Hi! Second chapter! I thought you may want this to give you better insight into the story! Bye!
Hotaru stared dully at her suitcase. I really shouldn't have gone to the Sohma house. I've dropped myself right in it. She sighed, closing her eyes. She would cry but- she had never cried. She couldn't remember the last time she shed a tear.
Hotaru frowned.
She stood up with her suitcase, and exhaled sharply.
"Even now, you're too strong to cry."
Hotaru turned, surprised. Her mother smiled, leaning against the doorpost. She stepped close, fussing Hotaru's hair, stroking her cheeks as if it were the last time they'd ever see each other. Maybe it is, Hotaru realised.
"Mother, it is just a boarding school." Or that was what her mother was led to believe. She guessed Shigure-sensei must have been pretty convincing, even through his grief.
"I know it is sweetie" her mother's bottom lip trembled as she firmly squeezed her daughter's fragile shoulders. "A scholarship! My clever little girl."
Hotaru rolled her Eyes. "Mother, I'm seventeen." But she smiled slightly anyway.
"You know sweetie, it is okay to cry sometimes. Sometimes, in order to show your strengths, you must show your weaknesses as well."
"Mother," Hotaru replied giving her mother a typical we've-already-been-through-this smile, "You know I don't pay attention to your-"
"To my mindless, sappy quotes, I know." Her mother laughed, choking slightly. "But please, pay attention to this, just this one. I promise you will have some use of it." Hotaru's mother had always been over-emotional, and Hotaru figured it made up forher ownlack of it.
"Okay mother, I will. Now let go, you are cutting off my circulation."
"Oh." Her mother let go sheepishly. "Well sweetie, have fun at your new school, and don't forget to write every week."
Hotaru nodded and kissed her mother lightly on the cheek. "I promise."
Hotaru stepped outside to find a small black car waiting for her. The man inside onlysignalled impatientlyfor her to place her things in the trunk. She glared at the man. How pleasant. I hope they all aren't as rude as him.
She collapsed in the back seat, and slammed the door, folding her arms and staring out of the side window. I guess I should be more sympathetic, he probably knew Hatori-san personally..
Hotaru looked into the driver's mirror, where she could study his aging eyes.
She watched them for a long time, never breaking, until the driver's eyes also flicked toward the mirror, in which case she looked away sharply. You see, Hotaru may have been outwardly emotionless, but she was also very shy. Inside of her blunt outer shell, deep down; she was terrified of what people thought of her. She would never admit it, mind. She fixed her eyes on the windowpane, feeling the driver's eyes on her.
Stop it stop it stop it-"Are you feeling okay miss Sohma?"
"Huh?" Hotaru glanced up and caught the driver's gaze. Kind face, with smiling eyes…
She looked away, and frowned slightly. "Yes sir, I am fine."
The driver chuckled, and diverted his attention once again to the road.
Hotaru had never had a childhood experience that made her act the way she did. Over the years she had put it down to genetics. The shyness from her mother, and the frozen exterior from her father. She didn't remember her father, her parents had divorced when she was only four, but she could think of no one else she could have possibly inherited this trait from. It wasn't that she was cold hearted, she just preferred to rationalise things. There seemed no point in "crying over spilled milk" as the saying goes.
When Hotaru arrived at the Sohma's, there was someone already there to meet her. She recognised this man, with his kind, jolly face and beautiful aura.
"Shi- Shigure-sensei?" She mentally shook herself for stammering. You sound like a twelve year old! She scolded herself.
Shigure smiled, and reached out to her, gently guiding her inside by pushing slightly on her back. "Hello, Hotaru-kun, let me show you inside your new home."
She glanced sharply up at him. No one had ever called her Hotaru-kun. But yet- it did suit her…
"Ah! You must be Hotaru-san!"
Hotaru looked shocked at the girl who was running toward her, greeting her manically, and insisting on taking her bag upstairs.
"Uh-" she managed to choke out.
The girl looked alarmed. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself! My name is Tohru Honda! I am very pleased to meet you, I'm sorry if I startled you!" she bowed feverishly in apology.
"It's okay-" Hotaru said, still a bit shocked. "Nice to meet you Tohru-san"
She beamed at Hotaru, and ran into the house, her heavy suitcase in arms.
She looked questioningly at Shigure.
He laughed, and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't mind Tohru, she is a lovely girl, very helpful around the house. Shall we go in?"
Hotaru pondered. Is she a maid? She is very polite. She seems nice.
They stepped in, and Hotaru immediately caught the fragrant smell of something delicious cooking.
"Hotaru-kun, this is Yuki, and this is Kyo."
Hotaru brought her attention back to the matter at hand to find two very handsome, surprised looking, boys staring right at her.
She looked away, immediately feeling uncomfortable.
"A pleasure." The one called Yuki said, and smiled, though his voice had a hint of uncertainty to it.
"Yeah hi." The orange haired boy called Kyo directed at her, although he walked away even before he had finished the sentence. Kyo- that name sounded familiar… Shigure said it to Hatori-san when they were talking about the curse. So he's cursed too…
But he doesn't like me. Hotaru immediately thought.
"Well, no use standing around, lets go to your room, our dear Tohru must have your suitcase up there ready and waiting." Even Shigure's voice seemed to have a smile attached to it, although Hotaru wondered how that was possible, his friend, (or whom she assumed was his friend) had only diedthe weekbefore.
He is a lovely person, she thought. Hotaru was a person to make snap judgements about people.
But those two she met before seemed uncertain of her, the orange boy probably already decided not to like her.
"Here we are!" Shigure exclaimed, snapping Hotaru out of her trailing thoughts. This is a large room…
"It is a bit stuffy, it's the guest room, and we haven't used it for some time. See?" he nodded toward the bed, where her suitcase lay. "Tohru is a wonder isn't she? Ah, what we would do with out her."
He sure thinks highly of his maid. Hotaru thought.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to get unpacked, though hurry, because our dinner is almost ready. Ah, the ever efficient Tohru."
Shigure left, closing the door behind him. Hotaru sighed. Better get this packing out of the way and done. She glanced behind her. That Shigure must be a really strong person to cover up his grief like that. Hotaru closed her eyes, and turned her attention back to her bulging suitcase.
I hope Shigure-sensei informs me about this zodiac curse, because at the moment, I don't know which way to turn…
Well, I hope you have a better idea! Although there will be a lot more plot developments further on. Please review!