A/N: I'm alive! Sorry this is 2 weeks late but it couldn't be helped adult life took priority. Fear not however I haven't lost interest in writing this story! Thanks a bunch to my friend who helped me edit this chapter! So without without further ado please enjoy chapter 7!
Saturday Evening
I walked back towards the house after spending a few hours in my small garden in the woods. After everything that had happened in the last few days and the added people in the house, I needed a few hours to myself. However, this morning's events were strange: why was Liisa in my room? Even though I didn't see her, I knew she was in my bed based on the crumpled sheets and how the space next to me smelled like her. I wanted to ask her about it but not in front of everyone. As I neared the house, I felt the strong magnetic pull of Liisa's presence. I don't feel the dog or the cat though, so I took a deep breath to clear my thoughts as I opened the front door with a soft "I'm home."
"Welcome back," Tohru called out as she popped her head out of the kitchen doorway. I went in her direction to check what they did in there and was surprised at how clean and organized it was. I also noticed Liisa sitting at the dining table in my peripheral vision.
"Wow! You guys made quick work of the mess in here," I stated in amazement as I walked over to the rice cooker - the yellow light indicated that the rice was done. "I didn't even know we had a rice cooker." The more I looked around, the more impressed I was at how fast the girls revamped the kitchen into what it's supposed to be like. Tohru was chatting happily about what she was cooking for dinner when I heard and felt my stomach growl embarrassingly loud; I felt a little better as I heard Liisa's stomach growl right after mine.
"Soooo when can we eat dinner?" I asked awkwardly. Tohru just smiled sympathetically.
"We can eat when Shigure-san and Kyo-san gets back," She stated as she turned off the burner for the soup.
I'm not waiting that long to eat just for those two.
"They went to the Main House and won't be back until later tonight. We can always save them some," I stated as I moved to the cupboard where I thought the bowls were and opened it to reveal only plates inside. "Oh, where are the bowls and silverware?" Tohru hurried to open another cupboard. The other girl at the table sighed and joined us; together we set the table quickly. The girls set aside portions for when the cat and the dog returned while I got us drinks. We all sat at the table, said grace, and began eating. I hungrily ate a few spoonful's of soup; the flavors blended together beautifully on my tongue.
"Mmm, this's good," I complimented in between spoonful's. I glanced at Tohru to see a bright smile on her face and pink cheeks.
"Really? Cause I haven't cooked for other people in a while. I mean, I would cook for my grandpa but he always says my cooking's good," she rambled.
"Yes, it's really good. I haven't had food like this in a while," I took another spoonful of soup. I watched the other two as I slurped my soup.
I've never had such a calm and pleasant dinner though.
"Mmm-hmm! Reminds me of home," Liisa said brightly as she stirred her soup with her spoon. The words were barely out of her mouth when I heard a sniffle. I looked to the other girl and her expression was sad with tears in her eyes. "Shoot! Tohru, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Liisa said frantically. I was frozen in place, unsure what to do or why she'd suddenly started crying.
"No, it's fine I just… I thought so too," she stated wiping the tears away before they could fall. As I brought a spoonful of soup to my mouth I realized they must be talking about home before their mother's died. They're usually so happy it's easy to forget all the hardships they've been through. As I thought of this, I felt my chest tighten slightly as it sometimes does since I was a child and I involuntarily took a breath of air, some of the soup getting inhaled as well. I broke into a fit of coughing my chest burning.
"Are you alright Sohma- san?" Tohru asked as I coughed pounding a fist on my chest.
"Y-yeah just fi-fine," I assured between coughs.
Stupid body, why do you do that? I hope I'm not getting sick, that's the last thing I need.
We all ate in silence after I calmed down from my coughing fit. Tohru was the one who broke the silence first.
"Did you go out today too, Sohma-san? Did you go shopping?" She asked curiously as she set her spoon down.
"I didn't go shopping, but I went out to check on my garden - my secret base." I said softly, setting my own spoon down. They would probably think it's weird for a guy like me to have a secret garden base.
"Wow really? That's really cool," She exclaimed happily, much to my surprise.
She thinks it's cool? Is she willing to accept anything?
"I can assure you that it's not as 'cool' as you're imaging," I replied, picking up my bowl to drink the broth to hide my surprise when an idea struck me. "Maybe I can bring you two next time." I added before tipping my bowl. That was when I felt the cat's and dog's presence approaching; I could make out their muffled voices even from outside.
"I'll never forgive you for deceiving me like that!" Kyo yelled as he slammed open the door to the kitchen. "You probably really enjoyed it!"
"As much as I love messing with people, this was for your own good, Kyo, and Akito agrees," Shigure countered while following the fuming teen into the kitchen. The sight of the cat stirs the ever present anger in the pit of my stomach.
"I don't give a damn what either of you think!" he yelled back stalking across the kitchen. I saw Tohru half rise out of her seat across from me.
"Welcome back! Dinner's ready," she greeted them calmly.
"I'M NOT EATING!" Kyo snapped at her exiting the kitchen into the hallway and slamming the door behind him. His rude behavior's one of the things that fueled my anger.
"You shouldn't take out your anger on Tohru-san! Also, use the front door next time and don't forget to take your shoes off!" Shigure yelled after him, tugging his own shoes off in the entrance to the kitchen. I heard an angry muffled yell and the sound of something breaking somewhere in the house. The following silence was awkward until Tohru broke it.
"I didn't get to say it this morning but you look great in a suit," She awkwardly attempted at making light conversation, I would have to disagree and couldn't stop myself from making a snide comment.
"He looks like a host," I said pointedly. Liisa snorted into her soup; she set the bowl down and went into a coughing fit.
"Are you alright over there? Was what he said really that funny?" Shigure asked, plopping down into a vacant chair.
"W-well just a little," She wheezed out after her cough calmed down a bit. I looked away a little embarrassed to think something I said made her choke.
"Oh is dinner ready? Is there some for me?" the dog asked hopefully.
"Ah yes! I left some for you and Kyo-san in the refrigerator since we didn't know when you guys would be back," Tohru explained as she rose from her seat once again. Shigure followed behind her as she opened the fridge and pulled out one of the bowls. "What about Kyo-san?"
"Ah, he's just having one of his temper tantrums. Don't mind him," He sighed absently, lifting the covering from the bowl and placing it in the microwave.
"What was he angry about?" Liisa asked curiously.
When is that hot head not angry about something?
"I tricked him into taking a transfer exam. Starting Monday, Kyo's going to the same school as you three," He nonchalantly responded just as the microwave beeped; he removed the bowl, gave it a quick stir, and put it back inside. My chair scraped on the floor loudly when I stood up to glare in the traitorous dog's face.
"No, why would you do that!? I chose to go to that school to get away from them! Why's he transferring there?!" I spoke in an angry voice, feeling betrayed in some way. I remembered the conversation we had months prior; he asked me why I chose to go to this school and I told him. So knowing this, why did he help him make the stupid cat transfer to my school?
"Mmmmm~ I knew you'd be angry but hear me out: even when Kyo went to an all-boy's school, he didn't want to go then he went missing for four months. No one knew where he went until he told me today that he trained in the mountains. Akito told him it'd be best if he went to school with you as a different kind of training, I suppose," Shigure took out his bowl from the microwave and moved back to the table. I moved back without taking my eyes off of him. I'm aware of the scowl set on face. I was dimly aware of the girls moving around us, quietly cleaning up the dirty dishes.
"Training? Like the kind where you stand under a waterfall and fight bears?" Tohru asked a confused look on her face.
"Mmmmm something like that, but honestly I'm not completely sure," Shigure informed her before slurping a spoonful of soup. "This's really good by the way." he added nonchalantly. Seeing that the adult was ignoring me, I picked up my dishes and brought them to the sink where Liisa was doing the other dishes.
"If he's been training, what's he trying to do?" she asked as I set my dishes on the counter next to the sink.
"It's because he wants to beat Yuki in a fight; they've been rivals since childhood," Shigure explained in between mouthfuls of soup. The embers of anger flared and the words slipped from my lips before I had the chance to stop myself.
"He's a moron," I closed my eyes trying to smother the embers before I did something I would regret. I took a few deep breaths before turning away from the counter.
No matter how much I dislike something, they're always doing what they want. It's so frustrating!
"Enough about that sour puss! I have something to tell you girls!" Shigure's change of subject pulled me out of my thoughts. "It's good news! As long as Tohru-san can keep the secret, she can stay here without any problems! As for Liisa-san, since she has a curse similar to ours there's no problem with you staying here; although Akito did express an interest in you. He wanted to know if you'd meet with him some time soon." A bolt of foreboding and fear shot down my spine.
What does he want with her? Like hell I'm letting him meet either of them, nothing good would come of that.
"U-uh sure I guess. I probably wouldn't have a choice, would I?" she stammered. I stalked over to where Shigure sat and leaned down on the table to look him in the eyes.
"What do you mean by that? What are you and Akito planning?" I demanded; my voice laced with anger as my dark grey eyes bored into his lighter grey ones.
"If you're thinking about the last incident, that was only because there were lots of people involved. This time, however, only involves two people. Given how Liisa-san is cursed like us, Akito said there wouldn't be consequences as long as they keep our secret; in turn, we'll keep her secret. Speaking of which, what did your Head of the Household say? You never mentioned his name." Shigure glanced over his shoulder at her while ignoring me.
"O-oh ye-yeah, I called him. Um, his name is Akiro… and he said, uh there wouldn't be any trouble from him as long as you guys keep the secret," she stuttered; her eyes bounced around the room a scared look on her face.
"Akiro, huh? That's a very similar name to Akito. What're the odds?" Shigure murmured with an interested look on his face. "Anyway, there's another thing that I want to ask you two. Do you like doing house chores?" He asked brightly and I knew what he was going to ask next. I almost facepalmed but restrained myself.
"Yeah! I love to clean! Why?" Tohru asked, taking a seat at the table.
"Well, seeing as you both have nowhere else to go, I propose you live here and do house work as payment," He prompted as I sat back down with a huff, arms crossed over my chest. I had a feeling this was going to happen when I heard that nothing was going to happen to them. Strangely, I didn't want them to go - it's their choice in the end.
"What?! No way! I'm not going to stay in a house with men! And we aren't going to be your house keepers!" Liisa shouted at him and he looked like a kicked puppy. "Besides, we only stayed for the night because Tohru was sick!"
"The room has a lock on it," I found myself saying, thinking that may be one of the problems for them staying. I could tell she was about to retort when Tohru pulled her to the other side of the kitchen their heads bent together. I couldn't make out what they were saying since they were whispering in each other's ears, but after a couple moments they came back over to the table. Tohru in the lead with Liisa trailing slightly behind, looking defeated.
"We didn't want to overstay our welcome but if you say it's okay, then thank you for having us." She thanked him then gave a pointed look to her friend, "Isn't that right, Liisa?"
"Yeah thank you, hope it isn't too much trouble." she grumbled with her head turned to the side.
"Well! Now that that's settled, you two will take the room you slept in last night. I hope you don't mind sharing because the last room will be Kyo's as he'll also stay here from now on."
"Yeah, we used to share a room back in the apartment," Liisa supplied. The adult nodded his head at her.
"Great! With that settled, maybe I can enjoy my dinner in peace." He returned his attention to his soup. Tohru and I decided to start on homework by bringing our supplies to the dining table. Shigure soon finished his soup and gave it to Liisa to wash then put away the rest of the dishes. She joined us at the table when she completed her task.
"Tohru, do you want to go to sleep? You're probably worn out between the fever and cleaning most of the day." She pointed out then turned to the adult before her friend could respond. "Can we use the futons from last night?"
"Yeah, use them for as long as you need. I'm not expecting any guests any time soon because somebody doesn't like company," The adult chided. I didn't move my eyes from my textbook.
Once again the level of childish behavior this man exudes ceases to amaze me.
"It's not that I dislike company. I just don't like the company you like to keep," I shot back, turning a page in my textbook.
"Uhhh, right well lets go then Tohru," She responded hesitantly. I looked up as she started to put her things away; she did look exhausted.
"Goodnight guys. See you later," she murmured after she collected her things.
"Good night," Liisa said and they quickly left the room, leaving my alone with my cousin. Once they were gone and I heard their muffled steps on the stairs, I closed my textbook and glared over at my cousin.
"Tell my truthfully, what are you two planning? They're allowed to keep their memories so what's he thinking?" I demanded quietly. "Why does he want to meet Liisa-san?
"Relax, there's no planning or scheming going on. As for why Akito wants to meet Liisa-san I don't know for sure, but he seems to think she may know a way to break the curse."
"What? That's preposterous! Why would she be able to break it? She has her own curse to worry about. I know they seem similar but if she could break our curse, wouldn't she have used it to break her own curse?" My heart sped up.
How would she have any answers for our curse? Our curses sound similar but she's not even related to us so just what's going on here?
"I know it sounds crazy but you have to admit there're similarities between our curses. What if there's an answer to this in her family history somewhere? I want to meet this Akiro person she said was her Head of House. I bet you anything he has the answers to my questions," He said as he leaned back in his chair. I remained silent as I mulled over his words.
"You're always going on about how the curse is naturally weakening and will break on its own anyway. Why not just let it be? No need to bring an outsider into this mess," I said as I started to gather my things.
"I think that still holds true, but I think that it needs a little push to completely break," A certain type of gentleness appeared on his face - one that I rarely see. "Then maybe things would be better and easier."
"Yeah right," I snorted standing up with my things to leave. "Not all our problems would be solved with the curse breaking."
"You're right but it would certainly help a great deal." he replied thoughtfully. "Are you heading up to bed?"
"Yeah, goodnight Shigure," I exited the kitchen and headed to my room. The house was silent as I got ready for bed, thoughts of my conversation with Shigure swirled in my head as I settled into my bed and closed my eyes.
I wonder what life would be like without the curse hanging over our heads all the time.
I sighed and rolled over finally getting comfortable and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
The next day
I was minding my own business eating some lunch after the girls had left for work when the stupid thing that is the cat of the zodiacs came bursting into the dining room, his eyes alighting when he spotted me.
"No more excuses you damn rat! I challenge you to a fight! Right now!" he challenged halting next to me. My irritation rose at the rude interruption to my meal.
"Fine, not that it'll make any difference." I shoved my chair back and moved to the kitchen door not wanting to mess up the clean kitchen. "Let's take this outside."
"Any where's fine as long as I can fight you. I know I've gotten stronger," the cat said as he followed me outside. I rolled my eyes my back to him.
This isn't going to be very long just like all the other times.
Once we were a little ways from the house Kyo and I turned to face each other. The cat had a cocky grin on his face that wasn't going to last very long. We stood there for a moment, waiting for the other to make the first move. I knew from experience that the cat usually pounces with a fist raised and teeth bared - one of the many mistakes that leads to his loss. He did just that: he lunged at me with his fist aimed at my stomach. I dodged with ease then countered with a roundhouse kick to his stomach, sending him flying into a tree. He didn't move as I lowered my leg and huffed.
The same results as the last few times he's challenged me, why does he keep coming back?
I kept an eye on my unmoving cousin for a moment before returning inside to finish my meal. For the rest day, I didn't see the cat; though, I sensed his presence skulking around the house. It's the same routine every time he loses a fight against me: he sulks for a while then comes back only to be beaten again. Pathetic, really.
Is it possible to teach the cat a new trick?
The next morning
I woke to the sound of shuffling outside my door. I sat up while rubbing my eyes, confused on what the sound could be and where it was coming from. The sound didn't stop even as I got out of bed to investigate. I went to my door, grabbed and turned the knob to see Liisa standing on the stairs a few steps down from the top.
"Liisa-san? What are you doing?" I took a tentative step forward. She gave no indication of hearing me; instead, she suddenly turned and smacked right into the wall beside her. The force was enough to knock her off balance. It was as if time slowed down as I watched her fall down the stairs. I leapt forward to catch her, but I missed. Utter horror ransacked my being as I watched her body bounce like a ragdoll all the way down until she landed at the bottom. I cried out her name then unglued my feet from the floor to rush to her prone form. As I reached out to touch her, I was startled to see was asleep not unconscious despite the fall!
Is this even possible? Shouldn't the pain from the fall have woken her up?
"Liisa-san, wake up!" My voice wavered as I shook her shoulder but received no response. I heard a door open from the top of the stairs.
"What's going on out… here," I looked up in time to see Tohru at the top of the stairs looking down on us. I saw her eyes widen and she flew down the stairs. "What happened? Oh my god, is she alright?" she tried shaking her friend gently even though it was clear she was panicking.
"She fell down the stairs but remained asleep." I turned to fully face her. "Is it normal for her to be a deep sleeper?" The other girl nodded her head.
"We always assumed she was just a heavy sleeper but nothing like this has ever happened," she worriedly bit her lower lip as her eyes slid back to her friend. Before I could respond, Shigure's bedroom door opened and he shuffled into view fixing his robe.
"What happened out here? It's sounded like a stampede crashing around in here," He paused then blinked a few times seeming to finally take in the situation. "What happened?" He hurried forward and I was glad that the adult was there.
I quickly told him what I told Tohru and he sat back. "We need to call a doctor, she could be seriously injured." My blood froze at his words - I know who he was referring to.
"No, no not him! Call someone else, anyone else," I spoke quickly.
"Yuki, there's no one else to call; besides, nothing will happen, Akito already said they aren't going to have their memories wiped." The adult said as he turned to walk down the hallway towards the phone. I grit my teeth despite knowing he was right, especially if it involves the curse no outsiders would understand but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
"Fine, see to it that he doesn't do anything," I ground out after the dog.
I don't want to be here when he gets here.
"Um… Who are you talking about?" Tohru asked, resting a protective hand on her friend.
"The Sohma family doctor; his name's Hatori. He's the dragon of our curse, so there's nothing to worry about in that regard," I assured, but the look she gave me was not one of relief.
"What do you mean 'in that regard?' Is there something I should know before he gets here?" There was a steeled look in her eyes.
Curse me and my terrible word choice.
"Remember that as long as you keep our secret, there wouldn't be any consequences?"
"Yeah? What does that have to do with anything?" she replied a bit wearily.
"Hatori is the person to carry out the consequences because he has a power the rest of us don't have," I briefly wondered if I was making a mistake of telling her this but I digress. "He has the power to suppress memories in others."
"What do you mean? Like he makes them forget?" Fear crossed her facial features.
"Kind of. The memories he suppresses are still there but they won't resurface. For example, if he makes one person forget another, the forgotten person may trigger the memories to come back full force. It's best if the person avoids the other who's memories were suppressed and pretend they didn't know each other." I clenched my fists on my lap. Its caused a lot of pain over the years…
"Has that happened to you?" Her question was followed by her leaning over to place a hand on top of my fist. I flinched at the unexpected touch but didn't pull away. When I looked up, I was stunned by the kind and caring look in her eyes - my heart sped up.
What's this feeling?
"Yeah…when I was in the 2nd grade, I was playing in the yard at the Main House when a girl hugged me playfully. He ended up erasing the memories of everyone who was there and saw it…" I trailed off as I remembered that day.
I stood in Akito's room, confused and hurt after what happened in the yard. I was just told that I couldn't play with those kids or go out in the yard in general to avoid something like that happening again.
"Akito, is turning into a rat so strange that you have to keep me hidden away?" I was genuinely confused.
"Yes, you are very strange that if people found out, they'd be afraid. They'd leave you!" His loud voice caused me to flinch tears falling from my eyes.
"Sohma-san? Are you alright?" Tohru's voice broke me out of my memory.
"Y-yeah," I replied awkwardly. Before I could say anything else, we heard a groan from the girl in-between us. Tohru gasped then refocused her gaze to her prone friend.
"She's waking up! Liisa! Can you hear me?" She shook the other girl's shoulder gently as she called to her. The other girl groaned again before finally speaking.
"Go away… just five more minutes," Her voice slurred with sleep as she raised a hand and tried to push Tohru off.
"Liisa-san, you need to wake up. We need to know how hurt you are," I asked, and she finally blinked open her light blue eyes. She looked up at us in confusion.
"What happened? How did I get here?" she asked, starting to push herself up from the floor. Tohru and I reached out at the same time and held her down by her shoulders.
"Don't move till we get someone to look at you. Shigure's calling the Sohma family doctor," Tohru explained with unshed tears in her eyes. I decided to tell her what had happened in answer to her previous question.
"As for what happened, I was woken up by noises outside my door. When I went to investigate I opened my door in time to see you bump into the wall of the stair well and lose your balance. I tried to grab you before you fell but I missed. When I got down, you were sleeping like nothing happened. I've been trying to wake you up for a while now," Despite her now being awake, a fresh wave of worry washed over me. I don't know what to do or say or even if something is wrong, I don't know what to look for. Meanwhile, Tohru started to gently brush her friend's hair with her fingers as a sign of comfort.
How are they so calm right now? I don't know what to do or say and it's making me feel useless.
"Where are you hurt?" she asked softly and Liisa wiggled in place, probably to get comfortable as Tohru and I were still pinning her down by the shoulders. Finally, she stopped wiggling and looked towards her friend.
"My whole body feels bruised and battered to be honest, but the worst of it is in my legs and my head is pounding," She said. I could feel her shoulder muscles trembling under my hand; panic surged my being when she closed her eyes.
"Liisa stay awake! You can't go to sleep!" Tohru's worried voice rang in the hallway and she shook her friends shoulder gently. She groaned as she reopened her eyes.
"Just wake me up when the doctor gets here. I need some sleep," She whined, trying to shrug off both of our hands from where they rested on her shoulders.
"You can sleep once the doctor checks you over; please stay awake until then," Tohru re-stated as I tightened my grip on her shoulder. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually I heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall and I felt the strong pull of Shigure's presence coming towards us.
"I got through to Hatori. He should be here in about 45 minutes. How's she doing?" He asked coming to a halt next to me.
"I'm right here you know," Liisa snapped trying to move to see Shigure, Tohru and I did our best to hold her in place.
"Oh good, you're finally awake! We were worried when you wouldn't wake up!" he responded, sounding a bit relived "Anyway, Hatori told me that if you woke up to keep you still. He's most worried about you having an injury to your neck or spine, so just bear with us for a while alright?"
"I don't have a choice with these two holding me down," she sighed, and at that moment was when the stupid cat finally decided to show up. I heard his footsteps descending the stairs and felt the push of his presence along with the orange citrusy scent that I despise.
"What's going on? Why are you guys being so noisy? It's too early for that," he complained sleepily as he came down the stairs. His footsteps stopped as he got to the bottom of the stairs; Liisa tried lifting her head but Tohru put her hand on her forehead to keep her neck still. I heard her let out a heavy sigh. "What the hell are you guys doing?" she brought her left arm up just as I released her shoulder getting to my feet and facing the cat.
"Liisa-san fell down the stairs. We're keeping her still until Hatori can come and look at her, in case she injured her head and spine," I said in a cold voice. The longer he was here, the more my temper rose. "Tell me, Kyo, why did you show up just now when the rest of us came down immediately after hearing Liisa-san fall down?" I didn't really care about his answer, but it was something that needed to be asked. The cat directed his gaze downwards with his hands clenched into tight fits at his sides.
"Oh, you trained late last night right?" Liisa blurted from the floor. I turned to look down at her but she was straining against Tohru's hand looking towards the cat. "You went back out last night after I ran into you in the forest, didn't you?"
"So what?! It was my choice!" he spat bumping into my shoulder as he passed, heading for the kitchen. I took a few angry steps after him with the intent of beating him into a pulp when the dog's voice broke my stride.
"Don't mind him. He's always been a grouch in the morning," Shigure piped up as he settled down in my vacant spot. "You two can go and get ready for school. I'll make sure the patient stays still."
Right, besides a fight is not what's needed right now.
I spun on my heel and went upstairs, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Once I entered my room, I quickly locked the door then got dressed for school. More so to avoid facing Hatori than wanting to get to school early. Just as I zipped my bookbag closed, I heard the doorbell ring followed by the dog's holler, "I'll get it!" A second later, I sensed the dragon's presence. I hastily grabbed by bag and flew out of my room. My socked feet thumped on the stairs and I hurried down, careful not to step on Liisa at the bottom of the stairs.
"Are you heading out to school?" She asked me as I passed her.
"Yeah, I want to get some stuff done before school starts. Feel better soon, I'll see you after school's over." I quickly responded as I hastened my pace to the kitchen, hoping to escape through the side door. I had just heard Hatori's and Shigure's voices enter the hall when I entered the kitchen and see Kyo and Tohru sitting at the table.
"Ah! I've made breakfast since Liisa is out of commission," She explained and motioned to a plate of toast and eggs on the table.
"Thanks, I'll take some toast and eat it on the way to school. I've got some work that I need to get done." I picked up a few pieces of toast and headed towards the side door.
"Oh… alright, I'll see you later then," I heard her say before I shut the door and hurried down the path away from the house. I slowed down when I couldn't feel any of their presences. I continued my walk in silence all the way to school while eating the rest of my breakfast.
Once I arrived on campus, I went straight to my classroom and sat at my desk and waited for my classmates to file in. Tohru came in seconds before the bell was about to ring and sat down at her desk. Our home room teacher Mayu-sensei entered the classroom and the class went silent. Kyo entered after the teacher and stood awkwardly at the front of the class.
"Good morning class! Today we have a new student joining us! Come and introduce yourself." She announced, motioning towards my cousin.
He turned to face the class with his hands firmly at his side. His expression oozed fake confidence as he spoke, "Hello, my name is Kyo Sohma. It's nice to meet you." The class murmured and I sighed, knowing what they were gossiping about.
"Sohma? Do you think he's related to Yuki-kun?" A girl behind me whispered.
"They don't look anything a like." another whispered back. I pretended to not hear what they were saying as Mayu-sensei called the classed to order.
"Alright! Kyo-kun, why don't you take the empty desk in the third row near the window." My cousin followed her suggestion. Before she could officially begin the lessons for today, she looked in my direction - presumably behind me.
"Yes, Eiichi-kun?" the teacher called. I turned in my seat to see the guy Liisa bumped into before this whole living situation happened. Now that I know the whole story, that was a very close call.
"Where's Liisa-san?" He asked lowering his hand.
"Ah, seems she had an accident before school today. Her family doctor called and said that she's going to be fine but will be missing school today," She explained to the class.
So that's what Hatori told the school.
Once Mayu-sensei started the lessons, we settled in for the day ahead of us.
Lunch
I was sitting at my desk after finishing my lunch then glanced at my cousin. He was sitting with his face red, eyed fixed on his lap while a group of girls swarmed around him.
"Are you really Sohma-kun's cousin?" One girl asked.
"Is that your natural hair color?" Another girl asked before he could say anything. I faced forward to avoid watching the disaster that's about to happen.
"Are you close to Sohma-kun?" a third girl asked. I sighed turning my head to the right and spotting Tohru and her two friends Hanajima, and Uotani. They were at the back of the room and Hanajima was curling Tohru's hair with a curling iron while they watched my cousin struggle. It's not unusual for Hanajima to bring her curling iron to school though her dark hair is always straight.
I wonder how Liisa is doing?
A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn away from the three friends and face a girl, Suki, who stood next to my desk. Her long black hair pulled back into a high pony tail.
"Yuki-kun! Would you introduce us to your cousin?" She asked. I spotted Kaida just behind her looking hopeful.
"Sorry Sempai. We're not very close. We don't even talk to each other, if we can help it." I said with a small smile.
"Ah ok, then sorry to bother you," Both girls turned away with a downcast expression when I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around in time to see Kyo stand up and head for the door.
"Sohma-kun? Where are you going? Let's talk a little longer!" A girl called out as she grabbed my cousin's arm. I mentally facepalmed as I saw the look on his face.
"Yaa!" He cried out as he gripped the girl's wrist then pinned her down on the floor, facedown with the same arm he caught twisted in a way that certainly looked painful. His other arm was pressed perpendicular on her shoulder blade.
"Ow! L-let go!" She yelled. Everyone watched in silence as he released her and stumbled to his feet. Suki took a step towards the girl on the floor and Kyo moved back.
"S-stay away from me!" He backed towards the windows.
"Kyo-san…" I heard Tohru say behind me.
"Sohma-kun, what's the matter?" Kaida asked while Suki inched towards the girl on the floor. I could tell Kyo was overwhelmed and was about to bolt.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He turned and threw open one of the windows and placed a foot on the sill.
"No! This is the second floor!" A girl with dirty-blond pigtails shouted as he jumped; the people closest to the window gathered around to watch what was happening. I heard the sound of feet landing on the ground and then charging away.
"Wow! He sure is different, right?" One of the girls at the window said to the others.
"That's not the problem here! This is the second floor! How did he not get hurt?" Another pointed out.
"That really hurt! How could he do that to a girl?"
Maybe next time, don't go throwing yourself on someone who was trying to walk away.
"Stupid cat," I muttered under my breath as I stood from my seat to look for the runaway. It didn't take too long because I followed the cat's presence. He was behind the school building, sitting on a ledge while panting.
"Could you use your head before you act? Everyone knows you're my cousin and if you start causing trouble it'll only inconvenience me." I warned him pointedly.
"You must be nuts! Why are you going to a school with girls everywhere…" Kyo got to his feet. "It'd be so much easier to just go to the all-boys school that Akito picked out than to live in fear of transforming every day."
"I want to break the chains of the 12 zodiacs and that means living a normal life at a normal school," I told him turning my face away. "I bet you wouldn't want that since you want to be a part of it so badly."
"Like you would understand?!" Kyo burst out. I turned my head to look at the angry expression that often settled itself over his face. "I will win! I will defeat you and when I do, I won't be excluded by the Sohma Family anymore!" He lunged at me, fisting my collar as I tried put space between us. He might've landed a hit on me if Tohru hadn't grabbed him from behind and turned him into a cat.
"I'm sorry! I know you're angry right now but you can't fight at school because something bad may happen." Tohru spoke as she kneeled on the ground with Kyo not too far away from her. His back was arched in agitation and hissed at the brunette.
"JUST SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE IF SOMETHING BAD MAY HAPPEN, ALL THAT MATTERS IS BEATING YUKI! DON'T BOTHER ME! YOU ONLY GET IN THE WAY!" He seemed to snap out of his rage-induced yelling and froze as Tohru backed away from him. She got to her feet and hurried away - clearly in distress.
"You're really stupid sometimes. Didn't I just tell you to use your head before you act? That also extends to what you say too." I left my cousin to deal with his transformation alone and went looking for Tohru.
"This would be easier if I could feel her presence like I can with the others," I mutter to myself as I walked through the school, looking for Tohru. I was walking past where two halls intersect when I heard someone call Tohru's name.
"Her electric signal's coming from over there," Hanajima told her companion as she pointed down another hall. I paused at the opening to see Tohru sitting on her knees underneath a fire hydrant holder; she'd obviously been crying.
"What are you doing sitting there? Class is starting," Uotani told her as they walked over to her. She scrambled to her feet but hit her head hard on the hydrant holder.
"Ow! It hurts so much, made me tear up." Tohru told her friends as tears ran down her face.
"It looked like you intentionally bumped your head to me," Uotani said with a shake of her head.
"It's because I bumped my head on the corner of this cabinet, really!" Tohru straightened up, rubbing the top of her head. I watched in silence as the three girls moved away down the hall.
That dumb cat is going to have to apologize later, if he can even manage that.
I followed after the girls back to class just when the bell rang. Kyo didn't return to class and I didn't see him for the rest of the day at school.
After School
When I got home from school I found my two cousins and Liisa in the living room, Shigure had his writing stuff covering the table top.
"Welcome home, Yuki, where's Tohru-san?" Shigure asked, making room for me at the table.
"She went straight to her part-time job. She said that dinner just has to be reheated." I said as I sat down at the table. "She gets off at 11 today so I was thinking of walking her home."
"Good idea! There's been an increase of cases with perverts around here," he responded as he packed up his writing things. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye - Kyo had gotten to his feet.
"L-let me walk with her! I want to apologize," He blurted while avoiding eye contact.
"If that's what you want, it makes no difference to me as long as she gets home fine," I shrugged then pulled out some papers from my bookbag. "Liisa-san, I have the assignments you missed today. If you'd like, I can help you with them."
He better use this to actually apologize and not the half done things he usually does.
"Yes, please! I don't want to fall behind!" She exclaimed slowly sitting up and stretching a little before sitting at the table across from me. "Oh!" She gasped then added nonchalantly, "If you see the pack of dogs on your way home with Tohru, don't freak out. They're friendly and they know to keep an eye on her."
I heard Kyo's scoff, "'Friendly,' right. You'd better rein in those crazy dogs one day." With that, he left the living room.
"What's he talking about?" I asked and she told us about last night's events, Shigure laughed his head off when she was done.
After that night, Tohru starting calling Kyo "Kyo-kun" and life settled into a routine for a few days.
Until we were sitting in the living room having dinner and I felt the presence of the boar approaching the house.