Chapter 4: Life is a Boar
A slight earthquake woke Hime from her daze. She sat up on the couch, listening for the a cry that never came. The earth wasn't moving, the thunderous roll through the soil and air are coming from a different source.
"Sounds like she's here early." Shigure stared at the front door, ignoring the paper in his hands. Kyo was automatically on alert. He tried to run from the room, but Shigure caught the back of his shirt, causing him to run in place. The rumbling finally stopped at the front entrance. Tohru stepped forward to investigate, only to be startled by a little girl lurking in the doorway. She stayed close to the wood panel, her hand shyly covering her face. Her hair matched Tohru's color and was about an inch longer than Hime's.
"Are you Tohru Honda or Hime?" she asked. Her gray eyes sparkled under her bangs. She moved to reveal a bit more of her body, enough for Hime to notice a bump of the girl's bust under her arm. Whoever this girl was, she's not as young as she initially thought. Hime sighed in irritation. Usually she could tell a person's age from a single glance! You need to visit us soon; you need to rejuvenate.
"I'm Tohru. Hime is the blonde on the couch." Hime waved from her perch.
"I'm Kagura. Kagura Sohma." her eyes searched the inside of the house. Who is she looking for? "I heard that Kyo was here. Please tell me it's true." A small gleam shined over her eyes at Kyo's name. Hime didn't like the look. She mentally braced herself for the worst.
"Would you like to come in and see him?" Tohru offered. Kagura caught sight of carrot-top and gasped, placing both hands over her lips. Kyo tried even harder to run. She ran passed Tohru to Kyo, yelling his name the whole time. A cat shaped bag was strapped to her back. An orange cat shaped bag. Hime decided to join the party at the table, just in time for Kagura to zip by. The scent, which she had officially dubbed the Sohma Scent, of Kagura reached her nostrils. Dear God, she's part of the Zodiac! Hime groaned in disbelief. Of course, no one could hear her.
Kagura clamped her hands together, holding them to her chin. "Is it really you?" Who the hell else would he be? Waldo? "Why did you go away for so long? You didn't call me or send a card." Kyo started to tremble, sweat forming along his brow. "Where were you? Oh, darling." Hime felt the change in Kagura's demeanor. "I missed you so much!" she punched Kyo straight in the jaw. H flew threw the door, Kagura running for him outside. She caught him by the ankle and swung him in circles, high above her head.
"Well, it appears we'll need another door." Yuki watched Kyo's rag doll body spin. Kagura's short green dress lifted a bit. Hime thanked the Elementals she was wearing black leggings. She swung the boy so fast, she could barely make out the white long sleeves of her undershirt.
"This is normal for Kagura. This is how she shows her affection." Shigure explained, after a small complaint about how the world was conspiring against his house.
"She does tend to get a little carried away, especially around Kyo." Yuki, that's not a 'little' carried away. "You may not guess, but she's two years older than us." Hime's icy eyes observed the girl. There is no way in Hell she's eighteen.
"She's also part of the Zodiac." Shigure said to the girls. I knew it! Now, what animal is she? She watched Kagura continuously beat the living tar out of Kyo. Punch after punch, she understood why Kyo cringed when he knew who was here. She almost wished she would have helped him escape in time.
Blood spattered the yard. Finally, Kyo's body couldn't take any more beating, and he fell to the ground. Kagura stopped her abuse long enough to observe the damage to her love.
"Kyo? Who did this to you?" she held his head to her chest, cradling his broken body.
"Um, I think it was you." Shigure said.
They sat at the table, talking over how cold it was in the room. Kagura apologized, explaining that when she saw Kyo, all her love just came out all at once. She was the same shy girl that was at the door earlier. Split personalities? Now, it's a toss up; a cow or a boar?
"It's really your fault, too, Kyo." she said, almost on the verge of tears. Hime handed him a cloth with some ice, hoping to reduce the swelling. "If you would have called me, I wouldn't have missed you so hard." So hard? Is that her way of saying she wouldn't have beat him up if he contacted her? "We are getting married, after all." Hime startled. Say, what now?
"Since when?" Kyo shouted.
"When we were kids, you asked me to marry you!"
"Only because you were about to kill me if I didn't!" Hime imagined Kagura holding a large boulder, waiting to drop it on little Kyo's orange head.
"At least now he'll have someone else to fight, instead of me." Yuki muttered.
"Congratulations." Shigure didn't seem to mean his words.
"We really do make the best couple, since we're both under the curse." she hung on him. Sure enough, neither of them changed. Of course, Hime already knew the specifications of those under a curse. "See?" Kagura wrapped her arms around Yuki. She noticed he didn't make one muscle move to return it. "It's okay for Zodiac members to hug."
"Why is that?" Tohru pressed.
"It's a mystery to us, too." he replied, calmly. You may not know, but I do. Kagura parted with Yuki and ran back o Kyo.
"Kyo! Do you love me? Do you hate me? Because I love you!" This is almost as bad as those fan club girls at school. "What do you think? I just told you what you think! Say something, dammit!"
Shigure turned to the twins, deciding to ignore the unofficial couple. He and Tohru talked about how she was a fan of the cat from the story. Kagura pounced on the idea that she had a rival. She yelled at Tohru that she loved everything about the cat and questioned what Tohru liked. The only thing that came out of Kagura's rant that caught Hime's attention was "I love Kyo! No matter what! Even when he changes to his other for-" that is where Kyo cut her off. At first, Hime payed no mind, thinking she was talking about Kyo's cat form. However, Kyo wouldn't have cut her off, knowing the girls already knew about it. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
She was too lost in her thoughts to hear Kyo threatened Kagura. Next thing she knew, Kagura had his arm twisted around his back, him yelling in pain.
"It's time to call for mercy, Kyo." Yuki opened a small candy wrapper. Tohru left to finish the laundry. Kagura, seeing an opportunity to mess with Kyo's belongings, opted to help.
While the laundry chaos went on, Hime grabbed the grocery list from the kitchen. She padded her pockets down, making sure she had her wallet. She passed Yuki on her way out. "I'm going to the store."
Yuki turned as she walked by. "Would it be alright if I went with you?" She nodded, not stopping for him to catch up. He must have told Tohru, because she was with him when they emerged from the house.
"I'm sure you've noticed, but Kagura has a one track mind when it comes to Kyo. She's had her heart set on marrying him since we were kids. It's a little silly, I guess." Yuki started a conversation halfway to the store. Hime hadn't spoken a word since Kagura came over, and when she announced she was going shopping, her voice was soft. He would do anything to have her talk again.
"I think it's amazing." Apparently Yuki's plan was working. "To have that kind of devotion to another human. To have those emotions for one person for so long. It's rare, and I've only seen it once in my life. I only wish there was more of that kind of love in this world." her glazed a bit. They reflected a sad memory that passed through her brain. She unconsciously traced her fingers over her clothed skin, right under the bump of her left breast.
"Hime? Are you alright?" Tohru asked. She really didn't have to, she knew what her sister was thinking of. "Don't think of that day. Remember all the good times since then!" Tohru offered her a wide smile. A smile Hime was not able to return.
What the hell happened here? Hime, Tohru, and Yuki stared at the burnt kitchen. Kagura was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the charred layer from the surface.
"It's a long story." Shigure mumbled sadly.
"That's alright. I think we can guess what happened." Yuki responded. He was more upset over Hime than the kitchen. She hadn't opened her mouth since their brief conversation on the way to the market. They sat at the table, contemplating what to have for dinner. Shigure sighed, not wanting to order any take-out.
"Where'd the other home wrecker go?" Yuki asked. Hime was ready to punch him. He needed to learn to be a little bit nicer. Shigure pointed to the roof, where Kyo likes to spend his time sulking.
It was finally nightfall, Hime's favorite time of day. She grabbed her guitar and sat on the back porch. She struck a few chords, starting a soft, humble melody. Her calloused left fingertips pressed the strings along the neck, moving up and down. A rounded, well used pick plucked in rhythm to the song in her head. She played softly, then worked in a long crescendo, the music becoming quick and almost harsh. She sang along, making sure no one could hear her. From a loud, thunderous note, she gradually softened the beat. The song came to a close with one last soft pluck. She breathed the last word. She sat in beloved silence, feeling the presence that had been listening behind the door. She closed her eyes to savor the moment. Whoever was listening joined her on the porch, taking a seat beside her.
He didn't say a word, not wanting to ruin this perfect moment. The blonde had her hair back in a loose braid, her bangs falling over her closed blue eyes. The breeze blew a perfect curl over her pale cheek. He saw her sigh in contempt, breathing in the forest air. He's never seen her this at peace and it made him happy he could share such a moment with her. She had waited for a night like this, but the boy beside her was a surprise. She hummed a soft lullaby as they both bathed in the light of a half moon.
Kagura latched onto Kyo once again. He tried to shake her off, but to no avail. Hime almost chuckled at the sight. She threw her school bag over one shoulder, waiting for the other three to catch up. Kagura ran passed her in rage. She burst through the door, right into the paper boy. Yuki grabbed the paper and the boy's face, pushing him away. With a confused farewell, the boy danced back the way he came. Hime looked to the ground to find a small boar. I knew it! She smirked. Her senses were on high alert today, and she felt absolutely marvelous!
"I figured it out! She's a boar!" Tohru picked up the animal and cheered happily. I think that's cheating. "Kagura, I understand why you like Kyo so much. He has quite a few good qualities. The more I learn about them, the more I want to see him the way you do." Kagura must have misunderstood Tohru's meaning, because she jumped from her grasp and began attacking Kyo. Tohru intervened and quickly restated what she wanted to say. "I mean I hope I can be like you; being able to find the good qualities of the people I care about."
The boar's eyes began to water. "You want to be like me?" Smoke lifted from her body. She leaned against Kyo, buck naked. "I don't know what to say!"
"Get some clothes on!" he shouted.
"Bye!" Kagura waved. Tohru waved back as they parted ways.
"Oh! I forgot to do some planting with all the commotion." Yuki said.
"Are you planting something new?" Hime asked. He smiled at her.
"Yes. Strawberries." He watched her eyes widen. Her lips parted in a dazzling smile.
"That's great! We love strawberries!" she and Tohru yelled at the same time.
"I figured you might. That's why I'm planting them." Awe! Hime didn't have time to enjoy her thoughts for long. Kagura ran back and tried to give Kyo the kiss she forgot to give. Hime sighed, but smiled despite herself. This family is going to kill me, but I guess I couldn't die happier.