This special Friday post is in celebration of my 17th birthday! Yay! Thank you to my reviewers: EmziSuohSohma-TamakiYukiKyo8, fmababe1124, and Yugicanbesexy. The song lyrics (Strangers by Martina McBride) won't be used anymore, since we've run out and it takes a different turn away from the song. Please go listen to it on YouTube or some such site. I'm so glad I stumbled over it. Once again, I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters and all rights go to Natsuki Takaya. Please read, review, and enjoy.

Tohru returned from putting Kyoko to bed, carrying an envelope that she hadn't had before. "Gomen for making you wait all this time. I didn't think Kyoko should hear just yet."

"It's all right, Honda-san." Yuki had enjoyed just being around them, it hadn't been any trouble to wait until Kyoko had to go to sleep, despite his endless curiosity as to how she knew who he was. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Tohru twisted her fingers nervously. "Please be honest… Did you know me before today?"

Yuki wasn't sure what he should say, or at least, how much he should say. "I knew you a long time ago, yes."

"When was the last time you saw me?"

"Almost six years," Yuki said, not sure where she was going with all the questions.

Tohru blushed when she asked the next question. "Did we ever… ever sleep together?"

What was she getting at? Did she realize that he was Kyoko's father? "We were married, Honda-san. And legally, we still are."

Tohru looked down at the envelope in her hands. "Then why did you leave? I don't remember any of it. They told me that I had gone into a coma and suffered from memory loss, but I found this in my pocket," she said, holding up the envelope. "It's a note that I must have written to myself and it says that you loved me and I was supposed to wait for you to find me." That was how then, when she'd wrote him a note, she'd also written herself a note. Tohru continued, "But it doesn't make sense to me if we were married then why would you leave to begin with?"

If he told her the truth, would she believe him? There was very little proof and if she thought he was only making it up, she might never want to see him again. But if he didn't then how could he expect her to understand why he hadn't been there for her while she'd been raising a child on her own? Slowly, he explained what the curse had been, how Akito had controlled them, their life together and the dangers it entailed, and how it had ended. "I don't know if you'll believe me, but that's the truth."

Tohru stared at her hands. "I believe you. I don't think you'd make up a story like that just to fool me." She looked back up at him. "And since what you say is true then you must be Kyoko's father."

Yuki watched her face carefully, trying to understand what she was feeling. The only thing he could see was shock and maybe a little relief. Quietly, she said, "She does have your eyes. Your hands, too. I noticed that." She blushed as soon as she realized what she had said.

His hands? Yuki couldn't help but study his hands and compare them with what he'd seen of Kyoko's hands. He hadn't even noticed. Had Tohru been paying that much attention? "I hadn't realized that."

"Oh, it's just that your hands are longer and more slender than mine, and I've always wondered where she got that from. I mean, I'm not trying to be—"

Yuki put a finger to her lips, stopping her mid-ramble. "It's all right, Honda-san. I'm happy that you noticed." Realizing that he was touching her, he was filled with a deep sense of awe at the miracle before quickly pulling away so he wouldn't make her uncomfortable.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to tell her who you are," Tohru said hesitantly. "She's been asking about you more, recently. About who her father is, anyway."

"I don't mind at all."

Tohru took in a relieved breath. "Good. She'll be ecstatic. I guess that's all I wanted to talk about. I think."

He wished she didn't have to be so nervous around him; that she could be at ease. "There is one thing I'd like to tell you, Honda-san."

"Hai?"

"I know that we were married once and still are. I also know that I still love you. But I don't expect anything from you. You don't have to accept me back or feel any obligation." Yuki hadn't known what he was going to do when and if he found her. Now he had, and he still wasn't sure what he should do. All he knew was that he had needed to say that.

Tohru nodded and was visibly more relaxed. "I understand." She stood up. "We don't have a guest room but I'll set up a futon for you."

"Arigatou."

OoOoO

"Kyoko, sweetheart," Tohru said. "I want to tell you something important, okay?"

Yuki watched Tohru as she took Kyoko onto her lap, tucking her hair behind her ears. Kyoko had been happy to see that Yuki was still there and had given him a big hug the minute she'd woken up, demanded that he sit next to her for breakfast.

"Am I in trouble?" Kyoko's eyes were wide.

"No, of course not. You remember how I told you that Mama forgot some things? And that's why I didn't know who your papa is?"

The little girl nodded.

"Sohma-san helped me remember and I know who your papa is now."

Kyoko stood up, grinning. "Really? Can I see him, Mama? I want to see him! I want to see him!"

Yuki felt warm inside as he listened to his daughter's words. She wanted to see him. Did she realize that he should have been there all along? How long had she longed for him this way? No. He wouldn't let feelings of guilt ruin this perfect moment.

"Kyoko, Sohma-san is your papa."

Kyoko looked confused for a split second before her whole face became so joyful Yuki could have cried. She flung herself onto wrapping her arms around his neck, saying "Papa" over and over and again.

Yuki held her in a tight hug; his precious child.

"Don't leave, okay, Papa? Don't ever ever leave." She leaned closer and whispered. "I think Mama's been happier since yesterday."

Yesterday. A time-span as short as that and for a small child it was the same as anything else. A week or a month or a year. Long enough for her to notice a change in her mother.

Had she been happier? Yuki glanced up at her, wondering if that was true. Tohru was standing to the side, watching the scene play out. She looked relieved but also a little confused and sad. Tohru noticed him looking and a little color rose to her face.

"Give me a minute, okay, Kyoko?" Yuki gave her a little squeeze before standing up and going over to Tohru. "Arigatou, Honda-san. You've given me a great gift."

He noticed that her eyes were watering a little. After a moment of hesitation, Yuki did the thing he'd wanted to do ever since his curse had broken. Arms around her, he held her close. The feeling of her body pressed against his was a little shocking. Despite that fact that they had a child, he'd never known this joy. "You were looking so sad before," Yuki said. "Why was that?"

Reluctantly, Tohru returned the hug. "I… I was just thinking. If it had been me… If… if I had been the one who hadn't met our child until yesterday… I was trying to imagine how it must feel for you."

Yes, Tohru would be thinking about others. Yuki smiled. It was so like her. And to think that she would care that much about him was a gift onto itself.

It sounded like Tohru was crying, but Yuki couldn't quite tell. "Gomen nasai, Sohma-san… Yuki."

Kyoko latched herself onto Yuki's leg and he drew away from Tohru. "Papa, will you play with me?"

"Sure, you just tell me what you want to play."

Kyoko squealed in delight and then ran off to her room to get what she wanted. Yuki glanced back over at Tohru, who was swiping at slightly reddened eyes. Before he could say anything, Kyoko bounced back into the room carrying a game.

"See, Papa? This is my most favorite game!" She held up a box entitled Pretty Pretty Princess. "The first person to put on all the jewelry wins!"

Yuki didn't like the sound of it, but there wasn't anything that would keep him away from his daughter at this point. Especially not plastic jewelry.

OoOoO

"Ow," Yuki muttered, as he clipped the plastic earring onto his ear. "That almost hurts."

Tohru giggled. "You don't have to wear all that, you know. You could set it in front of you."

Yuki smiled. "I don't mind." Kyoko was having a good time; of course, he didn't mind.

The front door opened. "Yo! Tohru, I just scared your landlord away again." A voice said.

"Uo-obachan!" Kyoko got up and raced to give her a hug. "And Hana-obachan!"

Yuki debated whether or not he should try and remove the fake jewelry he was wearing for the second first impression he would be making on Tohru's best friends.

"Yes," Hanajima said in her usual somber tone. "He wants the rent from three months ago. He wanted us to tell you that you have two weeks to pay him or he's throwing you out. Uo-chan and I appropriately frightened him into four weeks but he won't cut any more slack."

All thoughts of first impressions flew from his mind. If Tohru was still working the same job she had had before, it would be hard for her to support both herself and Kyoko.

"Hana-chan," Tohru said rather urgently in a hushed tone. "Please let's not talk about that right now. Please?"

Yuki got up from the game board, forgetting that he was still wearing various beads.

"Hana-obchan! Uo-obachan! Look, it's my papa! This is my papa!" Kyoko quickly ran over to Yuki, grabbed his hand, and led him over to Hanajima and Uotani. "See? My papa found me!"

Uo tried not to laugh and Hana raised her eyebrows, smirking a little. Yuki remembered that he was still wearing the game jewelry. "Kyoko and I were playing a game," he said before they could comment.

"Oh, yes. Uo-chan, Hana-chan, this is Yuki Sohma-san. He's Kyoko's father," Tohru said. Then, she turned to Yuki. "Yuki-san, this Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani."

"That's right," Uo said, placing an arm around Tohru's shoulder. "And don't you ever think about leaving her in the cold like that again."

"Yes, it was extremely inconsiderate." Hana's voice was condescending.

Yuki had known that they would be upset; they cared about Tohru too much not to be. All the same, it hurt. He hadn't wanted to leave her, and to think that she had been forced to raise Kyoko on her own made it worse.

Tohru quickly waved her arms to stop them. "It's not his fault. His… ano… his…" Tohru looked at Yuki, trying to figure out what she should say.

"The head of my family forced me to," Yuki told them. "I had no say whatsoever. I wouldn't have left her willingly for the world."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "He's telling the truth," she said.

Uo smirked. "Even is he isn't, he still think he help pay off Tohru's rent. To make up for all the years of child support that he skipped out on."

Tohru flushed and protested. "Oh, no, Yuki-san, you don't have to!"

Yuki was secretly pleased that Uo had brought it up. It would have been considerably more difficult to convince Tohru on his own to let him help. He had no intention of letting his wife and child be thrown out of their home.

"I should help, though, Honda-san. I can't let you lose your apartment, can I?" Tohru was desperately stuttering around, trying to convince him not to listen to Uo and Hana, but Yuki continued on. "I care about you and Kyoko, and I can't let anything happen to you."

Hanajima seemed pleased. She took Tohru's hands in hers and said, "Tohru-chan, let Sohma-san help. Think of Kyoko, if not of yourself."

Tohru looked like she was going to pass out. "But… but…"

"Mama? Do we have to move?" Kyoko asked, reaching up to tug on the hem Tohru's flowered dress.

The sound of her daughter's voice at long last made her agree to "a little help" with her rent.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it Tohru?" Uo said with a grin.

Yuki decided not to comment that it had been terribly rude of them to discuss Tohru's finances at all. Only Hana and Uo could do so without feeling any guilt, he was sure.

OoOoO

It had been two days since he's been at Tohru's. Two days since he'd held his wife and embraced his daughter. Yuki had left Tohru with his number and address, telling her that she could contact him at any time for anything. Kyoko had cried when he'd said that he had to go and it had torn him apart. He'd promised that they'd see each other again, hoping that Tohru wouldn't mind.

All he could do was hope that she'd call soon. She wanted him in Kyoko's life, or she wouldn't have told her who he was. And if he was in Kyoko's life he could also be in Tohru's. If they never had what they'd before, he could deal with it. He could see her, take care of her, and see her smile.

That was all he needed no matter how much he wished that there could be more.

When the knock came at his door, Yuki assumed it was Haru who had said he would be stopping by at some point that week. When he found Tohru waiting on the other side his heart temporarily forgot that it was supposed to beat. "Tohru! I didn't expect you."

Yuki realized what he'd called her and wondered if he should apologize. "I mean, Honda-san."

Tohru was quick to respond. "You can call me Tohru if you want to. I don't mind." Tohru held up a brightly colored photo album. "I came to show you this! It's all the photos and things I've been saving since Kyoko was born. I thought you might like to see." She seemed to collect herself. "And… I also wanted to know more about our life before I lost my memories."

Yuki stepped aside and invited her in, feeling awkward when he realized he'd been standing in the doorway for so long. She slipped off her shoes, and set them neatly beside the door.

"I don't know what I have to offer you," Yuki said, thinking of the take-out boxes stacked in the corner of the kitchen and his empty refrigerator. It was almost time for supper. "I could order something, though."

"It's okay, Yuki-san. I can make supper!" She held out the photo album. "You could look through it while I do. Or if you wait, we could go through it together."

Yuki took the album and although he wanted to look at it, he knew that he'd wait for her.

An hour or so later, they were both sitting on the couch with the album open Yuki stared in wonder at the pictures of Kyoko as an infant and a toddler. Her hospital wristband and Tohru's were included, along with a bit of hair from her first haircut. Yuki couldn't help but gently brush his fingers over it.

All the photos and small mementos were a part of a past he had no part in. He hadn't been there when Tohru had gone through her pregnancy, at the hospital when she'd given birth, or when Kyoko had cried in the middle of the night, keeping her mother awake. He hadn't seen her take her first steps or heard her laugh for the very first time. What were her first words? What did she like to eat? What had been her favorite birthday present over the years?

There was so much he might never be witness to. So much that he had missed entirely. It hurt.

"Yuki-san?"

Yuki realized that he had been staring at a picture of Kyoko dressed up in one of Tohru's dresses with a pair of too big heels on, his eyes watering. He blinked, forcing back the tears that he refused to shed.

"I'm fine, Tohru. It's just… overwhelming."

Yuki jumped a little when Tohru took his hand. She flipped to the back of the album with her free hand, taking out a loose four by seven picture of Kyoko. "Here. You can keep this one. I would like you to be a part of her life, and I know that she cares about you."

Yuki took the picture gently, as if it might tear at the slightest touch from him. "Arigatou," he said. He turned to her. "Wait here."

Yuki disappeared into the bedroom and came back with a small pile of framed pictures which he handed to her. "These are from before. I've kept them."

She'd wanted to know about their life together and the pictures could do some the explaining for the things he still couldn't put words to.

Tohru looked at their wedding photo. "But that's Hana-chan and Uo-chan! They didn't know you yesterday."

"Akito had their memories suppressed as well."

Tohru pointed to Hatori, Haru, Ayame, and Mine. "Who are they?"

Yuki explained who each person was. Hatori. Haru. "And that's my nii-san Ayame, and his girlfriend Mine. They're getting married soon."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah, although we don't see eye to eye on seemingly anything. He runs a costume shop with Mine-san. They designed and constructed your wedding dress."

Tohru's mouth formed a small 'o'. "Did I send a thank you card?"

Yuki almost wanted to laugh at her seriousness. Only his Tohru would be concerned about having sent a thank you card six years ago. The next picture was just of Tohru standing in their kitchen. Haru had been over with a camera that day and refused to stop taking pictures. Yuki had been annoyed at the time but had found himself eternally grateful over the years without Tohru.

Tucked into the frame on the bottom was the note Tohru had written him. When she found it, Tohru looked questioningly at Yuki. "What's this?"

Yuki wasn't sure if he'd meant for her to see that or not. "You wrote that to me before your memories were erased."

"Oh." Tohru looked the worn paper again. "Do you mind if I…?"

"Go ahead. You wanted to know about our past and that's a piece of it." He watched her read it; the blush burning her face as she did.

When she put it down, she asked, "I called you 'Yu-chan'?"

Why did this have to be so hard? Holding back, trying not to scare her away with feelings and emotions that she wouldn't understand when she'd only known him for such a short time. Every minute he spent with her he was biting back things he wanted to say or do. Just hearing her say that old name for him brought on a whole new wave that he had to hold back at the shoreline.

After safely storing away all the things he wanted to say, Yuki answered her, "Shortly after we were engaged you started to use that name."

"What was it that you called me?"

"Either simply Tohru or Tohru-chan."

Her face turned a shade or two darker and she returned to studying the pictures with her head bent to allow her hair to hide the tint in her cheeks.

Not long after that, Tohru looked at the time. "I should go. I told Uo-chan I'd be back before too late. She's babysitting while I'm gone."

Tohru gathered up her photo album and then paused, listening. "It's raining."

Yuki noticed as well, after she said it. "Did they call for rain earlier?"

"I- I don't know. Did they?" Tohru sighed, and set the photo album back down. "Can I leave this here? I don't want the rain to ruin it."

"I don't mind, but I'm sure you don't want to keep Uotani-san waiting, so let me walk you home."

"Eh?" Tohru was confused on how that would get her there any faster.

"I can't let you walk home alone at night. Besides, we can share my umbrella."

Haha, if you haven't noticed 'pretty' is Kyoko's favorite word. And of course, Pretty Pretty Princess is her favorite game. I'm not sure if they have this game in Japan or not, but the idea came to me and I knew I wasn't going to turn it down. Also, the reason Tohru was so embarrassed about her overdue rent and the fact they were talking about it is because the Japanese don't discuss money that way. Ever. It's considered extremely rude. That's why Yuki was feeling awkward and Tohru was feeling flustered.

Please review! *cough* birthday present *cough*

Oba: Aunt (Kyoko uses 'obachan' which is the equivalant of 'auntie' or something similar)