Disclaimer: No money made, Fruits Basket is Takaya Natsuki's.

Chapter 2 – Festival

"I want this one". Kisa pointed to a sleek and rather small but brilliant orange fish in the basin. "It looks like you, Hiro-chan".

"We'll be lucky to catch a fish at all. There's no way to single one out", Hiro huffed, but nevertheless leaned further over the basin, calculating his chances to get her favourite fish.

"But he really does look like you, Hiro-kun. You have to get him", Kagura cried and slapped him on the back, nearly sending the sheep head first into the water, if Rin hadn't grabbed his shoulder.

"Watch it, Kagura-nee!", he growled and threw a quick soft smile at Rin, his older sister in mind if not in blood. Then he looked into the basin again. "Where did it go?"

"There. It's over there", Kakeru said and pointed to the far corner of the basin, where the fish slowly made its way along the sides of the basin.

"It comes this way", Kisa whispered in excitement, pointing to the fish again.

"Haru, can I ask you something". The ox looked up from where he had watched his girlfriend kneeling in front of the basin, side by side with some of his family and Yuki's friends from school.

"Sure. What is it?", he answered and turned towards Yuki who was leaning beside him against a wall, a short distance away from the group. Haru followed the rat's gaze for a moment and saw Yuki's girlfriend, Machi, who quietly stood beside the chattering group.

"I… I'm wondering…" Yuki was silent for a long moment and Haru didn't push him, silently observing how the rat nervously nestled with his zipper.

"I wonder… how it feels."

"How what feels?", Haru asked and looked at Yuki, who turned very red. He hadn't seen the older boy blush in a long time, and Haru smiled softly.

"Well… I mean… well."

"You mean sex?". The choking sound from Yuki was enough to answer his question and Haru grinned.

"I… Yeah."

"How far did you two go already?", Haru asked and watched in satisfaction as Yuki blushed again.

"Well… No more than kissing and embracing. I still…" The rat smiled softly. "I still try to get used to being embraced at all. It was… so sudden." Haru nodded in answer.

"Yeah. It was." For a moment both of them were lost in memories of the not-so-long-ago past, were they were still cursed, ruled by god and their own fears.

"It's great", Haru finally said.

"Yeah, it's good that it broke. The curse", Yuki answered.

"I meant sex. You wanted to know what it feels like. It feels great. It's…" Yuki watched how Haru's gaze flickered to his girlfriend again, his eyes so full of emotions that only shared history allowed Yuki to decipher some of them. Pure love most of all. But there was more. Haru's eyes were those of a man who had gone through hell, and came still out alive.

'Broken, and still breathing', Yuki thought, although he knew this wasn't entirely true. Broken Haru had been when Rin had left him. Now, with her by his side again, even Yuki could see how these two were healing. They were healing each other.

"Two halves of a single being, those two are. They can't be separated".

"I guess you're right", Haru said and only then did Yuki realize that he had said this last thought out aloud. For a moment Yuki feared that he had voiced something that was too intimate, too deep, too personal to be voiced by outsiders, but then Haru gave him a real true smile.

"It's good to see you smiling like that again, Haru", the rat said and smiled back.

"It's good to feel complete again. You weren't too far off with your thought", Haru said back and looked at Rin again. She looked up that very moment and smiled, seeing Haru's eyes on her.

"I guess, I have to find out what it feels like on my own, huh?", Yuki finally said after a moment of silence. Haru looked at him seriously.

"Yeah. I guess". Haru was silent for a moment. "I wouldn't know how to describe it anyway. It's like… coming home. Like getting a part of yourself back that you didn't know was missing. It's… completion." Yuki looked at the ox silently.

"You… just described it perfectly". Yuki took a deep breath. "Let's go back to the others", he said and pushed himself away from the wall.

"Yeah. Yuki? Good luck." Haru winked at him, before walked back to the group, immediately taking Rin into his arms and whispering something into her ear, that made her grin and slap his arm, while he smiled down at her. Yuki sighed, slowly walking to Machi's side. She looked at him wordlessly.

In the background he heard the group of his family and friends crying in triumph, when Hiro caught the fish, but the sound was lost to him when Machi graced him with a wide smile and he embraced her in answer. Over her shoulder he could see Haru giving him the thumbs-up.

"Ganbatte, Yuki!", Haru said over the noise and Yuki grinned in return.

"I will. You too, Haru."

"Hey, I always give my very best". He grinned at Rin, before he swooped down for a kiss.

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The End

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