Chapter 1

Think of life as a frame. In the beginning, you might not even notice the frame. But as you do, you are given a paint set. Paint a picture inside the frame. Take as long as you want. No matter if you could do any better. As long as the frame is small, YOU must stay small.

Kyo stroked the small cat on his lap lightly. It was a stray he had found a few days ago. He remembered Hatori's words when he had first seen it.

Hatori merely said: "Kyo, you do realize that this cat could have rabies, could have come from somewhere unpleasant…… Akito won't want to look at it, much less touch it. If that's his birthday present, best put it down…." Kyo merely said,

"Akito does the same thing to me... If he had the choice of putting me down, he would, wouldn't he?" Hatori avoided the small boy's gaze as he escorted him out the door.

The cat, sensing a sudden change of mood in his master, purred against his hand, now trembling with mixed emotions, but settling down again, seeing the cat gaze up at him with eyes reflecting a pain he knew very well.

It was a pain indescribable, and bearable for only so long. Maybe that was why he had snapped at the rat boy, Yuki Sohma that night. It was out of the sheer pain of loss and guilt for his mother's death that the cat boy yelled so fiercely. He only wished it was Akito he was yelling at.

But in any case, yelling…. Openly hurting someone who deserved it so much, not as much as Akito, though… It felt exhilarating. The cat had never before shared his feelings with anyone, even if they were of hatred. Maybe Akito did it for the same reason. Because to some extent, it felt nice to punish people, didn't it?

The cat seemed to know what Kyo was thinking and almost seemed to nod sympathetically. At this point, Kyo could honestly say that being alone was almost as bad as relating to a cat.

But was it so hard to understand, really? Kyo was such a stray as this cat was life almost as unhappy, life as unforgiving. Except Kyo's fate was different. Unlike this cat, who could tear away from his side any minute and not be judged upon, or not needing its fate decided. It was unimportant.

How much he longed to have this ideal unimportance, a life in which people don't care where you came from, as long as you're there now. Where people acknowledged you, if even with hate. Here, he was so unimportant; he was to be locked away in a sort of cage, so that people would be faced with forgetting him or remembering that they had put a human being inside a cage for life.

People obliviously picked the less demanding one, no matter how cruel it seemed. And Kyo couldn't help but hate every last Sohma for this. And yet… Was it better than nothing? Was hatred from everyone he did and didn't know all he could hope for as an answer to the question that haunted him every day: What am I here for? What is my purpose?

To everyone, it seemed he was here for something to put hatred in, like an empty jar, or some sort of pincushion for the negativity this house emanated?

Kyo tried to brush the dark thoughts of his future aside as he picked the cat up and took it inside. He set it down on the counter of the kitchen, part of an outside Sohma home. He grabbed a milk carton and a small, plate, pouring milk into it and carefully setting it down for the cat.

The cat took the milk gratefully, but not before mewing, to what sounded to Kyo, a 'thank you'. Kyo smiled.

Later…………….

Kyo woke to licks at his feet, and saw the same cat look up at him, happy to see him awake. He picked it up and sighed, saying to it,

" Why did you stay, you silly cat? I'm bad, I'm Kyo, the cat of the Sohma curse.

The cat looked as if it shrugged and licked his face. Kyo laughed and asked once more,

" And you really don't mind me? Even if I am a monster?" The cat purred and looked at Kyo through innocent eyes, eyes he hadn't seen in himself in a while, not since he had first turned into his true form.

" I wonder….." Kyo said to himself more than the cat, " Is there anyone on earth who would accept me for who I am, what I am, as you do so effortlessly," Kyo paused, then continued, " Or even care to extend the frame of a life I stand in, just to see what I could do with a wider canvas, like I did for you?"

The cat merely seemed to say: 'if it was possible for me, why is it not for you?' And with that it went into the kitchen, searching for some milk.