Disclaimer: I only own Koda... yep...

Uh-oh... dark chapter ahead... that I think is pretty bad, but hey, it's his fault! -Points at Koda- HIS! ... Getting past that, I have to admit that I changed Shigure's past because of his partner in the story. So, keep an open mind with it, kay? Not only that, my master plan will be put into action after this, and there will be hardly any humour... sorry. Remember, this was supposed to be my attempt at a drama... but it will have a happy ending, although at the moment I can't say the same for Koda.

Anyways, oh-my-god... 50 reviews! Half way to one-hundred! THANK YOU EVERYBODY! I never thought that Cat's and Dog's Don't Mix would be so popular, and get so many reviews! I'm all happy and stuff! Thank you!

Now then, enjoy and please review n.n

Part Eighteen: Koda

"Hey, Kyo, will you come for a walk with me?" Koda asked, poking his head around the corner of the dining room, where Kyo was sitting with Shigure. He earned a glare from Shigure, and an eyebrow arch from Kyo. "I said I'd get the groceries for Tohru, and the list's long."

"Oh, okay then." Kyo said, ignoring Shigure's pout, he shrugged. "I guess I can help."

"So are you enjoying school, Kyo?" Koda asked absentmindedly, attempting to make conversation to get rid of the uncomfortable silence that had come between them.

"Sure, I guess." Kyo replied.

Silence followed all the way until after they had a majority of the groceries.

Koda didn't like Kyo – he'd realised that when he saw the looks passed between Kyo and Shigure on a regular basis. He didn't hate Kyo, but he disliked him – that and, the jealousy that he had swelled up inside of him had made him think that way, although he managed to suppress it, like he suppressed his hatred for Shigure. So far, he hadn't done anything but argue verbally with the dog.

Kyo was the cat. Kyo was a monster – just like he was. What right did he have to be happy, being what he was? None!

Gripping the handle of the plastic bags tighter, Koda side glanced towards Kyo. When it had been him, when he'd been so close to his cage, he'd never looked happy – or acted happy, but then again, that was also when Shigure had done that to him.

"Are you scared?" Koda asked suddenly, stopping at a vending machine to get some kind of sustenance for the walk home. "About the cage I mean."

Kyo froze. The cage hadn't passed his mind for some time now. "The... cage?"

"Yeah. It's not a very pleasant place." Koda continued, reaching into the slot to pull out his soft drink. "Do you want one while we're here?"

"HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?" Kyo screamed, ignoring Koda's soft drink question, so Koda got one for him anyway, listening to the boy rant. "Have you even been there?"

How dare he! How dare Koda start speaking about such a touchy subject! Just the mention of it enraged Kyo to an extent that he felt like snapping the person – normally Akito – in two with his bare hands.

Koda's eyes turned downwards, focusing on a discarded can somewhere around the bottom of the vending machine, he said; "Yes."

Kyo was stumped. He'd thought of half a dozen things to do or say when Koda had said; 'No, I haven't, but I've heard a lot about it.' But, he hadn't. He'd actually said; 'Yes.' What kind of... Kyo flinched. He was about to think; 'What kind of Monster gets locked in the cage.' He was a hypocrite!

"You... have?"

"Correct." Koda said, beginning to walk again. "You and I are very alike, Kyo. About the only most prominent difference are our feelings about Shigure."

"Our feelings for Shigure?" Kyo asked, quickening his pace to catch up with Koda. "Hold on, back track, why are we very alike? Why have you been in the cage? What is your relationship with Shigure?"

"One question at a time." Koda said surprisingly weakly, slowing his pace right down, catching Kyo by surprise as he put on the breaks as well. "Firstly, I doubt you've never heard about it, but occasionally some generations, a child is born cursed by a spirit that has very little to do with the Zodiac. And, although like you, they don't have a second form, they are still determined monsters because of the shire irony of the animal they represent." Koda sighed, but continued. "Each person born with an animal that has very little to do with the Zodiac has at least one connection with at least one already existing member. For example, if a child was born with a spirit of the Donkey, it would have a direct relationship with the Horse."

"Yeah, but if you don't have a second form, why were you in the cage?"

"I'm seen as a threat to the Zodiac that my animal is closest related too." Koda explained.

"Alright," Kyo said, stretching, "But what the heck are you?"

"A Wolf."

Kyo blinked. That would mean that Koda's Zodiac was related closely with... Shigure's? Wait... so that meant that Koda hated Shigure because of that? "So that's why you hate Shigure?"

"If only that was the entire story." Koda said, swapping his bags to his other hand and throwing away the empty can of his drink, "But I hate Shigure because he was the one who duped me in."

"Duped you in...?"

"Yeah... when we were children though, we were really close. In fact, I moved in with Shigure..."

"YOU MOVED IN WITH SHIGURE?" Kyo screamed, cutting Koda off.

"Yeah, when I was four."

"Ah."

-FLASHBACK-

"Shigure!" The woman called, ushering a small boy into the doorway, "Shigure, son, come here!"

The small black haired boy emerged from the top of the stairs a few minutes later, a juice in his left hand. "What is it, 'kaa-san?" He blinked, looking at the brown haired boy, who was looking around nervously.

"This is Koda." Shigure's Mother explained, pushing Koda forward a bit. "He's going to be living with us from now on."

Shigure inspected Koda for a moment, looking at him up and down, tilting his head this way and that, giving him a childish inspection. Finally, he grinned and said; "Koda-chan, do you want some juice?"

-END FLASHBACK-

"And... that was the start of my relationship with Shigure, although, back then, I called him Shigure-nii-chan." Koda shuddered at referring to Shigure with that name. "We were close up until the end of my second last year of High school.

By that time, Shigure had already finished school, and was taking a course in university course based on writing literature. We stayed unaware for a long, long time about the significance of each others Zodiac signs until then." Koda paused momentarily. "Then, we were both called into the Head's presence."

-FLASHBACK-

"I have brought you here for a specific reason." The Head said, looking back and forth from Shigure to Koda, although at Shigure his expression softened a bit. Koda supposed that was simply because of what he was. "Exactly how close are you to one another?"

Both Koda and Shigure blinked – where had that question come from? They had completely no idea, but Koda answered it. "Shigure is... a brother to me."

The Head of the Sohma Family's face contorted to a look that Koda had never imagined existed on anybody. It was a mix between anger, jealousy and... happiness? Well, that was bizarre. However, Koda was pulled back from his thoughts as he spat at him; "A BROTHER? You think that the dog would have brotherly feelings for the WOLF? A monster so closely related to the dog of the Zodiac, so similar to the rejected cat that it makes me sick?"

Koda flinched; that comment had hit him straight to home. Silently, he looked sideways to Shigure, who was watching the ground silently. The Head continued his verbal abuse.

"WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO FEELINGS LIKE THAT! YOU'RE A FILTHY, FILTHY CREATURE!" Now breathing slowly, the Head turned his attention to Shigure. "I have a proposition to make."

"A proposition...?"

"Isn't there a spot of land that you wanted to build a house on?"

"... What about it?"

"I'll make sure that house is built, and that most expenses are paid for as long as you remain Sohma."

"..." Shigure pondered.

"But, in return, I want a hand in caging that monster over there. I want an answer in 10 minutes." And, he left.

Left alone with Shigure, Koda could see he was deep in thought, balancing whether or not to accept the land and cage Koda. Wait... Shigure was... seriously considering it? Koda suddenly felt scared, he wanted to run away.

"Shigure-nii-chan... you wouldn't, would you?" He stuttered, beads of sweat forming on his the side of his forehead. Shigure turned slowly to look at him – and the expression on his face dashed all Koda's hopes.

All his memories seemed to shatter. The Shigure he'd grown up with, played with, cried with... had been turned upside down just like that? For a piece of shitty real-estate? The feeling that emerged from his stomach replaced the fear. He felt hate and silent anger.

"Well?" The Head said, emerging after ten minutes like he said he would. "Dog, what's your answer?"

Shigure paused for a moment, before saying quietly; "I... will assist you with... the caging of Koda."

"I HATE YOU!" Koda screamed before the Head could speak; "HOW COULD YOU? Why...? Why is a piece of real-estate worth more than me... more than your own brother?"

"You..." Shigure breathed, "Were never my brother."

A lump formed in Koda's throat, and he said nothing.

"HATORI!" The Head screamed, waiting for the doctor to emerge. When he did, he pointed at Koda. "Remove it."

Hatori took Koda's arm, lifting him up to his feet. He allowed himself to be taken to the door, and grabbed the door frame, refusing to be lead any further. "So it was all a lie?" He screamed, although Shigure gave no response. "All my memories – they're all a lie? My feelings are lies? How could you!" Koda paused; "I'll get you." He said finally, "You just wait." And then, he allowed himself to be lead away.

-END FLASHBACK-

"So... Shigure traded you in for his house?" Kyo asked, completely shocked by what Koda had told him. Was it credible?

"Correct." Koda said, "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that you are going to follow the same path that I did."

"Is that a good thing?" Kyo blinked.

"They're taking a long time." Shigure said, stretching, "I'll go see where they are and meet them on the way, Tohru, so that they hurry up."

"Okay Shigure-san!" Tohru grinned, poking her head around the room to see Shigure standing at the door, slipping on his thongs. "Have a safe trip!"

"I will!" Shigure said waving, and he left.

"Probably not." Koda admitted, "Because I'm about to make good on what I said to Shigure." Koda grabbed Kyo's wrist, and turned him to face away from the direction of the house, where he could see Shigure walking quite happily towards them.

"Make good on... it? How?"

Koda didn't respond for a moment, until he was sure that Shigure had noticed them. Then, with Kyo not expecting it, he tightened his grip on Kyo's arm, and pulled him onto him into a rather surprising kiss.

Kyo's mind had gone completely blank when Koda had kissed him, so his body hadn't responded and he'd stood transfixed, his eyes wide open until he heard the tentative voice of Shigure. "Kyo...?"