A/N: Collection of one shots. All have been uploaded seperately before, but now they're all gathered into one. They vary in genre and length. Some, like this one, are more serious, but most of them are light-hearted, funny stories. Some of them are themed, whiles others aren't.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.

Thunder.

It’s started to rain, but you don’t care. Let it rain, you think. The weather seems to be mirroring your mood. You know that they’ll be worried about you, but you just can’t take the atmosphere anymore. The distance between you and him is telling on your nerves, and you no longer know what to say to make it better, to pretend that things are still fine. You stop and slump to your knees on the damp ground, tears beginning to blur your vision. Why, you sob to the uncaring surroundings, why does he have to be the one who is going to get locked away? It isn’t fair! Ah, your mind tells you, life isn’t fair. Sooner or later, the people you care about, and love, are going to be taken from you. You might wish that it wasn’t true, but you can’t always go on pretending so.

The wind is howling through the treetops, and the stinging rain lashes at you, mingling with the tears on your face. You shiver, but you don’t want to go home. Not yet. You still need to get your thoughts and emotions straight. You could call on Uo or Hana. They’d understand what you’re going through right now. But do you dare to call on them so unexpectedly?

A temporary lull in the storm makes you look up. Faintly, you can hear someone calling your name, but you can’t tell who it is. Your voice won’t work properly when you attempt to raise it however, breaking every time you try to shout your reply, so in the end, you give up, and slump back down, staring hopelessly at the soggy ground.

A voice, much nearer than the others, breaks the silence. Despite yourself, you listen. He’s angry…and scared at the same time. The wind is starting to get up again, but you can still just about hear him. Why? Why would he be scared? Because, the part of your brain that hasn’t given up hope yet answers, he’s worried about you. He probably thinks that the reason you ran off is all his fault, and he’s hoping that nothing has happened to you. Call him. Go on, tell him where you are. You need him.

Shakily, you do so, and somehow, over the wind and the rumblings of thunder, he hears you. You watch as he comes crashing through the bushes, a black umbrella held over his head. He’s scowling, but, looking beyond the frown, you can tell how concerned he’s been…still is, and how glad he is to have finally found you. You can see the concern in his dark red eyes as he kneels in front of you, one hand gripping yours tightly.

You listen as he begins to speak, and you can hear the worry in his voice as he tells you how stupid you’ve been. Couldn’t you have told anyone what was bothering you? Hadn’t he told you to speak your mind? You nod, but don’t speak. You can’t seem to find the words. Seeing him only reminds you that he’s going to be confined as soon as the three of you graduate high school, and tears cloud your vision again. You duck your head down, but he puts a hand underneath your chin and tilts your head back up, forcing you to look into his eyes.

Something inside you breaks, and you knock his hand away, before burrowing your head into his chest, tears once again running down your face.

He doesn’t ask questions, just takes hold of your hand again, lets you cry. That gives you a small amount of comfort. Your tears seem to have no end, but eventually, they dry up. You wipe the remains of them from your eyes, smile somewhat weakly at him and apologise for getting his shirt wet. He waves it off, then stands upright, heaving you up along with him. You walk back in silence.

But…you look up at the sky. He may not have much time left on the “outside”, but you’re going to make sure that you have as much fun with him as you can in the remaining months.