CHAPTER THREE: TEARS AND DESTRUCTION

Well, here's the old Matsuyo!

Wow, I'm updating fast! Woohoo! But soon, my pace will slow down!

--

"Oy, No-Personality-kun! Are you coming down to breakfast or shall I drag you?" Matsuyo yelled up the stairs. Yuki wandered down the steps, rubbing his eyes.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," He said.

"And I wish I didn't have to live here," Matsuyo said. "We all have our wishes. Too bad they'll never come true."

"Last night you were so different," Yuki said.

"Last night was last night," Matsuyo said. She smacked Shigure's hand with her ladle again when he tried to grab a pancake.

"Didn't you learn anything last night? Wait until everyone's sitting down, greedy pervert." Tohru, Kyo, and Shigure were already at the table. Matsuyo sat down. "Okay, everyone's seated, now we can eat." Yuki arrived after a few minutes' slow walk. He noticed that all of the pancakes were nearly gone.

"I thought you said to wait until everyone's seated before we eat," Yuki said.

"Well, I suppose I should have said everyone who isn't plain," Matsuyo said. "In both looks and personality. I mean, even though Rainbow-kun over there is ugly, at least he has emotions." Kyo looked up.

"Ugly?" He echoed.

"Well, if you want to eat, sit down," Matsuyo said. Yuki seated himself.

"Why are you acting like this?" He asked her.

"I thought you knew," Matsuyo looked shocked. "No accounting for brains, either. I don't like you."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yuki said. "You don't know me very well."

"I don't need to," Matsuyo said. "I don't need to have an attraction to everyone, do I? And besides, it's far too much fun!" Yuki bit his lip. This girl wouldn't get to him. He took a pancake.

"I wonder what Aaya would think of you," Shigure said.

"Is Aaya his brother?" Matsuyo asked. "You mentioned him yesterday. The one who's bound to be a complete freak?"

"I wouldn't say he's a freak...maybe overzealous," Shigure contemplated. Matsuyo shrugged.

"I don't care," She said. "In my opinion, either this Aaya-person is or isn't a freak. I just hope he's more interesting to talk to than you." Shigure seemed to have almost flared, but he kept the calm expression on his face everyone else called a mask.

"Matsuyo-kun, do you think that you could try to be a little nicer?" Tohru asked quietly. Matsuyo remained silent. "Could you?" Still no response. Shigure looked at the clock.

"You four better head off to school," He said. Yuki was the only one not dressed, so he zipped off to his room. In a few minutes, he returned and the four left.

--

"Tohru-kun!" Momiji ran over, waving. He stopped when he saw the girl with the dull blue eyes. "Who are you?"

"This is my cousin, Matsuyo Honda," Tohru hugged Momiji. Matsuyo didn't even look at him. Haru strode over.

"Another Honda, huh?" He examined her. Matsuyo didn't look at him either. "You know, it's rude not to look at someone when they're talking to you."

"I know," Matsuyo looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I just wanted to spare my eyes the torment."

"Matsuyo, this is Hatsuharu Sohma," Tohru said, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction before it got dangerous." Too late. Haru walked over until he was inches away from Matsuyo.

"You wanna apologize for that comment?" He said, his voice menacingly quiet. Matsuyo turned and looked him right in the eye.

"No," She said simply. She stepped around him and continued walking. The rest of the group followed, not out of respect, but because they didn't want to be late.

"We decided to meet you guys so we could walk together," Momiji said to Tohru, smiling happily. He had already forgotten the exchange between Haru and Matsuyo. Haru was contemplating his revenge. Soon, they caught up to Matsuyo, who had been about twenty feet ahead of them. Haru didn't say anything to her, not being able to come up with a good enough insult. Matsuyo reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a walkman with a CD already in it and put the head-phones on. She clicked the forward button until she reach the track she wanted and pressed play before putting it back into her bag. Soon, she was mouthing the words to the song. Momiji tapped her on the arm, curious about what she was listening to, but Matsuyo ignored him. After a few songs, she took out the CD, put back in her bag, and was about to put in another one when Haru came up with perfect revenge. He ripped the walkman from her hands and smashed it. Everyone stopped, Kyo and Yuki were ahead by ten feet, Tohru and Momiji by five. Haru smiled triumphantly. Matsuyo looked down at the destroyed walkman. Haru began to laugh evilly. Oh no, Black Haru, Tohru thought. Suddenly, Matsuyo's fist shot out, and Haru was on the ground, holding his nose.

"You...you...SON OF A BITCH!!" Matsuyo yelled. Haru leaped at her, his hand connecting with her cheek. Matsuyo ended the fight with a sharp kick to Haru's manhood. Then, stepping over Haru, she walked away. Yuki and Kyo ran back to help him up. Haru stood and brushed himself off.

"Bitch!" He yelled at Matsuyo. Matsuyo froze, angry tears in her eyes.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She yelled at him, wiping at her eyes. The walkman was old. Almost eight years. Tohru walked over to Haru.

"Uh...Haru, that walkman..."

"She can buy a new one," Haru said angrily.

"But..." Tohru started to pick up the smashed pieces.

"Why are you bothering to pick up the pieces?" Haru kicked dirt over them, narrowly missing Tohru's hands. She continued to pick them up.

"This walkman was a gift," Tohru said. "It's been eight years since Matsuyo's dad's death. The same age as the walkman." That was when the four boys understood. The walkman had been a gift from Matsuyo's father. And Haru had destroyed it. The five walked over the crest of a hill. Matsuyo was leaning against a tree, her shoulders shaking.

"Matsuyo..." Tohru reached out to touch her cousin's shoulder. But Matsuyo shrunk from her hand.

"Tohru...just leave me the hell alone," She continued on her way to school, shoving Haru aside as she went.

"You know what," Haru rubbed his shoulder. "I think she deserved it."

--

Arisa and Saki awaited them at the high school. Matsuyo walked right by them, not bothering to greet the two.

"What's with her?" Arisa asked.

"She's upset because I pushed her buttons a little," Haru said. Saki looked down.

"The waves emitting from her...they're dark and depressed," She said. "It seems her world is in chaos. Does she have any close family besides her mother and father?"

"Yes, her brother, Yoshiharu," Tohru said. Saki watched Matsuyo's retreating form.

"Hm," She said. "Matsuyo-kun!" Matsuyo turned in response.

"How's your brother?" Saki yelled.

"He's fine," Matsuyo responded.

"What? Did something happen to Yoshiharu?" Tohru asked. Saki shook her head.

"But Matsuyo's concerned that something will," She said.

--

Sensei sat on her desk again, watching silently while the class did their reading. She didn't notice when one student with dull navy-blue eyes began mouthing a song. But she did notice when said student began tapping the beat with her foot.

"Honda-kun," She said. Two heads shot up. Sensei sighed. "O'Connor-Honda-kun." One head went back to reading. "Please remain silent so the other students can work." Matsuyo nodded, her foot stopping in mid tap.

--

A man on a motorcycle sped down the road. He wore a white muscle shirt, a black leather vest, blue jeans, black boots, and sunglasses. Long black hair whipped out behind him as he continued on. Four girls in a car giggled madly at seeing the man who was too much like a god to be real. His handsome face broke into a crooked grin, he popped a wheelie to show off, and sped away.

--

Matsuyo sat down with Tohru, Arisa, Saki, Kyo, and Yuki, but as far from the two boys as humanly possible. An elderly woman in a suit walked over to the table.

"O'Connor-Honda-kun, Honda-kun," She said. Tohru and Matsuyo looked up at her. "A message was received from O'Connor-Honda-san."

"Obasan left a message?" Tohru said. The elderly woman nodded.

"She said to tell you that a young man named Yoshiharu Honda will be coming here shortly to visit you." Matsuyo and Tohru looked at each other, smiling and trying to contain their joy.

"Thank you very much!" Tohru said to the elderly woman. The woman nodded and left.

"Who's Yoshiharu Honda?" Kyo asked.

"He's my brother," Matsuyo said. "He left for Oxford in England a few years ago...I forgot this was his graduating year! He promised to visit in his last year!" Kyo and Yuki both looked really concerned.

"Yoshi-kun is really nice!" Tohru assured them, seeing their worry. "A lot nicer than Matsuyo-kun can be sometimes." Matsuyo glared at her cousin.

"What's he like?" Arisa asked.

"He's kind of like Mom," Tohru said. "He was in a gang!" Yuki and Kyo sagged in their chairs. Arisa leaned forward to hear more.

"Obasan was called the Red Butterfly," Matsuyo said. "Yoshi was called the Black Dragon. All the gangs have nicknames for their best guys. Yoshi is supposedly now a legend in his. I used to go with him when he met with the gang. They knew me, and I loved them all like family. I remember once there was a big fight between Yoshi's gang and another from down the street..." Yuki turned pale.

"Yoshi kicked ass!" Matsuyo continued enthusiastically. "They wiped the floor with the enemy, who never returned. Yoshi's gang left after a while, when the neighborhood became safer. My brother is my idol!" Matsuyo grinned, Arisa was immersed in the tale, and Kyo and Yuki were trying not to pale any further.

"He taught Matsuyo how to street-fight!" Tohru said. "But he made her promise that she would treat it like Karate. Never use it unless in self-defense." Matsuyo nodded.

"Yoshi became a better person after that last fight," She said. "He worked harder in high school, and got into Oxford. His job helps him pay tuition, and mom and I live well, so we're able to give him money too. He majors in the Classical and Medieval ages. It's really cool. He got a job with some archaeologists, and now helps teach kids about the artifacts they find and sometimes does some demonstrations with replicas. I saw him once. It was awesome."

"Your brother sounds like a pansy," A voice behind her said. Matusyo whipped around and smacked Haru angrily in the face.

"I'll show you pansy!" Matsuyo was about leap at Haru when the fact that the cafeteria was nearly empty dawned on them. They could hear voices outside floating in.

"Who's he?"

"He's so cute!"

"Like a macho version of Prince Yuki!"

"This guy is BUTCH!"