A/N Wow, it's been a really long time since I've worked on this. Sorry for the delay - my little brother was born, and that kind of threw my life out of whack. Then I just forgot to update. BUT! With any luck, I will be updating more frequently in the near future. As always, review, and I can take decent criticism, so don't be afraid to point out something you think is wrong!

KYO'S POV:

I took a closer look at the title of the kid's book she got me - "The REAL story of the Zodiac" - and glared at her. She just grinned at me. I can't believe she's making me read a damn kid's book, and on the Zodiac no less. But it's not like I can just reject a gift from her like that, so I started to read.

(A/N Title sound familiar anyone? Yes, I did base this on The REAL story of the Three Little Pigs which does NOT belong to me in any way, shape or form.)

Everybody always says the rat came first, and that the poor cat was rejected by the Jade Emperor for failing to show up. Not so. In case you haven't guessed, I am the poor, misunderstood Cat in all of this. I'll give you the real story, the one the members of the Zodiac - especially the rat - don't want you to know.

There is, as always, a grain of truth to the legend. In this case, it's true up to about when the rat 'tricks' the cat into staying behind, so that's where I'll start.

"Hey, Cat!" my best friend and roommate, Rat, called out. "Did you hear? The Jade Emperor's having a feast the day after tomorrow! If you'd like, I'll wake you up when it's time to go, so you can have a nice, long sleep beforehand and won't have to take a nap during all of the festivities!"

As a matter of fact, I had heard, and I was pretty sure it wasn't the day AFTER tomorrow, but I wasn't going to tell him that just yet - I do like a practical joke as much as the next creature, but there is a limit. So, I simply said, "No, I hadn't heard! Thank you, so much - it would be really embarrassing if I had just dozed off as a guest of the Jade Emperor!" I worried I went a little far - I don't get embarrassed too easily - but Rat just seemed pleased that I had fallen for it so easily.

As was to be expected, the next morning Rat set out early to win the race to the Jade Emperor. Naturally, I was awake and followed him. But, when it was time to cross the river, I simply jumped across - there were boulders and such, you know. Rabbit just didn't go that way because he doesn't have as good balance as I do. So, as the Jade Emperor had doubtlessly planned, I came in first. After that everyone came just as described in the story, though Rat was obviously shocked and humiliated when he saw me sitting at the head of the table.

As time went by, though, the other animals gradually became aware of their (from their own perspective, anyway) superiority to the others. There were only two that remained as they were - the ox and the dog. And as time went by, Rat became sneakier than ever, until one day came when he, with the help of most of the rest of the Zodiac, betrayed me yet again - on the orders of the Jade Emperor, who had come to fear that I would usurp his throne. In disgust, I left the Zodiac, and will never return. As for Rat - we struck up our friendship again once he deflated his head. Even now, though, I still don't hesitate to show him my power whenever we meet. There's nothing wrong with trying to keep someone on the straight and narrow.

As always, there's a little bit of the story that's left out, or modified, simply because the teller was a part of it. But I still have yet to find a single more accurate rendition. Do you believe me? It doesn't really matter if you do - this is what happened, and I just wanted the truth to be out there.

END

I looked up at Miyuki, not really sure how to respond. She seemed to get it, though, so I didn't say anything. Why should I waste time explaining what she already understands? Even if I know that's not how it went, it was nice to read a version where I wasn't the bottom of the heap, where I was superior to the Rat, not just once, but in everything. It was nice...

A/N Hey! So, how did you like my story? Now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure that the title was "The REAL story of the Three Little Pigs," but it's close enough. It doesn't change the fact that I don't own it. Once again, if there's anything you think you would change or that you would like to see in the future, please, don't hesitate to tell me!