Sai and Kage

CHAPTER ONE:

How To Kiss Goodbye

I took a deep, shaky, breath. It didn't have to be this. Why was it this way? Me, the Cat, in love with the Rat? What the hell went wrong there?

From the beginning. Maybe I can figure it out if I start from there. I guess it all really started a thousand years ago, when the Sohma family was cursed for all eternity to posses the vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac.

I was given the zodiac curse of the Cat at birth. When hugged by someone of the opposite sex I turn into an orange cat, and as a special end to my curse I was declared an outcast by the rest of the zodiac animals. There are twelve of them, and one of me. I am the only animal that's doomed to not be accepted by both normal people and the other animals. Lucky me.

I was kept away from others with curses like mine, so I turned my sights to normal people. Maybe, if I could get a normal, human, guys and girls to like me then the curse would go away. It didn't work. Still, I tried to be normal, tried to have normal friends. And it worked! I was so happy! I found at the age of ten that I could make myself seem just like them, and I was finally accepted, even if what those humans saw was simply my façade.

So, that was my social life, now for my family. My mother died a week after I was born; she had a fatal disease. My daddy raised me, and he loved me very much. He loved cats, so he didn't mind that I went up in a poof of smoke and became a kitten whenever we hugged. He thought it was cute.

Daddy was so kind that for the first ten years of my life I didn't even mind being the Cat. He would smile and hold me close and tell me how much he loved me. He taught me to fish, and to ride a bike, and to act polite, and most especially he taught me to fight. But the age if twelve I could kick even his ass, and he was a black belt. Karate, it turns out, is my one true calling.

Then they took him away. The Main House took my father from me the day before my thirteenth birthday. They told me he died and that I was to go live with them, but I never believed it. I must have run away twenty different times, but they always found me, and I was punished.

Finally, kick and screaming I became part of the main house. That was the end of my childhood. It's pretty debatable about whether my life got better after that.

As a part of the main house I eventually got to see all the other animals of the zodiac, but I never got to know them. You see, the head of the Sohma's, a young man named Daikin, refused to let me befriend them. He kept me as his little pet, always at his side but never aloud to speak.

A lot can be said about Dai. Then I first became his pet then I was thirteen he was seventeen. He never went to school because like all of the cursed head's of the house before him, he had a weak body.

Quiet Dai may have been, but a weak spirit he definitely lacked. When Dai wanted something done he never had to raise his voice, because all of us learned very quickly what it meant to cross him. Most Sohma's tried to stay clear of him, but I didn't have that choice.

I guess I know how this must sound, young little girl held captive by a cruel man. But it wasn't really like that. Dai may have hated me for my young and strong heart, but he never hurt me like he hurt the other animals. He never beat me, he never touched my inappropriately. What he saved for was much worse.

When Dai was mad at me he would hide my bracelet, sometimes for a whole day, locking me away in a little room where no innocent Sohma might stumble upon me. He left me in the form of a monster, and he would come talk to me while I was trapped.

He would grab my horrid, brown, limb, that was once an arm, and make a face at the horrid stench that came from me.

"I'm the only one who'll ever love you, Sai," He would say, looking me straight in my orange demon eyes, "Now Sai, you must learn to love me as well, because you will be mine. I am the head of this household, and even you cannot deify me."

Then he would make me promise never to leave him again, and he would give me back the bracelet. But I never meant any of those promises. I would never love Dai, just as he never loved me.

I became meek and only an extension of the background after a while. By the time I was fourteen and a half I was trained perfectly. I would wake up, eat a little, if Dai wanted me to, and then go to school. I would come home straight after school, and spend all my free time trailing behind Dai, incase he ever needed me.

By then our "relationship" had slightly progressed. When he was leading me all over the house to help him he had begun to hold my hand, and give me these pity/love looks. He still told me that he loved, that I would be his as soon as I finished school, but by then I did not even fight this. I had surrendered to my destiny.

I guess I it took me a while to start fighting again. I needed motivation, and I didn't find that until I reached the second half of my first year of high school. As I said before, my one true calling was karate, but for a year and half I was only allowed minimal practice time, and Dai was not allowed to know. Sometimes, while he slept, I would find a few hours every week to go to a dojo I had found. I would take all my anger, all my hate towards everything my life had become, and put it into practice. All of my teachers were exceedingly impressed.

In fact, that was how I had first earned my own lessons. I came there to practice, but had no one to teach me. It was this female teacher named Kari who first discovered my rare talent. I didn't want any publicity, so I would try my hardest only when my heightened cat senses told me no one was around. Kari was the first to stumble upon me and see me beat the crap out of the dojo's sand filled dummy.

She was so impressed she clapped, startling me into trying to break all her teeth with one of my kicks. Luckily for her she dodged, but it was still pretty close.

"You have some really talent," she told me, "But that doesn't mean you're ready to be on your own. You need a teacher."

I shot her a glare, "I don't have the money," I whispered angrily, "So back of and let me practice." I still had some rage left to beat out.

"Well, that I can understand. If you want a teacher free of change you better damn well earn it, girl," She shot back, "Show me some controlled kicks and I'll see what I can do." And that was the beginning of my training.

Kari was impressed, as were the other teachers when she had me fight one of her middle level students as a demonstration. I had hated fighting other people for years, so while they might have thought I was just a little contact shy, I was really trying to avoid full on contact so I could keep my secret to myself. No one could know about my curse.

I met him at that dojo, but not until I was a little older.

I was fifteen and half, frustrated and so Goddamn tired of Dai I couldn't decide what would be better, killing him or myself. I would tell Dai I had school when I didn't so that I could go to the Dojo and beat the crap out of some stuck-up black belt.

Whenever there was a tournament I always found a way to be there, until I was listed top of my class, and eventually third in the dojo. The only students above me where two boys I'd never met.

I twisted an ankle fighting the second place boy, but I managed to take him down, all though it was closer then I like to admit.

Now, all I had to do was beat this one last guy, and I would be at the top, not including teachers, of course. But they were next on my list.

It was a Thursday when I was called in to fight the top listed fighter, someone named Kage, who much like me, didn't like to specify a last name. Kari came over to me before the fight.

"Sai, we all know you're a superstar," She told me, "But so is Kage. He's not going down without a fight, and if you can't beat him, don't stress it! You'll beat yourself up as well; you and I both know it. But hell, if you don't beat him this time you better be back here and try again in a month."

I gave her a sarcastic half-smile, "Giving up on me already, Kari? You have to work on you motivational speeches." And with that she gave me a slap on the back and pushed me towards my opponent.

This Kage was tall, a few inches more than my own impressive height. He had some nice muscles, but not nearly as pronounced as some of the other guys I'd taken down. His hair was falling in his face a little bit, but it wasn't that long, and it was a strange grey color.

I guess I shouldn't be talking. My hair was a bright orange, a little part of the Cat curse, and very long although I always kept it pulled back and up in one giant ponytail.

His eyes were a blue/purple, and had a look of hidden laughter buried deep in them. I thought he was handsome, but also nothing like I had expected. Maybe I could beat him. Or maybe that little secret smile in his eyes was there because he was think the same thing.

Kari gave me a nudge, and I went and shook his hand.

"I'm Kage." He said, that smile still deep in his eyes.

"Sai. Nice to meet you." I said gruffly, letting go of his extended hand and taking my starting place.

And we began. The fight was dangerous. He definitely had a hidden power, much like my own. He kicked, I blocked, I kicked, he blocked, and no one could make out who was going to win. That was when I slipped. On what, I never really cared, because I slipped and fell on Kage. A boy. The curse would be activated any moment.

He and I both had the same look of horror as I slipped and fell on top of him, knocking him to the ground. But nothing happened.

I was lying on top of him, our bodies fully touching yet the curse did nothing. I was so surprised, neither of us moved.

"So, how long are you going to continue straddling my contestant?" Kari asked Kage, a smile playing across her face.

I looked down. I was lying fully across him, in between his legs! I got up and blushed. At that time I really had no idea what was going on.

"You look like your leg took a hit. Do you want to keep going?" Kari asked. I shook my head. Kage and I had some talking to do, but for now the fighting was over.

"I'll be back in a bit, "I said to Kari, giving Kage a very meaningful look and jerking my head slightly towards the backdoor. He nodded ever so slightly back at me and went to tell his teacher that he was headed out for some air.

We met five minutes later in an alleyway outside the dojo.

He smiled at me; his purple eyes twinkled at me with that same hidden depth I had noticed before.

"So, what animal are you?" Kage asked.

"You first." I responded rather gruffly.

"Fine. I'm Kage Sohma, the Rat. And you are?" He inquired, "I don't remember seeing you at New Year's."

"That's because I'm never invited, dumbass," I hissed, "Do you get it now? There is only one cursed being who never gets invited to the ball." I barred my teeth like the cat I was and turned away from him to pace back and forth.

He laughed a soft chuckle, "I was wondering when I would get to meet you, my fated enemy. Oh, how you must hate me." His grin was slightly evil, with a slimy, sarcastic, feel to it.

"Well, yes, I do hate you. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty damn ready to kick your ass right about now." I snapped, quickly changing to a ready position.

"Well, Sai Sohma, I'm not going to fight you. You may say you hate me, but it's not me you hate. It's them, the Rat's that came before me that hates the Cat's that came before you. But me, I don't hate you. I have no score to settle, and I don't feel like proving my point by beating your hot little ass."

I swear I started to growl at this, "Oh yeah? Well my hot little ass and me will take you anytime. I could always use some practice." Then I kicked out at his face.

He dodged, and the fight began again. For almost ten minutes we sparred out there, both of us rather evenly matched, all though even I have to admit he had some advantage. Then again, when had the Rat ever not had the advantage over the Cat?

Finally, both of us were sweating and panting for breath by the time he stopped and refused to fight.

"I'm not giving up," he had said, "I'm just stopping this. Fighting this, winning this, it means nothing. Look, your destiny sucks serious ass, but this won't change that. Nothing will, Sai, all you can do is learn to deal. I have." I stood there, gasping for breath, staring at him in disbelief.

Then I kicked out and tripped him. He made a controlled fall onto the grass below, but still refused to fight back. I pushed him onto his back with one bare foot, when promptly sat down his chest, laying my body down along his.

"Maybe this fight won't change anything, but a girl can still have fun." I hissed, "and one day, Mr. Rat, I will beat you. Destiny means nothing, as does this." I told him, and then leaned down a little bit more to kiss him passionately. I felt him move and soon found his hands on my face, deepening our kiss.

There I was, lying full out across him, on the scruffy grass outside my dojo, kissing the Rat. What can I say? I guess I like it when guys say I have a cute ass. Besides, I didn't want my first good kiss to be wasted on Dai. Better to waste in on this boy, who I won't have to deal with as much then that horrible thing.

"Remember, Rat-boy, this means nothing." I told Kage, getting up and walking daintily, and obviously, catlike, over to the dojo backdoor. He rolled to regard me with a rather skeptical look, but he stayed lying down on the grass.

"Sure." His eyes twinkled at me again, "This makeout session was just practice, Cat-girl. I get that. Goodbye, I'll see you next week." I closed the door on him, and everything he made me feel. That was when I first fell in love with the Rat.