Review replies…

I lost track whose review I stopped at, so I'll just reply… If I missed out, please tell me! Thanks!

Annie: I LOVE your reviews! You rock! YAY! Thanks so much for reviews. But I'll give you an inside story, Shigure and Mingzashi are not a couple!

Tsuki Mizuno: Thanks for reviewing! You think Toyoko and Akito are cute together? Yay! Me too! And sorry for getting you confused!

AraelMoonchild: I think you are a new reviewer here! WELCOME! Don't worry! The Timikas are not perfect! Each has their own background! Wait till the next Zodiacs'! This is only Ritza's! There are so many more to go!

Daydreamer: You are a GREAT help! Thank you so much for the names! I keep those in mind! Right now, I'm moving on to the Zodiacs' background first! You are a great inspiration!

Holagrl: You are new too? WELCOME! I'm so glad you reviewed! I love reading reviews! Review this chapter! HEHE….

Silverdude: You're new too! WELCOME! WOW! I've got so many new reviewers! YAY! I'm so happy! Here's the next chapter you've been waiting for!

Hikari Saiyôkò: Thank you so much for your long review! I love it! OH! You're NEW too! WELCOME! I myself is not sure about how many different Zodiacs you can have in a year. I mean, it's impossible, isn't it? In the manga (Fruits Basket) there are three 27 year olds (Ayame, Hatori, Shigure). I wonder what happened to be like that. So I thought, if the manga is all right, guess I can make an exception, my story can too! Haha…

Chapter 22 – Ritza

"Don't stay out too long, Hatori." Akito said softly.

Then, he turned and left. Toyoko waved goodbye and caught up with Akito.

Ritza slumped back down onto her chair and heaved a sigh of relief. Toyoko wasn't angry with her for going out without telling her. Whew.

"I'm so envious of you," Hatori couldn't keep his thoughts inside his head anymore. Not after the surprise Akito gave him. Don't stay out too long? Is he a kid or something? Hello! He's 27 years old, for goodness sake!

Ritza looked up. "We may be blessed, but we are not perfect, you know."

Hatori sat down, listening. A story of Ritza was coming up, he knew. "Yes, but I'm still envious of you all."

Ritza let out a nervous laugh. "Not after you hear this."

"Go on."

(I'm writing this as Ritza's POV, but I'm not writing this as in like Ritza is speaking to Hatori. It's more like a flashback.)

I stood beside Himisu, watching mom cry. She looked so small, so alone, just crying there, in front of father's tomb. She kept calling his name, but I don't feel anything. Yanoeka meant nothing to me. Nor to Himisu, if that's the case. Our father never really even liked us. I guess he didn't like things to do with magic.

I held Himisu's hand, and we stared at our mother, shrieking at dad's tomb, in the pouring rain. I love Kymoshi. She had always accepted us, and did her best for us. But she needed dad's support, but he didn't give her any. Was it our fault? That we are blessed? Isn't blessing a good thing?

"Mom! Come back under the shelter! You're going to get a cold!" Himisu called out urgently. He squeezed my hand tighter. Through the rain, I could barely make out mom's face. But I could hear her crying. I got a glimpse of her forlorn face, and something started to build inside me.

"Mom! Get in! He's not worth crying over for! Get back here! Please!" My shout fell on deaf ears. I turned to Himisu, "What should we do? She could get terribly sick for this. And it's all Yanoeka's fault! His entire darn fault! I HATE HIM!"

Himisu put his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I felt something wet trickling down my face. Himisu was crying. So was I.

Suddenly, a person in black swept by us. She forcefully pulled mother up and forced her back to where we were. We heard her scolding Kymoshi.

"See? You've made your children worried sick about you! It's over, Kymoshi, he's gone! So stop thinking about him already!"

Kymoshi had no strength to reply. She fainted.

I just stared at her. Himisu did too. Why did mom do this to herself? I had felt no love from father, and why did she do this to herself? How do a 10-year-old know?

Himisu fell to the ground. "Mom! Wake up! Don't die on us now! Dad's gone! We can live happily now!"

Himisu was shaking Kymoshi widely and desperately. I did too.

The person in black shoved us aside. "I'm going to take her to the hospital. A car is waiting for me. Come on, you two. The sooner we get her to the hospital, the better."

And we got her to the hospital.

She was in the hospital for 3 days. Himisu and me didn't go to school. We practically lived beside Mom's bed. She had been unconscious for three days. On the forth day, she woke up.

As she fluttered her eyes open, we called out to the nurse. She came in immediately. Mom was still weak, so nurse fed her. Mom did not seem to want to eat, but had no strength to resist. Soon, it was all over.

Mom was told to take precaution, as she was now not stable. She was told she may have heart problems in the future, and she did.

Ritza finished her story and stared at her shaking hands. Her father, all her father's fault. She wanted to shout it out now, but it wasn't possible, she was a grown adult, and in a public place too.

Two warm hands reach out for her. "It was your father's fault," came Hatori's voice.

Ritza fought back the urge to cry. She nodded her head stiffly and said with pursed lips, "Let's go, I…am not feeling quite very well."

Hatori nodded and they went out of the café.

From another table from theirs, a pair of eyes followed them, "So this is how the afternoon ends." Mingzashi stared at their retreating back. "Why didn't you add about my part of me laughing at you and your pathetic mother?"

(At Shigure's house)

"I hated Kyo because he hated me first, don't worry, Tamasha."

With that, Yuki ended the awkward conversation skillfully. All went back into the house, with Tohru rushing in first to prepare some tea. Momiji and Shimaya were the icebreakers in the company, including everyone in talks they thought up of to help everyone get warmed towards each other.

Soon everyone was chatting, Kimiko with Yuki, Tamasha with Kyo, Shimaya, Momiji and Tohru together. They talked and talked about nothing in particular. Suddenly, Shigure appeared from his study room and said, "Hello! Shimaya and Momiji!"

"HELLO!" Both shouted back. "Kimiko! Tamasha!"

The cat and rat nodded their heads without speaking. Kimiko smiled kindly, although aware of the man's stony heart. Tamasha just stared at him, no expression on her face. As if fighting to control herself, she turned back to Kyo and carried on their conversation.

Shigure looked at Tamasha and smiled to himself. That was a fast realization, Tamasha.

That's it for now. Don't expect too many updates from now till June. I have a major exam coming up. The updates will be random.