Hallo! Thank you so much to my reviewer! (hands out chocolate basket) As for my silent readers, if I have any, thank you all too for reading! (hands out cookies) So here we go, onward to chapter two!

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own Fruits Basket. Birthday ideas, people!

A/N: Just as a warning, there is a little bit of language in this one. I know, that's what the rating is for, but it never hurts to be safe, eh?

Chapter 2: The Cat that Ran

"It's about Tohru-kun."

The cat and rat stiffened respectively. They knew what was coming. Shigure sighed sadly and rubbed his temples. He didn't want to have to deliver his news. However, when the boys didn't interject, he continued on.

"Akito feels that…well, as he put it, her usefulness has run out. He's ordered Hatori to…" the dog sighed again. This was difficult for even him. "…suppress her memories." There was a moment of silence in which Shigure refused to look at either of the teens in front of him. Yuki's eyes were wide and to the ground; Kyo trembled in his rage.

"Damn!" Kyo smashed a fist against the writer's desk, finally breaking the prolonged silence. Yuki let his head down to rest in his hands.

"Why…why so suddenly?" Yuki asked, anger welling within him.

The dog brushed his hair back, a habit he had developed whenever he was anxious or upset. "You know better than all of us how Akito can be, Yuki-kun... He told me she had two days to say her goodbyes."

The words hit and stung. Her goodbyes. She was leaving. That was it. Their Tohru was leaving.

Kyo shook in his blind fury, yet remained silent. He wasn't very good with words. Yuki voiced what they were both thinking. "How do we tell her?"

"Well, I do suppose there's just one way, isn't there?" Shigure responded rather darkly. Despite the situation, he shook his mood and stood. "Let her be for now. We'll tell her after dinner."

The school bell rang, once again bringing Yuki harshly back to reality. He looked to his left, where Tohru sat blissfully with her friends, and smiled for her. It hurt to see her when she didn't remember all that had happened between the two of them, true, but her smile caused him to brighten, ever so slightly. He stood and walked over to the trio, deciding to stop for a moment before he had to begin his duties as Student Council President.

"Hello Honda-san, Uo-san, Hana-san," He greeted politely. The three turned to notice him, and Tohru smiled widely.

"Sohma-kun!" The brunette chirped at her friend, before adapting a look of concern. "Sohma-kun, don't you have student council today? Manabe-san will be upset if you don't stop by, won't he? I don't want for you to…"

"Don't worry yourself, Honda-san," he reiterated kindly, "I have a moment to spare."

Tohru blushed slightly at the tone of his voice. It sounded so concerned…so loving.

"Hey, where's orangey?" Arisa Uotani jabbed her thumb towards the empty seat in the rear of the room, which Kyo would have occupied. "Haven't seen him at all." Yuki shrugged coldly.

"He was in yesterday…" Hana spoke in her normal soft tone. "There were strange waves coming from him…confusion…betrayal…"

Hana's words put the already uneasy conversation into a hideous trap of silence.

Finally, a loud laugh from Arisa. Tohru breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that the tense nature of the conversation had been changed. "There we go with Hana-chan's wave report again, eh?" The Yankee let out another snort. Yuki smiled uncomfortably.

"I suppose I should be going then…" he looked up at the clock bleakly. It would be another uncomfortable day with Manabe.

"Have a good time Sohma-kun!"

Yuki couldn't help but smile at her voice. "For you, I'll try, Honda-san."

As the prince of Kaibara High walked from the classroom, Tohru stared curiously after him.

"He's started acting like a snob again," Uo observed unkindly from where he was perched upon her desk. "He's better today, but lately…you know?"

"Yes…I do suppose your right…ever since our little Tohru-kun left his household it seems…" Hana added.

"Oh no!!" Tohru blushed and waved her arms around in a frenzy. "I doubt I could ever have such an effect on Sohma-kun! I mean, I couldn't be such a…"

"Darling Tohru-kun," Hana interrupted her stuttering friend, "perhaps you had more influence on them than you think, nn?"

"Well obviously something's happened to Prince Charming since you left, eh?"

"I sense his denpa waves…they appear more distressed…" there was a pause. "Odango?" Hana mysteriously produced several dumpling-like balls.

Arisa laughed. "Eating again? You have the strangest timing, Hana." Uo-chan was received with a blank stare from the dark-haired girl, who in turn offered each of the girls some of her food.

"Either way, it seems our Tohru-kun had quite the effect on Charming. Orange-head too."

"K-Kyo-k-kun?! Oh, no! I would never have such a…" A crimson Tohru was once again silenced, this time by her blond friend.

"He's rarely in school anymore. Yesterday was the frst time he's shown in a week." Arisa smiled. "Just like Kyoko-san in her middle school years."

"What an odd comparison…" Hana nibbled on her odango.

"Well either way, where the hell has he been?"

"I sense emotions…not locations…."

"I know, I know. I wasn't asking you Hana. Just thinking out loud, I guess."

The two stopped to look at Tohru, who was still staring out the door of the classroom sadly.

"Tohru-kun?" Hana put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Oh...huh? Oh, I'm sorry! I must have been thinking too hard! And Kyo-kun told me to try and look sharp…" the girl trailed off, thinking about the Sohmas once more.

"Hey," Arisa gave her friend a hug, "I'm sure they miss living with you too."

"Oh, it's not that at all, you see, I was just thinking about how the assignment we have in…" Hana joined in the hug, and Tohru gave up her attempt at an explanation. Her two best friends knew her better than anyone.

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Kyo was on another walk. He'd sure been taking a lot of those lately. He'd been traning at the dojo again, in fact going to Kazuma's dojo whenever he decided to skip school- something else he'd been doing quite often. Of course Kazuma didn't approve, but Kyo rarely listened to his master-turned-father when the subject came up. He hated seeing her like that…like he had never really existed.

Of course, Kyo knew that when Tohru's memories were erased, she would still remember him to some extent. It wasn't like she had forgotten him completely. At the same time, however, a huge part was missing out of what they had once shared. The Sohma secret had drawn Kyo and Tohru together. What was left to keep them together now?

Kyo passed the school carelessly, thinking about how Tohru was managing in class, how Tohru was doing…Tohru.

With a sigh the cat of the zodiac recalled that night. It was when they told the girl about Akito's decision. He'd hoped to never see her that broken, but yet she was. It was as if they had shattered the little that was left of her world, and there was nothing they could do to fix it.

"Dinner was delicious, Honda-san." Yuki smiled up at the girl with his best effort.Shigure nodded in agreement.

"Did you like it Kyo-kun?" An innocent face stared at the cat. Bitter at what was to come, he shrugged.

"Stupid cat. She made the salmon for you."

"Well, I, um, it was nothing really! I know you hate miso, Kyo-kun, so I…"

"The least you could do is show some appreciation for Honda-san's cooking." The rat calmly stated, though under the surface his rage was obvious.

"Oh, no! Please don't fight! I mean, I…"

"I'll show however much appreciation I want, you stupid rat!" Kyo jumped up from the table.

"Kyo." Shigure looked at the boy sternly. "Not tonight."

"Is…something wrong?" Tohru inquired hesitantly. She didn't want to pry, but she was concerned. Shigure normally would have made a witty comment or ignored the two all together and let them go about their fight.

Yuki and Kyo remained silent, though Kyo once again took his seat. Another strange happening, Tohru noticed, that the cat actually listened. Shigure was the first to answer the confused girl. "Tohru-kun, why don't we all go talk in the family room?"

"Umm, alright then…" The brunette stood and cleared away the table quickly as the other three made for the next room over.

The three were already seated when Tohru entered the next room over. She sat down facing them, so that they formed a sort of mini-semicircle around her, Kyo to her left, Shigure in the center, and Yuki to her right.

Yuki stared down at his hands neatly in his lap. He couldn't look at her. He couldn't put her through this. He couldn't even put himself through this.

Kyo stared out the nearest window, trying his best to convince himself he didn't care. All he could picture was Tohru.

"Tohru-kun, you realize how much we have loved having you here. You, indeed, are our little flower…which, of course, only makes this all the more difficult. Unfortunately, it seems as if…"Shigure was faltering, which was strange for the usually confident novelist."Akito feels it is time we suppressed your memories." There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Tohru-kun."

The news was quite the blow to Tohru. She had promised herself once, long ago, that when the time came to leave the Sohmas, if the time came, she would go without complaint, being grateful for all the time she had spent with them. However, now that she was faced with losing her memories, she felt like crying.

"I…I understand that…you need to listen…to Akito…san…" the girl choked out in an attempt to be strong. She felt like she had become part of their family. Yet, here she was, having to give that up. Tears began to form in her eyes.

"Tohru…" Kyo searched for the words to say, but being more inclined to actions than words, Yuki beat him to it.

"We're so sorry."

"No! No… I'm sorry. I'm…so grateful…for…for everything…" Tohru was choking back tears now. "I shouldn't…be so selfish…I'm so happy that I…I got to know you all."

"I don't know many memories you'll be left with, Tohru-kun," Shigure's voice held an apologetic undertone. His original intention was to use the girl, but he had grown attatched to Tohru, just as the other Sohmas had. "You'll remember us, and that you lived here, but…anything connected with the curse…anything at all, and perhaps a few things in between…it will all be gone."

Tohru tried to control her tears, but they were coming faster now. "I'm so sorry…I don't mean…to get this way…"

For a moment, only Tohru's sobbing could be heard, as the Sohmas didn't know what to say.

"It's okay to be sad Honda-san," Finally, Yuki looked at herdirectly, for the first time all night. "We're sad you're leaving too."

At this statement Tohru couldn't help herself any longer. She sprang forward and embraced the three tightly, tears streaming down her face. She didn't care that when she looked she was hugging three animals; she squeezed the dog, cat, and rat tightly and, for the first time in a long while, let herself cry.

"Oy, orange-head!"

Kyo looked over to the source of the voice, and cursed under his breath. How could he have been so foolish as to stop right in front of the school?! He looked over to see Uotani, Hanajima, and Tohru running towards them.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru bounced over happily.

He only grunted a reply. He was tired of getting people close only to push them away. Not that he would ever admit that.

"Why weren't you in school today Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked innocently.

"What does it matter to you?" The cat brushed off the question, ignoring the hurt in the girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry…I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Hey, I don't need anyone to make sure I'm okay, alright? So stop wasting your breath."

"Watch it, orangey…"

"But, Kyo-kun…"

"Look, I told you I don't need your freaking help!" Kyo bolted off angrily, leaving a hurt Tohru behind. He couldn't get close to her again. He refused to get hurt like that again.

"I…I don't understand…" Tohru stared after the boy.

"I'll kill that sonofa…"

"Arisa." Hana stopped the girl.

"What? Did you hear what he said to our Tohru-kun?"

"His waves…" Hana stared after the boy, "his waves are full of regret. He too is hurt."

"And that gives him the right to…"

"It does not give him the right to hurt our Tohru." The two girls again hugged the poor brunette. "But it is his way."

Yay! Another chapter done! And this one is longer, haha. Still not overly long, but longer. It's a start! Please review, and tell me what you think! I've got cookies!