Sorry it's taken so long. I'm slow at writing this because I have sooo many other things! Well… Here it is, chapter 2.
Chapter 2 – A Three Part Medley
"Kazuma?" Tohru said as she turned the water off and made her way to the door. "Someone has word from Kaze?"
"I go bye Kazuma mother."
Tohru's jaw dropped, "Kazuma! When did you get here!"
The youth smiled a bit too much like the grin of another, but Tohru just couldn't place it. "Just now," he told his mother warmly.
"I don't have a brother!" Yuki said about to shut the door. "Itchy said my brother died."
"No," Kazuma said changing his smile to a casual smirk. Tohru's eyes widened that was the same grin that Akito used to flash, it had the same effect for Tohru and it broth back many haunting memories. "I'm very much alive."
Tohru looked at the boy, was this some sort of ploy? She looked at his eyes they were harder, colder, and older but beneath those layers lay innocence. "Yuki, let your brother in. Go call your father."
"But Ma, Dad went to buy more party things!"
"Party?" Kazuma wondered aloud.
"My birthday party is today, everyone's coming!" Yuki said smiling as she moved back into the kitchen.
"Right," he said, "So mother what's happened recently?"
"Nothing exciting," Tohru said holding the door open. "What about you?"
"I'm head of the family now," he said walking into a home he was a guest in.
"Why the hell are you here?" A voice from behind inquired.
"Grandfather said I should spend some time with my parents. Hatori said it'd be best so, Dad, That's 'why the hell I'm here'."
A large thud echoed slightly, "Kaze?"
"Would you people stop calling me that!" Kazuma said annoyed, "My name is Kazuma, not Kaze." And he followed Yuki's path leaving his parents alone.
"Kyo reached down and picked up the plastic bags of sodas, "When did Kazuma come?"
"Why?" Tohru snapped, "You gonna sell him off for a car? I don't believe you Kyo! That boy comes home after 11 years and the first thing you say to him is why? You didn't even see his face! He looks so much like you, only brown hair and eyes. You wouldn't even know!"
"I didn't –"
"Mean to, yeah, I know. I've heard a lot of that!" And she stormed off to join her kids.
Old habits die har, he knew that. Maybe Tohru's anger toward him was now a habit. Every morning he woke up wondering if somehow through the night a fairy twinkled past and Tohru's dreams eased her pain. But no. Each and every morning she woke longing for her son to return. He was here now, what was wrong? Maybe that he had sold his son off. It hadn't been fair to anyone.
At the time, when the deal had first been made all he was thinking about was being with Tohru. Was that so wrong? To want to spend all you time with the person that you loved most? He didn't think so. But what would it cost? A child? Any one of his kids. Back then, he hadn't been a parent, he didn't know the hurt it would cost.
And when the poof had happened all his past hatred for Yuki simmered back up. How could the son of the Cat be a Rat! This was simply unheard of! And yet when he agreed with Akito he felt slight remorse. What had he done? Selling his son off.
He tried to get Akito to change the deal, but that had failed, Akito cast him aside. The only other option was not to get attached. So he tried to distance himself from the child. Honest, he never hated Kaze, he only wanted not to feel pain when the time came. It would make that 5th birthday so much easier. And yet, in five days all that had gone to waste. Blood is thicker than water, but a bonding love is stronger than diamonds. Why had he learned this the hard way! He understood what it meant to barely know your biological parents and yet he just inflicted that same anguish upon his own child. How much worse could any person, let alone parent, get? Selling the tree to keep the fruit, that's what it all boiled down to.
So he tried to be a better father, person, man, by changing all that he had done in Kaze and put all the love he could into his daughter, Yuki. A blind mouse in this whole game. She knew nothing of what happened to her brother, and yet she had been thrown into the middle. Being named after the first Rat Kyo had known. Set in place as a reminder to what he had done, and yet her eyes were blind to all of that.
"Dad?" Yuki said. "Did you get the snacks? My party starts in two hours. Oh, and Kazuma's taking a nap in your room."
"Huh?"
"Kazuma, my big brother, he's taking a nap in your room. He said Grandpa's bringing his cloths later. Do you believe it! Grandpa's coming! Usually he just comes for my birthday not the party!"
"Okay Sweets," he said using his nickname for her, "let's go put up that banner."
Kazuma slept soundly within Kyo's room, dreaming of events that have happened and things that were to happen in the near future. Today was the birthday party for his younger sister and apparently everyone within the zodiac was going to attend, them and their families. A girl he knew existed, but never met face to face, you could say that he was blinded by Akito to those around him.
He had absolutely no memory from before he was six, and at that, only vague things from his sixth year at life, no memories from before Akito took him in. Akito answered every question he asked growing up, saying that she would never lie to him, and up until the point she died, kept that word fulfilled. Raising him to be the next Head/God of the family because she had no children of her own, Akito had been strict, very strict, and scary when she had raised Kazuma. And when she died Kazuma had mixed feelings towards the death of the person who had raised him. He was happy in the sense that the person who caused him much discomfort was finally gone, but sad because he had known no one but Akito. He remembered nothing about his parents or his supposed extremely large family.
With Akito, he'd never been given the chance to transform, so up until he moved in with his grandfather, the man who he'd been named after. The first day there, two days after Akito's funeral and four after her death, while moving in he bumped into a Sohma girl taking lessons in martial arts in his grandfather's dojo. The girl fell head first backwards and knocked her head on the floor and she was out. Hatori was called immediately not only to check if she was alright but also to see if any memories needed to be wiped by the others attending. Luckily, at the time, there were no others. The lesson had ended some while ago and the girl was waiting her father to pick her up. Later on he was informed that the girl was the daughter of Hatori and knew about the curse so nothing needed to be altered. None the less she was taken home, without knowing who she had crashed into.
Aside from his grandfather of course there was Akito and Hatori, who he caught glimpses of because Akito was usually ill. He grew up being close with his grandfather, in fact, they were extremely close. His grandfather had been the one to suggest that he come and see his parents in the first place.
What awoke Kazuma wasn't Tohru coming to wake her son. And it wasn't him drifting from sweet slumber because he had gained to much of it. In fact, nothing would wake Kazuma for a couple hours.
"OH! Kazuma! You're awake," Tohru said, nearly walking into him while in the hall. "I was coming to wake you up! Come sing Yuki happy birthday! Everyone's here now."
"Mommy," he said trailing behind her, his voice somehow different.
"Yes, Kazuma?"
"Call me Kaze, like always. Which one's Yuki?"
So two of the three blind mice have been introduced. Can you guess who the third is? Cookie to whoever can! I think the way that the titles work makes it easier to find the sequel but no one's reviewing as much! Do you not like it! I also like my play on words, and the way they occur… I'm good at roleplaying Akito, and you'll find more and more of her in Kazuma.
