Kyo Sohma had a secret that he desperately wished to hide. Very few people ever talked to him as an equal. He would hear stupid cat as he walked the grounds of the Sohma estate. No matter what kind of person Kyo tried to be, it would never be good enough for the other Sohmas.

This world that the Sohmas came from was a harsh little existence. The 12 zodiac were always going to be better than everyone. Especially that damn rat, Kyo thought to himself. Yuki Sohma was the golden child. He was loved by the family and girls and boys alike seemed to fawn all over him. What a superficial life to lead. But this is why Kyo is desperate to keep this secret. If anyone found out, he would never hear the end of it.

Kyo's POV

God today has just been the worst. Why couldn't I have been placed in a different class than that damn rat? I will never get away from this place or this curse. I sat in my seat, trying to listen to the teacher explain our math assignment but I could not focus. My mind was focused on what would happen today after school.

I have been granted a weekend pass to leave the Sohma property and do whatever I chose. Even though I am an outcast in the Sohma family, they still keep an ever watchful eye on me. I just want to be left alone.

Recently I have been living with Shigure, the dog and Yuki the damn rat. The house is not on the Sohma estate but Shigure is required to give daily updates to Akito, our family head. Even away from the compound, I will never have any privacy or freedom.

There has been one single ray of sunshine in my life. It came in the form of a beautiful girl named Honda Tohru. Tohru is in my class at school and she is always smiling. Recently her smile had disappeared and she seemed to be dis-shoveled and out of sorts. I had never spoken to her, so I did not want to seem to familiar and ask her what was wrong.

One afternoon, I decided to follow her to make sure she got home safely. I stayed back enough to keep her from noticing me. The path that she was taking was far to familiar to me. She stepped off the path and into the woods. Being the cat that I am, moving noiselessly through the trees was easy enough.

I had spent enough time in these woods recently that I had an idea of where she was headed. These trees butted up against a small cliff that housed a mini waterfall. We were almost there when she suddenly stopped and turned around. I barely had enough time to hide before being seen.

Satisfied that she was indeed alone, she returned her focus on her destination. Not far from the waterfall, I could see a tent. Tohru kneeled down and crawled inside. I could see her kneeling in front of a picture and heard her start talking.

I glanced around to make sure no one else was in the area and then moved closer to the tent. I could now hear Tohru clearly. "Oh mom, school today was a little hard. I am having problems again with the math homework that the teacher assigned. I wish you were here to help me. But no matter what, I will keep my promise to finish school. Grandpa said that the renovations should be done in another two months. I have to go get clean now so I can get to work. I love you mom. See you soon."

I backed away a little bit and watched as Tohru stood up beside the tent and gathered some clothing and a towel. She made her way to the waterfall and started to undress. I could feel my cheeks growing hot as I turned away. I may be male, but I do have some pride. I could hear her sharp intake of breath as the cold water hit her body and then a light humming as I assumed she was washing.

I didn't know why, but this beautiful young girl was living in a tent and bathing in a cold waterfall. Obviously her mother was no longer in this world, but where was her father? And she had said her grandfather was remodeling. Did that mean she normally lived with him? And if so, how could he let her live like this?

Slowly and quietly, I made my way back to Shigure's house. Once I got home, I packed up my things, gathered a tent from storage and set off back into the woods. My tent was three times the size of Tohru's tent and it was insulated. Tohru must have left for work already because she was nowhere in sight. I carefully got to work. I did not want to disturb her things, so I gently lowered the ten and removed it from the area.

Unpacking my tent, I began to erect it in the same place that the other one recently stood. Once I had completely set up the tent, I stood inside and looked at her things. There were a few sets of clothes and a very thin piece of foam that she used to as bedding.

I had anticipated this when packing and had brought a proper mat to lay down for her. She had a few canned goods and what looked like a loaf of bread but no other food stuffs to be seen. Thanking myself for the afterthought, I pulled out a small propane camp stove and set it next to the cans.

From my last pack, I pulled out some dried meats, herbs and fresh vegetables as well as a pot, bowl and spoon. There had to be a good reason that this girl chose to live here but I couldn't let her do without a few meals. I backed out of the tent, packed her smaller tent in one of my packs and left it inside for her. Taking one last look, I walked the trail back home once again. I told myself that I just wanted to help Tohru, but I think it was actually helping myself more. Tohru had something that I desperately wanted. Freedom.