A/N: YAY for an update . I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the lateness and the start…I thought it just had to be done again.
Chapter 10 As secrets unravel.
Hi I'm Tohru Honda about a year and a half ago my mom died in a car accident and I had to live with my grandfather on my fathers side. It was going well till he had some refurbishment done because his daughter was coming to live with him, during that time he lived with her and her family leaving me alone again. I could have gone to stay with either of my Best friends, Saki Hanajima or Arisa Uotani but I did not want to be a burden so I decided to live alone in a tent. That's when I met Yuki Sohma, well I already knew him but only because he was the 'prince' of my high school and I also met his cousin Shigure Sohma. I later came to live with them and learnt a terrible secret that some members of the Sohma Family were possessed by the vengeful spirits of the twelve animals of the Zodiac and that if their bodies are put under a lot of stress or are hugged by a member of the opposite sex they transform into their relative animal. I promised to keep this a secret and this is where you find me now.
Just before we broke up for the summer break of our second year in High School I met the Horse of the Zodiac, Yunari Sohma who later came to live with us. I found out that Yunari's family had died in a car accident when she was young and that throughout her life she was close to the other Zodiac members, especially Yuki. Shortly after returning to school I also met Muro Sohma the Rooster and the last of the twelve Zodiac members. He really cares about Yunari and something happened between them before she retuned from the country dojo they shared which seemed to have destroyed their happiness. The Sohma family is full of many secrets, things I want to be able to understand but Muro has warned me about getting too close to the secrets that surround Yunari. Could getting to know her be that dangerous? And what effect will this have on my want to break the Curse. I Guess only time will tell.
III
"Very nice Hikage-San, but this is 'Fine Art', I can't pass you with that." Everyone was back at school and taking part in their selected lessons.
"But Sensei, Manga Art dates back centuries, you told us to work on something close to our hearts and I live and breathe Manga. I really want to be a Manga-Ka." Nanashi had almost completed her piece for the term which she had been working on without showing the teacher, it was a large piece done in water colours and inks depicting a battle field. A character much like Nanashi was stood in the centre of the picture dressed in samurai's armour, her hair just coming out of its ribbon as she stood boldly at the top of a hill. Her eyes were the part that attracted you to the image, bright blue eyes coldly staring at the viewer set in a blood stained face.
"I thought you wanted to be a news reporter Nanashi-Chan?" The girl sat next to her stated.
"Yeah that too, but please! Can't you possibly pass me? I've worked really hard."
"I will see what I can do." The teacher answered carrying on her inspection of the classes work.
"ARIGATOU SENSEI!!" Nanashi chirped
"Sohma-San…" The teacher arrived at Yunari's station beside the window. "It's very nice Sohma-San, your family I presume." The teacher wrote down some notes on her clipboard as Nanashi walked over to sneak a peak at the painting.
"Wow! Was your brother's hair really that bright, and where the hell do you two get your hair colour from?" Nanashi remarked on the fact that Yunari's elder brother had bright red hair whereas both her parents had black hair.
"My mother was naturally red like my brother although she always dyed it black; I think the colour offended my father's side of the family somehow. And I take after my grandmother."
"I heard you were only distantly related to the prince and Kyo but you still have the name Sohma, is the Sohma family really that big?" Nanashi began not knowing where she was really going with the subject.
"The Sohma family is huge. My father's relatives are from one of the branch families spanning off the main house you could say, Yuki and Kyo are from the main house though." Yunari answered still working.
"So didn't you have anyone that could take you in, I mean close family?"
"My fathers' side of the family was quite small without linking back naturally and my mom was an orphan. I was passed around the few relatives I had after they died but most of my fathers' family was old so it didn't last long."
"They all died too?" Nanashi found that odd how Yunari had no direct family any more, and how they had all died and any she did have been too distant to really count.
"How did your parents die anyway, I heard you were really young when they did?" Nanashi asked changing her tone of voice so that those close by could not hear.
"It was about ten years ago, in an accident. Didn't you know? I thought it had gotten around the whole school by now. My brother was sick, had been his whole life. One night he was really bad and my father stayed up with him, he had to go see his doctors in the city the next day and…my father fell asleep at the wheel. I was the only one that was spared." Nanashi noticed how Yunari touched the bandaged around her neck as she thought back to the day.
"All three of them died…in an accident." Nanashi had heard of whole families dying in such a way but it was too much of a coincidence, three Sohma's dying ten years ago in an accident, it was too right; but why would Yunari lie about the way her family had died? And it was the same story around the whole school; could it really just be a coincidence?
"Yunari-San!" The teacher called across the room, the headmaster was stood at the door waiting. "Can I have a word?" Yunari stood putting her brush in the small jar of water. Nanashi watched as the three spoke, she saw the frown appear on Yunari's face and the concern in the art teachers' eyes. What was going on? Yunari left with the headmaster, collecting her things and asking Nanashi if she would put away her canvas, she never gave a reason for her departure.
As Nanashi cleaned up Yunari's things she noticed a fancy, black car parked at the school gates, she saw the young Sohma walk across the yard towards it as a man with black hair opened the back door, Yunari seemed to completely ignore the man as she stepped into the car. The door was closed behind her and the young man got in on the drivers side.
(Later that day…Nanashi's house)
"Hey dad, I'm home….No answer, guess he's out." Nanashi had been thinking about Yunari and the things she had said all day even asking Yuki about it although he hadn't been much use. All Nanashi had been able to think about was the small chance that everything could be related somehow, the three murders, Yunari's families deaths, even the events with Muro who was accused of being a 'Black Dragon'. Nanashi had thought that if these cases were linked somehow to the 'Black Dragon syndicate' then they could easily make three deaths disappear, but why would they do so?
The young teen made her way towards her fathers study, knowing everything she needed would be there. She hacked into his computer and popped up the files he was most recently looking at, one was a newspaper article.
"'The Kurokazi Corporation' formally known as the 'Black Dragon Syndicate' today tried to buy out a section of 'Valentine Corp', only to be refused by the utmost head of the Corporation, the direct heir of Matsuri Valentine-Sama, Kamijiro-San. Matsuri Valentine along with his wife and thirty close corporation members were massacred almost thirty years ago on the night of February 14th, Valentines Day. As was the standing tradition in the days when these two corporation giants were the leading, rival, heads of the Japanese Mafia.'"
Nanashi read the article which dated ten years previous, she had heard about the massacre of the Valentines, just like everyone else who lived in Japan and even some people in America. The Valentines and Kurokazi families once ran Japan through Mafia like doings now they ran Japan though business, the Valentine name still owned hospitals, schools, banks, pharmaceuticals and anything that the Kurokazi name didn't.
Nanashi opened up the next files which were records of deaths.
"Damn it dad what on earth were you up to?" Nanashi scanned over the records when she noticed they were all Sohma's. Every Sohma that had died in the past ten years was saved into the file. "It's a long shot but I guess I could try it." Nanashi typed into the search section all deaths occurring on February 14th. Three came back positive.
"Kyoukou, Yuri and Hikari Sohma. All died ten years ago…Deaths…Accidental. These must be what father was on about, the deaths that disappeared." As Nanashi looked through the three reports she noticed that the three were related, Father, Mother and son. "The mom didn't have a maiden name? That's odd; she married young too…had the son at 17…and another child."
"I was the only one that was spared." Yunari's words echoed in her mind as she scanned through the report on the death of the mother, everything was very basic.
"Why would she say it like that though? Surely she would have said 'I was the only one to survive' or something like that." Nanashi contemplated on the thought but it was getting late and her mind shouted at her to sleep.
III
The next day passed quickly, Nanashi had hardly seen Yunari around the school but was too busy getting the latest school paper done to really think about anything else. The young teen often stayed behind at school much later than any other students and teachers for that matter as she knew the caretaker and he trusted her to lock up the room she was using and hand the key to him after, being the daughter of the chief of police helped a lot also. As she cleared up her things in the small office she had been given to produce the schools paper she wondered if Yunari was still in the building, she had overheard some of the track team saying that Yunari couldn't go to training because she had work to catch up on in the art department.
Nanashi was right in thinking Yunari was still in the art room for she was just beginning to clean her things away.
"That's a lovely painting." Yunari was startled to hear the voice at the door, dropping the canvas as she stepped back instinctively. "You paint your family well, although they look so sad."
"What are you doing here?" Yunari demanded to know.
"You have been skipping lessons, I was worried. Is something wrong? Little Nari-Sama."
"Get out and leave me alone!" Yunari snapped.
"Now you are in no position to be telling me what to do." The young, black haired teacher picked up the painting as Yunari backed away coming close to the open window. "You really could do with a few extra lessons unless…" Karasu placed the painting down focusing his dark eyes on the teen. "…unless you don't want to put up a fight."
"You know my intentions."
"Yes but your intentions don't go along with our plans. The old fool is waiting for his death and an heir has not been named, as soon as he dies we will be open to move unless…a direct blood descendent is located, if one is then we can't do a thing until they have made up their mind and if they appoint someone as the new head, well we'll be in ruin and my boss with be very displeased with me."
"Oh and we can't have that now can we." Yunari mocked, Karasu did not enjoy being talked to like that and before she could react he had sent her crashing to the floor with a hard slap across the face.
"You watch you words Sohma!" He hissed. Yunari felt the fear growing inside of her; this man had haunted her nightmares for years, caused her to suffer throughout her life and there was nothing she could do. "The Sohma is a pretty big family, I'm sure you have some relatives in there somewhere…perhaps those three men you live with." Yunari was shaking; she felt the tightness in her chest threatening to take over.
"You Can't." she gasped, the stress and fear was taking control; the thoughts of what the man before her could do, what he had done to those she cared about was too much.
"Oh I can." He answered kneeling down to stare into Yunari's pale eyes. The teen began to cough, to fight the tightness; the lack of breath. "Oh what's this? Well this is interesting." Karasu grinned as the defenceless student coughed and gasped for air.
"YUNARI!!!" Shouts echoed through the halls of the empty school she recognised the voiced it was Kyo and Yuki. "YUNARI-CHAN!" Nanashi also called out.
Karasu growled, if he left through the door leading to the hall then they would no doubly see him so he left via the window it was only the second floor after all.
"Yunari!" Kyo slid the door to the art room open as Yuki ran to be by her side.
"Yunari, its okay you need to relax." Yuki said as the young horse still gasped for breath. "You need to calm down." Yuki tried to sound assertive but Nanashi could hear the worry in his voice.
"I'll call an Ambulance." Nanashi finally realised who the other person was stood next to her, it was driver of the car Yunari had left in a few days back.
"No!" Yunari ordered although still coughing violently.
"What are you crazy?" The boy shouted back at her.
"Kouga!" Kyo scolded. "This is not the time, I'll call Hatori." Yunari went to protest but she blacked out before she could say anything.
"Yunari!" Yuki held her as he tried to get a response, Nanashi stood by the door frozen to the spot she had no idea what was going on.
"Out of the way." Kouga ordered as he knelt down, he pulled out what looked like a syringe from his inside jacket pocket (he was wearing a black suit).
"Hey what do you think your doing!" Nanashi asked in panic.
"She has blood on her hands. If I'm right it's the same thing our boss has, brought on by stress, fear and anger. I believe her father had it too?" Yuki still held her as Kouga injected the medication into her arm, the last part of what he said was directed towards the Sohma boys. "She will be alright now, shall I call and ambulance or what?" He asked standing up.
"Kouga can we take your car?" Kyo asked, Kouga nodded. "Right then we go to Shigure's and call Hatori." Yuki just nodded. Kyo was to carry her down the stairs and to where Kouga had parked his car.
"Excuse me!" Nanashi piped up as they began to move out of the school. "What just happened?"
"And you are?" Kouga asked.
"Nanashi, Nanashi Hikage. I'm a friend of Yunari's" she answered unsure of who this Kouga person was.
"Hikage, daughter of the chief of Police? Don't worry, your friend will be fine. You best be on your way it's late." Kouga turned his back on her opening the car door for Kyo. "You understand I will have to inform Hitosu and possibly Kamijiro-Sama." He said to Yuki in a whisper.
"Kamijiro! As in Kakihara Kamijiro? Head of The Valentine Corporation." No one said anything, Kyo was sat in the back with Yunari as Kouga moved to get into the drivers side.
"Wait Yuki!" Nanashi Grabbed hold of the prince's arm. "Who exactly is Yunari Sohma?"
A/N: The next chapter will be about Tohru so dont complain there's too much Nanashi -ahem- Jamie