Standard disclaimers apply!

GOD! This took me soo long to upload...my damn computer is screwed...anyway...here's chapter 5.

When they reached the main house Momiji followed Reina and Haru home.

"Reina, now will you tell me about your hair?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I dye it. Ever since I was born, I dyed it this color. It's naturally orange."

"Why do you dye it?" Haru asked. "And since you do, why not a regular color?"

"Well, it's a special shampoo and it only comes in gray and white…and if I use a different shampoo it washes out." She answered.

"Oh. I'd like to see your hair its natural color. You're too pretty to change anything about yourself." Haru couldn't help but flatter her.

"Ohh, Haru's got the hotts for Reina!" Momiji giggled. "How cute."

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Haru felt uncomfortable and was glad to answer the door.

"Hey Kisa." He smiled. "Oh, hi Hiro." He didn't sound as happy when he saw Hiro.

"Reina, you haven't met Kisa or Hiro yet!" Momiji squealed. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

He introduced Kisa first. "This is Kisa Sohma, the tiger. And Hiro Sohma, the ram."

"Who are you introducing us to, you stupid rabbit?" Hiro said. "And what makes you think I want to meet her? Who are you, anyway?"

"He's a sarcastic brat, isn't he?" Reina said to Haru.

"Hey! How dare you insult me! You don't even know me!" Hiro was indignant.

Reina grinned. "Reina Sohma. Pleasure to meet you, Kisa. Sorry I can't say the same about you, Hiro."

Kisa smiled shyly. "Hello. You're a Sohma? I've never seen you before…"

"Reina has a history with Akito." Haru explained. "She's also cursed."

"How is that possible?" Hiro exclaimed. "The family has the spirits of all the animals!"

"Well, all of the zodiac." Reina said. "I'm the cat, and apparently, not the only cat."

"Really?" Kisa said. "Wow…you do look a lot like Kyou. Except the hair…" she blushed at being so blunt.

"Her hair is really orange!" Momiji said. "She dyes it."

"Whatever." Hiro said. "Haru, Kisa and I want to go to the movies. Take us."

"Hiro, I have Momiji here. Plus, Reina and I might not want to go."

"I don't mind." Reina said. "I take it Hiro wants to sit next to Kisa, huh."

Hiro blushed. "What do you know about it?"

Reina laughed. "Young love. Still, I'm surprised. Kisa, you're a beautiful girl, you should be able to do better than this guy."

Kisa smiled and looked at Reina. "Thank you."

"Hey!" Hiro whined. "How rude! It's not like you know me. You have no right to judge me. Do you think you can understand me the second you meet me?"

"Let's just go." Haru said. "Momiji, you too. And Hiro, you pay for yourself. I'll pay for everyone else."

Everyone enjoyed the movie. Hiro walked Kisa home afterwards, and Momiji went home as well. That left Haru and Reina alone.

"I need to take a bath." Reina said.

"Okay. Hey, wash that dye out of your hair. I want to see how beautiful you are without it."

Reina blushed. "I'm not beautiful."

"Sure you are." Haru said. "But tell me something, why did you tell me you turn into a black and white cat?"

She shrugged. "A cover-up. No reason, really."

"Okay." She's hiding something. Why can't she just tell me?

She got up and took her bath. When she came out, her hair was orange, as she said.

"Wow." She looks just like Kyou! They could be twins! Now that I look, almost everything's the same. Their skin, eyes, face, hair…even their smiles…even though I see Reina's far more often than Kyou's. "You're gorgeous."

"Don't flatter me Haru." For some reason she seemed upset. "I'm not gorgeous. I'm not even pretty." He noticed tears in her eyes. "No one ever said I was pretty. No one. No one wanted to be near me because I'm so ugly." She started to cry, and she looked away from him.

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked. "What do you mean people don't want to be around you?"

"Just what I said. No one ever wanted me. They hated me. Mom hated me so much…so much she wanted to forget. It wasn't fair! I was a girl! She could still hug me! She could hug me!" She fell to her knees. "But she still hated me."

"Hey…" Haru wasn't sure what to say. "Look, I don't know who your mother was. I do know that it's not your fault. It's part of the curse…parents often reject their children."

"But she didn't reject her first!" Reina cried. "Just me….just me."

Haru walked over to her. "Don't worry about it. It's all the past…don't cry over what you can't change." What is she talking about?

Still, the tears streamed down her face. "It was me…They all told me it was my fault."

Before he realized what he was doing, Haru was hugging her. "It's okay. I don't know what happened before…but I'm here…I want to be near you."

She hugged him back. "That….that's all I wanted…" she whispered.

I don't know her past…and I don't think I fully understand her present…but something about her…I think I love her…

After that night, the rest of the week flew by. Everyone in school was amazed at Reina's orange hair. The teacher commented, but one scathing look from Haru shut her mouth.

Kyou and Reina couldn't seem to see each other and not argue. There arguments, however, were not half as bad as Yuki and Kyou. It was as though Kyou only argued half-heartedly, and Reina never started the arguments to begin with.

Every time Haru saw Reina and Kyou together, he noticed another similarity. Reina seemed a much more pleasant person than Kyou, but Haru realized their personalities were very similar. They also had similar likes and dislikes. They even moved the same ways.

It's like they're twins. I guess that must come with being the cat. Even so, isn't it unusual that their personalities are so similar?

Reina was also noticing things about Haru.

He's so sweet to the other kids, like Momiji and Kisa. He even has the patience to put up with Hiro. But it seems like there's something between him and Yuki. I wonder what…but honestly, how can there be anything good about the damn rat of the zodiac. The rat is the worst animal in the zodiac. Cruel and selfish.

On Sunday, Haru and Reina visited Shigure's house.

"Ahh, Reina, so nice to see you again. I see you took that silly dye out of your beautiful hair." Shigure was being overly-friendly, as usual.

"Shigure, I hope you realize how obvious it is that you're acting like a pervert." Yuki said. "Really, she's cursed too, which means you're related." He shook his head.

"Now Yuki-kun, just because I know how to treat a lady hardly means I'm a pervert." Shigure retorted. "I'm simply treating her like the delicate flower she is."

"Sick bastard." Kyou muttered under his breath.

"I'll go help Tohru with the laundry…" Reina said, finding a quick escape.

"Oh, Reina-chan, that's so sweet. But you don't have to…" Tohru was always polite.

"I want to help. Let's go." Reina smiled. "We'll give the boys some bonding time."

Once the girls went outside, Haru asked the question that had been hiding at the back of his mind all week.

"Shigure, who was Reina's mother? And does she have a brother?"

Shigure was surprised. "Well Haru, I honestly don't know. That's something Ha'ri would know though. Ask him when you get back to the main house, okay?"

"Why do you care anyway?" Kyou asked. "If she was in isolation it's pretty obvious no one wanted her."

"Oh, you're one to talk Kyou." Haru said, slightly annoyed. "It's not a crime to be curious."

"Whatever."