Note: Surprise! See, I told you nobody died! Everyone seemed to be very excited about the new baby. I still haven't decided whether to make it a boy or a girl, so we'll see. I'll take some name suggestions if you'd like to submit them!

Anyway, I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. The only other thing that I think is worth mentioning, is that I think I'm going to wrap this up in 10 chapters. That's the plan as of now, but we'll see how it goes.

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

Anippe: Thank you SO much for all of your reviews. I hope you continue to read and review! :)

PinkLikeCool: Lol yes, yes it was very cheesy, but that's how I think they would be (at least, Tohru would be). I hope you like How I Met Your Mother (I think Barney/Neil Patrick Harris is AWESOME). I think it's funny and kind of cute. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up with the new season, but if I see it on lifetime I'll be sure to watch. Hope your holidays were good.

brigee-chan: Good guess! :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket. Never have, never will. :(


How I Met Your Mother
Chapter Eight: A Botched Proposal

"W-we're going to have another baby!" Tohru repeated, this time louder. She started to jump up and down, a huge smile still on her face. She bounced over to her two friends, throwing her arms around both their necks.

Uo managed to wrap her arms around her friend's waist and hug her back. She pulled away, clutching her round belly, "Congratulations."

"Yes. This is very exciting news, Tohru-chan," Hana nodded slightly, a tiny smile on her face.

"I have to go call Kyo-kun!" Tohru gasped.

The brunette started to search for the nearest phone, but Uo stopped her by gently grabbing her arm. Tohru glanced back at her best friend, her eyes wide with confusion, "What's wrong, Uo-chan?"

"Don't you think this is something that you should tell him in person?" Uo asked, raising one eyebrow.

Tohru's mouth curved downward, "I-I guess, but I don't know if I can wait that long..."

"It's only one more day," Hana reminded her.

Tohru was still frowning, looking down at her feet. She wanted to run to the phone, call her husband, and tell him the news right away, but she knew her friends were right. She knew that Kyo would rather hear this in person then over the phone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she could wait until he came home. It would be worth it, just so she would be able to see that look of excitement on his face.

"O-okay," She agreed, "But at least let me tell, Kyoko-chan."

Uo and Hana sighed in unison, "Fine."

"Tell me what?" A tired voice asked. All three women turned around and saw Kyoko standing a few feet away from them, carrying a blanket. She was rubbing her eyes, trying to wake up, "I heard mommy yelling about something. What's going on?"

Tohru knelt down beside her daughter, placing both her hands on her shoulders, "You're going to be a big sister, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko stared at her mother, her eyes going wide. The blanket slipped from her fingers and smiled spread across her face, "R-really?"

"Yes. I'm going to have another baby," Tohru smiled back.

"Is it a boy or a girl? When are they coming? I can't wait!" Kyoko spewed, wide awake now from the exciting news. Her words came out in such a flurry, that Tohru barely understood what the little girl was asking. Uo chuckled from somewhere behind them.

"I don't really know yet, sweetie. I have to go to the doctor's and find out," Tohru explained, a smiled still on her face.

"Can I go with you?" Kyoko asked, tugging on her mother's shirt.

"Of course."

"Yay!" She cheered, releasing her hold on Tohru's shirt so she could throw her arms up in the air. Uo finally burst out laughing and even Hana and Tohru had to laugh at Kyoko's antics. Kyoko blushed, her hands slapping back down to her sides. She glared at the adults, before turning on her heel and stomping back into the kitchen.

"Oh no," Uo muttered somewhat sarcastically, "Now we've gone and made her mad."

"Don't worry. I think I know exactly how to cheer her up again," Tohru replied and headed into the kitchen after her daughter. Kyoko was standing in the middle of the kitchen and glanced back when she heard the three adults enter the room. She whipped back around, folding her arms across her chest. Tohru choked back a giggle and asked, "Would you like to hear the rest of that story, Kyoko-chan? You fell asleep before we could finish."

Kyoko turned to her mother, a slightly disbelieving look on her face. Uo walked up behind Tohru, rubbing her belly, "Yeah. We're sorry, squirt. Sit down and we'll finish telling you about that dance."

"I don't want to hear the end of that story," Kyoko pouted, closed her eyes and shook her head.

Tohru, Uo and Hana's eyebrows all shot up at the same time. Tohru stared at her daughter, disbelief all over her face, "You don't?"

"No," Kyoko opened one eye, a tiny smile on her lips, "I want to hear how daddy asked you to marry him."

Tohru's mouth formed an 'o'. Her brown eyes softened a little at the fond memory, "Are you sure that's the one you want to hear?"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically and Tohru squared her shoulders. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable before she started telling her daughter the tale. Uo threw one arm over the back of the kitchen chair, while Hana folded her hands in her lap. Kyoko sat on the edge of her seat, eagerly waiting for her mother to begin.

Tohru took a deep breath and started, "Well, I guess it all began when we were walking around town..."


((Flashback))

"Tohru, hurry up. Let's get going already!" Kyo shouted from the doorway, scratching the back of his neck.

"C-coming!" Tohru called back, trying to pull on her shoes and walk down the stairs without falling. She managed to make it all the way down without stumbling. She smiled when she saw her boyfriend of nearly a year waiting for her.

They had been traveling around the world, just like they planned. They had left for their travels about a month after graduating, and Tohru had never been happier. She was with the one person she cared about more than anything in the world. But soon, she knew, that their travels would come to an end. They were slowly making their way back home, towards Shigure's house. However, today they had plans to get out of their hotel and do some sight-seeing. Tohru was excited to see all the little shops around town, but she was even more excited to be spending another day with Kyo.

"Sorry I took so long, Kyo-kun. I wanted to pack up all our things so we could just leave when we come back," She explained. Even though she loved traveling with him, she missed all of her friends back home. She couldn't wait to be reunited with everyone.

"S'okay," Kyo replied, waving her off with his right hand. He held the hotel door's open for her, grabbing her hand on the way out. The town was only a short walk from where they were staying. Tohru was thankful for the nice weather. It was warm, not too hot. She looked up at the sky as they walked, staring at a few clouds that passed by. Kyo led her along, knowing she was spaced out, and kept her from bumping into things. Tohru looked back ahead, when a soft breeze hit her face and blew her long hair around.

"How many more days until we get back home?" She asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Kyo's lips puckered as he tried to calculate how much longer. To be honest, he really wasn't as eager to go back home. He liked traveling. He liked seeing the world. But more importantly, he liked having Tohru all to himself. He let out a sigh and said, "I dunno... I guess another day or two."

"Really?" Tohru's face brightened. She thought that it was going to be longer than that.

Kyo pouted, "Yeah. Why? Are you that sick of me?"

"W-what? N-no! I just meant... I... That's not..." Tohru rambled, panicked that he got the wrong idea.

Kyo's mouth stretched into a smirk, "I was just teasing you. Calm down."

"Oh." Tohru breathed a sigh of relief before frowning up at him, "That wasn't funny, Kyo-kun. I thought you were mad at me!"

"'Course not," Kyo chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I knew what you meant. You want to see the yankee, the psychic and that rat. I have no idea why you want to..."

"They're my friends," She said, somewhat defensively.

"Teasing again."

"Oh."

Tohru giggled a little, and Kyo shook his head. You would think she'd be used to me teasing her by now. Oh well. I guess she's still not that observant.

A few minutes later, they could see the town on the horizon. Tiny, cream colored shops, with brightly colored, tin roofs, lined the streets. All of the buildings were packed close together, the sidewalks in front of them a chalky-gray color. Hanging off of some of the buildings or placed in front of them, were equally bright signs. Random trees or boxes of flowers were growing along the sidewalk, adding even more color to the town.

Tohru started walking a little faster, eager to look around. Kyo unwillingly picked up the pace when he felt her tug on his arm. They walked by the first building, Tohru stopping to check out the window. Inside the display, were two mannequins, each wearing expensive looking dresses. Tohru's nose wrinkled. The thought of spending money on something like that didn't appeal to her very much. Kyo laughed at her reaction and started walking again.

They stopped again in front of the 5th store. This shop was made of red bricks and had a deep blue roof. Hanging near the matching blue door was a sign that read: 'Hashiba's Jewelry'. Tohru stopped in front of the display widow, a bunch of glittering jewels catching her eye. There were heart shaped necklaces, covered in diamonds, bracelets encrusted with emeralds, and gold rings that sparkled in the sunlight.

Kyo watched gaze at the trinkets, a tiny lump forming in his throat. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Tohru. He wanted to marry her, but he had never actually thought about asking her. He didn't know when the right time would be, what kind of ring to get her, how to ask her...

"Kyo-kun?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "Wha?"

"Are you okay? Sorry I took so long looking..."

Kyo shook himself out of his stupor and started waking again. Tohru gave one last look at the window before following him. She looked up at him again, a smile on her face, "So what are we going to when we get back home? I really can't wait to see everyone!"

"Yeah-"

Kyo stopped talking when an idea came to him. He knew what he was going to do now.

"So... was there any place you wanted to go, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, looking up him tentatively. He had been awfully quiet these past couple minutes. She wondered what he was thinking about.

Kyo shrugged, "I'll go wherever you want to."

"Um..." Tohru looked around them, unsure of what to pick. There were so many shops. Kyo waited patiently for her to make up her mind, "we could go see a movie, or go in one of the shops."

Her suggestions sounded more like questions then statements, but the wheels in Kyo's brain started to turn when she said 'movie'. He could start putting his newly formulated plan into action right now, "Let's go see a movie."

"O-okay."

The movie theater was two buildings down from the jewelry store. Kyo waited in line and bought two tickets for whatever movie it was Tohru wanted to see. He was too nervous to remember what name she said. I can't believe I'm doing this, but if I back out now I'll never work the nerve up to do it again. It has to be now.

Once they were inside the theater and sitting down, Kyo turned to his girlfriend and said, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to the bathroom and get some snacks. You want anything?"

"Popcorn please and thank you," Tohru chirped, sinking further into her seat.

Kyo nodded and darted out of the theater. He didn't have much time. He figured it would take a person about 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and get popcorn, so that only gave him about 25 minutes, what with Tohru's lack of observational skills, to get what he needed.

He ran out of the theater, almost knocking two people over, and back down the street. He remembered one piece that Tohru spent extra time staring at. That was the one. He ran into the brick building, a little bell going off when he opened the door.

The man behind the counter, dressed in a black suit and tie, looked up when Kyo entered, "Hello. How can I help you?"

"I want to buy a ring."

--

"Hey, Shigure, I need a favor," Kyo spoke into the phone, keeping his voice low. Tohru was taking a shower in the other room. They were in a new hotel, after leaving in that afternoon. It had gotten too late for them to keep going so they decided to spend one more night in a hotel. Kyo guessed that they would be back home tomorrow afternoon.

"Who is this?" Shigure asked nonchalantly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You know who this is," Kyo snapped.

"KYON? Is that you? It's been ages!" Shigure replied, his voice now dripping with sarcasm.

"Idiot," Kyo muttered.

"Alright, alright. What did you need?" The older man asked, becoming a bit more serious.

"Tohru and I will be back home tomorrow afternoon and I wanted to surprise her. Can you invite everyone over?" Kyo asked, twirling the phone cord around his finger.

"Oh sure. I love having people come over and trash my house. Why not."

"I'll clean it up," Kyo half-growled. "Just do it."

"Fine, fine."

"Good," And with that, he placed the phone back on the receiver. Kyo fell back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillows with a soft 'thud'. He reached over and patted his pocket, sighing when he felt the tiny lump. The more he thought about his plan, the more nervous he became. He didn't want to have to do this in front of everyone, but he knew that's what Tohru would want. She would want to be surrounded by all her friends and her new family.

There's no going back now.

Kyo pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and slipped it into their bag, hiding it underneath some of their clothes. Then he changed into his pajamas and crawled back into bed, waiting for Tohru to finish her shower.

--

((The Next Morning))

Kyo rolled over, peering over Tohru at the clock. It was almost 9:00. He poked her in the back, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder. Tohru opened one eye and, when she saw how close he was, blushed like mad.

Kyo smirked, "Morning."

"G-good morning," She stuttered.

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Tohru rolled over so she was facing him, her cheeks still pink, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," Kyo lied. He hadn't slept well at all. He was so nervous about today that he couldn't seem to fall asleep, "Should we get up and go? Or did you want to sleep some more?"

Tohru shook her head, "I want to get going. We'll get home faster."

Kyo sighed, leaned in, and planted a kiss on her mouth. Of course she would want to get home faster. At least that gives me less time to be nervous about this.

They rolled out of bed. Tohru grabbed something to wear out of her bag and disappeared into the bathroom to change. Kyo changed while she was gone. When they were both fully dressed and packed, they checked out of the hotel and started making their way back to Shigure's house.

The closer they got to the old house, the more anxious Kyo became. His heart was going a mile a minute and he could feel himself starting to break out into a sweat. A million questions were running through his mind. What if she didn't like what he picked out for her? What if it was too soon? What if she said no?

Stop thinking like that. It'll be fine... I hope.

"There's Shigure-san's house!" Tohru practically squealed. She would've tossed her bags to the ground and ran towards the house, but Kyo had a pretty good grip on her hand. She managed to restrain herself, but she still babbled excitedly, "Oh, I can't believe it's been over a year! How do you think him and Akito-san are doing? I guess I should ask him myself. I wonder if Yuki-kun will be there? Oh, I'll have to ask him how things with Machi-chan are! And-"

"Tohru. Calm down."

Look at the pot calling the kettle black. I'm surprised she can't feel my hand shaking.

"S-sorry, Kyo-kun. Guess I just got a little over-excited."

They strolled through the gates, down the dirt path that led to the house, and up the steps. Kyo was gripping his bag so tight, that his normally tan fingers were turning white near the knuckle. Luckily, Tohru didn't seem to notice how nervous he was. She slid the door open, a huge grin on her face. Her smile fell when they walked in and it was pitch black.

"Hello?"

Kyo flicked the lights on and Tohru gasped. Standing in the middle of the room, were all of her friends; Yuki, Shigure, Uo, Hana, Rin, the list went on. Everyone was here. Tohru dropped her bag on the floor, "What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

"Don't sound so happy to see us," Uo snorted.

"Ask Kyo. This was his idea," Shigure pointed to the orange haired boy. Tohru's gaze, along with everyone else's, followed Shigure's finger.

Kyo could feel his nerves begin to increase tenfold. His heart crashed against his ribcage. Tohru stared at him, waiting for an explanation. Kyo took two deep breaths and closed his eyes. He dropped his bag to the floor, ignoring everyone else's stares. He tried to focus all his attention on Tohru.

He fell down on one knee, taking hold of one of her hands. A few people, mainly girls, gasped. Tohru stared down at him, her eyes wide, "K-kyo-kun? What are you doing? Did you hurt your knee?"

Kyo closed his eyes, trying not to laugh at her comment. He regained his composure and said, his voice even, "Tohru... You know how much I care about you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I have to ask you-"

He paused to pull the precious velvet box out of his pocket. Kyo slipped his hand in, but felt nothing. His eyes went wide with panic when he realized that the ring wasn't in his pocket. He patted his other pocket desperately, hoping that maybe he put the ring in there instead. It wasn't there. He didn't have the ring on him.

DAMN IT!

"What did you want to ask me, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh..."

Uo started cracking up, "Way to go, Kyon!"

"SHUT UP!" Kyo shouted jumping to his feet, his face bright red.

"Idiot," Yuki mumbled from beside Machi.

Kyo glared at him, his patience disappearing in an instant. He stomped off, a few more people chuckling as he went. Tohru stared at his back, even more confused now, "So... did he hurt his knee?"

Uo laughed again and patted her on the back, "Don't worry about it, Tohru-chan. I'm sure he'll try again later. Why don't you go unpack? I'm sure you're tired."

"Okay..." Tohru replied, still perplexed.

She grabbed two bags and headed up the stairs. She really wanted to find Kyo and make sure she was okay, but she figured that he would want to be alone to cool off first. She walked into his room and placed one of the bags on his bed. She unzipped it and began to sort through some of its contents. She pulled out a few of his shirts and began to fold them. As she was pulling out a pair of jeans, something fell from the folds of the pair of pants. It landed on the bed, near the pile of folded clothes. Tohru picked up the little, black, velvet box. She examined it, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"I wonder what this is..." She said softly to herself. Tohru glanced over her shoulder before popping the box open. She gasped when she saw what was in it.

Nestled inside the box was a silver ring. It was double-banded, with a tiny, diamond heart in the center. On either side of the heart was a row of 3 smaller diamonds. Tohru pulled it out of the box and studied the ring closer.

"It's beautiful..." She whispered.

Tohru gasped again when she suddenly realized what Kyo was trying to do before. She placed the ring back in the box, cradling it against her chest. She ran out of the room, calling for her. She ran down the hall and skid to halt when she saw him walking up the steps.

"I say yes!" She blurted out.

Kyo stared at her, blinked, then asked, "What?"

Tohru held out the ring and repeated, "I say yes. I mean, if this is what I think it's for..."

Kyo breathed a sigh of relief and took the ring from her hands, "I thought I left it in the hotel."

He popped it open just to make sure the ring was still inside. Then he glanced at Tohru. He grabbed her hand and led her back down the stairs. Tohru stumbled after him, "What are you doing?"

"I invited everyone here for a reason. Wouldn't want to disappoint them," He replied casually. "Plus, I want to do this right."

He pulled her back through the small crowd, back to where he had kneeled down before. He let go of her hand and dropped down on his knee again. Shigure grinned from beside Ayame, "Do you have it this time, Kyo-kun?"

"Shut it," Kyo muttered, before taking Tohru's hand again. He looked up at her and took in a deep breath, "Okay. Let's try this again. Tohru, I wanted to ask you... if you'd marry me?"

He popped the box open, the ring glittering brilliantly inside it.

"Yes," Tohru replied, smiling his favorite smile.

He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. A perfect fit.

He stood up and Tohru threw her arms around his neck. Uo cheered loudly, while Hana clapped. Shigure and Ayame were fake-sobbing, whining about how their babies were growing up, while Hatori was trying to resist the urge to deck them both.

Yuki walked over to the two of them, a genuine smile on his face, "Congratulations."

Tohru stopped hugging Kyo and turned to him, "Thank you, Yuki-kun. I'm so happy!"

Kyo stared on the ring on her finger and smiled to himself. He had to agree, he was happy too.

((End Flashback))


Uo chuckled loudly when Tohru finished telling the story, "How did I forget about that one? Oh man! The look on Kyon's face was priceless!"

"Indeed. It was quite... humorous," Hana agreed in her usual monotone voice.

Uo stopped laughing and stared at her friend, "Hana, have you ever heard of the term 'buzz-kill'?"

"I didn't think it was that funny," Tohru whispered.

Uo didn't seem to hear her. The blonde girl glanced at the clock hanging above the stove, "Jeez, where'd the time go? Kureno'll be home soon. I better get going."

"I should be going too," Hana agreed.

Uo stood up, using the table for support. With one hand on her belly, She started walking towards the door. Hana followed her. Tohru sprung up from the table, "Let us walk you to the door!"

She grabbed Kyoko's hands and followed her two friends to the front door. She hugged Uo and Hana goodbye. Uo ruffled Kyoko's hair and Hana said goodbye to the little girl. Tohru said goodbye one more time, and then the two of them left.

"That was fun," Little Kyoko chirped.

"It was," Tohru agreed with a smile.

Just then, the phone rang. Tohru looked down at Kyoko, "Why don't you go play, while I get the phone?"

Kyoko frowned. She was kind of hoping that she would get another story out of her mom, and was a little annoyed that the phone had stolen her attention away. Before she could protest, her mother was off to the kitchen. Kyoko's shoulders slumped, but she decided to head off to her room to play with her toys.

Tohru answered the phone, a bit out of the breath, "Hello?"

"Hey," It was Kyo.

Tohru felt her heart skip a beat, "Kyo-kun! How is the tournament going?"

"Pretty good. I should be home tomorrow afternoon," He replied, not even bothering to try and mask just how happy he was. He couldn't wait to be back home with his family.

"That's great!" Tohru chirped. "I can't wait to see you and neither can Kyoko-chan. We miss you."

"I miss you too," He said, but then changed the subject, "So what's been going on since I last talked to you?"

"Well, Uo and Hana came over today, and I found out-"

Don't you think this is something that you should tell him in person? Uo's voice rang in the back of her head and Tohru cut herself off.

"What?" Kyo urged.

"I-it's nothing." Tohru stuttered.

"Liar."

How come I can't ever lie to him?

"I'll tell you tomorrow when you come home. It's good news," She promised.

"Alright..." He said, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Why couldn't she just tell him now?

"Well... um... I'll see you tomorrow," She said, feeling her heart flutter again, "I love you."

"Love you too. See you tomorrow."

((End Chapter of Chapter Eight))


Omygosh... that chapter has been sitting on my computer for about a month! Wow. I'm sorry it took so long but I managed to write the whole flashback scene in one night. I was stuck with what to do as a flashback and then by friend started talking about picking out her wedding ring. That helped me come up with the idea, I guess!

Also, sorry the chapter's so short, but I couldn't think of anything else to add without making it seem to dragged out. Two chapters to go! :)

PLEASE REVIEW! I'd like to get about 115 reviews before I continue, but 120 would be even better (HINT HINT).