Well well! We'd like to take a minute to thank our reviewers for the 17 reviews we currently have and hope you will keep reading - this story is definately one that can change at any given point in time. It's been a while since we've updated but we do have a LOT more to give to you guys. Currently the actual document is about 92 and 1/2 pages and I (Ivy) am adding to it as I type this. We work on this everyday and, once again, keep reviewing! It means the friggen world!
Uhh... Disclaimer. There you go. XD
Oh, before I forget, this piece follows DIRECTLY after the last, as in they flow together, no breaks or pauses in the scenes. Just thought I'd give the heads up in case anyone was wondering how she got to the bottom of the stairs. XD Enjoy!
IS:
Kaye stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs and held her breath, caught like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. However, Kyo turned anyway, his ears perking up. He took in her startled look and gave a little awkward smile. "I always wake up this early." Kaye nodded quickly and pinched the ends of her sleeves far past where they ended. She watched him watching her do it and stopped immediately. She went to go back upstairs.
"Wait, Kaye, come here," Kyo called and she turned back around. He patted a place by his side where he sat and Kaye sat with him reluctantly. "You ready to talk now?"
Kaye shrugged and sighed. "Little by little I suppose."
"Oh, take as much time as you need, I don't mind," Kyo said quickly, looking back down at his lap. Kaye watched him and waited for him to say more. "I'm… I'm glad you're here Kaye. And I'm glad you're more open to Tohru now." He smiled and gave a little laugh. "Would it upset you if I asked what turned you around, or am I free to ask it?"
Kaye gave a little smile herself. "I think you already did, but, I don't think I'll tell you." Kyo tilted his head curiously. "Sorry," she said quietly. Tohru came down the stairs yawning and Kaye gave another little smile. "It's a secret."
Tohru jumped at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh hello, you scared me. I didn't expect anyone to be up so early. It's early even for you, Kyo," she observed. She smiled nonetheless. "Ah well, you know what they say, 'An early start to your day will surely get you on your way!'"
"Right," Kyo and Kaye said in unison. The three of them laughed.
"I'll go make some breakfast." Kaye and Kyo continued talking quietly until they heard a small cry from the kitchen. They both hurried in.
"Tohru?" Kyo called, looking around. They both looked down and saw her gathered up against the counter, her head in her hands. Kaye and Kyo bent down beside her. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"I… I forgot to get milk!" she said shrilly. "I'm such an idiot, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Kyo sighed deeply. Kaye stood up and walked away, one hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. She had to let out a few loose chuckles, though.
"Nah, don't worry about it," Kyo said, "I finished off the milk last night before bed, I forgot to tell you."
"But still I didn't even notice we were low-"
"Relax, will ya?" Kyo said, pulling her up. "I'll run out and get some more, okay? What've we got room for?"
Tohru sniffed slightly. "We have plenty of room…"
"Good, then I'll get a gallon." Kyo strode forward and left, saying he'd be right back. Kaye chuckled a little bit more.
"It's uhh, just milk," Kaye called from across the room. Tohru looked up and smiled weakly.
"Yes, you're right," Tohru admitted. She glanced over to a corner of the counter where the strawberries Yuki had planted sat, still ripe as ever. "Kaye?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like strawberries?"
Kaye looked confused. "Yeah, I do."
"Well," she said, smiling brightly like the sun that was about to rise. "I thought we'd make a special breakfast because you're going back to school." She held up a patch of the strawberries. "Strawberry pancakes?"
Kaye smiled back. "My favorite." Another thing they have in common.
KS:
Tohru smiled, ecstatic to find something new about Kaye. "Can I help with something Tohru?" Kaye asked, her eyes filled with immensely cute pools of innocence and pleading.
Tohru sighed, defeated by the overwhelming power of the pleading of her eyes. "Fine, get me the Bisquik please!" Kaye grinned and nodded. She ran to a cabinet that contained the Bisquik pancake maker and retrieved it as asked.
Yuki came down to the overwhelming smell of strawberries and pancakes. He smiled and breathed in the scent, enjoying every second of it. He walked into the kitchen to see if he could help, but saw Kaye looking greedily at a batch of pancakes. Plus some American style bacon, home fries, and sausages. Tohru told Kaye to get the syrup and she did as was bid of her, rushing back to the pancakes afterwards.
Yuki smiled, glad to see her even partially back on track. He wondered vaguely how Haru and Momiji would greet Kaye, but dismissed it using Shigure's favorite quote, "Que sara sara!" and sat down on the bottom step to put on his shoes. Kaye brought the pancakes to the table, then the sauce and the rest of the side dishes. She even brought out some of the numerous bottles of heaven she like to call 'Ketchup'.
Finally, as Shigure came down they were ready to eat. Except, Kyo still hadn't returned. Kaye fidgeted a bit, knowing her brother wasn't there, but also knowing he was most likely on his way back with a gallon of milk. Kaye began to chew on her hair a bit, an old habit coming back to haunt her. Suddenly, the entrance door was kicked open and there stood Kyo, in all his orange-haired glory.
Kaye looked curiously as he brought the milk to the fridge and sat down. What had taken him so long? She shrugged, not knowing. Her pancakes were getting cold and that's all that mattered. She immediately took one off to start, and a bit of everything else too. She drowned her pancake in syrup and dug in. Kaye silently congratulated herself and Tohru for a yummy job.
Kaye watched as everyone ate their pancakes, some hastily, and some cutting them into pieces and eating delicately. Actually, only Tohru did that. Kaye had had pancakes in America and knew that, with a bunch of boys in the family, second helpings were hard to get unless you ate mega fast.
The pancakes were gone like cake at a weight loss center, and Kaye stood up once they were found to be MIA. She ran up the stairs to her room and stuck up her long hair into a ponytail. It was painfully annoying down. She thought about getting a haircut… but dismissed it uneasily; her hair had been growing for some time now. She tugged at her hair, making sure it was tight, and hopped down the stairs, a few at a time. She was immensely happy on the discovery of pockets on the boys uniform and had snatched her MP3 player and headphones upon finding them. She put the headphones on now, and then stuffed the player into her pocket, glad that the wire hardly showed against her black uniform.
"Kaye! We're going now!" came a shout from the kitchen and Kaye ran to the kitchen. She waved solemnly good-bye to Shii-chan and ran to catch up with the others. She quickly turned on her MP3 player to Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day and hummed along with it. But it slowly turned into her soft voice singing; hardly a soul could hear her.
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk alone
It was a good song, one that required her to think on herself. Kaye sung every lyric with perfection, letting each note float like a cloud, graceful and pretty.
My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone
"Till then I walk alone…" Kaye knew every word to the songs on this CD memorized. Many of the lyrics were seemingly written while being on vacation in her mind. They portrayed her thoughts, or even her.
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line of the edge
And where I walk alone
Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's all right
Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive
And I walk alone.
"I walk alone…" it was true in a sense. 'Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive… I'm still alive…'
My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone
"Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me…" Kaye was not as lost as she seemed, was she?
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a…
My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone!
The song ended and went into American Idiot. Kaye stopped singing but turned up the volume to block out the sounds of everything. Unfortunately, even if her voice was soft, her music was loud, loud enough to scare Tohru into thinking that Kaye would blow out her eardrums. Kyo reassured her that she had been in a concert and it was fifty times louder there.
Finally, the four reached school and Kaye left her brother to go to her own classroom. She ran to the back where Momiji and Haru were, waving as she came. They waved, but still looked solemn. Of course they had heard - Hatori had had to tell Akito and Momiji and Haru would have been worried since Kaye hadn't been in school. They had been bound to find out eventually.
"Hey Kaye, how are you feeling?" Momiji asked, trying to keep his upbeat and happy nature.
Kaye couldn't help but smile a little, "Fine, thanks Momiji." Haru was staring at her attire. "Oh, Haru! You know I hate skirts!" Kaye stuck out her tongue at the thought of the swishy little things. Haru smiled and nodded, knowing all too well her hatred for skirts.
IS:
Kaye hadn't noticed her headphones were still on. She reached up to take them off her head but paused. The two boys watched her, heads titled and eyebrows raised. Kaye listened a moment, nodded, and shut the CD player off. Upon seeing the CD player no one asked any question.
"Hey kid!" Arisa greeted from down the hall. Hana gave a little wave and both of them walked over. Everyone stood to greet them and both looked to Kaye.
"Haven't seen you in a few days," Hana said in her haunting voice.
"Yeah, where've you been?"
"Home," Kaye said shortly. "Caught a cold," which wasn't a total lie.
"Miss Uotani, I suspect we won't be seeing you this Thursday, right?" Yuki asked and Arisa smirked.
"No, I suppose you won't," she said with an air of amusement.
Kaye looked around to the other smiling 2nd years. "What's this Thursday?"
Kyo's eyes flashed dangerously as he remembered himself. "The endurance run," he mused, turning quickly to Yuki. "This year it's you and me rat boy, I'm taking you down!"
Yuki rolled his eyes. "Stop it, you're just making a scene."
"Hey, I would have destroyed you last year if you hadn't gotten your ass sick-"
"It wasn't his fault, Kyo," Haru voiced from the back.
Kyo's eyes flashed again and he pushed his way over to Haru. "That's right you interfered and then forfeit the damn fight afterwards! None of that shit this year, you hear me?!"
"I don't think you have to worry Kyo, Haru shouldn't be around while you're running. All the first years have class, remember?" Tohru reasoned and Kyo seethed quietly and eventually not at all. Tohru smiled and turned to Kaye, Momiji, and Haru. "Maybe you guys will be able to see us running from your classrooms! We go around the front of the building on our way back through the course."
"I'll keep an eye out!" Momiji promised brightly, his smile mirroring Tohru's perfectly. Kaye smiled too and nodded vigorously.
Hana observed this quietly, watching Kaye join in the chatting conversation with Tohru and the others without bitterness, and absorbed it in. Her negative waves had turned into slightly wavering ones, much improved, much like a tsunami of emotion turned into a mere trickle of serenity. No cold could pull that off.
KS:
With a great amount of interest, Hana watched Kaye until the bell for first period rang. Kaye lazily grabbed her stuff and walked into the haze of people mobbing to get to their first classes. She followed Momiji and Haru around to their classes; since they were all 1st year students, they didn't choose the electives but they were basically random, and Kaye, Momiji and Haru were all in the same electives.
The first elective that day was Art. Momiji and Haru couldn't have been less ecstatic. Kaye, on the other hand, seemed uber excited. They made their way to art class, looking in all the classrooms still in learning mode and weaving randomly. They continued walking until they led Kaye to this large metal door that was covered in splatter paint. "Heaven!" Kaye whispered to herself. Haru snorted and kicked open the door, wondering how he got stuck in art class.
Kaye was introduced to the project most were working on, a painting of them selves. Kaye took her pencil and went to a canvas; she looked it over and sketched something. Circles for the head and ovals for the legs, arms, and a rectangular-ish shape- the body. Kaye began detailing it, adding hair and clothes. By the end of class her work was complete except for the painting. The picture depicted a girl clad in one looked like black, a broken guitar was shown beside her still, sitting figure. A knife was wedged into the wood before her, blocking out a lot of the drawing of Kaye. Kaye looked at it lovingly, looking from the inscription written in her own style of chiller font to the headphones trailing from her ears in the portrait.
The inscriptions were lyrics of one of her favorite songs, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day. "Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive, Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me, till then I walk alone." And actually hidden in the shadows, the words indented in where the shadows were supposed to be painted. And in the corner, "I'm still alive." Kaye looked happily at her picture and went to put it in her own little case for her own art.
The three walked back to their next class, not caring if they were late or not. The rest of the day went by smoothly, and the three made it to lunchtime without getting into trouble… shockingly.
IS:
"Isn't art class weak?" Haru submitted as they walked down the hall towards the cafeteria.
Momiji shrugged. "What can you do? We're stuck in it by now, you know. Might as well just accept it…"
"I can't believe you two don't like art," Kaye mused in wonder. It had only been her first art class and she had loved it. She hadn't been into art for the longest time but back when she was eight-ish it was a major trade of hers. Both boys shrugged once again.
"I dunno, it just seems every art class I'm stuck going black," Haru said, lifting a hand to his head. "Then, as I leave, I'm so exhausted…"
"Going black? Why?"
"Momiji thinks he can get away with painting a fluffy bunny in a field of flowers for his self-portrait painting," Haru sneered and Momiji seemed to droop altogether.
"I don't see why I can't," he began stubbornly. "Isn't there something in art called conceptual?"
"Yes, but this isn't conceptual Momiji, this is just you, so just get with it already will you?" Haru said, starting to get frustrated. Before Momiji could bring out a comeback Kaye jumped on Haru's back and rode him the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Sure, it stirred up a few looks but was it anything new to them? Nah. Not at all.
Once inside everyone sat at the same table and Kaye went to help Tohru serve everyone. She even served the rice.
Kaye saw, or rather felt, Hana watching her with her cold stare and glanced at her slightly, uneasily, afraid of this girl's powers. Could she really see within people? She can't have been able to look too far down if she hadn't discovered the Sohma curse yet. But still, once again she felt she was being analyzed. Maybe she fed off peoples' feelings? What exactly were electric waves? Would they reveal the story of her life? Kaye shook her head to stop the insane thoughts and sat down to enjoy her own lunch.
"…The strawberries are a nice touch, Tohru," Hana complimented and she munched on one, one little nibble at a time.
"Oh, they were left over from breakfast. Kaye and I made strawberry pancakes!" Tohru explained with a smile on her face, something that seemed almost permanently pasted there. Well, except for a few select times and, of course, when she'd revealed her secret to her. Kaye smiled nonetheless and Hana returned it.
What was this? Saki Hanajima smiling. Huh, how about that. Was it because Kaye's coldness was gone? Kaye glanced around the table. Everyone sitting there was pretty protective of Tohru. That same glance told her that they were all protective of her, too.
"Miss Honda?" came a foreign voice from across the room. Tohru turned in her seat, swallowing a bit of rice carefully. Upon seeing who it was she quickly got up and crossed the room. The man calling her over was a teacher. Everyone at the table watched, small frowns on their faces.
They watched as Tohru and the teacher talked quietly a moment and then a shadow appeared behind them. Tohru bowed and a smile flashed. Kyo and Yuki shifted uncomfortably. Tohru came back towards the table with a boy following not far behind. Yuki, Kyo, Arisa, and Hana all straightened up, waiting for him to go a different direction, but he didn't.
"Everybody, this is Axle Sullivan," Tohru introduced brightly, nodding to the boy. Kaye eyed him wearily. He had a little smirk on his handsome face, his hair jet black and as mysterious as his eyes. He wasn't, by far, in uniform. He had baggy jeans; in fact, baggy is a terrible understatement. You could fit another three people in those pants and they'd all still be able to dance a craaazy happy dance. His black t-shirt had a rather corrupted looking smiley face that looked as though it was melting and underneath mimicking Kaye's Chiller font was a word reading 'Mushroomhead'. He had about 12 earrings on each ear.
Kaye thought back to the Mushroomhead thing. She had heard that somewhere before.
Tohru kept talking through Kaye's observations. "He just moved here from America! Yuki, Kyo, Uo, Hana, he'll be in our classes."
"Joy…" Kyo mumbled.
"Axle, this is Yuki Sohma, our class president," Tohru introduced, smiling. With that smile she made Yuki stand up, give a small smile himself and hold out his hand to the strange new boy. Axle raised his eyes much in a way you would meet someone while getting into an elevator and slapped him five, muttering a small 'Yo'. Yuki shook his hand slightly as though he was expecting a shake. His smile had only been half-hearted before; that half-heartedness flickered and died.
As Tohru continued to introduce everyone the guy seemed to grow more and more anxious to leave. Once everyone had been named Tohru asked Arisa and Hana if they would clean up for her.
"Yeah, no problem," Arisa said, smiling and waving off the favor. "We'll just put it in your locker then?"
"Yes, it should be open, thank you," Tohru said and she and Axle started for the door. Kyo bristled, as did Yuki and Momiji.
"Hey, where are you goin'?" Kyo shouted. Tohru turned around curiously. Axle looked annoyed.
"Oh, I was asked to show Axle around the school, he starts tomorrow, hence the reason he's not in uniform."
"Uniforms?" Axle said suddenly, looking at Tohru as though she were crazy.
Everyone at the table looked around to themselves then to everyone else in the lunchroom. There wasn't a single person in sight aside from him who was not in uniform.
"What the hell did you think we were wearing? We don't do this for our health you know!" Kyo yelled.
Axle smoothed his hair back. "That's weak man." Then, oh so randomly, "Y'all got an art room in this place?"
Tohru nodded, putting her cute smile back into place. "Sure do! We can go there first if you want."
"What about a darkroom?" he asked, smirking at Tohru. The boys of the table and Hana turned back around and glared intensely. Tohru blushed a bit.
"I… I don't know…"
Axle laughed. "I meant a picture darkroom. For developing photos, you know." The two exited the cafeteria, chatting away. Kyo was seething. Yuki was just plain bothered.
"That was awful rude of him to ask," Momiji said, watching the door they had just exited through swing shut.
"What? He just meant a photo darkroom, nothing meant by it," Haru reasoned, but he was still keeping an eye on that door himself.
"I don't like that boy's signals," Hana's voice echoed chillingly and she helped Arisa clear the plates. 'Neither do I,' thought Kaye, 'Neither do I.'
Over the next few days Axle began to spend more and more time with Tohru. Kaye found herself making up excuses to get Tohru away from him almost as often as Kyo and Yuki were. He always seemed intent to talk to only her. At lunch he sat at their table and only joined in conversations that he could relate to. He often talked about his music. And photography.
"I asked about the darkroom because I'm into photography and I'll need a place to develop my pictures while I'm setting up my personal one at home since it's a new house. No reason to wig out," he explained to a flustered Kyo. It was a few days later and he hadn't quite gotten over it.
"Riiiiiight…"
"So what kinds of pictures do you take?" Tohru asked, taking a small sip of tea. Axle turned full in his seat to talk to her which was unnecessary seeing as he was sitting right next to her anyway. Kaye narrowed her eyes.
"Just art photography. I take pictures of whatever it is that catches my eye. I play with the colors, brightness, and contrast and ultimately then I set up my art work in a gallery."
"Really? That sounds so exciting!" Tohru said.
Axle put on another of his little smirk/smiles. "Maybe I could show you my gallery sometime."
"Sure!" Tohru said, brimming with anxiety, "I'd love to see your pictures!"