( Songs in this chapter: Firework by Katy Perry and Rasputin by Boney M )
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Kazuma washed an empty pie dish in his sink. While he wasn't sure how to cook, he was able to wash the dishes. Placing the light blue pie dish, he almost wondered if he could make a lemon meringue pie, maybe even get the recipe from Marley.
The Karate Master chuckled as he could already hear Kyo's scolding, telling him to stop right there.
Looking at the window, it was already dark, but the evening was still young, and Kazuma figured he might as well return the pie dish. It was only a short walk to the inner Sohma estate.
Coming to the front door of the large traditional house, he knocked on the wood panel, wondering if he would be heard over the mix of voices coming from beyond the door.
He heard footsteps, and soon the door slid open, and he stared over at dark brown eyes that almost looked black.
"Kazuma-Kun! It's been a while; what brings you here? Come in, come in." Tetsuo ushered him in the house, his face slightly flush. The kind man smiled and slipped oh his sandals in the genkan, bowing to the elder who just brushed it off. Tetsuo Sohma had clearly been drinking.
"I wanted to return the pie dish." Kazuma handed over the heavy dish, and Tetsuo nodded, carrying the container and telling Kazuma to join them for a cup of sake.
Kazuma did not know who 'them' was as he knew Marley and the kids were at the summer house. He turned around the corner and looked into the living room to see a few familiar faces and some not so familiar.
Ayame's long silver hair was unmistakable, and he was sitting to the left of Hatori, who greeted Kazuma with a polite hello.
Two young women were also seated around the table. One had long brown hair that ended loose curls, her skin slightly sun-kissed, and beside her was a blonde woman with shoulder-length straight hair, a light spray of freckles across her cheek and a large fluffy cat relaxing between the two.
"Kazuma, this is Gabriella and her wife Diana, friends of Chandra and Yuuto's back in the states. Gabriella, Diana, this is Kazuma Sohma. He runs a Dojo nearby." Tetsuo introduced them as he stepped back into the living room and quickly sat back down.
"It's nice to meet you." Kazuma bowed, and Ayame held up a cup of sake, cheering for no other reason to just cheer, but the girls joined in.
"What is in the water here? Like every Sohma looks like they walked off a photo shoot or something." Gabi laughed, and Diana nodded in agreement while Ayame enjoyed the praise, and Hatori waved it off.
"Sit down already, making me nervous standing there like that." Tetsuo huffed as he gestured for Hatori to pour him another cup. Kazuma bowed his head in thanks as he knelt down on the floor; when he was seated, Gimli got up and walked up to greet him.
"Well, look at that..." Tetsuo eye's followed the Cat and then let out a sigh.
"Something wrong?" Kazuma asked as lightly ran his fingers through the Cat's fur, lightly scratching underneath the feline's chin.
"We thought maybe the Cat just didn't like men since Gimli won't go near Ayame or Hatori...And we assume that Gimli puts up with Tetsuo because he probably bribes him treats." Gabriella laughed, and Tetsuo rolled his eyes.
"Ah, Marley mentioned that Gimli was somewhat... Picky." Kazuma laughed as the pet the Cat a few times before it decided it had enough and walked over to the Sohma Elder to receive a few butt pats.
"Maybe the Cat's just smart. Right, boy?" Tetsuo smirked and talked to Gimli, who meowed in response and puffed out his chest. The large feline certainly had personality.
"Are we celebrating anything?" Kazuma asked as he looked at the spread of food and drinks on the table.
"We were getting some good gossip about Yuuto-Nii's time in Vegas," Ayame explained, a cheeky smile on his face.
"Just sharing stories." Hatori corrected, but a small smile hid on his lips. It was nice to hear that a friend he had looked up to had fun adventures and many friends.
A life full of love and wonder, just as Yuuto Sohma deserved. If only it could have lasted longer.
"You speak English, Kazuma?" The dark-haired woman asked, and he nodded but mentioned it might be a little rusty; he didn't use it a lot.
"And you run the dojo?" She asked, and Kazuma confirmed and mentioned he teaches a lot of the Sohma kids.
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"Here, Marley sent me this earlier. Looks like they're having fun." Tetsuo brought out his phone and showed Kazuma a picture. It had Marley, Momiji and Kyo in it. Marley was taking a selfie, and all three were holding stag beetles. Kyo had a small blush and a pout, but Kazuma could tell by his eyes that he was having a good time.
"Kyo did enjoy catching beetles as a kid. He used to name them." Kazuma revealed, and the room filled with awe and laughter. The Karate teacher thought of Kyo, his heart warm over the idea of his son enjoying his summer vacation with someone very special to him. Even if Kyo didn't know it yet, Kazuma was sure he would figure it out soon.
The boy was a bit on the dense side.
"I keep hearing about Kyo, but I have yet to meet him," Gabi whined before getting an idea; she brought out her phone and clicked on the facetime.
"What are you doing?" Diana asked, somewhat embarrassed that Gabi would bring out her phone at a social gathering.
"Calling Miguelito." Gabi simply said, but a cheeky smile was sneaking onto her lips.
"For what?" Diana raised a brow
"Maybe I just want to check up on my little brother?" She tried to look innocent as she waited for her brother to pick up the face time call and was confident that it was too early for the teens to be sleeping yet.
"And?"
Gabi pretended not to hear Diana and was saved by Miguel's face appearing on the phone screen, asking what Gabi wanted.
"Good evening to you too... What's that noise? Are you guys having a party?" Gabi's eyes scanned the background.
"They're playing Justdance. Marley found a Nintendo Wii in the cabinet." Miguel moved the phone, and Kisa and Tohru were trying to copy the moves on the large TV as the rest of the group was cheering them on.
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
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Gabi was able to recognize a few faces, but there was one that stood out; a bright orange-haired boy was sitting on the couch while Marley sat on the floor in front of him, gleefully clapping and cheering on the dancing duo.
Was this Kyo?
But the boy's eyes weren't on the two dancing; he was smiling down at Marley. The orange hair was certainly hard to miss, and it made Gabriella wonder. Chandra had told her a few stories from the first time she came to the Sohma Estate years ago when she and Yuuto were newlyweds. One of the few fond memories she had was of a young father and his curious orange-haired son.
"He was such a cutie and was in awe of the henna patterns on my hands. It was too bad he and Marley didn't get to meet. He seemed like a sweet boy, and she deserves a kind friend." Chandra reminisced as she and Gabi finished off a bottle of cabernet.
"Would you ever go back?"
"I doubt it. That place... seems trapped in the past and tradition. Treated me like trash because I wasn't...It doesn't matter." Chandra didn't want to talk about it anymore, but her fellow dancer could tell that she had a lot on her mind regarding her husband's family.
"What are they doing?" Tetsuo asked as he got up and peeked over, he had spoken to Marley on the phone earlier, and she had told him all about the stag beetles they had found that morning. But Gabriella could tell that the doting grandfather had become used to her presence and was missing his granddaughter.
Don't worry, Chandra... the people have changed, and Marley is well-loved...
"Dancing to Katy Perry." Gabi told Tetsuo as she recognized the popular song.
"I want to see." Ayame insisted, and soon Ayame was in the shot along with Tetsuo peeking in as well while Kazuma, Hatori and Diana shook their heads at the antics.
"Whose on the phone?" Momiji hopped over, and Miguel showed him.
"Gabi-San! Ayame-Nii and Tetsuo-Ojiii!" Momiji's enthusiastic greeting grabbed the attention of everyone sitting in the living room.
"Everyone, say hi!" Momiji showed the phone to the group, and all the kids called out except for those who just waved.
"Miguel-Kun and Marley-Chan are up next! Are you going to watch?" Momiji asked as he took the phone into his possession, and the adults on the small screen didn't even have to respond as Momiji made sure they had a good view of the shenanigans.
"Alright, Marley, I know what you're going to pick. Go for it." Miguel chuckled as he came up beside the girl wearing a large band shirt that was slightly tucked into grey bike shorts, her lengthy hair pulled into a high ponytail.
"Right!" Marley tightened her ponytail, and the two bumped fists. Gabi felt her heart warm a little as she was reminded of when they were a bit younger and playing the same game back in the Vegas apartment.
The song started, and the two clapped to the beat, goading the others to join.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
It was undoubtedly nostalgic for the older sister, and she was already laughing while Ayame and Tetsuo raised their eyebrows slightly.
There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of ecstasy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire
Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra Rasputin
Russia's greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on
The sound was a mixture of music and laughter. Miguel actually had to stop cause he was laughing so much, and Hatsuharu stepped in. Marley just continued on, smiling at Haru, who was trying to find the rhythm. It was certainly a funny sight with Marley's smile and Hatsuharu's stoic face as they both did the Russian style moves.
"I want to join!" Momiji laughed and passed the phone to Hiro to hold as he hopped in too, proving to have a bit more rhythm than Haru.
The finished pose and the room erupted into cheers; Gabi watched as Marley and Momiji high-five before the white-blonde went back to her spot in front of the orange-haired boy. He was smiling at her and said some words, which made Marley giggle.
"when is Yuki going to dance? Has he already? Did I miss it? Your dear big brother is sorry for missing it!" Ayame proclaimed, and Yuki covered his face and hoped that the couch would swallow him up.
"What the hell- Is that Ayame's voice?" Kyo groaned, and Marley called out a hello
Hatori finally took away the phone from Ayame and wished the kids goodnight before clicking off.
"Let the kids be; they deserve a little fun." The doctor scolded, and even though Ayame listened, he was still disappointed.
"Awww, but I wanted to see Yuki dance." Ayame pouted.
"They certainly do seem to be having lots of fun." Kazuma smiled, happy for Kyo and the other kids, who just seemed like typical kids having a good time. Goofing off and playing games. Unburdened by an ancient curse.
"You're heading up tomorrow, right, Hari?" Ayame asked.
"Yes. We'll be arriving by the afternoon." Hatori answered. They would be taking a small private plane that was owned by the Sohma's. There was no way that Akito would be able to put up with such a long drive.
"I wish I could join, but the shops been so busy, I can't bring myself away from it yet."
"Plus, you have tickets to come to my show." Gabriella reminded him as she winked.
"Oui! And I hope to get an up-close look at some of those gorgeous costumes." Ayame held up his glass and clinked it with Gabi's. The Snake of the Zodiac had seen a few pictures of burlesque costumes and was immediately drawn in. Ayame was given two tickets and planned to take Mine with him for a date night. He knew that she would enjoy the show as much as him, if not more.
The night continued on with drinks, and some late-night food had been ordered, but the fun ended when a maid of the main house came. She had a bob haircut and was one of the younger maids, and she certainly looked very nervous as she repeatedly bowed to the Sohma elder.
"I am so sorry to interrupt Tetsuo-Sama, but Hatori-San has been called to the main house." The young worker apologized, hoping that she could make it back to the main house with Hatori promptly. The head maid had sent her out on the job and did not wish to receive a scolding if she failed.
"What for?" Tetsuo asked, unhappy about the interruption.
"Akito-"
"Say no more. Better hurry before the brat throws some sort of fit." Tetsuo scoffed before getting up, excusing himself for a moment.
"I'm on my way. Thank you for having me. Have a good night." Hatori was quick with his goodbye, and while Gabi had barely understood the conversation, she understood that the small party had come to an end.
Like all the joy had been sucked out of the room in a single moment.
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It was the third morning of the beach trip, and Marley had finally figured out what she had forgotten to bring along and hoped she could find it somewhere within the labyrinth she had come across.
The young dancer worked her way through the basement, looking all around to find a specific item. It had seemed easy at first, but looking at the boxes and dark corners of the basement, it seemed like a big task.
"What the hell are you doing down here?" Kyo asked as he peeked his head in, wondering what she could up to; he knew that she was excited about the beach and couldn't see why Marley would delay it by doing whatever she was going.
"Oh? Umm... well I just thought it would be nice if we had one of those big umbrellas..." She mentioned as she avoided a dusty cobweb.
"Why?"
"Just to help with some shade, it gets so hot on the beach, and I overestimated Yuki's skin." Marley said as she continued to look around, peeking in a few boxes as she ignored the little butterflies in her stomach.
"Screw that Rat, let him become a lobster for all I care." Kyo scoffed.
"Kyo!" Marley tried to scold, but it came out as a laugh as she pictured Yuki in a lobster costume.
"There has to be something-" Marley's sentence was interpreted by her sharp yelp as she tripped over a box and toppled over another.
"GODDAMMIT! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" Kyo tried to get over, but the maze of boxes made it impossible.
"I'm fine! Just.. misstepped a little." Marley admitted though her face was a little red over embarrassing herself like that and quickly got back up to dust herself off.
One of the lids of the boxes had come off, and Marley peeked inside,
"Oh, wow! A griddle!"
"A what now?" Kyo asked as he slightly squinted at what she was holding up.
"Griddle, it's perfect for making things like pancakes." Marley pulled it out and inspected it, wondering how old it was and placed it to the side. Kyo's ears slightly perked at the mention of pancakes. He had seen pictures of them but had never had any before.
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The curious girl peeked in again, noticing the box was not organized as there were old VHS tapes in it and then she came across a sunglasses case. She decided to open it and was met with a classic pair of wayfarer sunglasses.
These would look really nice on Kyo
"Do you need sunglasses?" Marley asked as she held up the case to Kyo, and he barely had time to react before she had tossed the case, and he caught in his hands.
"Why would I need these?" Kyo asked as he inspected the simple black sunglasses.
"You should protect your eyes." Marley pointed out, she had a pair of round sunglasses ready to go when they went to the beach today.
"Try them on." Marley insisted, and Kyo just shook his head, but then Marley kept looking at him, waiting.
"Fine! But if they look stupid -..." Kyo mumbled incoherently as he slid on the glasses, awkwardly waiting for Marley to say something. But she just stared, and Kyo felt himself grow more nervous. Meanwhile, Marley was cursing herself as Kyo now looked like a pop star, making the butterflies worse.
"See! I told you they would-" Kyo ripped them, but Marley protested.
"No! They look really good, Kyo! Super handsome!" Marley insisted as she tried to make it over to him before he threw away them or something. Marley then froze when she realized how forward she was being and hoped that Kyo didn't think she was flirting or something.
How embarrassing...
"... Whatever. I'm just gonna wear them to protect my eyes..." Kyo crossed his arms as he looked, and Marley let out a small sigh of relief before simply smiling, happy that he seemed to like them.
The curios girl continued to look through the boxes around her, forgetting the main reason she had come down. She pulled out some pails for sand-castle making, and a collection of CDs. Marley picked up the entire box with a proud smile on her face, looking forward to showing the stuff to the others.
"By the way, isn't that a beach umbrella right there?" Kyo pointed to the large red closed umbrella that was resting right by the door.
"You walked right past it." Kyo pointed out, slightly smirking, and Marley's eyes widened, stunned that it had been right there all along. She certainly felt like a bit of an idiot at the moment. But she looked at the other stuff she had found and smiled.
"Ah! But I found a few unexpected treasures!" Marley pointed out, ever the optimist, as her large eyes sparkled, even in the storage room's low light.
"C'mon, let's go already. You're the one who was excited to go to the beach." Kyo teased before grabbing the umbrella and the box from Marley's hands, insisting that he would carry it. Marley looked behind her at the other boxes, curious as to what else she might find.
Kyo let out a sigh and stepped forward, not noticing the fallen ball on the floor and stepped right on to it. It threw his body forward, straight into Marley.
The girl felt Kyo collide with her and instinctually wrapped her arms around him to try and stop from falling, but the moment they embraced, there was a loud popping sound and Marley was surrounded by sparkly orange smoke.
"I am so sorry!" Marley cried as she covered her face, embarrassed as Kyo's orange cat form sat on her thighs. He looked so cute in his cat form, and a huge part of Marley wanted to hug him, but she held herself back.
".. it's not your fault." Kyo sighed, and before anything else could be said, a loud voice interrupted.
"Marley! Come on, let's go already!" Miguel's voice burst through, followed by his body coming to the room, and Kyo quickly scampered away to hide behind some boxes.
"You trip or something? Whose clothes are those?" Miguel asked as he looked down at Marley's form and cargo pants and a black shirt that seemed familiar.
"Um! Yes! I tripped after opening this box ..of .." Marley looked around as she held the pants and shirt in her hands.
Kyo wished Marley was a better liar sometimes because this was hard to listen to.
"Clothes?" Miguel asked as he pointed to the articles of clothing in Marley's hands.
"YES! Better throw these back... Into this box... and then I'll leave this box right here for someone to grab... Later." Marley placed the clothes into the open box and put it near where she had seen Kyo's cat form dart to.
"Why later? Might as well just grab it now." Miguel moved to go get it, but Marley's hands were placed on his chest to keep him back.
"NO!"
"Okay, damn. Everything alright with you?" This was a bizarre encounter, and he was slightly baffled at how Marley was acting.
Maybe all the seawater was getting to her brain?
"Yes, yes... just excited about the beach and look! Ky- I found the beach umbrella so success, now let's head out." Marley shoved the umbrella into Miguel's arm and pushed him out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, she whispered a sorry into the room, and Kyo let out a sigh of relief.
That was a close call...
"That guy really has shitty timing..." Kyo sighed as he waited to transform back so he could get out of this room. His small cat face peeked into the box that she had placed his clothes in; even in a panic, she had folded them. The slight smell of coconut washed over Kyo; Marley's scent had lightly stuck to his clothes that she had held to her chest.
I'm turning into the perverted Dog.
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Marley moved in the water and moved to catch the bright beach ball that Kisa had thrown her way; she missed it and splashed into the water in front of her. The girls laughed, and Marley picked up the ball and threw it Tohru's way. The game was interrupted by a shocked sound coming from Hiro, who had been lounging on the beach.
"WHAT?! Wait... Is that true? It's not another one of your misunderstandings?" Hiro asked into the phone, shock painted across his face.
Marley looked over at Kisa and Tohru, but they didn't seem to have a clue either.
"Okay...yeah... I got it! Right... Try not to fall!" Hiro scolded before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Hiro-Chan... is something wrong?" Kisa asked as she and the girls approached.
"Yeah. My Mom says she pregnant." Hiro said si casually that it came as a shock once the girls realized what he said.
"What?!" The girls all said in unison, but Marley was the first to come out of shock as she hurried to congratulate him.
"Auntie Satsuki's going to have a baby! Hiro! You're going to be a big brother!" Marley gushed, and she had to hold herself back from hugging Hiro.
"She thought maybe it was a cold, so she went to the doctor. Turns out she's gonna have a baby. Ditzy as always..." Hiro shook his head, wishing his mother wasn't such a scatterbrain. He loved her to bits, but he worries for her.
"Congratulations, Hiro-Chan... I'm so happy for you." Kisa softly smiled.
"I bet the baby will be cute like you, Hiro-San." Tohru complimented, and all the attention was starting to get on Hiro's nerves.
"Would you stop talking my it's my baby?!" Hiro yelled at the girls, who only giggled over his attitude.
"Congrats." A new voice entered the conversation, and the 4 looked over to see Shigure lounging on the stairs while he waved a fan. Marley was impressed to see that even at the beach, he still chose to wear his traditional clothes.
"Satsuki-San...so young." Shigure let out a dreamy sigh.
"AND YOU STOP TALKING LIKE SOME DIRTY-MINDED OLD MAN!" Hiro snapped at the adult who just chuckled, completely unbothered.
"Shigure! You made it! When did you get here?" Marley asked as she approached him.
"Just arrived."
"Shigure-Ojichan... Aren't you going to come swim?" Kisa asked, and the man just shook his head, telling them that he was no good at swimming.
"Ah! Then you're sun-bathing?" Tohru guessed, and Shigure shook his head once more.
"More like... admiring the view?" He suggested as he wiggled his eyebrows, and, in an instant, Hiro grabbed Kisa by the wrist and stormed off.
"I'm kidding... middle school girls are too young for me." Shigure tried to explain.
As they should be
Marley rolled her eyes but laughed all the same, as Shigure in her eyes really was just that perverted family member that no one wanted to come to family dinners.
But she saw him as harmless for the most part.
"What are you still doing standing there?!" Hiro yelled as he stormed back over and grabbed Marley by the hand and dragged her away as well, far away from the pervy Dog.
"I never want to grow into an adult like that!" Hiro yelled as he clenched his fist, and Kisa and Marley just giggled, knowing that Hiro would never likely grow up to be like Shigure.
"But I really am happy for you, Hiro-Chan. Was Auntie Satsuki happy?" Kisa asked, her golden eyes watching. Marley giggled over Kisa copying how she had said 'Auntie' rather than the standard Japanese suffix for aunt.
"More than that, geez... she got carried away, wanted me to come home right away to help her celebrate."
"Ahh... I'm worried about her. She's a total klutz. Never mind just falling. I can easily picture her tripping on the top stair and tumbling all the way down... Oh no... She could fall, she could really fall like that..." Hiro began to ramble, his worry becoming evident on his face,
"Already acting like a worried big brother." Marley softly sighed as she smiled down at Hiro, who blushed over the comment.
"I think Hiro-Chan will be a kind big brother... Or maybe meddlesome." Kisa giggled, and Marley couldn't help but agree. Before Hiro could defend himself, a loud voice interrupted.
"Marley-CHAAAAN! I brought you a popsicle!" Momiji yelled as he stood with the rest of the boys who had walked to the grocery store down the road to grab watermelons. All the boys we carrying one except for Miguel, who had two in his hands and Momiji with no watermelon but a popsicle, a small white bag in the other.
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The group walked up through the forest path, the shade of the trees protecting them from the hot sun. The Zodiac members walked upfront while Marley and Miguel brought up the back; the white-blonde shared something from her phone with Miguel, random memes that the two laughed over.
"Say what?! Hiro's Mama is gonna have a baby-?!" Momiji marvelled as he walked beside Tohru, excited over the news, while Hiro groaned, wishing that he had kept his mouth shut.
"He's going to be a big brother. I can't picture it." Yuki was trying to, but he just couldn't, but Hatsuharu pointed something out to the grey-haired teen.
"It'll be fine... I still have a hard time picturing Aya-Nii as a big brother... there's always a worse example..."
"You're right, you're right, but mind your own business." Yuki lightly threatened, but Hatsuharu was hardly bothered.
"I wonder... will it be a girl or a boy?" Tohru wondered, trying to picture what Hiro's new sibling would look like.
"Either would be wonderful! Aw, but if it's a little sister, I'd feel bad that he can't hug her."
"But at least we know the baby won't be born possessed by a spirit from the Zodiac! So the Mama won't be sad!" Momiji pointed out, looking on the bright side as usual. Marley had just been trying to protect the rest of her ice cream from Miguel when her ears caught the conversation.
"Since all twelve members of the zodiac have been born and as long as we're alive, there won't be anymore.."
"People normally have kids because they want them." Yuki finished Haru's thought, and Marley felt her heart drop. She was reminded of how much pain the people she loved were in. Miguel leaned down and snatched up the last bit of Marley's orange creamsicle in her distraction but followed her eye line to the group ahead.
"Ah, But Hiro's Mama took it in stride when Hiro was born, right?! When Hiro transformed for the first time, she just should 'I love sheep!'.." Momiji giggled, thinking how wonderful Hiro's mother was and even couldn't help himself from looking at Marley at the back of the group. He imagined that if Marley were to have a child of the Zodiac, she would be that kind of mother.
"Momiji! Shut it." Kyo scolded and slightly gestured to Miguel, who had looked up, and while he couldn't understand what they were talking about, it certainly seemed like a strange conversation.
Miguel couldn't help but think how strange Marley's new family was.
"What's up?" Miguel mumbled, looking at the Sohma's, curious about what they were talking about as the popsicle stick out of his mouth.
"Oh, um... They were just giving Hiro a hard time about being a big brother." Marley's voice went up a bit before laughing, but Miguel just shrugged and readjusted the watermelons. It seemed like Miguel wasn't gonna ask anything else, and Marley let out a small sigh of relief before her eyes travelled to the backs of her Zodiac friends.
The conversation about Hiro's mother had brought up questions that had perhaps been sitting at the back of Marley's mind.
What had their parents been like? What was that upbringing like? She had met Yuki's parents once at a gala, and while it had been short, it wasn't a warm meeting.
Marley knew about Momiji's parents and had only met his mother once in passing. Her heart clenched at the memory as it had taken almost everything not cry while standing in front of the woman. To tell her that she was missing out on a wonderful person.
Kyo had been raised by Kazuma, and Marley knew that Kazuma was a kind and loving parent. But what about... his other parents?
The curious girl could wonder all she wanted, but she would have to ask if she wanted to know, and it was a subject that she would have to approach carefully.
Yuki's words rang out.
"People normally have kids because they want them."
That was partly true, but sometimes they were accidents...like-
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"So, what are all the watermelons for?" Miguel asked, still not understanding why they needed so many as they approached the summer home. Marley shook off her earlier thoughts and brought her attention to Miguel, placing the watermelons with the rest on a sheet on the ground.
"Well, the more watermelons we have-"
"THE MORE FUN THE WATERMELON SPLITTING TOURNAMENT!" Momiji finished, and Marley giggled, happy to see the young blond boy excited.
"The what now?" Miguel just felt more confused.
"It's a popular summertime game here in Japan! One gets blindfolded and tries to hit the watermelon with a bat!" Marley explained as she was excited as Momiji for the game.
"Kind of like a pinata?" Miguel suggested as he remembered the donkey shaped pinata at birthday parties. It had been forever since he had thought about them and was now kind of wondering if it would be weird to buy one, even though he was probably too old.
"Exactly! But no candy."
Everyone was gathered around and ready to go, but something seemed to be missing.
"Oh! I'll be right back!" Marley said as she slipped off her sandals and rushed into the house to grab the bats she picked up from the store before they came to the summer house.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten to tell the group that's what she gone to find.
She had only been gone for 2 minutes, but that was enough for shenanigans to happen.
Marley walked back into the backyard with a bat in hand, but she was in slight shock over what she was seeing. Hatsuharu was sitting and eating from an already split watermelon, and Tohru had her fist raised over an unsplit watermelon.
What... is she doing?
"Anyway! In celebration of Hiro-San's baby-" Tohru shouted, ready to move on from her fake story.
"Like I said, it's not my child!" Hiro pointed out.
"Tohru Honda will now split this watermelon!" She proclaimed as she raised her fist high; everyone seemed to freeze in disbelief, and Marley's eyes widened.
No. No... no no no no no
"Wha-?! Your serious?!" Yuki stuttered, and Kyo was about to say something, but Tohru's loud call interrupted.
"Haiyaaaa!" The determined brunette was prepared to try and break the watermelon with her bare hands. Marley rushed over, dropping the bats to the grass as she dove forward and placed her hands on the top of the watermelon.
Right in the path of Tohru's fist.
The white-blonde gritted her teeth as the force hit the back of her hand, sending a shiver of pain through her body, and Tohru let out a slew of apologies.
"Marley-Chan! Your hand! I am so sorry! Are you okay?! I'll get some ice!" Tohru panicked, and Yuki tried to calm her down while Miguel said he would grab the ice from the kitchen.
"What were you thinking?! IDIOT! YOUR HAND!"
"I didn't want Tohru to hurt herself..." Marley slowly brought her hand back from the watermelon; it was slightly tender and a little red but nothing too bad.
"I think you two might share a brain cell." Miguel teased as he handed an ice pack to Marley. Kyo tried not to laugh at the joke, but he couldn't help but agree.
"Um... But I brought the bat." Marley gestured to the slim bat she had dropped to the ground when she made the dive to try and stop Tohru from hurting herself.
"What about you?!" Kyo scolded, honestly wondering how Marley made it through the day being so selfless. How much was she willing to sacrifice to save someone else some pain? Kyo didn't want to think about it because a part of him knew that Marley would be quick to give everything she could.
"I'm fine, it's fine." Marley insisted as she stretched out her hand a bit, it was tender, but it would be fine.
"But let's split some watermelon! Who's first?" Marley asked as she took off the silk scarf she had been using as a headband.
"Can I go?" Momiji shot up his hand, and Marley nodded giggled as she helped tied her scarf around his eyes. It would have to do as a blindfold.
"Let Suikaara begin!" Marley proclaimed, excited to get started.
"Suika-wari." Kyo corrected her, a smile on his lips hidden behind his hand.
"... isn't that what I said?" Marley tilted her head slightly, trying to remember how she had said it.
"I shall go first! And I will get revenge for Marley-Chan's hand against this watermelon!" Momiji announced, and Tohru handed him the bat, and the chaos began.
"And for Hiro's baby!" Marley chimed in, followed by a yell from the young Zodiac member, arguing to stop saying it like that while everyone just laughed at the irritated child.
It was undoubtedly a celebration no one would forget, and the watermelon was delicious.
.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
.
"When I was a kid, I was afraid that if I ate a watermelon seed, one would grow in my stomach," Haru revealed as he tied up the white garbage bag, the festivities long over and most people had gone their own way.
"Scary." Yuki imagined a giant watermelon growing in Haru's stomach before shaking his head.
"I'm glad that Marley-San got to participate; she mentioned she was looking forward to this even before the summer vacation started," Yuki mentioned as he tied up the bag. It would be a long time before he forgot about the pleasant day he got spend on that farm with Marley.
"Going for a run?" Haru asked, and Yuki looked behind his shoulder. There stood Marley doing a small stretch on the porch, now wearing some short jogging shorts and a t-shirt.
"Yeah, seems like everyone was else is taking a nap." Marley joked as she put up her hair; Yuki imagined they must be tired from all the fun.
"Thanks for cleaning up! I'll be back before dinner." She smiled and waved goodbye as she tucked in her headphones and jogged off, her long hair swaying behind her before she disappeared down the hill.
Yuki looked into the living room, and there were Kisa, Hiro and Momiji lying on the floor, napping in the late afternoon sun. Tohru watched over them, slightly patting Momiji's hair, a soft and kind look in her eyes.
The Rat of the Zodiac's mind wandered.
'Every day, Akito would visit and deny everything.'
Yuki was back in that room, that pitch-black room devoid of light. Where Akito would tell him pitch black things.
Akito would deny the things I imagined. Deny the things I desired...
A figure entered the scene and sat down on the couch next to her, and Tohru removed her gaze from the young Zodiacs. A bright smile as she conversed with Miguel and giggled over something he said before bringing a single finger to her lips. A gesture to remind him to be quiet to let the kids sleep. He shrugged and handed her the plate of watermelon he had brought over, and she shyly took a slice, most likely thanking him.
Yuki closed his eyes and turned away from the scene.
"I'm going for a walk." The lost boy mentioned as he put down the broom, hardly hearing Hatsuharu's words as he headed down the hill.
.
"Man, that watermelon smashing brought me back." Miguel sighed and it piqued Tohru's interest.
"Oh? Did you use to do it as a kid?!"
"No, no. But well, we have pinatas, but we didn't put them on the ground or anything. We would hang them from a tree branch and then try to hit it."
"Oh, wow! Was it hard?"
"Na, it was pretty easy. Plus, the candy was always worth it. My Mom always stuffed it full with the best stuff she could get." Miguel smiled as he thought back on the childhood memories.
"Candy?" Tohru found herself so confused as she wasn't sure what candy had to do with pinatas. She wasn't even really sure what a pinata was in the first place, but the word itself sounded fun.
"Oh yeah, you would candy in the pinata before hanging it up. And you would break it open, and all the candy could come falling out, and all the kids would dash to grab what they could." Miguel explained, his dimples showing as he smiled.
"It sounds like so much fun." Tohru gushed as her imagination hard at work.
"Yeah, well, if you ever visit me, I'll promise to set up a pinata. Maybe you'll be better at that than the watermelon smashing." Miguel teased, and Tohru's face bloomed red.
"That sounds much too extravagant! I could never!" Tohru denied, her heart racing at the very idea of even travelling to America.
Miguel put a finger to his lips, gesturing to the kids sleeping, and Tohru slapped her hands to her mouth, which made the tall boy lightly laugh under his breath.
"So... did you that as a kid? The watermelon thing?"
"I- Yes, I did."
"Is that what you were gonna mention? Before you went all panicky and rambled out there before trying to split the watermelon with your bare hand?" Miguel asked and watched as Tohru blushed and covered her face, remembering the embarrassing event, but Miguel only laughed.
"I... I didn't want to hurt anyone." Tohru's voice was slightly muffled behind her hands, and Miguel shook his head as he grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her face.
"Hurting anyone? How are you capable of hurting anyone." Miguel asked as he looked at tiny hands in his. She seemed so small and dainty, but he could see a few callouses on her hand. Their hands seemed so different at first glance, his were larger, and his tan skin contrasted her almost snow-white complexion, but they shared the marks of hard work on their hands.
"Did you use to smash watermelons with your mom with your bare hands?" Miguel asked as he finally let go of her hands.
"OH! Don't worry, we used a bat!" Tohru then told him when she was very young, and she and her mother did in front of their apartment building, and she had a hard time hitting the watermelon.
"A mom broke a flowerpot." Tohru smiled as she said this, it hadn't been funny at the time, but it was certainly funny now. Even Miguel let out a laugh as he could picture a young Tohru panicking over the broken flowerpot. Tohru told Miguel that they made sure to pay for the flowerpot, which only made him laugh more, but he was trying to stay quiet for the sake of the kids sleeping in front of them.
"In the end... we split the watermelon and ate it." Tohru finished her story, her heart warm over thinking back on the good times she got to share with her dear mother. She looked up at Miguel, who had a smile on his face.
"Sounds like you two had lots of fun together." He said softly as he watched her, his head resting on his hand.
"Yes, it was fun!" Tohru burst forward a little, so happy to share the memory of her mother with someone. Tohru rested her hand on his knee, getting in close to share more stories, and Miguel happily listened.
.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
.
.
Yuki didn't know for how long he walked, couldn't even hear the sound of the ocean waves or the passing cars as he stared at the pavement, trying to sort out his feelings.
He only stopped to look around when he noticed a figure in front of him, someone he wasn't expecting to see.
"Huh? Kureno?" Yuki gasped, and the older Zodiac member nodded in acknowledgement, and before Yuki could ask what he was doing here, Kureno turned his head, and Yuki followed his eye line.
Akito was staring out at the ocean as he sat on the pile of concrete wave breakers, the slight breeze blowing his hair around. As if he sensed that stare, Akito finally looked over his shoulder, and those dark eyes narrowed in on the Rat.
"Oh... Yuki. Are you alone, as always? What a sad, lonely boy you are." Akito smirked as he started to walk across the rocks to get the pathway.
'I want to believe... that there's more to life than darkness. I want to believe that just as the sun returns after the rain. That no matter how badly I'm beaten down... it will always be filled by an abundance of kindness. I've held on to that... ever since that day.'
Small hands held him close as the yells of boys surrounded them. Pushing, grabbing... slicing. But still... She held him close to her heart. Protecting him.
Akito reached out to cradle Yuki's face, and he felt frozen. The warmth of the hot sun gone.
"AKITOOOO! You made it!" A melodic voice broke through, and everyone seemed to freeze in the moment as footsteps ran closer.
"I actually can't believe you're here? What changed your mind? You were being such a downer about the beach." Marley asked question after questioned as she hugged Akito and Yuki was slightly in shock as Marley took both of Akito's hands in hers and swung them playfully. Akito seemed to be at the happy girl's mercy.
Akito complained about Marley's sweat, and she apologized while laughing, so it seemed she didn't feel all that bad about it. Akito rolled his eyes, and Marley just squeezed him in a hug once more, and the head of the Sohma family almost looked helpless.
It was a strange reminder... that Akito was not God to all.
"Kureno, good to see you! Are you going to join for some beach ball, maybe? Oh, it's too bad you guys missed the Suikakaara!" Marley whined, already wondering if they could maybe pick up a few more watermelons and so another round.
".. the what?" Akito asked, not understanding what Marley was trying to say.
"The watermelon splitting!" Marley proudly announced as if the group had completed some great task and not just some backyard summer activity. Yuki found himself wanting to smile with her.
The sun... will always return after the rain.
"It's too hot; I've had enough." Akito decided as he motioned for Kureno to follow.
"Your wearing black head to toe? I'm hot just looking at you." Marley teased, which earned her a soft glare from Akito's dark eyes.
"Are you staying at the house?" Marley excitedly asked, thinking this could be an excellent opportunity to have everyone be together. She wanted Akito to give Tohru a chance as she felt that Akito could really use a kind friend like Tohru.
Okay, everyone needed a kind friend like Tohru in their lives.
"No, we'll be staying at the annex." Akito shook his head before mentioning that maybe Marley should stay at the annex as well, but Marley joked that she had already made herself quite at home at the summer home.
Akito took one more look at Yuki; a knowing smirk lay on his
"It was nice seeing you Yuki, we'll catch up later." The dark-haired God walked off; the tall man bowed slightly to Marley and Yuki before following after Akito.
Marley turned to say something to Yuki but stopped when she finally took a good look at Yuki. He seemed paler than usual, and something felt off in his grey-eyes. She wondered what the two had talked about before Marley had come across them.
Had I interrupted something?
The adopted Sohma knew that Zodiacs had a complicated relationship with Akito, but she didn't know what exactly. She was generally kept in the dark when it came to such topics. But being told it was not her business did not stop her from wondering. Especially when Yuki seemed to be so troubled, and Marley felt the need to try and cheer him up.
"It's way too hot for running. Do you mind taking a walk with me?" Marley offered, not wanting to leave him on his own. Yuki tended to be a very closed book, to her at least, but she thought that maybe just having someone to walk with would help.
"I-... Sure."
The walk was quiet, filled with the ocean waves' sounds and the odd car zooming by on the road. Marley didn't mind, she usually would have liked the quiet walk, but even though Yuki wasn't saying a word, she felt like he was scared.
.
They walked along the path next to the beach, no speaking, only the sounds around them filling the silence. Normally Marley wouldn't mind the silence, but she could feel that Yuki was struggling.
Maybe we should head back, and Hatsuharu can help...
It was then that she heard screams and stopped in her steps to look around. Her amethyst eyes widened, and her jaw slightly dropped. Yuki asked her if she was alright, but Marley didn't hear it as a lightbulb lit up overhead.
Maybe he just needs a little bit of fun!
"Yuki, Look!" Marley grabbed Yuki's shoulder and used her free hand to point towards a cliff by the ocean. Yuki squinted his eyes and finally locked on to what Marley must have been looking at, and breath stopped just for a moment.
People were cliff jumping into the blue ocean, a jump that looked to be like a forty-foot drop.
"Let's go check it out!" Marley grabbed his hand and dragged him along.
It didn't take long for the two to make it to the cliff where the locals had been jumping. There were about 5 or 6 people, maybe a few years older than Yuki and Marley, but they seemed pretty friendly. Or, perhaps it was the fact that Marley was so friendly and quickly had them in the palm of her hand as Yuki just watched in slight amazement.
She made it look so easy to join in.
"Let's jump!" Marley took her phone out of her pocket and laid on the ground along with slipping off her black t-shirt, leaving her in a black sports bra and dark purple jogging shorts. Yuki averted his gaze, a light blush showing on his cheeks.
"Are... Are we sure it's safe?" Yuki asked just as two people ran off the edge and into the sea... 40 feet below.
"Yeah. It'll be fun." Marley simply put as she slipped off her runners tucked her phone and earphones inside, clearly ready to take the jump. Not an ounce of fear on her eyes, just pure excitement, and Yuki wondered if Marley had a thing for heights and danger. He remembered the brief moment he got to see her in the air, only held up by silks before gracefully twirling towards the ground.
Yuki wished he wasn't so afraid and could be brave.
"I-… I dunno." He stuttered, even stepping back a bit, and Marley's eyes became concerned, hoping she hadn't put him under pressure or anything.
One of the locals cheered on, and soon all the people on the cliff were cheering. Yuki tried not to blush at all the attention while Marley tried to tell them that if Yuki didn't want to, he shouldn't.
"Then let's head to the conbini down the road, kind of craving something salty." Marley went to put her clothes back on, but Yuki could feel she was a little disappointed. She was disappointed but not so much about not jumping but about not getting Yuki to jump.
But she also didn't want to pressure him too much.
"If you want... then you should go for it, and I can cheer you on." Yuki insisted, and Marley seemed to take a few moments thinking it over. Then a bright smile popped onto her face, and Marley promised it would be quick as she headed towards the edge.
Marley thought that maybe, just maybe, if Yuki saw her do it first, then perhaps he would take the plunge too.
Plus, she really was dying to jump.
Marley took a deep breath before leaping off the rocky cliff. A joyful scream filled the air as she dropped towards the blue sea below. Yuki ran over to the side to watch her crash into the water and waited for her head to pop up.
And waited.
Til she burst forward and she let out a loud whoop before she started laughing, everyone up above cheering before someone else jumped in as well. Marley waved at Yuki from where she was, and he weakly waved back, still in slight shock that she had actually jumped. And he was also found himself second-guessing his own choice not to jump.
It... did look fun...
.
The boy waited as Marley made her way back, and he just kept looking at the other people who seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"Hey, thanks for waiting. I tried to hurry back." Marley said as she squeezed out some water from her ponytail.
"..I... I think I want to try..." Yuki quietly said, but Marley caught it.
"Really?!" Her eyes wide, hoping she had heard him right.
"But.. I don't have my swimwear..." Yuki admitted as if it wasn't obvious that he wasn't wearing his swim trunks right now.
"Pfft, that's okay. You got boxers, right?" Marley hardly seemed to care.
"I guess..." Yuki shyly muttered, and he took off his shoes and everything else, leaving him in only his blue boxer briefs. He felt slightly embarrassed, but no one else seemed to care or notice.
"Come on, let's do it together!" Marley was so happy, and it was positively infectious. Yuki felt like all the darkness he had been trapped in just moments ago with Akito had been blown away. Burned away by the sunshine that Marley was.
The ran towards the edge and leapt off, Marley was screaming, and Yuki felt himself out a loud yell as well as he felt the rush of wind and his heart pounding so fast, he worried it would pop out. It was like a release, and it felt...
Freeing. The pitch-dark room was nowhere in sight.
It had been terrifying but also exhilarating. Yuki had taken the plunge and now understood why Marley had been so excited.
The cold water hit, and Yuki swam up to the surface, Marley popping up a few feet away.
"So?" Marley asked as wiped water away from her face before motioning to swim out of the way for the next people to jump.
"Can we go again?" Yuki felt like a child and almost apologized for acting so childishly, but Marley already gave him a thumbs up and said that she would love to jump again.
The two ended up jumping two more times before they finally telling the group of local kids goodbye, grabbing their clothes and lying on the beach. Letting the sun dry them off before they put the clothes back on.
It was possible. To live in that world of light. There were warm, kind people out there. Yuki turned his head as they lay on the beach and watched Marley relaxing in the late afternoon sun. His eyes caught sight of a small white scar neck.
Brave people who would protect a small mouse from those who would cause harm. And hold that mouse in their tiny hands and close to their chest as they would be comforted by the warmth and the beat of their heart.
"Were you scared?" Yuki asked, and Marley thought that he was referring to the cliff jumping.
"Oh, a little, I guess, but I knew I would be fine. Plus, sometimes, the fear makes it even more fun. Like watching a scary movie." She explained.
"I'm happy you jumped with me! I don't think I've ever heard you yell like that. It was funny." Marley giggled; she didn't mean anything mean by it, but Yuki still felt a little embarrassed but was also happy. It had felt good to let it out while jumping. It was like a release.
"Ready to go back?" Marley asked as she sat up and looked over at the quiet boy.
"I think... I'm just going to stay out for a bit." Yuki said as he closed his eyes, and Marley just got a strange feeling... Like something had changed, but she couldn't be sure what.
"Yuki... Everything alright?" She asked, concerned for her friend, wishing she knew how to help. Little did she know that she had done more than help the boy.
"Mhmm, everything is... Fine. Thank you." Yuki's voice was so calm, but his words only confused her.
"For what?" Marley blinked owlishly as she tried to think of something that was worth being thanked for.
"For … all of it." The Zodiac member took Marley's hand and placed a soft kiss on the back. Marley wanted to ask more but felt stunned as Yuki simply got up and slipped his clothing back on, mentioning he would see her back at the house before walking down the beach.
Marley wondered what was going on and just felt like she knew less about Yuki than before. Like she was being kept at hands length.
What... are you keeping something inside?
.
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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
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The golden afternoon sun filled the living room, and the youngest Zodiac members were finally waking up from their nap as Shigure surprised everyone with his news.
"Akito-San is here?" Tohru asked the older male, who simply nodded his head, stating that Akito had just arrived.
"Mm. Is Akito staying here?" Momiji asked as he rubbed his eyes, still a little groggy from the afternoon nap.
"Of course not. He's staying in the annex. Anyway, we'd better go pay our respects." Shigure tried to get everyone going before Akito had a tantrum.
"Should we change clothes first?" Hiro asked, and Shigure insisted they were fine to come as they were.
"By the way... Where's Yuki?" The Novelist asked as he looked around the room and noticed that a few people were not accounted for.
"He went for a walk." Hatsuharu was grateful his dear friend was not here.
"Oh, then he can visit later. Marley-Chan, Is she around?" The Dog was also looking for ways to maybe stir things up. Hatori had warned him not to, but he needed to eventually.
Or else he would never get what he wanted.
"She's on a run." Kyo told him as he crossed his arms, his orange eyes glaring him down as if he knew that Shigure must be up to something.
"Well, I'm sure she can go later as well." Shigure waved his hand and then turned to Tohru.
"Tohru-Kun, I hope you don't mind. Just the relatives today." He casually apologized, and Tohru shook her head, promising that it was fine. The young Kisa let out a small sigh of relief that her big sisters would be far from Akito.
"What's going on?" Miguel asked as he noticed that mostly everyone was putting on their shoes to leave.
"Ah, the family head has decided to visit and has called the family members to where he's staying." The Dog explained in English to the foreigner, who just shrugged and accepted the explanation without much thought.
"You two look after Tohru-Kun. I don't think we'll be gone long." Shigure smiled at the three as he stood with the invited Zodiac members.
"Just go already." Kyo scoffed.
"See you later."
.
To Tohru, it had felt like a light suddenly went out.
Like everyone's mood... Just took a dive.
And with that, the Sohma members were gone, all except one.
"He only came here to throw cold water on the fun. That guy's always been like that. He enjoys ridiculing people." Kyo scoffed, his eyes burning intensely. Tohru's eye filled with sadness for the Sohma family.
Akito-San really does weigh heavily on them...
"Why aren't you going?" Miguel asked Kyo, and the boy glared at the ground.
"Wasn't invited." Kyo simply put before getting up and going upstairs.
"Kyo-Ku-" Tohru called out, but he had already disappeared.
"Well, what kind of bullshit is that?" Miguel sighed. It wasn't directed at Kyo but more so at the family that left him out. They appeared to be close, but why was Kyo left behind.
.
It was only 5 minutes later that Marley came through the door.
"I thought you went for a run?" Miguel asked as he gestured to her noticeably wet hair.
"Took a little swim as well..." Marley smiled as she slipped off her shoes. Her large eyes glanced around the living room. Something was off about the house; it was so quiet.
"Where is everyone?" She asked, wondering if they had taken a trip to the store or maybe the beach.
"Ah, Akito-San invited them to the annex," Tohru informed her.
"Oh, that's silly. Akito should have just come here." She sighed, ready to scold Akito for being rude by leaving Tohru and Miguel out and-
"Wait... Did Kyo get to go?" A small spark of hope in her eyes that maybe just maybe-
Tohru shook her head, and Marley's hopes dropped. Marley knew that Kyo told her to stay out of it as he had some sort of 'plan,' but that didn't stop Marley from wishing she could help.
It was awful being treated as an outsider, and she didn't want the people she cared about to feel that way.
"Where is he?" Marley asked, wanting to check on him.
"Carrot-top went upstairs." Miguel shrugged as he opened the fridge and grabbed himself a soda. Marley wasted no time as she hurried up the stairs up and was about to knock on the door, but her hand wavered.
What could she say?
Marley felt her wet hair dripping against her back and took in her attire. Maybe would think of what to say while she showered and threw on some fresh clothes. So the girl did just that. Washing off the day and put her hair into a french braid, slipping on a golden yellow dress that casually flowed to her mid-calf.
.
Marley still didn't know what to say, but she found herself in front of Kyo's door again. Letting out a small sigh, she knocked on the door and called out his name. She heard a bit of movement before Kyo opened the door. Marley went to say something, but he stopped her.
"I know what you're thinking', but don't worry about it." He put up his hand and then ran it through his orange tresses.
"'The Cat never gets invited.' "He stated, but she knew those weren't his words; those were the words he had been told all his life.
She hated it. Why did it have to be like this?
How did it end up like this? Was it so easy for them to turn their back on a fellow member? This curse that bound them to this pain. How many Sohma's cursed with the spirit of the Cat had been left behind for something that was out of their control.
The empathic white blonde knew what it was like to be ridiculed for looking a little different, but at least she had her family. Kyo was ostracized by his own family. All because of a curse from years and years ago.
"Hmm, well, then I guess we will just have to have fun without them." Marley decided, and Kyo raised a brow.
"Huh?"
"Let's make some good food! And we have the Nintendo! 4 players is perfect! OR we can watch a movie! Let's go!" Marley smiled and grabbed Kyo by the wrist, her fingers brushing against his prayer beads. Kyo just let her lead, wondering what was going through her brain.
"OH! Are you hungry? Let's make something delicious. Craving anything?" She asked, and Kyo thought back to the morning in the storage room.
"... pancakes," Kyo mentioned, and Marley's eyes widened with excitement.
"I haven't had pancakes in so long! What kind do you like? Buttermilk or maybe blueberry pancakes?" Marley asked him, but Kyo just shook his head.
"I've actually never had them before..." The orange-haired teen admitted, and he could tell that he set a fire in Marley.
"I'll have to make extra good ones then, oh, and we can cook up the bacon and eggs. It'll be an American style breakfast for dinner." Marley got excited, and Kyo knew that this was the place to be. He stood right by her as she told the other two her plan, and Tohru was on board immediately. Both girls excited to have a fun evening while Miguel and Kyo shared a look before chuckling at the girl's antics.
Marley insisted that she would take care of everything, and Miguel convinced Tohru to observe with him from the counter, but Kyo didn't leave Marley's side. Watching everything she did and lending a hand when he could.
The kitchen was warm, filled with smells that were making Kyo's mouth water. Marley may not eat meat, but she cooked up some bacon and let Kyo taste test and the boy couldn't believe how good it tasted and snuck a few more pieces before Marley caught him and had Tohru guard the plate.
They were now using the griddle to make pancakes, and Marley had shown him how to make a few normal ones before she a little 'artistic.'
"Kyo, look! It's the shape of a cat." Marley showed off her creation in the pan, and the orange-haired boy chuckled as the pancake looked more like a blob with two smaller blobs on top, but his chest felt warm as he looked at the misshaped pancake that maybe resembled a cat.
"Ah... But maybe you would feel like a cannibal by eating something cat-shaped." Marley tilted her head as she thought out loud.
"Pfft... Such a weirdo." Kyo chuckled, and Marley giggled as a small blush dusted her cheeks.
Kyo might not get to be among God and the Zodiacs. But a small part of his soul knew this just might be close to heaven.
.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
.
The four teens passed the time with a filling dinner, and they had found a Hollywood superhero movie playing on cable. Kyo and Miguel had argued about who was the better superhero, and Marley and Tohru laughed over the boys being so passionate over the fictional characters. It had been sweet, and Marley felt like the two could become friends.
Time passed, the sun had completely gone down. Miguel was already knocked out on the couch after eating an impressive amount of bacon, his light snores masked by the sound of the TV playing the end credits.
"I hope everything okay..." Marley softly said as she was already beginning to worry. Tohru had decided to go outside to check for the others, but that a few minutes ago.
Maybe I should have gone with Tohru... but she said she was just checking outside...
"Hey. Are you gonna go?" Kyo asked her, and she asked what he was referring to, and he simply mentioned the annex where Akito was staying.
"I might go and say hi." Marley looked down at her phone just to see if there were any messages. Kyo thought back to Shigure mentioned that Marley could go to the annex, and he clenched his fist.
"I don't -" The front door burst opened, and Momiji came bouncing in, announcing that everyone had returned. Marley smiled at them, but her eyes wandered back to Kyo, who looked annoyed but shook his head at her, telling her to forget what he was going to say.
The Rabbit immediately noticing the spread of pancakes, cut-up fruit, bacon and maple syrup and his eyes nearly popped out his head.
"Breakfast for dinner! Aww, is there still some left?" Momiji whined, and Marley promised there were lots left for everyone to have.
Soon after, Yuki entered the house with Tohru, and Marley welcomed them back.
Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as they all enjoyed pancakes and bacon. Hatsuharu waved a piece of bacon in front of Miguel as the kids watched, and it comically made him wake up from his nap.
"There's more bacon?" He asked without missing a beat and chomping down on the meat.
"Kyo-Kun, I'm so jealous you got to hang out with Marley and Tohru," Momiji whined, and Kyo told him to stop being annoying, but the two moved their attention when they heard laughter from the kitchen. Marley worked alongside Tohru to make pancakes for the Zodiac members who had just returned home.
"Do... do you think Akito will make Marley visit him...Or Tohru," Momiji asked softly, and Kyo was surprised that the two had been thinking the same thing. It was known that Marley and Akito had a friendship, and Marley hadn't been hurt by Akito. And he couldn't imagine why Akito would call Tohru to the annex.
Kyo knew of the one instance, but he knew that Marley insisted it was a mistake, and he had promised not to tell anyone.
But Akito's temper was infamous, and the Zodiac members worried for the girl they felt was too close to the danger. Kyo couldn't help but wish the white-blonde wasn't so friendly and didn't give her kindness to everyone that crossed her path.
"Kyo? Momiji? Is something wrong? Not feeling well." Marley asked as she placed a plate of pancakes down on the table. Her eyes filled with concern at the two, and Kyo let out a sigh as Momiji shook his head, just saying that he was hungry and the pancakes looked delicious.
But Momiji and Kyo shared a quick look when Marley turned around to grab the bottle of syrup for Momiji.
They didn't want her to go.
.
.
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* Can't think of any notes XD *
Hey all! Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The summer fun was in full swing but it looks like Akito is going to try and assert her position as God. Too bad for Akito that Marley is more of a spiritual type.
Wow, thank you to the amazing peeps that left reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you *sending out good vibes* feeling very grateful and thanks for putting up with this non-existent upload schedule.
Next Chapter:
Akito continues to disrupt the summer fun by keeping the inner Zodiacs away from the summer fun, Marley takes notice of something new and Tohru finds a horse in the woods.