Hoshi Akarui – Once again Hoshi Akarui reporting for duty! For Kirta-leigh, I know PLEANTY of Haru lovers, so ya. And THERE IS NO HOTARU PAIRING WITH ANYBODY (well, at least not yet). Now back to reality.

Chapter 3: Hide and seek

11 years earlier…

"3…, 2…, 1! Ready or not, here I come!" Hotaru called as she lifted her head off the tree trunk in the Sohma House Garden. "Where could they be…" she thought aloud. She heard some giggling from one of the bushes. "Ah ha! Found you Ka-guur-a!" Hotaru pointed at the boar zodiac. (When Hotaru was little, she couldn't pronounce names so well…) "Darn! Found first again!" Kagura snapped her fingers. "It's ok. Let's go find the others!" Hotaru smiled.

"Found you Momiji!" Kagura called as the rabbit sat behind the house sucking on a lollipop. "Waaaaaah! I've been found!" Momiji cried. "Don't worry Mo-mi-ji, there's always next time!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Our next target is…" "Got you Kyo!" Momiji exclaimed. "Zip it rabbit, or else Kagu-" Kyo whispered. Too late. "KYOOOOOO! MARRY ME!" Kagura held a boulder up and threatened the poor cat. "Now, now Ka-guur-a. We still need to find Ha-ru." Hotaru tried to calm Kagura down. "Screw the stupid ox." Kyo huffed. "NAUGHTY KYO! DON'T USE SUCH LANGUAGE!" Kagura yelled. "Come on you 2, your holding up the game!" Momiji called.

"Hee hee, they'll never find me here!" Haru whispered to himself as he sat crunched up in a tree. "There's Haru!" Kyo pointed at the tree. "Dang!" Haru growled. "Good job Kyo!" Kagura said. "NOW MARRY ME!" "RUN FOR THE HILLS!" Kyo screeched. "Kyo and Kagura sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes..." Momiji sang as Kyo ran around the garden screaming "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! AUUUUUGH!" Hotaru giggled, "calm down you 2" she looked around. "Where's Yuu-ki?"

"Who cares. I hate the rat" Haru and Kyo said in unison. "Hotaru's right. I saw him last night. He didn't look so happy" Kagura pondered. "Hatori!" Momiji called as the Hatori walked across the lawn talking to Shigure. "Yes Momiji?" Hatori turned around. "Where's Yuu-ki?" Hotaru asked. "He has a fever, again." Hatori signed. "Oh. Hi Shigure! Where's Aya-me?" Hotaru asked (She could only pronounce Shigure's name correctly) "Well knowing him he should be back from his student council meeting right…" Shigure began.

"Hello friends, family, admirer! I, Ayame Sohma am back! Shower me with praises and gifts! Don't be shy!" Ayame announced. Silence. "Come now, this place seem SO gloomy and all…" Ayame began. "For some reason, I like it gloomier" Hatori signed. "Hiya Aya-me!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Why HELLO Hotaru! Find any fireflies lately?" Ayame replied. "Nope. Me an' everyone were playing hide-n-go-seek! We go now." Hotaru waved good-bye. "Ha- ru, your it this time!" "First, I need to go to the bathroom" Haru replied. "I'm not showing you to the bathroom AGAIN!" Kyo yelled. "Do you want Haru to go black again?" Kagura growled. "Let's go!" Kyo dragged Haru by the hand as a small dust trail followed behind them.

"Ahh, childhood. No worries whatsoever." Shigure signed. "Except for you 2 in their case" Hatori said blankly. "We aren't THAT bad of an influence are we?" Ayame seemed shocked by the accession. "Actually, yes." Hatori replied. "What about that girl … Hotaru is it?" Shigure asked. "Shigure's right. She isn't even a zodiac or anything…" Ayame realized. "She's Haru's sister. That enough isn't it?" Hatori replied. "now I suggest we move on and do our schoolwork, don't you agree?" (11 years ago, Shigure, Ayame and Hatori were still Sophomores in High School)

As the others waited for Kyo and Haru to return, Hotaru had wandered off; chasing a purple butterfly until it finally disappeared. By then, she was lost inside the huge Sohma estate. "Where am I?" Hotaru wondered aloud. There was a soft sob for a reply. "Hello? Anyone there?" she opened a door.

On the floor sat Yuki, his head tucked into his arms as he cried. "Yuu-ki, what's wrong" Hotaru approached the rat. Yuki didn't look up and kept on crying. Hotaru crouched down next to Yuki. "What's wrong?" she asked again. This time Yuki managed to stammer "A-Akito…" before he went back to crying. "What did Akito do?" she asked again. "He… he whipped me a-and locked me up here" Yuki cried softly. "Don't worry Yuu-ki. He won't hurt you anymore" Hotaru stroked Yuki's head gently. This time Yuki looked up. "R-really?" he sniffed. "Just be strong" Hotaru smiled. "Ahem" someone coughed. At the doorway stood Akito.

End of flashback

"No one really knows what Akito did to Hotaru that day" Hatori went on. "The way we found her is too bloody to describe, but the injuries to her head caused her to lose her memory of all of us, except for Haru and Akito. For medical and personal reasons, she was sent to America." Hatori signed. "She's left with a scar on the back of her neck and a fear of Akito" he looked at Yuki. "Just like you, Yuki. But unlike you, she chose to live at the Sohma estate."

Yuki's eyes widened. "She says she doesn't want to be afraid of something like that all her life. She wants to get over it and move on" Haru announced as he flipped the page of a magazine. "Hotaru's always been a fighter. Since forever. Never gave up on what she believed was right" Shigure recalled. "How you can remember her and we can't?" Kyo wondered aloud. "Because some memories are too painful to remember" Shigure signed. "We kept our memories, for a price" Ayame sipped his tea. "But I don't say I envy you. Every moment with Hotaru was a good moment. She was so innocent and pure – like newly fallen snow" "And she was always smiling, and couldn't stand to see someone cry. She wanted everyone to be happy. And still believe that's why she came back. So the one's who forgot can remember, and for the one's who are lost to find themselves once more" Shigure spoke.

"What a heart-wrenching speak! You really were BORN to be a novelist Shigure" Ayame laughed. "Where did the tension in the air go?" Yuki and Kyo thought in unison. "Sorry we took a long time" Tohru entered the room. "The ice dream kept falling on the floor" Hotaru came in with 5 buckets of ice cream. "What's ice cream?" Yuki and Kyo stared at the 5 buckets. "It's dessert from where I come from. Get in line if you want to try some!" Hotaru hollered. "What's in the buckets?" Ayame asked peering at the bucket suspiciously. "I've got vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, rocky road and rainbow sherbet!" Hotaru lifted the lids. "Looks good. I'll want Rocky road!" Shigure sang. "I want rainbow sherbet!" Ayame waved his arm. "Vanilla" Haru replied. "I'll try chocolate" Hatori signed. "Can I have strawberry?" Tohru asked. "How bout you 2? Want any before it's all gone?" Hotaru asked Yuki and Kyo. "…I'll have vanilla" Yuki replied with a little smile. "I guess I'll try Rocky Road…" Kyo murmured. "Ok!" Hotaru smiled.

"Bye Tohru! See you later!" Hotaru waved. "Bye Shigure, bye Yuki, bye Mr. grumpy face!" "Who're YOU callin Mr. grumpy face!" Kyo shot back. "You of course." Hotaru replied giggling. "Let's go. Hatori's not gonna stay there all night" Haru dragged Hotaru along. "See you at school tomorrow!" Hotaru waved. "SCHOOL!" Tohru, Yuki and Kyo exclaimed.

Hoshi Akarui: (Singing) Hotaru going to school, Hotaru's going to school. Next time, Hotaru's arriving at school? Wonder what the "Prince Yuki Fan club" will think. Kaibara High will never be the same!