A/N: Ok, so here is my next chapter. Writing this story has proven to be a little harder than I expected, because as I mentioned before, it's drawn from personal experiences. But anyways, don't worry, I'll plod on through. As for whether or not the curse will be incorporated in the story, um…that's a secret! You'll have to keep reading to find out! So, on to the story!

"Look at you, you're a freak. No one wants to be around you…if they knew what you truly were, they would all run away from you. You'll never be normal…NEVER."

Never…

Never…

Never…

"Never…never…NEVER!" Yuki Sohma sat up, gasping and sweating. He realized he was still clutching the sheets tightly and gradually relaxed his hands.

Yuki inwardly shuddered. What brought that on? And then he chuckled bitterly…Akito was right, I may have left the house but I'll never escape the cage.

Yuki sighed and looked at the clock. It read 3:00 a.m. in glowing red letters. Running his fingers through his hair, he groaned in frustration and jumped up from bed. He knew the chances of him getting back to sleep were slim and even if he did, he would have to face the nightmare again.

He first stripped off the sweat-soaked shirt he had been wearing and rummaged around for another one he could wear. Finally finding one, he flicked on the light and opened his books. Might as well get some studying done…

After a while, he found his mind wandering and gave up on the studying idea. He hated it anyways. He had never wanted to become a lawyer because he hated the idea of manipulating people and facts to influence lives. He hated the idea of lying to get his way. He hated the idea of playing people like puppets on a string, outwardly charming them with a smile or a look and inwardly plotting to trick or deceive them. And more than anything else, he hated the idea of being just like Akito.

Knowing this, Akito of course insisted on him entering law school. To prepare, he had to spend his summers taking advanced courses in debate and logical thinking, even though he was still in high school. Yuki agreed on one condition: allow him to leave the main house and live with his cousins. Surprisingly, Akito agreed…only because he knew I would never be able to escape his control.

Frustrated by his endless thoughts on a matter he couldn't change, Yuki tried to turn his thoughts onto something else. What would a normal boy my age think about? Cars? Girls? He laughed to himself. Akito had often taken advantage of his lack of interest in girls by making a few insults, insisting that that only showed how different he was from everyone else.

Girls? What is there to think about girls? Like that one in the library today…silly thing. Gawking at me like that, thinking I didn't know. As if I was a circus animal or something. And then, how she started blushing when her cell phone rang. How odd…I don't think I've ever seen anyone get embarrassed so easily. Her cheeks were bright red, well maybe not bright red…more of a rosy pink. It matched her shirt…

Yuki shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts. What am I thinking? I really do need to get some more sleep…this is ridiculous. Otherwise, I might really go crazy.

He headed towards his bed, but found that he still could not fall asleep.

She had long brown hair…it swept against her cheeks.

She's not really beautiful at all…but her eyes...just plain brown, right? But somehow, they shone with something when she laughed. They looked like stars…

Yuki groaned in frustration. Why couldn't he get this girl out of his head? He was asking for trouble when he started on this topic. At this rate he wouldn't ever be able to get to sleep. He flipped over onto his stomach and grabbed the pillow. Placing it over his head, he forced his eyes closed and kept all thoughts out of his head except "Go to sleep…go to sleep…go…to…sleep."

The next morning, Yuki woke up and headed for school. On the way, he rubbed his eyes wearily, trying to remember what had happened last night. All he could remember was something about long brown hair and stars…and that he was restless. Somebody jostled him in the back and teased, "Hey Yuki, rough night last night?"

Yuki turned and smiled a polite smile, "Oh, just had a little trouble getting to sleep," inwardly thinking, You have no idea…

A/N: Yay, done with another chapter. So, I've kind of shown what Yuki's attitude is right now. Next chapter, don't worry, we'll finally have some Yuki-Tohru interaction! I'll also introduce some other members of the Sohma family. Even if you've already reviewed, keep reviewing and telling me what you think and any areas of improvement! It's a lot more important than you think! And if you haven't reviewed yet, now's your chance!