The Horse and the Dog
Shigure was continuing his flashback.
"Who asked that?" the young Shigure asked aloud.
"Me, the person under you," replied the girl's voice.
Shigure sat up and looked at the little horse's face and realized what was going on.
"You're a horse... oh, you must be from the Zodiac," he finally said.
"That's right. We've only seen each other for the New Years Banquet, so I'm not surprise you don't really know me. My name's Tama... you're Shigure-san, right. That's Hatori-san and Ayame-san, too right?" asked Tama nodding her horse head up at the two boys, who were onlooking with wide eyes.
"Yes, I'm Shigure and they are my friends. We're a buddy trio and go to the same school. We're all in the zodiac; I'm the Dog, Tori's the Dragon and Aya's the Snake. Tama? Then you're A..." replied. Shigure.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm the year of the Horse. I'm just going to go and gather my clothes so that I can transform back into my human form. I'd like to meet your friends and talk with them," suggested Tama.
"Oh, okay. I'll just let them know what's going on," agreed Shigure and he ran into the building he fell from.
"Shi-san, are you all right?" Tori asked him.
"Yes, I'm okay, that was close, though. Tama the Horse caught me,"
replied Shigure with a hand behind his head in embarrassment.
"Yeah, that was a great catch! I was so sure you were going to go
'splat'! What a lucky dog, you are!" commented Ayame in his usual
fashion.
Shigure and Tori stared at him in disbelief, then shook their heads.
"So, where's the Horse, now? We should thank her," switched Tori.
"I'm right here, thanks for waiting!" interjected Tama's voice.
The three boys turned to see a young girl about their age with shoulder-length hair that was tan with light brown at the ends. She took her hair ends and swung them into a barrette at the back of her head.
"Hello, we're Hatori Sohma the Dragon and Ayame Sohma the Snake. We're grateful that you were around to help Shigure-san, it's good to meet you," greeted Tori.
"Pleased to meet you. No problem," replied Tama with a bright smile.
"So, why were you in Horse form, did you run into somebody?" Aya asked.
"Can you boys keep an important secret? You can't tell anybody, especially Akito-san," began Tama.
The boys glanced at each other and nodded sincerely.
"Great! No, I didn't run into anyone. I was walking by when I saw Shi-san on the wall of the balcony. I was a little nervous about him standing there, so I stayed and watched until I saw a gust of wind knock him off. So, I transformed and galloped over to underneath the balcony," explained Tama, with a wink.
"What?! You transformed by will?!" asked Shigure, surprised.
"I'm the year of the Horse. I've always loved being the horse. I love galloping through the forests and with other horses. I love the wind flowing through my mane and the fresh air through my body. Because of that; I can change into my horse form by will, also I can transform back into a human whenever I want. As a result, if I run into someone from the opposite sex, I don't transform. Cool, huh?" replied Tama.
"Isn't that dangerous, though?" asked Tori.
"No, not at all. So you three are the same age and go to the same Elementary School, right?" Tama switched topics.
"Yeah, we'll be entering Middle School next year. That one's a co-ed school right down the street from here," replied Aya, proudly.
"Really?! Akito-san, finally allowed me to go to a public co-ed school. I'll be entering Middle School, too... maybe we'll be going to the same one! That would be so much fun! Akito's got a bad fever today, so we have free space to explore. I'll show you all of the secret places around here after I get the maid to get us something to eat. How about that?" rushed Tama, excitedly.
"That does sound like fun," agreed Shigure and Aya.
"I don't know, what if somebody sees us and we get into trouble?" asked Tori, seriously.
"Don't worry about things like that! IF it happens, I'll just use my influence and take the blame for everything. Trust me, it won't happen! Now, come on!" replied Tama, grabbing Shigure's arm and pulling him along.
Now back with Tohru gazing at the same horse from Shigure's memory. The horse seemed spooked at spotting Tohru and readies to bolt away.
"Wait, Horse-san! I won't hurt you, I'm just amazed to see a horse here. I didn't see any stables around here, where did you come from, huh? Oh, I'm so silly talking to a horse and expecting you to understand what I'm saying but I can't help it. Hello horse-san, I'm Tohru Honda, pleased to meet you," she greeted the horse, obviously not realizing that's the zodiac horse.
The horse seemed unsure, so Tohru reached out a friendly hand to it and smiled warmly.
"It's okay, if you're scared of me... I'm a stranger to you after all. It's just that I've never seen a real, live horse in person! I've always wanted to be close to one but just SEEING you is good enough for me," said Tohru, sincerely.
The horse apprehensively walked up to Tohru's hand and let her touch her forehead. Tohru was awe-struck and stroked her. The horse eased up and walked in closer to her, allowing her to stroke the neck.
Just then, there was a loud commotion about. Both of them could hear screeching and shouting. It was followed by hurried steps and slamming doors.
"What's going on?" Tohru asked, curiously and the horse got spooked by all of the noise.
It back away from Tohru and was deciding whether to run off or not. Just then, Momiji came around the corner and saw them. His eyes widened in astonishment.
"Tama-chan, what are doing here? Why did you escape? Tohru, you met her?" he asked in a panic.
"Momiji, what's the matter? Why is there a big commotion?" Tohru asked him, worriedly.
Hatori soon entered the scene and a concerned, serious look appeared on his face.
"What are you doing, Tama-chan? Tohru-kun, did you meet Tama- chan?" he asked her.
"I was waiting for Shigure-san to leave and walked around, when I saw her. I introduced myself to her but since she's just a horse, she can't answer me. What was all of that terrible noise?" answered Tohru.
"This isn't good. That was Akito having a fit, finding out that Tama here escaped. You meeting her wasn't something we were expecting. Momiji, explain to her while I get her back where she belongs," replied Tori.
He then took the horse by the mane and led her away back to the main house.
"Tama-chan? Why was Akito having a fit over a horse?" Tohru asked Momiji.
"You see; that horse isn't an ordinary horse, she's a member of the Zodiac," began Momiji.
"Oh, did she run into somebody from the opposite sex?"
"No, she's stuck like that.... Forever," "Forever? How awful! How did that happen?" Tohru asked Momiji, confused.
"Tama –chan was always happy and loved being a member of the Zodiac. She was never sad or upset at her situation and because she loved being the Horse, she was lucky to have the ability not to transform into animal form when making contact with someone from the opposite sex. Tama- chan, Shi-chan, Tori-chan and Aya-chan were all friends and classmates up until the second year of high school. They wouldn't admit it but both Tori- chan and Aya-chan were attracted to her. Shigure-chan though, he loved her. She eventually fell in love with him, too.
There are rules amongst the Sohmas that forbids a Zodiac member from having a serious relationship with another Zodiac member. Also, all relationships must be approved by Akito. Tama-chan and Shi-chan kept their relationship a secret from him and only Tori-chan and Aya-chan knew. Then, at the end of their Freshman Year, Tama-chan became violently ill. So ill that she transformed into the Horse and they feared she'd die. Finally a month later, she broke from the illness, only to discover that she couldn't change back into a human. As time passed, she lost her speech... and lost herself to being a normal horse," explained Momiji.
"Poor Tama-chan. So why was Akito having a tantrum over her running free?" Tohru asked.
"Because Tama-chan is Akito's sister. She was always free- spirited and strong, while he was weak. She despised all the rules and hated being restrained by anything. Akito believes that Tama-chan was punished for dating Shi-chan and keeping it from him. He also blamed himself for not being strong enough and not doing enough to stop her. So he became unruly and developed psychological problems, that's why he's the way he is now. He refused ANYONE to see Tama-chan like this and quarantined her in a large room, secret to all of us. I don't know why or how she broke out but Akito will be in a rage, so it's best you wait outside the main gate for Shi-chan," replied Momiji.
Tohru had been crying and nodded tearfully. She hiccupped a sob and slowly walked to the main gate. Meanwhile, Tori led Tama-chan back to her rightful room. It seemed more like a stable and even had hay and a gate- like door. The only difference was that it was still inside of the Sohma's main house. There, Tori was met by Shigure who noticed something on the ground.
"Look, the lock to the door broke. She must've took the chance to escape and be free," he figured, showing Tori the broken lock.
"It was an old lock, a big kick to the door could have finally broke it. However, when she escaped; she met up with Tohru-kun. Who knows what might happen to both of them if Akito-san was to find out," commented Tori, not looking at Shigure.
Tama remained silent the whole time and her head hung down.
"Is that what it's like to be free? I wish that I be free again. Tohru-kun, I want to see you again," she thought.
Akito, was in the depths of his favorite room, which was trashed with splintered wood and broken objects. Akito's bird perched on his finger while a shadowy figure entered the room.
"Akito-sama," a voice interrupted Akito's deep thought,
"Ah, Kureno-san. Tama-chan is back in her room, right?" Akito asked the boy in the shadows.
"Yes Tori-kun has returned her, not before she encountered someone," replied the voice.
"Who was this?"
"I witnessed Tama-chan with Momiji-kun, Tori-kun... and Tohru Honda," reported the voice.
This chapter was shorter than the others but it had to be done. In Chapter 3;. Tama who has had a taste of freedom and is now starving for it, breaks out again and runs away. Will the other Sohma's find her? Is there any way that Tohru can help her? Will she be brave enough to return to the Sohma estate and even worse... Akito?
Shigure was continuing his flashback.
"Who asked that?" the young Shigure asked aloud.
"Me, the person under you," replied the girl's voice.
Shigure sat up and looked at the little horse's face and realized what was going on.
"You're a horse... oh, you must be from the Zodiac," he finally said.
"That's right. We've only seen each other for the New Years Banquet, so I'm not surprise you don't really know me. My name's Tama... you're Shigure-san, right. That's Hatori-san and Ayame-san, too right?" asked Tama nodding her horse head up at the two boys, who were onlooking with wide eyes.
"Yes, I'm Shigure and they are my friends. We're a buddy trio and go to the same school. We're all in the zodiac; I'm the Dog, Tori's the Dragon and Aya's the Snake. Tama? Then you're A..." replied. Shigure.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm the year of the Horse. I'm just going to go and gather my clothes so that I can transform back into my human form. I'd like to meet your friends and talk with them," suggested Tama.
"Oh, okay. I'll just let them know what's going on," agreed Shigure and he ran into the building he fell from.
"Shi-san, are you all right?" Tori asked him.
"Yes, I'm okay, that was close, though. Tama the Horse caught me,"
replied Shigure with a hand behind his head in embarrassment.
"Yeah, that was a great catch! I was so sure you were going to go
'splat'! What a lucky dog, you are!" commented Ayame in his usual
fashion.
Shigure and Tori stared at him in disbelief, then shook their heads.
"So, where's the Horse, now? We should thank her," switched Tori.
"I'm right here, thanks for waiting!" interjected Tama's voice.
The three boys turned to see a young girl about their age with shoulder-length hair that was tan with light brown at the ends. She took her hair ends and swung them into a barrette at the back of her head.
"Hello, we're Hatori Sohma the Dragon and Ayame Sohma the Snake. We're grateful that you were around to help Shigure-san, it's good to meet you," greeted Tori.
"Pleased to meet you. No problem," replied Tama with a bright smile.
"So, why were you in Horse form, did you run into somebody?" Aya asked.
"Can you boys keep an important secret? You can't tell anybody, especially Akito-san," began Tama.
The boys glanced at each other and nodded sincerely.
"Great! No, I didn't run into anyone. I was walking by when I saw Shi-san on the wall of the balcony. I was a little nervous about him standing there, so I stayed and watched until I saw a gust of wind knock him off. So, I transformed and galloped over to underneath the balcony," explained Tama, with a wink.
"What?! You transformed by will?!" asked Shigure, surprised.
"I'm the year of the Horse. I've always loved being the horse. I love galloping through the forests and with other horses. I love the wind flowing through my mane and the fresh air through my body. Because of that; I can change into my horse form by will, also I can transform back into a human whenever I want. As a result, if I run into someone from the opposite sex, I don't transform. Cool, huh?" replied Tama.
"Isn't that dangerous, though?" asked Tori.
"No, not at all. So you three are the same age and go to the same Elementary School, right?" Tama switched topics.
"Yeah, we'll be entering Middle School next year. That one's a co-ed school right down the street from here," replied Aya, proudly.
"Really?! Akito-san, finally allowed me to go to a public co-ed school. I'll be entering Middle School, too... maybe we'll be going to the same one! That would be so much fun! Akito's got a bad fever today, so we have free space to explore. I'll show you all of the secret places around here after I get the maid to get us something to eat. How about that?" rushed Tama, excitedly.
"That does sound like fun," agreed Shigure and Aya.
"I don't know, what if somebody sees us and we get into trouble?" asked Tori, seriously.
"Don't worry about things like that! IF it happens, I'll just use my influence and take the blame for everything. Trust me, it won't happen! Now, come on!" replied Tama, grabbing Shigure's arm and pulling him along.
Now back with Tohru gazing at the same horse from Shigure's memory. The horse seemed spooked at spotting Tohru and readies to bolt away.
"Wait, Horse-san! I won't hurt you, I'm just amazed to see a horse here. I didn't see any stables around here, where did you come from, huh? Oh, I'm so silly talking to a horse and expecting you to understand what I'm saying but I can't help it. Hello horse-san, I'm Tohru Honda, pleased to meet you," she greeted the horse, obviously not realizing that's the zodiac horse.
The horse seemed unsure, so Tohru reached out a friendly hand to it and smiled warmly.
"It's okay, if you're scared of me... I'm a stranger to you after all. It's just that I've never seen a real, live horse in person! I've always wanted to be close to one but just SEEING you is good enough for me," said Tohru, sincerely.
The horse apprehensively walked up to Tohru's hand and let her touch her forehead. Tohru was awe-struck and stroked her. The horse eased up and walked in closer to her, allowing her to stroke the neck.
Just then, there was a loud commotion about. Both of them could hear screeching and shouting. It was followed by hurried steps and slamming doors.
"What's going on?" Tohru asked, curiously and the horse got spooked by all of the noise.
It back away from Tohru and was deciding whether to run off or not. Just then, Momiji came around the corner and saw them. His eyes widened in astonishment.
"Tama-chan, what are doing here? Why did you escape? Tohru, you met her?" he asked in a panic.
"Momiji, what's the matter? Why is there a big commotion?" Tohru asked him, worriedly.
Hatori soon entered the scene and a concerned, serious look appeared on his face.
"What are you doing, Tama-chan? Tohru-kun, did you meet Tama- chan?" he asked her.
"I was waiting for Shigure-san to leave and walked around, when I saw her. I introduced myself to her but since she's just a horse, she can't answer me. What was all of that terrible noise?" answered Tohru.
"This isn't good. That was Akito having a fit, finding out that Tama here escaped. You meeting her wasn't something we were expecting. Momiji, explain to her while I get her back where she belongs," replied Tori.
He then took the horse by the mane and led her away back to the main house.
"Tama-chan? Why was Akito having a fit over a horse?" Tohru asked Momiji.
"You see; that horse isn't an ordinary horse, she's a member of the Zodiac," began Momiji.
"Oh, did she run into somebody from the opposite sex?"
"No, she's stuck like that.... Forever," "Forever? How awful! How did that happen?" Tohru asked Momiji, confused.
"Tama –chan was always happy and loved being a member of the Zodiac. She was never sad or upset at her situation and because she loved being the Horse, she was lucky to have the ability not to transform into animal form when making contact with someone from the opposite sex. Tama- chan, Shi-chan, Tori-chan and Aya-chan were all friends and classmates up until the second year of high school. They wouldn't admit it but both Tori- chan and Aya-chan were attracted to her. Shigure-chan though, he loved her. She eventually fell in love with him, too.
There are rules amongst the Sohmas that forbids a Zodiac member from having a serious relationship with another Zodiac member. Also, all relationships must be approved by Akito. Tama-chan and Shi-chan kept their relationship a secret from him and only Tori-chan and Aya-chan knew. Then, at the end of their Freshman Year, Tama-chan became violently ill. So ill that she transformed into the Horse and they feared she'd die. Finally a month later, she broke from the illness, only to discover that she couldn't change back into a human. As time passed, she lost her speech... and lost herself to being a normal horse," explained Momiji.
"Poor Tama-chan. So why was Akito having a tantrum over her running free?" Tohru asked.
"Because Tama-chan is Akito's sister. She was always free- spirited and strong, while he was weak. She despised all the rules and hated being restrained by anything. Akito believes that Tama-chan was punished for dating Shi-chan and keeping it from him. He also blamed himself for not being strong enough and not doing enough to stop her. So he became unruly and developed psychological problems, that's why he's the way he is now. He refused ANYONE to see Tama-chan like this and quarantined her in a large room, secret to all of us. I don't know why or how she broke out but Akito will be in a rage, so it's best you wait outside the main gate for Shi-chan," replied Momiji.
Tohru had been crying and nodded tearfully. She hiccupped a sob and slowly walked to the main gate. Meanwhile, Tori led Tama-chan back to her rightful room. It seemed more like a stable and even had hay and a gate- like door. The only difference was that it was still inside of the Sohma's main house. There, Tori was met by Shigure who noticed something on the ground.
"Look, the lock to the door broke. She must've took the chance to escape and be free," he figured, showing Tori the broken lock.
"It was an old lock, a big kick to the door could have finally broke it. However, when she escaped; she met up with Tohru-kun. Who knows what might happen to both of them if Akito-san was to find out," commented Tori, not looking at Shigure.
Tama remained silent the whole time and her head hung down.
"Is that what it's like to be free? I wish that I be free again. Tohru-kun, I want to see you again," she thought.
Akito, was in the depths of his favorite room, which was trashed with splintered wood and broken objects. Akito's bird perched on his finger while a shadowy figure entered the room.
"Akito-sama," a voice interrupted Akito's deep thought,
"Ah, Kureno-san. Tama-chan is back in her room, right?" Akito asked the boy in the shadows.
"Yes Tori-kun has returned her, not before she encountered someone," replied the voice.
"Who was this?"
"I witnessed Tama-chan with Momiji-kun, Tori-kun... and Tohru Honda," reported the voice.
This chapter was shorter than the others but it had to be done. In Chapter 3;. Tama who has had a taste of freedom and is now starving for it, breaks out again and runs away. Will the other Sohma's find her? Is there any way that Tohru can help her? Will she be brave enough to return to the Sohma estate and even worse... Akito?