Here we are with chapter two. I intend on updating this every Monday, just so you know. Also, this chapter doesn't have any song lyrics in it, but I'm pretty sure the next one will. This is also still flashback. We have one or two more flasback chapters, before we go back to Yuki searching for Tohru and cute little Kyoko. A very special and heartfelt thank you to my only reviewer: AssassinedAngel. Only one review! It makes me wonder if anyone's really reading this. But this chapter is dedicated to AssassinedAngel in thanks for taking time to review.

I do not own Fruits Basket and its characters or the song (that isn't used in this chapter). Rights go to Natsuki Takaya and Martina McBride.

~Seven months later~

Yuki sat in the restaurant at which Tohru worked as a waitress, waiting for Haru. Chances were his friend had gotten lost and couldn't find the place. The reason Yuki had chosen this place was because… well… Tohru was there and Haru would want to meet her after Yuki told him what he was coming to hear.

Haru finally meandered in, looking annoyed. He saw Yuki and quickly went over to take the seat across from him, ignoring the confused look of the man who had been waiting to seat him.

"It's about time you asked to see me," Haru said. "You should call more often."

"Gomen. I've been busy."

They both made selections and ordered before Yuki brought up what he'd met Hatsuharu to discuss. "Haru, I need your advice on something."

"Huh? Okay, what?"

Yuki saw Tohru wiping down tables across the room. He smiled to himself. "I met a girl a while back. She's the most amazing person I've ever met, Haru. She knows about the curse and she doesn't even care!"

Haru looked a little stunned. "You had enough courage to ask her out? Good going."

Yuki continued, "Last weekend I proposed and she said yes." Haru gaped, and Yuki went on, "I don't know what I should do about Akito, though."

His eyes flickered back over to Tohru. "I don't want to endanger her, but I can't imagine my life without her either. If I don't ask permission from Akito, I can't marry her, and if I do, I'm scared something similar might happen like what happen with Hatori and Kana. He might hurt her, or have her memories erased."

Haru sat back and looked at Yuki with a level gaze. "Does she know about what Akito is? And what's happened before?"

Yuki nodded. "I've told her about Akito and what he did to me. And I explained about how he usually feels about marriage and relationships."

"What do you think you should do?" Haru asked.

"Tell Akito and make sure that she's nowhere near when I do. If he says no, I might get married anyway." He'd thought about it already, and now he just wanted Haru's opinion.

"You're playing with fire, Yuki. If you go behind Akito's back and he finds out later…"

"I know."

Haru drummed his fingers on the tabletop, the beat picking up pace as he continued. "She knows everything, huh? And she's accepting the risks, too?"

"Yeah," Yuki said. "I explained all of it very carefully before I even asked her to marry me."

"If Akito finds out, her memories will be erased without a doubt and you'll catch hell for disobeying. I don't think he'll touch her physically, but all this sacrifice will be for nothing."

Yuki looked at his friend seriously. "If it was only me at risk, I wouldn't hesitate. What's happened to me since I've been with her is something I never thought I'd have a chance at. I know it's worth it. I know that she's worth it." Yuki paused. "I love her more than anything in this world. I can't let anything happen to her."

"It sounds to me like you've already made up your mind. But be careful. I'm not going to tell anyone, but don't go telling all of the Sohma. Not all of them are as closed-mouthed as I am." Haru slapped the table with the palm of his hand. "Now, I think I should get to meet the girl. It's ogle time!"

Yuki glared at him. "It is not! You have Rin for that; Tohru-chan isn't going to be subject to you."

Haru whistled. "'Tohru-chan'? How touching, Yuki. You've moved me."

"Shut up."

OoOoO

Yuki stood in front of the main house, trying to collect himself before going in. This was a place of nightmares and pain even after all these years. Would his past never let go?

It didn't matter. For Tohru, he'd do anything.

The minute he entered any bearings he'd had washed away and there was nothing left but what he'd come with; anxiety and fear.

"Yuki?" Hatori had been walking by and stopped when he saw him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Akito about getting married," Yuki said.

Hatori's eyebrows shot up. "You… you what?"

"I found a girl and I want to get married."

Hatori was silent for a moment, but then said, "Be very careful, Yuki. This is a dangerous thing you're doing. Where is she?"

"Where Akito can't reach. I refused to let her come." Yuki watched as Hatori seemed to center himself.

"Good. Don't underestimate Akito and you should try to ease into the subject."

Yuki nodded and set off. His feet were heavy and protested every step forward. When he came to Akito's room he took in a shaky breath before sliding open the door. "Akito-san?"

OoOoO

Tohru held an ice pack to Yuki's forehead where the upraised swelling from Akito's fist still grew. She hadn't stopped worrying and fretting from the moment he'd arrived back at his apartment where she'd been waiting for him. "Yuki-kun, please lay down. You might get a headache! You really should—"

"I'm fine," he assured her. Akito was weakening, Yuki knew. He was sick more and more often and although his words hurt just as much, his fists and feet didn't. "What sensible woman would ever want to marry some one as worthless and boring as you, my Yuki?" The words had been echoing inside of his mind ever since Akito had spoken them. The Sohma head had been furious and those calmly spoken parting words ripped him up inside. What had happened before could have been heard throughout the Sohma estate. Akito's raised voice had been outraged, and his anger had been shown through fists as well. "I'll never let you marry, Yuki! Never! How dare you even think that you could do such a thing!"

"Yuki-kun?" Tohru's sweet, innocent voice cut through the memory of Akito's harsh words.

"Hai, Tohru-chan?"

"Since Akito-san won't let us marry, what are we going to do?" Tohru looked a little desperate.

When Yuki had met with Haru he'd thought he knew what he wanted to do in this situation. But now… Now it seemed different. The immediacy and potency of the moment was bearing down on him and he couldn't think of risking Tohru, even if she did accept the danger. Yuki looked away from her imploring gaze before forcing the painful words out of his mouth. "We shouldn't be together anymore, Tohru-chan. It isn't fair to you." Each word was a knife into his own heart and he could only hope he hadn't hurt Tohru in the same way.

There was a silence that lasted what seemed like hours. Yuki still couldn't look at her, afraid to see what her reaction had been and afraid that the moment he looked at her again he'd take back what he'd said.

The calm was finally broken by a sob from Tohru. The ice pack she'd been holding slipped away, as she quietly leaned forward and buried her face in her arms to cry. It broke Yuki's heart to see her cry and he comfortingly touched her back.

"P-please," she said her voice muffled by both her arms and her tears, "Please don't leave me! Don't give in to Akito; he's already taken so much away from you. I don't want to be one more thing added to that list!"

"I don't want to leave you," Yuki said softly, his voice choking on the words as he forced his eyes not to water. "I don't have a choice, Tohru-chan. He'd hurt you and it would be my fault."

Tohru sat up and looked at him, her normally deep brown eyes a caramel shade from her tears. "I'm not giving my engagement ring back." She balled up her left hand into a protective fist, holding it close to her chest. "You deserve happiness, Yuki-kun, just like anyone else. Even if Akito-san has my memories erased, you'll still have yours, won't you?"

Yuki didn't say anything and Tohru put a hand on his arm. "Please, can we make memories that you'll be able to look back on with a smile? I want you to be able to keep on smiling."

Yuki lovingly traced her delicate jawline. "Tohru-chan, I love you so much that it hurts sometimes, but if we were to get married behind Akito's back… it would—"

Tohru cut him off by pressing her lips to his, only breaking away full minutes later. Her hands still holding his face between them, she said, "When you proposed, Yuki-kun, I accepted the risks. All of them. I love you for who you are and nothing that Akito can do will ever change that."

Yuki had never felt the longing to embrace someone more than in that instant. Giving in to the urge, he wrapped his arms around her and held close, treasuring the few seconds that he had before he was consumed in the smoke that signaled his transformation.

"Arigtou, Tohru-chan," he said. "Arigatou."

OoOoO

Yuki looked over at Haru, who was tugging at the tie around his neck. "So, your brother's assistant, what's-her-name, is helping Tohru into her dress?"

"Yeah. The ceremony's not for another ten minutes, but I expect that they're just waiting now. Like us."

Groom and best man were lazily sitting on the floor with their backs leaning up against the wall with an air of relaxation that neither of them really felt. The danger of the situation was preventing true ease, but even so Yuki had never been so happy. His hand flew to his pocket to make sure the wedding ring was still there and he was glad to find that it hadn't slipped out.

There was hardly anyone coming to the wedding. Haru, Hatori, Ayame, and Mine with him. Tohru's friends, Uo and Hana would also be there. That was all. The only ones who would know that Yuki and Tohru were married would be in attendance.

The door opened with small bang. "Up, up, little brother, it is almost time!" Ayame burst into the room with smile. "We don't want to be late do we? Your princess is waiting and we must go forthwith so that you may be joined in unbreakable bonds of love!"

Hatori put a hand on Ayame's shoulder after coming in behind him. "Settle down."

"Ah, Tori-san, must I?" Ayame whined.

"Yes, you must." Hatori turned to Yuki. "The judge is ready and so is the bride." Hatori effectively shooed Ayame out of the room and quickly followed behind with one last appraising glance towards Yuki.

Yuki was suddenly a little light-headed. Tohru was out there waiting for him.

He stood up and straightened his tie only to freeze up afterward.

"Pre-wedding jitters?" Haru asked with a sly grin. "I thought women were the ones who got those."

Yuki threw him a half-hearted glare. "Let's just go."

The next fifteen minutes meshed together. Yuki registered very little past the basics: Tohru blushing in her dress, looking like a dream; her friends tearing up and hugging her enough to keep Yuki jealous for a lifetime; sliding the wedding ring onto her finger and kissing her afterward.

At the time that was all he'd known, but his mind had filed away the tiniest details to be relived later. It had been the best fifteen minutes of his life and from the beginning it was doomed to be destroyed.

So... They got married. A small and angsty wedding, but no less a beautiful, wonderous, and happy occasion. I hope you enjoyed my offering of a chapter! Whether you did or didn't I hope you review! It does mean a lot to me. By the way I'm getting a pair of pet rats this week! I'm going to mane them Yuki and RuRu. RuRu might become simply Rue though. They're both male rats, so I don't have litters of little Yukiru offspring every two months. But I'm so excited!

Arigatou: Thank you.

Gomen: Sorry