Once upon a time, there was a girl. Not just any girl, but a girl who was cursed with the animal of the fox. In the Chinese Zodiac, the fox tried to kill God. The fox is more of a monster than the cat. Of course, this girl wasn't a monster. She was kind-hearted, with a short temper. She was an otaku. Her name was Kitsune Sohma.


"Shigure-Nii," the brunette called from the kitchen, "what happened to all the milk?"

"You drank it all," the man replied.

The girl sighed and slammed the refrigerator door shut. She mumbled something about, "get my own dang milk," and walked back to the dining room. She fell to her knees, next to her big brother Shigure.

"Why don't you drink some water? Haa-San says you'll get dehydrated from all that milk you've been drinking," Shigure suggested, their brown eyes meeting.

"Ri-Kun doesn't know what he's talking about," Kitsune muttered.

Shigure chuckled. "He's a doctor."

"That doesn't mean anything."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Shigure read the morning paper he forgot to read this morning; Kitsune finished the rest of her Math homework.

"Get away from me!" a loud, and annoying, Kyo screamed from a few feet away.

"Stupid cat," an irritated Yuki muttered.

"G-guys, maybe you should stop," Tohru said, only to be ignored.

Kyo slid the door open so hard, the whole house shook. "Stupid rat!"

Kitsune sighed. She put down her pencil, and stood up. Shigure eyed her warily.

Kyo entered the dining room with bag filled with veggies and fruits.

"Hiya, Kyo," Kitsune sang, "How was the trip to the store?"

He smiled at the sight of Kitsune. "It was…. Fine. Other than the stupid rat."

Shigure looked up from his paper again. "You two need to be careful before the others find out about your relationship with each other," Shigure warned them.

Kyo ignored him and walked off into the kitchen to drop off the groceries. Yuki and Tohru entered the room.

Tohru smiled. "Hi, Shigure-San. Hi, Kitsune-San."

"Hello, Tohru-Kun," Shigure sang. Yuki glared at him.

"Hi, Tohru-Chan."

Kyo walked back into the room. He settled next to Kitsune, who had already sat back down. Tohru and Yuki went into the kitchen, and only Yuki came back out.

"She's putting the groceries away," he told us.

Kyo looked at the Math paper. "Algebra?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Kitsune said sadly, "this sucks."

"You're pretty smart, Kit-Chan," Yuki said.

"I still hate it," she replied.

They sat in silence until Tohru came back out.

"What are we doing for dinner?" she asked.

Kitsune stood up, wobbling a bit. When she got her balance again, she turned to the door, and walked out, into the living room. Her footsteps could be heard going up the stairs.

Tohru blinked. "What's wrong with Kitsune-San?"

Shigure shrugged. "She's a mystery sometimes.


Kitsune looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her room. Her long hair flew freely, while her bangs shaped her face. Her hand traced the scar that was across her right eye. She remembered those hurtful words.


"You disgraceful monster! Get away from me! You ugly girl!"

"Your name means fox, doesn't it? Doesn't it taunt you? To know, even if you weren't cursed, you'd still be a ugly, terrible, and horrible little fox girl."

"Nobody loves you. Not me, not Shigure, not your parents, not even Kyo."


She flinched at the last one. Only Shigure and Akito knew of her relationship with Kyo. She always used Kyo against Kitsune. Almost like blackmail.

She jumped in surprise when a hand grasped her shoulder. In her mirror she could see it was Kyo.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a mumble.

Kitsune turned around to face her lover. She shook her head slightly, and began crying. Kyo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, resting his chin on top of her head. He rubbed her back.

"Don't worry about the past," he comforted her, "Just worry about now, and the future. You and me."

Kitsune nodded in his chest. Kyo could feel the salty water of her tears seeping through his shirt.

Kyo placed his lips on her head. "I love, Kitsune."

"I love you, too, Kyo."


The cat and fox are two very lonely creatures. They've always hated each other, for reasons unknown. Kitsune and Kyo fell in love. They never hated each other. God hated this, though. Akito didn't want them to fall in love with each other. No two forbidden creatures should love each other. Nothing she did stopped their love. Threats never worked, either. Threats haunted Kitsune like how bees haunt honey. Kyo made it better.


Kyo moved her head towards him. He frowned. Kitsune looked miserable. He leaned down to kiss her. A strong kiss, in fact.

They separated when they heard a knock on the door.

"Kit-Chan?" said a voice in a sing-song tone.

Kyo sighed and mumbled, "Who invited him over here?"

Kitsune, on the other hand, grinned. "Momiji!"

She ran to the door and opened it, coming face-to-face with Hatori.

She mentally slapped herself. Momiji tricked her.

Kitsune was always trying to hide from Hatori. She hates doctors, but not Hatori himself. She was never fond of doctor appointments.

Hatori immediately put a stethoscope to her chest.

"Hatori!" Kyo yelled, knowing Kitsune fears.

"Well, if she didn't skip her appointment last week…." he trailed off.

Kyo crossed his arms against his chest, glaring at the doctor.

Hatori, who ignored the fuming male, continued to examine Kitsune.

"Seems like you're all right," he concluded, putting his stethoscope away.

Shigure appeared from behind the doctor. "I told you he would find you," Shigure sang teasingly.

"Shut up, Shigure!" Kitsune snapped, shoving both men, and Momiji, out the way. You could hear her go down the stairs, and out the door, outside.

Kyo sent daggers towards Shigure.

Momiji looked at them confusingly, and Hatori sighed.

"Well, then," Shigure said, "I'll go look for her."


Yuki and Tohru joined Hatori, Shigure, and Momiji on their quest to find Kitsune.

"Kitsune-San!" Tohru called out worriedly.

"Kit-Chan!" Momiji sang.

"Kitsune!" Kyo shouted, as if he was scolding her.

"What happened to make her run away?" Yuki asked multiple times. He was left unanswered.


No matter what, Kitsune couldn't get away from Akito. She always had to visit her. Like a checkup with Hatori, only Kitsune rather go to him than her. Akito thought of Kitsune as her friend, dubbing her as 'Fox-Chan,' or something in that category. Kitsune hated her, and wanted nothing to do with her. Sadly, this did not happened. Kitsune had everything to do with Akito.


"Found her!" Hatori called from behind a bush.

Kitsune was there, in her fox form. She was sleeping, or maybe she blacked out. Hatori said he thinks she blacked out, because why would she just fall asleep out here? Especially in her form?

They brought her back to Shigure's, where they wrapped her up in a dry towel and put her down on the couch.

Kyo kept his gaze on Hatori, who noticed him, but decided to ignore it.

Tohru sighed. "I wonder what's wrong with Kitsune-San…. Is it Akito-San again?"

Shigure shrugged. "She hasn't saw her since last week, but anything can happen. Kitsune's probably stressed out, Tohru-Kun. Don't worry about her."

"Yeah, but," Tohru protested, "ever since that visit with Akito-San, Kitsune-San has been looking pretty sad."

"That's just how Kitsune acts, Honda-San. She has this outer shell she shows everyone, but her inner shell is just for her to see. Almost like secrets," Yuki told her.

"Akito has those affects on people," Momiji sighed sadly, looking down at the table.


"My name is Kitsune Sohma. I am the fox of the Chinese Zodiac. It's very nice to meet you."

"Kitsune… Sohma….? How about I call you Fox-Chan? It's very fitting, yes. I am Akito Sohma, the God of the Sohma Family. You are to obey my word and never question it. If you do, you're punished. Got it?"

Three-year-old Kitsune nodded. "Yes, Akito-San."

"No need for honorifics. We are family, after all."

"B-but you-" Kitsune remembered about questioning him (she didn't know Akito was female, yet). "Yes, Akito."

Akito smirked. "Very good, Fox-Chan."


Kitsune work up in fright. Nightmares about Akito again. She was in her human form again. She sat up, only in a towel.

Kyo walked in. When he saw her, he grinned. "Need some clothes?"

Kitsune blushed. "O-of course I do!"

He chuckled and ran upstairs. He came back down with a big white T-shirt, black shorts, and a pair of her panties.

Kitsune's blush was redder when Kyo handed her her stuff. She muttered a thanks and quickly put the stuff on, when Kyo turned around, of course."

"Is Kitsune awake?" Shigure walked in. He smiled at Kitsune.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Shigure-Nii," the girl replied, scratching her head.

"Then why did you run?"

Kitsune turned her head towards the voice. It was Hatori. Yuki, Tohru, and Momiji accompanied him.

She shrugged, not revealing anything anytime soon.

She turned back to Shigure. "Did you tell…..?"

He frowned and nodded. "I had to, Kit. You know the rules."

Kitsune growled. "Of course!"

"Kitsune, don't be overdramatic about this," Hatori warned her.

"Overdramatic?!" she questioned angrily, "I'm just showing you that I'm mad! He sliced my right eye with a knife! I can barely see out of it!"

"And Akito threw a vase at my left eye, and now I can barely see out of it," Hatori said.

"You're so difficult, Hatori! Everyone is so difficult! No one ever understands me!"

Kitsune looked at Kyo to say 'No one but you.' He nodded slightly.

Shigure pushed Hatori out of the room before he could argue more.

"Hatori, I really think you should stop. Akito will punish you if she finds out that you were the cause of her running away and blacking out."

Hatori didn't say anything back.


"Akito?" Kitsune was sitting with Akito in her room, sipping some tea and watching the birds.

"Yes, Fox-Chan?"

"What do you think of me?" Kitsune's big brown eyes were blinking in curiosity.

"Well, I really do love you," Akito replied.

Kitsune only replied with an 'oh,' but what did Akito mean by love her? Love her like a lover? Love her, only by mocking her? As family? As a friend?

"What do you think of me?" Akito had asked her.

"I….. I love you, too." Kitsune didn't know what the right thing to say was. So she said that.

"That's nice."


"How are you, Fox-Chan?"

"I'm fine, Akito. How are you?"

"Hm? I'm fine, as well."

They sat in silence for a moment. Shigure, Hatori, and Kyo sat in the back, behind Kitsune. Akito sat in front of Kitsune, faceing her.

"About you…. 'being sick,'" Akito started, "Why did you do the actions you did?"

Kitsune gulped. "Hatori tricked me by using Momiji to do an appointment I didn't go to."

"Why is that so bad?"

"He knows how much I hate doctors appointments."

Akito stood up immediately, glaring at Hatori.

"How dare you!"

Hatori stood also. "I'm a doctor. She didn't go to the appointment, so-"

"If you know she hates appointments, then leave her alone!"

Akito grabbed a pocket knife from her sleeve of her kimono. She walked slowly to Hatori, who knew what was going to happen. Shigure and Kyo could only watch, fearing the worst. Kitsune never looked. She only trembled and cried silently, knowing Hatori's consequence.

Kitsune didn't look back, but she could certainly hear the slash of a knife going through flesh, and Hatori gasping. She didn't look, but she could certainly hear the blood dripping onto to floor. She didn't look, but she knew Hatori lost his right eye.


"You're a good little fox girl, aren't you?" Akito cooed.

Kitsune nodded quickly.

"Well, then. If anybody does something you don't want them to do, tell me, and I'll handle it. Okay?"

"Okay."

And Kitsune did tell Akito. Akito did handle it. How? Who knows? Kitsune did, although, know that Akito handled it with blood at the end.


Fear.

Blood.

Death.

It all means the same thing, doesn't it? So why should it matter.

(Words from Kitsune Sohma)