Hello everyone! Thanks for dropping by! I thought of this little ficlet while I was at work today and typed it up in a half hour. Forgive me for any mistakes, it's late, I'm tired, I can't reach my beta...yadda yadda yadda. If you see anything wrong, please tell me in a review. Thanks!

I do not own Fruits Basket. I just like to borrow the characters from time to time.

Teddy

I looked at my clock for the fourth time in the last seven minutes. It was still six o'clock in the morning, and finally I abandoned the shreds of hope for further sleep that I had clung to since 5:48 AM. With a sigh, I slid out of bed, drew the shades to let in the sunrise and sat on the edge of the mattress with my arms crossed, squinting at the brightening horizon. A handful of groggy thoughts drifted across my consciousness. I need to go to the base to weed the garden and check on the strawberries. Kai-sensei wanted that report on the Han Dynasty done by Thursday. I should tell Kyo to feed the koi in his pond. Why does he keep fish anyway? He's a cat. I wonder what Tohru's making for breakfast.

"Tohru." I muttered her name to the waving bamboo stalks. Isn't it strange? This is the first I've ever gotten out of bed this early. I'm almost always the last one down, and by then Tohru's already up and breakfast is minutes away from being served. I wonder if she's awake...maybe I could help her.

Not bothering to change out of my pajamas (they were baby blue and patterned with white bones – a Christmas present from Shigure), I crept to the kitchen. She wasn't there, so rather than wake her, I decided it would be nice to turn the tables and cook breakfast for her.

In a half hour I had made shrimp natto with last night's leftovers and had steamed a pot of rice. How on earth I had managed not to burn anything (even with my daydreaming) was beyond me. I wonder if she wakes us up every morning. I always take so long to get out of bed that I can never tell if someone told me to get up or if I got up on my own. Well, the only way is to ask Tohru, I guess. I left the food on the stove but turned everything off (Shigure would have a great time rubbing it in if I burnt another meal just by keeping it warm) and padded back up the stairs.

At her door, I hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door softly. "Tohru?" I heard nothing when I pressed my ear to the door, so I turned the knob and opened it slowly before sticking my head in to take a peek. "Are you awake?"

She was still asleep in her pink-and-white sakura blossom pajamas (another Christmas present from The Dog), curled under a fraying quilt with a blue teddy bear held tight in her arms. She even smiles in her sleep.

I opened the door wider to let myself in and silently crept closer. I opened her shades and let the beams fall on her face. Her grin widened and she muttered something into her pillow. Carefully I lowered myself into the chair by her bed and watched her, trying to come up with a way to wake her up without embarrassment to either of us.

I called her name. "Tohru? Tohru, um...I made breakfast. It's time to get up."

She stirred and blinked a few times before registering the fact that I was in her room and that I had woken her up. Her eyes became accustomed to the light and she noticed me with a start. She sat up quickly and began apologizing.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I was supposed to get up and make breakfast for you. I can't believe I slept in..."

As the words tumbled out of her mouth, I held up my hand. "Don't worry about it. I couldn't sleep, so I made breakfast for you. You don't need to get upset."

She stopped. "Oh, really? What time is it?"

"About seven o'clock."

Now that she was calmed down, she began to relax and rub her eyes and stretch. She yawned and said, "Okay. Thanks for waking me up!" She smiled again and swung her legs around, putting her feet on the floor. The blue bear she had been holding so tightly was given a giant hug and then placed with great care on her pillow. The blankets were straightened.

I stood and left quietly, closing the door behind me so she could get ready for the day.

What I wouldn't give to be that teddy bear...

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