Disclaimer: Nuh, dun own nothin'
A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. Thanks for the review Hatsuharu Sohma; your reviews were greatly appreciated! I'll try my best with the descriptive thing (although I'm not too good with it. I spend most of my time with a writer's block! But when I don't have one, which is rarely, I do pretty well). Enjoy! ^_^ Oh and thanks to Maeven for the compliment!
Chapter 3
*knock, knock*
Katsuka strode casually down to the main entrance from the dining area. She looked at the plain green walls and the clean wooden floor as she walked. The house was so 'simple' yet interesting. It was nearly 12 and the sun was set high in the sky. As she opened the door she was momentarily blinded by the brilliance of the light outside. Her eyes adjusted and she found a lady with short brown hair and deep brown eyes standing in front of her. She looked tired and worn; the look on her face gave Katsuka the impression of dislike. This lady seemed familiar.
"Yes?" Katsuka asked rather rudely placing the item in her hands behind her back. She shoved it into her hind pocket as best she could then rested her hand on the doorframe.
"Is Shigure home?" Mit-chan asked in return.
"Huh? Shigure? Oh no, he left with the others. Why?" She gave Mit-chan a suspicious look. Did she know anything?
"Oh, then could you please tell Shigure that his short story for the magazine is due in a fortnight?"
"Whatever."
Just then a large black dog came bounding to the front door. The nails on his large paws scratched the clean wooden floor leaving small, white marks in its wake. Katsuka grabbed the dog just as it reached the frame of the door and dragged it back inside. It struggled, whimpering longingly to escape her grasp.
"Damn dog," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Mit-chan watched in surprise at the dog fighting desperately to get away.
"Gomenasai," Katsuka told her, "You better leave." Her hands were bloody from where the dog had bitten her on the arm. The wound was deep and ran across the width of her forearm. The blood splattered little red dots over the clean floor.
Mit-chan slowly walked away in wonder from the disturbing scene. ' I never knew they had a dog,' she thought to herself, 'They should really think about training it though.'
Katsuka slammed the door shut causing it to shake. The dog stopped struggling and began to cower next to her, ears down, tail between the legs, trembling and bent low. She took off her jumper and ripped off a sleeve, using this piece of material as a bandage, which she wrapped around her wounded arm. The dog averted her gaze and, instead, looked at the picture on the wall behind her. It was a beautiful scene painting of a lake. The trees were lush and green, standing tall against the snow covered mountain in the background. The lake itself was of a strong cool blue giving the lake a shimmering appearance under the imaginary sun's gaze. It was a simple, light and loving picture, one of happiness and peace. Though the dog's attention was drawn back to Katsuka as she began to talk in a struggled calm manner.
"Don't even think about doing that again," she told him slowly drawing out a long, black, leather leash from her back pocket. Her tone changed to one that was happier, "We're going for a little walk dear Gure-san."
"Not on your life!" Shigure defied. He stopped cowering and tried to gather up his courage, readying himself for another fight.
Instead Katsuka quickly drew out a pocketknife from her side pocket and pressed its tip against Shigure's wet nose. It glinted in the light coming through a nearby window; its metallic presence was greatly disturbing. She held the knife tightly, her knuckles white, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to hurt him, if she didn't get her way. He could feel himself beginning to tremble again but fought to keep his fear hidden.
Again she told him in her happy yet forceful tone, pressing the knife harder into his nose, "We are going for a little walk Gure-san."
He whimpered out a small 'Hai' giving in to her demand. Retracting the knife and placing it back in her pocket, she tied the leather collar around his neck.
His head was bent low in defeat, eyes watching the ground. She opened the door once again to re-reveal the glorious day. The sun was high, the breeze was sweet and the sky was cloudless, a deep clear ocean of wonder and mystery. They walked out into forest and followed a narrow, well-trodden path. The trees were close and the bushes low but few. It was difficult to find this path; only those who knew it could find it as easily as them. Shigure's paws made a soft 'patting' noise on the dirt trail as he trotted his way by Katsuka's side, eyes still watching the ground. 'Such sorrow on such a wonderful day,' he thought. A bird began singing its melodious tune from a nearby tree, a lizard made a faint 'skittering' sound as it ran through a litter of leaves. Finally he looked up, wondering about Katsuka's abrupt stop. He looked at her as a devious smirk played its way across the extent of her face, as far as it was humanly possible.
Turning to him with a glint in her eye she asked, "Which way is the Souma house?"
* * *
"Tadaima," Tohru called as she made her way to the kitchen from the front door.
'Huh,' thought Yuki who had come in after her, 'That's a bit rude of Shigure not to answer.'
At this Yuki decided to tell him off. He searched the house from top to bottom, from the roof to the backyard to each and every room, yet he still found nothing. There were only two places left to search, the kitchen and the dining area. Yuki ended up walking into the kitchen because it was closer. The smell of today's lunch filled his nose and caused his mouth to water. Tohru was standing over the stove cooking something in a large pot, a wooden spoon stirring its contents gently with her right hand. She was concentrating on her cooking that she hadn't noticed his presence and gave a small jump at the sound of his voice before turning around.
"Honda-san have you seen ..." Yuki was unexpectedly interrupted by Kyou's loud and (in his opinion) annoying voice.
"What the 'hell' are Shigure's clothes doing on the floor?" Kyou yelled in bewilderment.
Tohru set the flame on low before walking into the dining area to see what the commotion was about with Yuki trailing at her heels. They all stared in wonder at the pile of clothes spread across the floor next to the wall near the door. The first to realise what must have happened was Yuki, his eyes widened at the thought and sympathy crossed his features.
"You don't think ..." said Kyou, who took one look at the nezumi's face and caught on.
Yuki slowly nodded his head, his violet eyes glued to the sight on the floor. Tohru looked back and forth from both boys apparently confused. She stopped, looked at the clothes again and thought hard. Then, she too, realised the situation at hand.
"Oh my gosh! Poor Shigure-san!" she exclaimed kneeling down next to the material, eyes damp with tears. 'It's all my fault,' she though, 'I should never have brought her here.' At that she burst out, full on sobs, tears ran down her hands as they passed the fingers covering her face.
"Honda-san..." Yuki bent down to comfort her, placing an arm around her shoulders but making sure he didn't get too close that he would transform.
Kyou knelt down on her other side and gently pulled her wet hands away from her face. "It's going to be alright," he reassured her, "We'll fix things ... somehow." He held her hand in his giving it a comforting squeeze and smiled softly at her as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
She gave them both an encouraging smile accompanied with an acknowledging nod and left the room without another word. This time Kyou followed her to make sure she would be all right. Yuki stood up and gathered the clothes in his hands. Silently he walked to Shigure's room. He noted the small white scratches imprinted into the wooden floor near the front door, for his head was bent low in sadness. He also, for the first time, noticed the blood splashed in little dots around the entrance. A shudder passed through his body at the thought of what did happen but suppressed it as soon as his imagination began re-creating the scene. Instead, he continued to the stairs and up to the author's bedroom.
He laid the clothes across the unmade bed and stared at them for a moment. 'How did this happen?' he wondered, 'Everything was going so well and then .' A single clear tear fell down the length of his face, he didn't bother wiping it away, their was no one in the room but him, no one to be shameful in front of. Though shame was the least of their concerns, they had to figure out how to get out of this mess before somebody else was permanently transformed.
He could see it now. 12 animals contained in one room, one cage; and Tohru ... poor innocent Tohru. She would be blaming herself for what happened. It would be a re-enactment of Kana. She would die slowly from the grief and accusation she placed upon herself. Though this time there would be no Hatori to erase her memory and cure her of this disease. By then he would be a seahorse and no help to anyone.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yuki took one more look around the dull, messy room. At the papers scattered across the desk containing stories that would intoxicate the imagination, drawing you into a non-existent world of excitement and adventure. At the floor where ink was once spilt from a leaking pen, which now stained the carpet in one large black splotch. He turned and left the place to its own accord, where dust was sure to accumulate in the now unused room.
* * *
Hatori sat in the dark room with only the desk lamp for light. The doors were shut but the mid afternoon sun still managed to glow through, which gave the room a golden tinge. The desk was made of old red gum; it had been with him since his high school days and he had taken very good care of it, like most of his possessions. It almost looked new except that the sharp edges had been worn down over the years. The room was dusty and smelled of anaesthetic, thanks to his uniform and the fridge against the wall that contained all of Akito's medicines. He leaned over the desk and studied Akito's profile. It wasn't that good but it was better than last months.
He heard the door to the rest of the main house slide open. Without even looking he knew that this person was not one of the family.
"I'm sorry but your not allowed in here. I suggest you leave now," he told them.
A few seconds passed and the person still remained standing at the door. Hatori couldn't stand it; he turned around in his chair only to be faced with the person draped in shadow, their face hidden in its mysterious depths. This took him by surprise; the figure seemed so dark and powerful behind its veil of shadow, though no expression showed on Hatori's face. This was until the large black dog leaped forward, pulling against the leash that restrained it.
"Ha-san," it screamed, "RUN!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I have a feeling that this story is going to be long. So please stick with me : p I would have written more but I love to leave my readers in suspense. I know! How evil am I?! XD (laughs in an evil manner) watashi ha totemo warui desuyo! (translation: I'm very bad!). I wonder what happens next? It's a bit obvious but of course I know, it's my story. You'll just have to stick around to find out! Oh, before I forget, if you want a good old heart filled laugh, go read my friend Otsukimi-Neko-Sama's story. It's called 'Bags of Fun' and it's just soooo good! I recommend it to everyone, she portrays the characters really well! So please R&R my story as well as hers! DOUMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA!!!!!!! ('Thank you very much' - this is used after someone has done something).
P.S. If anyone knows what kind of genre this would go under, could you please tell me. ^_^ Thanks! And what does OOC mean? Oh and credit to Natasha Rus in my class for the help she gave me. (credit must always be given to those who deserve it)
P.P.S. I can't believe it! There are 7 ways to say thank you in Japanese!!!
Hebi-san (Jessica): That was a bit pointless to write you know?
Tatsu-san (Carissa): Yeh!
Inu-san (me): I just can't believe it!!!!!
Hebi san: Just live with it (exasperated tone).
Inu-san: Okay!
A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. Thanks for the review Hatsuharu Sohma; your reviews were greatly appreciated! I'll try my best with the descriptive thing (although I'm not too good with it. I spend most of my time with a writer's block! But when I don't have one, which is rarely, I do pretty well). Enjoy! ^_^ Oh and thanks to Maeven for the compliment!
Chapter 3
*knock, knock*
Katsuka strode casually down to the main entrance from the dining area. She looked at the plain green walls and the clean wooden floor as she walked. The house was so 'simple' yet interesting. It was nearly 12 and the sun was set high in the sky. As she opened the door she was momentarily blinded by the brilliance of the light outside. Her eyes adjusted and she found a lady with short brown hair and deep brown eyes standing in front of her. She looked tired and worn; the look on her face gave Katsuka the impression of dislike. This lady seemed familiar.
"Yes?" Katsuka asked rather rudely placing the item in her hands behind her back. She shoved it into her hind pocket as best she could then rested her hand on the doorframe.
"Is Shigure home?" Mit-chan asked in return.
"Huh? Shigure? Oh no, he left with the others. Why?" She gave Mit-chan a suspicious look. Did she know anything?
"Oh, then could you please tell Shigure that his short story for the magazine is due in a fortnight?"
"Whatever."
Just then a large black dog came bounding to the front door. The nails on his large paws scratched the clean wooden floor leaving small, white marks in its wake. Katsuka grabbed the dog just as it reached the frame of the door and dragged it back inside. It struggled, whimpering longingly to escape her grasp.
"Damn dog," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Mit-chan watched in surprise at the dog fighting desperately to get away.
"Gomenasai," Katsuka told her, "You better leave." Her hands were bloody from where the dog had bitten her on the arm. The wound was deep and ran across the width of her forearm. The blood splattered little red dots over the clean floor.
Mit-chan slowly walked away in wonder from the disturbing scene. ' I never knew they had a dog,' she thought to herself, 'They should really think about training it though.'
Katsuka slammed the door shut causing it to shake. The dog stopped struggling and began to cower next to her, ears down, tail between the legs, trembling and bent low. She took off her jumper and ripped off a sleeve, using this piece of material as a bandage, which she wrapped around her wounded arm. The dog averted her gaze and, instead, looked at the picture on the wall behind her. It was a beautiful scene painting of a lake. The trees were lush and green, standing tall against the snow covered mountain in the background. The lake itself was of a strong cool blue giving the lake a shimmering appearance under the imaginary sun's gaze. It was a simple, light and loving picture, one of happiness and peace. Though the dog's attention was drawn back to Katsuka as she began to talk in a struggled calm manner.
"Don't even think about doing that again," she told him slowly drawing out a long, black, leather leash from her back pocket. Her tone changed to one that was happier, "We're going for a little walk dear Gure-san."
"Not on your life!" Shigure defied. He stopped cowering and tried to gather up his courage, readying himself for another fight.
Instead Katsuka quickly drew out a pocketknife from her side pocket and pressed its tip against Shigure's wet nose. It glinted in the light coming through a nearby window; its metallic presence was greatly disturbing. She held the knife tightly, her knuckles white, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to hurt him, if she didn't get her way. He could feel himself beginning to tremble again but fought to keep his fear hidden.
Again she told him in her happy yet forceful tone, pressing the knife harder into his nose, "We are going for a little walk Gure-san."
He whimpered out a small 'Hai' giving in to her demand. Retracting the knife and placing it back in her pocket, she tied the leather collar around his neck.
His head was bent low in defeat, eyes watching the ground. She opened the door once again to re-reveal the glorious day. The sun was high, the breeze was sweet and the sky was cloudless, a deep clear ocean of wonder and mystery. They walked out into forest and followed a narrow, well-trodden path. The trees were close and the bushes low but few. It was difficult to find this path; only those who knew it could find it as easily as them. Shigure's paws made a soft 'patting' noise on the dirt trail as he trotted his way by Katsuka's side, eyes still watching the ground. 'Such sorrow on such a wonderful day,' he thought. A bird began singing its melodious tune from a nearby tree, a lizard made a faint 'skittering' sound as it ran through a litter of leaves. Finally he looked up, wondering about Katsuka's abrupt stop. He looked at her as a devious smirk played its way across the extent of her face, as far as it was humanly possible.
Turning to him with a glint in her eye she asked, "Which way is the Souma house?"
* * *
"Tadaima," Tohru called as she made her way to the kitchen from the front door.
'Huh,' thought Yuki who had come in after her, 'That's a bit rude of Shigure not to answer.'
At this Yuki decided to tell him off. He searched the house from top to bottom, from the roof to the backyard to each and every room, yet he still found nothing. There were only two places left to search, the kitchen and the dining area. Yuki ended up walking into the kitchen because it was closer. The smell of today's lunch filled his nose and caused his mouth to water. Tohru was standing over the stove cooking something in a large pot, a wooden spoon stirring its contents gently with her right hand. She was concentrating on her cooking that she hadn't noticed his presence and gave a small jump at the sound of his voice before turning around.
"Honda-san have you seen ..." Yuki was unexpectedly interrupted by Kyou's loud and (in his opinion) annoying voice.
"What the 'hell' are Shigure's clothes doing on the floor?" Kyou yelled in bewilderment.
Tohru set the flame on low before walking into the dining area to see what the commotion was about with Yuki trailing at her heels. They all stared in wonder at the pile of clothes spread across the floor next to the wall near the door. The first to realise what must have happened was Yuki, his eyes widened at the thought and sympathy crossed his features.
"You don't think ..." said Kyou, who took one look at the nezumi's face and caught on.
Yuki slowly nodded his head, his violet eyes glued to the sight on the floor. Tohru looked back and forth from both boys apparently confused. She stopped, looked at the clothes again and thought hard. Then, she too, realised the situation at hand.
"Oh my gosh! Poor Shigure-san!" she exclaimed kneeling down next to the material, eyes damp with tears. 'It's all my fault,' she though, 'I should never have brought her here.' At that she burst out, full on sobs, tears ran down her hands as they passed the fingers covering her face.
"Honda-san..." Yuki bent down to comfort her, placing an arm around her shoulders but making sure he didn't get too close that he would transform.
Kyou knelt down on her other side and gently pulled her wet hands away from her face. "It's going to be alright," he reassured her, "We'll fix things ... somehow." He held her hand in his giving it a comforting squeeze and smiled softly at her as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
She gave them both an encouraging smile accompanied with an acknowledging nod and left the room without another word. This time Kyou followed her to make sure she would be all right. Yuki stood up and gathered the clothes in his hands. Silently he walked to Shigure's room. He noted the small white scratches imprinted into the wooden floor near the front door, for his head was bent low in sadness. He also, for the first time, noticed the blood splashed in little dots around the entrance. A shudder passed through his body at the thought of what did happen but suppressed it as soon as his imagination began re-creating the scene. Instead, he continued to the stairs and up to the author's bedroom.
He laid the clothes across the unmade bed and stared at them for a moment. 'How did this happen?' he wondered, 'Everything was going so well and then .' A single clear tear fell down the length of his face, he didn't bother wiping it away, their was no one in the room but him, no one to be shameful in front of. Though shame was the least of their concerns, they had to figure out how to get out of this mess before somebody else was permanently transformed.
He could see it now. 12 animals contained in one room, one cage; and Tohru ... poor innocent Tohru. She would be blaming herself for what happened. It would be a re-enactment of Kana. She would die slowly from the grief and accusation she placed upon herself. Though this time there would be no Hatori to erase her memory and cure her of this disease. By then he would be a seahorse and no help to anyone.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yuki took one more look around the dull, messy room. At the papers scattered across the desk containing stories that would intoxicate the imagination, drawing you into a non-existent world of excitement and adventure. At the floor where ink was once spilt from a leaking pen, which now stained the carpet in one large black splotch. He turned and left the place to its own accord, where dust was sure to accumulate in the now unused room.
* * *
Hatori sat in the dark room with only the desk lamp for light. The doors were shut but the mid afternoon sun still managed to glow through, which gave the room a golden tinge. The desk was made of old red gum; it had been with him since his high school days and he had taken very good care of it, like most of his possessions. It almost looked new except that the sharp edges had been worn down over the years. The room was dusty and smelled of anaesthetic, thanks to his uniform and the fridge against the wall that contained all of Akito's medicines. He leaned over the desk and studied Akito's profile. It wasn't that good but it was better than last months.
He heard the door to the rest of the main house slide open. Without even looking he knew that this person was not one of the family.
"I'm sorry but your not allowed in here. I suggest you leave now," he told them.
A few seconds passed and the person still remained standing at the door. Hatori couldn't stand it; he turned around in his chair only to be faced with the person draped in shadow, their face hidden in its mysterious depths. This took him by surprise; the figure seemed so dark and powerful behind its veil of shadow, though no expression showed on Hatori's face. This was until the large black dog leaped forward, pulling against the leash that restrained it.
"Ha-san," it screamed, "RUN!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I have a feeling that this story is going to be long. So please stick with me : p I would have written more but I love to leave my readers in suspense. I know! How evil am I?! XD (laughs in an evil manner) watashi ha totemo warui desuyo! (translation: I'm very bad!). I wonder what happens next? It's a bit obvious but of course I know, it's my story. You'll just have to stick around to find out! Oh, before I forget, if you want a good old heart filled laugh, go read my friend Otsukimi-Neko-Sama's story. It's called 'Bags of Fun' and it's just soooo good! I recommend it to everyone, she portrays the characters really well! So please R&R my story as well as hers! DOUMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA!!!!!!! ('Thank you very much' - this is used after someone has done something).
P.S. If anyone knows what kind of genre this would go under, could you please tell me. ^_^ Thanks! And what does OOC mean? Oh and credit to Natasha Rus in my class for the help she gave me. (credit must always be given to those who deserve it)
P.P.S. I can't believe it! There are 7 ways to say thank you in Japanese!!!
Hebi-san (Jessica): That was a bit pointless to write you know?
Tatsu-san (Carissa): Yeh!
Inu-san (me): I just can't believe it!!!!!
Hebi san: Just live with it (exasperated tone).
Inu-san: Okay!
