"So what do you think it's going to be like," Callie asked me as the bus drove down the winding road. "A Japanese Hot Spring, who would've come up with that?"
"Attention," the teacher's voice said drawing me out of the brief conversation with my friend. "We would like to remind you that we are very lucky to be given this opportunity. The Sohma family has graciously allowed us to use their private hot springs for this trip and we are to respect it like everywhere else. Be on your best behavior. You all have read the rules and I expect you to follow them, understand?"
"Yes, Mrs. Hanson," the entire bus said in unison.
As she sat down the bus slowly went back to what it had been. Everyone was talking and having fun, talking with friends around them. We were in ninth grade and we had decided to take a class trip, random, but we decided to and it was fun. We were spending a week in Japan, there was a small town where we could go see a lot of different touristy things, and we were staying at a hot springs owned by the Sohma family. They were really nice to have done this for us, and we all thanked them many times. I wondered if I would get to meet any of them any time. My last name was Sohma, so the question in the back of my mind was if they were members of my family. Callie had listened to my wonderings the entire plane ride, and by now she was sick of it. We continued our conversation about what the Hot Springs would be like, and coming up with no true answer we just decided to wait and see. The bus pulled up to the entrance about five minutes later, and our teachers got off before we were allowed off. We were put into pairs of four in our rooms. I had Callie and two popular girls that I knew would just sneak off to their friend's room once we were supposed to be asleep. The place smelt of flowers, and was quiet aside from the hushed voices and the sound of a waterfall. I like it, it was increasingly peaceful. We all had to change in kimonos. They were a light blue and we all just sort of used a rope to tie them around us. Callie and I laughed at how strange we looked, but I also found it interesting and more comfortable than my normal clothes. Since it was already about dinner time Callie and I just explored the area. Although, we found a women who yelled at us to enjoy our stay; we ran away because she scared us. Then, we were lost. I mean beyond lost. We had run into the gardens, but in our haste we didn't pay attention to where we were. It was already nightfall, and I couldn't figure out exactly where we were.
"Can't you just do it," Callie begged as she clutched onto my arm. "I don't like it when you do it, but just do it!"
Callie was right, although it was a last resort we really didn't know where we were. I had a, power, as my parents called it. My dad told me a folk tale when I was younger. It said that members of the Sohma family would be cursed with each of the Zodiac animals. There was also the damned cat, "god", and the zodiac. When I was about ten we found out that I was the Zodiac of this curse. I didn't believe it because I was raised Catholic, but then again why would I be able to change into an animal and also be able to do things that the animal does when I'm human. Since it was the year of the rabbit I was able to turn into a rabbit, and have the abilities of the rabbit. I could move quickly, jump high, and almost communicate with rabbits. I caved and let Callie hop onto my back, and I used the power of the rabbit demon to find our way back. I didn't check before we got back, but apparently someone was there, waiting quietly in the shadows. When Callie got off of my back I sat down on the edge of the porch and tried to get my breath back. I didn't like to do anything like that, I really didn't. It took a lot of energy from me and I couldn't do anything to regain it besides sleep. I told Callie to go get dinner, they pry weren't going to serve it for much longer. She did so and left me alone. I lay down on the porch and let my breathing return to normal, wishing that I could just sleep there. I heard footsteps on the wood approaching my head; I opened my eyes to see a tall man with long white hair and strange golden eyes hovering above me. My face twisted into a face of bewilderment as his turned into a face of happiness and, maybe, joy.
"Hello," he said in an annoyingly cheerful voice.
"Hello," I replied irritably. "May I ask why you're speaking to me? Who are you, anyway?"
He got really happy then and went on a little bit of a rant. "I'm Ayame Sohma," was basically all I understood. Or cared to understand for that matter; I laid there on the porch and looked at him blankly. When he was done he said, in an almost seductive voice, "and you, my princess, what is your name?"
It took me a second before I realized that he was actually waiting for an answer. "I'm Hannah Sohma. Now what do you want?"
My last name seemed to peak his interest, "Sohma?"
"Yes, my last name is Sohma," I confirmed sitting up and turning around too look at him while tucking my legs under me. "Now what do you want, Ayame-sama?"
"I just wanna know how you did that little trick of yours." I gave him a confused look, "Where you hop around like a rabbit and grow a tail, young one. I think that I also saw rabbit ears, now that I think of it."
I gave him a threatening look. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir. I think that you might have spent too much time in the baths today."
"I know that I saw something."
"Unless you can prove it, our current situation is my word against your own." I stood up and brushed the kimono off to get some of the dust and dirt off. "Good night sir, I hope that you have a pleasant evening," I said before walking off. I accidentally knocked shoulders with a man as I walked down the hall; I apologized and bowed before continuing to go to my room. No one was there, we had the bed mat things instead of normal beds in the room, so I sighed and wrapped myself in the blanket, wanting to just go to sleep and now worry about anything. The next thing I remember was Callie shaking me awake the next morning, saying that it was time to get up. She was already dressed in sundress, cardigan, charm bracelet, and ballet flats. She had a flower in her hair that was the same color as the cardigan, it still had a fragrance and I assumed that she had already been out to the gardens and picked it earlier this morning. As I got dressed Callie told me that I had already missed breakfast, and the teachers were starting to worry if I was ever going to eat. I still wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat. I changed from the kimono into boot-cut jeans, open-toed heels, an embellished tank, and threw my indie backpack onto my back. Callie braided my hair happily put my embellished head band in my hair. The two of us happily walked to meet up with the rest of our class, and irritably enough for me we passed the guy from last night. He was talking with the man I had bumped into and some other guy; I didn't even make eye contact with him and talked with Callie about getting a pair of sunglasses from the gift shop as soon as we got a chance, since I had lost them on the flight. We were the last two on the bus and I got a lecture from Mr. Dimond about eating right and taking care of myself. I took his advice seriously and promised that I would get something as soon as we got to the temple that we were touring.