Author's note

-Insert clichés and excuses about disappearing here-

It's about time my favorite Furuba pairing got the spotlight. I erased the last chapter of KurenoxArisa years ago, and only now is it getting the attention it needs. Which is probably good since I don't have to remember to warn about spoilers. If readers aren't up to date on the manga, it is available and most likely common knowledge by now anyway.

I don't have to remember to warn about spoilers, but it does look like I still have to say I don't own Fruits Basket,and the only profit I get out of writing these things are good feelings.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Ever since he had met Arisa, Kureno had done everything in his power to stay away from her. From burying himself in work to bringing meals along with him when he went out, he had avoided seeing Arisa, and thus hurting her because he could never be who she thought he was. He had done so well, he had even fooled himself into thinking that she had given up, that as much as she cared for him, she had understood there was nothing she could do.

He had been wrong, Arisa had never given up. That fact was crystal clear to him since the young woman was standing right in front of him, the look of anger and hurt in her eyes hauntingly familiar. Looking down on her, even though she was about his height, Kureno could only see Akito for a moment, begging pathetically for him to stay.

His eyes must have reflected the pity he had started to feel for Arisa because, out of nowhere, she slapped him across the face, her sadness giving way to even more anger. "Don't look at me like that! I don't need your pity! I don't want it either! Not from anyone, but especially not from you. Not after what you've done, you don't have the right to pity me."

Surprised by the outburst and slap, Kureno could only stare in shock as, once again, Arisa acted just how Akito had all those years ago. "No." he thought to himself. "It's different. It looks the same, but Arisa really doesn't need me. She really can, stand on her own two feet, even through something like this. Pitying her, it wouldn't be selfish and wrong, it would be insulting."

Annoyed by Kureno's silence, Arisa clenched her fists, emotions threatening to overtake her again. "Well?" she asked. "What do you have to say for yourself Kureno SOHMA. Why are you hiding like this from me when Tohru gets to live with Kyo and Yuki? What makes them so special?"

Though he surely owed Arisa a lot of explanation, he was not about to give it to her. He had duties to attend to, and there was no way she could understand. Even Tohru had only just begun to understand herself, and only then because it had been necessary so just this sort of thing would be prevented. And yet, here Arisa was, confronting him on the Sohma Estates, a crudely drawn map sticking out of one pocket.

"Tohru doesn't seem the type to break a promise or lie." Kureno said, before pausing because of the murder he saw in Arisa's eyes. "You don't have to look so angry, I know she didn't do anything of the sort. However, if it wasn't Tohru who told you to find me here, than who?"

"God, you really are just as oblivious as she is. You really think I'm only mad because I thought you were calling Tohru a liar?"

"Well, she is your good friend, it seems like something to get mad about."

" . . Just because Tohru is my friend doesn't mean I expect the same of everyone everyone, and, I already knew she keeps secrets from me. And that's okay, that's her business and she has a good reason not to tell me everything. Not to mention she has Kyo and Yuki to turn to if I'm not there. It sucks, but I can't protect her from everything. I understand that, but what I don't understand is why you'd get her involved in the first place. She has enough to worry about without keeping your secrets to. I don't know what's going on with you or your family, but I do know you have no right to burden Tohru anymore than she already is. If things are that bad, you should have just come to me!"

Embarrassed by that last out burst, Arisa turned bright red and turned her head away, scowling. "Shut up."

"I didn't say a word Arisa. Nor was I going to, you deserve better than that. That is also the reason I, as you said, burdened, Tohru. I had no choice, burdening her was the only way to do good by you."

"Bastard!" Arisa shouted, punctuating her word with another slap. "Idiot! You have nidea! You can't possibly know 'what is good for me' nor do you have any right to decide what that is! I am not some weakling who needs decisions made for me, about me. And, even if I was, you still would have no right to make those decisions.

"That isn't what I meant. You just don't understand."

Kureno's words only served to make her more furious. "Of course I don't understand! You're the one not telling me anything! You're the one keeping secrets from me, hiding from me because you think you might hurt me. Maybe you have good reasons, or think you do, but you can't force those reasons on me and expect me to understand or be okay!"

"It's not-"

"What, it's not that simple? You told Tohru something didn't you? Why can't you tell me? No matter what secrets she was keeping already, if you can tell her you can tell me. Maybe I don't understand but, dammit I love you!"

This time, shock caused both Kureno and Arisa to endure an embarrassed silence, both of them turning away from each other as they fought to control their respective emotions.

"Forget it." Arisa spat. "I shouldn't have come here in the first place. You obviously don't care enough to respect my opinion, that first day might have meant something once, but not anymore. I might as well just forget everything that's happened if you aren't even man enough to understand."

True to her words, Arisa began walking away, while doing her best to hide the tears tat fell despite her best efforts to will them away.

"I can't stay by your side, I'm not free to do that."

Hearing Kureno's odd words, Arisa slowed down, but did not stop, instead only turning her head in his direction to show that he had her attention.

"I can't make any promises, can't tell you things will be better one day. I can't because I don't know. But I do know that you're right, you don't need promises of support or definite knowledge. You're stronger than that, I knew that the first time, I loved you for it, but I still didn't understand. Perhaps I couldn't, I've been stuck like this for so long, it was all I could do to believe everyone else was the same. I know what I'm saying now doesn't make sense, but it will. I promise you that, before the day is out, you'll understand everything. However, in return, you have to promise not to let Tohru know. Telling her would burden her, and I will not be responsible for doing that again."

Having stopped now, Arisa just nodded to Kureno, unable to say anything lest her impatience get the best of her. "Fine, I won't tell whatever you have to explain. But I won't let her worry needlessly either. If she wants to know what happened between us, I'm going to say I saw you with another woman, or something like that. I'll say I saw you happy and if she comes to you, you'll tell her the same thing."

"I'll stand by whatever you decide to tell her, I can do that much." Kureno agreed before quickly closing the distance between Arisa and himself. "I can also do something else, something not even Tohru can do for the one she loves.

Than, before Arisa could ask any questions or say so much as a word, he hugged her, tightly. He brought her head to his chest and, for a time, didn't worry about crushing her. He didn't worry about being gentle. Arisa had proven she deserved more than that, proven that what little he could afford to give would be enough for her until the time he could give more. She would, in her own way, understand, and that was more than he could ever ask for, or have even expected.

Hours later, deliriously happy and giddy beyond all reason, Arisa remembered a promise she had made right before going to find Kureno. She now understood a lot more than she had hours ago, and though her head still spun with the secrets she had to keep, she would not think of what they met yet. First, she had to make a phone call.

"I just called to say thanks and that I owe you for the map, Shigure."

FIN

I'm surprisingly proud of this chapter. It didn't have all the fluff I wanted, but it never does. And, it still worked out very well. It seems like something that would happen. Well, to me at least. I don't know. Evrything just seemed to work. Even Shigure telling Arisa about the main estates. He'd totally have done that to advance his own plans, even if doing so meant helping Kureno. Well, until next time with Hiro and Kisa, read, enjoy and review