Umi-chan: Uh oh…

Kyou-chan: What?

Umi-chan: This is chapter 13… that means it'll be really bad!!!

Kyou-chan: I can't tell if you're superstitious or if you're just trying to make an excuse for the chapter sucking…

Chapter Thirteen: Shopping Time!

Light was streaming in through the window in our room. I was quite comfortable in my nice warm bed and really didn't want to get up but I heard that almost everyone else was up. I rolled over at looked at Pohli's bed. She was still sleeping and was holding onto an article of clothing. I slipped out of bed and got dressed in a black sweater and long black skirt. Tsuka was curled up on the floor sleeping soundly. One of Tsuka's ears twitched and the cat doll woke-up and instead of coming to me it went over to Pohli's bedside. Confused, I went closer to Pohli's bed and saw that the clothing she was holding was a fine fabric. Wondering where she got it I noticed that her eyes were slightly crusty as if she had cried herself to sleep. I wonder what made her so upset? But… I don't want to wake her so I'll just leave for now and maybe ask her about it later. Tsuka hopped up onto my shoulder and we exited the room. I decided I needed some fresh air before breakfast so I walked outside where a small layer of snow had fallen and crunched my way around. The Sohma house seemed like a quiet and empty place despite the fact that this was their New Years celebration. I looked up into the gray winter sky.

Tsuka tapped my shoulder to get my attention, when someone bumped into me. I looked down to see a small girl maybe a year younger than me. "Sorry." I apologized with a pleasant, yet fake, smile. The girl nodded shyly. "What's your name?"

"Kisa…" She responded in a quiet and sweet voice, which made me go 'awwww' inwardly. "Are you one of Sissy's friends?"

"Sissy?" I wondered.

"Tohru…" Kisa corrected herself.

"Oh…" I paused wondering why Kisa would call Tohru Sissy but oh well… "No, I'm Tohru's friend's sister." I explained, hoping it made sense. "You're really cute, Kisa." I smiled a real smile this time.

Kisa blushed and smiled in her shy little way, which made me go 'awwww' again inwardly. "Thank you." She mumbled.

"Hey! Kisa!" A boy about her age ran to her side. "Where've you been? I've been looking for you. It's not right to just run off like that. Who are you?" He turned his dark eyes to me skeptically.

"Midori Hanajima." I answered dryly. "And who are you?"

"What kind of a name is that? It's rude to just ask people their names you know. Just because I asked you first doesn't mean I have to answer." The boy mocked.

"Hiro…" Kisa sighed.

"Ah, so you're Hiro Sohma?" I strained my smile. This kid was very annoying.

"Yeah, so what's it to you who I am? Don't try and be all buddy buddy to me either." Hiro grumbled.

I gritted my teeth but kept my fake smile up. "How about the two of you come and eat breakfast over where I'm staying with Tohru, Arisa, Saki, and Pohli. Kyou, Yuki, and the others will be there too."

"Sissy?!" Kisa smiled excitedly. "Hiro, let's go see Sissy!"

Hiro rounded on me. "Now look what you've done. I have to be dragged over there to be near that Tohru girl just so Kisa can be happy." He criticized.

"It's called being polite and manners to invite someone to breakfast. Maybe you should learn some." I said scathingly.

"Wait right here." Kisa smiled. "I'll go get Ritsu and Kagura."

When Kisa was out of earshot Hiro groaned. "Joy…" He kept rambling complaints but I ignored him.

When Kisa returned a man who wore his hair long and a girl with shoulder length brown hair followed her. "This is Ritsu," she pointed to the man with long hair.

"H-how do you do?" Ritsu bowed.

"And that's Kagura." Kisa gestured the other girl.

"Nice to meet you." Kagura smiled.

Together, the five of us strolled back to the girls' house to eat breakfast. Hiro complained and Ritsu apologized the entire way. There was currently some sort of argument going on in the kitchen. A fight had broken out between Yuki and Kyou. Shigure was trying to get them to calm down so they wouldn't break anything but it was hopeless. Pohli had woken up too and was sitting near Kyou rubbing her temples from all the yelling.

"Shut up, you damn rat!" Kyou yelled while everyone watched the fight with interest (all except Tohru of course). "I'm going to beat your sorry ass right here and now!"

"Wow… how long has it been that you've been saying this, stupid cat?" Yuki wondered in false confusion.

"Shut UP!" Kyou swung his fist at Yuki who immediately ducked from the blow and slammed into Kyou, knocking him into the wall… breaking it of course.

Shigure sighed. "It's not good manners to smash somebody else's house you know…"

"Oh!" Tohru just noticed the new arrivals in the room. "Hello Kisa, Hiro, Ritsu, and Kagura."

"Oh gee, thanks, just forget about me. I really don't care." I muttered.

"Sissy!" Kisa ran to Tohru and hugged her while Hiro growled jealously.

"Kyou, my love!" Kagura exclaimed and ran over to Kyou in the wall.

"Aw hell! Who let you in?!" He shouted trying to run away but she glomped him and wouldn't let go.

"I just had to see you Kyou!" Kagura suddenly became violent and beat the crap out of Kyou. "You know how much I love you!" Kagura screamed. Pohli and I were shocked by Kagura's sudden violent nature but everyone else seemed to ignore it like it happened on a daily basis.

I sat down between Hatsuharu and Yuki while Kagura clung to Kyou, Kisa clung to Tohru, Ritsu clung to Shigure, and Hiro muttered in contempt.

Yuki leaned toward me while the other's continued talking and eating the breakfast prepared for them by the elderly servant women who took care of everything at the Sohma house. "I apologize for my childish behavior a minute ago." Yuki sighed.

A smile curled my lips involuntarily. "I thought it was funny." I admitted.

"I told you NO!" Ayame yelled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. One of the old servant ladies was fussing over Ayame's long hair.

"You should cut it, Master Ayame." She pulled out a pair of scissors and snipped menacingly.

"No! Not my hair!" Ayame wailed and the old woman cut off a big chunk of his long white hair. "AAHHHH!!!" Ayame screamed in agony. "You cut it off but lucky for me it was just a wig! I have a replacement!" Ayame laughed loudly making Pohli hold her head from the noise.

"Um… Nii-san?" Yuki spoke up from beside me. "You mean that's not your real hair?"

"No, ha hah!" Ayame yanked at his white hair to reveal a shiny bald scalp. "I'm naturally BALD! Honestly, you thought my hair could be pure white at my age? You guys all have bad taste."

Everyone stepped back from Ayame slowly in fright. Five minutes passed when Hatsuharu spoke up. "Hey… I just noticed my hair was naturally white… does that mean it's a wig?" Haru attempted to pull off his 'wig.'

"No, Haru…" Yuki sighed. "Your hair is not a wig so stop pulling on it like a fool…"

"Oh… kay…" Hatsuharu said slowly, stopping his attempt to rip out all his hair.

Ayame could sense the shock and tension in the air so he turned to Shigure with anime tears in his eyes. "Do you still love me, Shii-chan?" The snake whimpered pathetically.

"Of course Aya, no one could ever replace you!" A sparkly background appeared between the two and they both did thumbs up and yelled, "YES!" in unison.

"Idiots…" Hatori, Yuki, Kyou, and I guess everybody muttered together.

"I know!" Ayame stood and did a victory pose at being so smart to come up with a good idea. "Let's all go shopping!!!"

"What the hell for you bald freak?!" Kyou snapped while trying to escape from Kagura.

"Kyou and I shopping together… it sounds so romantic!" Kagura sighed dreamily. "Damn you! Hold still!" She roared and tightened her grip on Kyou. A loud crack echoed through the room and Kyou went limp in Kagura's arms, occasionally twitching.

"I think you killed Orange Top." Arisa laughed.

"Shopping anyone?" Ayame reminded them. "Everything's on sale because it's after the holiday!"

"I could use some more lynching ropes." Pohli grinned.

"Whose your next victim?" Arisa taunted her cousin. I narrowed my eyes but couldn't do anything because of Saki's threat.

"Shopping sounds like fun." I said to draw attention away from Pohli and Arisa, even though I usually despised shopping because of the crowds and what not.

Yuki smiled at me. "Then I say we should go shopping."

"Yay! Yuki you just have to admire your elder brother for agreeing to go shopping!" Ayame boasted confidently.

"No Nii-san… it was because other people wanted to…" Yuki muttered.

There were a couple of people who didn't want to go; like Saki, Arisa, Hatori, and Hiro. Because we were such a large group (a group of twelve for those who are counting) that everyone had to ride there in a van with Bob Sohma driving them. Bob was a nice driver man that drove members of the Sohma family around as his job.

"Why isn't Akito coming?" Pohli asked Shigure and Ayame curiously while we all rode with Bob driving.

"He wasn't invited." Ayame responded quickly and Shigure elbowed him in the ribs.

"Akito has a cold!" Shigure laughed nervously.

"Who would invite that cruel, self-centered, son of a head of the family?" Kyou spat irritably.

"Akito is not-!" Pohli yelled in an unexpected outburst then clasping her hand over her mouth. She looked down at her lap for a while and didn't speak any further.

Bob dropped us off at the mall and we all decided to meet back at the van at about four o'clock. The second banquet tonight would be less formal than the first and would be held at 7:30 Pm. Shigure and Ayame went off in one direction, Hatsuharu and Momiji in another, Yuki, Pohli, and I were also a group but for the moment we tagged along with Kyou, Tohru, Kisa, Ritsu, and Kagura. Tohru and Kyou were walking ahead of everyone else with Kisa sticking close to Tohru. Ritsu walked somewhat in the center of the group. To my amusement, Pohli was trying to convince Yuki to be a chickens' right activist. Kagura was trailing behind sadly. Since I wasn't currently tagging along with someone I hung back to wait for Kagura.

I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong but Kagura spoke first. "I guess I shouldn't be hanging onto Kyou so much… After all, he really just loves Tohru." Kagura looked up at the two of them sadly. "I'd just be getting in the way…"

"Well…" I scratched my head. "I'm sure you'll find someone who cares for you more than anyone else one day."

"Really?!" Kagura got little sparkles in her eyes and gave me a hug. "Thank you!"

Pohli came back to us and grabbed my arm, dragging me into a nearby punk store. Yuki trailed in after us and was looking around at the many chained items, spiky bracelets, and black leather. "This is a torture chamber…" Yuki breathed with wide eyes.

Pohli was scanning through the many ropes when she asked me something. "So when you were little you hurt other kids for fun?" She was careful not to make eye contact with me.

Needless to say I was offended at her sudden interest in my private life. "Now about that," I snarled. "You've only heard Saki's version of it. I will admit that when they were hurt I enjoyed seeing them suffer but they were mercilessly teasing me at school. Despite what it seems… revenge is very sweet." I stated in a deadly tone.

Apparently Pohli was getting a little scared by what I was saying and the way I was saying it so I took the rope she had picked out (a deep sea blue) from her hand. "I'll pay for that."

When I handed it to her after purchasing it, she also bought something and handed it to me. "I don't know if you'll like it but… here." Pohli left the store, Yuki following her while I dug into the bag. I pulled out a black zippo lighter with a white gold dragon on the front.

"Thanks…" I grinned.

TO BE CONTINUED

Kyou-chan: How dare someone call us OOC!

Umi-chan: Shut up, Kyou-chan… you've made Akito slightly OOC.

Kyou-chan: That's because Akito is really a nice guy! He likes to make others suffer but he's a nice guy!

Umi-chan: Uh huh…