Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ in with the old, out with the new ❯ chapter seven ( Chapter 7 )

“I don't know what you were doing with that boy but you don't have time to be goofing around with all the chores you have to do. You completely forgot about the morning dishes and Kimi had to do them. You better go thank her.” Her cousin rambled, pointing off crossly in the direction of hers and her cousin's room.

“Yes ma'am.” She took her things back into the cramped little room and proceeded to apologize profusely to the rude girl.

“I'll forgive you this time but don't let it happen again. I had to do all that extra work and it shorted me a whole fifteen minutes of my workout time.” She said, never looking up from her teen magazine.

Tohru went about organizing her side of the room before sitting down to do her homework. She could hear the door ring once or twice and knowing Shimura's boyfriend was in the living room, she hoped he would get it. After about the fifth ring, he got up to answer it, complaining about having to be interrupted from his daily reading.

He came down the hall to Tohru's room and looked pointedly at her as if she had done something wrong. By that time, she was getting dressed for work.

“Some boys are here to see you. They say they are classmates of yours. What are boys doing here asking for you with out calling?” He said, tapping one foot impatiently and looking for all the world like her older cousin.

“What are boys doing here to see you period?” Her younger cousin added smartly.

She went into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she could see the door clearly. Yuki and Kyou were standing there with a paper bag and her umbrella that she had left at the house and had been meaning to go get. They watched her with smiles as if they were visiting family.

“Yuki. Kyou. What are you doing here?” She asked with her plastered on smile.

“We brought you some thing.” Yuki said, holding up the bag like a prize Marlin. “And the forecast said it was going to rain so we thought you might need this.”

She went up to them and took the items, hooking the umbrella on her arm. She opened the bag and inside was a batch of Onigiri and another wrapped package in the shape of a book.

“Thank you both but what-“

“We're gonna walk you to work tonight so get your stuff.” Kyou said, cutting her off.

She just nodded and handed the bag back to Yuki so she could gather her things. Kyou followed her into the room and instead of picking up her backpack, he grabbed that and a suitcase she used to keep her clothes and things in for minimal closet space. It had barely been touched since she left Shigure's and there were still a lot of her things there.

He piled her stuff into one arm and took her hand with the other then led her to the front door. Yuki helped him with her suitcase and took her other hand but before they could make it out the door, her cousin stepped in.

“Just where do you think you're going? You are an hour early, the kitchen is a mess and I need your help putting away the groceries!” She snapped. “And besides, there is no way any cousin of mine is going anywhere with two boys this late. Just imagine what people would say!”

“Leave the girl alone. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. The girl works hard as it is and the last thing she needs is you patronizing her.” Her grandfather said, stumbling out of the kitchen and hitting the woman lightly with his cane.

“But uncle! It isn't proper for a girl her age to be going around with two boys and she has chores to do.” Shimura shouted incredulously.

“Those are only the chores your daughter are too lazy to do herself. I think she could benefit from a little work for a change.” He said simply, wandering back into the kitchen. The trio left at that point, leaving behind a comically shocked woman in their wake.

“You guys, where are we going?” Tohru asked, trying to keep from tripping with the blindfold they had insisted on her wearing.

Instead of going to her job, they got half way there and then had her put on the blind fold. After that, she had been put in a taxi, driven around for 10-15 minutes and walked to the front of a house or at least what she thought might have been a house.

“You'll see soon enough, Ms. Honda.” Yuki said, carefully maneuvering her up a short flight of stairs.

She could feel Kyou's hand at the small of her back and a slow blush crept up from her throat onto her cheeks. She had missed her friends so much but she hadn't wanted to cause anymore trouble. She was to blame for the new curse and her clumsy tendencies just made everyone walk on eggshells. It wasn't fair to expect them to give her special treatment forever. She went back to her grandfathers only to find her cousins being even more disagreeable then before.

They seemed to make it a point to remind her that she was the one that came crawling back after her year spent in a household of men and how she had to suffer the humiliation of that fact by earning her way back. Her grandfather had been on vacation when she returned so she decided not to worry him with the details.

“Alright Ms. Honda, we're almost there.”

They walked into a dark room and removed the blindfold. The lights went on and everyone jumped out with a cry of `Surprise!'. Most of the Sohma's, a couple of students from school, Uo, Hanajima and even her grandfather were there gathered beneath a banner that read “Welcome Home Tohru Honda.”

The rest of the night was spent in celebration of Tohru's homecoming and afterwards, a few of them remained to clean up.

“How ya doin'?” Kyou asked once he and Tohru were alone in the kitchen. She had been abnormally quiet and it was beginning to worry him.

“Oh I'm fine Kyou. Thank you for asking.” She said distractedly.

“Tohru, you do know you're home now, right? I mean, you know that you never have to leave us again. As long as Yuki and I still have the new curse, you never have to leave again.” He looked at her evenly, gauging her reaction.

“Kyou, I love being here with all of you but what if the new curse doesn't last? Things will go back to normal and I might as well have stayed at grandpas. I hate being a burden to you.” She wouldn't look at him but the ripples in the dishwater told him all he needed to know. He turned her to face him and looked into her teary eyes.

“You listen here, Tohru. You aren't a burden! If we didn't want you, we wouldn't have gone through the trouble of bringing you home. We love you, Tohru.” He looked down, a blush spreading over his face. “I love you.”

“Kyou… I-I don't know…I think I love you too.” She was smiling but neither would meet the others gaze until Kyou finally looked up. He pulled her into his arms and looked at her, Koto perched sleepily on his shoulder now.

He covered her lips slowly with his and enjoyed the pure pleasure of his first kiss. Tohru didn't move, nor did she push back. She just closed her eyes and let him kiss her.

They were in love. They knew it before the kiss but now at least they knew it was mutual. Their audience didn't seem to have much of a problem with it either though.

Shigure and Yuki watched them from around the corner and almost couldn't keep in their happiness. Yuki wanted more than anything to run up and say how proud he was but he knew to leave them alone.

When Tohru and Kyou finally pulled apart, she was glowing like a tomato while he had regained control of his body.

“Roof?” Was the short question. Tohru only nodded. They walked past the cleaning group hand in hand and went upstairs.

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The next chapter should definitely be the last. Sorry if it sort of went down hill but that is what reviews are for. Arigatou ne! For the record, I wrote this at three am so I was sleepy and none of it makes sense. Forgive me!