Onigiri
By:: Melissa

Disclaimer:: I don't own anything from this story, however much I wished I did. Everything belongs to Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket. Constructive criticism is welcome. No flames please.

"Kyou! Come on! If you don't hurry you'll get left behind!" Kyou wrinkled his face, getting annoyed already. He had already told them he didn't want to go. But his dislike fell on deaf ears. He growled deep in his throat, never changing his pace of walk.

Tohru, Momiji, Yuki, and Hatsuhara walked down the sidewalk, talking, laughing and having a great time. Tohru looked back at Kyou and smiled at him.

"Come on, Kyou. We'll have a great time," Tohru said, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward. He rolled his eyes and grimaced.

"And what if I don't?" he asked, looking at her with a pained look on his face.

"Then you'll just have to deal with it, you stupid cat," Yuki said, cutting off Tohru's much nicer words.

"You stupid mouse! I'm going to kill you!" Kyou said violently at Yuki, his body going rigid.

"Try it," Yuki said, walking again. Kyou made like he was going to but he felt a small hand on his arm. Looking around, he saw Tohru looking at him.

"Kyou, let's go," Tohru said, smiling brightly at him.

"All right, fine." Kyou closed his eyes and let go of the insult. He would get Yuki back later. Tohru kept smiling, walking next to him and Momiji.

It was a bright and sunny day outside and the entire group was going to an amusement park that had just opened. Kyou had specifically started that he didn't want to go but he was somehow walking with everyone else to go.

"There it is! Isn't it great, Tohru?" Momiji said, pointing to the big gates and the towering roller coasters.

"It looks like a lot of fun! But won't it cost a lot to get in?" Tohru asked, a look of worry replacing her happiness.

"I'll pay for you." Kyou stepped forward, knocking her on the head lightly.

"See? Kyou will pay for your ticket!" Momiji said, smiling happily at Tohru.

"Oh… I'm truly grateful. Thank you, Kyou-kun. I'm very happy." She smiled up at him. As they walked up to the gates to buy their tickets, a mother and her son walked out of the park.

"I can't take you anywhere without you causing a scene!" The mother hissed at her son.

"I'm sorry, mommy, I just…"

"From now on, we'll just stay at home, it's too much trouble to take you anywhere." She sighed, grabbing the little boy's hand.

"I won't do it again, I promise…"

"You're driving mommy mad, please just…. Let's just hurry home."

"Do you not love me anymore mommy?"

"No, mommy loves you very much…" She looked down at him with a false smile on her face. They walked to the parking lot and disappeared behind he rows of cars.

Kyou looked after them, a distant look in his eyes. Yuki looked back at him and closed his eyes slowly, understanding Kyou's reaction. Everyone else had bought their tickets and were waiting inside the park for the other three.

"Kyou, come on, let's…." Tohru said cheerfully, looking back at Kyou's rigid form. The smile slid from her face and a look of concern came over her. Momiji and Hatsuhara avoided him, not wanting to get involved.

Kyou's face had turned to stone and his posture had turned to ice. His hands were balled into fists and were stiff at his sides. His body was tense and the aura around him was dark and dense. Tohru moved forward but Yuki stopped her with his arm.

"Don't. Not yet." Yuki whispered into Tohru's ear. She looked at him, a frown on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked softly.

"It's nothing to concern you. He'll be alright here in a little bit." Yuki looked back at Hatsuhara and frowned. Tohru looked back at Kyou, wondering what was going through his mind.

Kyou gritted his teeth as he remembered scenes from his childhood. They played in his head, like a film. He remembered his mother's false love and his father's hatred. He remembered the shame his parents felt that rubbed off onto himself. He remembered the terrible accident and the shun from his father. He remembered all of that and it hit him like a tidal wave. He could hear his mother's voice in his head, haunting him.

"You always return to your human form. I'm not scared at all…."

He put his hands on his head, shaking. Yuki looked at him carefully, gauging how far his limit could go.

"I can't bear to show you to anyone, you're too cute. You make me so proud…."

"Stop…." Kyou said softly, his knees giving out. Yuki stepped forward a little bit, still careful.

"I'm not ashamed of you! I love you!"

"Just shut up!" Kyou yelled, turning around and slamming his fist into Yuki's hand. Yuki had walked forward quickly when he saw Kyou had reached his boiling point. Kyou looked at him and a look of surprise crossed his face. The image of his mother was gone and his head was finally clear.

"Do you want to make a scene in front of Tohru, idiot?" Yuki said scathingly, letting go of Kyou's fist. He walked off, meeting up with Hatsuhara and Momiji. Kyou let his hand drop to his side, his eyes going blank.

"Kyou-kun?" Tohru came forward a little, her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Tohru," Kyou said, looking down at his feet. He felt a small hand lift his chin up to look at her in the face.

"It's alright. As long as you're fine now." She smiled, extending a hand out to him. "Ready?"

"Yes," he said, smiling back at her. He took her hand into his own and walked into the park.

Yuki and Hatsuhara went off to ride the roller coaster and Momiji, Tohru, and Kyou went to walk around the different stores and shops within the park.

Tohru didn't want to bring up what happened at the gate to Kyou but she had a thousand questions running through her brain. She wanted to ask him what was going on, what had happened, why he reacted the way he did and more importantly, what she could do to help.

"Tohru? Is something the matter?" Momiji looked up at Tohru, a worried look on his face. Tohru came out of her daze and looked at him blankly. Realization hit and a smile broke out onto her face.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm very happy," she said, trying to hide her own worry. Momiji smiled at her and walked with both of them down the road to meet back up with Yuki and Hatsuhara. Tohru didn't want to worry anyone. She had questions but she didn't want to worry Momiji about her own thoughts. She didn't want to ruin this fun trip for everyone else.

After lunch, Yuki, Hatsuhara, and Momiji went to ride on the water rides, leaving Kyou and Tohru together.

"What would you like to do Kyou-kun?" Tohru asked, looking at the park map.

"Anything besides those water rides and roller coasters is fine," Kyou said, looking at the crowds walking by.

"How about the Ferris Wheel then?" Tohru suggested, pointing out the logo on the map. Kyou looked at it and looked a little skeptical.

"It's pretty tall, isn't it?"

"Yes, but we won't be moving very fast," she said, looking up at him. Kyou still had an uneasy look on his face. "Come on, it'll be fun. I promise."

"Okay." He walked with her to the Ferris Wheel, not noticing the people around him.

Once on the Ferris Wheel, both Tohru and Kyou were silent. Kyou knew he had scared Tohru with the scene from before. He'd been such an idiot to burst out like that. he hadn't done that since he was little. He had told himself to keep those memories locked away so they could never come out again. Tohru felt awkward, being around Kyou alone after what happened that morning. But it wasn't because she was afraid of him but because she wanted to understand the problem. To understand what he was feeling. But she knew better than to bring up sore subjects like that.

"They always do that, you know," Kyou said, looking at his hands folded in front of him. Tohru looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"Do what?"

"They always… well… maybe not always but they leave me out. I'm never invited to things without being a tag along. Like I'm not even really wanted there." He was still looking at his hands, his voice holding a hint of sadness.

Tohru didn't know what to say. She knew what it felt like to be left out. To be an inconvenience to others. She had felt like the third wheel too. Where the riceball could never fit in with the fruits basket.

"You're probably wondering what happened this morning at the front gate." He looked up at Tohru, a cold, distant look in his eyes.

"Yes a little. It makes me worry about you." Kyou stayed silent for what seemed like hours, his mind thinking. Tohru waited patiently for him to speak.

"Would you… would you like to hear a story?" he asked, his eyes melting into red pools. Tohru nodded her head a few times, concentrating on Kyou's story. He paused, thinking to himself.

"Being the zodiac of the cat has always been lonely. No one wanted to be around me, no one wanted to be my friend, I was alone. I was shunned by Akito and even my own parents couldn't stand being around me." He paused, looking back down at his hands. His eyes had turned back to stone, their depth unable to be seen. Tohru's own eyes had glazed over, a mournful look breaking her usually smiling demeanor.

"My mother tried to love me. She kept me away from others and always made sure that I was wearing my juzu beads. She constantly told me that she loved me. But…. I could tell that, try as she might, she just couldn't. She told me that she wasn't ashamed of me. She told that she wasn't scared of my real form…. She told me all of these things. In reality, I was an embarrassment to her. A disappointment. And eventually, it just became too much for her to handle." Kyou's mind kept flashing back to the scenes with his mother's insincere love and fake smile.

They had reached the top of the Ferris Wheel just as the sun started to set. Kyou looked out at the dying sun, the last bright rays reflecting off of his remote eyes.

"My mother… couldn't take much more. I know that she tried to love some part of me. But she just couldn't see past my weaknesses. She said that she would die for me. She… killed herself out of hopelessness. She couldn't stand being the mother of a monster anymore." Tohru looked at Kyou, her eyes swimming with tears.

"My father blamed it all on me. He thought that…. I should've been the one to die and not my mother. He had told me that my mother had loved me more than anyone else. He never saw me as anything more than a monster. That's all I was to him. A monster that took his wife from him. From then on, he could care less what happened to me. I wasn't even his son to him. He wanted to lock me up so I could never hurt anyone again. He always called me 'it' and not by my name. it was like I wasn't even a human to him." Kyou looked at Tohru, sadness and regret written in his expression.

"That's why… why I reacted the way I did to that mother and son this morning. She reminded me of my mother that… it brought back memories I had locked away." Kyou unfolded his hands and refolded them quickly.

"I…" Tohru started, but Kyou cut her off gently.

"You don't have to say anything. I just… wanted to tell you that." He tried smiling sincerely but it never reached his eyes. Tohru bowed her head, unable to say a word.

"Don't cry…" Kyou had gotten up from his seat and was kneeling at Tohru's feet, lifting her head up with his hand. She hadn't even know that she was crying. She had so many feelings and emotions running through her that she couldn't notice the tears running down her cheeks.

"Please… just don't cry…" He wiped her tears away and bowed his own head dejectedly, his eyes turning into fiery pools of remorse.

"Tohru! Did you have fun at the park?" Momiji came up to Tohru at the front gate, his arms holding a huge stuffed rabbit plush. Yuki and Hatsuhara came walking up behind him, talking softly to each other.

"I had a great time! Thank you for taking me, I'm so happy." Tohru smiled her best at the approaching group, Kyou at her side. He had a grimace on his face and his eyes had frozen over once again.

"Let's go home then! I'm starving," Hatsuhara said, walking ahead of everyone else. Momiji grabbed Tohru's hand and dragged her along. Yuki walked up to Kyou and looked at him sharply.

"What did you tell Honda-san?" he asked, his face hard. Kyou thought about telling him the truth but decided strongly against it.

"Nothing. We just talked about random stuff. Why would I tell you anyway?" Kyou turned his face a fraction to look at Yuki in a disgusted way.

"Fine. Don't tell me. But you better not put Honda-san in danger or hurt her in any way." Yuki walked ahead, leaving Kyou at the back of the group. Kyou pondered Yuki's statement, walking slowly down the road.

"I know that, idiot," Kyou said, looking sadly at the jubilant Tohru.

The next day, Tohru went off on her own to talk to a very important person. Kyou and Yuki were concerned about her, wanting at least walk her to her destination but she gently refused their offer. She had to have this talk alone. She had called the night before to be sure it would be alright to come over. She knew that this talk was important and wanted to help as much as she could.

She entered the small dojo, a look of worry on her face. All of a sudden, Kazuma, Kyou's shishou, opened a door, poking his head out. Tohru jumped in surprise, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, sorry Tohru, please come in." He motioned for her to come inside the small room. Kazuma sat down at the same time as Tohru, both doing so in silence. Kazuma looked at Tohru kindly and began to speak.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked, folding his hands in front of himself. Tohru looked at the ground then looked slowly up at Kazuma's gentle face.

"I just had a questions about Kyou…" she started, folding and unfolding her hands nervously.

"Yes?"

"Well… he told me the story about his parents…" Kazuma looked at her, shock on his face.

"He told you?"

"Yes… he'd seen a mother and her son at the park the other day that reminded him of his own mother.." Kazuma recomposed his face, closing his eyes.

"And…I was just wanting to know… if there was anything I could do to help him." She looked up at Kazuma, sadness in her eyes. Kazuma opened his eyes and unfolded his hands slowly, digesting what she had said.

"Kyou is a very unfortunate child. He never had a parent's love nor did he have anyone to relate to. He was truly alone. Even though he would never admit it, he just wants someone to want him for him. To take him as he is, good and bad. He doesn't want to feel like the third wheel nor does he want to feel like a monster. You've probably felt like the third wheel, the left out one before. Where everyone would chose everyone else before you." Kazuma looked up at Tohru, his eyes bright.

Tohru knew what it felt like. She knew what it was to be left out. To be the only one not called on. The only one to be left sitting while everyone else was standing. To be the only one called rice ball and never being able to play the game.

"What Kyou wants is for someone to understand him and know him. But still be able to love him." Kazuma stood up, his face very calm.

"Thank you very much, Shishou," Tohru said, getting up as well. She smiled at him brightly. He showed her out and sighed to himself, hoping that she could be the one to heal all of Kyou's wounds.

Once back at home, Tohru quickly made dinner and fed the three hungry males. She hadn't eaten anything but quite frankly, wasn't that hungry at all. Tohru was still pondering what Shishou had said when Kyou interrupted her reverie.

"You okay?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Don't worry." She smiled and quickly scooped herself some food to make it seem like she was okay. She finished eating and got up to clean the dishes. Everyone had dispersed from the room by the time she was finished cleaning so she went to go and find Kyou. She searched the entire house. Kyou couldn't be found. She checked his bedroom, the main room, even Shigure's room. But he wasn't around.

Tohru checked one last place. She opened the tall window and stepped out and saw Kyou sitting on the roof, looking at the stars. He looked down at her and quickly got up to help her onto the roof.

"Thank you," she said, regaining her balance. Kyou had sat back down, not saying anything. Tohru went and sat down next to him, watching the stars. They were both silent for what seemed like forever until, finally, Kyou broke the quiet.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" he asked, his voice distant. She winced at the coldness in his voice, unable to quickly answer his question. He didn't look at her when he asked, but she could see his body tense.

"I was wondering… if you'd like to hear a story." She looked over at him slowly. He nodded his head once, but still didn't look at her.

"When I was a child, in school, we used to play this game. It was called Fruits Basket. It was a silly game but fun at the time. Each person was given the name of a fruit. So one person could be apple and the next orange. Everyone is seated and when the person in the middle calls your fruit, you get up and grab a different seat. The person in the middle also gets up and tries to get a seat. So you don't want to be the person in the middle. It was a really fun game." She looked at her hands, trying to control her shaking. Kyou still hadn't looked at her.

"Whenever I played, I would always be rice ball, or an onigiri. I didn't mind because rice balls were delicious. But as we started playing the game, rice ball would never be called out. I realized that rice ball wasn't a fruit at all and I had been purposefully left out of the game. After a while, I knew that rice ball could never be part of fruits basket. I was always left sitting while everyone else was moving around. I always felt so left out and that I was never wanted during that game. I didn't like being the third wheel or the only one left sitting. I didn't like it at all." She had bowed her head into her knees, closing her eyes painfully. Kyou had finally looked at her, his eyes shocked.

He had never known that Tohru was a child left out. He would have never guessed. He had found someone that understood what it was like to be shunned. What it was like to be left out. The only one left sitting while everyone else was standing. What it was like to be alone. His eyes had lost it's icy glaze and was replaced with a sympathetic glow that made his red eyes soften.

"Tohru… I'm sorry…."

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The next day, everyone had woken up with their usual, early morning rowdiness.

"You stupid mouse! I dare you to say that again!"

"You couldn't beat me in a million years, idiot."

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Is it ever peaceful in this house?" Shigure came out of his room, yawning loudly. Tohru just smiled and carried on making lunches. "What are those lunches for?"

"Oh, just packing them in case we decided to go and do something." She smiled up at him, setting down the rice spoon.

"What do you kids have in mind to do today?" Shigure sat down and poured some tea for himself.

"Not much. Probably just staying in today." Yuki said, standing up. He excused himself gently, walking into his room and snapping the door shut.

Kyou made to stand up just as Tohru was picking up the lunch packs she had made. Slowly, she extended one to Kyou, looking down shyly.

"What's this for?" he asked, confused.

"It's for lunch," she said quietly, not looking up. Shigure looked at them from the corner of his eye, wondering what was going on.

"But… I just finished breakfast. It's too early for lunch. Besides, this is a packed lunch." He didn't take the lunch pack, confusion still on his face. Shigure closed his eyes behind the newspaper he had started reading, a smile crossing his face.

"Well… I was wondering if you wanted to go on a hike with me." She looked up at him slowly, gauging his reaction.

"Is anyone else going?" he asked, looking skeptical.

"No… just you and I. I thought it'd be a nice way to relax." She smiled a little at him. "See? I have a lunch pack too." She held up her lunch pack for him to see.

Kyou was speechless. He had never been asked to do something with someone without there having to be a group. It was always like this. He hadn't ever been asked individually to go and do something. He had never been wanted like this by someone.

"If you want other people to go… .then…. I can call… some people to come with us…" she looked at him in confusion, wondering what he was thinking.

"No… Just you and I. I'd really enjoy it with just us," he said, taking a lunch pack from her. She smiled brightly at him, saying goodbye to Shigure. They left the house together, no longer being the third wheel and rice ball.

my first ever fruits basket fanfic! sooo this is just a oneshot between Kyou and Tohru, finding similarities in each other that they didn't think they had. i don't know if it's too OOC or not for both but i tried not to be. So if i am, please by all means, let me know. I hope you enjoy this story! Please read and review, thanks! 3