1- The Orphans and the Sohma

"Kashi-chan! Hurry!"

"Coming Tohru-chan!" I'm Kashiki Minako. My best friends, Hanajima Saki, Uotani Arisa, and Honda Tohru call me Kashi-chan. I've been friends with Tohru-chan since we were in grade school, about fourth grade. Right now, we're on our way to school. I came by Tohru-chan's tent to get her. We're first years in high school. "Besides, I should be the one telling you to hurry up! I'm the one who came all the way out here to make sure you got up in time for school!"

"Sorry, Kashi-chan!" I roll my eyes.

"You're always so hyper in the mornings. I'm sure that Oka-san is really happy that you're working so hard." Tohru's mom died last year in an accident. She was the closest thing to a mom that I ever had, so I called her Oka-san.

After the accident, Tohru-chan lived with her grandfather, but since he's getting his house renovated so other members of the family can move in with him, she's been living in a tent in the woods.

I live by myself in an abandoned house just a few minute walk from the tent. "Tohru-chan! Look! There's a house out here!"

"Wow! I didn't know that anyone lived out here!" We walk up to the porch and I notice a display of clay figures.

"Tohru-chan, come look."

"Cute!"

"I must be seeing things. Two girls out here? My, my…" We look up and I stare at the man that came out of the house.

"H-hello! We saw these and we were just going!"

"Tohru-chan, calm down. Sorry, sir. We were passing by on our way to school. We'll be on our way."

"Please, continue. I only set them out here to dry. I thought you young people were bored by the old-fashioned superstitions like the Chinese zodiac."

"They're quite adorable. Did you make them?" He nods and I count them.

"Kashi-chan, look."

"You don't have the cat." Figures though. The cat is only from the legend.

"Cat? Oh, you mean the cat from the zodiac legend." We nod.

"Oka-san told us that story all the time."

"You're sisters?"

"No. My mom died when I was little and Tohru-chan's mom all but adopted me."

"Oh." I check my watch.

"Tohru-chan, we should get going or we'll be late." She nods.

"You girls seem to be in a hurry."

"We just don't like to be late for school. Oh."

"We weren't finished talking. And you still have a little while."

"I guess we can spare a minute. Oh it was so funny! Tohru-chan felt so sorry for the cat in the story that she decided to stop being a dog and become a cat."

"That's how much I like the cat."

"Is that so? I wish I could see his expression if he heard you say that."

"Huh?"

"So, you were born in the year of the dog? I knew I felt connected to you! Can't you feel it?"

"Um…what are you talking about?"

"I'm a 'dog' too you—" A bag slams into the back of his head.

"Are you okay?"

"Really. Must you always act like such a lech?"

"Okay that hurt! What do you have in there, a dictionary?" There are two people living here?

"Are you alright, Honda-san, Kashiki-san? My cousin didn't do anything to you did he?"

"Good morning, Sohma-kun. We were just talking about these figurines."

"Really, must you always make me out to be a pervert? You're Yuki-kun's classmates? I'm Sohma Shigure, Yuki-kun's cousin."

"I'm Kashiki Minako. And this is Honda Tohru."

"Nice to meet you, Shigure-san."

"We should get going now. See you in class, Sohma-kun!" I pull Tohru along.

"I could walk with you two. We're heading for the same place." We stop and nod at Sohma-kun. He smiles and walks with us to the school. "What were you two doing there anyway?"

"We live nearby and we were killing time by exploring the area."

"Really?" I nod.

"Yep." We get to school and go to our lockers.

"Honda-san! Kashiki-san! Explain yourselves!" I back up and glare at the girls that walked up to us.

"Well? Why did you and Yuki come to school together? Give us a full and complete explanation!"

"It was a coincidence really."

"Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Overreacting? If coincidences like that were legal, we wouldn't need the police!"

"Quiet in the halls!"

"Look you two, just because Sohma-kun is so kind as to hang out with you it's no reason for you to get a swelled head!" I grab the girl's shirt.

"Hey. We said it was a coincidence. So back off and quit fantasizing! We didn't even talk to him. He just happened to be going to school the same way and time that we were! Got that?" one of them stutters.

"Threatening us?" I growl.

"NO! Just you! Now bug off before I give Hana-chan permission to zap you with electro-poison waves." I drop her shirt and the four of them run off.

"And I thought I was a Yankee. You two okay?" We nod.

"Yep. Just a bunch of idiots without a life." Uo-chan and Hana-chan laugh and we start for class.

"Sohma-kun! Sorry for this morning. We really were just wandering around."

"No, it's I that should apologize for my cousin's rudeness."

"Oh no! We were just looking at his Chinese zodiac ornaments!"

"Did I hear correctly that you wished you were born year of the cat?"

"I was eccentric when I was little."

"I see. The cat is a fool. And he has a bad nature." I get the strange feeling that Sohma-kun is talking about an actual person rather than a creature from a story.

"Huh?" I check my watch.

"Tohru-chan! You'll be late for work!" She looks at her watch and nods.

"Sorry, I have to go! See you tomorrow!" She runs off and I sigh.

"Is she always like that?"

"She smiles all the time. It's just how she is."

"You seem to be a bit too serious to be friends with someone so hyper."

"The four of us are a strange group. Between Tohru being hyper, Hana-chan and her mysticism, and me and Uo-chan being Yankees."

"You don't strike me as the Yankee type."

"That's how I became friends with Uo-chan. I was in a bad streak in middle school. We were in a gang together. And Oka-san helped us out."

"I never would have thought that you would be in a gang." I smile.

"That's what a lot of people said. But I was. I think you're right about the cat. There wouldn't have been room for a thirteenth animal when they added them."

"Where exactly do you live?"

"Oh…around…"

"Really?" I nod.

"Really…um, you live with your cousin?" Sohma-kun nods.

"Yea."

"And it's just the two of you there?"

"Well, I have another cousin that stays with us. But he's out of town right now so yea."

"Really? You have a big family right?"

"Yea."

"I had a feeling. Considering Tohru-chan works for a man with the name Sohma."

"She does?" I nod.

"Yea. But I don't think she realizes it…she's a bit of an idiot sometimes…oh! Do either of you cook?"

"No. We eat takeout…"

"That's horrible! I'll tell you what! Since you were so nice to me and Tohru-chan today and walked with us, I'll make you and your cousin dinner!"

"You would?" I nod.

"Yep!"

"Thanks." He seems nervous about something.

"Something wrong?"

"No…our house is a bit of a mess…"

"So I'll clean. I need something to do besides just homework.

"You don't have a job?" We get to his house and I stop at the door. "It's okay. It's just the kitchen that's horrible." I nod and go inside. "I'm home!"

"Um, no I don't have a job. I'm living off of a monthly insurance check from the government. My parents died in a government facility and so I get a check every month because of it."

"You brought someone home!"

"Good afternoon, Shigure-san. Sohma-kun?"

"Right. The kitchen is this way." I set my book bag down and follow him through the house. He opens a door and I gasp.

"Does your cousin not know how to take out the trash?" The room is filled with trash. I sigh and run to my bag.

"Kashiki-san?"

"I'm getting my apron! I don't want to get trash on my uniform!" I pull my apron out and put it on. "Do you have a scarf or something I can use to tie my hair back?"