Hey everyone! I'm back sooner than I thought I would be with the fifteenth chapter. Thank you so much for all of the reviews for chapter fourteen! You guys are great! I actually just realized that I mentioned Tohru doing homework in the last chapter, even though she's on summer vacation, so I'll just say that teachers gave her some homework over the break. Also, I make a reference to yen in this chapter, so just think of it as about $35 USD (U.S. dollars). Please enjoy this chapter!
Title: Unexpected
Author: Swaying Cherry Blossoms
Chapter: A Night of Lights and Love
Summary: Tohru Honda's mother and Kyo Sohma's father have been friends for thirty years and their children have never met. But on one fateful day, the two teens meet and their lives are changed forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or any of the song lyrics I add at the beginning of each chapter.
Stars are out tonight
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And you're the brightest one shining in my sky
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It's like every wish I ever made came true
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The day I woke up lying next to you
- I.O.U. One Galaxy by the Ataris
"What would you two like for dinner?" Tohru asked while she and Kyo were helping Kazuma with therapy. Kazuma had been home for a week and a half and had just started therapy on his legs at the beginning of the week. He would do simple things like lift up his legs while weights sat on his ankles and walk along a line of tape, all to help him with balance while walking. Kyo and Tohru always evaluated him and helped him when he needed it.
"Hm …" Kazuma gave Tohru's question a thought. "How about leeks?" he suggested, smirking at Kyo. Kyo fade a disgusted face. "You know I hate leeks!" Laughing, Kazuma shook his head at a bewildered Tohru. "Anything will be fine for me."
"I can make you leeks if you'd like, Shishou-san!" she said. "I can make Kyo-kun something different!" Kazuma shook his head again. "No, no, that's alright. I don't want you to work too hard on just making dinner. Just make something simple tonight, like natto and rice. That sounds good."
"Okay!" Tohru replied happily. She lookedat Kyo. "Would you like natto and rice too, Kyo-kun?" Kyo nodded. "That's fine, I don't care … Just as long as there aren't any leeks in it." Nodding, Tohru left the sitting room and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Kazuma resumed to doing his leg exercises, Kyo watching him. They both sat in silence, listening to the pitter patter of the rain gently hitting the ground outside, since the window was open. It was August now and it had been raining all week, for the weather seemed to be hot and humid all throughout the end of July and into the beginning of August.
"Kyo, may I ask you a question?" Kazuma asked after he finished a set of leg stretches. Kyo nodded. "How long has it been since you took Tohru-san out?" Kyo sat up straight and stared at Kazuma, thinking. He and Tohru really hadn't done anything since early July, which was a month ago. While Kazuma and Kunimitsu were in the hospital, it was kind of hard to squeeze in a date anywhere. "I … The beginning of July," Kyo replied. Saying this made him feel like he had been a horrible boyfriend to Tohru. Kazuma nodded and looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well," he started. "Why don't you take her somewhere this weekend? Tohru-san's summer break is almost over … You two should try to do as much as possible while you still can."
"Well, where should I take her?"
"I saw an advertisement for a carnival by the park the other day. Why not take her there?"
"With what money?"
"Don't worry about that, I'll lend you some money."
Kyo shrugged. "I don't know … Tohru probably won't be up to it …"
"What are you talking about?" Kazuma laughed. "Tohru-san's always up to anything. I'm sure she'd like going to the carnival very much."
Kyo sighed, clearly agreeing to take Tohru to the carnival, and then shuffled off to the kitchen to ask her. Despite the fact that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, he still found it hard to ask her on a date. It began to feel like that day in early July all over again, the day he asked her on their first date.
Tohru was at the counter, mixing up rice in a bowl to settle on the stove. Kyo leaned against the doorframe, watching her prepare the rice with a smile on her face, humming. He grinned, for he always enjoyed watching her do the simplest tasks, partially because she always did it with such grace, another reason because he thought it was adorable when she talked to herself or made a mistake. Kyo cleared his throat to let Tohru know he was there, and she turned around, slightly startled.
"Oh, Kyo-kun!" she said with delight. "I didn't even notice you were there!" She placed down the bowl gently onto the counter and walked over to him, 'tup tup tup'—Kyo loved the cute little sound she made when she walked—and gave him a big hug. Kyo felt like melting when he felt her lean her head against his chest. It felt like he hadn't held her like that in a million years, and all of the same wonderful sensations came flooding back to him again.
He kissed her on the forehead before letting her go. He took her hands in him and Tohru began swinging the back and forth, slowly, giggling. Kyo just couldn't help but smile, but then he remembered to ask her on that date.
"Hey," he started. "I was wondering … We haven't done anything together in a while, so … I mean, only if you want to … Do you wanna go to this carnival on Saturday night? If you don't wanna go, I understand, but we can always find somewhere else to go and—"
"I'd love to, Kyo-kun!" Tohru squealed. "I love carnivals! I haven't been to one since I was really little!" She threw her arms around Kyo's neck and gave him another big hug. "Thank you for asking me!" Kyo returned her embrace once again, resting his head on hers. "Geez, your welcome, but you don't have to thank me."
"But I'm just so happy Kyo-kun! Doing things with you is always fun for me!" Kyo began to stroke Tohru's head, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.
Saturday came relatively slow, for Tohru and Kyo both waited anxiously to go on their date. They were going to the carnival at seven-thirty, and the carnival was located in the parking lot of a big shopping center. There was going to be the traditional carnival necessities: popcorn machines, cotton candy vendors, games where you can win anything from a goldfish-in-a-bag to an oversized stuffed animal, and rides and rides galore. Tohru's favorite ride was the Ferris wheel, which Kyo promised her they would go on. Kyo liked high places, so it really wasn't a problem for him.
At seven o'clock Tohru was finished getting ready for the date, and Kyo was downstairs waiting for her. Kazuma had given him around four thousand yen to spend on tickets, snacks, and games, and maybe ice cream if they wanted some on their way home.
When Tohru came downstairs, Kyo couldn't help but gape at her.
She looked radiant. Her hair was done the way it always usually was—half up and half own, or tied with two bows on each side of her head, but in this case it was half up and half down—and she had some make up on. She wore a light pink dress with a belt around her waist that was tied into a bow in the back, and matching sandals, and her outfit was completed with a white purse. The little mascara she had on brought out the color of her brown eyes more, and the light tint of blush on her cheeks gave her a rosy complexion, making her look like a beautiful porcelain doll.
Kyo couldn't help but stare a little longer until her realized that Tohru's face was as red as a beet. He tried to find the words to tell her how beautiful he thought she looked, but they didn't come out too smoothly.
"You look … Really … b—" Tohru brought her hands up to her face. "D-did I put too much makeup on!"
"No … No! That's not it, you look—"
"Is the dress too much?"
"No, Tohru, listen to me! I think you look … b-beautiful. You really do."
Tohru's hands dropped from her face in embarrassment. She laughed nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry Kyo-kun … T-Thank you! I … I thought you were going to say that I looked bad …" Kyo took a step closer to Tohru, taking one of her hands in his. "Are you kidding me? You never look bad …" He dipped his head down and kissed her gently, then the two left the house for the carnival.
It was a cool, late summer evening. The bright orange sun was slowly setting, leaving the sky colors such as orange, pink, and purple. The trees were still and the streets were empty. Everything seemed perfect.
Tohru grew more and more excited as she and Kyo got closer to the carnival. From the sidewalk she could see the Ferris wheel, and she squeezed Kyo's hand. "I can see the carnival, Kyo-kun! It looks so nice!"
Luckily for them, the carnival wasn't that busy, but Kyo thought the crowd would get larger as it got later into the evening. He bought Tohru and him their tickets, ignoring Tohru when she said she would pay for her own, and they made their way into the carnival.
The carnival was filled with vendors, all types of games, and rides that had screaming people on them. Tohru's eyes lit up as she saw all of the lights and the fun everyone seemed to be having, which made Kyo happy. He loved to see Tohru happy.
"What do you wanna do first?" he asked her. Tohru squeezed his hand again, scanning the carnival. "Wow, there's so much I'd like to do! I can't choose!"
"Wanna start off with a game?" Kyo suggested. He saw Tohru eyeing a reasonable sized stuffed cat that was on a shelf at one of the games and thought that she would really appreciate it if he won it for her. Tohru smiled and nodded and Kyo lead her over to that game, one where you have to shoot water at a target and get a stuffed animal to the top before you opponents, and they were just in time for the game to start. Kyo asked the vendor what it would take for him to win the stuffed feline, and the vendor told him he had to come in first place three times. "Not a problem," Kyo mumbled to himself when he saw who he would be playing against: a little girl who could barely reach the water gun, an overweight preteen boy, and another little kid. Kyo knew he would win for sure.
After Kyo paid the vendor he took a hold of his water gun and starting spraying his target when a buzzer went off and music began playing. He won as predicted and received applause from Tohru. During the second round the overweight boy almost beat him, but Kyo luckily won when the boy accidentally dropped his water gun. Kyo won the third round and the vendor gave him the cat. As he was about to hand it to Tohru, the little girl who had played and could barely reach the gun began to cry to her mother.
"Mommy!" she wailed, tugging on her mother's skirt. "I want the kitty! I want it! I want it!"
"Takara-chan," the girl's mother said soothingly. "I'll buy you a stuffed animal at the toy store tomorrow, okay? The cat belongs to that boy." Takara stomped her feet in anger and went into hysterics. "No! I want that one!" She pointed to the cat that Kyo was holding. As her crying continued, Kyo turned to Tohru, who was looking at Takara. Smiling, Tohru turned to Kyo. "Kyo-kun, I think you should give the cat to the little girl."
"But I won it for you," Kyo protested, even though he knew the right thing to do was to give it to the little girl. Tohru still smiled at him. Kyo turned to the little girl, who was still crying to her mother, and walked over to her with Tohru. "Here," Kyo said, bending down and handing the little girl the stuffed animal. "You can have it!" Tohru said cheerfully. "I'm seventeen, I don't really need a stuffed animal," she added with a laugh. The little girl stopped crying and stared at the toy in her hands and then a large smile spread across her face. "Mommy, look!" she cried in happiness, turning to her mother as she waved the stuffed cat. "I got the kitty!"
"That's very nice, Takara-chan!" Takara's mother said, relieved that her daughter stopped crying. She mouthed a thank you to Kyo and Tohru as she took Takara's hand and led her to one of the rides. Kyo sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, kicking some dirt that was on the ground. "Sorry you didn't get to keep the cat …"
"No, Kyo-kun!" Tohru protested, linking her arm with his. "Don't be sorry! I was happy to give it to the little girl. She seemed to want in a lot!" Tohru flashed one of her heart melting smiles, and Kyo couldn't help but grin back as the blood rushed to his face.
"What do you wanna do now?" he asked her. "Do you want me to win you another cat?" Although Kyo was serious, Tohru let out a giggle, but shook her head. "No, that's okay Kyo-kun! How about we go on a ride now? Or, we can do whatever you would like to do!"
Tohru and Kyo ended up going on a ride—one that Kyo didn't pick, and normally wouldn't want to go on: the Tunnel of Love.
When Tohru had seen it, she immediately wanted to go on it. "Oh, it looks so nice!" she exclaimed. While she had pointed to it, beaming, Kyo couldn't help but think how adorableshe was, and he couldn't say no. In fact, he didn't even say anything. He just nodded and shrugged and let Tohru lead him to the line. Not that there was a line, anyway.
When Kyo and Tohru got to the dock, they gave two tickets each to the man who ran the ride and then they were seated in a little boat. The boat was tied to the dock but was then untied once they were settled in, and it drifted away and flowed with the current of the water, which lead into a dimly lit tunnel.
Inside the tunnel the walls were red and it was very cool. There were hearts hanging from the ceiling and soft, soothing music. There were doves that flew in an enclosed area, possibly so they would fly out of the tunnel, and the bank of water the little boat was floating down was lined with all different colors of roses. Tohru sighed romantically, her hands clasped over her chest.
"This is so wonderful, Kyo-kun," Tohru whispered. Kyo wrapped his arm around her and brought her as close to him as possible. Under the dim lights, Tohru looked absolutely stunning, and probably the most beautiful person Kyo had ever seen. Being with her there in the Tunnel of Love, all on their own, sitting as close as they were … It was like a dream. Everything was too good to be true. Right then and there, Kyo knew that absolutely nothing and no one could ever take Tohru away from him. He wouldn't let them. She was too important and too precious for him to lose.
Kyo felt Tohru nuzzle her face on his shoulder. Just the feeling of knowing that she felt the same way he did was truly amazing. It always sent thrills through his body whenever she would say his name, smile at him, or even look at him the way she did. She just had an effect on him that made him weak and soft, but it was welcome when it came to her.
"I love you," Kyo exhaled. Tohru lifted her head off of Kyo's shoulder and stared into his eyes, and Kyo stared back. They both felt like they could see into the other's souls, like eyes truly were the window to one's soul. "I love you too," Tohru whispered, a dainty smile on her face. Kyo leaned in and kissed her and Tohru kissed him back. The kiss deepened as the little boat went further down the stream of water to the end of the ride.
Kyo and Tohru both blushed when they realized that the man who ran the ride caught a glimpse of their kiss. Although he didn't say anything about it, he was eying them with a smirk on his face as they walked off the ride, Tohru thanking him.
Their hands intertwined, Kyo and Tohru walked around the carnival. Kyo bought Tohru a balloon, along with a few snacks. They went on a few more rides, saving the Ferris wheel for last, before they decided to leave since it was almost midnight.
As they walked up the walkway to the door of their home, Tohru gave Kyo's hand a gentle squeeze. He looked over at her. "Kyo-kun, I had such a fun time tonight," she said sweetly. "Thank you so much for taking me!"
"You don't have to thank me," he told her, taking her other hand in his. "I'm your boyfriend, I'm supposed to take you out. And I want to … You deserve it more than anyone."
Kyo opened the door to the house to find all of the lights off, except for the kitchen one. Both he and Tohru went into the kitchen and spotted a note taped to the refrigerator. Kyo ripped it off and scanned the semi-neat handwriting.
Kyo, Tohru –
Kunimitsu came by today (he can finally drive!) and picked me up and took me to his place. I hope you find this note this time, and I hope you two had a fun night. I'll be back later.
– Shishou
"Shishou's at Kunimitsu's," Kyo told Tohru. He handed her the note and she scanned it as well, her eyes lighting up when she read that Kunimitsu could drive. "Oh, Kunimitsu-san can drive now! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, that's pretty good progress for him, I guess," Kyo replied.
The two stood there in the kitchen for a few moments, both staring at the floor. Kyo was trying to think of things they could do if Tohru didn't want to go to sleep yet, but then suggested that they go upstairs, and Tohru agreed.
When they both got upstairs and reached Tohru's room, Tohru opened the door and stood in the doorway for a moment. She then turned to Kyo. "Would you like to come in?" she asked him innocently. Kyo raised his eyebrows in shock at her question, but found himself nodding as he followed Tohru into her room.
Kyo hadn't been in Tohru's room a lot, just on occasions when he needed to tell her something. He respected her privacy one hundred percent and wasn't like other guys who would insist on going in a girls' room just so he could get her in bed. Unlike other guys, Kyo was completely nervous.
Tohru sat on her bed and smiled at Kyo. Her hands were laced in her lap and she looked around, looking for something they could do. Kyo sat down next to her.
Neither of them knew what had happened, but before they knew it, they were both kissing and Kyo and gently leaned Tohru into the bed. Followed by that was a night of caresses, whispers, kissing, and embraces that all resulted in Tohru falling asleep in Kyo's arms. To them, the rest of them world didn't seem to matter, or even exist.
All that mattered to them was that they had each other, and that they were together.
Aww, lots of fluff! I hope I didn't make it too cheesy. Thank you so much for reading, especially if you've been following ever since I started writing this story in July. It makes me feel really good that I have anxious readers awaiting my new chapters all of the time! I'll probably be back with an update next month, so stay tuned! But, to give you all an advance warning, the drama's going to come back … Sorry about that!
xoxo Swaying Cherry Blossoms
