A/N: Another chapter is up…This one bounces back and forth. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Bad Idea

Ren looked up silently at the clock. Only half an hour left of the day, yet Ren wasn't very excited. Oh, she liked the Sohmas well enough, but, she just wasn't ready to make new friends. Why did she open her mouth? She needed more time for her old wounds heal.

Ren sighed.

"You're so dumb! That's not the right way to do it!"

Ren looked across the room for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Hiro Sohma was driving their teacher to the breaking point. Ren knew it wouldn't last long.

She was right. A moment later, Kisa turned around, tears shining in her eyes.

"Hiro? You don't like our teacher?" her voice questioned sadly.

"I didn't say that!" Hiro looked as if he was being cornered. "She doesn't know what she's doing is all."

"I think she does," Kisa said, smiling fondly at their teacher.

"Yeah, me, too," Hiro grumbled, sinking back into his seat, his arms across his chest.

Ren shook her head. He didn't like being 'whipped' but yet he let Kisa control him, in a sense. He really cared about Kisa; Ren could tell.

Ren looked back at her math.

Okay, she thought, time to get serious.

Then she began to furiously compute the answers and write them on the piece of paper before her, in the hopes of getting the work done before school was dismissed.

Kaori was sitting in her van outside the high school. She knew she was twenty minutes early, but she hadn't wanted to be late, what with the 'date' tonight.

Kaori smiled, thinking about Shigure and his family. It was so nice of them to accept her family so quickly, despite the fight Amaya had started.

Kaori's smile faded as she thought of her younger cousin. Amaya could be such a pain. She had a rotten temper, but Kaori guessed that came with all jackals.

Kaori herself could take on the vile actions of a wolverine at times. Asa liked to eat fish, sleep in trees, and hibernate in the winter like a bear. Amarante could turn on the charm and slip out of any situation using her fox-like intellect. Kiyoshi's quiet attitude made him very aware of his surroundings and he always could find places he was meant to be in on instinct alone, just like sea turtles. Hell, even Ren acted like her animal, what with her swift, agile movements and her ability to feel alone in a crowd, like the extinct mongoose.

We're just a walking menagerie, Kaori thought pleasantly. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Shigure and Ha'ri were in Shigure's living room, cleaning up a little. Yuki, Kyo, and the other Sohmas plus Tohru would walk home and the Miyokos would show up a little later in Kaori's van.

"High school girls…high school girls…1-2-3, more high school girls," Shigure said in a sing-song-y voice.

"You really need to go on some medication," Hatori said dryly, not even looking up from the paper he was reading.

"Oh, Ha'ri, don't you fret. Although there will be three lovely- even you can't deny that- high school girls here, they will be, sadly, spending all of their time with the children."

"That's right, Ha'ri," Ayame said, entering the room, turning his back on the shelves he was just dusting. "Kaori and Amarante will keep us company."

"Yes. But still, I get the feeling if you two get too bored, those young ladies might get scandalized."

"Oh, hahaha, Ha'ri." Ayame waved the comment away with a chuckle. "Don't be absurd. I'll turn to Shigure before that happens." Ayame turned to him. "After all, he was my first love."

"Aya, you were mine, too."

"Yes!" they both said, flashing the other a thumbs up.

"You two are truly pathetic." Ha'ri shook his head in exasperation and went back to his paper.

Damn Shigure, Kyo thought bitterly, sliding his head into his hand. He just had to invite them over for dinner.

Kyo hated being beat up by Yuki, but to get the crap kicked out of you by a stranger who'd achieved what he couldn't?!

"Damn girl," Kyo said under his breath.

Amaya was too good; even Yuki thought so. But he was probably just being nice.

"She came out of nowhere," he'd said when they'd entered the classroom. "I never expected it."

"Yes, well, Amaya is like that," Asa had explained. "She's stealthy and swift, like a predator stalking its prey. She always has been."

"That's incredible!" Tohru had said.

"What's so damn incredible about getting your ass kicked?!" Kyo had yelled. He took himself by surprise, as well as everyone else. It had been a long time since he'd lost his temper with Tohru.

"Orange top, you'd better take that back, or I'll-" Uo threatened, her hands clenching into fists.

"No, allow me, Miss Uotani," Yuki said, doing the same.

"No, it's all right." Tohru was genuinely grinning. "I know he's just upset about what happened earlier. It's okay."

"I'm sorry about my cousin," Asa said, bowed her head, and went to an empty seat.

"I sense strange electrical signals from the Miyokos," Hana said.

"Hana." Uo rolled her eyes.

"I can't help it. They're stranger than the Sohmas." Hana paused. "It's almost like a dark evil enshrouds them."

"That's just mean, Hana," Uo rolled her eyes again.

"I thought they were nice." Tohru smiled.

"I agree with Miss Honda." Yuki nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, they're not too bad…except for that Amaya…" Kyo crossed his arms across his chest. "And what's with Ren? Why is she so quiet anyway?"

"That's just shyness," Tohru said in full understanding. "Maybe she'll open up more tonight."

Kyo sighed. She'd better, he thought, or else the afternoon could be interesting…The bell rang and Kyo stood, shivering. Interesting like this morning.

Amarante washed the rest of the shampoo out of her hair. Then she let the hot water cascade down her back.

"What an eventful day," she mumbled.

Amarante turned off the shower. She had to hurry. School had just gotten out and Kaori and the kids would be home to change any minute.

Amarante wrapped a towel around herself and walked over to the sink. She ran her hand over the dew-covered mirror. She stared at her reflection.

I can't believe Amaya, Amarante thought. And what was up with Kiyoshi? I didn't even know my baby brother liked Ren.

After that Kyo boy had bitten Ren's head off, Kiyoshi had gone completely out of character by yelling, but Amaya had yelled and nearly killed him.

Amarante laughed. She'd never ever seen the family stick up for Ren like that. And she'd never seen Ren so happy.

One thing Amarante knew was that these people, the Sohmas, were going to be great for pulling the Miyokos closer together.

She got dressed and heard a car engine cut off in the driveway.

"Amarante? You ready? We're leaving in ten!" It was Kaori.

"Yes, I'm ready." Amarante laughed. "I'm ready for everything."

I wonder what she meant by that, Kiyoshi thought, running up the stairs to his room.

At the moment, he didn't really care. Something was going on and he had no idea what it was. He ran into his room and shut the door behind him. He looked into the small mirror over his dresser.

"What's going on, Yoshi man?" he asked his reflection.

I don't know, he thought. I just took one look at that Kyo guy and didn't like him.

Kiyoshi thought about when he first set his sights on the Sohmas. When he saw Kyo, he felt an instant disliking for the boy. Maybe it was the way he looked at Ren; he looked at her like he knew her. Knew what it was like to be her.

"But he has no idea!" Kiyoshi seethed at his reflection. "He doesn't know what Ren has to go through…all that pressure she's under!"

Calm down! His mind screamed at him. You don't know her either.

"I know how she feels after each move," he said defensively. "She's heartbroken, hurt, scared."

Why do you even care? His brain taunted.

"Because I can!" Kiyoshi screamed, whirling away from the mirror.

He knew it wasn't true…that he just could. He loved Ren. He always had. He was just very good at hiding it. She never caught him staring at her in class, walking silently behind her down the halls, watching over her every day.

I took one look at Kyo and I knew he was a threat, Kiyoshi thought as he pulled on a tee shirt. He glanced at the picture of Ren on his wall. It was hidden between two bookshelves; no one ever saw it. He's a threat to me when it comes to Ren.

I wonder who Kiyoshi is yelling at, Asa wondered, running a brush through her hair. She'd already changed into another black dress, one much more casual.

She actually knew that Kiyoshi was yelling at himself, probably about this morning's activities. Asa was probably the only one in the entire group who had seen the look in Kiyoshi's eyes when Kyo had yelled at Ren. Anger, loathing, love. And, Asa guessed, that the love was directed at Ren.

And why not? Asa thought. They are the same age and Ren always runs to Kiyoshi when another transformation letdown occurs. It's only natural. But why haven't I, or anyone else for that matter, noticed it before?

Asa looked at the wall in the direction of Kiyoshi's room. Kiyoshi had disliked Kyo almost immediately, that much she was sure of. But why?

Of course! Asa thought, thinking back to the look of delight in Kyo's eyes when he had been introduced to Ren. He's a threat. Kiyoshi's afraid that Kyo will take Ren away from him.

Asa smiled at herself in pride. Then she put on a confused frown. She turned the other direction in her chair and looked at the wall that separated her room from Ren's. But how can you get something taken away that was never yours to begin with? Ren had changed several times in the last five minutes. She didn't know why she was so nervous, she just was. Maybe it has something to do with the shivers that went down my spine when I met Kyo. Ren had no idea why he'd yelled at her, but she couldn't help not speaking to him. She was trying to identify the feeling she had with him standing there. It was definitely not love. It was more of a soul mate kind of thing. Ren looked up at her reflection. Her eyes were wide in shock at this thought. It fit the feeling perfectly. "Could it be," she murmured, "that I finally found that person?" She'd never had that feeling with Akio or anyone else. Maybe Kyo is the one!! Ren started jumping up and down excitedly. "Ren, Asa, Kiyoshi! We're leaving now! If you are coming, get down here, or you're getting left behind!" Kaori bellowed up the stairs. "Ready or not," Ren said to her reflection. Her jeans and tee shirt would have to do. "Here we come." She sighed and walked out her bedroom door, Kiyoshi and Asa right behind her, as she headed for the van. A/N: I know Ren has two sections, but she's my character (FTBC #1) so she's the one I know best. Well, that is chapter 4!! Hope you all enjoyed it. R/R, puh-leeze! FTBC