"Mama," Isuzu spoke softly as she dried the stack of dishes and set them straight in order to help out, "Someday I'll be able to do all the washing up and you won't have to do any," she beamed. The rain outside was falling quite hard and it was already pretty late. An unexpected thunder strike was seen in the distance and Isuzu flinched. "Mama, all the dishes are done," she laughed as her mother silently held them and nodded.

"You can go play in your room now Isuzu," she replied, calmly touching her daughter on the head. There was silence before the horse turned and walked into the hall to get her coat.

"No mama, the laundry, we left it outside, I need to go get it," Isuzu begged since she didn't want her mother to go without her clothes, afterall she had done so much work on them. Offering her mother a wide smile Isuzu dashed out and tried to get the clothes down as fast as she could. The rain causing her to be soaking wet, she shook her head due to the cold and attempted to yank down another shirt. She pulled at the material but when she opened her hand it wasn't there, she looked up just in time to see the shirt fly away.

"Mama!" Isuzu called finishing with the rest of the laundry, "I'm sorry it's so wet, one of Papa's work shirts blew away, I'm going to go get it," she told them as her mother handed her her umbrella, a few towels and a warmer coat. The girl laughed at her mother's care, it made her happy to notice the amount of love there was in her family. She nodded as her father opened the door and she went out with the umbrella.

After about ten minutes or so Isuzu felt herself getting cold, she shivered uncomfortably, "Shirt san!? Shirt-san!?" She sneezed, were her parents even expecting her to be out so late? She looked back and found her father standing there in the distance watching her, she grinned knowing that she wasn't alone.

As she continued along the road she caught sight of a little figure near a lamp post, she blinked confused and then ran towards him. The white haired boy stood up and pulled a shirt out from beneath his jacket, offering it to her, his greyish blue eyes blinked up at her. "Shirt-san got lost," he spoke passing it forward, under the light it had been obvious that this boy had a black eye and bruised cheek. There were also several scattered bruises on his body.

Isuzu gasped as she gazed at the small boy and grinned, "Thankyou Hatsuharu-kun, you saved shirt-san." She watched as the little boy blushed and so hugged him tightly, this caused her father to put a hand in front of his mouth as if he was going to vomit from the simple scene in front of him. Two cursed Zodiac children, no two freaks, one of which had his blood.

Haru wrinkled his nose and stuck out a chubby finger to the shirt, "Got wet," he sneezed as Isuzu tested his head. He was burning up and before she knew it there was a loud poof and a small calf flopped onto the ground splashing water all over the girl. He shivered under the cold and forced himself to stay awake his clothes soaked underneath him.

"Papa!" Isuzu called to her father running towards him. She stopped, confused to see the disgust on his face, maybe it was the bruises, those scared her as well. "Papa! We have to take Haru-chan home with us, he's sick!"

Her father looked at the calf and then stared down at his daughter, "He'll be alright, it'll stop raining soon." He pulled weakly on her hand before feeling her struggle, it appeared that she was determined to help the infant cow. "Isuzu, your mother wants you home," he told her hoping that at least they could pretend that was true.

"No papa, he doesn't have a mama and papa who love him like my mama and papa do," she touched Haru's nose giggling slightly when the rain started to clear up. Haru snorted onto her hand as he struggled to keep his breath. The young horse lay her cheek upon his back and started singing a song that would comfort him, it was then that she saw two of the older Zodiac boys. Why were they out here so late?

"Well well," Shigure, a lively fifteen year old commented rubbing his chin as he noticed the young girl and the ox, "Ha'ri, shine the light over here. I think we have a couple of animal crackers on the floor."

"What?" Hatori, a taller boy with blander appearance asked, he stared at the sky cursing the heavens for Shigure's comments like that but paused as he saw the painful marks on the calf's body. "Haru?" he questioned unsurely and then looked to the young girl, still holding his umbrella and torch, "Isuzu you can go home now if you want. I think Shigure and I can take care of him, incapable as he is."

Shigure blinked trying to act as if he was crying, it was the dog's jokes that Isuzu liked so much and the way he played with her. He was her 'Gure-nii! "Ha'ri do you have to be so cruel, I have perfect capabilities. I can't be that disposable since you haven't gotten rid of me yet."

"Yet," Hatori coughed highlighting the word, "That's what's important in that sentence, yet," he looked around smiling as the rain ceased to fall and for the first time saw Isuzu's father standing there. "Hello sir," he bowed, "I'm Sohma, Hatori you must be Isuzu's father. I saw you dropping her off to last years New Year banquet," he held his hand out professionally, he would always act older than his age.

The man stared at the boys hand disgusted and then spoke bitterly, "Dragon," he quickly turned his attention to his weird little girl, "Isuzu, we're going home now. Your "friend" will be taken care of by these boys."

"Oh..." Isuzu kept switching glances at each group and then nodded, "Okay papa. 'Gure-nii can you tell Haru-chan that I hope he feels better and that I'd like to play soon. Hatori onii-san how did he get hurt like that?"

Hatori froze he knew what it was, the main house often had arguments over the abuse of their Zodiac animal but his parents did physically abuse him. He didn't expect Isuzu to understand that. He felt himself sweat, glad for once that Shigure jumped in before he could answer.

"I'll make sure to tell him Isuzu, now you run on home," he laughed as Isuzu nodded, kissed Haru's nose again and went to take her father's hand walking off with him.

"I wonder how long that'll last," Shigure mused as he watched her leave, the older boys, at least the ones who cared about things other than themselves, Kureno, himself and Hatori knew that something was off concerning Isuzu's family. Ritsu didn't really think about such things, mind him being young himself and Aya was off in his own world. "Do you think it was his mother again."

"I don't know," Hatori replied sadly, "They all deny it, no matter whose fault it is."