Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Furuba Love Stories ❯ Shigure and Tohru ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Chapter 6: Tohru and Shigure

Setting: Tohru's birthday.

Shigure bustled about the kitchen, making sure that everything was coming along as planned. In between stirring pots and arranging vegetables in fanciful shapes, he glanced out the window often. He wanted everything to be perfect tonight, and she would be home any minute.

At last, he stood back and admired his handiwork, all set out on the dining room table. He frowned when he noticed that one of his napkins was unfolding slowly. Instead of an elegant swan, it was now collapsing into a blob. He hurriedly propped it back up just as he heard the front door unlocking. Yelping in surprise, he ran to open it before she could. "Tohru! Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you!" Not letting her speak, he used his hands as a blindfold and ushered her into the dining room. "Ta-da!" he called out, removing his hands.

Tohru gasped in delight at the feast spread out in front of her. "Shigure, this is too much!" she exclaimed modestly, covering her mouth.

Shigure laughed. "I knew you would say that. I had to do something special for your twentieth birthday, didn't I?"

"Thank you so much, Shigure. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!" Tilting her head to the side, she gave him her most sincere smile. Her ability to so wholly appreciate simple gestures never ceased to amaze him.

"Sit down and enjoy it while it's hot," he urged, indicating her seat to her. His eyes traveled to the troublesome swan napkin that was beginning to slouch again.

Tohru took his lead and sat. "Where should I start?" she asked herself aloud, taking in all the different choices. "Sushi? No, sashimi. No, miso. No, leek porridge. Oh, I just can't decide, it all looks so good! I know. I'll try a little of each!"

Shigure chuckled at her private debate and watched her serve herself some of everything. "So, how is it? Edible?" he asked once she had tried it all.

"Mmm, it's delicious, Shigure!" Her expression changed from one of awe to one of good-natured suspicion. "Shigure, have you been able to cook like this the whole time?"

"A good cook never divulges his secrets," he recited like an old pro. "Actually," he whispered, "I've been watching cooking shows all week."

"Cooking shows?" Tohru giggled.

"Yes," Shigure answered in mock defense. "They're quite educational. And entertaining, I must admit. Have you ever seen the Iron Chef?"

"No. What is it?" she asked.

Shigure waved her question away as he rose and walked into his office. "Nevermind that," came a muffled response. "Where did I put that darned…? Ah! Here it is!" He emerged from the room bearing a present, all done up with vibrant wrapping paper and garish bows. With a flourish, he set the shirt-box sized gift on the table in front of her.

"Shigure, what is it?" By her expression, Tohru was embarrassed and shamed at being treated to that in addition to the meal. Shigure smiled to himself at how well he could read her, like he had known her forever.

"A birthday present! Is that not what it looks like?" he questioned, slightly disappointed. "I though I did a fairly good job with the bows." He gave her his pouty face to match his words.

Tohru blushed and shook her head. "Oh, no, it's beautifully decorated! I just didn't want you to think that you had to buy me something."

Shigure sighed. "Dear, sweet Tohru, you said that last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Just open it and tell me what you think." He pushed the box a little closer to her so that it was practically falling into her lap.

Still rosy-cheeked, Tohru carefully undid the bows and paper and lifted the lid. Inside was a book that Shigure had decorated the cover to say "Photo Album." Below that were all of the Zodiac animals, plus the cat, dancing around a large yellow daisy with a smiling face on it. A smiling, blushing face. "Shigure, this is so cute! Did you draw all of these yourself?" she asked in awe.

Smiling back at her sheepishly, he shrugged. "Some might call me a man of many talents."

Tohru hugged the book to her chest. "This is the best gift I've ever gotten, Shigure. I just wish that I had more pictures to put inside of it," she said in a sad tone.

"Perhaps you do," he told her cryptically. "Take a look inside." His smile deepened along with hers at her realization that he had filled the book with photographs.

Inside the cover was an inscription: "To my little flower, from Shigure." Tohru silently smiled at him at that and kept looking through the book. Her expression got more excited as she flipped through the pages. The first few were some of the pictures of her mother that Tohru had kept in various places. Shigure hoped that she wouldn't ask him how he had known where to find those. Being nosy was something he prided himself on, but she shouldn't know that he had looked everywhere in her room for them. Next came pictures that Shigure himself had taken at various times: Ayame, Hatori, and Tohru eating lunch at the Lakehouse, Tohru and Momiji playing at the beach, Tohru and Kisa trying to hug a grouchy Hiro, Tohru and Ritsu apologizing to each other, Tohru and Rin showing Haru a map of the city, Tohru looking on as Kagura knocked down a door, even one of Kureno standing stiffly behind Tohru at his only visit to Shigure's house. All were moments that captured the relations that Tohru had with the other Zodiac members.

"This is the best thing I've ever seen, Shigure! How did you do all of this?" she asked when she came to a blank page a few from the end of the book.

"Oh, I've been working on it for a while. It's not over, yet, though, keep looking."

Puzzled, Tohru flipped the blank page and immediately burst into tears at the images before her. One page had three pictures of her and Yuki, the other with three of her and Kyo. Sobbing, she gently touched the plastic-covered photographs as if touching the boys themselves. Of Yuki and Tohru, there was one picture of them gardening together, one of them studying together, and one of Tohru holding Yuki's rat form in her palm. Of Kyo and Tohru, there was one of them making riceballs together, one of him showing her a her how to punch, and one of her obliviously doing the dishes as he smiled at her back. All were obviously taken without the participants knowing about it, since the boys weren't angry in them. The surely would have been if they knew Shigure was taking such candid shots.

Shortly after Yuki and Kyo had been locked away in the main house, at their high school graduation, Shigure had stopped talking about them. He had figured that it would be better for Tohru to try and move on with her life rather than dwell on the past. They would never be set free, both pets of Akito's in different manners, unless the curse was broken. Try as he might he still hadn't been able to figure that one out, so he had continued life with normal appearances, acting like he and Tohru had always lived there alone. Now, admitting to her that they had in fact been a part of their lives was bringing back all of the feelings that she had about it.

"Tohru, are you all right?" he inquired, laying a hand on her back. Her tears fell onto the plastic pages, but she didn't remove her eyes from the photos. "Tohru, I'm sorry that I never speak of them. It must be painful for you, I know, but we have to accept that they aren't coming back. Sometimes I feel like crying, too," he added soothingly.

Smiling through her tears, Tohru gazed into Shigure's eyes. "I know," she began quietly, "and I understand why you never talked about them. It's just…seeing these photographs is hard after all this time. I never want to lose these memories, but I'm scared that I will."

"I won't let you forget them. I made this album to represent the past. I think it's about time we allowed ourselves to feel again, to start a new future together, as happy as we are able to be." Shigure waited for her answer, but she just looked at him with her confused expression. "Tohru," he continued, "I want to have a future with you. Would you ever consider me? No, don't answer now. Just think about it. I'll give you as much time as you need," he finished, rising to his feet again. With a last minute thought, he leaned down and brushed her bangs aside to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Ho looked into her eyes and grinned at her still stunned face before going outside to the porch.

Lighting a cigarette, Shigure smiled. He could be patient. As long as it took, he would wait for his precious flower to love him back.

A/N: Okay, next time we'll do a more legal couple. I apologize if this wasn't as lovey-dovey as my other chapters. I had a hard time writing it, but I guess every writer should be challenged. Sigh Please review and tell me what you think! And thank you kindly to the people who have already reviewed!