"What the heck are you doing here, Baka neko?!" Yuki asked angrily as his mood swiftly changed when his eyes caught him.

Kyou grinned at him. "I was sent here to find you."

"Find me? Oh yeah, I was missing." Yuki mumbled.

"I covered you up for once. But now, I had enough. Hatori kept on blaming me because of everything!!!"

"That's what you get when you're near a crime scene." Yuki replied smoothly.

"Nan de—I was there to talk to you not to spy on you and kill you, dammit!" Kyou yelled at him. His fists clenched tightly. "Do you have any idea what I suffered for three days since you left?! I was even forced to kneel in front of Akito and apologize!"

The nezumi chuckled. "Neko-san, you're a Sohma and it's normal for us to kneel in front of him and apologize one we did something wrong---"

"I—haven't—done—anything—wrong!!! And it's not normal for me, remember?!" His eyes were fixed at him. "Look, you should come with me now, or else---"

"Or else what?" Yuki stared at him. "Are you asking for a fight, neko-san?"

"Fine, then. Step outside." He said firmly and determinedly. Yuki followed his order sarcastically and grinned at himself. This would take a while, Honda-san. Please wait for me a bit longer---

Before Yuki could even think any further, Kyou hit him hard in the back, knocking him out unconsciously.

"Just stand still." Ayame pulled out a measuring tape and smiled at her. "This will take a while."

"A—hai!" she nodded as she stood stiffly in front of him.

"Good girl." He whispered as he bent down to get her waistline.

"Who's she?" a boy came in inside the room. Kisa eyed him. "Oh, hi, Kisa-san."

"Hello, Hiro-san." She greeted. "Ne-san, this is Sohma Hiro. He's our cousin…again."

"Ah…" she breathed out. Another Sohma? Okaa-san, how come my destiny falls like this? I feel like I'm destined to meet every Sohma in the world. She smiled at her thought. If that happens, then I'm the luckiest person alive!

Ayame looked up and saw her smiling. "Keep it that way." He said quickly.

"EH?"

"Your smile. Keep it that way." He stood up and measured her neckline. "That way, you could keep your face pretty and neat every day."

She blushed lightly while Hiro laughed.

"Pretty?!" he roared. "How could she look pretty if she looks dumb in the first place?!"

"HIRO-SAN!" Kisa glared at him. "Don't tease ne-san like that?"

"Kisa, since when did she become your sister?" Hiro looked at her. "But, honestly, there's no way she can be your sister… or even become one of us."

"Hiro, keep quiet!" Ayame whispered firmly as he raised her arms to get her bustline.

"Really, you're wasting your time in this rubbish. Even if you become famous because of those clothes, people will look on the clothes and not to you, because you look dumb." Hiro pressed.

"That's it. You're insulting not only my model but also my work." Ayame dropped and tape measure and glared at him. "Clothes make the wearer beautiful not only in the physical appearance. It also shows what a person is within. Clothes match their wearers because it matches their internal personality, something that was kept inside them secretly. And you, Hiro, are insulting her because she looks stupid?! Why?! Have you known her?! Have you seen her before? You just met her! So stop insulting such person!"

"Ayame-san, Hiro-san, please don't fight…" Tohru said quickly. Honestly speaking, they're fighting because of me! I'm not that pretty, you know!

"If you want to insult somebody, talk to the mirror! That way, you'll feel what Tohru-san feels!" Ayame said firmly once more.

Hiro smirked as he left the room. Both girls sighed heavily.

"That boy won't learn." Ayame sighed. "Let's get back to work, ne, Tohru-san?"

"Ayame-san… I think Hiro-san's right. Maybe I don't deserve to be here." She said sadly.

"Tohru-chan, don't think like that. And don't get carried away by his words. Believe me, you're suitable for this." Ayame explained softly. "People always tell me that the model I should choose are those pretty rich girls that do nothing but brag about their money and jewelry. But I don't like their taste and those women tried to much just to get attention."

"Ayame-san---"

"But you, my dear, caught my attention better and faster than them. SO please believe me." He smiled warmly. "It's not that I can make you rich or anything but in this way, people will respect you like the way I do right now."

"I don't know if---"

"Ne-san, please stay." Kisa begged. "You're doing great and it has already started. Please…"

"I will be very happy if you stay." Ayame stared at her eyes and she stared at his. Eventually she smiled at him.

"Nobody called me pretty the way you do." She whispered shyly. "I'm very thankful… even if we just met."

"Tohru-san, as long as you're this close to me, you can count me as a friend and I won't fail to protect you." He assured once more. "Plus, I like teenage girls around me. It feels like the old days once more---"

"AYAME-SAN!!!" Kisa glared.

"But really, I've never seen such innocent beauty." He smiled once more. "So, are you going to stay?"

"… ok, we'll continue." Tohru replied happily.

This is the weirdest thought…

But, Okaa-san…

He sounded so much like Yuki-kun,..

I wonder where he is right now…

"Hatori-san," he approached the doctor's office and opened the door for himself. "Can I come in?"

"What's wrong, Yuki?"

"I want to discuss something about this order."

"What order?" the doctor asked. "You mean, the order?"

"There's no other order that Akito appointed to you rather than that." He pressed but tried to maintain his calmness.

"SO, what do you want to talk about? DO you have any other suggestions?"

"Actually, I'm against it."

"What?!"

Hatori blinked and found himself staring at the ceiling for too long. He rubbed his eyes and thought about what he remembered. It was Yuki… talking about the order that Akito shared to me…and he actually said in my face… that he was against it?

Is this the reason why you left us, Yuki?

"Hatori-san." Kagura knocked at the door. "You have mail."

"Nonsense, Kagura." He chuckled as he looked at her. "That's why there's a telegram and a telephone around. That way, people won't spend writing legibly---"

"HA—TO—RI—SAN!" Kagura said firmly. "I'm not a maid and I'm sick of your orders and Shigure's senseless lectures. I told you, you have written mail! I found it in front of our house." She threw the letter on the table. "Probably came from a peasant postman or somewhere far away from here or something."

Hatori wore his glasses as he stared at the letter. It was slightly moist and even so, the writing is very readable. There was no written address from the sender but in the middle, the name HATORI SOHMA was written.

"Can I share something?" Kagura asked.

"Sure."

"Even if I haven't met him for a long time, possibly for four years, I know when a handwriting came from a Sohma or not." Kagura continued. "And believe me, this came from a Sohma."

"Yuki?" he asked quickly.

"No, it's someone else… probably, Momiji." She whispered. "Yes, I think it's Momiji's"

"Momiji?" Why would Momiji write to me?

Yuki opened his eyes and tried to struggle from his current position. He thought he was lying down on the ground and expected that Kyou was just right above him, ready to knock him out again for the second time.

But he was wrong.

He was lying down on a smooth bed but he knew it wasn't from Tohru's. He sat up quickly and saw a person beside him.

And, thank God, it wasn't Kyou.

"I hope you still can breath." Haru whispered.

"Haru-san… what are you…" he whispered but he felt that he was out of breath. He calmed down for a while to regulate his breathing.

Haru handed him a glass of water. "This can make you feel better." He said.

Yuki took the glass and drank every last drop of water in it. After that, he sighed heavily and looked at his cousin. "What am I doing here--- no, what are you doing here---no, how did I get here in the first place?"

Haru chuckled after he searched the right question to ask him. "I decided to walk around in the village and I found Kyou beating you up in the middle of the road. I thought that was normal, but I figured out that it wasn't a fair fight because you're unconscious so I pulled Kyou away from you and nursed you to health."

"Nursed me?" He looked down and found bandages covered around his chest and waist. "Was I hurt that bad?"

"Well, I came in the right time, so I guess you survived." He replied. "Kyou's downstairs and he's also waiting for the right time to apologize."

"You mean, hurt me again." Yuki mumbled.

"As long as you're ok, he won't stop hurting you. Just pretend you're dead." Haru laughed.

Yuki looked around his room. "Where are we?"

"Oh, this is Momiji's house. Pretty neat, huh?"

Momiji… right, he left the Sohma mansion and build his own home near the village.

But I feel strange. If I'm in Momiji's house, that means he must have informed Hatori already.

I must leave now!

"Ayame-san, what's that?" Ayame held up a simple whit gown in front of her. "Is this the dress?"

"Of course not, my little naughty angel!" Ayame cheered. "This is only a draft, maybe something very similar to your everyday dress. I guess this is your size."

"What should I do with it?"

"Wear it, of course! That way, I'll only copy the measurements." He handed the dress to Tohru. "Go on, go on! The dressing room is that way!" He pointed towards the end of the hall.

"Hai, thank you so much, Ayame-san." She bowed low.

He chuckled happily. "Ne, you haven't seen the real magic yet." He winked. "I'll be waiting, my little angel! Please hurry back!"

She blushed once more as she walked towards the room that Ayame showed her. She opened the door and let herself in.

Momiji stood by the doorway and smiled. "How are you doing, Yuki-kun?"

"Momiji-san!" Yuki stood up. "Have you told Hatori about me?!"

"Well… it's normal for a Sohma to tell where they are so---"

"Dammit, I have to leave now!" Yuki grabbed his clothes and went towards the door.

"Where are planning to go?!" Momiji yelled. "Back to that village?"

"Yes, and what are you going to do about it?" Yuki turned to look at the young one.

"All I'm saying is that I already informed Hatori that you're here so, right now, he's on the road." Momiji frowned. "If you're planning to disappear again, could you at least tell me where are you going and what are you planning to do?"

Yuki walked away. "I'm not planning to tell anything to anyone unless I'll understand it myself."

"Understand what?" Momiji asked.

"Why sensei left us." He huskily whispered.

"Could I at least go with you?" Haru caught up to him and stared at him. "You're still hurt and you might collapse or something."

"I can manage, thank you." Yuki left the house. Momiji and Haru stood there silently.

"What are we going to do?" Haru asked his cousin.

"Wait. He'll return."

"Why?"

Momiji turned to go to his office. "Because this is his second home and he has nowhere to go except here."

Kyou was on his way back to the Sohma mansion when his eyes caught something at the other end of the road.

It was the private Sohma pick-up, Hatori's carriage.

Don't tell me this is Hatori… He'll scold me again.

I bet Momiji told him about what I did to that nezumi. Damn him. Damn them all.

As the horses galloped faster, Kyou couldn't think of any reason to tell to Hatori.

Sorry, Tori-san. I just got carried away. I don't know… damn, this is driving me nuts. I'll be forced to bow again to that… pest clan head…

TO his surprise, the carriage swiftly passed him and straight to other side of the road. Kyou turned around and stared at it in confusion.

"Did Hatori forget that I'm a Sohma in the middle of the road???" He yelled out loud.

Hatori sat on his seat worriedly as he clutched Momiji's letter on his hand.

Yuki, don't leave again. I need to talk to you… just to straighten things out.

Tohru, with the white dress on, approached a nearby table in that room. There she found pictures of Ayame in his younger years. But to her surprise, Ayame was clutching someone close to him when he was young.

A young lad that looked just like him.

"Must be his brother." She whispered. On the wall, there she saw Ayame with another boy younger than him sitting at the foot of a large tree in autumn. Ayame looked cheerful but the boy isn't.

After that, she noticed letter carved at the picture frame itself.

Even though a lot of years had passed, I still don't know how to say such simple words like 'I love you' to you, my dear brother. But now, I already found the answer.

I love you, my dear Yuki

Tohru jumped at her place. "Yuki?" she whispered to herself. Okaa-san, Yuki-kun is… Ayame-san's brother??? He's a Sohma???