Title: Ripples by the Pond

Author: Gia

Rating: PG

Pairing: None

Summary: A wish Ayame made in the past sends Yuki reeling back in time. Finding himself sharing a class with the Mabudachi Trio themselves, Yuki must find a way to keep his secret hidden or risk losing himself in the past forever.

Disclaimer: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Hakusensha or any other publishers of Fruits Basket. The manga belongs to Natsuki Takaya and the plot belongs to me.

Author Notes: Hello all! I wonder how many people (person?) were surprised to see an update. It's been awhile, my friends. Please enjoy the chapter.

The morning was chilly despite the sun shining overhead. Saizo Makoto wasn't aware of the chill because he was already sweating in his workout clothes. Each move of his arm made the sweat beading on his forehead slide down his face but he paid no attention to it. Right now, he was in a deserted spot in a park, repeating an exercise under the critical eye of the one and only Yuki Suyama.

Saizo wasn't the most athletic of boys his age, but he wouldn't call himself weak either. At least, that was what he was trying to tell himself as he tried to copy the moves Yuki was calling out behind him.

"Bring your arm up higher," Yuki called, "and keep your hips straight!"

Makoto sighed. He had begged Yuki for this so he knew he wasn't in any position to complain. There was an honorable reason for why he wanted to learn martial arts. He wanted to show his younger brother, Takei Makoto, that he could be a dependable big brother. Just because he wasn't known to be the brightest in his class like his younger brother was in his, didn't mean he would fail at being a dependable brother. He still remembered the embarrassment on Takei's face when Saizo found out the other boys in his class were teasing his younger brother for not having anything to do for the school's festival's talent show.

Takei had just kept a mature look on his face, completely at odds with his boyish face, and tried telling Saizo it wasn't a big deal. But it was a big deal and it was up to him to come up with something cool to teach Takei and make everyone else wish they had a big brother like him.

"Better," Yuki congratulated, "Now let's try something you can do with a partner."

Saizo grinned.

"I'm ready!"

Ripples by the Pond

By Gia

Chapter Fifteen: Grains of Truth

Saizo fell back against the grass, groaning in pain and completely winded.

"I don't think I can move from this spot!"

Yuki, also breathing fast, sat down next to other boy.

"You did a good job," Yuki stretched his arms upwards, "you should be proud."

Saizo tried to sit up but fell back against the ground with another loud groan. The two lapsed into an amiable silence. Despite the unlikeliness of their pairing, Yuki found himself strangely at ease with delinquent student. Unlike the Mabudachi Trio, there was no tension here. It was also interesting that Yuki had some insight into Takei Makoto's life—that the future Student Council President had such an admirable older brother.

"—you're so good?"

Yuki blinked and looked down at Saizo.

"What was that?"

"Uh," Saizo cleared his throat and averted his eyes from Yuki's, "I was just saying you're a good teacher. How did you get so good?"

Yuki pursed his lips in thought, tactfully ignoring the way Saizo's eyes focused on them before quickly moving away. Saizo surreptitiously scooted away from Yuki, shaking his head in denial and pumping his fist in the air. Yuki figured the bizarre movements were Saizo's attempt to dispel a possible crush. Sometimes, Yuki really cursed his feminine looks.

"I've trained since I was little," Yuki added belatedly, "I think."

"My little brother will be pretty impressed. I can't wait to see that kid's face!"

"He should be happy," Yuki said slowly, "Anyone would be happy. You didn't have to go this far. Some brothers wouldn't even bother…"

Yuki trailed off, a dark expression coming over his face.

Saizo turned his head, peering up to see Yuki's expression.

"You sound… bitter."

Yuki shrugged, no bothering to reply.

Saizo abruptly sat up, swinging around in his seated position, unmindful of possible grass stains.

"Yuki, do you really have amnesia?"

The question caused Yuki to pause, but there was none of the anxiety that normally occurred when the Mabudachi Trio confronted him. Confused at his own feelings, Yuki regarded Saizo's earnest expression and waited to see what Saizo would do.

"I don't care if you don't. I won't say anything to anyone, promise."

Yuki remained silent.

"I'm just asking because you don't really act like you've lost your memory. You don't even look like you care. No one's mentioned your family looking for you. I, well most of the guys in our class, figured you ran away…" Saizo shrugged.

Yuki's mouth dropped open at the last sentence.

Seeing Yuki's reaction, Saizo grinned. "Did you run away? You don't have amnesia, do you?"

"I didn't run away," Yuki said dryly, "That's all that matters."

"Like I said, I don't care if you're lying about the amnesia thing. Guess you don't feel like talking about it, huh?" Saizo asked, scratching the back of his head.

Yuki shrugged in response, fingers twining into the grass beside him.

"But you sure you didn't run away? Everyone's got family problems." Saizo emphasized 'family problems,' wiggling his eyebrows.

Yuki laughed despite himself. Saizo looked pleased with himself before regarding Yuki more seriously.

"If you've got problems with your parents or siblings, don't worry about it. Maybe you guys need to cool your heads. I'm always giving mine a headache. And my little brother is always scolding me to do better in school." Saizo reached forward, clapping Yuki on the shoulder.

Yuki found himself smiling sincerely at the other boy, amused when Saizo alternated between blushing and shaking his head in denial.

"I appreciate the pep talk. It's," Yuki searched for an appropriate word, "Complicated at the moment but I think it will turn out okay."

Saizo nodded, jumping to his feet with a small wince. "I should head back home. Takei's already figured out I've got something planned for him. Kid's too smart for his own good."

Yuki stood up as well and regarded Saizo with newfound respect. Saizo reached out and clapped Yuki's shoulder again before walking away. Yuki waved goodbye to Saizo's disappearing figure as the boy left the park. He was amused to see the other boy stop in the distance and formally bow to him before finally leaving.

'Guess there's more to Saizo Makoto than I had assumed,' Yuki mused as he began the trek back to Akio's home.

Yuki planned to head back home and contact the others about a time and place to meet. He wasn't sure about the location just yet but he hoped it would occur to him on the walk back home. Akio would probably offer his own home for this discussion but Yuki didn't want to involve the man even further; or make him a victim of all the questions he would get about finding him on the road.

'I can't even imagine how they're going to react. What would Shigure say? Or Hatori? I don't know how he's going to react...' Yuki frowned to himself.

"Yuki?"

Yuki just managed to stop himself from walking into Akio. He blinked looked around in surprise to see he had almost walked past the front door.

"Akio-san, sorry, I was distracted."

Akio grinned, reaching forward to ruffle Yuki's hair. "Don't be. How did the training go?"

Yuki shrugged, stepping behind Akio as they walked inside the house. "As well as you would expect. He's not training to fight someone. He wants to learn a short routine so he can teach his friend."

"His friend?" Akio asked, as he walked towards the kitchen. "Oh, do you want some tea Yuki?"

"His younger brother," Yuki amended, taking great pains to keep his voice neutral, "And no thank you, Akio-san."

"That's a nice thing for him to do for his brother," Akio responded lightly, "Helping Makoto is also very kind of you. You are helping the both of them."

Yuki nodded at first but the beaming smile coming from his temporary guardian urged him to speak. "It is a nice thing for Makoto to do," he agreed, "He's eager to learn so I think we will be able to get a good routine ready in time for his brother's spring festival."

Akio pretended to huff at Yuki side-stepping the compliment, but stopped at the mention of the festival.

"You'll be busy practicing for your own festival this week, will you be able to manage both?"

"I think for now I've got bigger things to worry about." Yuki motioned to the phone. "I need to call them to figure out when and where we should meet."

Akio nodded soberly, "You could do it here if you feel more comfortable—"

Yuki shook his head emphatically. "I would feel better if we could meet in more neutral ground."

"It will be lunch soon, do you want to plan it after that?"

Yuki hesitated for a second but shook his head again. "I don't think I can put this off any longer Akio-san. I probably wouldn't have much of an appetite."

The phone rang.

Yuki glanced questioningly at Akio but the other man shook his head.

"I'm not expecting any calls today. It could be for you Yuki."

Yuki stood up slowly and made his way over to the small table housing the phone. He picked up the phone after another ring and tried to take a discreet breath.

"Hello? This is—"

"Yuki?"

At the sound of the voice, Yuki reflexively gripped the phone tighter in his hand. "Oh Shigure, I was going to call you."

"Really, what a surprise," the laugh that followed was surprisingly light-hearted, "well to be honest the three of us are getting a little stir crazy waiting for you. Things have been tense between us recently so why not just bite the bullet and do it now—"

There was a brief scratching sound before Hatori's voice replaced Shigure's.

"Hello Yuki?"

Yuki leaned back against the wall, cradling the phone to his ear. He glanced over in Akio's direction and rolled his eyes at the persistent thumbs-up sign the man was giving him.

"Yes, it's me."

"How about some lunch? We don't have to get started right away. Shigure didn't phrase it the best way—"

"—hey—"

"—but we wanted to apologize for the times we kept forcing this issue. It's not much but if it would make things easier, well…"

Yuki could almost see the helpless shrug on the other end of the line.

"A lunch," Yuki mumbled into the receiver, "I'm not sure that's going to work out."

There was a mumbled sound in the background and Ayame's clear voice came through the speaker.

"Yuki! Please come!"

Yuki winced, pulling the phone from his ear in case Ayame decided to yell again.

"Whatever it is you have to say, it might be easier after we have lunch together. Please?"

Yuki sighed, not quite ready to respond. He hadn't planned on making this encounter anything more than a reveal of the truth. A sudden presence at his side signaled Akio had come to stand beside him. The warm clasp on his shoulder spoke volumes in Akio's silence.

Mustering his resolve, Yuki placed the phone back into his ear.

"Where do you want to meet?"

Akio sighed a he watched Yuki tie his shoes on the couch in preparation to go out. He had tried to give the youth advice on how to handle the situation. Having lunch with the three of them seemed like the best way to bleed out some of that tension. Akio truly believed that. As a teacher, Akio was accustomed to advising his students about tackling problems head on instead of leaving them to sit and fester. Nonetheless, Akio did harbor some doubts about the best way to proceed. He knew he was more than a little out of his depth when it came to telling someone you're from the future and also the person's close relative. He sighed again.

"You're hovering, Akio-san."

"Was I?" Akio tried to keep the worry from seeping into his expression. "Are you okay with this?"

"I think so." Yuki smiled, "I'm going to try and follow your advice. Maybe there's some clue to getting back to my time if reveal the truth."

Akio wordlessly handed Yuki a thin coat as the boy got up.

"I've been worried about keeping it a secret and hiding it from them. I honestly have no plan on what I'm going to say to any of them, especially Ayame. I…" Yuki shrugged. "There's nothing left for me to do but try telling them."

Akio nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll be here if you need me. Whether they're reactions are positive or negative, please know that you can count on me."

"I appreciate it, Akio-san. I'll be back later today, ok?"

At Akio's nod, Yuki stepped out of his temporary home and started his walk to the park Shigure suggested they meet. It was the same park Yuki had been at earlier that morning.

'Seclusion is probably better for what we're going to discuss.'

Yuki was glad for the familiar setting. The park's comforting aura had made Yuki consider it an ideal area for training in the first place. He hoped he could draw some of that comfort to himself for what he was about to do.

A brief gust of wind blew past, pushing Yuki's hair in front of his eyes. Yuki quickly rubbed his arms, glancing around to see if if there was anyone else heading to the park. No one was out, which surprised Yuki because despite the chill in the air, the sun was out and perfect for spending one's day outdoors. Whatever spot in the park Shigure had chosen, Yuki hoped it was well out of the way from park-goers.

The walk to the park was an easy trip, but it was also brief. Yuki didn't know whether to count it lucky or not that he didn't have much time to brood more about the situation on the way. He made his way to center of the park and veered off to the right. The location Shigure specified on the phone was somewhat close to the clearing Yuki had chosen to train Makoto.

Yuki rounded a grouping of trees and heard, rather than saw, the Mabudachi Trio. Although he felt a little silly for doing so, Yuki peeked around some shrubbery to see what the three were doing.

A large blanket was spread out against the grass. It was pale blue with an indistinct pattern that reminded Yuki of swirling cherry blossoms. Yuki thought it looked like the sort of blanket Ayame would use for an outdoor picnic. There were two large black, lacquered bento boxes that were each wrapped in a pale pink furoshiki sitting on one corner of the blanket. Hatori was sitting next to the food, hands behind him so that he could lean back. Both Shigure and Ayame were leaning on their sides, facing the center. If they were talking, Yuki couldn't hear. Yuki squinted at Ayame and made out a thick blanket laying across Ayame's shoulders.

'It is getting colder these days. Ayame doesn't handle the cold very well,' Yuki remembered.

He drew back and held a hand over his rapidly beating heart. He was here. Everything was going to come out into the open and whatever fallout there was going to be, Yuki would have to confront it. Faced with the possibility that this could change the dynamics of their relationship, Yuki felt his resolve weakening.

Even though he had refrained from naming it in the past, Yuki could now see that he didn't want to lose the tentative friendships he had formed. Changing from Yuki Suyama to Yuki Sohma was like building an insurmountable wall between him and the Mabudachi Trio.

Yuki snuck another look around the trees.

Ayame seemed to be in the midst of telling a story. The other boy was making wide gestures with his hand to punctuate some point. He was smiling, Yuki could tell, even from this distance. The three were having a good time. It was obvious that he treated Shigure and Hatori more like brothers than friends.

'He even told me I felt like his brother. But what does that mean? Just because I'm his age, it gives him a reason to treat me differently. If they react badly…' Yuki bit his lower lip. 'I'm not going to put myself in a vulnerable position again. He can just as easily abandon me again once he knows who I am.'

Yuki took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the trees.

Ayame immediately stopped talking when he met Yuki's eyes. Both Shigure and Hatori turned around. Yuki tried and failed to keep his face from turning red at having three pairs of eyes trained on him. He rubbed his arm self-consciously and walked towards the group. The other boys hastily got to their feet when Yuki stopped short of the blanket.

"Hi," Yuki said, mustering a weak smile.

"You can take your shoes off if you want," Shigure urged.

The three sat down first, leaving ample space between Shigure and the food to suggest a spot. Ayame sat across from Shigure, smiling so brightly Yuki was sure the expression would stick. Hatori kneeled in front of Yuki's spot, placing his hands non-threateningly in his lap.

Yuki carefully toed off his shoes onto the grass before settling down with the three. He didn't know where to put his hands, and all attempts at maintaining eye contact served to deepen his red face.

"Blushing this much is an invitation Yuki," came a teasing voice to his left.

Yuki whipped around to face Shigure, barely muffling a yelp when he felt fingers under his chin to turn his face up.

"Quit it," Yuki muttered, pulling away and rubbing his chin with the back of his hand.

"Oh rejection!" Shigure cried, clutching his chest, "What agony!"

Yuki found himself sharing a secretive smile with Hatori before he realized that he was supposed to be feeling anxious at the moment. Yuki turned back to Shigure to see the other boy sending him a sheepish smile.

'They're trying to make it more comfortable for me.'

Yuki cleared his throat, "So what did you guys bring for lunch?" He reached over and grabbed a hold of the knot tied above each tray and brought it to the center.

"Lots of goodies of course," Ayame spoke, straightening his own blanket around his shoulders before he began unwrapping the bentos, "It would bring tears to the eyes of any man. "

Now that he was sitting up close, Yuki realized they were both three-tiered bento boxes. He glanced at the lids, admiring the beautiful etching of a delicate plum branch, before Ayame lifted one of the lids to reveal an array of different food.

"Behold the beautifully arranged tamagoyaki, the exquisitely cute ocean-themed wieners in the shape of octopuses and crabs, and the love-filled sushi rolls!" With a gleam in his eye, Ayame laughed loudly as he held out the food to be admired.

The food in each tier looked as though great care had gone into the preparation. Yuki was very impressed but he was reluctant to compliment Ayme as he was doing a fine job with his outrageous self-compliments. Ayame lifted the lid of the other three-tiered bento box and began another wordy description which Yuki chose to tune out. Yuki eyed the croquettes and seaweed salad with some interest. One half of the second tier was packed with rice and umeoboshi pressed into the center; a colorful divider was placed next to the rice, separating what appeared to be fried lotus slices.

"Last but not least," Ayame lifted the container to reveal the last tier, "The most charming animal-shaped onigiri you will ever see in your life!"

Ayame's ensuing laughter was only drowned out by Shigure's exclamations of praise.

"The lunches are so beautiful, Ayame!" Shigure cried, "What a wonderful bride you shall be!"

Yuki eyed the two hugging with exasperation.

"Why don't we get started?" Hatori suggested.

Shigure and Ayame broke apart with ease, giving a thumbs-up sign. Ayame produced chopsticks from a smaller bag Yuki had over-looked, along with a large thermos and four cups. Hatori and Shigure rearranged the tiers so they were laid out more evenly so that everyone could reach for whatever they wanted. It was the fanciest picnic Yuki had ever been to.

"Thank you for the meal!" the four chorused.

As Yuki quietly munched on the croquettes, a tightness in his chest began to signal his growing apprehension. He was going to have to talk about it sooner or later. He just didn't know how to begin.

What if I said, 'I know this is going to sound strange, but I'm your brother. And I'm from the future.'? Yuki winced. 'They're going to think I've gone crazy.'

"What's wrong Yuki? Did you bite your tongue?"

Yuki shook his head, tilting his head down to shade his eyes with his bangs. "It's nothing," he mumbled, placing another croquette into his mouth and chewing slowly.

The other three shared meaningful looks before turning back to their food.

"The onigiri are works of art, Aya," Shigure complimented minutes later, displaying what he held in his hand to the other three, "Look at these two!"

There were two rounded onigiri in Shigure's hands. Dog ears and rabbit ears were made out of nori and placed on top of each ongiri. The dog onigiri was orange-tinged and there were light brown flakes mixed into the rabbit onigiri.

"The dog-shaped onigiri has spicy pollack roe! You're favorite Gure-san," Ayame nudged Shigure playfully. "And the other one is mixed with bonito flakes."

Yuki surveyed the rest of the tray, shocked he hadn't realized sooner that Ayame had formed an onigiri for every animal of the zodiac. The absence of a cat-shaped onigiri was something Yuki expected, but the feeling of nostalgia when he thought of the 'cat' was a definite surprise. He scanned the rest of the container and found the rat onigiri. He regarded the shape, eyes flicking from the cute nori shaped into eyes to the small whiskers. He wondered what Ayame was thinking when he made it.

"Do you want to try one of the onigiri, Yuki?" Ayame asked.

"Which one is your favorite, Yuki?" Shigure held out the two rice balls in his hands.

Yuki dragged his eyes away from the tray, looking up to find the three looking at him.

"Maybe later," he murmured, "I don't really have a favorite…"

When it looked like there would be protests, Yuki hurriedly looked around for a cup and pointed towards the thermos that was next to Ayame. "Could you pass me the thermos, Ayame?"

"Allow me to pour you a drink, my dear Yuki!"

Yuki accepted the drink with care, and congratulated himself on not rolling his eyes at Ayame's wink. The unsweetened tea was a treat for his suddenly dry mouth. Yuki eyed the remaining food and sighed in disappointment. The apprehension was killing his appetite. One look at the other three was all he needed to see that they were perfectly content to take their time before the discussion. Yuki envied their positions but also dreaded their reactions.

Yuki shifted in his seated position and set down the cup in front of him. He wasn't hungry anymore and forcing himself to continue was probably going to end badly. He could feel Hatori's eyes on him and looked up to make eye contact. The other boy was raising his eyebrow in question when he pointedly looked at the unfinished food in front of Yuki. Yuki didn't know how to convey he wasn't hungry anymore without attracting the others' attention. He settled for a shrug.

Rather than assuaging Hatori's concern, the other boy frowned. He met Yuki's eyes and strangely, glanced at his forehead. Yuki tilted his head in confusion. Hatori made a motion to lift his hand to his own forehead and then looked back at Yuki.

Still confused, Yuki shook his head.

Hatori abruptly leaned forward and placed a hand against Yuki's forehead.

"Hatori," Yuki squeaked, glancing up at Hatori's determined face as he drew back, "I'm not sick!"

Hatori shrugged, "Just checking."

A shiver suddenly went down Yuki's spine.

"What's this, Ha-san," came Ayame's pseudo-shocked voice, "This atmosphere… could it be?"

"I didn't know they had progressed this far," came Shigure's scandalized voice, "We cannot underestimate the passion of youth!"

Yuki gave the two his most severe glare.

The other two responded with a grin and thumbs-up.

Shaking his head at their antics, Yuki looked back at Hatori to make sure the other wasn't going to dart forward to check his temperature again. "I'm really okay, Hatori."

Hatori opened his mouth to respond but the sudden of movement to their immediate left caused everyone to turn around.

Saizo Makoto sheepishly stepped forward with a smaller figure standing to his side. Yuki eyed the very familiar Takei Makoto sans glasses and sighed with exasperation at the younger boy's expression when they made eye contact.

"Sorry to interrupt," Saizo began, "I was just going to show my little brother the martial arts, uh… and, well, I thought I saw Yuki, and thought Takei could meet him… uh…"

"It's alright. You weren't really interrupting anything." Yuki smiled over at Saizo's younger brother, "Hello, you must be Saizo's little brother?"

The boy squeaked and turned bright red. Yuki didn't even need to turn around to know that the boy's reaction would surely ignite a predatory gleam in Shigure's and Ayame's eyes.

Saizo laughed outright and pushed Takei forward. "Introduce yourself, Takei!"

"I'm Takei Makoto! I-It's pleasure to meet you, Suyama-san!" Takei quickly bowed, turning even redder when his older brother laughed next to him.

"Nice to meet you, Takei-kun," Yuki replied as gently as he could. He was worried the boy would keel over.

"Very nice to meet you, Takei-chaaan~" Two heads appeared on either side of Yuki's shoulders.

Takei squeaked again and hurriedly bowed.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Saizo asked, eying the spread blanket and food.

"No it's fine." Yuki glanced at the other three before facing Saizo. "I take it Takei found out what you were doing?"

"I saw him practicing!" Takei piped up.

Saizo smiled sheepishly. "I said he was a clever kid."

"What do you mean 'practicing,'?" Shigure broke in.

Yuki didn't have any time to catch Saizo's eyes before the other boy proudly declared, "Martial arts!"

"'Martial arts'?" repeated Shigure, pulling back from Yuki and eyeing him speculatively.

"Yeah, he learned it when he was little so he's really good," Saizo continued, oblivious to Yuki's wince.

"'When he was little'?" Now Ayame repeated it, pulling back from Yuki's other shoulder.

Yuki looked back and forth between Shigure's and Ayame's expressions. The situation had taken an abrupt turn and Yuki was not prepared.

Saizo finally seemed to catch on when he noticed the looks on the other boys' faces.

"Did I say something...wrong?"

Ignoring the question, Ayame turned more fully to face Yuki. Ayame's expression was shuttered, a stark change from Ayame's normally exuberant expression. "So you can tell Saizo about this but you can't tell us?"

Yuki's blanched, "It's not like that!"

"Then what is it like, Yuki?" Shigure broke in, "Doesn't it have to deal with our family?"

"Shigure," Hatori called sharply, "Don't say anymore."

At Hatori's words, Saizo grasped his younger brother's arm and gently tugged him back. "I think we should get out of here."

Takei allowed his older brother to pull him back, but his eyes remained riveted on Yuki's distraught expression. "But what about your friend! Are they bullying him?"

Saizo laughed under his breath, "No one could bully Yuki, Takei. Come on, it looks like something private is happening."

Takei remained stubbornly in place, an action which both endeared and annoyed Saizo.

"It's not like that," Yuki repeated more firmly, unwittingly standing up. Shigure and Ayame followed suit, with Hatori just a second behind because he was looking worriedly between the three of them and Saizo with his brother.

"We've all been wondering about some things Yuki," Shigure began slowly, "Aren't we closer now? Doesn't it mean anything to you?"

"You're taking this all the wrong way. I didn't say anything," Yuki clenched his hands, "And what little I said doesn't concern the three of you guys anyway."

The words seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Shigure gave Yuki a hard look.

Rather than back down from the look he was receiving, Yuki crossed his arms gave the three of them an icy look. Yuki could understand a little of their feelings but he wasn't going to apologize for something he didn't think was a huge problem.

"That's not fair Yuki," Ayame rejoined, "We've been meaning to talk about this for the longest time. We've let you come into our home. You know about Ha-san—"

Hatori hung his head, sighing heavily at Ayame's mention of his name. He sneaked a glance at Saizo's face and was only mildly relieved when Saizo made no reaction to the odd phrasing.

"I know," Yuki shot back, "I know all of that. But I didn't ask you to do any of that! I didn't ask for anything!"

Undeterred, Ayame continued, "You don't have to ask for anything! We wanted to do that! We wanted you to know about us! Why are you acting as if that's so bad?"

Yuki just shook his head at the question.

"—and I," Ayame visibly hesitated before a determined expression crossed his face, "Like I said before, you're like my own brother!"

"You don't even know me!" Yuki screamed back. And immediately froze.

No one seemed to know how to respond after Yuki's outburst.

"I need a minute," Yuki muttered, snatching his shoes and walking briskly away.

No one moved while Yuki walked away from the scene, but it didn't take long before Ayame began putting his own shoes on to follow after him.

"He's not getting away," Ayame said determinedly, "We were going to talk."

"Leave him alone!"

At the words, four pairs of eyes swiveled to the small figure standing next to them. Saizo outwardly winced but was still kind of amazed at his little brother's boldness. Saizo didn't know what to make of the confrontation he had just witnessed but he was concerned about Yuki. Clearly, his little brother was of a similar mindset, despite just meeting the other boy.

"Stop bullying him! You call yourself his brother? You're just a big fat bully!"

Saizo laughed nervously, "Come on Takei, let's give them their privacy, huh?" He tried what he thought was a consoling pat on Takei's back but his younger brother ignored it.

"He's helping my big brother! And he's helping me too!" Takei yelled, building up steam with every word.

Saizo was at a loss how to get his brother to calm down. He wasn't used to seeing him this worked up before. "Hey, what are you doing, this is something your big brother would do, not you." He nudged Takei playfully, as a thought came to mind.

Ignoring his brother, Takei glared at the three and opened his mouth to say more, but he was cut off from speaking when he was forcibly picked up and thrown over his brother's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Don't mind us. We're going now!" Saizo called cheerfully over his shoulder as he began to hurry away.

"Bleh!" Takei made a face and stuck his tongue out at the other boys. "Bullies are a stain on society!"

The childish gesture coupled with the strangely worded statement served to make the Mabudachi Trio chuckle in wonderment. It was only until Saizo had vanished from his that the three of them turned to regard each other.

Hatori cleared his throat diplomatically, "That could've turned out better. Where did Yuki go?"

"I don't think he could have gone far, unless he really meant to leave us here."

"He did it again, he acted like saying he was like family was the worst thing in the world."

"Well if it's cover-up with the Sohma House, then it's probably not a pleasant idea," Hatori pointed out gently.

"But it… it feels personal."

Hatori and Shigure turned at Ayame's mournful voice. Ayame spread his hands out helplessly. "Don't you both feel the same?"

After a moment, the other two nodded.

"Let's wait here," Shigure suggested, "If we let Yuki understand that we won't push any more than we already have, he will come back. He said he needed a minute."

Shigure met Ayame's eyes and stated firmly, "He'll come back."

Yuki actually hadn't walked far. He had walked away and double-backed to stand directly opposite from the direction he had left from. He could see from behind the trees that the boys were discussing something. He assumed they would take off after him but he was surprised to see them organize themselves back onto the blanket.

'Are they really…?'

Yuki felt embarrassed by his behavior earlier. He didn't like losing his composure in front of so many people. Now it was doubly more embarrassing to see how the other three were respecting his hastily muttered words and waiting patiently for his return.

Drawing it out any longer was going to make it more unbearable for all involved. Yuki tried to recall the exercises Kazuma had taught when he first started learning martial arts. He needed all the mental fortitude he could muster for what he was about to do.

Taking a calming breath, Yuki strode forward at a hurried pace, not giving the other three much time to do anything but blink at his sudden appearance.

"I'm back," Yuki said announced unnecessarily, removing his shoes quickly and plopping down on the blanket.

"Welcome back, Yuki," Shigure replied, joining the other three in sitting down, "we were hoping you would return."

Yuki took another calming breath and slowly released. He lifted his hand, feeling as though he was pulling back the rope of his own guillotine, and pointed at the tray holding the animal-shaped rice balls by Ayame's side.

"Can I see that for a moment?"

Exchanging confused glances, Ayame handed over the tray. The dog, rabbit, and the boar onigiri were missing. Yuki placed the tray across his lap, ghosting his hand over the arranged food as if he was trying to decide what to pick.

"Yuki…" Ayame stopped. And stared as Yuki grasped the onigiri that was meant to represent the rat.

Yuki held the onigiri in the palm of his hand.

"What were you thinking when you made this Ayame?"

The question was softly spoken. Both Hatori and Shigure looked from the food to Ayame's stricken face.

"Were you thinking about your little brother, Yuki? Or were you just making these without caring?"

Ayame's mouth opened and closed in a comical fashion. Yuki distantly found the sight amusing; how often was Ayame at a loss for words?

With his other hand, Yuki began to point at the rest of the rice balls in the tray. For every animal, Yuki calmly listed a Sohma name and the animal they transformed into. With each word coming from Yuki's mouth, the expressions of the other three grew more alarmed.

"Shigure, the dog. Hatori, the dragon. Ayame, the snake." Yuk intoned the words as if they were a chant. Yuki lifted his hand with the rat onigiri again, waiting till the other three's eyes were focused on the food in his hand.

"I know this because I am a Sohma." Yuki placed the rat-shaped rice ball on a large napkin at his side. "I am Yuki Sohma."

AN: Hey guys. I understand there's still a handful of readers keeping up with this. It's kind of mind-boggling how long this story has been going on, I wish I had been more consistent with the updates later on in the story!

My hours are as hectic as ever (if you work in the hospital, you'll know what I mean) and I have been doing a lot of flying on top of that. Strangely enough, the business has given me some new found strength to keep on going. I suppose the cliffhanger would be frustrating but it was getting kind of long and I hope to get the next chapter out at a reasonable time. Forgive me? I've started page two of the next chapter so it will be written!

Feel free to review/PM any questions or encouragement (those have been great).