Kiss Kiss
By Lady of the Ink
Pairing: Kyou and Kagura Sohma
Fandom: Fruits Basket
Theme: #11- Gardenia
Disclaimer:I don't own Fruits Basket, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this story and all the twists that it takes.

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Kiss Two
Ribbons and Remembrances

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Kagura Sohma stared at her reflection with eyes that kept misting over. Her complexion was slightly paler than usual with the exception of the dark blush that tinted her cheeks. Even though it was the same face that she had looked upon every day of her life, there seemed to be an alien quality about it at that moment. There was something in her eyes, a new depth brought on by a mix of excitement, fear, and anticipation.

She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them again she was filled with a sense of utter calm. She was ready for what was about to happen.

A quiet knock on the door finally pulled her attention away from the mirror. Kagura turned to see her mother crossing the room. She stopped by the side of the chair, smiling with just a tinge of sadness.

"It's almost time," she said softly. Kagura just nodded in response, not trusting herself to talk without crying. If the tears started flowing, there wouldn't be time to redo the makeup she had taken nearly an hour to apply.

It was her mother's turn to take a heavy breath. "I just can't believe my baby girl is getting married. It seems like just yesterday I was bringing you home for the very first time." She paused, visibly choked up. Kagura climbed to her feet as quickly as her billowing gown would allow and clasped her mother's hands between her own. She was a little surprised to note that they were shaking.

"No matter how old I get or where I go in my life, I'm always going to be your little girl. You know that, right?" The older woman nodded and Kagura gave a watery laugh. "Good. Now get out there and tell them I'm ready before you start crying and make me start crying because if I start crying I'm not going to be able to stop."

Both women smiled before Mrs. Sohma pulled her hands free. Resting them along either side of her daughter's face, she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You look beautiful, sweetheart." She smoothed an errant strand of hair into place beneath Kagura's veil before stepping away. As she passed a small stand on the way to the door, she paused and picked up the square white box that rested there. "Oh, and this came for you just a little while ago."

Kagura accepted the box and watched her mother's exit through emotion-glazed eyes. It was several moments before she looked down at the package in her hands. It was stamped with the name of a local florist and tied with a silky length of mint green ribbon. A small frown pulled at her mouth as her eyes flickered to where her bouquet rested on a chair by the door. She'd overseen the flower orders herself and not only had they all been delivered earlier that morning, none of the arrangements had come from the shop named on the box.

More than a little curious, Kagura quickly tugged the ribbon loose and removed the lid. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart slammed in her chest as she saw what it contained. As she looked down at the single, perfect white gardenia that nestled there, a flood of memories rushed through her mind.

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She stood at the edge of a garden, a white sheet wrapped toga style around her. A bedraggled wreath of daisies - the best her six-year-old fingers could manage - rested on top of her head. She clutched a second bunch of the flowers in her hands as she began a slow, dignified walk down an imaginary path.

"You look funny." The voice broke the solemn air of the moment and she shot a frustrated look at the speaker. He was sitting off to one side, huddled down and watching her through a mop of orange hair.

"This is how it's supposed to look."

"Are you sure?" His crimson eyes looked dubious.

"Of course I'm sure. I'm older than you and besides that, I was just at a wedding. I remember exactly how it went." Her expression turned dreamy as her imagination took over. "My wedding's going to be just like that one, outside with the band and the ribbons and the flowers. Except everything won't be pink like that one was; it'll be green, really light green, you know? And I won't have roses 'cause everybody has roses. I want gardenias at mine. My mom let me wear some of her perfume that smells like them and it's the prettiest thing I've ever smelled."

Straightening her headpiece, she returned to the starting point. Making sure her audience was watching with proper awe, she slowly began her walk through the garden once more, her mind filled with the sound of imagined music and clapping guests.

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A shaky sigh fluttered the edges of her lacey veil as she stared down at the blossom in disbelief. Even though there was no card, she knew that it was from Kyou. He was the only one she had ever told those arrangements to and so he was the only one who could have been behind the last minute delivery.

Nothing could have stopped the tears that flowed down her cheeks at that moment and she couldn't have cared less. Her heart was bursting with the emotion that his gift had raised. He'd remembered one conversation from twenty years ago and had taken the time to act on it. It was almost more than she could accept as real.

Music floated into the room and Kagura jerked at the reminder of what she should be doing. Following an impulse, she pulled the flower from the box and tucked it amongst the white lilies of her bouquet. The green ribbon from the box was wrapped around the stems, hidden from sight beneath her hand. Leaving the now empty package behind, she hurried out the door.

As she made her way down the aisle, Kagura came to a few realizations. Although the wedding wasn't in a garden, the decorations were yellow, and the flowers were lilies, she wouldn't have changed a thing about the ceremony. And even though she was about to bind her life to another man, a part of her heart would always belong to her first love, who had done his best to help make her dream come true.