Chapter Eight… A Normal Day of School…

School Time

Hey, aren't they the Sohma siblings? The two captains of the karate club?" A girl whispered to her friend as two students wearing boy's uniforms walked by. The shorter student with orange hair had rolled their sleeves up to their shoulders.

"Yeah, Vice Captain, Kazuki and Captain, Kyoichi. I mean its no wonder she was made captain, just look at all those injuries and scars she's got!" The first girl's friend replied to her question.

"But I thought Kyoichi was a boys' name."

"I herd that she looks just like her father, Kyo Sohma. And get this; he used to go to this very school."

"Anyway, why does she get to wear the boy's uniform? It's not fair to the rest of us girls."

Kyoichi's ears twitched and both she and her brother stopped in their tracks. The female student glanced back at the two girls, the scar on her left cheek stood out compared to the rest of her injuries while the male student turned all the way round, both of them glaring.

The two girls ran away from the two black belt students.

Kyoichi put both of her hands into her pockets and started to walk again, "Those stupid girls need to learn to keep their thoughts to themselves."

"Come on Sis, just calm down, they don't get it." Kazuki tried to calm his sister down.

"Tch." The two siblings continued to walk when all of a sudden a short kid with long black and white hair runs up from behind them and jump kicks at Kyoichi who had already seen the attack coming and blocked it with her left arm, "Nice try Gen. But no. She sent the kid spinning but the kid miraculously landed in a crouching position and kept their balance with their right hand.

The kid stood up their necklaces clanging together, "I'm never gonna beat you am I?"

"Not if you keep skipping club activities. You need to start attending or you're going to get kicked out." Kyoichi ruffled the kid's hair, "And maybe start dressing as a girl. You are one after all."

"But you don't either Kyoichi." Gen slapped Kyoichi's hand away.

"But at least I don't have a job as a host."

"Lay off, it's the only job I could get at thirteen."

Kazuki stepped in, "You need to come stay at our house Haruko. My mom and dad would welcome you. You don't have to pay to live in that tiny apartment."

"Don't call me that! My name is Gen! It's not Haruko! And I don't need your pity!" Gen kicked Kazuki in the shin then ran off.

Kyoichi started to run after Gen but stopped knowing that Gen just wanted to be alone. She turned around and frowned at her brother, "It's your fault you know."

"Yeah, that's why I didn't hit her back." Kazuki kneeled down to rub where he had been kicked.

"I'm going to head home okay, I'll see you there." Kyoichi left him there and went home after switching her shoes.

After a half hour walk, Kyoichi made it home to find her twin cousins, Kohaku and Daichi, "Oh great, it's bad enough that I have to see you at school but now I have to see you at home too?" She tossed her messenger bag into the corner to the room and joined her cousins under the kotatsu table.

Daichi, the twin with black hair and eyes didn't say anything while his brother Kohaku brushed his amber bangs to the side, "That's so mean! I thought you liked us."

Kyoichi placed her chin in her palm and sighed, "I'm tired of family… I only ever hang out with Sohmas…" Kyoichi stood up, "I'll be on the roof..." She opened the front door and bumped into Kazuki who was opening the door from the other side.

All of a sudden the room was covered with orange smoke. Once it cleared Kyoichi had been transformed into an orange cat, "Damn it Kazuki; watch where you're going!" The cat bit Kazuki's leg and ran out right as Tohru walked in having heard the commotion.

Tohru noticed the blood on Kazuki's leg, "Kazuki, you're bleeding! A first aid kit! That's right I'll go get a first aid kit! But wait, Kyoichi has transformed and ran off; I have to go find her before she transforms back!" She franticly ran around trying to figure out what to do when Kyo walked in. Kyo quickly grabbed a blanket and ran out to find Kyoichi leaving the others to calm Tohru down.

Kyo knew just where to find her, the roof. "Kyoichi you know it's not Kazuki's fault. You both should have been watching where you were going."

"Shut up Kyo… You're not my Father. He didn't want to remember I existed. I hate him and that woman who gave birth to me…" The cat sulks.

"Hey guess what, my Father isn't my dad either. But it got to the point to where he really was a father to me. I was the cat before you. Just remember you're not the only one with this curse. Your cousins are just like you. They know how it feels to be rejected by others." Kyo tried to calm her down.

"But their parents didn't choose to forget their children! Mine no longer know I exist!"

"But their father knew the pain you did. His mother couldn't bare the burden of a possessed child. And so their grandmother doesn't know they exist." Kyoichi's ears twitched and she didn't say anything more.

The transformation didn't last too long and the roof was covered with the same smoke as before.

Kyo quickly wrapped the blanket around the cloth-less teenager, "Come on. Let's go back inside." Kyoichi stood up and walked to the side of the roof and placed her hand on the edge of the shingles. Swiftly, she jumped through a second floor window so she could get inside and get some clothes on as soon as possible.

Kyo got down the normal way and entered the house through the front entrance being met by his frantic wife who still looked worried. Kyo took her hands and smiled down at her, "Don't worry Tohru, she's up in her room putting some clothes on."

Tohru calmed down and then saw their ten-year-old daughter, Rin walk into the room, "Oh Rin, welcome home!"

The little girl looks up at her mother and father, "I'm home… She took her shoes off at the entrance then went upstairs, "I'll be in my room doing homework." She shut her door behind herself.

Kyoichi came back down stairs wearing some of Kyo's old clothes. They were quite baggy on her but that was the way she liked it. She walked over to Kazuki who was sitting under the kotatsu with the twins.

Kazuki looked up at Kyoichi who was scratching one leg with her other foot trying not to make eye contact, "I'm sorry alright… I shouldn't have gotten mad at you…"

Kazuki smiled and moved to the corner of the table, "I'm sorry too."

Kyoichi smiled and sat down beside her brother and everyone played cards together.