A/N: Huzza! I got the 13th Fruba book. But the 14th one doesn't come out until August. That means a whole summer with no new Fruits Basket. –Tear-

After dinner Yuki and Tohru stayed behind to clean up together. It felt oddly natural for both of them, being together. Tohru still had a smile on her face from what had happened in the garden. She had an odd desire to be close to Yuki, she wasn't sure what that meant, but it felt nice to her. She hummed while she and Yuki gathered up plates and silverware.

"Do you always have so much fun cleaning up after us?" He asked jokingly.

"Ah, oh no, it's not that. It's just; I really like doing things with you Yuki-kun." Yuki blushed slightly.

"Really?" Tohru nodded.

"Yeah, there's no one else who could have taught me how to work in a garden, or done a lot of the things you've done for me. You're a really fun person to be around Yuki. And you're really kind too."

Yuki smiled embarrassedly, and suddenly realized that she was right. Not many people would have taken in an orphan girl without any second thoughts like they had. While that was partly due to Shigure's perverted-ness, both he and Kyo had accepted her. Maybe not with open arms at first, and still not completely, but it was the first time Yuki had ever really learned to trust an 'outsider'.

And then when her grandfather's home renovation was finished they had gone back to get her again. That, Yuki decided to himself, was one of the most important choices he had ever made.

"Tohru?" Yuki dropped the rag he was holding on the table. Tohru stopped her work as well and turned to look at the boy. He looked so serious and determined, that her eyes widened slightly.

"Y-yes Yuki-kun?"

The rat sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to give himself time to think.

"Do you remember me saying anything about needing to open a lid?" If the circumstances had been different, this statement would have been funny. Tohru bit her lip slightly.

"Yes, I didn't really understand what you meant though. It was at the summer house Momiji invited us to." Yuki nodded.

"This seems like a really weird time to be talking to you about this, but I want you to know. You see, when I was younger I was confined, a lot like what Akito is planning to do to Kyo. And like Kisa, I wouldn't speak for a long time. Haru got me out by convincing Shigure to take me in. At the time Akito trusted Shigure and let me out.

"But not soon enough that part of me was crushed. Before then, when I was a naïve kid, I didn't think anything about turning into a rat when a girl hugged me. I didn't have the slightest clue what the big deal with God and Akito was. Then, not too long after I helped a lost girl find her way home and gave her my hat, Akito confined me."

Tohru looked slightly scared as she took all of this in.

"So-so you were the little boy who helped me when I was lost?" Yuki nodded.

"I only found out it was you when I saw my old hat in your room. That's why I asked about it, to see if you knew who I was."

Everything about Yuki's past sort of came tumbling down on Tohru. Akito had beaten him down when he was too young to understand why, and too young to do anything about it. Ayame didn't help Yuki, because if truth be told, he didn't really know what had become of his almost non-existent younger brother. Yuki had already mentioned he and his parents were the very harsh opposite of close, so that left Yuki with no one to turn to. Or so he thought.

"Is that why you and Haru have become so close?" Tohru asked.

"I guess so… I never really thought about why and how it happened, I just knew it did."

"I'm really sorry Yuki-kun." Yuki looked up to see Tohru's eyes downcast and her arms hanging limply at her sides.

"Nh? What do you mean?"

"I never asked you about anything, I never took the chance to try and make sure you were ok…"

"Tohru," Yuki walked away from the table and across the room to where Tohru stood. "You don't have to do that. You don't have to blame yourself for not knowing. To be honest I wouldn't have told you if you asked." Now Yuki stood right in front of the confused girl.

"But now, I think I'd be able to answer any of your questions. You've opened the lid I've been talking about. You've opened my soul, and now I think I can show you how I really feel." Yuki took one of Tohru's hands and held it gently in his own. He gave her one of his soft, meaningful smiles and kissed Tohru. He pulled away before she could figure out what had happened, let alone decide if she wanted to return his kiss or not.

The seconds before anyone said or did anything seemed to hang in the air. Yuki didn't release Tohru's hand, but he felt his heart speeding up, which was strange because he had been perfectly calm when he kissed her. Did I do something wrong? He worried, starting to feel sick.

"Yuki…" Before the boy had a chance to stop her, Tohru had thrown her arms around him. When he turned into a rat, she picked him up off the ground and kissed the top of his head. The pair heard a chuckle behind them.

"Looks like you lucked out Yuki."

"Haru!"

"Hatsuharu-kun!" The first yell was Yuki's; both angry and embarrassed the younger boy had seen what had happened. The second was Tohru's, and she was just plain embarrassed. Both teens were blushing deeply, though it wasn't visible on the rat. The ox smiled.

"Yeah, you're lucky enough, for a cursed guy. You got the girl and on the way there managed to reveal parts of your past only a few of us know about. Looks like you accomplished somethin' today huh?"

"Ah, um… Yuki-kun, you're still a rat!" Tohru danced around for something to say. She placed the boy down on the floor next to his clothes and hurried out of the room.

Haru looked down at Yuki with a smug smile on his face.

"I knew you'd be able to get the ball rollin'. You just needed someone to convince you the ball needed to be rolled."

"I suppose I should be thanking you." Yuki replied quickly. After he said this he turned back into a human and promptly put his clothes back on. Haru waited until he was done.

"No thanks needed Yuki, unless you really think I need it." Yuki gave a faint smile.

"I think I have a way to thank you, and help you at the same time."

"I have a feeling I know where this is goin'. But it's obvious that you can't do anything. Rin hates you more than she hates me."

"Rin doesn't hate either of us. She's just standoffish ever since the accident. Yeah, she wants you to think she hates you, but she doesn't really."

"Since when have you been an expert on what girls are thinking?"

"I'm not; I'm just relating it to what happened to me. I didn't want people to think I hated them, just that I didn't need them."

"Whatever, you try to do what you wanna do, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Really Haru, thanks."

Haru smiled and put his hand on Yuki's shoulder. He shook it slightly.

"Don't mention it. Just promise me you'll keep that ball in motion."

"I'll do whatever it takes." Yuki replied with a smile.

Well… looks like that's the end of this story. If you guys liked this one enough I could try and continue it with a different story about how Yuki gets Rin and Haru back to together. That sounds like a challenge to write, so I'm up for it if anyone's interested.