Here it is. Imaginary Friend. I'm really happy to be writing this and I'm glad it took me so long since it's changed a bit since I first started playing with the idea and it much improved for it.

Isoya-Michiko: Get well soon! Although I still don't know how you fractured your elbow.

seriously-crazy-korean: I hope you didn't explode.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or its characters and all rights go to Natsuki Takaya, who is a mastermind and goddess. Her marvelous work has my heart.

Yuki huddled in the snow, trembling with cold. He was wearing only a thin sweater and the snow had quickly melted into his socks which were now frozen stiff. The young boy had long since stopped pounding on the locked door leading into the main house and begging for Akito to let him back in. Instead, he simply curled in the doorframe, the cold wind biting at his bare hands, face, and ankles. He knew his bronchitis was acting up too and the few small threads of cold air getting to his lungs were fast becoming too sparse and making his head pound.

A terrifying thought entered his progressively slowing brain: What if he died?

Using as much strength as he had left Yuki gave one last try to get some one's attention inside. Pounding weakly, and coughing in between words, he called, "Please… Akito… someone… let me in!" He waited, still pounding, but no one came. Wheezing, desperately trying to breathe, his fist fell away from the door and he felt a small part of him give up. Tears freezing onto his face, he leaned his forehead against the door, crying. Was this how it would all end? All the pain and fear would end by him dying alone out in the cold.

He knew no one would save him; he knew that. His mother ignored his pain and Ayame looked right through him. No one would save him. The thought numbed him mentally as his body slowly became numb from the cold. His breath seemed to have disappeared, and although his mind had slowly been shutting down, he panicked. He couldn't breathe! What was he supposed to do? He didn't have air in his lungs to call for help and his body felt too heavy and frozen to move. Gasping, eyes wide, and terrified, Yuki tried to force oxygen into his lungs, but there was nothing he could do.

When his body could take no more, he felt himself transform, the uncomfortable sensation enveloping him until he lay within his icy sweater. In a vain attempt to avoid the cold wind, he curled up in his small rat form, tucking his head between his paws. Trembling, barely breathing, and petrified, he lay there, still hoping that someone would open the door and let him back inside.

Less than an hour later, the rat within those frosty clothes lay still and unmoving with his eyes open and staring. The small furry body was frozen and rigid. He was dead

OoOoO

Yuki no longer felt the cold. He no longer felt anything. His spirit sat beside the pile of clothes and he knew that his lifeless body was inside. What now? What came next? It was still dark in the early morning hours and Yuki was scared of what might happen to him next. What happened after you died? What became of you?

Yuki buried his face in his knees, wanting to cry. He was dead. He'd died before his most precious dream had come true; he'd never felt the love of a family. It had been all he wanted but now he could never have it. He'd seen it once just a few weeks ago. That woman, that mother had been crying for her child. She'd been in despair and Yuki couldn't help but be amazed. She'd cared enough to cry and it seemed like a miracle to him. And that girl had loved her mother just as much. He'd seen her run straight into her mother's open arms and it had been the most beautiful thing he'd ever been witness to.

He wanted to see them again.

Yuki looked up from his knees and saw that the sky was beginning to become a lighter blue, signaling that the sun would be rising soon. Glancing down at the frozen pile of clothing one last time, he stood up and walked away, not bothering to look back at the main house; a place that only brought him sorrow and pain. There'd be another scandal when he was found to be dead, but he didn't care. He'd already left that life behind and he wanted nothing to do with it anymore. He was free from that even if death had been the only way out.

Yuki wandered the streets trying to remember the way to the apartment where they lived. There was the alley and there was the street he'd led her down. That night he'd been needed and that night he'd witnessed love. He just wanted to be near that feeling again.

OoOoO

Tohru pulled the blankets farther up over her head, sighing in her sleep. Although she was curled up beneath the covers, her small feet would have never reached the end of the bed if she hadn't been. Her short hair was a mess around her face which the sunlight gently touched as it slowly bathed the room in golden light.

With a yawn she sat up, stretching before getting out of bed. Rubbing her eyes, she headed into the kitchen to find her mother with an apron tied hastily around her waist while she rushed through preparing breakfast. "Tohru!" she exclaimed when she saw her. Sweeping her into a hug, Kyoko asked how she slept and Tohru nodded groggily, still not quite awake. "Hmm…" Kyoko released her daughter and put some fish scraps into a small dish of milk. "Why don't you go give this to that stray you've been taking care of?" Kyoko asked, giving the bowl to Tohru. "He's been making a racket all morning; I'd bet he's just waiting for you."

Tohru's eyes widened, looking up at her mother, suddenly quite awake. "Really? Okaa-san, has he really?"

Kyoko nodded and shooed her daughter towards the door. Tohru rushed outside after slipping her feet into her shoes. Sure enough, there was the grey cat that had taken to coming to beg at their door every morning. "Good morning, Kitty-san," Tohru said, setting the bowl down for him and sitting down next to the cat while it lapped up the food. Smiling, she patted his head and told him about the lovely dream she'd just woken up from. Once the cat had finished, he gave a satisfied yowl, and began heading down the stairs of the apartment building to ground level, and Tohru waved goodbye. "Have a nice day, Kitty-san."

She'd picked up the empty bowl to take it back inside but stopped when she heard the cat begin hissing and whining at something. She tried to find what it was so angry about but saw nothing. Squinting and pushing her face against the railing, she thought she saw a shimmer of something below even though there didn't appear to be anything there.

"Go away!"

She jumped when she clearly heard a voice coming from what seemed like only air. "Leave me alone!" Tohru looked back at the door leading inside, wondering if she should go get her mother, but when she turned back, she saw very clearly that a little boy about her own age was glaring at the cat with clenched fists. She gasped and stared with her mouth open. He hadn't been there before; was it magic? Was he a magic boy?

"You don't have to be angry at me anymore, so just… go!" The little boy sat down on the pavement and continued to gaze coldly at the grey creature. Agitated, the cat hissed again and took a swipe at the boy's leg, but his paw went straight through and didn't make contact. "See? It you can't do anything anyway," the boy said, sounding sad.

Tohru tilted her head, confused. "Are you okay?" she called down to him, unsure if she should be scared or not. The boy's gaze cautiously met hers, obviously surprised that she'd spoken to him. And he almost seemed happy and a little hopeful. Before he could answer and, leaving the cat's bowl on the ground, she hurried down the stairs, arms out slightly to keep her balance. The cat hadn't been able to touch him, and it made her worry. She sat down in front of him, looking him directly in the eyes. He stared back looking scared, hopeful, nervous, and unsure all at once. Tohru still didn't know if she should be scared or not, but she was determined to be friendly. "Um… Are you lost?"

Yuki stared at her for a moment, swallowing nervously. He looked away and back at her. "I… no… I came to see you." He hadn't thought she'd be able to see him and it confused him. He was a ghost wasn't he? A spirit. No one was supposed to be able to see him. Unsure, he scooted back a little, but Tohru only mimicked his movements to keep the same distance they'd had before.

"You came to see me?" she asked.

He looked away, taking hold of his knees. "I did. I wanted to see… if you were okay, I guess. It was probably rude of me, wasn't it?"

Tohru tilted her head, confused. "I met you before?"

His voice dropped to a whisper. "Last month. I brought you home." It had been the most meaningful experience in his young traumatic life and yet something he'd never spoken of before. Saying it out loud made it seem somehow fragile and vulnerable. He was used to his words and thoughts being twisted and destroyed; speaking out about something so precious felt dangerous. "I brought you home and gave you a hat."

Tohru suddenly leaped up, almost losing her balance. "Oh! I have to tell Okaa-san! She'll be so happy you came back!"

Yuki stared up at her, mouth open a little. "H-happy?"

Tohru plopped back down on the ground in front of him. "Of course! We were very grateful to you. Okaa-san and I prayed for you and that you might come back. We never got to thank you." Tohru smiled and then introduced heself, "I'm Tohru Honda, what's your name?"

Yuki stared at her for a long moment before stuttering his own name in response. "Y-Yuki Sohma."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Yuki-kun," Tohru stood up and held out her hand. "You should come meet Okaa-san now too."

Yuki looked up at her for a long moment. She was smiling at him and holding out her hand to him. He wanted to reach out and take it, feel the warmth of her palm and follow her up into that apartment and meet the woman who he had seen show so much love for her child. But… "I… can't," he said slowly. "I can't meet her." He couldn't hide the regret in his voice and hesitantly explained. "Please, don't be scared, um… Honda-san, but… I'm not alive. I'm not…" Yuki gulped. He didn't want her to run away; he didn't want her to leave him behind. Where would he go if she left him? "I died last night," he said voice barely a breath.

Tohru froze, suddenly remembering how the cat's paw had flowed straight through him. Dead? Just to be sure she reached out a small hand to try and touch him but met only air. She gasped and drew back, a little frightened. Seeing her expression, Yuki felt his heart shatter a little. He got to his feet, backing away from her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I'm sorry." He didn't want to scare her and if that meant having to leave then he'd rather do that then let her be scared of him.

Just as he turned to leave, feeling the sensation of tears building up, he heard that sweet voice call after him. "Yuki-kun, wait! Even if… even if you're dead, you're still here. I'd really like to be your friend." He looked at her again but before he could speak she was skipping towards the steps up to the apartment, gesturing for him to follow. Feeling his heart lift, Yuki followed her.

When they stepped inside the apartment, Tohru gave him a warm smile and Yuki felt his fears melt away a little. "Okaa-san will be so happy to meet you."

Yuki followed her into the kitchen, and watched as she ran straight to her mother. "Okaa-san! I fed Kitty-san! He really liked it."

"Of course he did," Kyoko said. "How could he resist with a little cutie like you feeding him?"

Tohru giggled and Yuki thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He watched her in awe as she held onto her mother, and as her mother held her close in return. After a moment or two, Tohru wriggled out of her mother's arms and gestured to Yuki. "This is Yuki-kun, Okaa-san. He's the boy from before! With the hat! Isn't it amazing? He came back!"

Kyoko looked from her daughter to where she was pointing, but saw nothing. Just empty air. For a minute she was confused, but looking at Tohru's excited face, she realized how real her friend was to her. She'd play along then. If it would make Tohru happy, then she'd do it. Kyoko, got down to the level she imagined the boy might be at. "You did me a huge favor by bringing my little girl home, Yuki-kun," she said, grinning. Behind her smile, her words were serious, and her honest feelings towards that boy who had helped her daughter were there. "She's my biggest treasure and if she hadn't been found I probably would have been lost too. Why don't you stick around as long as you'd like? You can keep taking care of my Tohru if you'd like."

Yuki stared into the woman's eyes, not sure how he was supposed to respond to such gratitude. "Y-you're welcome. Is it really okay if I stay? I don't want to be a bother…"

Tohru smiled. "I really would like it if you did. I haven't had a friend before."

"I haven't… had any either. Except once. But they forgot."

Tohru held out her pinky finger. "I won't forget you, Yuki-kun. I promise." Yuki didn't understand what she wanted him to do at first but then held his hand so that his pinky finger appeared to wrap around hers. With another giggle, Tohru wrapped her pinky finger around his as well, despite that she couldn't feel anything there. "I promise," she said again.

Kyoko could see her daughter's happiness and genuine belief in her new friend. Where could the harm be in an imaginary friend? With a soft laugh to herself she set three places for breakfast while listening to Tohru's one sided conversation with Yuki. She showed Yuki her bedroom and gave him a tour of the apartment while Kyoko dished out breakfast. She watched Tohru for a while before calling her over to eat.

Yuki was shocked to see a place for him as well, but sat down next to Tohru. He couldn't eat it of course, but maybe… maybe that didn't matter. Just being a part of this. Sitting here in such a loving family setting; it was all he'd ever wanted. The two people sitting there with him had been his perfect example of love in this world since he'd first seen them; and somehow… somehow they'd asked him to join them in this perfect place. This heaven. If heaven was different for everyone, maybe this was his. Yuki closed his eyes, praying it wasn't just a dream. But when he opened them, he was still there.

It was where he wanted to stay forever. Right there.

I hope you enjoyed my offering of a first chapter. I'll update as I write them so I can't give a specific update date. D: Sorry. Please review and tell me what you thought!