Thank you for the support everyone! It means a lot. School has started so I'll probably be updating about once a week. Hope you enjoy!

Momiji hadn't been kidding. He was great at history. He talked with animated gesticulations and seamlessly connected the names and events into a complex story of cause and effect. Namie sat with Momiji and the boy he had introduced as "my cousin Haru," and frantically tried to scribble down every word.

Momiji paused in his story. Namie glanced up to see him shot a meaningful look at her barely touched sandwich. She sighed and took a bite. Momiji grinned, nicked some of Haru's food, and continued on. By the end of lunch, the entire page of homework had been filled.

Namie picked at the last few bites of her sandwich while Momiji went off whistling to throw away an empty milk carton. She eyed Haru's multicolored hair and punk jewelry with some caution, but he had seemed perfectly friendly so she felt comfortable enough to ask, "Is Momiji always like that?"

Haru's spaced-out gaze focused on her. "Like what?"

"So happy and friendly."

"I s'pose," replied Haru. "He is with us in the family I guess."

"Oh."

Momiji appeared back at their table. "Come on!" he called to them. "Time for class!"

He and Namie waved good-bye to Haru and turned down the hall that lead to their history class.

"So are you and Haru really cousins?" Namie couldn't help asking.

"Yeah," Momiji gave her a quizzical look. "Why?"

"He just seems so different from you."

Momiji was uncharacteristically quiet. "We're not directly related. I think Haru and I are third cousins or second how ever many times removed or something. We've just grown up together in the main house."

"Main house?"

Momiji shifted back and forth as if searching for the right words. "Um, it's just a house my family owns. A bunch of us live there."

"That must be nice to have such a close family."

"Yeah." The reply sounded both wistfulness and bitter, but when Namie glanced at Momiji's face it was impassive.

They reached the classroom door and Momiji swung it open. He turned back to Namie and for a moment she thought he was going to say something more but he only winked at her and said, "I'll bet the teacher will be impressed with your homework."

And she was. Ms. Ueda scanned the page with an approving nod. "Much better Namie. Keep this up on the few tests and you should be alright."

Namie smiled and thanked her. A note landed on her desk with the words See? ;). She looked over her shoulder at Momiji. The solemn mood he had developed when talking about his family had dissolved and he was smiling again. It made her both curious and irked that he could deflect her questions so easily, while poking around in her business so determinedly.

"Yes, but now she expects me to do this well on everything," she hissed back.

"Well then," he chirped. "I'll just have to tutor you."

"Maybe," Namie shot him a look and turned back to face the front. Whether she cared to admit it or not, the idea was tempting. On the one hand it would be nice to have someone to look over her work, to point out mistakes or things she didn't understand. To remind her of what she missed when she fell asleep in class.

On the other hand Namie didn't want to accept the help. There was too much going on in her life to add something, or someone, else to worry about. Besides, Namie was the one who could take care of things on her own. Who got by and never needed help from anyone else. To accept help was to say she couldn't handle it. And she could handle it. She absolutely could.

Ms. Ueda clapped her hands at the front of the class. "Ok students, now for this next unit we'll be focusing on different aspects of the period. I want you to divide into pairs and you will work together for the next few weeks on the topic I assign you." She paused. "Yes Momiji?"

Momiji's hand was waving gracefully back and forth as high as he could reach. He put it down as he was called on with a simple smile that sent a stab of foreboding through Namie's stomach.

"I'll work with Namie!"

Well, thought Namie. So much for the tutoring decision.

Disclaimer: Fruit's Basket and its characters belong to Natsuki Takaya