"Saki, could I have a moment please?"
Saki Hanajima looked up at her father, poking his head into her room as she studied. She turned to him as he came inside, and he smiled at his daughter.
"Yes, Oto-san*?"
Yoshiro didn't speak for a moment, mulling over how he was going to announce to Saki that her cousin was going to go to her high school, but then he simply asked, "Do you remember your cousin Kagome?"
Saki nodded her head. What was this about?
Yoshiro smiled at his daughter.
"Well, I've been talking with my Giri no Imoto*, Kun-Loon, and well, Kagome isn't really…doing well. At least on in the sense that her Okaa-san* wants her to be. So, she's decided to change which High School Kagome goes to. She wanted to know if it would be alright if she came to your school, as its closer by than some their other options."
Saki nodded her head in understanding. Of course it would be good to see her cousin again; they hadn't seen each other since elementary school ended, but...
"Hasn't Kagome-chan been sick? Are you sure it's okay?"
Yoshiro smiled at his eldest. She missed nothing. "Yes, she's better now, at least health wise, but, well…" He trailed off, thinking of what to say as his eyes drifted past Saki to peer at her bedroom wall. Saki would identify with Kagome, Yoshiro knew that much, but as he mulled over what to tell her, she simply decided on the truth, so far as he knew.
Turning his eyes back to his daughter, he smiled slightly, "She's…heart sick. She tries very hard, but, it's like she doesn't know how to interact with people, because of whatever happened to her. It would be very good for her if you and your friends could…help her, you know?"
Saki nodded her head, and smiled one of her rare smiles at her father. "Yes, I'm sure Tohru and Arisa would be glad to meet her."
Yoshiro felt relieved and stood to leave his daughters' room, feeling very proud of her. However, he stopped and turned around to ask her one more thing. "Saki, on the first day, will you go meet her at the bus stop nearby? I don't want her to have to find it on her own the first time."
Saki nodded, and then got back to her homework as her father left her room.
The first day of the new school year. Tohru, Kyo, Arisa, Saki, and Yuki are all second years now. It's spring time, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
"The freshmen are very cute as well!"
Tohru was gushing over the cute new freshmen coming into school and the entrance ceremony.
"Uo-chan, Kyo, you should have gone!"
Both of them chimed in at the same time.
"ANNOYING!"
Saki could have almost laughed. She had to agree with Tohru, the incoming freshmen were all cute, and their electrical waves had been pleasing.
"By the way…were is the prince?" Arisa's question brought to mind 'The Prince'. Prince Yuki. Yuki Sohma. The first boy with strange electric signals.
Tohru answered her easily. "He's the representative of the entrance ceremony, so he'll definitely be very busy."
Saki had no doubt. If he'd been her type, or had she really thought about it, she would have loved him at first sight as well as every other girl, except, perhaps Arisa and Tohru. They both seemed immune, but that was just who they were. Tohru was living with the prince as it was, so she wasn't really surprised she'd become immune to his "charms".
"Oh yeah, I heard he was really tired. First day at school and he already received a love heated welcome!" Arisa laughed about that, and Saki could very well imagine new Prince Yuki Fan Club members were out there, somewhere, among the new freshmen, and not all of them girls.
Wait…new students…that's right! Her cousin! But…first…
"Tohru, at the parent meeting, I sensed Shigure was under some tension…"
"That's because there are two members of the Sohma clan in this year's freshmen class…"
Tohru went on to explain what Shigure had said about witnessing this momentous step for Hastuharu and Momiji. Saki's reply was short.
"Idiot."
Then, something got Arisa's attention. "Wait a minute…more Sohma members are coming to our school? Are they girls or boys?"
Tohru was quick to reply. "It's two boys. One of them was at the cultural festival…"
However, Tohru's words were drowned out as Arisa turned to Kyo. "Kyo, get the two Sohma's and bring them here!"
Saki agreed. "That's right, go and bring them here!"
Kyo sputtered in disbelief. "AH! WHY ME!? Tell Tohru to go, that will do! She needs to go introduce herself anyway!"
Tohru, always one to try to avoid conflict, cheerily replied, "Okay, I'll go!"
Saki just wouldn't have any of that. She placed her hand on Kyo's shoulder. This was enough to enforce maximum fear into the orange haired boy.
"Why does it have to be Tohru who goes to do these sort of things…?"
However, Kyo wouldn't be swayed, though he was definitely scared. "Why do I have to go!? Don't come near me!"
Arisa backed her up however, and together, they were ganging up on Kyo. "Yeah! You should go!"
But, sweet, sweet Tohru was one to avoid conflict. "Ah…ah…actually I had wanted to go and say hello anyway. Good thing there is a chance!" She turned to Kyo, "Kyo, why don't you come with me?"
Kyo got up, despite his earlier protests. "Hmm…why is it even at school I have to go and see these two guys!?"
Tohru came up with an easy, Tohru-like rebuttal. "Seeing them at school is a different experience. Maybe you'll be very happy!"
He stood no chance, and they were both up and gone in a flash, with Tohru waving goodbye. Arisa remarked, "He's becoming less resistant to Tohru's encouragement."
Saki saw it as well, and replied with, "Interesting…"
It was then that her cousin filled her thoughts once more. The bus stop! Oh no! She was supposed to go meet Kagome-chan there. Blinking, she turned to Arisa. "There's something I have to do."
Arisa stood, not wanting to be left to a boring time, and her Hay Fever, alone. Together, they set off in the opposite direction that Tohru had gone, hoping they'd be back in time to meet the two new Sohma's.
/
Thank you for reading!
Oto-san means Father, or Dad
Okaa-san means Mother, or Mom
Giri no Imoto means younger sister-in-law
