Chapter 1

A New Sohma Appears

"Im gonna kill that damn rat!" The orange haired Kyo paced back and fourth, Tohru watching helplessly from the little square table in the dinning room.

"Um..would you like some rice balls?" She asked, slowly and timidly, hoping that this wouldnt come across as agression. When Kyo gets mad, I mean when Kyo gets really mad, there is nothing anyone can do but stay out of his way. Luckily, he was only, on a scale of one to ten, a five. So he was still basically a human with a heart and would calm down shortly.

"NO I DONT WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMN RICE BALLS!!" He stopped, he hadnt meant to yell it like that. He looked down at the young orphan girl, admiring her long brown hair and feeling sorry for her that she had to live in this house and deal with him and Yuki and especially that damn Shigure all the time. How does she do it?

"Oh..uh...alright, Ill just um...go clean up the kitchen..." She looked shyly at the ground and slowly got up to head to the kitchen which was in the next room over to her left. Kyo watched her then blurted:

"I-Im sorry Tohru. Im such a jerk to you and you still chose to live here." He looked sincerely sorry and she was afraid if she didnt forgive him he might crack and fall to peices in front of her. "Its just...that damned Yuki, he thinks he has all the power over me just because he is in the Zodiac and I am not." He shifted his gaze to his feet, rocking them up and down on the heel, carefully examining their every move as not to have to look at Tohru.

"Oh Kyo. Dont be sorry. And I live here because I chose to. You know me! If I didnt want to be here I would leave!" She smiled but he just shook his head and sighed.

"We both know you wouldnt. Your too nice for your own good Tohru. You know we depend on you to cook and clean and without you we would be reduced to take out everynight and not being able to get two feet into the kitchen. You know this, and thats why you stay."

"No no no!" She insisted, waving her arms around frantically. "Im here because I...well...I like to be with you and the others. Living with my grandfather was fine when it was just me and him, but the others are terrible to me. They treat me like I am nothing. I do the cooking and cleaning all the time."

"But you do that here too."

"Yes, but here I am not forced to. I do it because it was my way of paying for rent."

Yuki walked in through the back door, pulling off his shoes and leaving them on the steps. He looked like his usual, quiet, reserved self, looking at the floor as he pulled the sliding door shut. He seemed completley oblivious to Kyo's presence. This brought Kyo back into his 5.0 angry stage. He fumed, steam comming out of his ears.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST IGNORE ME RAT? LIKE I DONT EXIST?"

"Oh, hello Miss Tohru." Yuki said, smiling when he saw her, still completley oblivious to the raging, yelling Kyo in the background. "How was school today? I am sorry I was not there to walk you home."

"YEAH I HAD TO!"

"Oh..no...dont think on it Yuki! Its nothing, you dont always have to walk me home you know." She smiled, upset at herself for worrying or inconviniencing Yuki.

"But I like to Miss Tohru. I like to make sure you are always safe."

"SHE WAS FINE WITH ME! I CAN TAKE CARE OF HER PLENTY BETTER THAN YOU CAN YOU DAMN RAT!"

"Oh.." She blushed. "Alright then, if you dont mind then I guess I shouldnt mind."

"WHY DOES NO ONE EVER LISTEN TO ME?!"

Tohru Honda turned to Kyo and smiled. "I do Kyo." He blushed and turned to rush out of the room, hoping to hell that Yuki hadnt seen it. He had.

"So, do you want riceballs for dinner? Ill make some steamed leaks to put in them!"

Yuki smiled and rubbed his empty stomache. "That sounds amazing Miss -...I mean Tohru."

Kyo stayed in his room all night.

The next day Tohru came down the stairs later than usual having worked three extra hours the night before to earn extra money. It was saturday morning so there was no need to rush breakfast, it could come a little later. She passed through the dinning room where Yuki, Kyo and Shigure all sat, apparently waiting for breakfast but all having been to kind to say anything to Tohru or wake her up after her long night. They all knew she hadnt gotten home until 4am.

"DAMN YOU!"

"Thats not a very pleasant thing to say to someone Kyo. Your temper is alarming" Yuki was calm and collected while Kyo looked like he could burst at any moment. Tohru giggled and grinned at them as she walked through the room.

"Good morning Yuki...Kyo...Shigure." She nodded to each one as she said their names. They all smiled back, even Kyo and said

"Good morning Tohru." In succession, except for Yuki who had added in a little "Miss" before Tohru again. He could never break the habit.

Tohru continued into the kitchen, made a breakfast of omelets and toast and brought it into the dinning room, setting a plate full of food in front of each person and herself. She took a seat at one of the four sides, across from Yuki. Shigure lowered his newspaper and smiled at Tohru.

"Another wonderful breakfast prepared by our goddess of a savior Miss Tohru Honda." His eyes gleamed and he clapped his hands together as if praying and stared to the ceiling. Yuki, Kyo and Tohru all sweat dropped.

"Um..Thank you Shigure."

"Oh that reminds me! We are going to have a visitor today?"

"Oh! A member of the Sohma family?"

"Yes."

"Of the Zodiac?" Tohru was utterly fascinated with meeting all the members of the Zodiac. She had met so many already but always wanted to meet more because she had not yet met all the members of the Zodiac.

Yuki, Kyo and Shigure looked at each other. Shigure answered.

"Uh..no our visitor is not a member of the zodiac."

"And she hates when people ask if she is or mention anything about her not being a part of the Zodiac. So dont mention it." Kyo added with a hint of an air that he was sticking up for the girl.

"A girl?"

"Yes." Yuki piped in. "She is my cousin on the other side from Kyo, she and Kyo have no relation. Kyo stared down at his breakfast. Was there something between Kyo and this girl?

"Whats her name?"

"Saori, Saori Sohma." Shigure stated. "And she will be here in about an hour or so."

Tohru jumped up suddenly, nearly causing the table to flip over.

"BUT IM NOT PRESENTABLE ENOUGH TO MEET ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE SOHMA FAMILY YET!!!!" She rushed out of the room, all three men staring after her, she looked fine to them.

An hour had passed and Tohru once again sat across from Yuki at the dinning room table, she fidgited with her flowery pink skirt and reanged the pink clip in her hair. Yuki watched her every move. Kyo sat, back against a pole, on the front porch, staring down the path he was sure Saori would come from.

Another twenty minutes passed and Kyo hadnt moved much except to stretch his neck once or twice, he was in the process of stretching again, his hands about his head when a body fell from the roof down next to him. Kyo flung sideways towards the house, mouth open, hands out in front of him, looking like a scared cat. Orange ears visable amongst his orange hair.

The figure had its back to Kyo and the others, it rose slowly into a standing position. The black leggings the person wore helped to make a short jean skirt with holes in it, look less short than it would normally. a white tank top and a small black tie completed the top and big heavy black boots with many straps made up the shoes. The figure had its long dark brown hair pulled up into a pony tail, side swept bangs in front with long peices of hair hanging down in front of her ears.

Kyo relaxed and leaned forward on one knee. "Hey Saori, what took you?"

She turned, her face in an expression which mocked Yuki's in every way until she saw Kyo. She fully turned her body around to face him. Her lips began to part but changed their minds and closed into a partial smile, all her happiness was expressed thoroughly enough, through her big brown eyes.