It was dark, dark and cold, but that was to be expected of a mid winters night. The only visible light in the room was the bright moon light shining through the crack between the curtains. It wasn't just normal moon light, it reflected off her pink curtains, cloaking her room in red. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered Tohru, she was used to it after living with the accessories for so long. But tonight, it only increased the fear she was already feeling.

Tohru had woken up in a cold sweat and high fever from a nightmare she could only remember the feeling of fear. Nothing but the feeling of fear remained after she awoke, no images of what she was dreaming of crossed her hazy mind, which only made everything worse. With no clue of what she had been afraid of and a fever that clouded her judgement, made the usual creaks and cracks more sinister.

Tohru pulled the covers up to her nose with trembling fingers, her honey brown eyes darted back and forth in the blood red darkness as if expecting something to pounce on her at any moment. But that's ridiculous... there's nothing here. She told herself.

The wind howled loudly outside her window causing Tohru to bolt upright. She turned and pulled her pink curtain and her window open. Scratching noises came from benethe her bed and she knew she heard footsteps outside her bedroom door...

Of course, she mentally smacked herself with a nervous laugh, she lived with three other people. Kyo, Yuki or Shigure could have woken up too. Yeah that's right. Even if she was sure they usually never left their rooms at night. Plus they unintentionally attracted the animals of their zodiac, that could be a perfectly acceptable explanation of the noises. Right?

creak.

Tohru stiffened as she heard another foot step from the hallway, and it was getting closer. But instead of hiding, Tohru jumped up and dizzily ran to the door effectively tearing it open. But there was no one there. On shaking legs she took a step outside her room,

"Hello?" She called meekly. "Kyo? Yuki? was that you?"

There was no response.

"Is anyone there?" Tohru tried again. Her voice barely reaching her own ears it was so weak.

Instead of a response, her door flew closed.

"Ngh!" Tohru tumbled backwards before landing on the ground. The sound itself wasn't loud enough to disrupt anyone's sleep, but the feat of her door closing on its own just terrified Tohru further.

Tears came to her wide eyes as she stared at her door. As she tried to stand up her vision became distorted and another dizzy spell hit her. She knew she shouldn't be walking around with a fever and that she needed rest, but she couldn't find it in herself to go back to her room yet.

Tohru stood with her back against the wall for support and she heard the sound again, the creak of footsteps from the staircase. Then without another thought, Tohru ran into the closest room and shut the door behind her and locked it.

Her heart pounded in her chest from fear and exhaust. She knew she shouldn't be acting so childish and scared and she should be resting with her fever, but her body wouldn't listen.

"Tohru? Is that you?" A groggy voice said from across the room startling her.

"K-kyo?! Wha- what are you doing here?" Tohru asked trying to sound as normal as she could hiding in another room in the middle of the night.

"I could ask you the same thing, this is my room, you know." Kyo said. He really didnt care that she was in his room, but why was another question.

"O- oh really..? I was just...uh," before she could finish she heard blankets shifting and footsteps coming towards her. The sound only reminded her of her earlier fear, her tears returned and she began shaking. Then suddenly a lamp turned on, lighting the room partway.

"Tohru?!" His earlier drowsiness vanished as he knelt down in front of her worriedly, "Why are you crying?!" he asked in disbelief. He hated when she cried. He didnt like when she was upset, and he didnt know what he could do.

"Oh, i-its nothing... Oh! I woke you up didn't I, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have bee-"

"Tohru." Kyo said incredulously, but also softer this time. "Seriously, don't worry about that. Tell me what's wrong?"

"Uh, oh it's nothing really!" Tohru said furiously rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "I just got lost... Yeah that's right!"

Kyo gave her a skeptical look that obviously said I don't believe you. "You've been in this house for almost a year and you got lost?" Kyo drawled. He could sense her hesitation and before she had the chance to answer Kyo spoke again, well to be more accurate he yawned while mumbling out an incoherent sentence that sounded like, "Nevermind, i'm going back to sleep." he honestly wasn't trying to be insensitive about her obvious fear, but he couldn't think of anything to do without pressing her for the answers she wasnt ready to give. "You can stay here as long as you want." Kyo said before starting to stand up.

He watched her intently out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see if she would move or even speak. Tohru seemed to relax after he said she could stay, but the trembling didn't stop all the way.

He had just turned when Tohru's hand shot out to lightly grab his sweat pants. She immediately let go after realizing what she did.

Kyo turned back around and sank to a sitting position in front of her. It seemed she was done with her 'I'm perfectly okay' facade. That both suited him fine and worried him at the same time. Maybe a gentler approach would coax an answer out of her.

Tohru looked at him with wide frightened eyes, her mouth parted slightly as if she were about to speak.

"Do you want to tell me what's really wrong?" he murmured reaching out to softly stroke her cheek. Her eyes twitched lightly and fluttered closed and he withdrew his hand before he touched her delicate skin as if she had slapped him.

Kyo looked away feeling guilty that he had made her flinch. Suddenly he felt her hand on his and when he looked back, he saw she had placed his hand on her cheek. Tohru had her eyes closed and her trembling had stopped as she sighed.

His momentary confusion was gone before it had a change to register in his brain as he felt her warm skin. It was warmer than normal, not enough to worry him, but enough for him to realize what was going on.

"I had a nightmare..." Tohru whispered, as if saying it any louder would pull her back in to the terrible dream.

That explains it. She probably had a momentary spike in her temperature because of her dream.

"It's okay." he murmured again. Not sure of what else to say. Kyo had enough night terrors of his own to empathsize, not that she, or anybody else needed to know. Yet he couldn't stop himself from saying, "I know the feeling."

Tohru opened her eyes to stare at him with a soft, sad expression. "Are you okay?"

Kyo couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. She never ceased to amaze him. She was always putting others above herself no matter what situation she was in. She was the one upset over a bad dream and she was asking if he was okay?

"Are you seriously asking if I'm okay?" Kyo asked frowning a little. "You should be worried about yourself..." He was about to suggest she go back to sleep but as soon as he removed his hand she looked scared again. Exhausted and scared. Instead he grabbed her hand, gently lifted her to her feet and pulled her towards his futon.

"Go to sleep." he told her as he sat on the floor next to the futon. Too tired to think about refusing without having to go back to her room. Tohru crawled in, remembering when he told her it was okay to be selfish sometimes. This was selfish, but Kyo's presence had a calming effect on her. It was different from being around Yuki, the way she had butterflies around Kyo while still feeling perfectly calm. Perhaps she had subconsciously stumbled into Kyo's room rather than anyone else's...

Kyo sighed in relief that she wasn't going to refuse. She needed to sleep and it didnt look like she was going to go back to her room any time soon. Kyo laid down on his side on the ground the way he often did on the porch facing Tohru.

"I can't let you sleep on the floor for me." Tohru mumbled sleepily, her eyes closed.

There it was. Her ever-present selflessness.

Tohru slid herself backward, "There's room to share."

"I'll manage." Kyo said quickly, covering his face with his hands, fighting the red trying to break out on his face. He had been about to call her crazy. And that wouldn't have been good.

Tohru frowned and opened her eyes, groggily sitting up. Kyo, preoccupied, didnt notice until she grabbed one of his hands from his face and placed it on her cheek again. "Please?" she asked. She wasn't going to have her selfishness make him sick from sleeping on the ground with no blanket.

She laid back down slowly, Kyo's hand still on her cheek. He followed reluctantly, wishing he didn't have such a hard time telling her no all the time.

Tohru smiled as he slid under the blanket, careful not to touch her. Tohru grabbed his hand again and put it against her face again. "Thank you... Kyo." she whispered, smiling.

He expected her hand to fall off his and from her face, but it stayed still.

His better judgement told him to move now that she was asleep, but his body wouldn't budge. Amazing what she did to his self control.

"Stupid cat." he muttered to himself. She looked so peaceful and free from her terror... Kyo reached over and hesitantly kissed the corner of her lips.

Her lips twitched into a smile.

Then before he could react Tohru's unconscious hand wrapped around his waist and in a cloud of orange smoke he transformed. Her frail arms wrapped tightly around his small furry body. Now he was really trapped. Yet he didn't really care.

He struggled to slip out of her arms despite his reluctance, but it was all for nothing when she sleepily mumbled, "Kyo..."

This girl was going to be the death of him.

Quite literally.

Probably tomorrow.

Right after somebody called him some kind of pervert...

He hated to say it, but...

It was worth it.

Please review and tell me how it was! This is my very first Fruits Basket fic so I hope you all liked it. I hope they weren't too OOC. But Tohru is allowed to be selfish sometimes I think. If I get 5 reviews from seperate people I'll post an epilogue on what happens the next morning!

~Star0Dragon0Slayer~