A/N: Woo, some of my exams are finished :D Although I still have all the major ones in June but I still have another few weeks before I have to completely neglect you guys, thanks for your patience, here we go chapter 14, as always please review!

Review Replies:

Irgoomer: I know, she's a little sweet heart. Thanks I'm glad the characters are interesting enough to keep you from getting bored :D

Guest: Oh NOES! Yup, but in a family of cursed people there was gonna be a few cropping up.

Fantasyanimegirl283: Thanks! I was afraid people would find the whole past thing kind of boring so I'm glad you liked it, I'm trying to have a few different things happening but don't worry you will be seeing more of Mura in later chapters. She's my little sweetie.

So without further ado, here is chapter 14!

.

"Shall we skip ahead again? All that you would be missing is the tension of the twins and my occasional night time strollings with Mura."

Kyo shrugged, feigning disinterest. "I don't really care."

"Really? Alright, well we can stop if you want. I mean, you would be missing the time I hit the rat...not to mention finding out about his past."

He started and glanced at her with surprise. She chuckled at him.

"Oh honey, don't look so shocked. I saw how your face lit up with interest when Anju mentioned Kira's parents. You are dying from curiosity, Kitty." Her eyes crinkled at her own joke.

Kyo let out a huff and crossed his arms across his chest. "Just get on with the damn story."

She chuckled warmly and the pool was swirling once more.

.

Kaida was sitting on her bed, stretching after waking up. Suddenly the bedroom door swung open and something thin flew through the air and slapped her in the face.

"Letter for you." Anju told her, her pretty features twisted into a mischievous smirk. Kaida scowled at her before glancing down to the white envelope. She breathed in sharply and Anju's grin dropped to a frown.

"What's wrong? You have something against post?"

"It's my grandfather's handwriting." She whispered, shaking fingers coming up to pry open the corners.

Anju raised an eyebrow. "You've been here for about three weeks. Is it really that surprising that they are writing to you, they are your family after all. And from what you said you get on well enough with your grandfather."

Kaida nodded but her teeth bit into her bottom lip. Kyo noted that her canines looked ever so slightly pointed, a dangerous thing for her to be allowing.

"Yeah, yes of course, you are right. I'm just worried, what if it's not good news?"

Anju rolled her eyes. "Isn't it a little early in the morning for such pessimism? Come on, stop being such a girl and open it."

Kaida gave her a bemused look. "But I am a girl."

"Doesn't mean you have to act like one. Now man up woman."

Kaida laughed and tore open the top. "You realise what you said is an oxymoron."

"Well if it takes a seemingly contradictory statement to get you off your ass I am more than willing to make them." Anju said flippantly with a wink.

Now it was Kaida's turn to do an eye roll as she pulled the letter out and opened it. Something rattled inside the envelope but she'd deal with that later. With a little apprehension she began to read it.

Kaida,

I am sorry I could not have said this to you in person, I'd have liked to have been her for you on this special day. But I suppose we can't have everything we desire in life and I will just take solace in the hope that I will be there for one of the next ones. I hope you have settled into your new life, I know that it must be a lot for you to deal with. Sometimes I wonder if I should have told you more of our family, of the others who share in the curse. But I feared it would cause you more distress than peace.

But enough of an old man and his excuses. I have more important things to tell you, for example Raiden is currently tearing at my leg demanding that I ask you when you are coming home and if you have met any other dragons, I believe he wishes to have you married with children by the end of the month so he can have a pet baby dragon. He is a strange lad sometimes.

Ryu asks for you constantly, frankly if I didn't know that this insistent questioning was born out of concern I'd have bitten his head off. Not, perhaps, in quite the same way you would, but I digress.

Your parents worry but they are doing fine. Your mother helped me pick out your present. I hope you like it. Raiden wanted to give you a cross bow but I wasn't sure they would send that in the post.

Happy 17th Birthday darling granddaughter. May you have many more to follow.

With Love,

Your Grandfather.

P.S Ryu did the engraving.

Kaida blinked back the tears she could feel springing up. With a tentative smile she looked inside the envelope and removed a long chain and a wooden plaque. Anju, who had been lying on her bed, glanced over to her in confusion but she ignored her.

The necklace was beautiful, a copper chain with a simple pendant of a scarlet jewel partially wrapped in golden metal, as though it was attempting to spread across it and engulf the stone entirely. She fingered the piece for a moment before turning her attention to the other gift.

Kyo didn't know whether to scoff or laugh his head off when he saw what Ryu had carved into the brown wood. It was surprisingly well done, natural artistic talent shining through. A dragon in mid flight, its wings spread wide, facing outward from the wood. This made up the backdrop and there was something distinctly menacing about its expression. In front of it was a sea horse, made of smooth lines with an innocent look in its eyes, as though it wouldn't hurt a fly.

The entire plaque was the size of her palm and Kaida breathed out an awkward snicker when she saw it. She flipped it over, there was a message.

For Kaida,

The Sea Horse that bites.

She shook her head in amusement, Ryu, Kyo thought, was going to get her found out in no time with jokes like that.

"Pretty, what's the occasion?" Anju asked from Kaida's bedside. She had moved silently to her and Kyo was astonished once again by the fluidity of her movements.

Kaida didn't glance up to her, she continued to caress her gifts.

"I, I completely forgot. With everything going on I didn't notice the days go by." She murmured to herself before giving her head a little shake. Suddenly she glanced up to Anju like she was only remembering her presence.

"Sorry, it's for my birthday. I'm seventeen today."

Surprise flickered across Anju's beautiful features. "Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded.

"Like I said, I sort of forgot."

"That's not an excuse! Did you ever think that this was the kind of thing that I as your room mate would be interested in?! Dammit Kaida, don't be so selfish." Anju fumed causing Kaida to snicker in amusement.

"I'm very, very sorry Anju. Please forgive me."

"Maybe I don't want to."

"Please? It can be my birthday present." Kaida said chirpily.

Anju through her arms into the air in exasperation. "And that's the other thing, I don't have a present for you! You gave me no time to prepare!"

Anju stormed out of the room and Kaida glanced after her with a mildly concerned expression on her face.

"She can't actually be mad, can she?" Kaida wondered aloud before shrugging and getting dressed. Just as she was pulling on her t-shirt, albeit a little awkwardly, her back now had a pale pink scar lining across it but Kyo had a feeling it was probably a little stiff from inactivity, the door swung open loudly once more.

"Happy Birthday, you stupid little Sea Horse prat!" Anju shrieked and, for the second time that morning, she threw something at Kaida's face. Unfortunately for the dragon her reflexes decided to rear their ugly head again and she caught the object before it hit her. Anju's eyes narrowed at her but she made no comment as Kaida studied the soft mush that was now in her hand.

After a moment she looked up at Anju.

"Is this...a cake?"

Anju folded her arms and cocked her hip like she always did when she went on the defensive.

"Yeah, so what? It's your birthday, isn't it? Cake is kind of part of the deal."

Kaida poked the mush of sponge and icing with a finger.

"It looks...great." She noted.

"Well it's not my fault you completely destroyed it with your big man hands."

"My hands are in perfect proportion to my body. You just think they are big cause you are such a short ass." Kaida shot back in good humour. She poked the dead cake with a finger and scooped some of the icing sludge into her mouth. She made a noise of approval.

"It's really good."

Anju suddenly blanched as though she was embarrassed. "Yeah...well...good."

Kaida picked up a tissue and put the remaining cake onto it.

"Here. I brought a plate." Anju muttered, holding the crockery out like it offended her.

"Thanks." Kaida replied as she transferred the tissue to the plate.

"Alright, so, I'm going to hit the dojo before school. I'll see you later..." Anju turned to the door and began to leave. Kyo watched as Kaida looked at her with a frown before smiling and sprinting after her. She caught her in a bear hug and tucked her head onto the small blonde's shoulder.

"Thank you Anju."

Anju's cheeks pinked. "Oh calm down, no need to be so emotional. Besides, what are friends for?"

A small smile broke out onto Kaida's face.

"You going to let me go now, or do I have to make you?"

The red head laughed but released her captive who turned to her with a rueful look.

"You are a strange girl."

Anju chuckled a little. "I'll see you at school you weirdo." She added as she left.

Kaida smiled and went back to her cake.

.

Kaida and Anju were sitting at their desks in class. Anju was tapping a tune out against the table with her pencil while Kaida stared blankly at their teachers. They were doing some kind of maths problems but Kyo had a feeling that the students weren't taking anything in at all.

A white paper ball hit Kaida's cheek.

"Stop throwing things at me!" She shouted aloud in frustration. The class stared at her in shock. Embarrassed, her skin turned scarlet until it matched her hair. Anju's shoulders shook with silent laughter and Kaida shot her a murderous glare.

"Sorry, Sensei, please continue, I didn't mean to interrupt." She said calmly through gritted teeth.

The teacher shook his head but moved swiftly on, the rest of the class turning away as well.

"What was that about?" Anju whispered.

"You threw something at me, for the third time today!" Kaida shot back in a hushed tone.

Anju gave her a puzzled look. "I didn't throw anything at you."

Kaida's brows knitted together and she searched the surrounding area for the paper that had hit her. She spotted it on the floor by her feet and scooped it up. She hid it under the desk as she unravelled the scrunched up ball.

Happy Birthday

Her head shot up and she looked around wildly. Brown eyes met blue and she knew he was the one who sent it to her.

Hisao gave her a little nod before turning back to his studies.

.

The night of her seventeen birthday came and Kiada found herself staring blankly at the ceiling. Kyo could tell she was going to go for a walk so it proved no surprise when she sighed heavily and sat up. Throwing on her dressing gown she crept quietly from the confines of her room.

The night sky was clear and she walked underneath the darkness with her head tilted upwards. A small smile played along her lips but Kyo couldn't help but note that there was something distinctly sad about her expression.

"Not a bad night for a stroll is it?" A masculine voice asked. Kaida glanced over with a vaguely calm look, Kyo had a feeling she had sensed another presence.

"Hisao-san. I didn't expect to see you here."

The older boy shrugged, the moon light reflecting oddly off his grey striped hair. "Sometimes I go for walks at night, I don't usually go this far from my house, however."

"Oh? Where do you live?"

"Near the outskirts of the inner town." He said gruffly.

Kaida nodded. "I thought most of the Zodiacs lived in or around the main house."

"They do. But I'm not like you people."

Kaida raised an eyebrow, "You people? Seems a little harsh, we're all cursed here. What does it matter what form we take, we all suffer together."

Hisao laughed bitterly. "Yeah, must be real hard, living in the main house, having servants wait on you, hand and foot, everyone respecting you because you are the dragon and that means you must be some kind of genius or something ."

Anju scowled at him. "I don't get waited on hand and foot, I'm not some genius and in case you haven't noticed I didn't exactly choose to live in the main house in the first place."

"Sure, but you have the option, if I so much as breathed the suggestion of me moving up here to Osamu he'd have locked up for not knowing my place. You get to be free."

"Free? Free? Are you freaking kidding me? I was dragged here from my home, away from my family and my best friend, with a bloody massive wound in my back to live with some people I have never met but that I know my great grandparents fled from and then I get shoved into a bedroom with a psychotic tiger who has a tendency to throw shit at my head to wake me up and all the while I have to pretend to be-" Kaida paused in her rant, Kyo had a feeling she was about to say be normal. Her eyes had turned gold and he could see the tips of milky white canines just starting to elongate.

"Be...be happy, when really, today of all days especially, I just miss my life." Kaida's voice quietened as she finished speaking. Hisao stared at her in shock, not expecting to be rebuffed quite so viciously.

"I, sorry, I forgot that you don't exactly want to be here either." He said awkwardly.

She sighed and ran a hand through her long ruby hair. "No, it's alright, sorry for shouting at you. And thanks for the note, by the way... How did hear about my birthday?"

"I saw Anju this morning breaking into the kitchens to get cake. She was muttering something about inconsiderate sea horses not giving people notice."

Kaida grinned and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, she was none too happy with me this morning."

"I got that. So how old are you?"

"Seventeen. Getting decrepit."

"Hey! I'm older than you!"

"Which makes you completely ancient. How's the hip, would you like to sit down?"Kaida said with a mockingly worried expression.

Hisao smirked. "Actually I think I'd prefer a bed. Goodnight Kaida."

Kaida bit back a smile. "Goodnight Hisao-kun."