Chapter 11

(Chika's POV)

After Grandmother Kaneko came to visit Akahana and I at school, Dad told us some startling news that evening. "Girls, Grandmother Kaneko is going to be moving in with us." He said as we sat at the dinner table.

I stilled, food halfway in my mouth. "What?" I asked slowly, starting to feel tense.

"It's been hard on all of us since Mom died. Her living with us will be easier for everyone since there will be someone for you girls to come home to." He explained calmly.

I set my utensil down and stood. "Chika, you have not been excused." He yelled after me, making me stop in the doorway.

"Dad, you know I can't stand her." I said, turning back around to face him.

"She is still your grandmother Chika. That alone earns her some respect from you." He said, standing as well.

"Respect?... when has she ever respected me?!" I shouted, refusing to stay and talk about it anymore.

"Chika!" he called after me but I slammed my bedroom door, successfully silencing him.

I knew he would come after me so I pulled on the closest jacket and slipped out the window of our apartment. I scaled up the fire escape and sat on the edge of the building's roof. Dad would never find me up here. The gentle brush of fur touched my cheek and I glanced down at the jacket I had grabbed. It was Haru's from the other day at school. He had wrapped it around me after school and kissed my forehead. "I can't let my favorite girl go without having something of mine to keep her warm." He had said, running his hand down my cheek before walking off.

I pulled it closer to me and looked at the waning moon. I heard the rooftop door opening and Akahana came up behind me and kneeled down. "Dad's gone off to work." She said, touching my shoulder.

I nodded. "Look, Chika. I know you hate Grandma Kaneko, I don't know why but you do. You know that you can talk to me about anything, right? And Dad is trying to do what's best for us." She said, rubbing my arm.

I bowed my head. How I wished I really could talk to her about everything but I couldn't. That was one promise I wouldn't break. "Dad doesn't know us like he used to… well, me anyways. He always favored you." I said, looking over at her.

She smiled. "Just like Mom favored you." She said, gently punching my arm.

We laughed together before Akahana stood up. "Come on down and I'll get you some apple pie." She said, offering me her hand.

I looked up at her, putting on my kitten eyes. "The one with cinnamon and flaky crust?" I asked softly.

"The one with cinnamon and flaky crust." She said with a light laugh and I took her hand.

We walked back down, into our apartment and ate some pie. We told some jokes, exchanged stories on tormenting Kyo, and I decided to grill Akahana about Yuki. "So… how's Yuki?" I asked, stressing certain vowels to convey the hinting in my question.

"Fine." She was hiding something. Akahana never answered in such small words.

"Come on now Aka. Don't be so coy. Tell baby sister." I said, noting that she was playing with a piece of apple.

"There's nothing to tell," she insisted. "If anyone should be talking, it should be about you and Haru." She looked up and gave me a wink.

I blushed lightly would not be deterred. "Oh Haru? Yes, we are now a thing. But, seriously Aka, baby sister being in a relationship before you? Don't make me resort to blackmail. Just tell me if you like him or not. And I mean like him like him." I said, answering her question and refocusing it back to her.

She chuckled. "Yes, it is adorable to see my baby sister with her first boyfriend. Makes me smile, just thinking about it. So, when do you plan on bringing that boy over to meet dear old Dad?"

"You brat! Quite redirecting on me!" I laughed. "And I really don't know. Dad never took us, especially you, having a boy hanging around very well. Now, answer my question or else I'll tell Yuki about Ting-Ting whom you still sleep with."

"So what if he knows? Yuki already knows I thinks he's adorable as a rat." She said, smirking lightly at my struggle.

"Curses! Foiled again…" I said, dramatically. "Well fine then, don't answer. See if I care… I'll just have to make up my own assumptions about you two."

"Whatever makes you happy, Chi-Chi." She smiled smugly and returned to eating her pie. "By the way, I think Haru might be interested to know about your little bed time companion. What was it you called that little thing? Mrs. Frufru Floppity?"

I stared at her. "You leave Frufru alone!" I shouted, throwing my glass of water at her, shrieking and laughing as I ran away when she snatched up her glass. She ran after me and managed to pin me to a wall, dumping her icy water right down my spine.

"Ha! See what happens when you disrespect your big sister!" she laughed.

We fell to the floor in laughter when Dad came back in. He gave us a strange look but just shook his head, "O.K. what's going?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing…" Aka said. but I caught the coy look in her eye, and before I could stop her, she pointed at me and shouted (in a Momji-type voice?), "Chi-Chi has a boyfriend! Chi-Chi has a boyfriend!"

My life was over. "Oh O.K." he said and I thought that maybe he hadn't really heard her but… "WHAT?"

Again, my life was over. Akahana started to walk away while he asked, "What is she talking about?" he asked but I over ran him.

"At least I'm not dating a guy a year older than me!" I said and Dad grabbed Akahana's collar.

"Come back here." He said, dragging her back.

"Dad, it's not what you think," she said way too calmly. But I wasn't falling for the act.

"That's what they all say." I whispered into his ear. "Note her eyes and the fact that she was playing with an apple piece earlier."

Now, with his attention back on Akahana, I attempted to sneak away but she said, rather loudly, "Dad, Yuki and I are friends, plus he is in love with another girl from our class. Besides, I wasn't the one who let herself get pinned to a wall and tongued in the cafeteria, and get caught smackin' lip in the courtyard."

Again, my life was over. Dad grabbed my collar again, making me dig my nails into the wall. "Get back here. You, bed. You, chair." He said, pointing Akahana to bed and me to the chair.

She gave me an impish smile and I glared.

XXXX

"For your information, we did not tongue." I said sharply as I entered our room.

"Could've fooled me," Akahana said, making me roll my eyes.

"So, about Yuki." I began but she gave me a suspicious look. "No, no, I'm done talking about you and him… for now… but, who is he in love with? The other girl in your class?"

"Tohru, who else?" Akahana chuckled.

I stilled and thought about it. "Wow… I can see it… kinda… I didn't think he went for the slightly air-headed types." I said, pondering it a little bit.

"Chika!" she said, smacking me with a pillow, making me laugh.

I smiled, kissed her temple, and snatched up my old stuffed horse Frufru on my bed. It had been a gift from Mom while we were in Paris. She felt bad since Akahana had gotten a stuffed rat (Ting-Ting) in China and I didn't get anything. So, she got me a yellow horse like the one in Disney's Atristocats while we were in Paris, France. I bid Akahana a good night before crawling under my covers. I faced the wall until her reading light turned off. Flipping over, I watched her sleep for a moment. She was cuddling with her stuffed rat and had a peaceful look on her face. I smiled lightly before letting sleep take me.

I awoke the next morning to voices outside our bedroom. Akahana had long been awake before me and I heard her talking to someone. I crawled out of bed, stretched and slipped on my slippers before leaving. Her scent smacked me in the face and I growled low in my throat. I had almost forgotten that Grandmother Kaneko was moving in with us. I entered the kitchen and saw Akahana sitting at the table, a beautiful, traditional breakfast laid out before her. She looked up at me and I sighed. Grandmother Kaneko made breakfast for her, not me. "Cold cereal it is." I said, shuffling to the cabinets.

"Good morning Chi-Chi." She said, starting to eat cautiously.

"Don't say it's a fine morning out I'll shoot you." I muttered as I pulled a bowl down and poured some Cheerios.

I heard shuffling coming from our guest bedroom and her scent got stronger that it was almost overwhelming. "Oh Chika. You're awake." She said, giving me a sharp look.

"Yup. I live to see another day." I said, pouring some milk into my bowl and grabbing a spoon. "I'll eat on the roof. Clean air up there." I said, grabbing Haru's coat and leaving our apartment.

I did eat on the roof, trying to collect myself before returning to our home. I quickly did my morning routine and got dressed for school before, once again, donning Haru's coat and grabbing my book bag. "I'm out." I called, heading towards the door, slipping from my slippers into my shoes.

"Chika—" Akahana started to say but I had ducked out.

I walked the long route to school, avoiding people and taking back roads. I swung into a grocery store and grabbed a small lunch before heading off to school. I skated into the classroom just as the final bell rang. I sat down into my desk and unpacked my supplies. I felt someone pull the edge of my braid and I turned to see Haru looking at me. I smiled and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. We didn't get to talk until the first break.

"Where were you? Aka-chan was worried about you this morning." Momiji asked, swiveling around to grab my hand.

"Oh I just had a rough morning. I'm alright though." I said with a smile.

Momiji nodded and smiled back but I could tell Haru wasn't buying my story. He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me to the back of the room. "Tell me." He said, touching my cheek.

"Grandmother Kaneko is moving in with us." I said softly and saw him stiffen slightly. "Also, Dad wants to meet you seeing as Aka let it slip about the… kiss…"

I saw him pale. "Don't worry so much. He's going to be busy moving Grandmother Kaneko in this week so we have some time to formulate a plan." I said, running a hand though his hair.

He seemed to be soothed by me touching his hair. "Did I ever tell you that I love your hair?" I asked, making him gaze at me with a look of wonder at me.

Break was over so we had to return to class.

XXXX

(Akahana's POV)

To be honest, Grandma Kaneko's attention was suffocating. I only plastered on the cheerful mask because she was my grandmother. I couldn't hate her, but that didn't mean I had to like her. And honestly, I hated the way she treated Chika. Ever since we were children, she always saw me as the angel and Chika as the devil-child. If only Chika knew just how hard I had to hold back and keep up appearances. Grandma's heart was filled with emotion I never thought I could be sensed between family. What made it worse was after Chika left. Grandma became unbearable! She instantly started hovering over me, and I swear I heard one too many curt remarks about Chika. Finally I had to say I was going to be late to class before she let me go, saying, "Oh, well, wouldn't want my smart girl to be late. Only fifteen and a year ahead of her class. Keep that up, and you may find yourself in college next year."

I forced a smile and then ran to school, and didn't stop till I was in my desk. I didn't even say hello to Tohru and the gang. I heard them converse with Haru and Momiji before the bell ran and they went to class. Apparently everyone could tell I was worried over something, and they didn't need to be empaths to tell what was wrong. All my thoughts were on Chika.

These were the times I wish I wasn't an empath. The tension, if you could even call it that, between Chika and Grandma was unbearable. The hatred was so intense, I felt as if I was the one going into Beast Mode. If only Chika and I were older, then we could have an apartment of our own and not need to live with Grandma. But Dad thought we needed someone to look out for us. When he first told us, I waited for Chika to leave so I could persuade Dad to change his mind.

"Dad, you and I know Granny and Chika have never gotten along," I pleaded. "Please, for all our sanity, reconsider. Maybe, Granny could live close by, but it won't work under the same roof."

"Aka, you know once my mind's made up, there's no changing it," he retorted.

"Mom could," I muttered, but he apparently heard me.

"Aka, honey. That's precisely why I believe Grandmother Kaneko's presence here will be for the better. Akahana, I know you're trying, but you're fifteen. You shouldn't have to take on your mother's responsibilities. With your grandmother here, you can have more time for your friends and your studies. With your grades, you could even get a part-time job if you wanted."

"But Dad…"

"Trust me, Hummingbird. Everything will work out, you'll see," he said, riffling my hair. He always called me 'Hummingbird' and Chika 'Tygrus.' Dad always said our personalities seemed to fit those nicknames: me hovering over my flowers and other people, and Chika was always reminded Dad of his favorite poem by William Blake. I couldn't help but smile.

If only Dad could've seen how Grandma and Chika behaved. Somehow, Grandma always made it a subtle effort to keep her hatred of Chika down to a minuscule level whenever Dad was around. He never knew of the curse, so Grandma had to rational excuses as to why she held such a deep hatred for my sister. All she could get away with was Chika's temper and her brash behavior, while doting nonstop on me for good grades and talents in art, cooking, and gardening.

When the bell rang for the first break, I dropped my head to my desk. I just wanted high school to breeze by so I could move out and get an apartment for Chika and I. One that was far, far, far away from Grandma.

"Ms. Ohayashi, are you alright?" I turned my head to see Yuki peering down at me. Everyone else had left, so we were the only ones in class.

"Nothing to worry about. Just a little tension in the Ohayashi house this morning." I smiled and stood up. I had enough on my plate, so I didn't want to bother Yuki with it. It was a family problem that I needed to solve. "So, we meeting up with the others?" just then the bell rang, ending the break period. "Oops! Guess that's I no, huh?"

I laughed and sat back down as the students piled in. I knew Yuki didn't buy it my 'I'm just fine' speech, but he wasn't going to press me for answers. For now, I needed to focus on what the lesson for today. I could deal with the drama after school.