Chapter 2: Of Curses and Family Secrets
Hime followed her sister down the stairs, trying to catch her to calm her down. She yelled to call a hospital and get the boys some help. She even went up to the mailman and said "Look! It's terrible! They're animals!" He obviously didn't understand why she was freaking out, but decided to humor her. The black dog took the mail from the boy and he made his leave. Hime set a hand on Tohru's shoulder, turned her, and touched their foreheads. She stroked her brown hair, Tohru's nerves soon settled. At least, until they heard a voice from behind them.
"Great! How can I make up an excuse if you both transform, too?" the cat had his back arched and his fur stood on end. His garnet eyes were slit as he hissed every word.
"Don't you dare blame this on us, you stupid cat!" the rat yelled back. Hime stared at the little creature. She wasn't even bothered that they were talking.
"Go ahead! Say that again!"
"Stupid. Cat."
"Both of you, stop fighting!" the dog intervened, throwing his head back and causing the rat to fall from between his ears. Hime crouched by the dog, her interest completely locked on the rodent. "Hime, Tohru, I'm a dog. Yuki is a rat. That is Kyo." he gestured to the cat. "The Sohma family has been under a curse for almost a century. We're cursed with the twelve animals of the zodiac."-Hime pointed to the orange feline- "Sorry, twelve animals, plus the cat. We transform if we are hugged by a member of the opposite sex or if our bodies are under a great deal of stress."
Hime poked the small rat with the tip of a long purple nail. He made eye contact with her, his violet eyes slightly wide. She stroked his soft fur and broke into a wide smile.
"U-um..." Yuki had no idea what to say about the sudden contact. Never before has he seen her touch anyone besides Tohru.
"Hime has a fascination with animals. Rodents especially." Tohru explained. The older girl made a face that implied she would be laughing, if she could, as she pet between his ears and stroked a spot along his neck.
"There's something you should know. When we change back," -smoke filled the hallway- "we're naked." Shigure said, mighty casually. Tohru tried to climb the wall. Meanwhile, Hime wolf whistled. I'm definitely going to like it here. And, now I know why they smell different! Hime felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. They were safe here.
"We must seem very strange to you." Shigure, Yuki, and the girls sat at the table. Kyo stayed on the porch. Where he can cool off so he doesn't steam the place up. Tohru was obviously putting the pieces together. The curse explained Yuki's behavior toward his admirers, male and female.
"It's not your fault if your family's cursed." Tohru said. Hime gave her a sad smile, a look that Yuki did not miss. Shigure and Tohru began a conversation about the cat from the story, her dark blue eyes widening with excitement. Hime stared off into space, thinking about how they could possibly live here without giving away her own secrets. She even tuned out Shigure's voice. Eventually, the picking from his older cousin sent Kyo over the edge.
"Would you stop blaming me?" he yelled, jumping from his sitting position. "If you want somebody to blame, blame them! They shouldn't even be here!"
"Who we allow into this house isn't any of your concern." said Yuki. He swept his bangs from his eyes. "You're the one that shouldn't be here." That comment didn't sit well with Kyo, for he slammed his fist into the table. The piece of furniture split in two, the edge of one side nearly hitting Tohru. Luckily, Hime pushed her out of the way. The splintered wood scratched her instead, a small line of blood trickling from her shoulder. Kyo paused when he realized what he did. Hime didn't acknowledge the pain, but walked to the bathroom to wash the red beads from her skin.
When she came back, Yuki had his foot far above his head. He had kicked Kyo through the door and into a rock in the yard. She noticed the top button of Yuki's shirt was undone. She didn't understand why he would have to do that just to kick carrot-top from the porch.
"I told you I wouldn't hold back." he walked back into the house. His eyes widened when he saw the cut on Hime's shoulder. "Hime, you're hurt." Thank you, Captain Obvious. Hime, attempting to show she was fine, gave a nervous smile.
"I'm sure she's fine. Besides, she's had a lot worse." Tohru clamped her hand over her mouth and looked to Hime apologetically. Hime's blonde brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?" Yuki asked. Neither girl answered. This was one of the only secrets Tohru knew about, and Tohru was the only other person who should know about it. Suddenly, Tohru jumped up. "We're late for school!"
Hime joined her in a rush to get ready. Her blue school uniform was covered in dirt, but she was fine with it. Unlike her sister's, Hime's skirt reached passed her knees. She tied the knot on her sailor style top. Without even glancing in a mirror, she lined her eyes with blue coral, making them seem to glow electric blue. She switched the liner with a ruby colored lipstick and stuck them in her pocket.
"Do you really want to show up in that?" Shigure pointed to their uniforms. Hime had no problem with the stains, and neither did Tohru.
"I know, but we promised Mom we'd go to school."
"A promise is a promise. Which reminds me, I'll have to tell Akito about what happened here."
"Who?" Tohru didn't get that the head of the family had to know some outsiders knew about the family secret. Hime glanced at Yuki, who developed a look in his eye she didn't like. This Akito must have really done him wrong to earn him a look like that from the mere mention of his name. She startled with an alarm sounding from her watch. With a final goodbye, the girls ran off to school. Hime still had her doubts about this family. Somehow, that felt too easy.
"Hime, could you help me with the tie?" Tohru asked as she changed in the school's bathroom. Hime smiled and helped her sister with the odd sailor style tie. Tohru was absolutely hopeless with the tie. They had used the school's washing machine, finally happy to wear clean clothes. They stepped from the bathroom with huge smiles on their faces. Hime stopped outside the door while Tohru closed it. How did she not sense another presence?
"Hello, Miss Honda, Hime." Yuki leaned against the window parallel to where they were standing.
"Hello, Yuki!" both girls kept their smiles, but directed them to the boy.
"So, did you tell your friends about this morning?" he asked. Hime didn't miss that the question was directed at Tohru.
"I said I fell. Oh! Your secret!" Hime had to fight the urge to face palm. "No! We won't tell a soul!"
"Really, it's alri-"
"I'll write it in blood if I have to!" she rolled up her sleeve, ready to seal the promise. Hime saw Yuki was becoming irritated. He moved to pin her to the wall, so she settled a hand on the girl's shoulder. The other one snaked around her head and cut off her upcoming speech.
"I'm sorry." Yuki's soft voice held sadness. "We may need to erase your memory." Hime furrowed her brow, not liking the sound of that. "It's sort of like hypnotism. You'll just simply forget. This isn't the first time someone has learned about us. It happened while I was seven. Some kids and I were playing in the garden behind our house. A girl tripped on a rock and bumped into me." Hime eyed the silver haired boy, her bright blue eyes threatening to blur with tears. She imagined a little Yuki running around having so much fun, only to lose his first friends by having him erased from their small minds. She couldn't imagine how awful that must feel. "Afterward, we had to erase all of those children's memories." He became lost in his thoughts, eyes welling up slightly.
"Yuki? Are you alright?" Tohru asked. Yuki bent his head in a way that his bangs covered his eyes. "I can't go against Akito's decision. That's why...I'm sorry." he pushed past them. They both moved to catch up with him. Tohru caught his arm and stumbled into him. Smoke lifted from the boy's body, leaving a rat and clothing on the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" Tohru nearly hit her head on the wall.
"It's okay, as long as no one else saw."
Tohru scooped him into her hands, bringing him to eye level. "What I wanted to say was thank you for worrying about us. We're not scared. Hime even suggested this might happen. We appreciate your concern, but we're fine. We understand if you need to go this far to keep the secret. There's a reason it's called a secret, right? You should do whatever you're comfortable with." Hime heard the smile in Tohru's voice. She also gave a reassuring smile and stroked the rat's cheek. His eyes began to water and shined in the school's artificial light. He set one of his tiny paws on her fingertip, cradling it. She leaned in to whisper to the younger girl. "Hime is right. You can erase our memory, if you need to, but afterward, will you please still be our friend?"
Right after the touching moment, Yuki turned back to a human. Hime whistled again and Tohru turned away. Yuki quickly threw his uniform back on. "Sorry, the amount of time between each transformation varies a bit." He turned to them, his tie completely askew.
"Yuki, where did you learn to tie a tie?" Tohru giggled. He looked down.
"I guess I've never been good at that." Tohru pushed Hime toward him. She took the fabric between her delicate fingers and fixed the tie. She even smoothed out the wrinkles. He saw she was careful to work with the tie only, and not brush his chest. When she finished, she looked at Yuki and smiled softly.
"It really didn't bother you?" Hime shook her head.
"Don't worry! We closed our eyes in time!" Tohru replied cheerfully. Hime resisted the urge to hit her head against the wall. How ignorant can you possibly be, Tohru? Yuki's cheeks became a faint pink, knowing Hime did not look away until the smoke was almost clear.
"Would you like me to walk you back to class?" he smiled at them. Both girls nodded. As they walked through the empty halls, Yuki glanced at them from the corner of his eyes.
"Thank you."
"No problem! Fixing ties is Hime's specialty!" Both Yuki and Hime chuckled at her response. Oh, Tohru.
"We're back!" Yuki opened the door to the house. They received no response. "Shigure? He must have gone out."
"I'm gonna put away my bag." Tohru said from the stairs. Hime watched her disappear on the second floor. She caught Yuki's eye and ushered him over with her index finger. He came closer and she leaned in close, until her mouth was almost touching his ear.
"I may not be much of a talker," her soft voice seemed a rare beauty to him. "but I'm a great listener. What Tohru said this morning is true for the both of us. And since I'm quiet, I'm more qualified to keep secrets. So, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." She spoke in a hushed whisper, he almost needed to strain to hear. That's the most she's ever spoken and he knew it. Still, her offer touched him. They pulled away from each other and smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." And he meant it. He's never heard her voice before and he was surprised to find it was clear and pretty. Hime suddenly sensed harsh irritation from upstairs. Kyo is here. Before she could react, Shigure slid open the door.
"Yuki, Tohru, Hime, I'm home! And Kyo, you better not be tearing up my house again!" he yelled.
"Oh! Forget it!" Kyo came stomping down the stairs, Tohru not far behind. He left the house.
"Don't worry, he'll be back. Anyway, can you come in here for a second?" he beckoned the three to the table. "I had a talk with Akito today." Hime felt Yuki tense. She awaited the news Shigure brought. "And he's decided to trust you." She let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.
"You mean, there's no punishment?" Tohru asked. Shigure looked surprised.
"What do you mean? You can keep the secret..."
"I'm so happy!" she expressed. Hime still felt uneasy. She knew the head of a family wouldn't just let a secret like this go. She contemplated whether to worry while the boys walked from the room. Tohru pulled her up and followed a moment later.
"Excuse me? I'm sorry to interrupt, but you've both been so nice to us. I hope it's no trouble." They both bowed at the hip. Yuki looked back in surprise.
"It's no trouble at all. Just make yourself at home."
Hime and Tohru stood at the entrance to the kitchen. We've got our work cut out for us. Hime tied her hair back. The kitchen was a decent size, but it was filled to the ceiling with too-full trash bags.
"Well, it's not gonna clean itself!"
"I'll help." offered Yuki. "Just tell me where to start." Shigure joined the cleaning party.
"You better not. The closest thing he's seen to a mop is that haircut of his." Yuki narrowed his eyes at that comment.
"That's alright! We'll take care of it! We wouldn't be earning our keep if we let you help, anyway." That's my Tohru.
"I guess I'll step out, then." Shigure left the building.
"If you got it covered, I'll go, too." Yuki said, leaving them to their work.
After hours of sorting trash, washing dishes, and just scrubbing the mold from every surface, they were done. Right after they removed their bandanas, Yuki walked in. He paused, stunned at the sparkling counter tops and clean floor.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say I walked into the wrong house!" he glanced around the room. "Since when did we have a rice cooker?" Wow...
"Hime found it in the trash. And we hope you have an appetite, because lunch will be ready in a few moments!"
The girls set the table, Hime arranged the food. They watched as Yuki took his first sip of the soup. "Delicious!"
"It's not too bland?" Tohru said.
"It's perfect! Best lunch I've ever had!" he took another sip. Hime kept an ear out for any sounds outside. Kyo and Shigure aren't far.
"It's a shame for those two to let such a meal go to waste." Yuki said before taking a bite of fish, almost reading her mind.
"Oh, yeah. You went out, too. Where'd you go? Shopping?" He didn't come back with groceries, Tohru.
"Actually, I was at my secret base." Hime instantly knew he shouldn't have said that. Tohru went into a fit of questions, imagining a fort with a 'no girls allowed' sign. Hime wasn't listening, twisting the red butterfly ring on her right middle finger. He's in a fit of rage. Watch out. The wind told her. The scent of an angry cat was delivered with the warning. As if on cue, Kyo slammed open the door, obviously upset. Shigure followed closely behind. She noticed he looked nice, dressed in a suit and his hair combed.
"Don't forget, it was Akito's decision!"
"I don't give a damn about Akito!"
"Kyo, do you want some lunch?" Hime almost slapped the girl.
"Shut up!" Kyo shut the door. She felt a growl forming in the back of her throat. Shigure shed the coat to his suit and sat at the end of the table.
"Kyo's upset because I made him take an entrance exam." Hime had a seriously bad feeling about that. He picked up a pair of chop sticks. "As of today, he's the newest student in your school. And he's in your class. He'll also be living with us from now on." Yuki stood up, his violet eyes reflecting the death of Shigure. Hime flinched at the amount of hate his slim body radiated.
"Don't you dare take a single bite! Get out!" he hissed. Shigure trembled in slight fear.
"I thought you would be mad. Kyo pulled a bit of a vanishing act. He hid in the mountains for four months. He was training." he explained.
"Let me guess, he was up there meditating under waterfalls and fighting bears." Hime thought the first wasn't a bad idea. She hadn't done that in a long time. She longed for the cool water to glide over her skin, relaxing her even farther. She understood why Yuki and Kyo didn't like each other. It seemed the family didn't approve of Kyo, either. For the first time since their meeting, Hime felt a pang of pity for the boy.