That letter curved... that one was spiky... he knew the sound they made together. So that word was... He smiled when he figured it out.

Yuki practiced diligently that week, pouring over the two children's books Tohru had given him. He absorbed every word, sounding it out, writing it again and again, repeating it aloud to himself.

After mastering those he was hungry for more material. Selecting one of Akito's books from his bookcase he attempted to read it, but it proved complicated and challenging. Too many of the words were new to him so his overall comprehension of the paragraph was weak. Frustrated at himself he went instead to the main lounge and stole a newspaper.

He studied this carefully, furtively reading it in the early hours before Akito woke up, and in the afternoon before his clients arrived. He read the words over and over and copied them out hundreds of times. Often he derived their meaning from the context, if he was unsure.

He made lists of words he didn't know, resolved to ask Tohru what they meant when she returned... if she returned...

On the Monday evening he decided to attempt writing a sentence.

He initially curled in the armchair by the window in Akito's bedroom but felt anxious practicing there. He soon absconded with his notebook to the bench in the garden. Here he took a deep breath, feeling considerably better already. If he was succeeding... he would be able to think of a sentence... and write it.

What should he write? He thought for a moment, then slowly, painstakingly, started.

It took him a minute but when he raised the pen he was triumphant.

My name is Yuki.

He had written it. He had written it! For all the world to see. He couldn't believe it. It felt like bubbles were bouncing around in his mind. Unable to conceal his excitement he hurried inside to Haru's bedroom. He knocked impatiently, hoping his friend was awake.

Haru opened the door a moment later, looking tired and irritable.

"Sorry!" Yuki made himself spit out before letting himself into the room. Haru looked like he was about to say something, judging by his angry sigh, but Yuki ignored this and proudly brandished the notebook before him.

Haru stopped, took the notebook from Yuiki, and stared.

Look at it, Yuki thought. Look what I did... what I have achieved.

Haru stared for a long moment before slowly raising his eyes to Yuki's.

"What's this?"

"I did that, I wrote it!" Yuki exclaimed impatiently. He took the notebook from Haru and threw himself down on his bed. With much concentration he slowly wrote the words again for Haru to see. My name is Yuki.

Haru looked incredulously at the page as it slowly filled with Yuki's words.

"Tohru... she's teaching me to read." Yuki beamed up at Haru as he proudly pointed to the words on the page. His words.

For a moment Haru was stunned, then all the anger seemed to drain out of him. A genuine and gentle smile graced his tired features.

"Wow that's great Yuki. Really... that is." He smiled down at Yuki, observing his eager eyes, his insistent pointing to his writing, the way his tongue slightly protruded between his teeth when he was concentrating on the words. And he was so pleased for him.

"Well done."

Yuki beamed to receive such praise and recognition. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Haru that happy. The two ordered a pizza from the dining room and took it back to Haru's bedroom. Yuki practiced reading with Haru until he had to leave to greet his client.

.

On Wednesday afternoon Yuki nervously waited. He had been practicing reading since he awoke from an anxious few hours of sleep and he now stood near the gate to the Estate, holding two orange juices in slightly trembling hands. He was nervous, but he couldn't say why. Their last meeting had ended uncomfortably, though Yuki couldn't exactly understand why which was infuriating and difficult.

He waited. She would come. She had to come. He needed her...

She did.

Appearing like a dream in a floral top which matched her bright smile she entered the Estate and spotted him instantly. He steered her immediately, eagerly, to the bench, though she hardly needed guiding now.

"Thank you," Yuki said, as soon as they were seated, "For coming." He wasn't sure what made hims say it, but as soon as he did he realised he wasn't thanking her for coming only today, but for coming always... for coming ever. She had done so much for him.

After a moment Tohru replied. "I wasn't sure I was going to actually." Yuki waited; he had found with clients if they wanted to share something it was often best not to prompt them, and to allow them to continue themselves.

"Seeing you last week... with Madam Rossa... it made me... realise what we're doing." Yuki wasn't sure what to respond. What was she saying? Perhaps she was finally disgusted by what he was?

"I just... it's so easy to forget what you do- what you have to do- when we're together. And I guess last week I had to face that and deal with it." Yuki's heart was pounding forcefully. Please don't leave. He would do anything for her to stay.

"I'm sorry that's your life."

Yuki stared at her, taken aback. It wasn't the response he was expecting. He shook his head. Shyly, he gathered her hand in both of his own.

"Don't be. I'm sorry for pulling you into it."

Now she shook her head, and they smiled sadly at each other. Their joined hands were warm and comforting between them. Yuki wanted to stay like that,with their hands joined... safe and soft... secure and tender.

Don't leave me. Don't let go. Your hand is all that's holding me together.

.

They practiced reading and writing that afternoon, but they also talked... smiled... laughed... held hands. Tohru told him he was doing well as they carefully deconstructed the sentences in the leaflets about pet care Tohru had 'borrowed' from the Vets.

As the afternoon meandered on, a figure appeared in the garden, much to Yuki's surprise.

Haru came loping easily across the lawn, a relaxed grin softening his expression. Yuki and Tohru stopped talking immediately and Yuki saw how Tohru blushed delicately. He felt tense... why was Haru here? But his friend seemed to be in a good mood...

"Hey!" Haru greeted them with a lively wave. "I heard you're teaching Yuki to read? Thought I'd stop by." He smiled warmly at Tohru and her blush deepened.

"Oh erm, hi?" she stuttered, looking to Yuki nervously. He nodded, though he felt as anxious as her.

"It's great to meet you Tohru. Really. What you're doing for Yuki, it's great."

Yuki relaxed considerably. Haru wasn't here to cause trouble, to tell him he had a client, to berate Tohru for coming. He was just being a friend. He felt the tension leave his chest.

"This ass is Haru. My supposed best friend" he said with a smirk. Tohru laughed.

"Oh yes, I've heard a lot about you."

"All good, I'll assume" Haru answered smoothly.

He shoved Yuki along and seated himself on the bench with them. Stretching his long legs out in front of him he smiled smugly from the side of his mouth. "So, what are we learning today then?"

The afternoon was passed in high spirits. They laughed together and talked comfortably, and Yuki carefully read and wrote, becoming gradually more at ease with having two people overseeing him. Haru helped his reading when he faltered and explained things if Tohru became unsure of how best to convey something.

When Yuki left to get them coffee he heard Tohru and Haru murmuring together. On returning he hovered in the shadows of the building a moment, listening.

"I just... never thought to teach him to read," Haru was saying, "I mean we knew he couldn't of course... and I read things for him if he asks... but I never thought to teach him... I don't know why." Haru sounded very sad and tired and Yuki felt a pang of tenderness towards his friend. For all his boastful confidence and rudeness, Haru was very caring, especially concerning his friends. Yuki heard the comforting murmur of Tohru's quiet voice reassuring him. He approached casually, as though he had heard nothing.

As he handed them their coffees the thought struck Yuki that these were the two people he cared most about in the world. That was an odd realisation for Yuki, who hadn't been aware of caring about anyone or anything a few months previously. He thought he had stopped caring the day he lost his mother's pearl earrings... but here he was, apparently... caring.

The light faded slowly that evening, clinging on and fighting the darkness for longer than usual. Haru left to have dinner before the clients arrived. Yuki and Tohru sat together for some time, letting the scents and sounds of the mild summer evening wash over them.

It was so peaceful, Yuki thought, to sit beside Tohru and to feel her warm comforting presence beside him. They walked slowly to the gate of the Estate, Yuki holding Tohru's hand lightly.

.

They did not know, and nor had Haru known, that they were being watched.

A pair of dark cruel eyes watched the carefree movements of the couple as they strolled together.

Their owner thought this strange progression was very interesting...

And he vowed to watch Yuki closely... to find out what was going on...

Shigure turned away from the happy scene to the darkness inside.

And the envy in his heart spread, morphing into bitterness, anger, and determination.

.

From that point onward Yuki felt he was living solely for Wednesdays.

His body was a harp and Tohru's every action was fingers running upon the strings.

He worked hard all week to gain her approval, eagerly awaited her arrival every day, understood from a glance or smile what she meant or wanted and acted upon it, and loyally missed her with an unrivaled fierceness when she left.

And this didn't bother him in the slightest. As long as she was willing to give the tired dirty harp her time, she could continue playing him and he would come running. He felt... alive.

Haru often joined them now, sometimes bringing food or drinks, others reading material for Yuki, yet always a smug grin.

One such day, he had spread a blanket on the grass and the three sat happily eating sandwiches. Haru had recently reprimanded Yuki for failing to provide Tohru with food when she visited; Yuki simply forgot to eat often and it didn't occur to him. He was only half-listening however as he had just noticed an adorable freckle on the back of Tohru's ear. He was marveling at the gem, wondering whether he should thank the recent summer sun for it's existence, when Kyo wandered over.

He scowled when he saw Tohru. Yuki was surprised. It was true what Akito said; Kyo really had very little respect for clients. Instinctively Yuki moved closer to her, determined to shield her from the withering glare.

"Afternoon," Kyo muttered to Tohru. Then he paused and glanced around. Scattered on the blanket was food, bottles of lemonade, books, pens... Haru and Yuki sat on either side of Tohru protectively. Kyo frowned. "What's going on?" he addressed Haru, ignoring Yuki and Tohru completely.

Haru looked a little guilty. "Obviously a picnic, not that it concerns you, idiot," he attempted to retain his buoyant manner, but Kyo was not fooled.

"What's with the books and stuff? Why are both of you out here with an afternoon client?" he spared Tohru a disdainful glance, and his expression softened.

"Lemonade?" Haru ventured feebly, offering a bottle to Kyo. Kyo met his faltering gaze frostily.

"What's going on?" he repeated.

So they told Kyo that Tohru was teaching Yuki to read. None of them mentioned that they had met outside the Estate, but Kyo seemed to sense that something more was going on. He remained suspicious and distant even after he sat with them and ate.

The next day he approached Yuki as he lay on the bench, tenderly cradling a glass of rum. Brusquely he thrust something at him. A writing workbook. Kyo's name was scrawled in childish writing on the inside cover and his answers and small drawings were scattered throughout the book. By the time Yuki realised what it was Kyo was gone.

He showed it to Tohru the following Wednesday and she made him go to thank Kyo and invite him for some of the potato salad she had made.

And so it came to be that the four of them were sprawled, strangely and unexpectedly content, on the blanket in the middle of the garden. They were in the very centre of the Estate, where they had been imprisoned, made to feel they were worthless... where they had shouted and cried and wished they had anyone else's life... yet on that day they were happy.

The garden bloomed around them, the vivid ferns creeping along the base of the gardens, the flowers bursting forth in explosions of colour. Bees flew drunkenly from one to the next, quite oblivious to the happiness of the young people they passed. They ate well, laughed well, learnt well...

And when Yuki and Tohru wandered together through the blooming gardens, as the warm evening drew in, they loved well too.

Hand-in-hand, in a perfect mellow silence, something beautiful took root between them. Tohru smiled shyly sideways at him and he squeezed her hand in return. When they reached the gates both stopped, and neither moved for a meaningful moment.

Yuki didn't want her to go. Every day he wasn't with her was a day wasted in waiting for her return. He wanted to count her freckles, study her laughter lines, learn the exact colour of her eyes...

Right now though, far more simply, he wanted to hold her... But maybe she wouldn't want that... He tried to tell her with his eyes, and she told him the same. She lent forward slightly and Yuki wrapped his arms around her.

It was so safe. That was the only thing Yuki could think. Her warmth, her softness... just her. Holding each other, closing the cracks in their hearts with tender hands.

She pulled away after a moment, smiling warmly. She fumbled for a moment, nervously shoving a hand in her pocket.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, drawing something forth, "This ran out today but you should keep it... the first pen you wrote with." She handed him the pen and he took it slowly. He still held her other hand in his.

She smiled. "I don't want to leave either." She gently eased her hand from his. Slowly she raised his hand to her lips, kissed it and dropped it, suddenly blushing furiously. "I'll see you next week." She laughed at his dumbfounded expression and left.

As soon as she turned the corner onto the next street Tohru stopped and lent against the wall. She needed to gather her thoughts before returning to her grandfather. What was she doing?

What on earth was she doing?

A few weeks ago she had told herself she wouldn't get involved, that she couldn't get involved.

She thought about the weight of Yuki's body against her's, the way he stared at her and how it made her feel, the spark as she had kissed his hand... and she knew she was involved, regardless of her intention.

She suddenly felt like she was living a life she hadn't had time to anticipate.

How had this happened? Was she...? Did she...? Did she like Yuki? Did she love him?

She might love someone who was not free to love her back, who could never return her feelings...

Some part of her mind sent a jarring warning; get far away, claw your way back out before the this dark thing swallows you forever, don't get hurt...

But she ignored it. There was nothing else she could do.

And she desperately looked forward to seeing Yuki again.

.

Yuki carefully stowed the notebook in his cabinet. Then he slowly withdrew the old weathered tin. Opening it, he allowed himself to hold his treasures; to feel the reassuring weight of the watch, the comforting coarseness of the teddy bear. And he held Tohru's pen tightly before adding it to the box. It was an ordinary pen, nothing especially stunning to behold, but it was worth more than a diamond to him. He gazed at his three treasures and they looked so right together. He thought back on the ones he had lost. He hadn't added anything to the box in... ten years... he had thought he never would again. But Tohru had given him something to add, something to live for.

He thought of the softness of her lips on his hand and the way she had smirked as she left, which touched her eyes and made them dance.

He was so happy, unlike he could ever remember being...

But that night he cried as he fucked an unknown woman.

His head was swimming and his chest constricting and he couldn't breathe and suddenly he was gasping and sobbing and there was screaming in his head. It was so difficult, so impossibly difficult all of a sudden.

The woman stared, disgusted at his weakness and demanded he got a hold of himself. So he did. He pushed everything he was feeling under a veil and ignored it.

But the next night he purposefully sought out a client he knew would have the drugs he needed. The man shared them generously, as Yuki had known he would... and for some time he was flying and free... weightless and unburdened. Giddy and relaxed they enjoyed each other's company.

...Until the sweet caress of the drug abandoned him, leaving him alone and broken, and wretched with guilt and pain, and a sadness too great for him to put in words.

At that time in Yuki's life he was so happy... yet so sad.

.

And the dark eyes watched him carefully.

So I want to thank the guest reviewer on my last chapter, thank you so much for your kind words :)

Also I must apologise if all this fluffy, romantic, lovey-dovey stuff is making anyone sick. I didn't intend it to be like this, I don't ever know where it's coming from!

Also in case anyone is wondering I just checked and disappointingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, I still don't own Fruits Basket. So that's a bit sad for me... :P