"Yuki Sohma, prepare to meet your doom!" The girl cried happily, charging after the gray haired child, wielding a small wooden sword. They both laughed.
"Marvel Uzaki, prepare to eat my dust!" he laughed, running.
But there was a rock lying across the path, and the girl's foot caught. She stumbled, and fell, dropping her sword. Yuki stopped, blinked and looked back. "Marvel!" he cried, running over to her.
"I-I'm okay," she said, wincing and trying to stand. But again she stumbled and fell back down. "Ah!"
"Don't move," Yuki commanded, taking her arm. "Ah!" an electric shock ran through his fingers, and he dropped her arm. Blood trickled down the girls forehead.
"Ah, ahh! I.. It hurts... Yuki," she begged. Yuki blinked, and shook his head.
"I, I can't. It hurts to touch you," he replied softly. She whimpered, and then began to cry. She grabbed his knee and hugged him. There was a poof. And sitting among the folds of a dark kimono was a small gray mouse. It blinked. Marvel blinked. Then she continued to weep.
"I-I've killed Yuki Sohma!"
xXx
Yuki had nearly forgotten the meeting with the strange lady. School had passed, exams were over, everyone had succeeded. It was summer, and a calm had settled over Shigure's home.
"DAMMIT, CAN'T YOU SHUT UP FOR ONE MINUTE?"
"Waaaahhh! Tohru, Kyo's picking on me!"
Well, sort of.
"Now now," Tohru said, waving her hands, trying to get between the two, her eyes white," Let's just calm down Kyo."
"If you want me to calm down, make him SHUT UP," Kyo replied swiftly, rubbing his knuckles into the sides of Momiji's head.
"Waaaaaaahhh! Tohru!" the blond boy cried.
"Kyo!" Tohru cried. Shigure just sipped his tea while Yuki sweat-dropped, sitting at the table calmly.
Suddenly, as it always seems to come, a knock on the door occurred. Kyo, Momiji, Tohru, Shigure and Yuki all blinked, stopping what they were doing.
"I'll get it," said Shigure, standing up while everyone else stayed frozen in their positions. He walked calmly out of the room.
There was a long silence. Then some whispering. Shigure returned, while everyone was still frozen speechless in their positions. He wore an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "Miss Tohru, may I speak to you?"
"Ah, me?" Tohru asked, falling out of position and pointing to herself. Shigure nodded. She stepped out from between Momiji and Kyo and walked over. "Yes?" she said with a blank look on her face. Shigure conspicuously motioned for her to follow him and began walking off. She blinked and followed him.
He led her to the door where there was a strange girl. She looked kind of like Hanajima-sama would if she wore her hair in a ponytail, and if it was dark green instead of black. He eyes were crisp and narrow like Kyo's, a deep cerulean blue, and her skin was pale. She wore an unseasonable autumn-colored Kimono. She smiled a truly bright smile. Behind her were two blue duffle bags.
"Hello," she said in a gently femmine voice. Tohru blinked.
"Oh, my! Hello!" she said, walking up to her. "My name is Tohru Honda." The girl smiled, closing her eyes and tilting her head slightly.
"My name is Marvel Uzaki, I've come to ask if you could help me," she said in a sweet tone. Tohru blinked, then struck a dramatic pose.
"I'll do whatever I can!" she said in an equally dramatic voice. Marvel and Shigure sweat-dropped.
xXx
The entire room was sitting around the table, blank-faced, sipping tea.
"I wonder what Shigure-san wanted with Tohru," said Momiji softly.
"It probably had something to do with the knock on the door," Yuki added gently.
Kyo just sat and drunk tea intensely.
xXx
After an awkward silence Tohru added "By the way, what do you want help with?"
(Cue anime fall.)
"Ah!" said Marvel. "Well, I was wondering if by chance you could help me with my family curse," she spoke slowly, articulating the words like they were foreign.
"Oh! A family curse! Just like, oop!" Tohru covered her mouth. Shigure smiled and stepped up next to her.
"No no, it's all right Tohru. The Uzakis have known about our curse for years. You see, the curses are very, shall we say, simliar. And yet, very different," Shigure explained.
"Huh?" Tohru responded smartly. Shigure ruffled her hair.
"You are so cute, Tohru."
"You see," interjected Marvel, "Like the Sohmas, we are cursed. But under the signs of the sun. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. All Twelve, that compose the year. We each have a separate gift, and a curse associated with the opposite sex. I can not touch males without causing us both pain. But I have the gift, of magic." She smiled. "I was wondering if perhaps you could try and find a solution to my problem. You see, there is a way to forfeit my gift in exchange for the removal of the curse. But it can only be done through some great act of love. And since such love surrounds you, Tohru Honda, the head of my family, my own mother, would like me to live with you."
Tohru blinked, then smiled. "I'd be happy to do whatever I can to help!" Her smile slipped a tad. "Although I'm not entirely sure what I can do..."
Marvel turned and picked up her bags. "That's all right. I believe just being around you will help."
"Okay!" said Tohru, striking another dramatic pose. Marvel giggled.
"Thank you Miss Honda," she said happily.
"Now, since we're running out of room in this house, Miss Uzaki will have to sleep in your room, all right Tohru?" Shigure said.
Tohru nodded. "Yes! Of course! Come on, it's this way," she said, hurrying up the stairs. Smiling, Marvel followed.
"Next I can introduce you to Sohma-kun and the others!"
xXx
Shigure returned to the room, sat down, picked up his cup and began calmly sipping tea while everyone stared at him.
"So so? So what did you want with Miss Tohru? Erzählen Sie mir!(1)" Momiji said enthusiastically. Shigure took one more sip of tea, then put down his cup.
"We have a guest," he said calmly. There was a sharp intake of breath from Yuki and everyone glanced at him.
"Is something wrong Yuki?" Shigure asked worriedly.
"It's not your asthema, is it?" added Momiji. Yuki relaxed slightly and shook his head.
"No, it's just... the guest wouldn't happen to be, Marvel Uzaki, would it?" Yuki asked gently, voice slightly strained.
"Marvel Uzaki?" repeated Kyo curiously.
"Why yes, how did you know?" Shigure asked. Yuki immediately stood, and headed for the door.
"I'm taking a walk," he called back fiercely, and he slammed the door behind him. Everyone blinked and stared after him.
"Damn Rat," Kyo muttered, "What's his problem?"
"I really, don't know," said Shigure. "But there are a lot of mysteries about Yuki for me. Like, how can he stand to be around all those high school girls who just LOVE him?" Everyone sweat-dropped.
Just then, Tohru came into the room followed by Marvel. Momiji and Kyo blinked. WIthin seconds Momiji was up next to her.
"You must be Marvel, Ja? I'm Momiji Sohma, nice to meet you! Mein Sie süß sind! Gerade wie Tohru(2)!" Momiji said in a rush. Marvel giggled.
"Nett, Sie zu treffen, Momiji(3)." Marvel said, smiling.
"Ah! Sie sprechen German(4)! Cool!" Momiji said. He looked about ready to hug her. Marvel giggled again.
"Ja, I take many languages. I'm best at English and Japanese though," Marvel said. Tohru grinned.
"Marvel, you've met Shigure and Momiji. Momiji doesn't live here, he's just visiting," Tohru began.
"Well he's very süß(5)," Marvel said. Momiji blushed slightly.
"And that's Kyo," Tohru finished, pointing to Kyo. Kyo g lanced up.
"Hmph, Hey," he muttered impassively. Marvel turned scarlet.
"H-hello, Kyo. I-I glad to, meet you. Tell me, what's your blood type(6)?" Marvel said hesitantly, staring at her feet now.
"H-huh?" Kyo asked, confused. "What?"
"N-nothing!" she said, looking at him. "It was nothing!"
Kyo blinked. "Okay," and went back to his tea.
"By the way," said Tohru, blinking and looking around. "Where's Yuki?"
Marvel looked up sharply. "Mother didn't say Yuki would be here!"
(1) Tell me!
(2) My you're cute! Just like Tohru!
(3) Nice to meet you, Momiji.
(4) Ah! You speak German!
(5) Cute
(6) Blood type in japanese culture is used to help decide compatibility between two people.