"Class," Mayu growled to the assembled students in the noisy homeroom class, "I'l like to introduce you to Ryukaiba Serki, she's a new student to our school, so all of you do your best to not completly petrify her. If you do anythung untoward, you'll have me to answer to. Serki-san, please take a seat."
" 'Ryukaiba'?" Kyo hissed as she sat between Kyo, Yuki, Tohru and her friends, "Why such a stupid name?"
"If I go parading about as a Sadnesan, we have a problem, don't we?" Serki growled back, she had her focus on everyone and everything in the room, though a group of mumbling and angry girls caught her attention, when they caught her gaze, she clearly heard a audible hiss from them as they turned forward.
What the? What is their problem? Serki thought as she arched a eyebrow in surprise. Still, nothing suspicious otherwise, other than their attitudes. I had forgotten how rude some people could be in high school...
She found out what their problem was after class...
"Hey! Hold it sister, what do you think a new student like you is doing sitting with the Prince?" the oldest of them demanded.
Serki turned and gave them her darkest glare, "First off, I am no sister of yours, and grateful that we are not related, if we were, I'd disown you immediatly and as for the Prince, I have not a clue what you are talking about."
"Sohma Yuki is the Prince of this school, and we are his fan club, we get first dibs on anything to do with him, so next time sit somewhere else." the speaker answered.
"Really? Well, thats a shame, I never knew such, my, my, my big mistake, but before you go trying to lay claims on people, why not try and see if they truly want to your attention. For all you know, you are a headache for him and such a shame, he really seems like a nice guy." Serki replied, the mischevious gleam coming to her eye. The mountain lion was known for being a trickster in her own right...
"Shut up you, you are a underclassman and new student to boot! You don't know how Yuki-kun feels or how we feel about him and you better pay attention to us!" the leader fumed, her girls knodding in agreement.
"Tseh, you are truly pathetic, ever believe in letting the guy live a little? Shesh I can't stand to talk to you." Serki growled as she walked away.
"Yeah thats right, run away little underclassmen..." they taunted as she walked.
"Whatever..." she laughed.
"Wow, I'm really impressed, you are the first one to ever tell those girls off." A new voice laughed as she joined her.
"Hmm?" Serki asked.
"Serki-san, right? I'm Arisa Uotani or Uo-chan to my friends. Still, I'll give you points your the first to tell those pin heads off, so tell me, why did you do it? Was it fun?" Uotani continued.
"Call it something along the line of sisterly pride. My oldest brother...before he passed away, was considered in the same way Yuki-san is and the girls that used to do believe they belonged with him behaved the same way. It was really annoying actually, though putting them in their place felt like old times. Masao never really appreciated all the attention they gave him...he never even pretended to like it. So I imagined that Yuki-san most likely felt the same way. As for how it felt, it felt like taking a aspirin after a massive headache." Serki answered honestly, remembering the gigling idiots who used to try and drap themselves around her brother and be completly ignorant of the revolted expression on his face. They never saw that his eyes always belonged to Maya, not them...
"Ah, Uo-chan! I see you have met Serki-kun!" Tohru said as she joined them.
"Yeah, she's a real tough cookie, she just put those idiot fan club girls in their place." Uotani laughed, "Though seriously, I never thought of it that way. I'm sorry you lost your brother."
"Her waves, they are different and stranger than either Kyo-kun or Yuki-kun's waves." another girl spoke as she joined them.
Serki and Tohru both froze in place, Tohru met Serki's eyes and Serki met Tohru's eyes and Tohru was the first to speak, "H-h-hello Hana-chan! I didn't see you there! You haven't met Serki yet have you? Serki-san this is one of my best friends Hana-chan and Hana-chan, this is Serki-san."
"Pleasant waves, Serki-san." Hanajima replied simply.
"Ehh, pleasant waves to you too, Hana-chan." Serki answered.
What are waves? She wondered.
Shigure joined Hatori in his house in the Sohma estate. The walls of his home and office were almost barren now, leaving only the picture of Kana to decorate the room. They seated themselves at his table and lite one anothers cigarettes. Taking a deep breath Shigure began, "I see you are almost ready to leave Ha'ri."
"I am also willing to bet you haven't even began to prepare to leave, have you?" Hatori replied.
"Why must you be so mean? Of course I have been getting ready, with Tohru-kun's help of course." Shigure answered in a hurt tone.
"Poor Tohru-san," Hatori replied, "However, how is Serki doing? I haven't seen her in a bit and I need to do a checkup on her."
"Feeling fiesty enough to tackle school with Yuki, Kyo, Tohru and the others. Then again, she's always fiesty. To hear her and Kyo in the same room you'd think htey were brother and sister or worse yet, a married couple." Shigure laughed, "But she's a good kid. Of all the people in the world, why her? She traveled all the way from Yokohama in the state she was in to warn us of the Dauesha. Not many people could have traveled that distance in good health or had the will power to do it. It certainly is admirable."
"I had that particular thought of her, she's strong yes, but why any should anyone suffer whats happening now? Its not any fault of the Sohmas or the Sadnesan that we are this way. It really doesn't make sense why these fanatics would be out to destroy us. It really doesn't add up." Hatori replied as he dropped his cigarette into the ashtray.
"Revenge is really hard to make heads or tails of anyway, its foreign to us, so of course we don't understand. But I have been doing some research, much to Mit-chan's horror, on this. Its interesting to know that before the war between the alliance of the Sohmas and the Sadnesan against the Daeusha, that neither the Sadnesan nor the Sohmas were cursed with our respective curses. Only after that final climatic battle did the curses take hold of either the Sohma or Sadnesan clan. Its said that the son of the clan head at the time went to hug his wife and turned into a tiger and the same with the others that emerged from then on. From this I believe that our curses may have been laid upon us by the Daeusha clan, since apparently they aren't destroyed like they were once believed to be. If that it is true, Hatori, then the surviving members of the Dauesha may hold the answer we need to break the curse both upon our family and Serki. Besides, as a Sadnesan, her life has almost been half lived." Shigure answered as he sobered and took on a serious tone. His earlier humor gone, his eyes gleaming fiercely.
"That is interesting, but if the Dauesha exist, they certainly never will tell us how to break the curses. If anything, Shigure they may try to increase the power of the curses. We should be cautious before persuing them for answers the survivors may not know or care to let us know. And whats this about Serki, she's young, how can it be half lived?" Hatori replied.
"The risk would be worth it...I'd chance it myself for the one I love, if not myself, for everyone, to be finally free. No more fear, no more distance...you could find someone to love once again Hatori. We could be set free at long last. You need to melt your heart my friend, its been long enough. Anyway, about Serki, yes, her life is defently at the halfway point. At first glance the Sadnesan curse doesn't seem as severe as the Sohma curse, but she'll die by age forty, if she's lucky. Their curse does not allow them to see their golden years, the years which, back during the time the Sadnesan were cursed was much younger than it is now. Back then, forty was starting day for old age. Every member of the Sadnesan who came before her have meet this fate. In many ways, they are like Akito's part of our curse, except on a much grander and less cynical scale. If the curse cannot be broken for her...she'll die." Shigure answered.
"Don't speak of such, you know what Akito would...might do. If I was to allow another in it may not be myself who is hurt, it may be her, not me, which I could not live with. However, point taken Shigure, but how could we go about this? You know full well no Sohma could walk up to any of these...people...without being killed." Hatori sighed as he paled at the thought. The vivacious woman he'd saved dying becuase of her curse...it was unimaginable.
"We may not, Ha'ri, but Serki can and so can zodiac members who can commincate with pratical animals capable of gathering information fast and reporting it. I've been gathering information from my friends and so has Yuki and Kyo. I'd ask Ayame, but he never take me seriously. Haru and Momiji are out, for starters cows and rabbits prowling the streets would be slightly obvious. Same with Hiro and Lisa, Rin, Ritsu, Kagura, and the rest, including you Ha'ri." Shigure answered.
"Anything useful turn up yet?" Hatori sighed, satisfying himself with a ice glare at Shigure for leaving him out of this scheme.
"No, the Dauesha are clever and they cover their tracks very well. Yet who doesn't talk to their dog or cat on occasion or better yet, never notice the rat not interely visible? They'll slip up and then we'll all learn something." Shigure sighed in disgust...if they'd only tell him what he wanted to know, the headache of attempting to learn something from Yuki and Kyo would be great, he decided.
"Still, whats Serki doing in this grand scheme of things? You mentioned her earlier." Hatori continued.
"She's dressed as a yankee and contacting former informats for the Sadnesan, not as herself of course." Shigure answered after a long pause.
"WHAT!" Hatori bellowed in outrage.
"Please don't be made Ha'ri, or the next shot I get will be most agonizing , she insisted and decided on her own to do this. Besides who was I to turn away the eager?" Shigure replied trying to placate the clearly outraged doctor.
"You are such a idiot," Hatori growled, "If some punk hurts her, its on your head."
"Why me?" Shigure answered, "Besides, Serki can handle herself. Still she most likely is with her contacts by this point."
"You better hope so." Hatori growled.
"You have a soft spot for Serki, don't you Hatori?" Shigure teased and was answered by Hatori 'escorting' him to the door and suddenly finding himself outside.
"Idiot!" Was the last thing her heard before the door was slid shut.
"Interesting." Shigure chuckled as he headed home.