Bold Italics= Element/Elemental speaking
Normal Italics= Hime's thoughts
"Quote Italics"= Hime's writing
Chapter 1: Rats, Cats, and Dogs! Oh, my!
Hime stood straight up, her short blonde hair blowing in the evening breeze. There's been a land slide. the wind whispered to her. There was no need for her to be told twice; she could smell misplaced soil in the air. And because God had a sick sense of humor, it was by the tent. She began to run through the meadow.
As she expected, the thin orange fabric that served as her temporary shelter was buried under piles of mud and muck. One question raced through her mind; Was Tohru still inside? She immediately dropped to her knees and started to dig through. Her blue school uniform was soon covered in wet dirt. She slowly stopped as she sensed that there was no living creature underneath.
"Hime?" a sweet girly voice called her name. She turned to find Tohru. She threw her arms around the girl and drew her close.
"I thought you were in the tent." Hime whispered in Tohru's ear. Her voice was silky and low, barely a whisper. She swept some of Tohru's long brown hair behind her ear. It was then that she noticed they weren't alone. Behind her stood Yuki Sohma, a handsome classmate of theirs. His dark gray bangs hung over his forehead and framed a slightly feminine face. He was about two inches taller than herself. Next to him was Shigure Sohma. His older cousin had short black hair and dark eyes. He was even taller than Yuki.
"Where are we going to stay now?" Tohru asked. Hime just smiled sadly, not knowing how else to respond to the younger girl. She watched as Yuki and Shigure talked a bit. Finally, they both nodded.
"Why don't you stay with us for the night?" Yuki suggested. His voice was soft and mellow, always keeping a calm aura. Hime hesitated. She still didn't know if the Sohmas were friends, or if they'd pose a threat to Tohru. While walking to school that morning, she was close enough to Yuki to tell that he didn't have the same scent the average human carries. Something was off about this family, and she didn't like not knowing if they were safe. Tohru watched Hime's face, trying to find the answer. Hime found no other option, so she nodded her head.
Yuki led them back to the house. Hime glanced at Tohru, finding her skin paler than usual. She remembered Yuki commented on it earlier, but she thought it was just due to living in the tent. Instead, she had a fever. Hime started to feel like she failed her mother. How could she hope to protect her sister from others if she can't even protect her from the elements?
"Hime?" Yuki pulled her from her thoughts. He stood at the front door, waiting for her to come inside. His violet eyes stared at her with concern. She smiled in appreciation and followed the others in the house. Shigure set out a sleeping bag and started to pull out a second. Hime shook her head.
"Hime doesn't like to sleep in a bed or anything. Actually, I've never seen her sleep before." Tohru explained.
"I'm sure she could tell us herself." Shigure commented.
"Come to think of it, I don't think she's ever spoken. At least, I haven't seen her speak before. I also didn't know you knew each other, let alone live together." Yuki added. Tohru looked to Hime for permission to tell them the truth. She contemplated whether it was safe. Weighing the options, she found it was safe enough to spill that specific can of beans.
"If you want to know the truth, Hime and I are twin sisters. She convinced me years ago to say we didn't know each other. She said she doesn't want the other students to make fun of me for having such a strange sister. As for her not speaking; it's not that she tries to be rude by not speaking, but she can't speak. Her vocal chords are extremely weak. Her voice can't reach above what would be considered a whisper to us." Yuki finally understood why the other students made fun of Hime. He knew she was a nice girl, having been paired up with her in a class project, but he thought she was just quiet because she was shy. He never saw her interact with anyone. She always kept to herself.
Tohru settled into the sleeping bag, resting her head on her sister's lap. She began to talk about their mother. How important she was to them. As Tohru told the story, Hime wondered how different their mother appeared to each girl. Tohru soon shared their mother's death. If only Tohru knew the truth. Soon, Tohru fell asleep, leaving the blonde to bathe in the moonlight that stretched through the front entrance.
Morning sunlight filled the room quicker than Hime thought. She sat in the corner of the room, Tohru still slept near the door. Shigure had left in the middle of the night, but she didn't remember seeing him leave. She gasped, realizing she had fallen asleep! She stepped outside to get some air and then slapped herself across the face. She can't afford to sleep! She knew better!
"Hime?" Yuki, having watched that little display, reached to set a hand on her shoulder. That slap will surely leave a mark. She saw the movement and quickly stepped back to avoid the contact. Worry painted his eyes, but he said nothing. She smiled the sweetest smile she could muster, showing she was alright. He saw that it was fake, but decided it would be best not to press the matter. After a moment of awkward silence, Tohru joined her sister in the doorway.
"Yuki! This must have taken you all night!" Tohru burst out. Hime noticed Yuki held four bags in his hands, both of which were not dirty. Someone else did the digging. That didn't help their case in her mind. Two guitar cases sat on the porch steps by his feet. Hime covered her eyes with her palm. She became concerned for her observation skills. My senses are already dying. Fan-freaking-tastic. She stared at her instruments as Tohru bombarded Yuki with questions.
"It's a secret." was his response. Hime narrowed her icy eyes, deciding to keep a closer eye on them than she originally planned. Whatever to protect Tohru.
Sometime while Hime was lost in her thoughts, a new habit she'd need to break yesterday, the Sohmas had invited the girls to live with them. Tohru immediately rejected the offer. Hime shot her a quick look that only Tohru would pick up.
"Besides, where else can you go?" Yuki asked, rather rudely, but it made Tohru shut up. The girl looked to Hime for permission, who nodded happily. Wondering how her sister could accept an offer like that, without so much as a second thought, she finally gave in. All four had soon worked out an agreement; the sisters will do the housework in exchange for their room. Hime fingered the blue topaz stone that hung between her breasts as she thoroughly examined the house.
"Here we are. Sorry for the smell." Yuki led them in the spare room and made his way to the window. "It's probably best to air this room out for a bit." Just as he opened the window, Hime heard the ceiling start to crack, and eventually fall through. A boy around their age stood among the broken wood.
"Yo!" he yelled, addressing Yuki. Hime couldn't make out any facial features, seeing as he landed with his back to them. However, she noted his bright orange hair. That, and the extreme tension between the two boys. Tohru noticed this as well, and she stepped forward to stop the upcoming fight. But she slipped on a piece of wood and fell onto carrot-top. With a puff of smoke and a shocked expression from Yuki, Tohru held an orange cat in her hands. Hime stared at the animal in her sister's grip. This is going to be interesting.
Shigure popped his head in the room. "Yuki, what was that noise I heard? Kyo isn't here, is he?" Tohru righted herself and started to apologize to the boy, but stopped her words the moment she saw the cat. "Ah! I've turned him into a cat! I'm so sorry!" She shook the cat in a fit of confusion and worry.
"We need to get him to a doctor!" she started to run from the room, but a loose board fell to her head. Hime saw the potential danger, but didn't reach the wood in time. It made contact and Tohru fell into Yuki and Shigure. More smoke filled the room. Tohru about passed out when she saw a black dog and white rat standing where the other two boys once were. Hime couldn't help but smirk. Very interesting, indeed.