Fireflies on a Christmas Evening

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the amazing Fruits Basket series. Natsuki Takaya does.

"Merry Christmas!"

Momiji jumped out ecstatically from one of the gigantic decoration gifts to greet us. He had a Santa Claus hat on his head and a large, red ball on his nose to resemble Rudolph the reindeer. I had to admit he looked very amusing but cute.

"Stop yelling, Momiji!" The damned cat, Kyo ordered. "And take that ball off your nose. You look like a big tomato."

"Now, now, Kyo. This isn't the time to be picking on others." Shigure scolded in a playful manner while comforting Momiji.

"Yeah, Kyo-kun. It's Christmas after all!" Tohru added cheerfully while walking away to greet the other Sohmas.

Shigure, Tohru, that idiot cat and I just arrived at one of our vacation houses for the annual Christmas Party. The house was near the forest in a secluded place by the mountain. It was a big, Western-styled house and it was lined with many, bright, colorful Christmas lights and decorations. Shigure, Hatori and my brother did a pretty decent job designing it after all.

"Yuki, my beloved brother! So nice of you to bless me with your presence! Come give your big brother a hug!" I would've recognized that voice anytime, anywhere. That voice belonged to Ayame, my perverted, crazy and overly-fashionable older brother.

I had to escape, and fast. I turned my back as if I didn't hear anything and started walking briskly in the opposite direction. I was a second too late. I felt two long arms grab me from behind and pull me into a death-grip. "Are you trying to run away from me, Yuki?" Ayame said in an overdramatically miserable way. And because of this, his arms squeezed me even tighter. I could feel my lungs gasp for air.

I would've punched him square in the face if it were just any normal day. It was Christmas however, and unlike that stupid Kyo, I didn't want to hurt anyone today. Today was special. And so I decided to let the guy have his way.

He eventually let me go and I went around the room to greet and look for the others who were there. Shigure, who was just beside me a few moments ago, was by the corner with Hatori, drinking some tea and probably complaining about his annoying editor. Momiji and Tohru were trying to conceal the fact that they were eating some of the desserts happily on the dinner table. Idiot Kyo was sitting on the leather couch, enjoying the time he had before Kagura arrived and disturbed his peace. Haru and Rin were just coming down from the second floor, hand-in-hand. Kisa, Hiro and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Before the party officially started, I decided to go outside and get some fresh air. The long drive made me slightly dizzy and I felt like I needed a break from all the noise. I silently left the living room and went out to the porch.

The porch was average-sized and had railings around it. There was a long, wooden bench by the corner and a circular, antique table to its left. I approached the bench and sat on it comfortably. At least there was one place in this house where no one would think of going right now. It was winter and that meant going outside would most likely give you a cold. Not that I particularly cared. I could handle cold temperatures quite well.

I heard some footsteps approaching me.

"Oh, there you are Yuki-kun! I've been wondering where you were all this time." It was Tohru, holding a mug that smelled really good. Hot chocolate, maybe. She sat beside me and started staring straight at the sky, smiling.

We both watched the sky in silence. There was a full moon tonight and it was shining brilliantly before us. Around it were hundreds of small stars adding to the sparkle. It looked really mesmerizing and peaceful at the same time.

"It's beautiful isn't it, Honda-san?" I tried to start a conversation, due to the uneasiness I was feeling.

"It really is." She answered me, her eyes not leaving the sky. "Let's go for a walk, Yuki-kun!" Tohru was looking at me now, grinning.

I led her around the Sohma Vacation House Garden at the back of the house. I looked back to see if Tohru was still following me. She was a few paces behind, staring at the different species of plants in awe. Surely, she wasn't used to seeing enormous man-made gardens with countless, various plants.

I chuckled softly and started walking again. Tohru is a really interesting person. She's nice, friendly, generous, optimistic, caring, gentle, bright… and pretty cute too. I smiled to myself. She's an amazing and irreplaceable friend.

"Look Yuki-kun!"

I was faintly startled by her sudden exclamation. Turning to the right, I saw her running playfully toward an area slightly covered by some trees. I decided to follow her. As I neared Tohru, I noticed numerous lights glowing dimly ahead. They seemed to be moving in a sort of unorganized manner. They looked oddly familiar and I decided to walk a little faster.

"Fireflies." I said as I reached Tohru's side. There were hundreds of them, flying over a small lake that reflected the night sky. They lit the whole lake in a vivid, yellow-green color. They looked like little lanterns hung just above the water.

A genuine and wide smile played across my face. The sight was really amazing. It appeared so welcoming and safe. It had a homey and relaxing feeling to it. I closed my eyes and felt the cool breeze of the wind blow past me. If only time could stop for a moment.

As I opened my eyes, I peered at Tohru, who was now looking at me. She seemed really happy.

"Yuki-kun, I want to be a firefly one day."

I let out a small laugh. That seemed quite impossible. I turned my whole body to face her. "Why is that Honda-san?"

"I want to make Yuki-kun really happy like the fireflies just did right now." Tohru started to blush. "I want to make Yuki-kun smile like that not just today, but every time we're together."

Suddenly, the fireflies stopped soaring around the lake and flew right above us, disappearing through the trees and to another part of the garden. We both looked up at the same time and saw what was right above us.

A mistletoe.

"A… a… mistletoe." Tohru sounded astonished.

Believe me, I was just as surprised as she was. However there was something deep inside of me that compelled me to do what I was "supposed" to do. And it took over me.

I walked a few steps forward, closer to Tohru. I lifted my hands and held her delicate face, caressing it softly. She looked up to me, confused and a little startled. I smiled at her tenderly, gazing into her gentle, brown eyes.

"You know Honda-san, I've been wanting to tell you something for a long time now."

"What is it, Yuki-kun?" By now, Tohru's cheeks were flushing a million shades of red. She looked adorable.

"Tohru" I leaned a bit forward, decreasing the distance between our faces to just a few inches. She was looking at me intently, probably wondering what I was going to do and say next. I placed my right hand beneath her jaw and pulled it up lightly.

"I love you."

I closed the gap between our lips and kissed her sweetly.

The kiss was short and it lasted for about 2 seconds. However up until now, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I didn't know what to feel, what to do or what to say after our lips parted. All I know was that something wonderful just happened to me and I couldn't have been happier.

As if to ruin the moment, I heard someone approach us.

"There you are! You've gotten everyone worried!" Kyo exclaimed. "You two have been gone so long that Shigure even sent me to look for you. What have you guys been doing all this time?" He looked from Tohru to me and back to Tohru again, somewhat confused and waiting for an answer. "And Tohru, what's wrong with you? You look like you've colored your face with a red marker." He raised one of his eyebrows.

"N...noth-"

"Argh! Nevermind." The cat muttered loudly. "Only a few minutes left before 12. We've got to hurry!" He started dragging Tohru away from the lake, leaving me standing all alone. "Idiot rat, you better make it quick too!" I heard him yell from behind the trees. I smiled and started following them back to the house.

Although Christmas hasn't officially started, I can honestly say that this is the best Christmas ever.

Thank you so much for reading this story! I hope you liked it. Please review. :)