –

It all boiled down to a matter of preference, really. After all, compared to the glowing prince, what value did a scraggly lowlife had? At one point, he was glad he was not chosen... given his lack of talents and his overflowing supply of ill-temper, he would be useless. And precious ones should be kept and made feel precious all the time.

His sight blurred, and for a moment, he panicked, thinking that he was going to lose something once again. Upon the trickling sensation down the side of his face to the roots of his hair though, he realised that it was the tears' fault. He was not becoming even more blind... the inner workings of his body just decided it was time to wash away the dirt that had clogged his eyes since that fateful day at the beach, where he smelled of rotten corpses and his eyes were glued completely to the gentle ones that gazed back at him steadily.

It was his fault that he made such an imbecilic mistake.

The Great Souma Akito, former head of the Souma House, he realised, had always been right.

Everything ended up his fault.

Everything that went wrong, all the things that didn't make it up to par... all were directly connected to him.

He was a cat – plain and simple.

The Onigiri (1)was wrong. He didn't have even a single speck of plum on his back that people would be envious of. It had been said, passed down from generations. The cat was always wrong, and it would never change. Shishou (2) was also wrong – that was why he died without a son a year ago. Kyo knew he would never be qualified to be his son even if he wanted to. He was wrong – a person could never change his stars.

Yuki was right – he was just a stupid cat.

He didn't wipe his eyes.

There was no need to do something that would only impede his future judgements.

Beyond his door, hysterical laughter ensued.

OxxxOxxxO

The first thing Souma Hatsuharu noticed was the absence of Kyo.

He could understand it, really. After all, there had been a little bit of the former infatuation he had over Yuki when the date was announced, and somehow, the sharp pang of hurt was there. Not the deep lacerations he felt were being made when he saw the love in the zodiac rat's eyes years ago.

It may sound all too callous, but he felt relief when the head of the house, Akito died three years ago. Shigure, for the meantime, assumed authority, and the burden was taking its toll on him. Hatori had to make frequent trips to his part of the wing in the main house just to keep him healthy, awake, and most of all, sane.

So far, even with the pressure of both family matters and Jyuunishi (3) matters, he was holding up pretty well. Secretly, he applauded the older Souma. The next person to be come the head of the house was born a bit late, another rooster. Hatsuharu hoped that he wouldn't end up like Akito, or the next generation would suffer the same way as they did.

It was fortunate though, that, since the former head didn't have a child of his own, the child came from young Kisa's family. Her younger brother. He would indeed be gentle – they would all make sure his mind didn't turn up twisted beyond redemption.

It was the sound of crying that made the world around him panic. Their precious future God was in need once again. What it was, Haru didn't know. All he knew was that the cries were deafening and somebody had to make the child stop or the insistent tugging of his black persona would come out and create chaos.

"There, there, Hikaru-chan..." It was the fussy older sister who took the bait. "'Neechan's here with you... are you hungry?" Kisa smiled and gently patted the baby until the most of the sobbing stopped.

Momiji groaned, bashing Hiro on the head in annoyance. "See, you made 'Karu-chan cry!"

"I did not!" Souma Hiro, Kisa's sort of boyfriend, protested. "You were the one who rocked the crib, you annoying rabbit! How dare you say it's my fault?"

"Hah! But you were the one who said I should back off so the lights would be mounted more levelly on the wall!" The older Jyuunishi wailed like an overgrown kid.

"I didn't tell you to back off in that direction, stupid!"

"I am not stupid, you evil sheep!"

Kisa sighed, her now long hair brushing daintily on her shoulders. "Oh hush both of you, you're going to irritate Hi-chan even further!" She admonished, and thankfully, before Haru forgot himself and just scream bloody murder, Kagura The Violent, as she was wont to be called, decided it was enough and gave the two men the evillest glare possible, promising a slow, painful death.

It shut them up.

Peace at last.

Kagura resumed being all nice and sunny, fussing over Tohru's hair. She reminded him of a princess, which was very fitting –

After all, she was marrying the prince.

He sighed, and switched his gaze boredly at the trimmings he was sorting out for the celebration tonight, wondering distractedly why the image of a melancholy Kyo lingered in his mind.

OxxxOxxxO

A series of enthusiastic knocking erupted from the direction of his door. For a small disoriented while, he blearily sat up and stared at the bookcase directly in front of the foot of his bed.

"Kyon-Kyon!" Came the familiar airy tone. "Are you awake? We're going off to the shrine in an hour! Can I come in?"

Shigure.

Kyo groaned and rubbed his eyes. The sandman poured extra, it seemed.

Or maybe he just cried too much.

He sighed. Unforgivable. He thought crossly, angry with himself for even letting himself be so weak. "Fine." He grumbled, sure that the older Souma heard. As if on cue, his door opened quietly. He frowned. Why was everyone being so careful around him these days?

"Stop being a slowpoke, you stupid dog." He growled, narrowing his eyes as Shigure gently closed the door and leant on it. The current family head grinned and held out a huge white box.

"Kyon-Kyon, you need to wear a traditional yukata to the shrine." He said simply, eyes watching him with something between amusement and uncertainty. "It's the family custom."

But I'm not part of the family. He thought of arguing, but bit his lip instead. He didn't want to lose whatever amount of camaraderie he had with his older cousin. It wasn't always that cats have the opportunity to act as if part of the clan, since most family heads over the years had been all too cruel of his kind. Staring at the unexpected gift, the proverbial cat swung his legs off the side of his bed and slipped his feet into his slippers. Slowly, as if he aged a decade, he moved to where Shigure was, hands reaching out in acceptance.

His heart was wildly thrashing in his chest. The sight of the dainty box made goosebumps crawl on his skin. "My first formal yukata (4)." He mumbled, triggering a sudden feeling of fatherly affection from the older man.

Kyo was almost in awe, if not for the fact that he was going to use it to attend an affair that would kill him to witness. "Thank you." He responded awkwardly, not looking at the other's eyes.

Shigure laid a comforting hand on his head. "It will pass." He murmured, making the cat wince. So that was it. It seemed as if everyone knew of his plight... he was lucky this guy was not Akito or he would end up insane. "For now, you have to attend... and try to be happy for our little flower."

He didn't say 'be happy for Yuki-kun', but it was there as well. After all, how could Tohru be happy if her husband-to-be was doomed not to?

It hurt though... it hurt too much.

'Why didn't anyone think of looking for the cat upon knowledge that he was not in the festivities in the past... when the desperation to attend was strong? Why now when the cat doesn't really want to go?'

Kyo nodded numbly, and a long moment of silent ensued...

Until he heard Shigure snicker.

Confused, he finally looked up and stared incredulously at the dog's mirthful features. His eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"

Slender fingers pointed to the box and sniggered some more. "You might want to check on the design if it suits you, Kyon-Kyon!"

"Don't call me that!" He roared irritably. "Anything looks good on me, so just go away and leave me alone!" With that, he stomped towards his bed and placed the gift carefully in the middle of his sheets.

Thankfully, the door opened, signalling the dog's intent to leave. However, the amusement seemed to be escalating. "Are you sure you don't want to see it right now?"

"NO!" Kyo was back to his old bristly self in a matter of seconds. Shigure really had a penchant for making everything seem normal – everything except him. And Hatori. And –

As the door closed behind the current family head, he heard the dreaded words permeate through the thick cherry wood.

"You might want to know that Aya-chan was the one who created the design for you to cheer you up!"

Eyes widening the size of saucers, Kyo immediately dug into the wrapper.

He didn't want to go anywhere with lace and girly trimmings –

Heartache or no heartache.

OxxxOxxxO

Haru saw Shigure's shaking form as the older man clomped noisily down the stairs. He was laughing that evil laughter again. Curiously, he wondered who the current victim was. Poor thing, the unfortunate one wouldn't know what hit him –

"This is not a fucking yukata you stupid dog! Give this back to that perverted snake! I'd rather attend in my birthday suit!"

Kyo.

Birthday suit? He snorted in disbelief, and was about to go and see what the matter was when he felt a hand clamp on his wrist. Surprised, he whirled around, twisting away from the intrusion to his private space and adopting his usual fighting stance.

The minute he saw who it was, he visibly relaxed.

"Shigure." He acknowledged, raising a brow in question. "What did you do this time?"

With a knowing grin, he handed him a black box. "Please give this to Kyon-Kyon, would you, Hatsuharu-kun?"

"Why don't you do it?" he asked, accepting the package anyway.

"Because our dear kitty doesn't seem to accept our, the Mabudachi Trio's – sans Ha-san because he's such a spoilsport, efforts to cheer him up!" Shigure explained patiently. "I don't want to attend the ceremonies with scratches on my handsome face!" He held up his index finger in supplication.

"And you chose me because –?"

The other man gave him another of his complex smiles, one that implied a lot of things, one that made Haru's insides squirm. "You may be the one who understands him best among all of us."

For the first time, Haru thought Shigure actually made sense.

OxxxOxxxO

"I should have listened to Hatori a couple of days ago!" Kyo swore as he glared at the pieces of clothing lying in a sorry state on his bed. "I'm going to kill Ayame, and that evil dog, I swear I will have my rev –"

"Cat."

No knock, no nothing. Kyo sighed and faced the door – or rather, the one who entered the door. In his rage, he hadn't heard him come in. Muttering a curse, he gave him the most irritated look and then glared some more. "Cow." He retorted nastily. "Good thing you didn't get lost."

"I have eyes." Haru raised a brow and gave him a bored look as payback. He looked as if he'd rather eat a whole pack of plain oatmeal rather than be in the same room with him. He had a reason to, however. They weren't exactly the best of friends, especially since he left all his ire and decided to follow Yuki around like a lost calf or something.

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "You never used them correctly before." There was something off about him, and he had a good guess as to why it was so. He had been in love with Yuki for many years now, and in a little while, he was going to tie the knot with Tohru. In some ways, they were similar. "It's rare that you get the directions right. Must be that you want to see the abandoned cat to rub stuff in, ain'tcha?"

The cow twitched. "No." He answered readily, trying to control his temper, keeping the dark part of himself in check. It was not the time for squabbling. "Shigure told me to give you this." He extended the package to where the other man sat miserably.

"Not another costume..." The redhead groaned in pure unadulterated suffering.

"Costume?" Haru's interest was piqued, and his eyes loitered around the room, finally resting on the pile of clothes that lay just beside the other man. "What's that supposed to be?" He asked incredulously. He had a vague knowledge of what it was but he had o hear it from him to be sure.

"A cat costume! The hentai (5) kind!" Kyo threw up his hands in frustration. Huffing before standing up and stalking forward to grab the box from him. With renewed purpose, he opened the new package and sighed with relief as he saw the material inside. "Finally! A yukata!" He cried out triumphantly, rummaging in and drawing out layers and layers of clothing.

It amused Haru, the way Kyo was acting as if it was –

He frowned. His first formal yukata. Conking himself in the head mentally, the zodiac cow finally connected everything. The cat was acting like so because it was indeed his first formal yukata! He hadn't been invited to all those New Year's Eve parties among the Jyuunishi! He wasn't able to use one because he wasn't allowed to attend ceremonies! He sighed, feeling for the other man, eyes glinting something resembling affection...

Something that Kyo took in as pity as he looked back at him to express his gratefulness for bringing the precious package to him. Crimson orbs lit up in dangerous fire, the vehemence in them making Haru step back in conditioned response. The dark sector of his brain was itching to come forth and protect him instinctively. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Haru didn't know how to respond. Was he supposed to say that he felt some sort of liking towards him at that moment? That he found him almost childlike... like Momiji? That he didn't seem as cursed as everyone thought he was? He decided on a safer answer. "I was just wondering what that cat costume would look like on you." He drawled, grabbing the nearest chair and sitting on it, slouching as if without a care in the world.

As Kyo started to sputter, eyes losing their hatred, and cheeks reddening profusely, Haru thought of their plight, both of them. It seemed imperative that they commiserate, after all, their hearts were both broken, and both of them would probably die of heart attack and stress during the ceremony. He ran a hand through his wildly dishevelled hair, fingers cruising over the white before the black at the back of his head.

They were such a sorry pair.

"I'd look like an idiot with that thing on me!" Kyo pointed at the costume in question as if it was the vilest thing in the whole world. "I can't use that to attend a wedding!" Especially Tohru's wedding! He added mentally. His eyes sharpened. Why was Haru talking to him like this? Was it because he felt just as lonely as he did? Was that reason enough to have perfectly civilised, although annoying, talks with someone you hated for always attacking the one you value the most?

Kyo couldn't understand what was between them. Of course they had been almost the best of friends when they were little. Haru was under Shishou's tutelage in order to defeat the one he hated most then, which was the stupid nezumi (6), Souma Yuki. They talked of future battles and of future alliances – all of which crumbled upon the aftermath of the other's meeting with their common enemy. They lost contact for quite some time and suddenly, when the other came back to the dojo and Kyo made an offhand remark about the rat, Haru attacked him instead.

He had trusted him then. Was it wrong to trust someone unconditionally and wholeheartedly?

He almost had a true friend in Haru.

Almost.

But Yuki snatched him easily... just as he snatched away Tohru, the only one he had placed his life in, the first person he fell in love with.

Of course, how could he ever win when he was fated to lose?

The words Haru said when they were children were wrong. Even if the other man knew he wasn't stupid, even if Kyo himself knew that he was strong and worthy of being made a part of the family, worthy of being loved... fate would still win, and experience would prove those knowledge wrong. Haru would still lose his way from school no matter how often he went there, and Yuki would still kick Kyo's ass.

"But you're a cat." Haru reasoned infuriatingly. "You shouldn't feel ashamed of how you're supposed to look."

Kyo's top almost blew off. "Haru... I'm going to kill you."

"Do try."

There was a long pause before Kyo turned away and busied himself with his new ceremonial robes.

His stilted actions betrayed his emotions, Haru noted. Perhaps, he was indeed the only one who knew the cat fully. The cording of his muscles, the way they knotted when he was tense... when had he developed such insight? Possibly since the two of them were always in contact with each other. Memorising stuff like that accounted for the fact that he was still in one piece today, it seemed. "You're bothered by all of this." He finally said.

"You're the one to talk, you've been roaming around looking more lost than usual since their announcement." Kyo fired back, bristling with newfound exasperation. Then, as if on afterthought, he voiced out one of the questions bogging him down. "Haru... do you think Tohru would be happy?"

"With Yuki?" The other asked cautiously. Upon the other's assent, he nodded as well. "I think so. They seem really happy together... ever since before, actually."

"Even before?"

"Yeah." He frowned. "Why, you think the wedding's a mistake?"

"No." Kyo answered readily, as if everything had been so clear. "I know that already, she's happy with the rat. He's what she needs, being gentle, mindful of manners and all..."

"But you can't forget her."

Kyo turned to him and glared. "Stop putting words in my mouth!" He spat, laying the yukata carefully on his bed to minimise the creasing. "Besides, you like Yuki too!"

"I've let go long ago."

"Tell that to someone who'll believe you, you lying cow."

"Okay, maybe most of them, but not entirely."

"That's what I thought." The cat said, extracting something white, silky and long from the box. He frowned. "What the hell is this?" he asked incredulously. "I have never seen yukata designs with this thing wrapped around!" He turned to the other man, crimson eyes questioning, brows furrowed in their usual impatient manner.

Haru stared at the material before snickering. "It's a fundoshi (7)." He revealed. In true Ayame fashion, he thought, traditional clothes came with traditional undergarments.

"What's that for?"

"Underwear."

Kyo stared at the long strip of cloth, trying to decipher the right way to wear such undergar – "WHAT?" He growled incredulously.

"It's an under –"

"I know what it is, you just told me!"

"Then why did you ask again?"

"I meant what I'm supposed to do with this! And I have my own underwear, why do I have to use something as complex as this?" His cheeks reddened as the sudden implication of its presence shot through him. Is pulled the right way it would easily come off! "Haru..."

The family's esteemed two-toned cow finally found his voice in between his sniggering. As he gazed back at him, Kyo saw the slight difference of the gleam in the eyes. Oh no. He thought with a certain amount of panic. He wasn't prepared to deal with –

"What's that, kitty cat, afraid of sexy undies?"

Black Haru.

In an instant, the other man was upon him, snatching the fundoshi away from him and snapping it as if it was rope, a glint of something that resembled predatory glee present in his eyes. "Oi, back off you perverted beast!" He warned, hopping up his bed in an effort to get away. Even if he was physically stronger of the two, he was still at a disadvantage for all the emotional trauma the past three months gave him, that coupled with the fact that he was weak to pressure, he would surely lose this round. He would never admit it to the end if what he feared happened.

"Beast?" Black Haru grinned hungrily; wrapping the ends of the cloth he was gripping around both fists and snapping it again. "Perverted? Ah-hah, you're having sexy thoughts, how cute!" he moved menacingly forward. "You don't know how to use this, don't you? Do you want me to show you?"

"NO!" Kyo shrieked, picking up a pillow and jumping on the cow with a loud war cry. The pillow muffed the taller man on the face, leaving little air to breath. Soon enough, both of them went down, limbs tangled – one trying hard to breath while flailing, the other red-faced from all the innuendoes he had suffered in such a short span of time. "Die, you pervert!"

Suddenly, hands clamped on the cheeks of his butt, making him jump in surprise. "Gah!" He shrieked, loosening his pressure on the pillow.

All he saw was Haru's evil grin before finding himself pinned on the wooden floor, his hands on either side of his head, clamped down by the other man's surprisingly secure grip. There was something in the way he was being stared at that made the words die in the cat's throat. It was as if Haru wanted to say something important but couldn't at the moment.

It was the first time, since he last interacted freely with Tohru, that he felt butterflies in his stomach. Such nervousness warranted an explanation, one that he hadn't the courage to acknowledge. "Let. Me. Go." He demanded stiltedly, struggling in vain.

"No." Haru's alter ego responded heatedly, dipping his head lower, until their breaths mingled, noses bumping together awkwardly, eyes melding as if glued. "Not until you say you want me to put this on you."

The cow's head dipped even lower, tilting his head a few degrees until one slight shove would send his lips crashing on the other's own...

And that's how Hatori found them, Shigure hopping up and down behind him as the family doctor tried to shield them from his prying eyes – all to no avail.

"Oh-ho!" The novelist-slash-clan-leader snickered slyly. "Who would've known!"

Kyo started to panic. "Wha-NO! This is not what it seems!" He responded frantically, trying hard not to lose face. It was one thing to be seen on the losing end of something that resembled a fight, but it was another thing altogether for the audience to simplify things and think he was doing something perverted.

"I see what I see, Kyon-Kyon!" Shigure sing-songed in his very insinuating tone. "And what I see are two people in a very com-pro-mi-sing –"

It was Hatori who saved them both. "Stop teasing them, you moron." He admonished none too gently. "Do you want me to tell the story of when you urinated in your pants when you were four after eating –"

A hand clamped nervously on his mouth, and that was the end of it. With a jaunty wave, the dog dragged him away, the door slamming thankfully shut behind them.

All was silent. Kyo didn't know what to do, pinned like some sort of experiment on the floor, close to being molested by –

The pressure on his wrists abated.

"I'm so tired..." Came Hatsuharu's unenthusiastic tones. He was back to being the normal cow that he was, it seemed. However, even if the other drew away from him, the damage had been done. Kyo was now, in the emotional sense, lost.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the other's limbs fade as Haru left him alone, no doubt to either get out of his room or sit down on the chair again. The chair squeaked. He did the latter it seemed.

"Sorry."

Kyo opened his eyes and stared back at the ceiling, the thing he was doing before Shigure intruded on his private space to give him the infernal cat costume much earlier. Since the day Tohru talked to him regarding her impending marriage, he had lost all reason to fight. There was no sense in fighting someone that was the focal point of the happiness of the one person he cared about the most in life – after his Shishou. He would never be part of the family that way, and he knew it. No acknowledgements would be made and nothing would be achieved in this generation. Maybe the next cat in the family would prove more courageous and stronger than he was.

Maybe... just maybe...

The next cat in the family would have a better future than he had.

"Kyo?" Haru was calling him from where he sat, but he couldn't bear turning that way. He lost against him today. He was distracted, but there always had been distractions in the past, so what was the difference? Yuki was right... he was weak. "Are you going to wear this fundoshi underneath your yukata?"

He sighed irritably. "No." He answered tiredly. "I'm going to tie Ayame to a stake and burn him alive."

"You can't do that, Yuki will kill you." The cow responded blandly. "Even if he's irritated with Ayame-san most of the time, he still cares for him... I think."

Kyo scowled. "Whatever."

Silence.

"I think the wedding is a mistake."

That comment caught the cat's attention. "Why's that?"

"Because I'm selfish." Haru responded simply, his eyes suddenly filling with emotion. "It doesn't matter who it is. For me, whoever Yuki chooses as long as I'm not it, I will never approve."

Kyo wondered if deep in his heart it was what he felt as well. But he couldn't do it. He wasn't that – His eyes widened and he trained his enlightened gaze at the other man.

Haru gave him a semblance of a warm smile. "You see now, cat? You aren't as selfish as people say... or as you think you are." He explained. "There are other people who aren't as dark as you. You don't need to be a part of the family to be considered worthy of being alive."

"I guess."

"I know."

As an afterthought, Kyo snickered. "That's such a profound insight, cow. Pretty impressive, if I may add."

Haru smiled back. "You're not so bad yourself. All twenty-two years of living did you good."

"Heh. Get out of here and get dressed. We have a wedding to attend to!"

"I have to put the fundoshi on you first."

ENDE

A/N: Gah! My first Fruits Basket fic... finally, my mind is at peace. Wanders back to research papers

1) Rice ball. Some of them have fillings, some of them don't. The usual thing placed inside is an umeboshi or pickled plum. They taste really good, but I'm partial to spiced salmon. XD

2) A higher-level teacher... sort of a master.

3) Collective term for the animals composing the zodiac, or the essence of the zodiac itself.

4) Traditional men's robes. They come in different colours and designs. In the past, everyday wear are made by one or two-toned cloth, during festivals, yukata with colourful designs are used.

5) Perverted.

6) Rat or mouse.

7) Japanese loincloth. A traditional kind of underwear.