Chapter 3: Isn't Something Missing
It had been a week since the concert at Club Rayne, a week of introductions and discussions, of new friendships being made. After all what else should happen when two families meet? Still there were some meetings that had not taken place yet; one of these was a meeting that was scheduled for today, a conference between the two Heads of the Souma family. Akito had purposefully made Alexander wait a week, a sign of just how much the sick young man respected the other. Akito had been furious when he found out what Hatori did. But somehow, the dragon had managed to convince Akito that it had all been for the good of the family. No one was really sure how he did it, and no one asked. But by the time Hatori was done, Akito was not as mad, or at least any anger he had felt towards the doctor was now focused on someone or something else.
Alexander now stood by Hatori's side and waited to ender Akito's chambers, on his other side was his devoted and beautiful son Daniel. The younger Sohma was almost a mirror image of his father even in dress today; white suits again. Their golden hair was braided and their blue eyes shone with a pride that spoke of a family that was as strong as the blood it came from. Once again, Daniel's twin was a no show, or rather a vanishing act. The three had arrived together and now two stood where three had been. Neither Sohma was truly certain when the girl had disappeared, only that one moment she had been there and the next she was gone. And both knew that now was not the time to make a fuss looking for her, they could only figure that she had gone back to the house again. Never the less Dani had left a message on his cousin's phone that should she not show up he was to find her. Daniel was about to place another phone call when another young man entered the room at that moment. "Akito will see you now. I am Kureno, please follow me." The brown haired youth turned away.
Following a nod from Hatori, the four walked down the long halls of the Main House towards Akito's room. Kureno opened the door for them and Alexander entered first. The other two were stopped by the youth's arm as he blocked the entrance and slid the door shut. "Master Akito wished only too speak with Mr. Alexander. You will both have to wait out here." With a curt nod, he turned and walked down the hall to enter another room.
"But…" Dani stammered as he reached for the door again.
"That would be a bad idea young Daniel." The Dragon placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let them talk. I am sure that there is much to be said. And it is liable to take quite a while. Perhaps you should find something to do for a bit." Hatori nudged him away from the door.
"I have no where to go. I'm not foolish enough to try and walk home like Katie." He sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing." Dani had not realized that the doctor had led them both away from the room and down the hall a bit.
"I can understand that. But I am sure that your father will be fine. Besides, to enter now would only prove that you do not have faith in him. It would be a sign of disrespect and weakness. And I can assure you the last thing any member of your family wants to show Akito is that you do not respect the decisions of your chosen leader." Dani merely nodded. "Come wait with me in my office." With that, he led the son away, leaving the father to deal with Akito. Hatori could only hope that Alexander knew what he was doing.
Damn house, damn people, and damn father for not letting me bring the bike. I can't even get home now. Caitlin, or Kat, Sohma had walked away from the main building and was now completely lost. She had not wanted to come today. No, she had heard enough stories over the past few days from her cousins to know that the last thing she wanted to do was meet Akito Souma, he sounded like an Asshole, like Marcus. It had been an easy thing to slip away from the not so watchful eyes of her father and brother; it was not so easy to figure out where the hell she was. She too had been dressed formally for the occasion. The same white suit as her kin, but she had left the jacket sitting on top of the car and had unbuttoned the dress shirt to reveal a white tank top. She still matched but at least she was a little more comfortable now. There was no one outside of any of the houses she passed, no one tending the beautiful gardens, really, the place was expansive but almost depressingly empty. She was debating turning around and attempting to find her way back when a soft male voice interrupted her thoughts. "You look lost." He said plainly. Kat looked up to the man in front of her. He wore simple brown robes and his long graying hair was tied back. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you, but I do not believe I have ever seen you before. And that's rare here at Souma House."
She nodded, "It's alright, don't bother apologizing. I'd rather be lost right now anyway. I'll find my way out sooner or later, if not they'll find my body eventually."
"A slightly morbid way of putting it, but I suppose that's true." He smiled; there was something very warm about his smile. "I'm Kazuma Souma. And you are?" He held out a hand. Kat watched him warily for a moment before taking it.
"Caitlin Sohma." Her voice was as wary as her eyes.
"Ah I see, I had thought that you may be a member of the American Branch. I am correct in that statement, am I not?" She nodded. "You are quite famous you know," when she raised an eyebrow he continued. "The whole house has been talking about your family. I don't think anyone has been this exited for a long time."
"Why? There's nothing special about us." She placed her hands in her pockets.
"You would think that. But nothing new ever happens here. So the appearance of your family is a big thing to most." He replied, the smile never left his face. "So, anyway, if you don't mind me asking; what has caused you to get yourself lost all the way out here?"
"Honestly?" She raised an eyebrow again.
"Yes honestly." He seemed amused by her mild nervousness.
"I wasn't in the mood to meet the head of your family." She shrugged as she said it, as if the words meant nothing at all.
"I can understand that. If Akito's reputation precedes him then I am sure you must already have a rather harsh opinion of him. But what ever you have heard, remember that he is the one who has protected this family for this generation. That is the job of the Head of the Family."
Kazuma was rewarded with a rather rude sound. "So they say. Well I'll leave you to go about your business, and I'll go about mine." She turned and began walking again. Kat paused when she realized that the man, Kazuma, was now walking next to her. "Look, why don't you just leave me alone." She snapped. Still he only smiled at her.
"I am, but my dojo is at the end of this path and that was where I was headed." Kat suddenly regretted being so rude and looked at the ground. "Sorry then, my bad." She replied as she turned around.
"Wait," Kazuma placed a hand on her wrist, which she reflexively jerked away. He seemed amused at her reaction. "A member of the Zodiac as well I see. Don't worry, I have no intentions of hugging you. You have no need to fear, I have been very close to the Zodiac through out my life. Four of the current members were trained by me; perhaps you have met them, they are all about your age… Yuki, Kagura, Hatsuharu, and of course Kyou."
"Sorry, I haven't. I have tried my best to stay out of everyone's way here, and I intend to continue doing just that."
"Somehow I doubt you would be in anyone's way."
She just shrugged in reply. "Whatever." Kazuma reached out for her arm again but this time was surprised when she grabbed his wrist herself and spun his arm around behind his back. A good move for defense he mused. His smile widened. "I said leave me alone." The Martial Arts Instructor could have broken the grip at any point, not to mention probably laid the girl out on the ground. But those were not his intentions either.
"So I see you are trained in the Martial Arts?" He aimed to make it a question.
"I have a black belt in Karate, Tai Chi, and Tang Su Do. So yes, I suppose you could say I have a little training. Now why won't you just let me be?" She seemed to be getting annoyed.
"Because you interest me. Especially now that I know you are well versed in the martial arts. Tell me, would you be interested in testing just how good you abilities are?" There was something so… calming about his voice. It made it terribly difficult for her to refuse, so she gave in.
"Fine… if I do then will you leave me alone?" She sounded disgruntled. It reminded him of one of his other students, one he was very close to.
"I will make you a deal Miss Caitlin—"
"Kat, they just call me Kat. Caitlin is too formal and only my dad and brother call me Katie. Everyone else calls me Kat, okay." Her voice was very matter-of-fact.
"Very well Kat. Here is the deal. If you win our match I will never bother you again."
"And if you win?" The look of wariness returned to her eyes.
"Then you obviously can still learn a few things and you will train at my dojo until your family leaves Japan. What do you say?"
A long silence passed between the two.
"Deal. But I'm warning you, I won't hold back."
"Good, then neither shall I." She let his arm go, and he led the way up the path. You are very familiar to me Kat Sohma; we shall see how well you are trained. And in truth, I will not lose. Kazuma was certain of this, not just because he had decades more experience than she did, but also because he had more to gain, he wanted to win more than she.
"So will Yuki be coming by later? Tohru asked as she grabbed her jacket and slipped it over her shoulders. Kyou sighed.
"Yea, he said he would meet us at the dojo after his Student Council meeting let out. If you ask me that damn rat needs to get his priorities strait, it's Master's birthday today and Rat-boy should be there. Not at school." Kyou had been in a worse mood than usual today, he'd even picked a fight with Yuki at school. Tohru rested her hand on his arm.
"Aw, it's okay Kyou. I know Yuki will be there, and soon too probably. Hey, maybe he'll even get there before we do." Tohru followed Kyou out of the house and walked with him towards Master's dojo and the Main House. "Say, I got a call from Isabella today. I meant to tell you, but… " she trailed off, not wanting to say that she couldn't because he was on the roof brooding all day, and without school it made for a long day. Kyou glanced down at her. "Well anyhow, she and Dani have invited us over for tea tomorrow."
"Define us?" Kyou stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"Well me and you, and Yuki and Shigure…"
"What are you crazy? It's bad enough that I have to deal with one Rat, I don't wanna be around two. And putting both those Dogs together in one place is just asking for a disaster. So no, no thank you, I'll pass!" He shook his head. Tohru sighed; she had hoped that the Americans would have been a better influence on Yuki and Kyou, but Kyou did not seem to want anything to do with them and Yuki was always so busy. They walked in silence for a bit until Kyou looked down and noticed her slightly discouraged face. "Come on, if we quicken our pace a bit we'll be there in a couple minutes. Besides, it's cold."
"Okay." Tohru gave him one of her classic smiles and started to quick walk.
"Hey, not that fast!" Kyou ran a few steps to catch up and smiled at her. Together the two found a good walking speed and continued on their way.
Upon entering the dojo, Kat followed Kazuma's lead and took her shoes off. Walking in she realized that even the dojo was huge. She slid the dress shirt off and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. "Alright Master Kazuma, let's finish this." She turned to him, a look of determination and confidence on her face.
"Calling me Master already and you haven't even been beaten yet?" He smiled knowingly at her.
"It's a term of respect! Don't get used to it!" She growled. He was starting to wear her temper down.
"Of course, how silly of me." He almost wanted to laugh, but knew better than to do so at this moment. "Very well then, since you are in such a hurry;" He walked into the center of the practice room and took up a traditional stance. She made a sound that seemed somewhat like a laugh and walked over to face him. Taking a stance of her own, she focused on the fight ahead. The Master was well aware of all the styles she knew and how each was best countered, but this was still going to be a good fight. It had been too long since he had spared with someone he had not personally trained.
"You're going down!" She yelled as she came in for the first strike. He dodged her fist and spun around in time to dodge a second strike. She was fast, that was for certain, and agile on her feet. After dodging a few more hits, Kazuma caught her fist.
"I thought you weren't going to hold back?" He smiled. She growled and jumped back from him taking a different stance.
"Alright then." This time Kazuma was the one who attacked and she dodged. His arm passed by the side of her head and as she ducked out of the way she spun around and landed a solid kick to his back. The momentum of the blow pushed him forward a bit, but he used it to fuel a spin kick of his own that caught her in the side. As the two faced off again Kazuma could see a smile on the girl's lips and realized that she was enjoying herself, something that in truth did not bother him at all.
The two clashed again, Kazuma studied her every attack and block. At times, he was certain that he could determine what form she was using, but after a few minutes of combat, he realized that she had managed an almost perfect blend of all three styles as well as certain aspects of gymnastics and a very dance like quality in her movements. It made her unpredictable and was probably the only reason the fight was still going on. As long as she kept it up it was going to be hard for him to judge her enough to counter her attacks. But never the less, he would still win.
Unfortunately, it was at this moment that Hatuharu and Kagura chose to walk in. And what they saw did not please either one. Their Master was locked in combat with some unknown assailant, who at that time flipped over his head and landed another solid hit. So naturally, they did what any faithful student would do. They rushed in to protect their Master. Both combatants did not notice the outside presence in time to say anything. One moment Kat was preparing for another attack on Kazuma, the next thing she knew she was being attacked from both sides by two kids her own age and Kazuma had stopped with a look of shock on his face.
"Leave Master Kazuma alone." The brown haired girl yelled.
"Yea, we'll show you what happens to people who mess with the Souma's."
Kat was about to protest and try to explain when she noticed the surprised smile on Kazuma's face. These must be some of those students he was telling me about. Well if he wants to see how good I am, then I'll show him. And with a new goal in mind Kat did three backhand springs and took a stance meant for fighting two at once.
"You guys want a fight… fine, I'll give you a fight." And at that, both of them attacked at once.
"How much longer is this going to take?" Dani covered his face with his hands and sighed.
"Somehow I did not picture you as the impatient type." Hatori was reading over some papers and still paying attention to the boy.
"I'm not impatient, just worried is all. Besides waiting for my father to finish with this meeting, there is Katie to worry about. Heaven only knows where she is, and what trouble she has managed to get herself into. Incase you did not realize from the brief interaction you have had with her… she's obnoxious, violent, short tempered, and fearless. It makes for a horrible combination that gets her into trouble around every turn. And it is the rest of the families reputation she is ruining, not her own, she does not care one lick about what people think of her. But the rest of us do not need her making a bad name for us."
"It sounds to me like you are being a little harsh on your sister." Hatori still did not look up, it was starting to get on Daniel's nerves.
"Well I suppose you would think that… but once you meet her I think you will reconsider." Dani sat up strait.
"Very well, then I will wait till I meet her to place judgment." The Dragon took a sip from his coffee cup and continued to read. Daniel just stared at him and waited to hear him say something else. When nothing happened he stood,
"Tell me, is Hatsuharu at the house today. I know he lives here, and Kagura." Finally Hatori Souma raised an eyebrow and looked up.
"I do believe they went to visit their sensei since it is his birthday today." Daniel slumped back down.
"I see."
"However I don't think they would mind your company." They will be able to tolerate you more than I will I am trying to work. "And I am sure that Kazuma will be interested in meeting a member of our American line. To my knowledge he hasn't had the pleasure yet."
"Is his home nearby?" Hatori nodded.
"Yes, the dojo is part of the main house. Yuki, Tohru, and Kyou should be there as well. It will be a good opportunity for you to get to know your cousins better."
Once again, Hatori had worked his magic and within minutes Daniel Sohma had walked out of his office and was on the way to Kazuma's dojo. Taking another sip of coffee he allowed himself a rare small smile as he leaned back and began going over the paperwork again, this time in peace.
"See, I told you it would only be a couple minutes." Kyou smiled to Tohru as they came up on the dojo. Then he smiled to himself, the slue of good memories he had of the place was comforting. Kazuma was the closest thing he had ever had to a father, and his Master knew it. After the incident where he turned into the Cat's true form a few months ago, Kazuma had even referred to him as "son." Kyou was really not sure if his master knew how much that meant to him. If it wasn't for Kazuma, the Cat had no idea where he would be today. If the main house had not killed him, his own inner suffering may have. And if it was not for his Master, Tohru would never have truly accepted him. It had been difficult at the time, but now, Kyou was thankful for it. At least he no longer had to hide what he was, not that he embraced it or anything, but at least she knew he would never lie to her.
"Kyou?" Tohru looked into the distant face of her friend. The orange haired boy was playing with his beads again. Something he usually only did when he was nervous, worried, or lost in his own memories. "Kyou?" She said again, this time placing her hand on his shoulder. The Cat jumped at the touch and looked down at her. When he saw her worried expression, he sighed and shook his head.
"Look I'm not mad at you, so don't even think it okay. I'm saving you the trouble of asking what you did wrong. Cause you didn't d anything wrong I was merely thinking about stuff. Okay?"
Tohru laughed, it was a bright and comforting sound. A sound that told him he really had found a home. "Oh it's alright Kyou, I know you aren't mad. I was just going to ask what was on your mind is all."
"Huh… oh." Kyou blinked and looked at the ground rubbing the back of his head. And to think I said all that and she wasn't even worried, I really am an idiot. Watching his cheeks color a little made Tohru's smile grow even more.
"Come on, let's go inside and wish Master Kazuma a happy birthday." She took his hand lightly in hers and tugged a little.
"Yea… right." Kyou had to fight not to look at his hand where she was holding it. There was something very… normal about the feeling. It surprised him how it made him feel, even after all the times they had walked hand in hand together; it was still something that felt new and wonderful. I truly have been accepted here, by her. Now all I have to do is beat that damn rat and everything would be perfect.
"Kyou? I think you were drifting off again?" Tohru chided. He blushed again and growled.
"I was not. You're the one who zones out, not me!" He insisted as he tugged her to the door of the dojo and let go of her hand to take off his shoes.
The riceball had to fight the urge to giggle at Kyou's behavior. For all his angry and tough exterior, he can be really cute sometimes. She mused as she took off her shoes.
From inside the training room there was a loud thud followed by a rather amused laughter.
Kyou looked up, "I thought Master wasn't having any lessons today."
"That was what he had said." It was not Tohru's voice that replied to him, but the annoyingly familiar smooth tones of his biggest rival, Yuki.
"Hello Miss Honda. I am sorry that I had to leave you with that stupid cat all day." He said as he moved up between Tohru and Kyou and slipped out of his shoes. Tohru was about to defend Kyou, but the he beat her to it.
"Shut up you damn rat!" Kyou yelled. The Cat was about to continue on his tirade but another loud thud stopped him as he heard an unfamiliar female voice say,
"Come on. You'll need to do better than that if you wanna take me on!" There was something almost overconfident about the voice, and it bothered him. There was no verbal reply, but it was enough to get him moving. He ran into the dojo with Yuki by his side, a coincidence I assure you, and paused to take in the scene. A slightly familiar girl with golden blond hair was taking on his cousins, at the same time no less. Haru and Kagura were both excellent fighters, they may have been armatures compared to Yuki and Kyou, but that was still better than anyone they could run into on the streets. And yet both were being beaten back by this loan girl. No one seemed to notices his presence, or Yuki and Tohru for that matter. Even his Master seemed to be completely engrossed in watching the fight.
Kyou had no idea what to do, his first instinct was to go help his cousins. But at the same time if they were really in danger Kazuma would have stepped in, right? Kyou glanced over at Yuki who seemed to be debating the same thing. His eyes would go from the fight to Kazuma and back to the fight. Kyou looked at his master for a long moment before turning his own attention back. At this point Kagura and Haru seemed to have the girl on the defensive. They were not giving her the chance to attack, but at the same time neither could make a direct hit. The blond was blocking everything they threw at her, literally. Suddenly she turned and started running for the far end of the dojo.
"Oh so now your gonna run away." Kyou frowned. That was Black Haru's voice, and that was never good. He chased after her with Kagura hot on both their tails.
"Isn't someone going to stop them?" Kyou heard Tohru whisper.
"No." Yuki's voice was surprisingly cold. The Cat spared a glance at his arch nemesis and saw a very displeased and frightening look on his face. Yuki would enjoy watching his cousins catch the girl, who ever she was. It was almost enough to make Kyou want to help her, just to spite the damn rat. But he didn't, and as it turned out, he didn't need to. Just as it looked like the girl had run out of room and had no where left to run she took two steps up the wall, spun around, and did a double kick that caught both of the other combatants in the side of the head. As they fell, she landed softly on her feet and looked down at both of them.
"How does it go? Oh yea… you have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting." She smiled as the two groaned on the floor. Then she looked over to Kazuma, and finally she turned to look at the three new comers to the dojo.
Caitlin had no intention of introducing herself; she had already gotten far more involved that she had ever wanted to with these people. So instead, she turned from the three and walked over to where she had put her shirt. Slipping the sleeves over her arms, she turned to look at Kazuma. "It appears we will have to finish this later, when there is less of an audience here."
Finish what? Kyou thought. What the hell was going on here.
"Very well, I understand." Kazuma replied with a nod.
"So I suppose then you think you are too good to fight us, to fight me." Yuki was walking towards her. "Or perhaps is it that you are just afraid?" This got the girls attention, her head snapped around to the rat.
"What did you say?" She glared.
"I do believe that I said you were a coward." Yuki gave her a condescending smile.
"I am no such thing." She growled.
"Yuki, please don't fight." Tohru took a step forward, but Kyou stopped her.
"Let him go Tohru, this is a matter of family to him. And as much as he thinks he is better than the rest of us, he will still insist on standing up for his cousins."
"I heard that you stupid cat." Yuki glanced over his shoulder. The girl tilted her head to the side and smiled a little while shaking her head.
"Ah, well I had thought you were the rat. That makes sense now, you do so remind me of my brother." The girl added in. Tohru gasped, and Yuki and Kyou took the chance to get a better look at her. That was why she had looked familiar. She and Daniel were almost identical. Her hair was longer and well she was female, but they had the same golden hair, fair complexion, and bright blue eyes.
Yuki seemed momentarily stunned, now that he realized she was a Sohma, it made things more complicated.
"Why were you fighting my Cousins?" His voice was slow.
"How the hell should I know, ask them, they're the ones who attacked me." She shrugged. "But fine Rat-boy, if you really want to pick a fight with me then I will humor you. What's one more of you laid out on the floor." This time it was the girls turn to give the condescending smile.
Whatever the rat may have been willing to forgive was all forgotten the second she started throwing insults, regardless of the fact that he threw them first by calling her a coward. He almost responded by calling her stupid cat, but realized the error in his ways, even if Kyou was the only person who called him "rat-boy".
"A cowardly child like you is hardly worth my time." Yuki looked away in a gesture of boredom.
"Oh that's it, you're dead." With that, the girl lunged.
"Kyou you have to stop them, please. Someone could really get hurt." Tohru begged.
"I… I don't think I can." He muttered as he looked over at his master who still had not moved.
"Please Kyou, oh please." Tohru looked like she might cry. Kyou hated seeing her like that, he wondered for a moment if she realized she could probably get him to jump off a cliff if she looked at him with those eyes. He nodded, determined in his resolve.
"Knock it off you damn rat." He went running into the fight. "Can't you see you're upsetting Tohru?"
Yuki had the girl in corner; so to speak, she barely had time to block each one of his attacks. But he had given her a chance. He had let her try for a few shots and after dodging them, he decided to end the fight quickly. The same way he would if he was fighting Kyou, only this time it did not end quite so hastily. She was faster than Kyou and more agile. She had ways of dodging and blocking that were nothing like what Kazuma had taught him. There was an intense concentration in her eyes that shown almost like fire and it was taking all his concentration to combat it. Hence why he didn't here Kyou yelling at him. When the stupid cat decided to throw a punch in the middle of the fight however he did notice; and was surprised to see the girl jump back as Kyou tried to hit him. Yuki dodged Kyou and kicked him in the side of the head. Clean, fast, and rather refreshing he thought. "Stay out of this you stupid cat." He glared down at the orange haired boy who made no move to reply, or even get up for that matter. Two people however did reply. At the same time Tohru yelled,
"Yuki please stop!" The blond haired girl growled at attacked again.
The rat barely had time to get out of the way of her foot before she threw another punch. She had placed herself in between Kyou and him, almost like she was defending the annoying cat. Yuki had wanted to honor Tohru's wishes and stop the fight. He never liked seeing her upset, but at that very moment, he took a solid hit in the gut and stumbled back. It was obvious that this was not a normal fight, and the blond was out for blood, his blood. There was no way he could stop now. I can't remember the last time I was ever hit in a fight. She'll pay for this, and for Haru and Kagura, and what ever she did to Master Kazuma. Yuki continued to dodge her attacks, waiting for just the right moment to strike.
Kyou glanced up from the ground. Had he been imagining it or did Yuki's insults to him actually seem to anger the girl? Kyou's head swam, but he was almost certain that she was defending him, placing herself in front of Yuki. Why would she do something like that? He watched the flurry of blows between the two. One would attack the other dodge, then the other would attack, and it was going back and forth. Kyou had never seen anyone give Yuki this much trouble in a fight. Who was this girl? It was then that the most amazing thing happened. Yuki threw a kick that the girl used as momentum to throw him off balance. And suddenly her foot was sailing towards him in a movement that was sure to connect, and sure to end the fight.
To Yuki it was if time itself slowed down for it. The impending loss of the fight was ringing in his ears like a chorus of bells. As his mind tried to make his body move fast enough to get out of the way, he knew there was nothing he could do. Then suddenly there was a flash of white and gold, and the girl flew across the room and hit the wall with a painful sounding thud; she hit the ground unmoving and the room was filled with a momentarily silence.
If looks could kill then the look Daniel Sohma was giving his sister would have had her six feet under. He spoke in a deathly cold voice. "Caitlin Marilyn Sohma. You are a disgrace to our family." The Rat of the American line looked ready to crucify his sister and the others felt a cold shiver go down their spines.