It took me long enough. Here. Enjoy. I'm sorry I made you wait so long… Thank you to all my reviewers over the past months of this story being posted. You were all so kind and I love every one of you. More thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: HitodeDaikazoku, Sophia Lena Duchannes Riddle, KnowledgeandImagination, Miri-chan, spraklybutterfly42, 1 Hell of a Monster, FBFan, TokiooWishes, AssassinedAngel, Michelle Potter Black, and animelovernewbie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters therein. All rights belong to Natsuki Takaya.

It was the middle of the afternoon and Tohru was more or less exhausted. Hana and Uo had picked her up from Shigure's early that Sunday morning without warning, claiming their right to kidnap her. Yuki hadn't even been awake yet, Kyo had gone out for a run, and Shigure was yet in bed as well. She'd left a note, but she hadn't even had time to make breakfast for everyone. Thank goodness there were leftovers in the fridge that she could tell them to enjoy. That was not really the source of her exhaustion though. Tohru found herself exhausted because her friends had taken her what seemed to be literally everywhere. They'd been window shopping, Uo had dragged them into an arcade for a while, they'd tasted different pastries and sweets, and even stopped in at a petting zoo. After all that, Tohru was rightfully exhausted.

"So then, Tohru," Uo said, throwing an arm around her friend's shoulders. "You really can't tell us what happened, can you?"

Tohru bit her lip, looking down. Suffice to say, her friends were far too smart and knew her too well to believe that she'd simply been sick during her absences from school. They knew there were things that she wasn't telling them. It hurt her to know that she couldn't explain everything to them, but it was impossible. There were too many secrets wrapped around her disappearance for her to say anything. "I- I'm sorry."

Hana smiled to herself. "Although, I do hate that you must keep your secrets, I know it's for the best, is it not?" She knew from her friend's waves that it pained Tohru to keep things from them. She also knew that whatever had happened had certainly been terrible but had righted itself and resulted in better futures for the individuals involved. It was also her belief that Tohru had not been abandoned; Yuki's waves had become increasingly protective towards Tohru and during her second absence he had been gone as well. His waves had become so protective, in fact, that Hana knew he'd been there for her, whatever had happened. Knowing this, Hana had thanked him in a quiet moment at school on the day that he and Tohru had returned. Everything about his response had been full of surprise and slight alarm; his posture, widened eyes, and his failure to form a coherent response. If he hadn't known what she was talking about he surely would have asked what her simple "thank you" meant. But something had happened and he'd done Tohru a great service.

Hana had shared these deductions with Uo after school that day and both of them had agreed to keep silent on the matter. If it had to be secret, then so be it. Someone had taken care of Tohru and that was what counted. Someday, perhaps the truth could be shared, but for now the secrecy that recent events were shrouded in was obviously unavoidable. Meanwhile, whatever had occurred, Yuki had Hana and Uo's sincere gratitude whether or not he realized it.

OoOoO

"Come straight over, dearest brother! Forthwith!" Ayame was practically singing on his end of the phone. "Since I have heard that your most precious flower is absent on this fair afternoon, it is only natural that the second most important being in your life be paid a visit. So come! Come and be rejuvenated in my loving arms!"

Yuki sighed, leaning against the wall by the phone. Yes, Tohru was gone, but what Ayame didn't seem to grasp was that his enthusiasm was not prompting him to run out the door and into that ridiculous shop. "She has a life of her own, you know, Nii-san," Yuki said. "It's perfectly acceptable to leave the house with her friends. It's none of your business how she chooses to spend her time." Granted, waking up to her being gone had been a little nerve-wracking and reminiscent of the time she'd spent at the main house. It hadn't helped that Kyo had simply thrown the note away after reading it himself since apparently no one else in the house might worry. He'd eventually realized what had happened, of course. After his partially asleep brain had given him the run around of possible reasons for her disappearance, anyway. "Why is it exactly you want me to come?"

"Well, obviously! Your future! You can do anything now and no one can dictate what you become. Not the Sohma family and not our parents. So we should discuss and see where you'd like to be after graduation. It's not so far off is it? A year and a half, right?"

It was something Yuki had been thinking about as well. He was free from many things now and he hadn't even begun to test the freedom he now had. He'd only barely brushed the surface. "All right. I'll be there in forty minutes or so." Yuki quickly said goodbye and hung up before Ayame could begin another tirade.

It was that phone call that had brought him to stand outside Ayame's shop, which still horrified him a little. He never knew what he would walk in on when it came to his brother and every time was a little worrisome. Cautiously, he entered the shop, glancing around before fully stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. It was unusually quiet and Yuki wondered for a minute if anyone was even there. "Nii-san?" He went a little further and sat down on the sofa, not sure why he didn't hear a response.

Well, he could wait, couldn't he? That was when he noticed the various papers spread across the short table before him. Curious, he looked at them a little closer. Ayame wasn't exactly the type to actually work on things so Yuki couldn't help but wonder. It didn't take long to realize what they were: legal documents. Specifically, documents designed to transfer his guardianship over to someone else since his parents had disowned him. On one of the papers he could see his mother's and father's signatures hurriedly written beneath what appeared to be the main point of all this.

Whether or not it was for the best, Yuki picked up the sheet of paper and read over it. The legal terms made him sound like an item passing into someone else's ownership and when read in full, simply said that his parents didn't want him. He'd known that nearly his entire life but had never seen it in writing with their signatures to confirm it. Yuki set the paper back down, realizing how little he cared. This wasn't new. He'd known this was happening for a while; he'd already considered it done if he was being honest. They'd been his parents only in name for so long that the sudden disconnection from them felt like a continuation of what had already been in place.

"Like it even matters," he muttered, sitting back.

At that moment, the door flew open and Ayame came through chattering at Mine who wasn't far behind him, both carrying brown paper shopping bags. "Oh!" Ayame exclaimed when he saw Yuki sitting there. "Yuki! You've already arrived! You must have flown here on the wings of one possessed. How your heart must have longed to see me - your most illustrious brother!"

Yuki gave his brother a skeptical look. "Or maybe I just didn't care to be at home at the moment and had an excuse to come here. You're the one who called me, Nii-san."

"Welcome, Otouto-kun," Mine said cheerfully. "It's a shame you couldn't bring Tohru-chan with you, I had something I wanted her to try on. It would have been perfect for her."

"I'm sure she would have come if she wasn't busy already today." Yuki didn't mention the creation that Mine had wanted her to wear; he wasn't entirely sure that would have been the best idea. Mine smiled and nodded before taking the shopping bags and heading out of sight.

"No matter, no matter," Ayame said, waving his hands in dismissal of the subject. He opened his mouth to continue but then noticed the documents he'd left scattered on the coffee table. Immediately, he began gathering them up, apologizing for leaving things in such a mess and obviously hoping Yuki didn't realize what they were.

"It's okay, Nii-san. I already saw them. You can leave them there if you'd like; I don't mind." Yuki was a little past caring. Almost. It still hurt; of course it still hurt. His parents' signatures were staring up at him, confirming the one thing he'd always known but tried to deny – His parents had never wanted him for more than what he could provide them. That wasn't new though, and he'd been more than aware long before his mother had decided to disown him. "It's a good thing that this is happening. Because of that," he said, gesturing to the papers, "I can do anything. Anything at all. Without Haha-ue or Chichi-ue, and without the curse, I can be more normal than I ever was before. Even if I don't have parents."

Wasn't that what he'd always wanted to begin with? To be free? Yuki pondered that for a moment, and smiled a little. If he didn't have parents anymore, then so be it. There wasn't anything he could do about it, but he could move forward. He could move forward farther than he'd ever thought possible. "So…" he began. "I'm here to talk about my future, right?"

Ayame looked at his brother for a moment, seeing the determination in his eyes. Yuki had come so far in such a short amount of time. "Right. Your future! And it shall be a glorious one at that! Now, what is it you wish to accomplish in your lifetime?"

"I don't… I don't know. All of my impossibilities have already become possible. I don't know what else to strive for. I've never thought about it before."

After a brief silence, Ayame clapped his hands twice, calling, "Mine! Why don't you join us for a refreshing cup of tea?" Then, he turned to look at his younger brother. "I'm happy for you, Yuki. I am. You'll find ambitions and you'll be able to follow them. Good luck."

Yuki nodded, knowing that even if he hadn't said it, Ayame would support him in whatever he decided for himself. "Thank you, Nii-san."

OoOoO

When Yuki came home later that evening, he found Tohru with the majority of her textbooks, folders, and notebooks in a pile beside her and only one set open in front of her. She looked up when she heard the door open and smiled when she saw it was him. "Yuki-kun! Welcome home!"

"I'm glad to see that you've returned as well, Tohru-kun." Yuki came further in, sitting down next to her. "It looks like you're almost finished with your school work."

Tohru nodded. "Almost. I just have two assignments left and I should be able to finish them tonight if all goes well."

Yuki rested his chin in one hand, wanting to say something, but overcome by nervousness. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again. Saying it now would only fluster her and she wouldn't be able to complete her assignments. Instead he asked whether or not she needed help and gladly assisted her. It took nearly an hour and then, finally, Tohru added the last of her work to the neat pile beside her.

"Finished!" she proclaimed, her voice filled with both relief and happiness. "I'm so glad that it's over."

"Congratulations," he told her, pausing before continuing, saying what he'd wanted to say at the beginning. "Maybe… maybe now that you've finished we can go on that date I mentioned when we first started catching up." He couldn't keep his voice from sounding awkward. What was wrong with him? They were dating, weren't they? So why did an actual "date" sound so strange on his tongue? Maybe he just wasn't used to it.

Tohru blushed, averting her eyes down to her finished school assignments. "I… I'd like to, but…"

Yuki felt his heart stop for the briefest of moments. 'But' what? Had he been mistaken? Had he assumed too much? Was his relationship with Tohru not what he thought it was? She'd been the one to confess first though. He'd even rejected her to start with. What did she mean by 'but'?

Tohru continued, sounding nervous, "I guess I don't need a 'date' because, for me, just being with you is enough. It doesn't have to have a specific name, as long as I'm with you." Her face was flaming with color by that point and she had to convince herself to glance up at him.

Yuki looked at her with wonder, realizing that what she'd described were his own feelings as well. He didn't need to title the time he was with her as a "date" because being with her was enough. It was special enough without having a name of its own. He pulled her close, despite her small sound of surprise. "I feel the same way," he said softly, feeling her warmth against him. Slowly, her arms came around him as well and she nestled her head against his shoulder. "Tohru-kun?" he whispered.

"Yes?" she answered, her voice just as quiet.

"Would it… would it be okay to just stay like this for a while?"

Tohru snuggled in closer and Yuki relaxed against the table as they sat on the floor in each other's arms. He didn't want to lose this moment yet. Holding her and being held by her. It was home. Not only was he at home, but Tohru was back where she belonged too. Not in the main house, not anywhere near Akito, but here within the four walls where she was meant to be.

There. Complete. The end of Sacrifice. I… um… I'm really going to miss working on it. But I'll have the freedom to write something new too, so it'll be nice. Thank you to all my reviewers who have listened to my silly review begging so far. If you're for one more, it would be really cool to break 400 reviews. I mean, that would be awesome. A HUGE MILESTONE. For me anyway. So please review!