Kiss Kiss
By Lady of the Ink
Pairing: Kyou and Kagura Sohma
Fandom: Fruits Basket
Theme: #30 – Kiss
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but you knew that ...I hope. But I do own this story and all the twists that it takes.

Kiss Thirty
First Kiss

x

Kyou walked silently into the kitchen, coming up behind Kagura where she stood at the counter. She gave a startled little cry as he wrapped one arm around her waist while the other swiped a freshly chopped piece of carrot from the pile in front of her. She scoffed as he popped it into his mouth and began to chew.

"If you're that anxious for dinner, you could always help me with the cooking, you know."

He smirked, resting his cheek against hers as he stole another bite. "No thanks."

"I didn't think so. Could you at least herd the kids into the dining room? I think Taro's out back so make sure he washes up when he comes in. Kiko's with Akira in the living room; since their practicing ran long, he's staying for dinner."

Kyou grunted at the mention of Yuki's son. Ever since Kiko had gotten the lead in the school's latest play, she had been spending a lot of time with Akira. If he wasn't hanging around their house, Kiko was over at his. Even when the boy himself wasn't around, he seemed to be all Kiko wanted to talk about. If he had to sit through another night of "Akira this" and "Akira that", Kyou was sure he was going to be sick. She might be fifteen but she was still his little girl and that meant that she was too young to be crushing on boys.

He moved away from Kagura, giving her waist a gentle squeeze as he did. "That I can do." Walking to the backdoor, he called Taro in from the yard, ruffling his dark hair as he ran past on his way to wash his hands. The nine-year-old had inherited not only his mother's looks but her frenetic energy as well. He went from morning to night without slowing down, a trait that would have worried his parents more were he not the epitome of sweetness. Unlike his sometimes-temperamental sister, he seemed to possess none of the devilish natures that had long plagued both his parents.

Smiling to himself, Kyou continued down the hall, pausing for just a moment until he made out the sound of running water through the open bathroom door. Satisfied that Taro was doing as he'd been told, he headed for the living room to get Kiko and Akira.

X

"So he walked in on it?"

Kagura smiled and nodded, reaching for her drink. "He came shooting back into the kitchen like he was on fire. It was actually pretty funny."

The rest of the women around the table laughed, obviously picturing the scene in their heads. It wasn't everyday that a father accidentally witnessed his daughter's first kiss.

"Akira came home really agitated. He was sure Kyou was going to come looking for him." It was Machi's turn to smile. "It took Yuki an hour to get him to tell him why he kept looking out the window. It was so cute."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "How did he know that Kyou knew? Did they see him?"

"No, but it wasn't like Kyou was trying to hide his feelings. He kept glaring at Akira all through dinner and then he practically threw him out the door. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure it out. As soon as he was gone, Kiko looked at Kyou, stomped her foot and yelled 'Daddy!' before locking herself in her room for the rest of the night. That was two days ago and she still hasn't talked to him."

"How's he taking it?" Kisa, always the sensitive one, asked. Kagura had a feeling that she might be storing information for the years to come when her own daughter hit that age. As alike as their personalities were, it was quite possible that Hiro would react in much the same way that Kyou had.

"He's as bad as she is, stomping around the house muttering half sentences." She affected her best Kyou-like voice. " 'In my own house.' 'She's mad at me!' 'That damn rat.'" Kagura tilted her head to the side. "I haven't figured out yet if he means Yuki or Akira when he says that."

"You seem awfully happy about having two grumpy people around."

"It's just so adorable to see big bad Kyou being such a protective daddy." And it was. She remembered back to when they'd first learned she was pregnant with Kiko. Kyou had been so worried that he wouldn't be a good father since he'd had such a poor example. Even reminding him that he'd had Kazuma to learn from hadn't eased his anxiety.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this sort of thing."

"You felt the same way about being a husband and look how well this has turned out."

"That's not the same. You knew what I was like before we got married and loved me anyway. I don't know the first thing about how to make this baby like me."

Kagura had smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "You don't have to do anything. Just be yourself and love him or her no matter what and everything will be fine. Besides, I'll be right there with you the whole way. We'll learn together."

She pulled herself back into the moment at hand and picked up the conversation where she'd left off. "Besides, Taro's a boy which means this is the only chance I'm going to get to see this. It won't be the same when he starts dating."

There were nods of agreement around the table. While Kyou obviously loved both his children, it was equally clear that Kiko was daddy's little girl. They'd often joked about how difficult he would make it for any boy that wanted to date her; they'd just never expected that it would be one of their sons who was forced to deal with him.

Machi asked the obvious question. "Do you think he'll get better with time?"

"He'll have to. Kiko will never forgive him if he scared Akira off. She's crazy about him."

"I think he feels the same way about her. He's been asking if we think she'll get in trouble because of him. I know he wants to ask her out; he's just afraid Kyou will …" she trailed off uncertainly but Kagura cheerfully finished her thought.

"Trounce him before he gets the chance? At this point, that's a distinct possibility. Even after all the work I've put into him, he still has a few rough edges, especially when it comes to protecting the things that he loves. It's actually an endearing quality when it's not annoying. I'm going to have a little talk with him this evening, just to make sure he sees he overreacted."

When the small gathering broke up an hour later, Kagura slowly walked toward her home. Her thoughts were on how quickly the years had passed without her really noticing. It seemed like just yesterday Kiko and Taro had been toddling around the yard chasing butterflies. They had grown up so fast, changing from small, helpless bundles into real people with unique personalities. Sometimes it scared her so much to see them, so adult and mature, that she wanted to lock them up and keep them with her forever. Unlike Kyou, however, she knew it was an impossible dream. The day was coming when she'd have to let them go to make their own ways in the world. All she could do was make sure they knew their parents would always be there for them, no matter what.

A feat that would be much easier once Kyou got himself under control. Pushing away the philosophical thoughts, Kagura focused on her plan of attack for getting him to accept Kiko's dating. It wouldn't be easy, she knew, but she could manage it. A few reminders about giving their daughter space to grow and acknowledging that she was almost an adult and old enough to make her own decisions should do the trick. If they didn't, she could always bring up a certain other first kiss, one that was much more intense than a chaste peck in a parents' living room.

With a wicked smile on her face, Kagura quickened her step. She couldn't wait to get home.