Friends of a Rice Ball

DG32173 & Aniasin

Sarah: chapter eleven is now up. Please enjoy reading this! We only own the Hinori clan and this story. X-Men and Fruits Basket belong to other peoples.

Aniasin: Well I ain't got nothin' to say. Read and enjoy!!

NOTE
(Authors note)
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Scene change
POV change
Memory
Scene change in memory

Chapter 11

Sudden Departure

Casey just sits there staring out the window. She can barely see two of the X men members arguing with each other using her wolf eyes. Cyclops and Logan she figures, but she has plenty on her mind to think about besides them anyway. She can't help but think about the militant attack and what Cyclops had said. Maybe she and Sari weren't open-minded enough. Casey sighs; they have let their emotions get the better of them … again. Maybe they should have heard them out before going on the attack. Speaking of attack, she feels bad about attacking Logan. Although he asked for it … she still feels bad. Maybe the X-men were right; maybe they would be safer in the states surrounding by people with talents like them. They ain't mutants like those X-Men, but they are different like they are. She still doesn't like the idea of going back to the states, but...

"I'll be back." Casey says as she passes through the living room; she walks towards the door with a determined look. Sari is still pissed off so she doesn't even realize that her sister has left the house.

Casey grabs her blue jean jacket and hastily puts it on as she opens the door and goes out into the blizzard. "Eye of the leopard." Casey eyes start to glow reddish green as she scan the yard looking for the X-men. There they are … near the gates. She flinches as she can hear Logan and Cyclops yelling at each other from the porch.

She sighs as she runs across the snow covered landscape. She has to reach them before they leave. One, she has to apologize and two, she has to talk them into staying despite what Sari had said.

"Hey, HEY WAIT!!!" Casey yells out as she nears the group. Logan visibly stiffens as he sees her come closer. The two men immediately stop arguing as they notice the girl getting even closer.

"What do you want?" Logan asks in a deadly low tone as he backs up against the gate.

"Just hear me out!" Casey pants as she stops between Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. "I've been thinking about what you said and if you really think I'd be safer with you then I'm in."

Logan and Cyclops look at Casey like she was crazy.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Storm asks curiously. This girl
is a confusing facade of emotions. One second, she is happy, another moment, she is enraged, and the next, she is sad.

"I let my emotions get the better of me." Casey replies shamefully as she lowers her head. "I should have heard you out instead of attacking. I'm sorry." she adds as she takes a cautious look at Logan. He had loosened up a bit and instead of looking scared, he looks confused.

"Apology accepted kid." Logan replies shocking everyone around him. Nobody had expected that, especially from Logan. Casey still isn't sure about being called 'kid'. Now she knows how Kyo feels about being called 'Carrot-Top.'

"But let's get one thing clear." Casey starts angrily, causing the X-Men to go on high alert. "If anyone attacks any member of my family again on purpose … they won't see the next sunrise." She growls staring at them all but especially at Logan and Cyclops. They seem to be the ones that would likely attack without provocation. Of course, they have really short tempers as well and that certainly doesn't help.

"Deal." Cyclops said as he stretches his hand out towards Casey. The girl nods as she takes it and shakes it, sealing the deal.

"So, what's ya'll real names?" Casey asks curiously. The names she had heard earlier had to have been their alter-egos.

"I'm Scott." Cyclops said as he nods his head.

"Ororo." Storm replies as she looks at the girl warmly. "But please just call me Storm."

"I'm Katherine." the energetic girl says excitedly as she grabs Casey's hand and shakes it energetically. "You can call me Kitty!" Casey groans as she tries to recover from the vigorous handshake. The girl defiantly has spunk!

"Kurt." Casey could tell the older man was nervous. He would never look at her; he always kept to himself. Maybe he was subconscious of the way he looks? Maybe all he needs is a friend?

"I'm Bobby." The young boy says as he slowly melts the ice encasing his body. He looks about Kitty's age maybe a little older. Casey wasn't sure how that man could survive turning into a block of ice but … the odd must stick together … right?

"I am Dr. Henry McCoy." the big blue fluffy guy still made Casey nervous. Doctor huh? How interesting …

"I'm Logan." the man whom Casey had attacked still had that gruff voice. It was gonna take some getting used too. "I'm sure you already knew that." Of course! He was a smart ass too.

"My name's Jean. It a pleasure to meet you." a woman was dark red hair was the last to introduce herself. So her alter-ego is her real name too. How peculiar. Casey couldn't keep her eyes of her hair. It was an unnatural shade of red like her hair was. Finally, someone who she could relate too about her hair…well, sort of.

"We can go back to the house, if you want." Casey suggests, making the group shudder and flinch.

"But what about..." Storm begins to ask about Casey's sister, but Casey just waves her hand nonchalantly as she leads the group back to the house.

"It's all right." Casey says. "It's not actually her house; its mine, since I'm the oldest. If she doesn't like it, then, oh well. It's my choice. She's gonna have to learn how to deal with it." She adds firmly as she enters the house.

Sari looks up as the front door opens. She scowls when she sees the X-Men walk in. "What are they doing here?" Sari snarls, glaring at the X-Men … mostly at Logan. She can hold a grudge for years on years, as proven with Shigure. It is doubtful that she'll ever forgive Logan for attacking her sister.

"I have something to tell you," Casey says as she looks back at Sari, uncertain if she wants to tell her sister that she's going back. "I've made my choice, I'm moving back to the States."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Sari yelps in surprise.

"I thought about what they said and I thought it would be the best thing to do." Casey replies calmly as she tries to control her temper. "It's your choice whether or not you'll come with me."

"I REFUSE TO LEAVE! AND YOU BETTER RETHINK YOUR DECISION!"

"You don't control me Sari!" Casey snaps as she walks to the bottom of the staircase. "I've made my choice. Now you have to make yours. I can't tell you what to do and you can't tell me what to do!"

"I'M NOT GOING! And you can't leave me!" Sari yells.

"We all have to make choices Sari. It's my life, my choices, and I'm the only one who can change them!" Casey says in an end of conversation manner as she limps up the flight of stairs leaving Sari angry and hurt.

Sari turns a demonic glare on the people who stole her sister from her, causing all of them to shrink back from fear, even Logan. They've seen her kill those who hurt her or her family. "You lot wait on the porch. It's my house now that Casey-nee-chan isn't here," she snaps angrily, pointing to the front door. They quickly file out of the house onto the large porch. They wonder if Casey really did make a good decision, leaving her extremely emotional sister to live here alone. As soon as they are out, Sari turns and runs up the stairs to her room. She closes and locks her door behind her; not even Tohru can come in now. She puts her back to the door and sinks down to her knees. She starts crying quietly. Mama's dead, Father's dead, and now even her sister is leaving her to live here all alone. Nina won't be staying much past New Years; that's just Nina. She can never settle down in one particular place for more than a few weeks at most. What did she ever do to cause all her family to desert her?

In her room, Casey sits on her bed. She has a couple of backpacks and a large messenger bag in her lap, but she just can't bring herself to pack. She is wondering if she made the right choice. She has to make it sooner or later. She can't live with her sister for the rest of her life, can she? She has to break out of the cage … she has to go places and experience things she never felt before. Even when they were in the States last time, their mom rarely let them leave the house. They were in a cage then as well and she wanted out. She always wanted out and now is her chance and she can't let Sari spoil it for her. But she'll be all alone. No she won't. She'll have Tohru, Yuki, Kyo and the other Hinoris. She isn't the only one.

As she walks up to her dresser she can feel someone watching her from her door. She looks to the door and sees Shigure. He has a look of confusion on his face.

"What do you want?" Casey asks softly as she goes back to her dresser. She was an expert packer and she was confident that she could pack a month's worth of clothes into two book bags and the rest of her necessities would go in the messenger bag.

"Are you sure that this is the right decision?" Shigure asks as he walks into Casey's room and sits on her bed staring at the bags.

"What's it matter to you?" Casey spits out, leaving Shigure rather hurt. He had come to see the energetic girl kind of as a daughter and hearing that kind of stung.

"You don't know how much you mean to you sister," Shigure replies, pushing his own emotions to the side. "She's in her room … crying. She really doesn't want you to leave."

"It's not about her." Casey sighs as she sits down. She begins folding her clothes. "I've never really liked my powers. I hate the Hinori curse. I want to be normal. I want to get out of this cage mentality. These people are giving me that chance. Why shouldn't I take it?"

"Is it what you want or what they want?" Shigure asks, surprised. He is startled to find out how much Casey is like Yuki.

"Do I look like the kind of person who could be forced to do something?" Casey raises an eyebrow at the older man.

"You mean more to your sister than you think." Shigure says sadly as he gets up. "You mean a lot to me too."

"Huh?" Casey looks up at Shigure. Her eyes seem to glow in the low light.

"Well …," Shigure clears his throat as he begins to blush brightly. He is glad that it is kind of dark. "I see you as a daughter and well, I don't want you to leave either."

"I'm sorry, Shigure." Casey shakes her head shamefully. She had no idea that's how he really felt. "I really feel like this is the right choice."

"Let's hope Sari feels the same way." Shigure sighs as he walks out the room. Casey can hear his footsteps as he walks down the stairs.

Casey clears her throat as she's about to cry. She quickly packs her clothes and her other necessities. As she's about to leave she grabs a picture of her, Sari, and their mom.

As Casey passes Sari's room, she stops and looks at the door. She can hear her sister's whispered words and almost non-existent sobs. "What did I do? Why does everyone leave me? Was I really that bad to everyone?" Sari murmurs between soft sobs.

Casey looks at the hasty note she had written for Sari. It reads,

Dear Sari,

Listen, I may know that it feels like I'm abandoning you but I'm not. I'll be back. I promise. I just have to leave for a while. Think of it as a mission. I have to find myself. This is the only way. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. I would never abandon you.

Love, Case

"That's not enough." Casey murmurs as she grabs a pen out of her pocket. She opens the letter and quickly scribbles a post script.

P.S. You were never bad to me. Of course, you have your quirks, but that's not the reason I'm leaving. It's more of an inner thing. I promise I'll be back. I'll call you and send you letters as much as I can. Hugs and kisses. From your nee-chan.

Confident that that is enough, Casey slips the note between the door and the floor to Sari's room. She nods her head as she walks toward the stairs. She really doesn't want to have to face Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Shigure, and Nina, but she doesn't have much of a choice. Shigure's words are still fresh in her mind as she gets to the stairs.

"I hear you're going with those weirdoes," Kyo's voice comes from behind her, causing her to jump about a foot in the air and whirl around when she lands. He's leaning against the wall, looking the opposite way. "You should at least say goodbye to Tohru; she'll be hurt if you don't," he adds. He looks at Sari's bedroom door and scowls. "Sari isn't the same when you're not around, ya know?" he says, confusing Casey. "She's just too quiet and so fidgety all the time when you're not nearby. Even in school, she's like that. It's freaky."

"Where is Tohru anyway?" Casey asks as she looks at Kyo; she walks around so she can see his face. "Look, I'm not leaving because of something somebody did, alright?" she adds as she looks directly at Kyo's red eyes.

"I never said you were!" Kyo snaps. He turns his head away. "Tohru's in the kitchen, washing dishes. Sari offered to help before you came back with them weirdoes, but Tohru insisted on doing it herself. I think the damned rat is in there with her. Nina said she'd be in the 'armory'; do ya'll really have an armory?"

"Yeah, it's on the second floor, first door on the left." Casey mumbles as she walks past Kyo, continuing down the stairs, and to the kitchen. There are Tohru and Yuki; they are doing the dishes like Kyo said they were. She clears her throat to get their attention.

"Oh, hi Casey-chan," Tohru says, smiling brightly.

"Hello," Yuki says. Apparently, neither of them have heard the news.

Casey sighs as she drops her bags to the floor. She comes up from behind and hugs Tohru tightly. "I'm really sorry Tohru but I have to leave for a while. Can you make sure Sari stays safe?" Tears fall from her eyes as she hugs her friend.

"You're going with those people, aren't you?" Tohru asks softly. Casey nods. "We'll take care of Sari-chan until you return," Tohru adds, smiling brightly at her with her eyes closed and head cocked to the side.

"Take care in the states," Yuki says, nodding his goodbye.

"You seem to be the only ones taking this well." Casey mutters. Suddenly Nina comes bursting into the kitchen. She grabs Casey by the collar of her shirt and punches her in the face. Casey gasps as she falls onto the ground. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Casey, you bitch!" Nina growls as she steps over Casey grabbing her shirt again. "Why the hell are you leaving?! Do you have any idea what you're doing to your sister?! What you're doing to me?!" she growls as she pants heavily; tears are falling down her face.

"Nina…" Casey gasps as she looks at her cousin, "I have to do this."

"Who says?!" Nina growls as the whole house begins to shake violently. Nina's temper is causing an earthquake.

"I'm doing this for me!" Casey yells. "Not because of anyone else!"

Nina growls as she throws Casey onto the ground. The house stops shaking, much to Casey's relief. Nina gets to her feet and sends a death glare towards Casey. "Guess I'll be hanging around here for a while …," she scoffs as she storms out of the kitchen.

"Casey-chan, are you alright?" Tohru asks, kneeling beside the girl.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the girl says, rubbing her cheek. Had Nina been even slightly more in control, she'd have hit Casey in the nose, breaking it. But her fury caused her to miss.

"What did Nina-chan mean about 'hanging around here for a while'? She didn't sound too happy about it," Tohru asks.

"Nina's a wanderer by nature; she doesn't settle in any one place for more than a few weeks at best. She says staying in one place for more than a few weeks is like setting yourself in a cage, because it gives you the opportunity to become close friends with people. And she claims that having friends ties you to their location for a long time, which she hates," Casey explains.

Suddenly, Sari walks into the room with a decent sized pile of gift-wrapped boxes. Her eyes and skin are so clear, you can't tell she had been crying minutes before. But her eyes hold a look that signals she feels like she has been betrayed. Sari holds the boxes out to Casey. "Since you won't be here to open them on Christmas with us," she mutters, looking away, "I thought I'd bring you your gifts to take with you. Just don't get too excited and open them before Christmas."

"Thanks." Casey mutters as she gets to her feet. She looks at Sari, wondering if she got the letter. Now wouldn't be a good time to bring it up, though. "Well I guess I'll see ya'll later."

"Don't you mean good-bye?" Nina spits out angrily.

"No I don't." Casey glares angrily at her cousin. "I will be back. I promise." She adds as she grabs her bags, but she leaves the presents. "And when I get back, we'll have the biggest Christmas celebration you've ever seen." She walks out into the living room. She glances back at the group and, giving one last wave, she leaves the house.

Aniasin: Boo hoo! Gosh, this chapter is sad! Til next time … (cries)

Sarah: (crying) poor Sari-chan! (suddenly brightens up) at least Sari knows that Casey will be back! Casey never leaves her presents unopened forever. (cheers) (starts crying again) but poor Sari-chan!

Aniasin: Emotional are we? Yes we are! (sniffles)