AN: This one's a lot longer than "Roll with the Punches" because building a Kyo/Yuki friendship is a lot harder than just writing a random scene from the already canon Shigure/Ayame one.

Disclaimer! I don't own anything I write about on this website which is for fiction based on other people's ideas. Shocking, that is.

It was common knowledge that the cat and the rat were complete opposites.

Yuki was generally a very calm person. He was extremely hard to get angry, almost always congenial and helpful. Kyo, by contrast, was a disagreeable and short-fused boy who regularly got into fights.

Everyone knew that Yuki and Kyo were constantly fighting, and that they couldn't even stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes.

What not everyone knew, was that that wasn't exactly accurate. Yuki and Kyo looked like they hated each other, but they didn't. Not exactly.

They were jealous.

Kyo wished he was truly part of the zodiac, while Yuki wished desperately that he wasn't.

However, being teenage boys, not even they realized that they didn't actually hate each other.

Surprisingly, it was Kyo who began to realize first.

Kyo glared darkly at the obnoxiously green grass he was doing his best to trample into the ground.

It was mocking him.

The green grass, the bright sun, the stupid smiles and irritating laughter emanating from the people who were walking way to close. The stupid parade of kittens trailing after him that were completely detracting from his threatening aura! It was all mocking him, because it was all so happy and he was anything but.

The girls at school were bugging him, Shigure had completely embarrassed him in front of Tohru, and Yuki...

Yuki had been cold and antagonistic, goading him into a fight that no one ever believed he could win.

Again.

That was why the grass was feeling his wrath. But it wasn't working to assuage his anger; he really needed to punch someone.

Preferably that person would be Yuki, but Kyo could admit (very reluctantly and never out loud) that that probably wouldn't happen any time soon.

"...with his girly eyelashes and long hair,"

Kyo paused at the words, mind immediately flashing to Yuki at the description. He looked around to see who had said it and saw someone he vaguely recognized as another Kaibara student talking to one of his friends.

"I bet that skinny princess couldn't even throw a punch correctly."

The guy seemed to actually be insulting Kaibara's precious prince.

Kyo waited for the rush of satisfaction that would inevitably come from hearing one of the people Kyo had believed to be wholly devoted to worshipping the rat instead insult him.

The satisfaction didn't come.

Instead, Kyo inexplicably felt even angrier.

He figured it was probably because just the idea of Yuki made him angry.

Now he really really wanted to punch something...

The steaming teen's eyes landed on his older classmate.

He looked rather punchable.

Before the other teen or his friend knew what was happening, Kyo had launched himself between them and landed a solid hit on his face.

Then Kyo smirked, because that did make him feel better.

"Hey!" The friend of the kid Kyo had just punched (who was sitting on the ground, holding his cheek in shock) shouted in a delayed reaction to the assault.

Kyo shot a glare over his shoulder at the guy, feeling inexplicably angry again, and said teen quelled.

"W-we should go," he stuttered, helping his still-stunned friend off the ground and leading him away with a fearful glance over his shoulder. Everyone in Kaibara knew of Kyo's short fuse, and they also knew that even though he was a dunce at school he could destroy in a physical fight.

Retaliating would not be advisable. Not with a two-on-one ratio.

As he watched the two friends retreat, Kyo considered his sudden change in mood.

It was weird, because usually when he was angry it took at least an hour alone on the roof to calm him even to mildly irked.

He considered their topic of conversation and groaned.

Yuki. He had just defended that darn rat.

And he felt good about it.

Maybe Tohru was right about them maybe being friends...

Kyo scowled and mentally listed as many negative aspects of the rat as he possibly could think of (which was surprisingly small,but he felt very strongly about those few), trying to banish any sense of familial affection he may or may not have felt for a moment.

Despite that, it occurred to Kyo that he may not completely despise his irritatingly perfect cousin.

What was the world coming to?

Yuki had been having a perfectly fine day.

Well, as perfectly fine as a day of school spent dealing with Kyo could be.

Other than the irritating cat, the day had gone well. He'd played cards with Tohru and her friends, had the pleasure of seeing Kyo beaten every time, and the student council meeting after school had been surprisingly short.

Which led him to the current situation.

He had been getting his books from his locker when he heard them.

"It was that idiot, Kyo."

Yuki paused as he heard the sneering voice from somewhere to his left.

He recognized that voice. It belonged to one of his classmates, a year his senior. Ryou Gangiri, Yuki believed his name was. He and Kyo had gotten into a fight off of school grounds earlier in the week, though Kyo had refused to tell even Tohru what said fight had been about and Ryou, when asked, had said it was unprovoked.

Yuki didn't believe that. Stupid as that cat was, the only person he ever attacked without some sort of provocation was Yuki himself.

"You'd think such a weak kid would have a better temper," Ryou scoffed, comfortable with insulting Kyo's strength now that he wasn't anywhere near and completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't even fought back during their little altercation in the park.

The older boy was walking towards Yuki, and apparently hadn't seen the younger teen or didn't care.

Yuki happened to step back when Ryou was almost directly behind him, knocking the older boy to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Yuki said immediately. He was as surprised as the others at the ice in his voice; his tone being markedly cooler than the one he usually used at school. This voice was colder than the one he used for Kyo even in his darkest moments; this was the voice reserved for Ayame at his most annoying and those who hurt Tohru. "I didn't see you there."

He offered a hand to the older teen despite not feeling particularly charitable.

Ryou regarded Yuki with surprise and just a trace of disgust. This was the second time within a week that he'd been knocked down by a Sohma. He could ignore Kyo, that kid was a practical demon, but this pansy princess? No.

Yuki merely raised an eyebrow when his hand was knocked away. He then shrugged, (he'd tried to mend bridges, it wasn't his problem if Ryou wanted to be difficult) and turned to walk away.

"Hey! I'm not done with you, punk!"

Yuki dodged the punch from behind with hardly a thought; after avoiding Kyo's many attempts, he doubted sneak attacks would ever take much thought ever again.

Ryou, set off balance by the lack of resistance, tumbled over.

Yuki continued to walk, merely noting that if one missed punch could send the other boy to the ground then Ryou wasn't very good at fighting at all. Kyo could beat him easily, despite his previous words.

On the walk home he was able to muse silently on why he had tripped the boy up and treated him so coldly, because he had told Tohru not to bother waiting or coming back for him.

He'd never talked to the boy before in his life and had only seen him briefly before, so it wasn't some sort of predisposed anger.

The only thing that could have possibly made him act that way was what Ryou said.

He had been insulting Kyo.

And, strangely, Yuki hadn't taken too kindly to that. Perhaps the cat, and Kyo by extension, wasn't a zodiac member, but he was still a Sohma and he was still cursed.

Apparently, despite earlier beliefs, Yuki didn't hate Kyo.

Too bad the cat definitely hated him, or else they might get along.

Those incidents were the first in a line of coincidences in which Yuki and Kyo defended each other while sure no one they knew was around.

Kyo would be openly rude for what appeared to be no reason to those he had heard bad-mouthing his petit cousin (he didn't hit anyone else though, he'd given Tohru a right scare when she heard about his "fight" in the park and he didn't want to worry her).

Yuki, though usually agreeable and even demure, was highly passive aggressive to several schoolmates he'd learned thought ill of his more volatile cousin.

Though, of course, neither allowed the other to figure out what was going on and they continued to fight as normal. After all, both honestly believed that the other truly hated him, and they both actually quite enjoyed the fights.

Yuki more than Kyo, obviously, who was still intent on defeating the rat and had never taken well to losing anyway.

Both boys had also noticed that they felt no need to speak up while the other was present; they could both defend themselves perfectly fine. In fact, Yuki almost enjoyed watching the other boy stand up for himself. The cat was just so obnoxious about it that Yuki had a hard time keeping a straight face.

Which Kyo always assumed was aimed at him, which always resulted in yet another fight, which Kyo lost, as always.

Now, they were by no means best friends, or even cordial to each other. If asked, both could honestly reply that they did hold more than their fair share of animosity for the other. But that, they had both acknowledged silently, was almost entirely due to a combination of the story of the zodiacs and jealousy.

It was weeks after the first encounters with Ryou that Yuki found out about Kyo's little habit of insulting people who insulted him.

He had been walking down a hallway during lunch, looking for the cat. After all, Tohru wanted Kyo to sit with them at lunch but he hadn't shown up.

So Yuki had been elected (ordered) by the group (Hana and Uo) to find his idiot cousin.

He had just arrived at their classroom when he heard a distinct annoyed grumble. That was Kyo. He was about to open the door when he heard a voice that definitely wasn't the cat's.

"I don't know how you can stand being related to that guy. I hardly see him and I can't put up with him."

Yuki frowned.

He had known, logically, that there were some people who didn't like him. He couldn't honestly say he didn't expect Kyo to talk with those people about how he wasn't perfect. But despite both of those facts, Yuki couldn't help but to feel just a bit hurt.

His face fell into a neutral mask; a habit developed since childhood. Never show emotion, especially hurt.

"Shut up."

Yuki's mask cracked instantly, face showing surprise. That was Kyo. Kyo, the cat, who has hated him almost since birth. Telling someone who was insulting Yuki to shut up.

The rat stayed silent, continuing to listen. There was no waxing poetic about friendship or misunderstandings. There was no plainly-said defense of his cousin. Kyo wasn't one for flowery language; he simply told the other boy to shut up, citing the reason as his voice being annoying.

Despite the lack of sudden friendship speeches (which, honestly, would have only made Yuki highly uncomfortable and suspicious), the silver-haired teen saw what was going on. Kyo had just defended him, in his own socially-inept way.

He was still stuck on this shocking thought when the door opened.

Kyo stepped out of the room with a scoff, leaving his shell-shocked classmate without a glance. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he turned to head to the roof; he was supposed to meet Tohru there almost twenty minutes ago. In front of him, in the middle of his path, was another one of his classmates. He froze. And gaped. And stared.

Because the classmate was Yuki. And, judging by the rat's rare shaken-up expression, he had heard everything.

"What?" The cat snapped in response to the suddenly awkward atmosphere. Yuki didn't scoff, roll his eyes, or any other sort of derisive or condescending gesture; but his surprised expression was replaced by the guarded and emotionless one that had always made Kyo uneasy.

There was a tense silence in which Kyo decided to pretend he didn't think Yuki knew, and Yuki wondered how he should react.

"...Thank you," Yuki finally decided on, looking pointedly above Kyo's head. Said cat stuttered incoherently at the unexpected words, but before he could respond with anything actually understandable Yuki continued. A small smirk creeping onto his face, knowing this would erase any strangeness between them, Yuki brushed by his cousin with a barely breathed, "stupid cat."

"Hey!" Kyo shouted a moment later, just a titch slow on the uptake, "what happened to 'thank you'?! Get back here ya rat!"

Even as Kyo ran down the hall his long-time rival had already deserted, Kyo couldn't help a relieved grin.

Nothing would change. Not as long as either of them had a say in it.

AN: I think I did a pretty good job in keeping them in character... Sorry if they're not, I haven't actually watched Fruits Basket in forever!