Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ I LOVE YOU ❯ Do What You Have To Do ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or it's characters. It belongs to Takaya Nasuki. Nor do I own "Do What You Have To Do " it is property of Sarah McLachlan and Arista records.

I'm back! Well, thanks for your very gracious reviews. I love writing this story a lot, and I am happy that you like it too. Now, I can add to my list of countries, China, Finland x2, Peru, and another girl from Indiana - That makes three, anime must be popular in Indiana, maybe I should move there… hee hee.

Well, if you are one of my readers from "Sleepless" and are wondering why the heck I am posting another chapter of this story, when I still owe you a closing chapter… (now picture the Sohma Spa bathhouse lady as I say the following) I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I don't deserve to be a writer… I am a horrible person. Seriously though, I am working on that chapter, but this weekend I was sort of fascinated with this new story and just felt the need to write this chapter, before finishing the other. I give you all my word, I will not start Ch. 4 of this story until I have posted the closing chapter of "Sleepless"… okay… so now that that is settled, read on:

I LOVE YOU

Chapter Three: Do What You Have To Do

*

What ravages of spirit
Conjured this tempestuous rage
Created you a monster
Broken by the rules of love
And fate has lead you through it

You do what you have to do
And fate has led you through it
You do what you have to do ...

And I have the sense to recognize

That I don't know how to let you go.

*

"It's raining!" I noticed, and I couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice. This put a tiny dent in my plans. I couldn't very well make Miss Honda pose on the porch in that tiny little dress if it was raining. She'd surly catch a cold.

"Actually, it's pouring. Isn't it?" She stuck her head out from the kitchen and corrected me.

"Well, it's a shame. The weather report said that this weekend would be sunny. I wonder if this will clear up soon." I walked into the kitchen where she had just finished our breakfast preparations. It looked wonderful, and I was grateful, because I was staving.

"I am sorry, Yuki. I know that you wanted to paint me outside, with the beach as a background, but I don't think that it is such a good idea today. We don't want to make your asthma any worse." She moved past me, her hands full of plates, and gave me a sympathetic smile. There she goes again, worrying about the foolish rat.

"It's all right, Miss Honda. I can still paint you. We will just have to do it inside. If we position you properly we can still get the ocean in the background. The room that I am sleeping in has glass doors and a wonderful view. It should work perfectly."

"Oh yes, that's right." She said excitedly, sitting the plates down on the dining room table and clapping her hands joyfully. "It's a very beautiful view. I noticed it last night." Stopping abruptly, she covered her mouth with her hands, but now I knew for sure. It hadn't been a dream. She had been in my room last night. That confirmed how the spare blanket ended up on my bed, and even explained why she was blushing. Miss Honda had kissed me last night. It wasn't a big deal, it was only on my forehead, and rather motherly at that, but a kiss was still a kiss. It gave me hope.

"By the way, Miss Honda. I was going to thank you for that. Um… for the blanket. You should have kept it yourself though. I wanted you to have it. You must have been cold without it."

"Oh, no, really I was fine. It was more important that you kept warm. You were so sick last night, and…" I reached my hand to touch her cheek, watching as her blush widened from a tiny petal into a glowing red rose. She was so lovely this morning, and I couldn't help myself. My heart was practically bursting with my need of her. I could scarcely contain it. Her eyes locked onto mine, eyes much bluer than the sea, and I allowed my fingers to travel along her face to her lips. They were so soft, so warm, so welcoming.

"Yuki?" She whispered, and she stepped away from me, too suddenly, enough to cause me pain. "What are you doing? We should eat, our breakfast will get cold."

I was a fool, I determined. It was clear that she did not share my feelings. "I'm sorry, Miss Honda. I was only considering what colors I should use for your eyes." I lied, and was saddened by the look of relief that snuck across her face. "Your eyes are such a gentle blue, but I do believe that I have just the right color." I looked away from her, unable to force a smile to my lips, and dropped down at the table. Eating, however, was now the last thing that I felt like doing.

*

Every moment marked
With apparitions of your soul
I'm ever swiftly moving
Trying to escape this desire
The yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
The yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do …

But I have the sense to recognize
That I don't know how to let you go

*

I was silent throughout breakfast, but she didn't seem to mind, or even to notice.

`You blew it.' I berated myself. `How dare you be so forward? Now, Miss Honda probably thinks that you're a pervert, that you only brought her up here to take advantage of her.'

`Well, didn't you?' Another part of me asked, but this part sounded like that idiot Shigure. `Didn't you just use the excuse of needing a model to get her up here? To get her alone? And then what, Yuki? What were you planning to do if she did return your feelings? You were going to take advantage of her, weren't you?'

"That isn't it!" I protested out loud, and she peeked over at me with a curious look in her eyes. `Moron!' Kyo's voice taunted. `You sound like a moron, rat boy.'

"I'm sorry, Miss Honda. I was just thinking about the painting." And now I was lying again. "I was considering the type of pose, and I suddenly realized that what I was thinking wasn't quite it." Miss Honda nodded, and stood up to clear the table. I was getting pretty good at this, I realized to my shame. "Well, then… um… I guess I will go get set up. Can you be ready in a hour?"

"Yes!" She said, and she smiled at me. I was happy to see that she seemed to be back to normal. I hadn't scared her as much as I had feared. "A hour will be perfect. I just need to do the dishes."

*

I don't know how to let you go

*

`This could possibly be the stupidest idea that I had ever came up with.' I told myself while I set out the art supplies. `Painting Miss Honda, as if I could ever do justice to her beauty. Now, the painting will suck. Not only will I not get a good grade, Miss Honda will possibly be offended. At the very least she will discover that I have absolutely no talent at all.'

I had positioned the bed in front of the window, in order to get the full effect of the surrounding sea. I then opened my bag and found the sheer white material that I had borrowed from my brother for the occasion. I had brought too much, as my original plan had been to drape it along the porch to create a cloud like effect. I covered the bed with it, and hung a few swathes of the thin fabric from the ceiling, fashioning a canopy of sorts. It worked nicely, giving the room a romantic ambiance. As an afterthought I added the candles that we had used during the dinner the night before. Now everything was ready, it was perfect. I was still holding a long piece of white fabric in my hands when Miss Honda entered the room, her eyes filled with tears.

"Miss Honda? Are you all right?" Her beautiful dress had been spoiled. A large brown stain covered it's front.

"I am so sorry, Yuki." She cried, pointing to her dress. "I spilt our tea. I've ruined your favorite dress. I've ruined your painting."

"Miss Honda, please don't cry." I told her, wanting to take her in my arms, wanting to kiss away her tears. That's disgraceful, I reminded myself. Miss Honda wasn't interested in me, not in that way. "It will be perfectly alright. We can find you something else to wear."

Her eyes grew suddenly big, and her mouth dropped open. She was glancing around room, taking everything in, and at first it appeared that she was pleased. "Yuki! This is… it's incredible. It looks like a fairytale… and oh, no… this dress completes it, and now… now… I've ruined everything." She turned to run out of the room, but I captured her hand before she could make it through the doorway.

"Please, Miss Honda. It will be all right." I had just had the most incredible idea, but I wasn't certain if I should dare to speak of it. I shouldn't, I decided. "Don't you have something else you can wear? Another dress, perhaps."

"No!" She cried sadly. "I only brought this dress and some shorts, but they would never work. I do have my robe, but the color is completely wrong. I have nothing, nothing that I can wear. What are we going to do?"

I bit my lip. Considering the piece of fabric that I held in my hand. It would work, I was confident, and it would look unbelievable, but it was very sheer. Even if we layered it, she would still be quite exposed.

"Yuki, that's brilliant!" She exclaimed, she had read my mind, and I was shocked that she wasn't appalled. "Let me see it." She pulled the cloth out of my hand, examining it. Her tears had ceased, but now that blush was back. Yes, she recognized it too. I was scandalous.

"This is art!" She decided, and grinned at me. "Let's do it!"

"Really!?" I said, happy and embarrassed at the same time.

"Yes!" She ascertained. "I will just need a couple minutes to… um… get… um… do you mind waiting outside for a moment while I get ready?"

"Oh! Yes! Excuse me, Miss Honda." I said stupidly. Of course, she couldn't actually get undressed right in front of me. I hurried out of the room, my face on fire.

While I waited in the hall, I grew nervous. `This whole painting thing was ridiculous. I wouldn't be able to do it. It needed to be magnificent, anything less would be an insult, but I didn't really think I was a very good artist. Yes, this was a truly horrible idea.'

"Yuki!" I heard her soft voice calling from the room, and had to stop myself from rushing in.

"Yes, Miss Honda. Are you ready now?" I said, trying to keep the tension out of my voice.

"Yes. You can come in now."

I entered the room, expecting to be dazzled. I had imagined that Miss Honda would have wrapped the material around herself a few times, doing her best to hide her undergarments beneath it. I had expected that she would use her feminine skills to fashion some sort of a dress. The thought of actually seeing Miss Honda's undergarments, even veiled, was enough to set my heart racing, and to cause a warm ache to spread throughout my stomach. What I actually got when I entered the room nearly stopped my heart entirely, and it set my body fully aflame. She was so stunningly beautiful. Miss Honda had decided to forego her undergarments. She was completely naked, except for the thin piece of fabric, which covered her like a gossamer cocoon. Beneath it her body, in all of its perfection was totally revealed to me.

"Miss Honda!" I managed to whisper through the lump in my throat.

"Is it okay?" She wondered shyly.

"Okay?" I repeated foolishly, because I was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Is it too much?" I was making her uncomfortable, but I couldn't help it. It was simply impossible for me to not look. She was… she was…

"Stunning!" I told her. "You're stunning, Miss Honda. I'm just concerned about my ability. You make a much better model then I will ever make a painter." I admitted. It was best that she knew up front. If only it was as easy to tell her the other things that were presently on my mind, and eating away at my gut.

I desired her. I longed to touch her, to remove that thin strip of fabric and to kiss every inch of her ivory skin. This day would surly be the ruin of me. I was quite confident that from this moment forward, I would never again be able to put Miss Honda, even for a second, out of my mind. How could I ever be without her again? How would I ever survive the lonely nights that lay ahead of me?

*

A glowing ember
Burning hot
Burning slow
Deep within I'm shaken by the violence
Of existing for only you

I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
And I have sense to recognize but
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go

******************

Woo hoo, another chapter complete. Now if only I can put this story out of my mind long enough to work on my other…

Chapter four will be up… maybe soon, maybe a little past soon, but probably not until "Sleepless" is finally put to bed.

See you soon, my dear friends.

YTR