Everything was dark; noises sounded distant but gradually got closer. Distinguishing two different voices as he was coming around, Duo lay on whatever surface he was on.
"Did you have to be so rough with him, Ha'ri?" One of the voices said.
"He resisted, Shigure." The other replied simply. "Akito demanded to see him right away."
"I'm assuming Akito also wanted the boy unharmed." The first one retorted.
Ignoring this comment, the other went on. "It looks like he's coming around."
Duo rubbed his head and sat up. Then he started to panic when he couldn't see anything. "I can't see! I'm blind!" Duo shouted.
Pausing for a couple of seconds, the second one spoke up. "It would help if you opened your eyes."
"Oh yeah… I knew that." Duo opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.
Hatori and Shigure, Duo assumed, were the only other people in the room with Duo. Now, he could get a better look at them. The one that knocked Duo out wore a suit and with his right eye staring at Duo, seemed like a very serious man. The other one wore traditional Japanese clothes and seemed friendlier.
"What am I doin' here?" Duo demanded.
"Since you've gone so far as to bring him here, you should tell him, Hatori." The friendly one said.
"Be quiet, Shigure." Hatori snapped. "The head of our family, Akito Sohma, wanted to meet with you, Duo Maxwell."
"What for?" Duo asked suspiciously, hoping this Akito guy wasn't one of those sick guys that kidnap children for their sex slaves.
"There's a great deal to explain." No thanks, I already know how to bleep so I don't need to learn from Akito… Duo thought in his sick mind. Shigure chuckled as Hatori left the room to retrieve something.
After a couple of minutes, Hatori returned, helping a weak looking figure. This Akito guy looked to be about the age if not a little older than Duo. And Duo had expected Akito to be some ugly old geezer. Once again another sick thought crossed Duo's mind. Akito was very pale and looked ill. He also wore traditional Japanese clothes and his dark hair was kind of long and untidy. Akito's keen eyes looked over Duo and made him shudder.
"So you're Duo Maxwell?" Akito breathed quietly.
"Y-yeah." Duo fumbled nervously.
Akito laughed, thinking it very amusing that Duo was so nervous. "Why do you seem so… anxious?" Duo shook his head, refusing to admit being so jumpy. "You don't have to be afraid of me." Akito smirked. "Well, let me ask you this, have you ever tried to hug a girl, but instead you transformed into an animal?" Akito questioned with an air of supreme authority.
Duo nodded. "When I was eight, I hugged a girl and because of that I had to move here." Duo explained in a low tone. He didn't know why he was telling Akito this, but he had the feeling he better do what Akito wanted.
"And you are the Rat, correct?" Akito pressed.
Starting to get impatient, Duo replied, "Yes, I transform into the rat."
"Do you know the legend of the Chinese Zodiac?"
Duo's patience had reached its limit and even though he was scared to death of Akito, he snapped. "Look! First you kidnap me; then you scare the shit out of me with your creepy ass! I have more important things to be doing than sharing fairy tales with you, O Great-wise-dip-shit-of-the-family!" Duo hadn't realized that in his rant session he had risen to his feet.
Akito frowned deeply, his eyes narrowed in anger. "It seems the traits of the Rat vary with each person." Akito mused.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Duo felt insulted.
Akito ignored Duo. "I'll warn you, I'm tracking down each and every one of you zodiac stragglers… only the Sohma's will live with this curse. Shigure, Hatori, remove this rude rat at once."
A few moments later, Duo walked the streets again after being thrown out (literally) by Hatori and Shigure. Rounding the corner of his street, Duo came face to face with a mob of fan girls holding torches. Relena was in the front and the first to see Duo.
"Look! It's the Prince!" Relena shrieked.
"I want his rubber ducky!" Fan girl #7 cried.
Screaming, Duo ran from the charging mob. Going back around the corner from whence he came, the panicked Duo turned and went into an alleyway. Duo looked back and ran right into someone then fell on top of them. The person he crashed into had a soft body and a second later with a puff of smoke Duo transformed into a white rat.
"Kisama!" the girl Duo fell on yelled.
From the folds of Duo's clothes (which he was currently burrowed in) this is what Duo heard:
The mob of torch carrying girls screeched to a halt.
"Hey Blue Bangs!" Relena's voice addressed the girl whom Duo ran into. "Have you seen the Prince?"
Duo felt the one called "Blue Bangs" scoop up Duo's clothes in her arms and get to her feet. But she didn't respond.
"Blue Bangs! Are you deaf?!" Relena mocked loudly.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Blue Bangs apologized sarcastically. "Were you talkin' to meh? Because Blue Bangs is not my name."
"Hmph, whatever! Have you seen the Prince?" Fan girl #7 snapped.
"Not to my recollection." Blue Bangs stated innocently.
Relena snorted impatiently. "You're lying, Yankee! His majesty's clothes are in your arms!" The rest of the girls shrieked their agreement.
"My name's not Yankee either." Blue snorted and shifted her weight onto her right leg. "So these are his clothes? I didn't know that. Perhaps he was in such a hurry to get away from you obsessive girls-with-no-life that he somehow lost his clothes in the process?" Blue Bangs suggested.
From the bundle of clothes, Duo heard the girls sigh dreamily and he bet his reputation they were picturing Duo naked. Then the girl holding him started to walk forward and was suddenly stopped.
"Where do you think you're going, Blue Bangs?" Relena and her followers closed in on her.
Suddenly, the girl dropped the bundle of clothes and Duo the rat squeaked. Luckily, no one heard because another girl yelped at the same time. The little rat trembled in his clothes. Would someone step on him? What happened to the girl holding him?
"Hey! Let go of Relena!" a girl's voice, which Duo recognized to be Catherine's, screamed.
Duo heard a rustle.
Eeep!
"Okay Pink Princess." Blue Bang's voice said calmly. "Call off your 'Prince Fan Club' or I'll smash your ugly face in."
Duo heard the mob scampering away in fright and then heard Relena being released and yelling back as she ran. "We'll get you, Yankee!"
A few moments passed and Duo started to think he was forgotten when once again the girl picked up Duo's bundled school uniform. She rummaged through the clothing until the little white rat Duo was looking directly into her calm sapphire blue eyes. Long blue bangs hung loosely around her face and the rest of her hair was a golden blonde. Duo now knew why the 'Prince Fan Club' called her "Blue Bangs". She stared down at Duo suspiciously for several minutes.
"Howdy!" Duo exclaimed and did a little peace sign with his tiny paw.
"Holy shit!" the girl gasped and dropped Duo again.
Duo yelped. "Would you stop doing that?!"
"My bad." Regaining her composure, she responded calmly.
A cloud of smoke erupted and the human Duo sat on the cold sidewalk, naked.
Blushing furiously, the girl turned around quickly and snapped. "Put some clothes on you pervert!"
Duo had to stifle his laughter, but obeyed. When he was done he decided not to stay and try and explain to this girl what just happened so he bolted past her and ran back to his house before she could stop him.
TO BE CONTINUED
Sorry for the late chapter but for a while I didn't feel like writing, plus ideas were coming slow. Until next time, Ja!