Thank you to all who reviewed. I recieved a lot of wanted and needed feedback, making this a lot easier for me. Especially from moifah, many thanks to you. I have not yet decided on the pairings, but am contemplating on all of your (as in all who reviewed) suggestions. I do have a certain someone I want to pair with Hatori, but the age factor makes me iffy. Should it matter? I don't know. I want your opinion.
Well, Raiden will be leaving the Disclaimer.
Raiden: Alright, well, neither I nor Silence own Fruits Basket or Sailor Moon. We do own the plot, however. Peace!
We Who are Cursed
Chapter One: The Phoenix's Fault
It was a hectic morning, two young ladies sprinting about their home in complete chaos. Today was the first day of school and as the usual tradition of their household implied, they were always late on the first day. Minako would usually sleep in too late and Rei would be too busy hanging out with her sister to notice the time. However, that always set them to be on schedule the following days.
"Rei-chan…" Hotaru asked her elder, rubbing her covered eyes. "Have a good day at school."
Rei turned to see Hotaru standing by the couch and facing the door, her all black attire and bandana making Rei feel guilty. She hated that Hotaru couldn't have a normal life, have normal friends, and do normal things. She couldn't even walk around their own home without a bandana covering her eyes.
"Thank you, Hota-chan. Be good and help Ami with Makoto if she needs it." Rei smiled and opened the front door to their secluded, country home, Minako soon trailing behind.
Minako was wheezing. She bent in half and put her hands on her knees, bending over to catch her breath. The blonde got ready in less than ten minutes this morning, setting her all time record.
"I… got… ready… fast…" She told her best friend in between breaths. "We… got… to… hurry…"
At this Rei frowned, turning on her heels to proceed to the high school. It completely blew her mind that they were already in their fourth year, the last two going by so quickly. But, between Rei and Minako, there was hardly any free time. It all seemed to go lead right back to their home.
"Rei-chan!" Minako hollered, realizing her cousin had indeed, left her behind. The wind blew wildly, flapping her black uniform skirt around as she ran after Rei. Minako always liked the uniforms, but Rei on the other hand, did not. After school, Rei would always go into her room and change into a pair of sweat pants or jeans, both of them usually accompanied by a t-shirt. "Rei-chan, wait for me!"
Minako finally caught up, then realizing they were almost at school. To her, school was the greatest place on earth, considering that it was the one place she got to get away from home and she got to talk to someone that was not in any way, related to her. Not that she didn't like her family; it was just a change of pace.
However, the eldest of the group despised school. It wasn't the learning or people that made her hate it, but rather the place and the privilege of actually being there when her sister wasn't. Every time she opened the set of double doors leading to her class, a pang of guilt seemed to resonate throughout her chest, knowing she was experiencing something her sister could not.
As the school became within a sprinting distance, the tardy bell rang, making Minako make a mad dash towards the door. Rei just kept her normal pace, not in any hurry to feel the guilt. Whenever she felt it, the memory of that day, the day of the Curse, played through her mind like a movie. It never stopped. Everyday she participated in something Hotaru couldn't do, it played. Every moment in which she exchanged words with anyone, knowing Ami couldn't, it played. Each game she played in gym made her think of Makoto's poor health, making it play again. Every second she spent thinking about her future husband and kids, it played, knowing Minako could never have any of that. It was a relentless picture.
She had reached it, the set of doors that played the unwelcoming movie every time she cleared them. Rei stared at its silver finish, the metal giving off cold air and unwanted secrets. But, then she decided it was now or never, pushing the door wide open with both hands.
Her eyes then became a screen, flashing images of the past throughout her mind and sending a sharp pain into her head. She grabbed the sides of her skull with both hands, telling herself if she lasted a few more moments, it would all be ok.
Then as quickly as it started, it stopped. The pain, images, guilt… all disappeared, leaving her to face the empty hallway and long school day.
"Hota-chan, this is all for you." Rei whispered as she walked to her first class, head turned to the floor. "After all, it is the Phoenix's' fault for this curse…"
Minako was already in class, sitting in the front row beside a quiet boy and a Goth girl. When she arrived late, her teacher had simply told her to take a seat and begin the warm-up written on the board. The blonde was so relieved; she actually began to attempt the warm-up. However, one minute into it, she gave up.
The door squeaked open again, the whole class looking up towards it for the second time. Their math teacher, Mr. Yamasaki, groaned and turned his evil gaze to his newest late pupil, making the class eager to see who entered.
It was Rei, now recovered from her encounter in the hallway. She did not look to the teacher, or to anyone for that matter, and just kept a solid and calm face, walking to the only available desk in the back.
Mr. Yamasaki almost called her back to explain herself, but didn't. It was only the first day, and besides, he had a math course to teach.
"Alright students, turn to page thirty in your text books. We are starting at chapter two since you all learned chapter one last year…"
Minako turned slightly to look at her cousin, wanting to ask her why she was so behind. But, Mr. Yamasaki noticed, getting his pointer stick and smacking her desk with it, causing her to yelp in surprise. Needless to say, she didn't look at Rei for the rest of the lecture.
Rei sat in the back of the room, only sitting next to a small, brunette girl. She looked like she was really trying hard, her eyes set on the board as her hand scribbled down the notes. It made Rei smile a little, reminding her of how she used to be.
After a good half-hour lecture, Mr. Yamasaki told the class they could all visit and get to know one another, seeing that many of the student's did not know each other.
Almost immediately after this announcement, Minako turned to the Goth girl who resided next to her, sticking her hand out in the process. "Hello! My name is Taisen Minako!"
The Goth girl looked at Minako and smiled a bit, stroking her black braid as it draped over her shoulder. "You have very mysterious waves."
At this comment, Minako was taken aback, since she was expecting a name instead. "Oh, really? What is a wave?"
It was the Goth girl's turn to give a shocked look. "They do not scare you?"
Minako shook her head. "Nope! I don't even know what a 'wave' is!"
The Goth girl smiled, now reaching out to shake Minako's still, outstretched hand. "My name is Hanajima Saki."
Rei watched Minako converse with the Goth girl beside her, the blonde chatting idly away while the other just listened and gave the occasional nod. It made Rei feel better to see Minako happy.
"Um… miss?"
Rei turned around to see the brunette girl that sat in the desk beside her standing by her desk, her brown eyes reflecting question.
"My name is Honda Tohru! I have never seen you around before."
The black haired girl smiled, sitting up further in her chair. "It is a pleasure. My name is Taisen Rei."
"My friends would love to meet you!" Tohru informed her, giving Rei a huge smile and looking to the other side of the room. "They are over there! I would be so honored if you would meet them!"
For the first time in a while, a person actually confused the mind of Taisen Rei. It blew her mind that someone could be as carefree and happy as Tohru. "Alright."
The brunette smiled and began to walk to the side of the room where Tohru's friends stood, upon doing so, seeing Minako and the Goth girl as well.
"Everyone, this is Taisen Rei!" Tohru smiled as she introduced Rei to her four friends, starting with a tall blonde. "This is Uotani Arisa."
Arisa gave Rei a small smile and a quick nod, giving Rei the instant impression she was a tough girl.
"This is Sohma Kyo." She motioned to a boy with a thick mop of orange hair. He didn't say anything, giving Rei the feeling he wanted to be left alone.
"This is Sohma Yuki." She looked to the silver haired boy that stood to her left. He gave Rei a pleasant smile and nod.
"And this is Hanajima Saki!" She turned to the Goth girl, who stood next to Minako, her onyx eyes feeling as if they were pouring into her soul.
"Hey, Rei! Hana-chan was telling me about these thing's called 'waves'! Pretty sweet, huh?" Minako blurted, a big smile plastered to her face.
Tohru gave Rei a confused blink. "You two know each other?"
"Yes, Minako is my cousin."
"That's cool! Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun are cousins, too!" She responded, putting her hands together. "Do you have any other relatives that come here?"
Rei shook her head, feeling the guilt run over her again. "No. Everyone else is at home. They cannot attend school."
Tohru was about to say something, but was interjected by Hanajima.
"Rei-chan, you have very odd waves. They are full of guilt." She paused as Minako stared at her, mouth agape. "You seem to be burdened with something."
As Hanajima spoke, all of the color drained from Rei's face, even her amethyst eyes turning to a light purple. The past began to flash through her mind again, but only briefly, saving her from the usual pain and agony.
"Um, I have to go." She gripped her book bag in her hands. "It was nice meeting you all. Maybe I will see you again soon."
Before she could even get a reply, Rei turned from the group and walked out of the room, ducking her head as she went.
For the rest of the day, all Tohru could think about was Rei and the way she left them all earlier. Thought's of all the possibilities kept running through her head and consequently, aiding in her ignoring her friends.
"Tohru?" Uotani waved her hands in front of Tohru's face, trying to get her attention. "Hello? Are you in there?"
"Oh! I am so sorry!" Tohru exclaimed as she snapped out of her trance. "I did not mean to ignore you, Uo-chan!"
"It's alright. Are you ok?"
At this time, Hanajima came into the conversation. "Something is troubling you, Honda-san."
Tohru made a confused face as she picked up her book bag, ready to go back to the Sohma house. "In Algebra today, Rei-chan confused me."
"I felt a heavy burden emanating from her." Hanajima informed the group, smoothing her uniform with her hands. "Maybe she has a painful past."
Tohru didn't answer, only kept walking to the school entrance to wait for Yuki and Kyo. "Alright. Thank you, guys. I will see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Tohru!" Both of her best friends called out as they watched Tohru walk ahead, a smile donning their faces.
Tohru gave a friendly wave and continued to walk until she met Kyo and Yuki, both of which were silent.
"What's wrong with you?" Kyo questioned, digging his hands into his pockets.
"Yes, I must agree with Kyo. You seem troubled." Yuki surprising agreed, earning him a perplexed look from Tohru.
"I am just worried about Rei-chan."
Kyo huffed. "Why?"
"She seemed really sad today." Tohru looked ahead as they walked, keeping her eyes on the path. "I just hope I didn't do anything to hurt her feelings."
"I am sure you did nothing, Honda-san."
"I can't help but worry."
"Well," Kyo nodded ahead of them. "Why don't you ask her? She said they were cousins, right?"
Sure enough, Minako was walking down the same path they were, humming to herself as she did so.
"Mina-chan!" Tohru hollered, making the blonde turn around. Minako held a look of surprise, but waited for the trio to catch up to her, wanting to know what they wanted.
"Hello, Honda-san!" She smiled and said hello to the other boys as well. "Did you need something?"
"Well, yes… I was just wondering if Rei-chan is ok… She seemed troubled this morning."
"She's always like that."
"Oh."
"Yep!" Minako chirped as they continued to walk through the ripe forest. "She does have a lot on her shoulder's… the Phoenix always does…" After that last sentence, Minako stopped talking, realizing that she had already spoken too much to complete strangers.
"What did you say?" Kyo asked, catching her last words.
"Um, nothing!" Minako began to mentally bash herself, wanting to jump of a cliff to prevent further embarrassment.
It was Yuki's turn to question her. "Do you live way out here, Mina-chan?"
"Yeah. We all do."
Kyo quirked an eyebrow. "We?"
"We… as in Rei and I… and our dog." The cursed beauty began to subconsciously speed up, her face as red as a tomato.
"So, it is just you and Rei… alone?"
Minako began to give Kyo an over exaggerated laugh, covering her mouth with her free hand. "Haha… no! I said we have a dog!"
"Whatever."
"Well, this is my turn!" She spun into a thick mass of trees and plants, almost running through them. "See you later!"
The trio stopped and watched Minako mow down the plants, each of them with a look of confusion.
"She is weird." Kyo announced, walking ahead to leave Yuki and Tohru staring at the trees.
"Hello, children!" Shigure announced as Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki walked through the door. "You took a while getting home today."
Kyo gave Shigure a weird look and walked straight to his room, leaving him to question Tohru and Yuki.
"We ran into a friend coming home." Yuki told him, sitting on the couch and dropping his school bag.
"You ran into a friend in the forest?" Shigure questioned, not liking this new information at all. The surrounding acres all belonged to the Sohma's, meaning either a new trespasser was about, or their friend lived nearby. Either way, it was bad news.
"Yes. Her name is Taisen Minako. She lives in a house close by with her cousin, Taisen Rei."
Shigure stopped writing in his notebook and placed a hand underneath his chin. "Taisen, you say? That sounds so familiar. Maybe Hatori would know. I would rather tell him about a new resident being close by than Akito."
"YOU WHAT?!" Rei barked at Minako, staring at the leaves and sticks sticking out of her hair. Upon entering the Taisen household, Minako was greeted with Rei's impatient face and tapping foot, a look that could kill blazing in her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
"You knew you couldn't walk through the forest! Aya absolutely forbid it!" Rei grumbled as she crossed her arms. "There are reasons for rules, Minako. Now we have to tell her that people saw you coming this way."
Minako shrugged. "I just don't know what the big deal is. Who cares if they know where we live?"
"What if they see Hotaru with her eye's covered? Or Makoto barely alive and sitting in bed? How could we explain that?" Rei began to cool off, rubbing her temples to relieve some tension. "Take the other route from now on. I will talk to Aya."
End Chapter 1