Chapter I: Found

Once upon a time… okay, let's not start with that crap.

Instead, just skip to the foreshadowing part of the story where all of the exciting parts happen.

It's starts at a school towards the end of the day. The sound of the bell caused an overwhelming sound in the hallways. The students were finally released for the day. In this school, there was the usual 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year middle school students. There were the giddy, garrulous girls, always giggling as they walked home, planning sleepovers, texting, or just chatting with their friends. Then there were the boys. Those stalking, perverted, skirt chasers who were always camouflaged into their natural environment, searching for their next prey. In this game of Chance, the guys were always after one prize. And she was trailing down the hallway at that very moment.

This said "prize" was a curt, red-headed girl with the beautiful aquamarine eyes. Her hair barely touched her shoulders, and her bangs almost covered half of her face. Whenever she brushed her bangs out of her eyes, the guys would silently gawk in awe as they saw her radiant face, revealing her luscious smile. She was such a beautiful girl, but she was the hardest catch.

Her name was Tsubaki Honda.

By her description, she was one of the most beautiful---who am I kidding? She was the most beautiful girl in the whole school; and she was only a freshman. Since the beginning of the school year, most of the boys in the whole school desperately tried to get her attention. Even some of the high school boys from nearby would sneak onto campus after school just to get a glimpse of her. But there was a reason why she was such a hard catch.

As they watched her walk down the hall, one of the boys slipped out of his hiding spot, going in for the kill. Big mistake. Rule #1: Never go straight up to the prey. It was one of the dumbest moves he could have made in his entire life. The other boys watched the poor sucker in pity.

"Hey Tsubaki, do you want to come over my house today?" the lamentable boy asked.

Tsubaki turned her head to see her next possible victim. "I'm sorry, Jin, but I can't." she answered him, amiably. "I have something to do after school."

"Aw, come on!" Jin said persistently. Then he put a hand on her shoulder. Another mistake. Rule #2: Never intervene further. That's when you get hurt. Literally.

As soon as Jin's hand made contact with her shoulder, Tsubaki flipped and arm-barred him into the wall. "What did I just say?" Jin whimpered. "I SAID I have something to do today." Tsubaki was pulled his arm and he practically screamed like a little girl. "Now, unless you want to risk getting your arm pulled off, I suggest you walk away, and never touch me again. Understand?" Jin quivered in fear, but he shook his head in understanding. Then she threw him over her shoulder like a rag doll, brushed off her skirt, and continued to walk home again, ignoring the comments from the sidelines:

"Damn, that Tsubaki is strong!"

"Poor guy never had a chance."

"She just gets sexier and sexier everyday!"

"Yeah, but you have to admit, she's a little scary."

"You guys know we're only in middle school, right?"

The middle schooler continued to keep her guard up. Jin wasn't the only boy who had the guts to face her. Usually, Tsubaki was sweet, kind, and always so modest: some attributes she inherited from her mother. She looked like such a petite, defenseless girl. But sometimes, when the boys at her school got carried away, she would blow a fuse. Whenever something annoyed her, she had her father's temper.

Tsubaki quickly made her way to her small, comfy house that she and her mother shared. It was in a small, suburban neighborhood. Each house was about 10 or 20 meters away from another, so the neighborhood was quieter and calmer. There were trees next to the road, so there was no sidewalk. But barely any cars drove in this lane, so she didn't need to worry about any cars running over her.

Suddenly, Tsubaki felt a presence. She became still and full of alert. There was nothing to her left or her right. The only other place was--- "BEHIND!" Tsubaki round-house kicked, but the stranger blocked the attack.

"I'm free to walk this way too, you know."

Tsubaki glared at her opponent. "Why the hell were you stalking me, Daisuke?"

The said person smirked. "Did you forget I have to go this way in order to get home, Silly Tsubaki?"

"Shut up and stop calling me that!" he snickered.

Tsubaki never forgot about Daisuke. She just didn't want to remember. This same annoying infestation who lived who-knows-where also went to the same school, which irked Tsubaki even more. Daisuke Sohma, from the famous Sohma family, was considered one of the most handsome guys at their school. His ruffled, brown-red hair glistened over his eyes and his cheeky smile was dazzling. No girl could deny his looks. Except Tsubaki. His smart tone always annoyed her. Nothing would make her happier than to beat the living shit out of this wisecracker. Unfortunately for her, Daisuke was also a skilled martial artist. "You can put your leg down now. I can see up your skirt."

Tsubaki put her leg down. "Pervert."

"Not my fault your so clueless, Silly Tsubaki." Tsubaki growled at that last comment, but continued to walk home.

Suddenly, she stopped. "Why did you stop?" Daisuke asked.

"If I go ahead, then you'll know where I live."

"What do you take me for, some kind of stalker?"

"…"

Daisuke smirked. He couldn't help but stare at her as she became so cautious. That was one of the things he liked about Tsubaki. He liked many things about Tsubaki. He liked how she wasn't scared to show her true colors. One moment, she's calm and collected. The next she's relentless and feisty. It was so… alluring. She was also an A and the occasional B student, and a girl with brains, bronze, and looks is always sexy. He gave her more respect than the other boys did and never hid when she was nearby. But he couldn't resist the urge to tease her every once and awhile. Ever since he met her, the nickname he gave her stuck with her. Tsubaki always tried too hard to out-wit him in everything, but she would always mess things up, somehow. He was considered "Silly Tsubaki's" #1 rival ever since. And even after all of that, he silently and acutely swore that he wouldn't tell anyone: He didn't like Tsubaki Honda… He loved Tsubaki Honda.

"Okay, I'll see you later, Silly Tsubaki." He waved off. She almost cursed him, but he already started to run home. As soon as he was out of sight, Tsubaki continued her journey home.

"Mom, I'm home!" Tsubaki called out to her mother as soon as she slid the door open, then put her shoes in the corner. There was no response. "Momma?" Tsubaki went into the kitchen to see if anything was wrong. She found nothing but a note. It read:

Tsubaki,

Went grocery shopping. I'll be back soon. Don't wait on me. You can start preparing for your father's homecoming before I come home.

With love,

Momma

She sighed, then set the note down and grabbed a broom. "I don't even know where to start! This house is as clean as it can get!"

But I can't give up. I'll spit-shine everything if I have to, dammit! For Daddy...

Being the little daddy's girl she always was, Tsubaki would do anything to please her father. She loved both of her parents very much. But she barely saw her father; so she did everything she could to give him the best homecoming she could offer.

Tsubaki mopped, swept, dusted, and washed everything that could be cleaned. When she was done, she looked around to see her progress. "Hm, I clean up pretty nicely. Only 3 more months until he arrives!" Tsubaki went to the calendar and crossed off the date.

Usually, she and her mother would clean the house 3 months before Tsubaki's father arrived right before Tsubaki's birthday. Anybody would think it was weird, but it was a tradition ever since Tsubaki turned 3. Now all they had to do was wait.

Tsubaki went upstairs to her room. The walls were a light beige with a few pictures of her, her parents, and her karate shishou or who she would call "Ojii-chan!" Sometimes, he would also come in celebration of her birthday. He taught her everything that he taught her father. Her bed was by her window, comprising of a comforter that had an orange background with white cat heads, a few pillows, some soft, some fluffy, and her favorite stuffed animal: an orange cat with a dim-witted but adorable look on its face named Mimi. It was her favorite, something her "ojii-chan" got her for her 5th birthday. It was also a mini-pack, that she would use to fill small, important things like snacks and small essentials (imagine Kagura's cat backpack only a little more plump and without a bow). Next to her bed was a desk with a self of books and a lamp. Behind her bed was a bean bag chair. It was her sanctuary.

Tsubaki knelt on her bed and hugged Mimi. "Hey, Mimi. Are you excited about Daddy's homecoming, too?" She looked at the cat, as if waiting for it to respond. Anybody would think anyone as old as Tsubaki would be too old for stuffed animals, but she didn't care. But she had to admit, she was getting too old to talk to Mimi. But she dared anybody to make fun of her for loving Mimi so much.

She suddenly began playing with the black and white beads around her wrist. A gift from her father on her 3rd birthday. She couldn't remember what happened when she turned 3 years old, but she knew something terrible happened. Something that caused her father to live in isolation. She wish she knew what happened. That way she would try to make things right. She never took the beads off ever since. She sadly smiled. Daddy…

It was about 7:23 and her mother still wasn't home. She cooked their dinner. After years of watching her mother in the kitchen when she was a little girl, Tsubaki was practically a chef. She was just as good at cooking her own meals as she was doing her own chores. She could cook anything that came to mind. Her mind, anyway.

It was 9:00, and her mother's dinner was still untouched. Why wasn't her mother home yet? Tsubaki shuddered at the possible things that could have happened to her mother while she went grocery shopping.

Did she get mugged? What if she got lost? Not likely. But still, it happens to everybody! Maybe she ran into a friend and got sidetracked? Yeah, that's it. Anything but a robbery.

11:30. She couldn't take it anymore. Tsubaki left to find her mother.

Tsubaki took Mimi with her in case she decided to look through the night. That's how much she loved her mother. She searched the route they took whenever they went to the store. She asked neighbors if they ever saw her mother. They only saw her when she went towards the store, but she never came back. Tsubaki continued her search.

It began to rain, but she kept searching. It wasn't long before the search for her mother began to tire her, so she decided to head back. On her way home, 3 men blocked her route. "Excuse me, but you're in my way." They didn't listen. "I said I need to get through." She was starting to lose her patience.

"Hey, it's her," she heard one of them whisper. One of the other men grabbed her wrists.

"You're coming with us."

3...

2...

1...

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Tsubaki kicked the man and he released her wrists. Then she ran.

"After her!" one of the men commanded. She heard hasty footsteps following her. She ran faster. Who are those men? What do they want with me?

Suddenly, she tripped and landed face first into the wet, moist ground. She tried to get up, but her leg was injured. "Ow!" She was stuck there on the road, immobilized. "Dammit! Of all the days to rain---!" The 3 men were able to catch up with her and smiled at her crippled state.

"We got her now." one of the men said. He had a wicked smile on his face.

"NO!" Tsubaki screamed. One of the men slapped her.

"Shut up! If you behave, we won't have to hurt you as much as we need to." Now Tsubaki was scared. Something like this happened to her before, but she wasn't defenseless at the time. It made her afraid that she wasn't able to do anything to protect herself and no one was nearby to save her. She closed her eyes in fear.

Tsubaki didn't hear anything but a few cries. She had no idea what happened, but that made her even more afraid to open her eyes. When someone touched her back, she screamed. "Tsubaki, calm down! It's me, Daisuke." She still didn't open her eyes. It was humiliating enough that she couldn't fend herself from a couple strangers, but knowing that her #1 rival saved her just made her face red.

"Your face is red," he touched her forehead. "and you're burning hot! You're ankles swollen, too. I need to take you out of this rain. Open your eyes so you can climb on my back." Tsubaki hesitated. "Don't worry. I'm clean." Daisuke joked. That made her even more nervous. But she decided to anyway. She swung her arms around his neck securely, and he held onto her thighs. "Don't worry. I know this place nearby where we can go. Just hang on."

Daisuke decided to cut through the woods nearby. It was a good thing that he didn't know where she lived. Those men would raid her home. But she was afraid of where Daisuke would take her. He could do anything to her in the woods! She suddenly felt her ankle throb. It was swollen and purple. It pained her so much, it was making her dizzy. Or was it her fever?

Daisuke felt Tsubaki's grip loosen. "Tsubaki, stay awake for me! We're almost there."

The only thing she could hear before she fell unconscious was Daisuke's yells of encouragement to stay awake.

I wish Daddy was nearby…

TBC…

I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I thought a dramatic cliffhanger would be better!

R&R!