Of the Sea, Chapter Two: Into the Dream (Yume no Naka He)
My long..new chapter.
I'm actually going to reply to reviews in this story.
Sakura: Thank you for being the first review Nice to know my previously 'so Mary Sue it was HORRIBLE even to me' story has turned out so good (I just kept the character, that old story's been in the recycle bin and emptied out). If you're wondering about the name spelling, it's actually a bit closer to how the Japanese would be if it was translated into English, since when written in Japanese, it's impossible to have an 'Sohma' (as in the 'hm') and 'Tohru' (the 'hr') it'd be written as Tooru or Touru (but I've never seen that way, so I just say Tooru..I'm think I can be written with ou..correct me someone who knows if I'm wrong) and 'Sohma' is really 'Souma', I'm pretty/very sure. So 'oh', 'oo' and 'ou' are basically the same thing. It just depends on your preference. All can be used to show the double 'o' sound (ô..like that) Hope I cleared that up. Spent around 150 words on it..heh.
Now, onto the story!
"What have you done this time, Shigure?"
The girl sat, pouting, her arms crossed, face twisted slightly in a scowl. By now, everyone with the exclusion of Rin and Ayame were in the room. Kagura was latched onto Kyou, who was looking a little uncomfortable and annoyed, and as for why Ayame wasn't there…he got a bit beaten up when he slithered up Tooru's shirt for warmth, and was still out cold.
Shigure seemed to be discussing something with Hatori, while Akito sat looking generally menacing, as she did in front of the other Juunishi. Who were in fact, just…sitting there. They seemed to be attracted to the scene of where anything was going on, and just watched. Finally Shigure and Hatori ended their little argument they seemed to be having and turned to her. Shigure spoke first.
"Well, I'm sure you'll hate to hear this, but we'd like you to stay with us for a while."
She gaped. "What?"
"We'd like you to stay here for a bit."
"Huh? No! I can't! I have to go back to the ocean! A- N-They'll be waiting for me!"
"Hmm…" Shigure mock pondered. "and how do you propose to get there..?" he left the question hanging in the air.
She glared once again. "Take me." she commanded.
He lifted his hand up and examined it. "Why should I?"
She knew she was being manipulated, and hated it. "Take me you…you…big meanie!"
Shigure raised an eyebrow at her 'insult'. "I see no reason to. After all, you were on our property."
Seeing how she was about to strangle Shigure, able to walk or not, Hatori cut in. "We just need to stay here for a bit to answer some questions."
"B-but..I can't! My friends are gonna be waiting for me an' they'll leave without me an' I have nowhere to go if I get left behind because I'm no' even seventeen yet!" She burst into tears.
This must have set off some sort of alarm bell in Tooru's head, because she leapt up and wrapped her arms around the girl to comfort her. "Ooh, noo, don't worry! It'll be fine! C'mon! Stop crying…it's okay." The girl looked up at her.
"Eeh?"
"As soon as everything is taken care of, you can go back to your friends," Tooru said, smiling brightly. "We can go down and talk to them to tell them to wait for you. How does that sound?"
The girl looked up at her with wide eyes. "But, you can't see them, and I can't get down to the beach, and they won't wait, I'm sure, because I'm no one important, and they're headed on a big trip back to Hawaii and they'll get really, really mad, and then they'll kick me out of the group becaue I've been just a burden since I'm weird and they have to watch over me and they hate it and they hate me -" she blabbed all in one breath then broke off, gasping for air. Tooru put her arm around her shoulder and looked down at her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we can get everything figured out," she assured.
"B-but -"
"Sshh, stop worrying for goodness sakes! Like my mother said, if you worry too much, your hair will turn grey!"
The girl was silent for a moment, then said, "How do I get to the beach? I can't walk."
Tooru looked taken aback for a moment then questioned "You can't walk?"
The girl shook her head. "No. No one has taught me now, because I'm not seventeen yet."
Tooru looked perplexed for a moment, then exclaimed "Oh, I'm sure someone can carry you!" Too bad the boys all change species when they try to carry someone. Oops.
Shigure looked delighted for a moment, but changed his expression when he saw everyone glaring at him. So he just had to nod and wink to show that nothing bad would happen from getting too close to this girl, and they wouldn't transform. After he understood this, Yuki, being the gentleman that he is, stepped forward.
"I will, Honda-san."
Tooru clapped her hands together. "Alright! Now, where do you need to go?"
The girl pointed out toward the ocean and over to the left a bit. "That way. That's where he dragged me here from," she stated, as she shop a poison glance at Shigure, who looked away innocently. Yuki stepped over and picked her up, careful to be gentle, although he did seem a bit surprised that he wasn't sitting on the floor as a rat.
Tooru, Yuki, Shigure (who was following to make sure no escape attempts happened) and the girl made their way down the beach back to the cove. It wasn't far from the house, nonetheless it took them a bit. It could have been because Yuki had to carry the girl, who was light, but not abnormally so. By the time they reached the cove, Yuki's face was red, because he had realized that all she was wearing was the outer layer of a yukata.
"Um, just…put me on that rock. Then go over there to those bushes, please?" she pointed to the bushes."
She was met with strange looks from Yuki and Shigure, but the three complied and hid behind the bushes. The girl called out "Naaaaaaamie! Aaaaaannabeeeeeeeelle! Come back, guys!"
There was a ripple sound coming from the water, then two bursts as if two things..or people..had just burst out of the water. They heard a conversation which they didn't understand coming from their direction, between three girls.
"Guys, we have a problem. Some people found me up here, and now they're taking me back to their beach house or whatever it is for questioning! I can go back, because I'm sure I can make it without giving anything away, but you have to not leave me, okay?"
"Tsukikage.." one of the girls sighed. "You know we can't do that. Why don't you just come with us right now?"
"Because three of them are in those bushes, and they'll catch us before I can get off this rock!"
"What! There are humans listening to this!" the other girl (Namie) sighed as well. "Listen, Tsukichan, there's nothing we can do now. Go back for their questions, but we'll have to leave."
"Eh! Nooo!" in her panic, the girl, now known as Tsukikage, reverted back into Japanese. "You can't leave me, you can't! What am I gonna do? I can't even walk it's not fair you guys are older so you can do what you want and..don't leave me!"
"Gomen, Tsukichan." Namie replied. "There's nothing we can do."
"B-but.."
"Maybe we'll see you again. We'll be back here in about a year, in this same place. Hope to see you again. Bye, Tsukichan."
They heard two splashes again. Then Tsukikage called "You can come out now.."
Shigure, Yuki, and Tooru stepped out from the trees. Tooru had wide eyes.
"Who were they?"
"My friends."
"You friends were in the ocean?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You'll find out later.."
Silence.
"..sure?"
"Yes..I'm sure.." I hope.
"Okay! How about we go back to the house then..?"
"..fine.."
When they arrived back at the house, Shigure set Tsukikage back down in the chair in the living room and shooed everyone out but Hatori, Tooru, and Akito.
Shigure thought about how to start. How would he say this to that she didn't freak out, but he still got the question through, and have her answer it?
"..Tsukikage-san, do you know what a curse is?"
She looked at him indignantly. "What? Of course I do!"
"Well, would you believe me if I said my family was cursed?"
"Hm..no. Probably wouldn't. Why?"
"My family is cursed."
"Right. Whatever you say."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"Let's see..no."
Shigure sighed. Well, I suppose I'll just have to show you. Tooru-kun? Would you do the honours?"
"Ooh!" Tooru stuttered, and stepped forward. Shigure wrapped his arms lightly around her, and instantly where he had been standing sat a dark grey dog. Tsukikage stared.
"Huh? Did I miss something?"
"No, Tsukikage-san. I already told you. My family, including me is cursed. Whenever we get too weak or are hugged by someone of the opposite sex we transform into one of the twelve spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, plus the cat." Akito twitched slightly as he mentioned the cat. "The thing I want to know, is why when I was carrying you I didn't transform."
"And you expect me to know this?"
"Well.." he got a bit nervous, suddenly realizing he was going to get nothing from interrogating this girl "..yes?"
"Nope, sorry. Can't help you."
He sighed deeply. "Well, I guess we'll just have to take you back."
"But my friends already left!"
"What?"
"You heard, them, I'm sure. They went to America, and they won't be back for at least a year."
"Hmmm." Shigure thought (or pretended to?) for a moment. "Well, then, I suppose you'll just have to stay with me!"
"No!" Tsukikage burst out. "I'd rather just risk it alone than that!"
Shigure looked offended for a moment, then replied, "O-kay, then. I guess we'll call everyone in here and decide what should be done. You have no relatives here, is that right?"
"..right."
"So, you should stay with someone in this family. That is alright, isn't it, Akito-san?"
Akito, who had suddenly been brought into the conversation, and was in truth a bit zoned out for a bit, nodded.
"Then it's settled! Let's call everyone in!"
When everyone staying in the beach house had arrived, the question was posed:
"So..would anyone like a new girl to live with them?"
Questions broke out.
"What?"
"Why does she need to stay with one of us?"
"Does she..?"
Shigure put his hands up. "She has no place to stay, and since it's technically our fault, I figure we should be hospitable and help her find a place to stay. She does know about the curse, and for some unknown reason she doesn't make us transform. We're trying to figure out why."
"I think I may have an idea.." Tsukikage said quietly.
Shigure glanced at her and winked, then turned back around. "Well? Any takers?"
"Well," Kagura started out, "I would like to help, but we already have Isuzu staying with us."
Rin nodded. "Yea. Pretty much says it for me, too."
Ayame at this time is still out. Must've gotten hit pretty hard.
"We've already determined that she refused to stay with me, although I have no idea why..so that leaves.." everyone turned to look at Hatori, who looked a bit uneasy.
"What?"
"It's decided then! Tsukikage-san, oh, yes, everyone, that's her name, you'll stay with Hatori and Momiji!"
"Yay!" yelled Momiji, and immediately glomped her and latched on. "We're gonna have sooo much fun, Tsukichan!"
Hatori merely nodded and sat, wondering why things like this always had to happen to him.
After everyone left, Shigure turned to Tsukikage and asked, so what's your idea?"
"I can show you, but we have to go back down to the beach again."
Shigure looked a bit suspicious for a moment, then true to his fashion brightened and said "Okay, then, let's go!"
Okay, all done with chapter two. Longer than some of my normal chapters, which I had trouble getting to 700 words, and it's nice. I have to tell you guys one thing that was funny that happened today. When I was eating lunch in the cafeteria, someone (a sort-of friend of mine) put something in the microwave that apparently shouldn't have been in there, and it exploded. Smoke (like that whiteish stuff) started pouring out, and it absolutely REEKED of..something burnt really bad. I was sitting at the table closest to it, but the other side of the table. Luckily I was almost done so I got outside to where the air didn't reek. Just had to share that. So, anyway, review! It helps put more fan fiction on the net!