Chapter 1
~
Phenomenon
~
Kaigara walked up the public library's steps, not really paying attention to where she was going. It was just before the Finals in her last year of high school. Everyone was talking about their class president and his strange antics. She had never met Ayame Sohma, but right now she was completely concentrated on studying.
"Oh, gomen ne," she said as she ran into someone she hadn't noticed until then. "Finals have been coming up and I haven't gotten much sleep lately--- -" she looked up, a little confused.
The person she had run into----a classmate of hers, Shigure Sohma----had a completely surprised look on his face, and his two friends looked equally surprised, and for some reason, she could tell they looked scared as well.
"Shigure didn't..." the silver-haired one started
His dark-haired friend put a hand over the other's mouth, unable to say a word himself.
"Is anything wrong?" she asked.
"Before we jump to any conclusions, let's ask her a few questions," Shigure said to his friends. "Ah, you're Kaigara Gentou, aren't you? Yes, now I remember, we were paired up on a project for History."
"Oh, you remembered?" she asked with a smile.
"Maybe we should go to a quieter place to find out exactly what just happened," his dark-haired friend, still dumbstruck.
"D-did I do something wrong?" she asked.
"Don't worry, Kaigara-San," Shigure assured her, his smile never slipping. "It's more what you didn't do than what you did."
~
"Before we get started I suppose we owe you an explanation," Shigure's silver-haired friend started. "I'm Ayame Sohma, at your service, and this is Hatori Sohma. This started in ancient times when our family was put under a curse to ask any girl that ran into us a random questionnaire set on by the regal god----"
Ayame stopped as Hatori cleared his throat.
"Right, thank you for lying through your teeth, Ayame," Shigure said.
"Any time, dear cousin."
"Do you have any relations to the Sohma family?" Hatori asked.
Kaigara blinked. What a strange question. "No. My father died before I was born and my mother died when I was about three. I've been doing genealogy research and the Sohma family isn't mentioned once."
"That's..."Ayame started.
"A phenomenon?" Shigure finished. "A strange glitch in history? A miracle?"
"Um, thank you, Shigure. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a miracle, but I think she gets the point," Hatori shaking his head. "What we really should be worried about is, should we tell her? Shigure, you seem to know her best among the rest of us. Is she trustworthy?"
"Shigure-San, what's going on?" she asked, getting more confused by the second.
All three cousins got very silent and turned to her. Suddenly, she realized what they were so worked up about.
"Oh! You mean the...curse?"
"You know about it?" Hatori asked.
"I read about it, and watching the behavior of the Sohmas for so many years, I figured it must have been you."
Shigure let out a chuckle. "You shouldn't keep to yourself for so long, Kaigara-San. You make very interesting conversation."
"What do you mean by our 'behavior'?" Hatori asked.
"Oh, over the years, Shigure has been the 'dog', you've been the 'dragon', and Ayame has been the 'snake'."
"Very observant," Ayame said happily.
"Actually, I think we were loud and annoying enough for her to over-hear," Shigure said with a sweat-drop. "Well, I think she's told herself."
"I really didn't mean to run into you, Shigure-San, I've just been completely out of it lately. I don't know why you didn't transform either."
"Should we tell Akito?" Hatori asked.
"Maybe we should wait and see what happens," Ayame suggested.
"Sounds reasonable. I think Akito would actually be annoyed if he found out a crowd of people in a public place DIDN'T find out about it," Shigure said with a nervous smile.
"Well, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. It's getting late, I should be going home."
"Before you go," Hatori said as she started off. She stopped and turned around. "You still know about the Zodiac Curse. Swear you won't tell anyone."
"I haven't told for as long as I've known, but I still swear" she reassured him, turning around to go again.
She stopped in mid-step as she felt an arm go under her own. "I think since we've scared her, we at least can give her an escort home, don't you think, Aya? Ha'ri?" Shigure asked.
"Of course. It IS getting late," Ayame concluded, taking her other arm. "Besides, it would be a pleasure!"
"Sure, why not?" Hatori added, taking her books.
"If you don't mind, of course," Shigure half asked.
"Ano...I wouldn't want to impose..."
"Not to worry, Kaigara-San, we're the ones imposing," Ayame said with a giggle.
"Eh?"
"I suppose that's Ayame's straight-forward way of saying 'We insist'," Shigure explained.
"Kaigara-San," Hatori asked, walking down streets, trying to get to her apartment building. "We're apparently going to meet again. We should get to know you better. Who's your closest friend?"
"My imaginary dog. His name is Anji."
"That's joke right?"
"Heh, hai. Actually, you three would probably the first I've ever counted as friends. For some reason, everyone seems to avoid me. "
"I wonder why that is, you're very interesting," Ayame said with a chuckle.
"Well, whatever reason they may have, we'll take care of you, Kaigara-San," Shigure assured her.
"Um, thank you?" she said a little nervously. "This is my apartment. I suppose I'll see you at school?" she asked after Hatori handed her books back and she reached the building's main entrance.
"O yasumi," Ayame said with a sweeping bow.
Hatori gave a slight wave.
"Ja, Kai-San," Shigure finished as the cousins walked off.
She stopped before she went in. Kai? Isn't that what her mother used to call her? She shrugged it off and went inside.
~
Phenomenon
~
Kaigara walked up the public library's steps, not really paying attention to where she was going. It was just before the Finals in her last year of high school. Everyone was talking about their class president and his strange antics. She had never met Ayame Sohma, but right now she was completely concentrated on studying.
"Oh, gomen ne," she said as she ran into someone she hadn't noticed until then. "Finals have been coming up and I haven't gotten much sleep lately--- -" she looked up, a little confused.
The person she had run into----a classmate of hers, Shigure Sohma----had a completely surprised look on his face, and his two friends looked equally surprised, and for some reason, she could tell they looked scared as well.
"Shigure didn't..." the silver-haired one started
His dark-haired friend put a hand over the other's mouth, unable to say a word himself.
"Is anything wrong?" she asked.
"Before we jump to any conclusions, let's ask her a few questions," Shigure said to his friends. "Ah, you're Kaigara Gentou, aren't you? Yes, now I remember, we were paired up on a project for History."
"Oh, you remembered?" she asked with a smile.
"Maybe we should go to a quieter place to find out exactly what just happened," his dark-haired friend, still dumbstruck.
"D-did I do something wrong?" she asked.
"Don't worry, Kaigara-San," Shigure assured her, his smile never slipping. "It's more what you didn't do than what you did."
~
"Before we get started I suppose we owe you an explanation," Shigure's silver-haired friend started. "I'm Ayame Sohma, at your service, and this is Hatori Sohma. This started in ancient times when our family was put under a curse to ask any girl that ran into us a random questionnaire set on by the regal god----"
Ayame stopped as Hatori cleared his throat.
"Right, thank you for lying through your teeth, Ayame," Shigure said.
"Any time, dear cousin."
"Do you have any relations to the Sohma family?" Hatori asked.
Kaigara blinked. What a strange question. "No. My father died before I was born and my mother died when I was about three. I've been doing genealogy research and the Sohma family isn't mentioned once."
"That's..."Ayame started.
"A phenomenon?" Shigure finished. "A strange glitch in history? A miracle?"
"Um, thank you, Shigure. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a miracle, but I think she gets the point," Hatori shaking his head. "What we really should be worried about is, should we tell her? Shigure, you seem to know her best among the rest of us. Is she trustworthy?"
"Shigure-San, what's going on?" she asked, getting more confused by the second.
All three cousins got very silent and turned to her. Suddenly, she realized what they were so worked up about.
"Oh! You mean the...curse?"
"You know about it?" Hatori asked.
"I read about it, and watching the behavior of the Sohmas for so many years, I figured it must have been you."
Shigure let out a chuckle. "You shouldn't keep to yourself for so long, Kaigara-San. You make very interesting conversation."
"What do you mean by our 'behavior'?" Hatori asked.
"Oh, over the years, Shigure has been the 'dog', you've been the 'dragon', and Ayame has been the 'snake'."
"Very observant," Ayame said happily.
"Actually, I think we were loud and annoying enough for her to over-hear," Shigure said with a sweat-drop. "Well, I think she's told herself."
"I really didn't mean to run into you, Shigure-San, I've just been completely out of it lately. I don't know why you didn't transform either."
"Should we tell Akito?" Hatori asked.
"Maybe we should wait and see what happens," Ayame suggested.
"Sounds reasonable. I think Akito would actually be annoyed if he found out a crowd of people in a public place DIDN'T find out about it," Shigure said with a nervous smile.
"Well, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. It's getting late, I should be going home."
"Before you go," Hatori said as she started off. She stopped and turned around. "You still know about the Zodiac Curse. Swear you won't tell anyone."
"I haven't told for as long as I've known, but I still swear" she reassured him, turning around to go again.
She stopped in mid-step as she felt an arm go under her own. "I think since we've scared her, we at least can give her an escort home, don't you think, Aya? Ha'ri?" Shigure asked.
"Of course. It IS getting late," Ayame concluded, taking her other arm. "Besides, it would be a pleasure!"
"Sure, why not?" Hatori added, taking her books.
"If you don't mind, of course," Shigure half asked.
"Ano...I wouldn't want to impose..."
"Not to worry, Kaigara-San, we're the ones imposing," Ayame said with a giggle.
"Eh?"
"I suppose that's Ayame's straight-forward way of saying 'We insist'," Shigure explained.
"Kaigara-San," Hatori asked, walking down streets, trying to get to her apartment building. "We're apparently going to meet again. We should get to know you better. Who's your closest friend?"
"My imaginary dog. His name is Anji."
"That's joke right?"
"Heh, hai. Actually, you three would probably the first I've ever counted as friends. For some reason, everyone seems to avoid me. "
"I wonder why that is, you're very interesting," Ayame said with a chuckle.
"Well, whatever reason they may have, we'll take care of you, Kaigara-San," Shigure assured her.
"Um, thank you?" she said a little nervously. "This is my apartment. I suppose I'll see you at school?" she asked after Hatori handed her books back and she reached the building's main entrance.
"O yasumi," Ayame said with a sweeping bow.
Hatori gave a slight wave.
"Ja, Kai-San," Shigure finished as the cousins walked off.
She stopped before she went in. Kai? Isn't that what her mother used to call her? She shrugged it off and went inside.