To make things easier, though I think it destroys the flow of the piece, I'll be placing '*~*~*~*' at the start and end of my diary passages from now on. Hee, and I've finally, gotten a CCS character in! Whoo, go me.

*~*~*~*

19.10.03 6.52 AM

What I had last night barely qualifies as sleep, and so I'm up early again, and writing. It's the last day of term today, and this morning will not go fast enough. You must know you hate school when you're this relieved to see the back end of it for a while. Heh. One more term to go.

I can hear Yuki stirring in the room next door, he probably discovering that he's back in his own bed now, and I'd better at least start getting properly dressed.

*~*~*~*

I open my wardrobe and pull out my uniform from its hanger, and a clean set of under-garments. I close the door and stare at my reflection for a moment. There is a slight smirk of my face that makes me look almost demonic.

With a frown, I try to make it go away. The reflection keeps grinning.

When I wave my hand in the air, it doesn't follow, and then I notice that it doesn't hold the uniform, it's wearing it. I step back, and it steps forward, out of the mirror.

My exact double winks slowly.

"Aahhh!"

My twin slams open my door, and screeches off down the corridor, and all I can do is follow.

We pass Tohru, who has an arm full of washing on the stairs.

"Good-morning, Kyo-kun… Kyo-kun?!"

I hear Tohru fainting boneless behind me, but I can't stop. There is another Elemental on the loose, in my skin.

He reaches outside when I finally catch up and tackle him at the knees.

He is still smirking up at me as I sit on him, and spit out harshly "That's enough, Reflection!"

Reflection pouts at me, and reverts into what I guess is it's original form. It looks like a snake with small, almost dragonfly-like wings, and it circles around my head once before diving into my chest like a liquid mirror.

I'm blinking, dazed, and sitting in a puddle of muddy water when Yuki rushes out of the house, and kneels down next to me.

"Are you alright?" His voice is different, and I recognise Shimo's mannerisms, as he helps me to my feet and starts brushing me off like a mother hen. Yuki's perfect little nose wrinkles slightly. "Go have a shower."

The new boy stares at me with a slight smile on his face from the desk next to me. It isn't a creepy stare-and-smile; it's more intelligent and informed. Like he knows something about me that I haven't even realised yet. Although he does look slightly Asian, there is a definite European look to him, from the set of his eyes, to the way that his black hair isn't as dead straight as most other people's. His name is Eriol, and he's polite, courteous, intelligent, and seems to rival Yuki for the popularity stakes even though this is his first day. I doubt he'll ever get a fan club though, I've seen him at morning-break; he seems to enjoy being alone. He's from England, but speaks perfect Japanese.

I don't know why he's looking at me though.

The lecturer drones on at the front of the class, and I find it even harder to concentrate than usual with Eriol watching. I play with my pencil, using my 'gifts' to make it stand perfectly on it's leaded end and twirl slowly. I keep my hand cupped around it, but when I hear Eriol chuckle next to me, my concentration shatters. The pencil falls end over end, then tumbles off the side of the desk, to stop inches from the ground.

Hastily checking to see if anyone's noticed, I quickly pull my pencil back up, and with shock I notice the look on Eriol's face.

He's smirking. It's still slightly good-natured, but it's a smirk nonetheless.

Yuki glances back at me from his place in the first row, and Eriol's grey-black eyes glance at him, then back at me from behind his rounded glasses.

He smiles at me in earnest, then turns back to his work.

I don't know why he came today of all days, the last of term. But then again, no one can really understand our principal; it's probably an attempt to 'integrate' him with the school society.

Still, the last day of term…

Tohru grips my hand in hers as Hatori's car drives away, with Yuki in it. Akito decided that he wanted to have a 'talk'. An impromptu meeting that has both of Yuki's companions tense. We walk down the street in silence, both of us probably thinking of the horrible things that the head of my family, and Tohru's practically adoptive family could do to my cousin.

At the corner of the street, we run into Eriol, who smiles at us and asks politely if he can join us.

To not accept would be rude, so Tohru and I reluctantly untwine our fingers and attempt conversation when it's thrown at us.

"Sohma-san, where is your cousin?"

"Yuki's visiting the main house." I mutter miserably.

What a way to start the holidays.

"Ah, your family owns more than one?" Eriol exclaims, looking intensely interested.

"Yeah. Most of us live at the main house, but Yuki, Tohru, Shigure and I live in another place in the woods."

"Oh, the woods around here? My house is a little way past that,"

Tohru looks up and smiles wanly. "When did you move into our town?"

"Two days ago."

"Why didn't you move here after the end of term?"

Eriol smiles at Tohru, a sweet smile. "Well, the terms in Britain are differently placed, and I wanted to learn a few names before I was forced to come here at the start of the holidays."

Eriol never gestures when he talks, he's perfectly calm. He's a 50 year old stuck in a teenage body.

"Why did you come?"

Eriol smiles mysteriously. "Because it was time for a change."

His eyes meet mine, and a tingle of something runs down my spine. I shiver, shove my hands in my pockets and hunch down lower. Tohru and I turn off onto the path to our house, and Eriol cheerily waves as we leave.

A feeling of foreboding follows me up the path.

I wake up from a nap on the roof, and slip back into my room at sundown. Shimo sits primly in the centre of my room, his wings held perfectly still. His hands are balled on his legs, and his knuckles show up white.

Shimo clears his throat, and then tells me in icily clear tones "I do not approve of that man."

I sit down opposite my guardian, and look him in his furious amber eyes as I answer. "You mean Akito?"

I feel sorry for both Yuki and Shimo. Shimo shouldn't have had to go with him, but it was too late for that."

Shimo's eyes harden, and his lower jaw starts working slowly. I take it as a yes. "How's Yuki?"

Shimo's face goes distant for a moment, and I suddenly notice what difference anger makes to his features as it leaves them instantly. When he returns, there is a strange look in his eyes, and he stares over my head. "He's hiding. In his own mind, he hides. I can't reach him."

There is silence for a moment.

"Why do you obey him?" Shimo suddenly asks, the frustration clear in his voice.

I open my mouth, and then close it again. "He's the head of our family," my excuse sounds vague and flimsy even to me.

"Does that give him the right to psychologically torment you? I know what he plans to do once you leave school. I was born in your mind, and I know you to be perfectly sane." His voice goes quieter, "he plans to imprison you no matter what happens, so why do you listen to him?"

"Because I have been raised to. He is the head of our family, and supposed to hold what is best for us."

Shimo looks me directly in the eyes. "A psychopath knows best now? Before I can snap back at him, Shimo slides fluidly to his feet. "Yuki will want plenty of sleep after today. Try not to disturb him."

A small light floats absently around the ceiling as I stare up at the ceiling, trying to sleep, and I follow it with my eyes. "Bright… come to bed."

The spark heads for my chest, becoming brighter and momentarily blinding me, and when the light dies down, I am alone again.

I wonder if all the rest of the Elementals are just waiting around for me to notice them, or will I have to go searching?

*~*~*~*

20.10.03 8.53 AM

It's the first day of the holidays, and boy, don't I feel in the mood for fun. A very pale Yuki came out of his room last night only to eat before returning again, and he hasn't come out yet this morning. There's this feeling around the house that just doesn't let me relax and enjoy waking up late for once, but I can't put my finger on it. It's an almost palatable tension in the air. Shimo's last words are lying heavy on my mind, and Tohru's usually inexhaustible energy is wanning.

In other, less depressing news, Haru's coming to stay sometime today and he'll be here for a week; that is if he can find the place. Wait, no, that's not necessarily good news… ah well, 'tis the life of the cat.

*~*~*~*

Absently itching under my bracelet, I dress my book in shadow once more, and place it in the shadow of my overflowing bin. Still scratching my wrist, I walk towards the door as it opens in front of me, and head downstairs to get some breakfast. As I pass Yuki's room, I note that there is still darkness under his door, and sigh. Breakfast can wait.

I slid open his door a crack, and peer in.

"Yuki…. Yuki…"

The dark shape of Yuki rolls over with a groan. "Oi! Rat!"

Yuki completes a full circle on his mattress, managing to wrap a fair amount of his sheets around his legs, and blinks at me owlishly.

"It's almost nine."

Yuki blinks once, then tries to sit up, but fails miserably with one of his arms caught in his sheets. "What?! Why didn't you wake me, you stupid cat?!"

I hold out a hand to silence him. "You didn't let me finish. It's Saturday, the start of the holidays, and I'm only waking you so you don't miss out on food."

Yuki collapses back into his bed with a sigh, and runs his free hand through his hair. "Stupid cat…"

"I've chosen to ignore your last comment." I mutter darkly, slipping inside his room and closing the door behind myself.

Yuki glare at me half-heartedly. "What do you think you're doing?"

With a wink, I turn around to face the door. "I've got some people I want you to meet."

Blossom forms in my arms, and I turn around to display it proudly to Yuki, who blinks, and asks the first question that I did. "What is that?"

"This here, is Blossom."

"I see…" my cousin replies in tones that make me absolutely certain he had no idea what I'm talking about.

I sudden, devilish idea overtakes all reason. "I know what the problem is, you just can't see it properly."

Small glowing balls of light form around the ceiling and dance around it in a slow graceful procession, and Yuki's eyes widen. He peels his eyes off the light show to stare at me wildly.

I give him a slow wink in reply, and Blossom struggles free to bound over to Yuki's bed. With a mewling noise that demanded attention be slathered upon it, Blossom jumped up and onto Yuki's lap, and he recoiled like he had been burned.

With a shaking hand he reaches out to poke Blossom, who crows, and suddenly, there is a shower of white rose petals raining down from the ceiling, drifting lazily between the lights and landing delicately on the floor to form a white carpet.

Yuki stares at me with disbelieving eyes, and I smile at him in return.

"Shimo's told you about it, right?"

Yuki nods dumbly, still staring at me like I've grown another head.

"But I guess it's another thing altogether to see it…"

I want to join my cousin, but it seems a shame to stand on the flowers that are still falling from the ceiling.

With a flick of my hands, the petals flow apart down the middle, and I walk down to meet him.

"So what do you think?"

I sit down next to Yuki, suddenly anxious to hear what he has to say, stuffing my hands between my knees.

"It's… amazing…" he breathes in reply.

Blossom coos in his lap, and Yuki runs an absent hand over it's head.

"I've got something even better to show you…"

Mirror spreads out below my feet and runs as a puddle to the centre of the room, where it reforms into a familiar shape.

The form of Akito glares at us for a moment, and I hear Yuki breathe in sharply.

The Akito look-alike opens his mouth, and Yuki's eyes widen when he hears what it has to say.

"Ooh, there's a monkey in my pocket,
and it's stealing all my change,

It's eyes are black and glassy,

And I think that it's deranged!!"

Yuki, who had been staring with horror before, started laughing helplessly as he watched the figure pick up the bottom of his robe and start tap-dancing.

I snigger, and rest my head on Yuki's shoulder's as my shoulders shake.

"Hey!"

Akito does one round of the can-can, then explodes into shards of light. The original form of mirror buzzes over to where we sit and circles around Yuki's head once, curious.

Yuki puts an arm around my shoulder and squeezes it briefly, then stands up and offers me a hand.

"Silly cat."

He hits me lightly around the head as we walk towards the door, and I hiss at him.

Blossom, Reflection and Shine enter my body from the back so Yuki doesn't notice, and I frown at him. "Hey, you can't say it's not funny,"

"Yes," Yuki concedes, an amused but pained look on his face, "But I won't be able to keep a straight face whenever I see him again."

Laughing, we stumble out of his room, a swirl of petals following us.

Yuki and I manage to get down to the bottom of the stairs without incident, and Yuki turns to me with a serious look on his face. "You'd better help me clean my room,"

"Oh? Is that a threat?" I enquire, poking my tongue out at Yuki, and we finally enter the dining room.

He hits me upside the head again. "Yes, it is."

Shigure, who has yet to disappear into his room, gives us a funny look when we enter the room, then smiles winningly.

Simultaneously, Yuki and I glare and growl "What do you want?"

Shigure looks hurt, and puts and hand to his heart like it pains him. "Why? Why do you always believe that I want something from you two but your undying love and affection?"

"Because we know better?"

"Yes, well, could you two please go and find Haru after you've eaten?"

Yuki and I fall back into our usual pattern with ease. We take a step apart, and both demand "What?!" We point at each other with accusing fingers without taking our eyes off our older cousin's face. "With him?!"

"Yes, please, thankyou!" Shigure cries. He laughs irritatingly, then stands up to leave.

Yuki and I glare at each other for a second, then smirked.

"I'll clean once we've got Haru."

Yuki nods. "Deal."

Yuki and I set a good pace down the driveway without speaking. Some of the rift between us has been healed, I can tell, and the tension between us has lessened considerably.

There is a sudden, sharp yank on my soul, and I stop abruptly. Yuki continues on for a few paces, then turns around and raises an eyebrow in silent query.

"I… felt something."

Yuki turns all the way around to face me, and frowns. "What is it?"

Shaking my head slowly, I reply "I'm not sure…"

Yuki gives me a withering look, and I glare at him. "What?! It's true! You try doing this, and we'll see how secure you are!"

Yuki sighs. "Should we keep going?"

I nod. "It's gone now."

I keep my senses alert as we continue, ready to find any more traces of power.

There is a twinge distinctly off to my right, and I break formation, and run into the trees.

I hear Yuki's startled exclamation behind me, and then his feet crashing through the bushes behind me.

I screech to a halt at the side of a small clearing and stare incredulously at the tall, thin palm tree growing in the middle of it.

"That wasn't there before…" Yuki murmurs from behind me, stopping close to me.

I walk cautiously into the clearing, and place a gentle hand on the trunk. It glows, and when the light dies down, there is a small, green haired man standing in it's place. I squirrel falls from the sky from where it had probably been roosting, and with a violated squeak, scampered off into the underbrush.

The young man's body is waiflike, and with a smile, he takes a step towards me, his long ahir swaying to a breeze that no one else feels.

"Flora…"

The newly named Elemental bows low from the waist, and then takes a step forward into my body.

I am thrown back a few feet, and sit wheezing as Yuki hurries up from where he had been standing before, and kneels next to me, rubbing my back in a circular motion.

A small, fluffy grey kitten steps out of the bushes, and meows pathetically. I stare at it, blinking as it heads toward us; it's long wide tail winding through the air like a fuzzy banner.

I meows again, then opens it's mouth and roars.

Yuki and I jump, and watch with wide eyes as it's boarders blur, and it turns into an elephant. It trumpets, and then lowers its head and charges.

Yuki and I are on our feet and running like the wind as it tramples over where we had just been standing, and we weave and duck through the trees that are uprooted with ease by the rampaging Elemental.

Yuki pushes past me, and clambers up a tree, and reaches down an arm for my hand. I grab it, and using a combination of momentum, magic and digging my nails into the bark to get onto the branch next to him, and I cling onto Yuki with all my might. The elephant below our branch and bellows.

"Fauna…"

I reach out my free hand (the one that is not around Yuki's neck), and touch the tip of its trunk. The glow starts again, and what looks like the female counterpart of Flora is left. She curtsies mockingly, drawing her animal skins that make up her clothing to her sides like a skirt, then rockets forwards into my chest.

Yuki and I slowly slide backwards off the branch, and end up in a bush below.

"OW! GODDAMNIT!"

Yuki rubs his head, and winces as he tries to stand.

Eventually, we limp out of the forest near where we went in, covered with dirt, mud, bark, leaves and even individual branches, to see Haru wandering vaguely, a small, hand drawn map clutched in one hand.

I pick a leaf out of my hair, and call out to him. Hatsuharu turns around, and his eyes widen at the sight of us. Yuki trying his best to look dignified with dirt all over his face and clothing, trying to keep his weight off one leg, and myself pissed off beyond reckoning and looking even more bedgragled than my cousin.

With a withering glance, totally ruined by my state, I point in the opposite direction from the one he's walking in. "The house is that way."

*~*~*~*

20.10.03 7.21 PM

Haru had the good sense not to mention how we met him today. He's been around Yuki like white on rice since he's gotten here, but so far, no sign of Black Haru. He's still annoying though, as he's making it hard for me to talk to Shimo. He's settled into the spare room next to mine, and is as weird as usual. Yuki's taking it in his stride, but I'm *that* close to biting his head off. Gr.

After a day like today (I will be finding pieces of leaf-matter in my hair for years to come, I bet), I plan to have tomorrow for myself, and I bet that Yuki's deciding to do the same.

Thank all things holy it's the holidays.

*~*~*~*

Wow, have I written enough, or what? I didn't intend to make things this long, but things got a bit out of hand when inspiration hit. Heh.

Thanks to everyone that's reviewed so far, especially if they've done so more than once. You guys make me feel cool.

Until next time…