Note: There is A HUGE SPOILER WARNING for the flashback of this chapter. If you don't want to know exactly how the manga ends, then skip the flashback! So um... yeah. That's all I have to report for now!

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.

Nysha: Thank you so much for both your reviews! I'm glad that you think I am a good/strong writer. :)

KittyKat7641: It explains it in the manga.

KerushiiSohma: Haha. I love Shigure, especially when he acts like an idiot on purpose (poor Hatori, I don't know how he puts up with it). I hope your mom wasn't too freaked out lol. I'm glad you liked this chapter so much! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Kyki Yune: I laughed out loud when I read the 'left it in his other pants' thing! Thanks for the review! :)

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine! :(


How I Met Your Mother
Chapter Nine: In Nine Months

Tohru's brown eyes fluttered open to the sound of her alarm blaring in her right ear. She rolled over and smacked the off button. She blinked a few times before the red numbers on the clock became visible. It was 8:30. With one last tiny yawn, Tohru threw the covers off of her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She put on her slippers and shuffled off to the kitchen. She hadn't even been up for five minutes yet, and she was already feeling hungry.

Well, I am eating for two. She thought with a happy giggle.

Tohru poured herself a bowl of cereal and quickly downed it. She glanced at the clock; Only ten minutes had passed. Kyoko wouldn't be awake for a little while longer, and Kyo wouldn't be home until later in the afternoon. Tohru felt her heart jump at the thought of seeing him again. Even though it had only been 3 days, it felt like months.

She set her empty bowl down on the counter, beside the sink. Her free hands resting on her stomach. She could feel a tiny bump starting to form. Tohru smiled to herself, patting her stomach lightly. She wondered whether the child inside her was going to be a boy or girl this time. She didn't care either way, but she knew that Kyo would like to have a son one day. Not that he didn't like having a little girl, she knew he would love the child no matter what sex they were, but she could just tell that he wanted a son. Tohru assumed that all fathers were like that.

Tohru wondered how Kyo was going to react to the news. She hadn't even really thought about how she was going to tell him. He was there when she found out she was pregnant with Kyoko, and it wasn't really a surprise to him. They had been trying to get pregnant. Now, Tohru had the chance to surprise him.

Thinking about the day she found out she was pregnant for the first time, made her remember how it was to be pregnant. She couldn't believe that was nearly 5 years ago. It felt like it was just yesterday that she was walking around with that inflated stomach. She hadn't realized just how big Kyoko was getting. It made her happy, yet sad at the same time. Just as she finished that thought, she heard said girl call her name. Tohru immediately put down her second bowl of cereal and went to check on her daughter.

Kyoko was sitting in her bed, a tiny smile on her face, "Good morning, mommy."

Tohru's eyebrows furrowed, "Good morning... Is something wrong, Kyoko-chan?"

"Nope. Daddy's coming home today right?" Kyoko asked, still smiling brightly.

"Yes..." Tohru replied still confused, "Is that why you called me?"

"Well," Kyoko said, emphasizing the word, "I wanted to hear another story."

Tohru sighed, her head falling. She was wondering when Kyoko's fascination with these stories would end. She had been hoping that it was just a short phase she had been going through, but it didn't look that way. However, she couldn't say no if she knew it would make her daughter happy. She sat down on the edge of the bed, "What story would you like to hear?"

Another date story? Our wedding? Maybe a another fairy-tale? Tohru made a mental list of things she thought that Kyoko was going to say.

The little girl scratched her chin thoughtfully, her chestnut eyes glinting as she did so. She was thinking of what story she wanted to hear next. After a moment, a cheeky smile spread across her face, "When did daddy first tell you that he loved you?"

Tohru's breath caught in her throat at the memory. She was the first person to say those three little words. She cried when she told him how she felt and his reaction only intensified her pain. He told her her that her feelings were only an illusion, and he ran away. After that, she was alone and Akito came after her. She ended up falling and getting hurt pretty bad. That part was all very fuzzy, except for when Kyo came back and was with her until she blacked out again. She woke up, day later in the hospital.

During that time, she remembered having a lot of visitors, but Kyo never came to see her. That was probably for the best, because she knew she would have broke down if she saw him. She felt her heart splitting in two, like she was being stabbed, whenever someone even mentioned his name.

"Mommy?" Kyoko asked, touching Tohru's hand lightly, "You okay?"

Tohru was shaken from her thoughts. She smiled slightly and nodded, "Mhm. I'm fine. Just remembering something, that's all."

"So are you going to tell me the story or not?" Kyoko asked, her mouth dipping into a tiny frown.

Tohru's expression mirrored her daughter's. She was certain that Kyoko didn't need to hear that story. She sighed, shaking her head. I guess I can tell her the second part of that story...

"Well, I guess it all started when I got out of the hospital. Aunt Uo and Hana had been very strict and wouldn't let anyone come visit me, because I was very sick," Tohru hated telling lies, even if they were white lies. It made her throat sting, but she continued on, "I had already told daddy that I loved him, but he... he didn't know how he felt about me. He was embarrassed by it and couldn't say anything, I g-guess. Then I got sick before he could tell me..."

"Then what happened?" Kyoko urged, her voice filled with rapture.

"W-well..."


((Flashback))

"Ready to go Tohru-chan?" Hana called to her friend.

Uo was standing beside the dark haired girl, suitcase in hand, "Yeah, you're all checked out. Let's get going!"

Tohru smiled awkwardly and carefully made her way down the hospital steps, holding a stuffed animal in one arm, and her discharge papers in the other. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave the hospital just yet. It wasn't that she was still feeling sick, no she felt just fine, but she didn't want to see him again. She squeezed the big, pink stuffed bunny Momiji had given her as a get well-present. It didn't help.

Tohru had thought about Kyo a lot during her time in the hospital, mainly about how he had rejected her. She felt useless and pathetic. He didn't want her; He probably hated her and thought that she was a pest. She didn't want him to hate her anymore than he already did, so she had made up her mind that she would just smile when she saw him, no matter how painful it would be.

She finally reached the bottom of the steps, letting out a sigh of relief when she was by Uo and Hana's side. Uo turned and started making her way towards the exit, while Hana walked right beside Tohru, "How are you feeling today, Tohru-chan?"

"Much better, thank you," Tohru chirped, even though she felt like her insides were going to burst.

Uo raced down the steps, Tohru's suitcase knocking against her side. Hana took the bunny from Tohru's arms, offering to carry it for her. The raven-haired girl joined Uo down on the sidewalk. Tohru stood in the doorway, not wanting to leave the comfort of the hospital. Uo motioned for Tohru to follow them.

Tohru took a deep breath, and stepped out the doors, the wind swishing her skirt around her legs. Her hair whipped around her and she had to admit, the warmth of the sun did feel nice on her face. She could do this. She could get through this.

She stopped in-between Uo and Hana, confused when she noticed Uo smiling at someone. The blonde-haired girl waved and Tohru looked over. Her grip on her paper's immediately tightened. The first thing she saw was an orange-head of hair rounding the corner.

Kyo-kun! Tohru felt her cheeks go red.

Kyo stopped when they locked eyes, his going wide when he saw her. Tohru felt her legs begin to wobble and her thought became scrambled. Kyo's lips parted and he whispered her name. Tohru could hardly stand it anymore. Her heart was going to break in two if she stayed there any longer. Blinking back her tears, she dropped her papers, turned and ran in the opposite direction, not daring to look back.

Kyo stood there, mouth agape. He fell to his knees in front of Uo and Hana, his chest heaving up and down, "I wasn't expecting her to run away that fast."

Uo stood over him, her hands on her hips, "I should be laughing, Kyon. That was pretty funny."

"Indeed," Hana agreed, holding the stuffed bunny to her chest.

Kyo glared at them out of the corner of his eye. His hand curled into a fist and it came down on the pavement with a loud 'smack'. He jumped up, his teeth grit and bared, "Damn it! I'm faster than her. I'll catch her."

He took off down the street after her.

I won't let her go.

He wasn't going to lose her. Not now. Not when he wanted to be with her, more than anything else. He saw her in the distance and started moving faster, his legs moving in long strides. He had to catch up to her. He had to tell her just how much she meant to him.

"People who just got out of the hospital shouldn't be running around!" He growled.

Hearing his voice only made her run faster. It almost felt like an instinct, to run away from him. This isn't how she planned for it to be. She was supposed to smile and pretend like nothing had ever happened. But it was too hard to pretend. She couldn't do it.

Tohru glanced up, her chest burning, and screeched to a halt. Kyo had taken a detour and gotten in front of her. He was blocking her path, one of his hands wrapped around a pole. Tohru felt her breath get caught in her throat. She blushed. Kyo looked pretty annoyed.

When her eyes locked with his, his face softened immediately, "Tohru..."

Tohru blushed to the roots of her hair before turning and running away, while screaming at the top of her lungs. Kyo leaned against the pole, his head down. He sighed. What was he going to do? Everything he was trying wasn't working. It seemed like it was over. He let out another growl and started running again. He couldn't give up now

--

Tohru sighed, plopping down on a half-wall in the park. She was tired and out of breath. It seemed like she had lost Kyo. She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to force a smile.

Smile.

But she couldn't seem to do it, not matter how hard she tried.

I'm such a failure. No wonder Kyo-kun doesn't want me... It wasn't like anytime before, where she could just tell herself that she would be alright, that she was fine. She wanted to be with him and she couldn't, and it hurt. It hurt so bad.

Tohru looked up when she heard her name being called softly. Kyo stood a few feet away from her, his chest heaving up and down. His hands were clenched tightly. Tohru flushed and silently wish she could stop crying. She felt her legs itching to run.

"Wait," Kyo pleaded. "Hold on..."

Smile.

He started walking towards her and she turned away, smacking her hand over her eyes. She didn't want him to see her crying like this. She didn't want him to see her acting this weak and pathetic.

Stop crying. Smile. She commanded again, raising her hand up again. She was going to cover her eyes once more, when she felt Kyo's fingers wrap loosely around her wrist. She looked up, her face red and the tears now falling freely down her cheeks.

Kyo's grip on her wrist tightened, and then slipped down towards her hand, "I... I'm sorry. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself."

He fell down on one knee, his hand now resting on top of hers. Tohru's free hand anxiously curled into a fist. She stared at him, wide eyes, hanging on every-single word he said. Kyo stared downward, "I ignored your feelings, Tohru. I should have known that I might never have the chance to apologize. I should have known that I might be making the same mistake all over again."

He suddenly stood up, grabbing both her hands and pulling her onto her feet. Tohru let out a surprised yelp. He straightened up, "I'm sorry I hurt you and made you cry, but I'm not making the same mistake again. Just give me one more chance... with you."

Tohru felt the feeling drain from her legs and sat back down on the ledge. She stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. Kyo knelt down so he was at eye level with her, "I want us to be together. I hate not being with you because... because I love you."

Tohru sat there, completely speechless. Her fingers were gripping the wall. Finally she managed to spit out the words that were caught in her throat, "So... does that mean that I can be with you? It's okay?"

Kyo chuckled and grabbed her hand again, "Yes."

Tohru blushed once more and felt the tears forming in the corner of her eyes again. She didn't know what else to say to him and all she could manage was a soft, incoherent mumble. With his free hand, Kyo brushed the tears off of her cheeks and pushed her bangs back. Tohru shuttered lightly under his fingertips.

This is like a dream...

Suddenly, Kyo's head dipped down. His lips were inches away from hers. Tohru leaned back, her face as red as a tomato. Kyo stared at her, a blank expression on his face, "This is the second time you know."

"R-really? W-what? W-when?" She stuttered.

Kyo sighed and shook his head, "Never mind. You should remember it yourself."

With that, he snatched up both her hands and pulled her to her feet. Tohru loosely held onto his fingers, "Is it okay to hug you?"

Kyo nodded, his mouth forming a thin line, "You know that will only last a few seconds and that might be painful for you but-"

"Kyo-kun, I... I love you. So very much. That's not going to get me down," She interrupted, a brilliant smile on her face. Kyo couldn't help but smile back and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Tohru's cheeks turned pink as she snuggled her head against his chest, gripping his shoulders tightly. Kyo buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes, happy that he didn't make the same mistake twice.

((End Flashback))


"... and that's all that happened," Tohru finished, adding about how daddy stopped turning into a cat when she hugged him after that. Kyoko knew about how her father, uncles and aunts used to turn into the 12 animals of the zodiac, but she didn't know about all of the incidents with Akito. Tohru and Kyo decided it would be best to tell her about all of that when she was older.

The corner of Kyoko's lips curved down into a frown, "I didn't know daddy was so mean to you."

"Well-" But Tohru was cut off by the sound of the front door sliding open.

"Tohru?"

Tohru immediately perked up at the sound of his all-too familiar voice. A smile spread across her face as she scooped up Kyoko. She whispered in her daughter's ear, "Remember, don't tell daddy about the baby."

Kyoko's chestnut eyes widened and she nodded. Still holding her child, Tohru made her way towards the front of the house. Her smile widened when she saw him standing in the doorway, a suitcase in each hand. She picked up the pace, closing the distance between them. Kyo pulled them both into his arms, squishing Kyoko inbetween him and his wife.   

"Welcome home," Tohru murmured.

Kyo chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead, "Good to be back. What did you two do with yourselves while I was gone?"

Kyoko pushed against her father's chest, muttering under her breath about how she was being squashed. Kyo laughed and took a step back, much to Tohru's dismay. Kyoko looked up at him to answer his question, "Aunt Uo and Aunt Hana came over yesterday."

"... Great." Kyo replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kyoko wasn't bothered by his tone at all, "Yeah! And them and mommy told me some more stories."

"Which ones?" Kyo asked, his smile returning. 

"Um... about how you asked mommy to marry her."

His smile immediately fell. Of course Uo would want to tell that story. 

"OH! And guess what?! Mommy's-"

Tohru immediately cut her daughter off, "Um, that's enough Kyoko-chan. I'm sure daddy's really tired from his trip and wants to unpack his things. Why don't you go play while I help him, okay?"

Kyoko pouted as Tohru set her onto the ground. She glared at them over her shoulder before marching off to her room. Tohru sighed and Kyo scratched the back of his neck. Before he could ask about what their daughter was going to say, Tohru grabbed his arm, "Let me help you unpack, Kyo-kun."

"Sure. I actually have something that I want to show you."

"Me?" Tohru asked, pointing to herself.

Kyo laughed, "Yeah. Who else?"

Tohru blushed and glanced around, "Oh. Right... Sorry, I'm just excited that you're home."

Kyo snickered again, moved his suitcases over to one hand so he could grab Tohru's fingertips with his free hand. He led her towards the bedroom. Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them and threw both of his bags onto the bed. In one swift motion, he unzipped the bag.

Tohru waited patiently behind him, curious to see what he brought home. She was also anxious to tell him her big surprise. Kyo turned around, holding a tiny white t-shirt in his hands. In the center of the shirt, were big, red, stitched on letters that read: "FIGHT". Tohru's eyes widened, "Um... that's nice, Kyo-kun, but I don't think it's going to fit me."

Kyo's brows furrowed, "It's for Kyoko. I knew you would throw a fit if I got you something."

Tohru smiled sheepishly. He knew her too well. She moved a little close to examine the shirt, "Well if it's for Kyoko-chan, then I'm sure she'll love it. You know she's really excited to start kendo practice with you."

Kyo smiled, pleased with himself, and folded the shirt up. He turned around to place it back in the bag. Tohru bit her lip, staring at his back. Her fingers began to intertwine; she was unsure of how exactly she should tell him.

"Um... Kyo-kun?"

"Yeah?" He replied, without turning around.

"I um... have a surprise for you." She whispered, her cheeks turning red. 

Kyo glanced over his shoulder, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw her expression. He wheeled around, placing both his hands on her shoulders, "Is this what you wouldn't tell me over the phone? Tohru, what's wrong?"

"U-um y-yes..." Was all she could manage to mutter. Her gaze drifted down to the floor. She shouldn't have been so nervous, but she was.

Slowly and shakily, she grabbed both his hands. She slid them down over her body, causing him to blush. She placed his hands on her stomach, letting them rest there for a moment. Kyo stared at his hands, his eyebrows still slanted downward. Tohru whispered, "I-I guess you could say I h-have a present for y-you too..."

Kyo's eyebrows shot up and his jaw fell open. He glanced up into her eyes, his face still showing that he was completely floored. If she meant what he thought she did...

"You're..."

"W-we're going to have another baby, Kyo-kun," She said in a quiet voice, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

Kyo's expression didn't falter. He stood there, his hands still resting on her stomach, mouth hanging open. Tohru began to grow alarmed. She squeezed his arm and tugged on his shirt, trying to snap him out of it, "K-kyo-kun?"

Almost as fast as he fell into a stupor, he snapped out of it. Kyo's hands swiftly moved from her stomach to the small of her back. He leaned down, crushing his lips against hers. Tohru was taken by surprise and if he wasn't holding onto her, she probably would have fallen backwards. 

"When did you find out?" He muttered inbetween kisses. His lips moved from her lips, across her chin and down to her neck.

Tohru gasped, "J-just yesterday. I-I wanted to w-wait to till' you got home to tell y-you."

She could feel him smiling against her skin. He planted one more kiss against her throat before standing up straight. He brushed her bangs away from her face, intently watching her face become even more flushed, "I'm glad you did."

She peeked up at him, "So you're happy?"

"Of course I am," He replied, laughing slightly. His hand moved from her bangs and down her dark tresses, twisting a lock of her hair around his fingers. Tohru smiled brightly, leaning into his hand. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of his fingertips.

Kyo brushed his fingers across her cheek, "Tohru?"

"Yes?" She murmured.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, pulling his hand away.

Tohru opened one eye, snatching up his free hand, "Just about how exciting these next few months are going to be..."

Kyo chuckled again, "Months? Try the next few years."

Tohru's smile widened, "I guess that's true... We should probably go see Kyoko-chan. She's probably about to burst; she wanted to tell you so badly."

Kyo nodded and squeezed her hand. He led her out of the room, towards the soon-to-be big sister. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he imagined Tohru's expanding belly and what their second child would look like. 

"Guess I'll find out in nine months..." He said under his breath as they opened Kyoko's door. 


YAY... I know this chapter was VERY short and kind of summary of the manga, but I ran out of flashbacks and I thought that was a pretty important part of their relationship to cover. I'd like to get to 130 reviews please! :)

Um... I guess I'll give you a hint for the next and final chapter: JUMP