Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ No Regrets ❯ First Steps ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: This piece of work is not to be sold in any from. There's no authorization by Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics. It's only for personal reading.

Author's note: Mature contents!!!

Thanks again to CarlaVII! You're really patient with me and don't get angry about my poor English. Writing fiction is a lot different to doing text-analysis and stuff like that!

Rating: R (varying according to chapter)

No Regrets

III: First steps

"Eeehhhhh? You'll be away for the whole weekend? Why?" Tohru was surprised. Shigure rarely spent more than a day away from home.

"We just want to have some fun. Like back in the old days. Hatori, Ayame and me. And lots of beautiful girls. It's that simple." Humming to himself, he packed his last few things in his bag.

"Oi, you can't just leave three teenagers alone at home!" Yuki complained. "Don't you have any common sense?"

"Three? Kyou wanted to spend the weekend at the dojo. So it's just the two of you! You'll excuse me. Hatori just arrived. Have fun, you two! See you on Sunday!" He disappeared through the door.

"What? You can't be serious! What is all that about? " Yuki shouted at him, but Shigure just waved his hand, smiling brightly.

"That blockhead! And what now?" he turned towards Tohru.

"Erm, I don't really know. But if you feel uncomfortable alone with me I'll ask Hana-chan if I can spend this weekend…"

"What are you talking about?" Yuki interrupted her. "Of course I don't mind being alone with you! On the contrary! We hadn't had the chance to be alone for such a long time!"

That was correct. A lot of time had passed since that incident at the lake. Summer had passed, leaves were falling from the trees, it was getting colder.

Although there had been moments when there had been only the two of them, those had been neither as numerous nor as long as they had wished them to be. And now this: a whole weekend at once.

Yuki closed the front door. They went to the living room together and sat down.

Both of them didn't dare to say a word. Both were embarrassed. Tohru didn't know at all what to say. Suddenly she was totally embarrassed that there was no one else in the house. It felt so strange!

Usually they always had to be careful because someone could just walk in on them. This felt so different. Unlike bashful kisses when they secretly met on top of the roof at school (while Hana-chan and Uo-chan dealt with Kyou). Unlike holding hands in Yuki's little garden. Unlike good-night kisses when Kyou had fallen asleep in front of the TV once again. So terrifyingly different and new. And somehow very exciting. She couldn't bear the silence any longer and got to her feet.

"I'll go and make dinner."

But Yuki held her back. "No, stay!"

He took her hand and pulled her back on the floor.

"I know that this is a weird situation. But you should know that I love you. And I won't push you into something. I won't do anything you don't want me to. Trust me!" Thankfully she looked into his purple eyes. Her heart was filled with love for him. He was always very kind and respectful. It was really wonderful to have a friend like Yuki.

As he bent towards her to kiss her, she just let it happen and enjoyed it. She enjoyed the silence in the house, the longed for twosomeness, Yuki's presence, his smell, his warmth. She was simply happy. With her eyes closed she forgot about the world around her. There was only Yuki and herself, united in a kiss that seemed to last eternities. Or had it only been a second? She had totally lost her sense of time, had sunken into the kiss, had been drifted away by waves of happiness. Could it become any better? Contentedly, she sighed.

When their lips parted, both of them were out of breath.

If someone had entered the door right then they would have been discovered. Tohru imagined Kyou's disconcerted look if it had been him. She giggled.

"Nani?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, nothing. Do you want something to eat now?"

"Yes, if I'm allowed to share your company. And if Shigure left anything eatable in the house. It would just be like him to leave us without anything to eat."

"Yes, you're right," Tohru giggled.

Yuki's concern was wiped away when they opened the fridge: it was well stocked.

When she had finished cooking, Yuki helped her set the table.

They sat down to eat. It was exactly like back when she just had moved into the Sohma-house. Just the two of them. But something was different. Back then he had been her prince, now he was HER prince and she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and smiled happily.

Yuki noticed that and looked at her with a questioning expression on his face.

"I love you and I'm very happy." She explained to him.

"I'm very happy with you, too, Tohru-san." He smiled back to her.

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

Tohru yawned and stretched. It had been late last night. She looked on her watch: half past ten already! Why didn't Yuki wake her up?

She got up in a hurry and dressed. When she came into the kitchen Yuki was standing in front of the

stove fumbling with the knobs. He was swearing in a low voice. On the countertop, the kettle was waiting.

"Ohayoo, Yuki-kun!" she greeted him.

He turned around at the sound of her voice and looked contritely at her.

"Ohayoo. I wanted to make some tea because I can't make breakfast. Now I've been trying for half an hour but this stupid stove won't work."

"Oh, that's so nice of you! Let me help you!" She went to the stove, turned the knob for the flame and pushed it shortly. Something clicked and the burner emitted small flames.

"I'm just useless." Mad about his two left hands, he put the kettle on the flames.

He looked so sweet as he was standing there, angry with himself, that Tohru just had to kiss him. "Of course you're useful, Yuki-kun! For kissing, for example!" She just couldn't get enough of his kisses. To feel his lips on hers, to taste him, to play with his tongue… She never had thought she could become addicted to that.

Last night they had enjoyed that a lot, too. They had watched a movie, which Tohru originally had intended to watch on her own because it was an old love-story. But Yuki had insisted on sitting with her. So they had settled down in front of the TV together. He had put an arm around her and she had cuddled against him. After some time the movie hadn't been very important anymore. Her attention was drawn towards Yuki's presence. It had been so great to be alone with him for a whole evening!

His presence made her feel secure, she could trust him. He had kept his promise and hadn't tried anything she wasn't ready for. So they had cuddled while they watched the movie. Tohru was very grateful for that. She still wasn't felling totally comfortable about this situation. But last night had shown her that he wouldn't take advantage of it. And she had been able to really enjoy their first good-night kiss without Kyou's snoring.

Now she had a whole day with him in front of her. They would be able to live their love for a whole day without the fear of being discovered. Just the two of them for a whole day…

She enjoyed his warmth, his lips on hers, his touch…

The whistle of the teakettle brought her back to reality. She hadn't noticed that so much time had passed! Quickly she started preparing the food. "We didn't have breakfast and it's still too early for lunch, so I'll prepare some brunch. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course! Everything you cook is very good!"

As always Yuki kept her company as she prepared the food. It was a wonderful feeling to cook just for her beloved one. And that she didn't have to be alone doing that made her feel even better. She started to hum to herself. She liked doing housework, especially when she made other people happy with it.

In the middle of their brunch the phone rang. Yuki picked it up. "Moshimoshi? - Yes, she's here. One moment, please." He came back into the room: "It's for you, Tohru-san." She looked at him, slightly irritated. Who could that be? On a Saturday? And he had called her Tohru-san, so it couldn't be a Sohma.

"Moshimoshi?"

"Hi, this is Uotani. I have a very urgent question for you: I want to redecorate my apartment but I'm not sure what color I should use to paint the walls. Could you help me pick the right color? Please!"

What kind of question was that? Up to now Uotani had never given the impression of lacking a feeling for colors. Why today? Tohru got a little angry. She had intended to spend the whole day with Yuki. But Uotani had always been a good friend, and she was always there for her. So she couldn't just refuse to her request. "Yes, I'll come. I'm on my way." She hoped her friend wouldn't notice the disappointment in her voice.

"Great! See you then! Bye!"

Sadly, she sat down with Yuki again.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"Actually I had been looking forward to spend this day with you but Uo-chan said she needs my help. So I told her I'd be right there."

"Is that so?" Was she wrong or didn't he sound as disappointed as she had expected him to be? It didn't matter. Maybe she had just imagined it.

She ate the rest of her meal in a hurry and got ready to leave. "I'll do the dishes when I get back."

"See you later!" Yuki kissed her cheek.

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

He took a deep breath when she disappeared through the door. He had spent the entire morning organizing. He had called Uotani and Hanajima and he had been able to win them for his plan.

Now Uotani had gotten Tohru out of the house under a very threadbare excuse. A short time later the doorbell rang. Yuki opened the door. Hanajima was standing there with a huge shopping bag in her arms.

"Thank you for coming! Come inside!" Yuki greeted her.

"You're very welcome. Tohru will be very surprised for sure! But now let`s get started. Our time is limited."

Yuki prepared the living room while Hanajima took care of the kitchen. Some time later the smell of tasty food filled the house.

Two hours later, Hanajima said goodbye to Yuki. "If you need something special for dessert there's something in the bag. A very nice evening to you two. Let yourselves be swung by the waves. Sayonara."

With a big question mark on his face, Yuki stood in the hallway. He wondered what she could have meant by that. So he went back into the kitchen and looked into the bag. There was no dessert. There were just some little packets made out of silvery foil on the bottom. He took one of them and looked closer. In big letters there was the word DUREX imprinted on the foil. Hm, what could that be? Small… square… with a round lump in the middle… a suspicion rose within him. Oh no! He dropped the package as if he had burnt himself. What had Hanajima been thinking about? That girl was really weird! Those thingies had to disappear before Tohru returned! He grabbed the bag and ran up the stairs. There he hid it under his futon. Feeling at ease, he went back downstairs.

She would be back any minute now.

He checked the living room one final time: was everything ready? Didn't he forget anything? He marked imaginary checkboxes in his mind: dishes? On the table. Roses? In a vase on the table. Candles? Ready to be lighted. Rose petals? Spread out on the floor. Tee lights? Already set alight in the corners of the room. Food? Still in the kitchen, ready to be served. Present? In his pocket.

Everything was ready for her to return. If everything went as planned, Hanajima had called Uotani and indicated that Tohru was allowed to go home now. She could really be happy to have such friends. Who else but her best friend would cook when her own boyfriend was too stupid even to boil water?

"Tadaima!" Tohru's sweet voice sounded adorable to his ears. In a hurry he lit the candles on the table.

"Welcome back! Were you able to help Uotani?"

"I don't really know. I don't even know if she needed my help at all. When we hadn't found any color that she liked after two hours of looking, she decided not to redecorate her apartment at all. Sorry for making you wait." She took off her shoes in a hurry.

Yuki waited patiently. He was looking forward to seeing her face when she entered the living room. She would be really surprised!

"Hm, is something wrong? You're smiling so weirdly!"

He had forgotten to put on his poker face. "No, no. I'm just glad you're back, that's all."

He took her hand and went to the living room with her. Slowly he opened the door and looked at her.

There it was, that expression on her face: astonishment and surprise. He would give anything just to see it. She looked closely through the living room.

He had really done a good job. Although he was too clumsy for some things this was something he had done well: the floor was spread with rose petals, there were tea lights in the corners of the room, emitting a warm light. The table was set solemnly with two roses in a longneck vase in the middle and candles on the sides.

Yuki led her through the room to her place. Tohru still didn't say a word, but her face was speaking for itself.

"Excuse me for a moment, please," Yuki said and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned shortly afterwards with steaming bowls in his hands. He put out the food on the table and sat down opposite to Tohru.

"Why…? Is that for me?" Tohru finally found her voice.

"I want to thank you. For your love, for your understanding. I want to say thank you for being with me. And I want you to forgive me for using your friend to get you out of the house. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for that! This is just wonderful! A thank-you? For what? I'm here anyway. And you love me, too, so I should be the one thanking you! Thank you for this beautiful surprise, Yuki-kun!"

"I love you, Tohru," he said sincerely and looked deeply into her eyes. "I know that it's not always easy with me. We can't behave like a normal couple. We can't date and simply go to the movies or do something else because Kyou's with us all the time. We have to hide our love so we won't have to go through the things that happened to Hatori and Kana. But I don't want you to regret one day that you're with me. I don't want to lose you. Never. That's why I want to show you how much I love you."

"I love you very much, too, Yuki. And you won't lose me. I'll be with you forever," she answered.

"Thank you! But now let's eat. Hanajima worked so hard on this so we shouldn't let the food get cold. Itadakimasu!"

He was surprised how easily the words came from his lips. He had been brooding the whole day long about what he should say, how to put his emotions into words.

Although he had been pretty hungry he couldn't make himself eat one bite. He had to look at her the whole time. She said she would be with him forever. Was that true? It surely was because Tohru wasn't good in telling lies. But her words wouldn't get out of his head. He would never lose her. For the first time in his whole life he felt the pressure that he had put himself under was losing its grip. A relaxing easiness streamed through his body. …never lose… with you forever… absolutely happy would be the most fitting description for the emotional state he was in. Soon he would burst from joy.

He felt a laughter building up in his throat. Soon it would be impossible to hold back. That laughter would contain all his feelings: Happiness, luck, contentedness, love… He couldn't hold it back anymore. So he just opened his mouth and let it out. He laughed with his whole heart. He felt like he was laughing for the very first time. And in some way it really was like that. He laughed and laughed and couldn't stop anymore. He was so happy! Finally he could be happy because he made others happy, too. He was so glad about that he laughed even harder.

Tohru looked at him, at first questioningly, then concerned. She was wondering what was so funny about this situation. But Yuki was unable to explain anything to her because he couldn't stop laughing. She never had heard him laugh like that and he sounded so happy that she joined his laughter after a while. So they laughed together until they both were lying on the floor, gasping for breath. It took quite a while until Yuki had calmed himself down.

"I'm sorry, Tohru-san. I felt so happy all of a sudden that I couldn't hold back the feeling. It wanted to get out and laughter was the only way to prevent me from bursting. Tohru-san, I love you, I love you! But now we really should eat or I'll wake up in the middle of the night, starving."

He turned to his plate. And in his pocket he felt the light pressure of the little parcel he wanted to give to her later on…

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

It was a wonderful evening. She had never dreamed she would get such a surprise. So romantic! With candles, roses, a meal! Although she had been confused by his sudden outburst of laughter she had felt he wasn't laughing about her. The laughter had sounded like it had been sleeping inside of him for years just to see the light of day someday.

She watched him eat and asked herself how he got the idea to this romantic dinner. And he had been able to win her friends for his plan. Not that it really mattered anyway. It was a wonderful way to thank her for something that was granted in her eyes.

When he was done eating he looked at her.

"Tohru, there's something else. The meal wasn't everything yet."

He slid his hand in his pocket and held his hand out to her. On his hand there was a small parcel, wrapped in silvery paper.

"This is for you."

Tohru took it and unwrapped it carefully. Inside there was a green box. Slowly she lifted the lid. Inside there was… She couldn't hold back a sound of surprise. Inside there was an artistically stylized heart you could only recognize at second glance. She held it up so she could take a closer look. It was so beautiful! She turned it and after looking at it for some time she noticed a tiny Chinese character on the backside. It was the character for `nezumi' - mouse.

For the second time this evening she was speechless. She looked at Yuki with big eyes.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's wonderful! Yuki-kun, it's really very, very beautiful! Are you sure I can wear something like that?"

"Of course you can! And it's only half as beautiful as you are, Tohru-san."

"Thank you, Yuki-kun! You're just too nice to me!"

She gave him hug.

Puff.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to! I'm really very sorry! Gomen nasai!!!!!"

She let him sit on her hand. She was totally embarrassed that she had forgotten about the curse again. But he just shook his head. "It's not that terrible. But I'm really glad you like your necklace. May help you putting it on later?"

"Of course!" Softly she kissed his tiny snout. His whiskers tickled a little.

Puff.

The whiskers vanished. She felt his lips on hers. Their first kiss tonight! He still tasted faintly like the meal. His tongue pleaded for entrance and she yielded. Pleasantly, she closed her eyes. She played with his tongue and moved closer to him. She put her hands on his shoulders - and jerked back. Bare skin… bare…

"Aaahhh! Gomen nasai! I totally forgot you just turned back! Gomen, gomen!" She turned around at once, red like a ripe tomato. She was so embarrassed! She wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Although she was used to the Sohmas changing back into their - naked - human form after some time by now there was something different this time. But what was that?

Her body tingled. Was it because she touched him? It had only been a brief touch of his warm and soft skin. No, that wasn't it. Oh, yes. There had been none of the smoke that usually covered the lower part of the body. She had been able to see more of him than usual. And there had been THAT! She felt her head getting even hotter. And through her shame she noticed something else. But what was that? A warm feeling in her stomach that she had never felt before.

"Tohru-san, you can turn around now. I'm dressed."

"Gomen nasai! I had totally forgotten…"

"You don't have to apologize. Really. Shall I help you with the necklace now?"

He didn't show if he noticed that she had seen him naked. It would probably be better not to let him know.

"Yes, please." She gave the chain to him and turned her back towards him so he could reach her neck more easily. Lightly the necklace lay down on her skin. Yuki fumbled with the clasp for a while until he finally managed to close it.

She turned around to face him and looked at him. She was filled with love. But now something else was mixed into her feelings. She longed to touch him again. Not like before. She wanted to feel his bare skin. His warm, soft skin.

He took her hands and pulled her closer. His head bent down and their lips met. And there it was again, that warm feeling she didn't know. The desire to touch him was so strong that she gave in. Carefully she slid her hand to the hem of his shirt. Because he didn't seem to want to stop her she let her hand glide under the fabric. His skin was so terribly soft and warm. She caressed him gently. He moaned lightly under her tough and loosened their kiss. With both hands he softly combed through her hair.

"Tohru… I have to sit down before I faint!"

She giggled, ashamed.

They sat down on the floor. He took her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. Tohru melted like butter in the hot sun. No one on this earth ever looked at her as Yuki did. So filled with love, full of warmth, full of tenderness and full of happiness. Suddenly she felt like a little child. She needed him! She needed his presence, his warmth, his protection. She never wanted to be without him anymore. Never!

"Yuki, I love you more than I ever loved before. Never leave me!"

"No, I won't leave you." Yuki answered and pulled her face closer.

Their lips touched, lightly at first, then with increasing pressure. His fingers ran down her neck. Again Tohru felt that weird tension in her stomach. The desire to caress him got stronger until she gave in again. Carefully she moved her hand under his shirt and touched his bare skin. A shiver ran through her body. She was electrified. The palm of her hand was vibrating.

A warm touch on her back. Yuki had found the courage to follow her example and caressed her back. His touch was so warm and so light as if a leaf had fallen on her back. But still it fulfilled her with an unknown pleasure.

She moved closer to him. Careful not to embrace him, she let her hands glide on Yuki's stomach. His skin was so soft! She felt his muscles quiver under her touch. He was so warm, so soft and so strong! She wanted more, wanted to feel his body touch hers! His bare skin on hers…

Her hands moved along the button line of his shirt. He sat totally motionless in front of her. Slowly she opened the lowest button. Yuki whimpered lightly but he didn't move. She slowly unbuttoned one button after another until the shirt was opened completely. Cautiously she touched the light skin of his stomach. This time she could not only feel his muscles but also see them. Because of his training in martial arts his stomach was totally flat.

Curiously she explored the newly discovered territory. She let her finger stroll over his muscles, stroked softly with her flat hand to learn every line. She couldn't get enough of touching his warm, soft skin.

Her hands wandered to Yuki`s shoulders and pushed the shirt down his arms. Now he was sitting in front of her with his chest totally bare. The warm feeling in her stomach grew stronger as she was looking at him.

Kiss. She had to feel this tender, warm skin on her lips.

She bent forward and kissed his neck softly. A muted moan escaped Yuki's mouth. But he still didn't move. So she trailed her lips further down his body. She covered his chest with her kisses, then his stomach. She kissed every inch of his skin.

Then she lifted her head. His eyes were closed but when he realized she was looking at him he opened them. His cheeks were slightly red and he looked so sweet she had to kiss him.

When she lifted her lips from his again he gave her an astonished gaze.

"Actually I had intended to do something good for you tonight, Tohru! And now I'm being spoiled by you?"

Tohru noticed she was turning red. "Ano… gomen… I shouldn't…"

But Yuki laid a finger softly on her lips. "No, don't say anything. I really enjoyed it. Should we go someplace more comfortable?"

She nodded. Yuki stood up and helped her on her feet. He didn't let go of her hand when they walked up the stairs together. When they reached the top of the stairs he looked at her questioningly and walked into the direction of her room. She nodded briefly and they entered.

"Now it's my turn. Tonight is my gift to you." With these words, he led her to her futon and she sat down on it.

He knelt in front of her. "Trust me!" She nodded again, unable to gain a clear thought. Softly he pulled her head towards him and kissed her. His hands caressed her back. But then they changed directions and moved down her shoulders towards her breasts. She felt a little uneasy at the beginning but she had promised to trust him. So she closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch.

At first he discovered the curve of her breasts; down the outside, along the bottom, up the inside. Lightly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and let them slide down. He touched her nipples gently and let his fingers circle over them. Tohru felt her nipples getting harder. Low in her stomach that warm tension was increasing. Her breath was getting faster.

Yuki kissed her softly and started to unbutton her blouse. Then he carefully pushed it down her shoulders. Before he started unhooking her bra, he looked at her. When she didn't make any move to stop him, he opened her bra and slid the straps from her shoulders. He put blouse and bra aside. With a light pressure on her shoulders he told her to lie down. Slowly he lay down beside her.

His hand on her bare skin! She had butterflies in her stomach. His touch was like a warm summer breeze. Her nipples were small hard peaks. As she had done before, he explored her body. Had it been so pleasing for him, too? Surely! She closed her eyes and drifted away on the waves of tenderness. His warm, soft hand brushed over her skin, his kisses covered her face.

She stretched out a hand to feel him next to her. Again she was taken by surprise by the softness of his skin. She turned to face him. For a long time they just lay there, caressing each other and enjoyed each other's fondling.

He looked so cute as he was lying beside her. His wonderful eyes were closed, his lips, reddened by the many kisses they had shared, were tempting her again. She bent forward and breathed a kiss on his mouth.

Following an urge she was feeling deep inside her, she put a hand on his shoulder and pressed him softly backwards. Now he was lying on his back. She caressed his bare chest. The touch of his skin awakened a desire for more. Slowly, her hand slid down his stomach. Her eyes fell on an eagerness in his pants. Could that be him? What might it feel like? Her breath was speeding up, she was curious and aroused. Cautiously, she let her finger wander under the waistband of his pants.

But then Yuki pushed her hand away, softly but decidedly.

"No, Tohru. Not tonight. That's too early."

A little disappointed, she pulled back her hand. But she could understand it. He was right. The time wasn't right for that. Both of them would surely have regretted it if they had gone farther. They still had so much time in front of them so they could take just small steps.

She laid her head on his chest. His heart was beating fast and light. His breath was calming down slowly. Tohru closed her eyes.

It was very comforting to listen to his heartbeat. Her arousal decreased. Yuki touched her hair softly. Slowly she got sleepy.

When she raised her head to give him a good-night-kiss she noticed he had already fallen asleep. So she laid her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. It was so new for her not having to fall asleep alone. She cuddled against him and drifted into the sphere of dreams shortly after that.

I'm sorry if I disappointed some of you by not letting them have sex. But then they wouldn't have anything new to discover in the next chapters. That would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?

I'm not really sure what'll happen next so I can't give any teasers.

Thank you for your nice reviews!