BRIEF SUMMARY – the Sohma curse has been lifted. It's almost time for graduation. Will Yuki and Machi finally realize their feelings for each other before then?
I'm making it up as I go along, so there's not really a plot to it.
DISCLAIMER – I do not own the characters of Fruits Basket. It belongs to Natsuki Takaya.
Chapter 1
It was over! Finally over.
Yuki woke up in the morning. As he got out of bed, and looked out the window the cold morning, the sky never seemed as blue as it did that day. He felt so strange – so light! He shook his arms out, experimentally. His whole body felt so strange.
The curse was gone – Honda-san did it. She broke the Curse – all at a heavy cost, of course. Only the biggest of sacrifices and struggles could have broken it, and nothing less.
Yuki slowly put on his school uniform. In a week he would be graduating from school. Two different kinds of liberty, both at the same time seemed to make Yuki feel light-headed.
He went down stairs to find that Honda-san had already made breakfast for everyone. Like always. Yet today felt different. Kyo was also downstairs, finishing up his training of the day, and as he entered the house, looked at Tohru adoringly. But unlike before, he did it with open candor, and Tohru returned the gaze.
Yuki felt slightly uncomfortable being amongst the two who were so obviously in love. Therefore he ate his breakfast as fast as he could, said a quick "bye" to the oblivious couple – Shigure was still sleeping that morning – and went to school. He had to go early for another student council meeting, anyway.
As he entered the school building, Yuki realized it would be one of the last times he went to the student council meetings; as strange as they all were, Yuki found that he really enjoyed spending time with the council members and being part of the team.
He could hear the clattering and shouting from down the hall before he even entered the room. Yuki pushed open the door cautiously, and then saw that Kimi and Manabe were at it.
"But Kimi wants to decorate the student council room with paper flowers," the girl pouted her lips, and innocently fluttered her eyelashes. "Yun-Yun and every one will be graduating soon, and Kimi wanted to make it all pretty here."
Manabe shook his head furiously. "No! We are the School Defense Force! There shall be no paper flowers in our head-quarters!"
Kimi saw Yun-Yun enter and her face lit up. "Ah!" she cried, and began pleading for Yun-Yun to take her side. "Don't you think it would be much better if Kimi put flowers around the room, Yun-Yun?" she asked. Yuki kindly smiled back at her.
"Nah-uh! I say we put," Manabe went into the classic 'victory sign' pose, "Chinese fireworks in here and light them up on graduation day!"
Everyone looked at him, dumbstruck. "…What?" They all asked at the same time.
Then Yuki put his fingers up to his forehead and started laughing.
Now everyone turned to look at Yuki curiously. Could it have been that their class president had finally gone mad?
Finally he let out a "Do whatever you wish; it's the end of the year any way", walked over and sat down at his desk. After another dumbstruck silence, Kimi and Manabe continued to bicker in the background.
"Flowers!"
"No – fireworks!"
"Flowers!"
"Yun-Yun would like fireworks instead!"
"YOU BOTH ARE STUPID, HAVEN'T YOU GOT WORK TO DO!" screamed Naohito, who had just entered the room (he had left to make some copies for the student council).
Yuki gave a nostalgic sigh. He'd miss days like these. Then Yuki turned over and saw Machi was staring at him. Being caught in the act Machi blushed a furious deep red. Yuki gave a silent chuckle at that, and asked, "So what are you going to do next year, Machi?"
"I don't know," she shrugged; her red face was starting to resume its normalcy.Too bad, Yuki thought, because she looked cute when she blushed. He caught his thought in surprise, but then gave himself a mental shake. He couldn't afford to be attracted to Machi.
Why not? a corner of his brain nagged at him. The curse was broken, wasn't it? He cleared his throat and asked, "But aren't you going for student council again next year?"
Machi gave another small shrug in response. "I don't think it would be the kind of thing for me."
Yuki was surprised. "But you're a great treasurer!" he cried.
Machi's eyes went wide, and she blushed again, not looking up at Yuki.
"I'd better get to class," she suddenly said, and got up.
Yuki stood up too. "Do you want me to walk you to your class?" he asked her.
Machi silently shook her head, pushed passed him, and left.
"So, Yun-Yun," said Manabe threw his arm around Yuki's neck. "Off to go patrolling the hallways for perpetrators?"
Yuki felt his blood pressure starting to rise, but then said, "Haven't we got to go to class?"
Manabe flapped his hand the air. "Class? Who needs class – I ditch all the time anyway"
It's a wonder you're still going to graduate, Yuki thought.
"After all: we are THE SCHOOL DEFENSE FORCE!" cheered Manabe.
Oh brother, Yuki thought with gloom. There he goes again. "I'm leaving for class," Yuki said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"What!" asked Manabe, hands on his cheeks. "Noo! You can't possibly! I'll be so lonely, Yun-Yun!" he started crying.
Yuki just glowered, and with a growl, said, "I'm leaving."
"Ah, but of course," said Manabe, drying of his tears; with a glint in his eye, he said, "Princesses always follow the school rules – I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" He cried when Yuki's arm shot out, and he began to strangle Manabe.
He hacked and coughed once Yuki let go of his vise grip around his throat. He looked up, and seeing that Yuki had left, he raced after him. "Hey! Wait for me! Hey! Yuki-Yuuuuuuuun!"
Machi sat in her classroom, pondering things over. Why did Yuki always want to talk to her? It all started when he asked her what her favorite color was. She didn't know what to answer him back then. Still, he kept being attentive towards her, even if the others forgot she was even in the room.
She hadn't noticed that class was over. When she looked up and saw that no one else was in the classroom, Machi panicked and stood up, scrambling to get her backpack, and raced out the door to her next class.
Manabe stretched his arms behind his head. "Ah!" he said, "School is finally over. Studying is so boring," he observed.
"Yun-Yun!" waved Kimi and ran over to them, dragging an angry looking Naohito with her. "Yun-Yun," she said, when she came up to them. "Kimi and Naohito were just going to go to the movies now that school is over -"
" – who the hell said I agreed!" cried Nao. "I was dragged along by her! She decided it all herself!"
"You two are going to the movies?" Manabe asked thoughtfully.
"Well, you see, Kimi broke up with her latest boyfriend, but she still wants to see the movie she bought the ticket for, so Nao is going to take her instead!" she smiled.
"No way!" Nao cried. "Only when hell freezes over!"
"Unless Yun-Yun would like to see it with Kimi?" She brought her face close to his, and asked sweetly.
"Uh-" Yuki blushed. He really didn't want to see it with her, but didn't know how to tell Kimi.
"Hey! What about me?" asked Manabe angrily.
Kimi thought about it for a second. Then she said, "Nah, I'd still rather see it with Yun-Yun."
Nao laughed at the expression on Manabe's face, but then Manabe smiled. "Hey, Machi!" he called her, waving his hands wildly in the air. "Over here, Machi!"
They all turned to look at Machi, who began blushing. Her brother was causing such a scene that everyone else around them was looking at her too.
"What are you doing, you stupid idiot?" she said as soon as she walked over to them. "They can see you all the way from China with you waving like that!" She really wanted to conk her brother on the head.
Yuki snickered. Manabe frowned, and then glared at Yuki. "Would you like to come with us to the movie?" asked her brother. That startled Machi – she looked down, and blushed again.
"Why did you ask her?" Nao demanded, he just wanted to go home, but they were all making a big party about this whole movie business. The sooner he left the better.
"Well, I had to," Manabe said, placing his hands on his hips, "before Yuki did, of course."
The two people in question turned red.
"Why you little-!" Yuki shouted.
"Such an idiot!" Machi yelled. Furious, both were about to kill Manabe.
"Ah!" Manabe curled in fetal position, squatting down on the ground, anticipating the blows.
"Wait! Naohito!" Kimi cried.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and turned to look at Nao.
Damnit! Nao thought; he had just being trying to sneak away while everyone was distracted by Manabe and his stupidity.
"Aww! Don't tell Kimi you were trying to run away, now, where you Nao?" wailed Kimi.
Nao glowered, and was sullen.
"Come on! Kimi thinks we're going to be la-ate if we don't hurry up!" She grabbed Nao's arm, and started dragging him in the direction of theater. After a moment's pause, Yuki and Manabe looked at each other, and then followed the two of them. Machi was about to turn and leave, but Yuki turned and smiled at her, "Come on, Machi. It sounds like fun." So Machi decided to come along – for now.
That's how the student council ended up going to the movies after school that day.
"Stop pulling my arm so hard, Kimi!"
"Wah! But I want to make sure you don't escape!"
"As a member of the School Defense Force, I will not tolerate this, Kimi!"
"Shut up! I don't want your help Manabe!"
"What are you laughing at, Yuki!"
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N – Read and review!