Umi-chan: …

Kyou-chan: What's wrong with you?

Umi-chan: …nothing…

Chapter Seven: Getting to know Yuki

The constant talking had awoken me once more. Freezing rain still pelted the roof, the power was still off, and Hatori was still unconscious from tripping over Haru's boots. My eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, then I scanned the room. Tohru had fallen asleep by the table, next to Kyou who was arguing with Hatsuharu again about something stupid. Arisa was keeping score on the argument. Hatori was slumped on the floor on the other side of the room. Ayame and Shigure were in another corner giggling amongst themselves. Yawning, I sat up apologizing to Tsuka for using him as a pillow when I realized there was someone missing. Yuki wasn't there. The thunder had ceased for the moment but I couldn't help but wonder where the girly boy had wandered off to.

Tohru awoke and rubbed her eyes. "By the way, Kyou, where's Kisa, Hiro, Ritsu, and Kagura?"

Kyou stopped his arguing briefly to answer Tohru. "They're in another house together."

"What time is it?" I asked in my quiet almost unheard voice.

Arisa pressed a button on her watch to light it up. "It's about 12:35 AM."

The front door opened and shut, drawing the attention of the rest of the room. Yuki walked in wet, freezing cold, and panting slightly. The look in his eyes told me something had scared him badly.

"Yuki-kun… are you okay?" I asked quietly.

Instead of answering he came straight for me. I felt uncomfortable and backed off against the wall. "Hanajima-san, could you come with me?" He asked, still a little shaken up.

"S-sure." I nodded and stood. Tsuka was in my arms while Yuki led me outside into the freezing air. I wished I had kept my black cloak on but my long black skirt and black turtle neck sweater kept me warm enough. Yuki's hand grabbed mine, making me blush. For a few minutes we walked silently while are very skin seemed to want to turn into ice.

"Yuki-kun, why were you acting so… strange back inside the house?" I dared to break the silence.

Yuki paused but didn't look at me. "I was just going to check on my other relatives Ritsu, Kisa, Hiro, and Kagura when I heard some voices in the bushes. The head of our family, Akito, had Pohli-san pinned down on the ground." Yuki shuddered at the mention of Akito's name. "Akito yelled at me and I ran…"

My opinion of Yuki from before softened a little. There was apparently great internal conflict going on with him. Maybe there was something I could do to help?

Yuki glanced around. "I don't see either of them anywhere…" I shivered from the cold and Yuki's hand tightened around mine even more. He turned his large violet eyes to look at me and smiled. "Shall we go inside the nearest house to warm up before continuing our search?" I nodded.

We were a ways from the boys' house and the girls' house so we entered the nearest vacated house. The cold was hardly kept out because of there being no heat but the walls prevented the wind and the rain from making it worse. My eyes were starting to close when I snapped awake again. Yuki sat down on a nearby chair and I sat across from him. Tsuka's ears and whiskers were frozen so I dusted the ice crystals off.

Yuki looked like he wanted to ask me about Tsuka but decided it better not to ask. Me, being the shy one, decided to stare at the floor blankly letting my mind wander off in thought… Sometimes I can seem like such an airhead… just like Tohru.

"Do you love Tohru-san?" I blurted out randomly.

Yuki had dozed off and snapped back to reality. "Uh…" he trailed off thinking in a daze. "I used to. But Tohru seems to love Kyou…" Yuki grumbled, jealousy. "Even though Honda-san really cares about everyone…" He looked up at me with those large violet eyes. "If I'm not being too bold Hanajima-san, but is there someone you care about more than anyone else?"

"As it stands, I don't really have many friends or love ones, not even in my family…" I looked down at Tsuka in my lap. "I guess that's what happens when you shut yourself inside your room, to block out the rest of the world…"

"I hope you don't hide in your room forever." Yuki said and smiled when I looked up at him. He looked at his watch. "Time flies… it's already 1:15 AM. We should probably head back instead of continuing the search." Yuki held the door open for me to pass through first. As soon as I stepped out onto the slippery ice covered wood outside, I slipped, falling backwards I collided with Yuki and together we fell to the ground with me on top. There was a KA-POOF noise and a cloud of smoke erupted. I rolled over and saw Yuki's clothes on the floor. A white rat with large violet eyes peeked out of the shirt Yuki was wearing and stared up at me, fear in the little eyes.

"Ack!" I screamed and used Tsuka to swat at the little rat, which squeaked and dove back into the clothes. "A rat, a rat, a RAT!!!"

"Hanajima-san! Calm yourself, please!" Yuki shouted.

I stopped. "Yuki?" I searched through the clothes to find the white rat, which looked up at me sadly.

"I was afraid something like this would happen…" Yuki the rat sighed. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. If it bothers you there's a way for you to forget."

I leaned back against the wall. "Well… I don't understand it at all. And I really don't mind! But… you just scared me there and I'm dreadfully afraid of rats…"

Yuki looked happier when I told him I didn't mind. "Well, in short, the Sohma family is cursed. The vengeful spirits of the zodiac possesses some of us. I am the rat, Hatsuharu the ox, Kisa the tiger, Momiji the rabbit, Hatori the dragon, Ayame the snake, Rin the horse, Hiro the ram, Ritsu the monkey, Kureno the rooster, Shigure the dog, and Kagura the pig. Even though there isn't a cat in the zodiac, Kyou is the cat. And when we are weak or hugged by a member of the opposite sex we transform into our zodiac form." Yuki explained.

I was about to say something but there was another KA-POOF sound effect and a puff of smoke. Yuki sat before me completely naked! I turned away, hiding my face in my hands, blushing furiously. "Gomen nasai, Yuki-kun! I d-didn't mean to…"

Yuki laughed while re-clothing himself. "You're starting to sound like Honda-san when you say such things."

I was about to have Tsuka strangle him then and there! No one compares me to Tohru Honda! But I decided to be somewhat forgiving and glare at him instead. This time when we set out the door, Yuki went first and I was careful while walking on the ice. The freezing rain had stopped and the brown clouds had dispersed making it incredibly dark. All I heard was a strange cracking and snapping every once in a while. Yuki opened the boys' house door for me and I slipped off my shoes at the door and proceeded into the room. Yuki did the same and went to the room where Pohli had been put to rest. Shigure and Ayame were still giggling and laughing in their corner but this time Hatori was sitting nearby grumbling. He had apparently woken up from getting knocked out and was angry with the other two for not helping him at all. Kyou was sleeping with his head on Tohru's lap. Tohru and Arisa were talking to each other while Momiji and Haru were conversing as well. I sat down at the table with the rest of them (feeling more comfortable being in the dark) and started picking through a snack bowl that had Gardettos in it. I only liked eating the pretzels. Yuki came back with Pohli and sat down at the table beside me.

"Um… h-hi." Pohli grinned rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry if I had you two worried when you went out looking for me…"

"I only want to ask you one question." Yuki said seriously. Pohli gulped. "Did Akito do anything to harm you?"

"Nope." Pohli replied simply as if Akito was the nicest guy in the world.

"Really?" Yuki wanted to confirm.

"I said no already!" Pohli snapped and grabbed a handful of Gardettos from the table.

I suddenly spoke up. "Hey Pohli! Guess what I found out!" Yuki's eyes widened in anxiety.

"What?" Pohli crunched on the Gardettos.

"I found out I'm a ox in the Chinese zodiac."

"Really? Cool…" Pohli continued crunching on her food.

What the hell was I doing?! I just led Yuki to believe I was going to tell his family's secret. It went totally against my nature but I couldn't help but find some satisfactory in Yuki's reaction.

"I think we all better go to bed. Or at least the girls should return to their own room." Yuki announced to the room.

Somewhat disappointed, the girls trudged back to their room, Pohli and I last. I glanced back once and saw an almost angry expression on Yuki's face. It felt nice to be inside a bed now. The covers kept me very warm despite no heat. Pohli snored loudly from her bed and there was no sign of Saki's bizarre laughing from the other room so I fell into a dreamless sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED

Umi-chan: Kyou-chan is an obsessed freak over Akito!!!

Kyou-chan: Umi-chan is an obsessed freak over Yuki!!!

Umi-chan: Nu uh, you told me Midori should have a crush on Yuki but I like Kyou, Haru, and Shigure.

Kyou-chan: Oh… I knew that…