Hello all! Sorry, getting into a routine for school has taken all the time I had and more. I promise I am working on Without the Mask but, sadly, Quest for the Ardoneh has once again found its way back to the shelf. This is the first story I'm writing without an outline so let's see where it goes. Do you know who everybody is yet?

Disclaimer: I don't own MKR or the mystic legend of which I'm borrowing the main star

chapter 2: Why a human?

I hate Mondays! I finally get my internal clock to shut up on Sunday, then Monday rolls around all too soon. Or maybe it's not the day I hate, but the house that's there to say-

"Hey shithead! Rise and shine!"

I rolled over on my side and put the pillow over my ear. "Fuck you," I growled.

My brother sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It never fails to amaze me," he said. "I'm supposed to be the younger brother, you know, the CAREFREE one. And here I am for the eighteenth time this month, knocking you outta bed!" He knocked on the pillow, "Come on, last chance."

"Clef!" My mother's voice bellowed from across the hall.

"Yeah ma?" Clef called back.

"Is his sorry ass outta bed yet?"

"Not yet," he called back. He jostled my shoulder and whispered, "Ascot! Come on man. You know you don't want her on your ass right when she gets back from work."

"Well get him up! It's seven already. You two better not be late for school again!"

"Yes'm. Sorry bro." He raised his hand over my back, grew his nails, and ripped a long line down my spine. His other hand clamped over my mouth when I jumped up and nearly howled in pain. I glared at him. "Ascot," he said, foreboding. "The demoness bitch herself is on the other side of the hall. So get dressed, slap whatever you have to in to get that hair of yours under control, and let's split."

I don't know why I always insisted on pushing my luck with mom. After dad either disappeared or got knifed, nobody knows, she went through hell. With everything falling apart around us, it seemed I was determined not to do a damn thing to help. I ran off whenever I got the chance. Clef, well, he stayed behind. Was that how he went from the carefree baby of the family to the unbreakable force? Seriously! Anybody, myself including, crosses mom, gives her shit, or a lecture, Clef's always been the one to be the whipping boy for mom. And she would tear the ass outta him every damn night for three months. And he just stood there and took it then held her briefly before she struck again, ducked under her arm when she swiped at him to peck her on the cheek, mutter "I love you" in her ear, then leave the room calmly as something, usually glass or the iron, sailed at his head.

When all was said and done, he'd climb out the bedroom window after leaving his clothes on his bed, and run in the light of night. He'd return the next morning, refreshed and as good as new.

And not once did mom ever say she was sorry. Not once! Sweet moon what did Clef ever do to her?!

We ran to school, got in trouble for being late, again (!), took the referral, and went on about our business.

Today, thankfully, was a good day. I had all my favorite classes, one in particular, lunch would be with the guys(Eagle, Zazu (the mechanical genius from grade school), and of course my brother), and her. But why did she always have to sit on the far side of the cafeteria? Away from me?

Clef punched me in the shoulder. Apparently I'd missed a joke. As I looked around the table it was easy to tell who the joke was on. Eagle was about to fall out of his chair while his hand was clamped over his mouth, trying to keep the gulp of soda from coming through his nose. He pushed his tray away so he wouldn't knock anything on himself or anybody else. Zazu sat next to him with a dumbfounded deer-in-the-headlight look on his face. "What?" he said. "I don't get it."

I put my hand on Zazu's shoulder, "Don't worry about them. They have their own sick sense of humor not even Einstein would get."

Clef looked up at me with tears in his eyes and a grin that extended from ear to ear. "It doesn't take a two year old to get that one!"

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever." I unscrewed the cap of my second Sprite then finished off what was left. Picking up my tray I said, "I'll be back you hyenas."

"Hey wait!" Clef called me back then handed me a dollar. "Get me a Dr. Pepper."

I nodded, snatched the bill, then fought my way through the crowded aisles of the cafeteria. My eye caught sight of a particular red-headed parasite. She grinned when she knew she had my attention, showing off her long canines that were as white as her skin. I didn't so much as scowl at her. Clef would have let a low growl, too low for humans to hear, and licked the tip of his gleaming canines. But not me. No. I just turned my head to face the approaching trash cans while she and her little clan laughed. I could feel Clef's watchful eye on me as I passed her. Both eyes soon fell on me when I dumped my trash in the bin and knocked into someone as I turned around.

Her tray clattered to the floor. The spaghetti she had fell on the toes of her shoes.

"Dammit," she muttered then bent down to pick up the mess.

I started to walk away then stopped dead when I recognized the blue wasn't from her denim jacket but her hair. I immediately apologized and helped her pick up the mess.

She laughed, "It's okay."

"I shoulda been watching," I insisted.

"Hey, I said it was okay. I was coming in to throw it away anyway. Not like I was gonna eat anymore of it."

"I'm still sorry. Some got on your shoes."

"Don't worry about it." She took a discarded napkin and wiped the red sauce away. "See, all clean."

We bumped heads when we tried to get up. I must have stood a whole head higher than her. She looked so small... so vulnerable.

She looked up and smiled as she rubbed her head a little more. "Thanks, most jerks would have just walked away."

"No problem," I said shyly as I shrugged.

She dropped her tray off then held her hand out to me. "Umi Ryuuzaki," she said cordially. "Nice to meet you."

I just stared at her hand. Was I dreaming? I was actually talking to the girl of my dreams! "Uh..."

She giggled, "Don't worry. I won't bite."

I chuckled at what would be sick humor if she was like me. I grasped her hand gently, "No," I said with a smirk. "You don't look like the type that would bite. Knock somebody's head off maybe, but you wouldn't bite."

"How would you know I'd knock somebody's head off?"

"I saw you when you took a piece out of Hikaru in art class."

"Oh well... wait, you're in my art class." A light of recognition came in her eyes. "Yeah! I know you! You're... wait don't tell me. Your name starts with an 'A.'" I nodded to encourage her to continue. "I... [sigh] I'm drawing a blank on your name."

"You know Clef Tenaga?"

She shuddered, "Yeah I know him."

"He's my brother."

An instant wall of defense shot up around her. "You're Clef's brother?" she asked almost in complete dread.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, peeved at her reaction.

"No I guess not. You can't choose your family by any means."

"What's wrong with Clef?"

She shook her head, "He's just too good. I hear all these wonderful stories from my friends. I'm sorry, nobody can be that nice, caring, sympathetic, honest, and tactful and still be a man."

"Ouch," I said as I rubbed my chest.

She laughed, "I didn't mean anything bad against you."

I sighed, "That's a relief. Here we just met and I thought I'd already pissed you off."

She shook her head. The wall around her seemed to be crumbling. "Nah," she said as she waved her hand. "You're fine."

"Cool."

She smiled, "Well I'll see you last period then."

"Kay, see ya then."

"Wait!"

I turned to see her with her eyes shut tight. She looked at me. I smiled when I realized she was trying to remember my name. I squinted my eye at her as I tilted my head. She snapped her fingers, "Fy-Uno! No, that doesn't start with an A. Um... Aki?" I shook my head playfully. "No? Rats! Uh... wait, you're last name's Tenaga?" I nodded. "Okay... you sit in the back." I nearly laughed out loud. She sounded like one of those crummy fortunetellers. "Don't laugh! You sit in the back by the radio..." She snapped her fingers, "Ascot!" I clapped my hands and she took a playful bow. "For my next trick-no! I'm kidding. I'll see ya later." She waved and walked out to the patio.

I waved back then turned. "Shit!" I cursed. "I hate it when you do that!"

Clef raised an eyebrow and held out his hand. "I'll be having either my Dr. Pepper or my dollar."

I slapped the dollar bill in his palm. I looked over his shoulder to see Eagle and Zazu behind him, both as serious as Clef.

"She's human you know," Clef said as I tried to get by him.

"Yeah so?"

He shook his head and walked by. "We'll talk when we get home pup."

"Feh! Whatever."

In art class

I never realized there was so much to say about myself. Umi sat next to me when roll call was finished. Being as it was only the forth week of class, my sketchbook shouldn't have been too damaged. But I had taken that damn thing everywhere. She, naturally, wanted to see the 'fruits of my labor.' Damn Clef for getting that phrase stuck in my head!

Her eyes brightened then she commented on my skill. I cringed and shifted in my chair. She was getting dangerously close to my latest project. Then her mouth hung open all of a sudden while her finger lightly traced the girl on the page. "It's beautiful," she said in awe. "I-is this me?"

I nodded. "Look I can explain."

"Explain what? What, you mean why you drew me, or someone that looks like me?"

I nodded again.

She turned back to the page. "Where is she while she's looking at the full moon?"

"How do you know it's a full moon?"

She shrugged, "Dunno. Maybe it's just cause my mind always flashes to werewolves when I think of night." She pushed her sketchbook toward me. "Go ahead and take a look."

I was blown away by the images on paper. Almost every other page was either a straight sketch or a shaded collage complete with a wolf face and a full moon. At least to start. Then came the almost painfully detailed, and anatomically correct, drawings of a figure upright on two legs with a second backward knee for the ankle. I was pleased that she didn't make her figures too bulky like the average artist would portray werewolves. I reddened and bowed my head as a surge hit my groin when I turned the page and came face to face with a she-wolf lounging seductively by a stream; examining herself. It was absolutely flawless! The perfect blend of human anatomy with a wolf's but the eyes contained just enough wildness to secure the fact of which half was dominant. I turned the page reluctantly and nearly jumped out of my skin. My brother was glaring at me from the page!

"They're okay." I looked up sadly, thinking she meant my sketchbook when in fact she was looking over the edge at her own. "I scared myself shitless when I drew him." She leaned back in her chair and explained how she had planned to attempt a human figure but the lines just morphed themselves into something else. "But what really scared me was, for a split second, I thought I knew who was looking out at me from behind those eyes. Then in a flash it was gone." She shrugged, "You must think I'm crazy huh?"

I laughed, "No way! I thought I knew who this was when I first looked at him too." Her eyes brightened and she leaned in. "I can't... I don't know who I'm thinking of. But I know exactly what you're talking about."

She smiled.

I closed her sketchbook and traded it back for mine. Then I leaned in and beckoned for her to come closer. "You uh, haven't tried to draw vampires by any chance have you?"

Her head jerked back, eyes wide. She looked at me for a second then threw her head back and laughed despite the volume and affect on our classmates. "That's a good one!" she laughed between breaths. "That's really good!"

"No I'm serious."

She stopped abruptly and opened my sketchbook. "I can draw you one if you want-"

"Hell no!" I exclaimed and snatched my book back. "You could draw me a witch before I'd let you put a vampire in here."

She sighed, "Thanks." Her eyes squinted as she looked at me. Her eyes never moved as her hands opened her sketchbook and prepped her mechanical 0.5 pencil. I wonder how you'd look with fur...

I tried peeking over the edge but she just pulled her feet up in her chair and put her knees between my eyes and the page. I probably would have seen down her shirt before I got a glimpse of that sketch. Then I knew what she was doing and the same urge struck me. I tore out my sketchbook and slapped together a few rough lines before the bell rang. Neither of us moved. Our eyes were locked on each other's faces while our hands flew like mad.

She was absolutely perfect! She was ravenous about werewolves, despised vampires and witches, and(!) she was interested in me and not Clef!

My surge of creativity fell dead. Clef... shit! He's waiting for me! He'll tear my ass apart if he finds out that I'm in love with a human. In love? My hand started moving faster. The thought of being in love with Umi enthralled me. I tapped into my other half. Ahh... no perfume, no cheating substance to make a male's blood run hot, just her. Oh course there was still the smell of her shampoo in her hair. I can easily sidestep that. I dove a little deeper. Not too much. She likes werewolves... she's probably not ready to meet the real thing. That's okay. I can wait for a while until I find out exactly how far her commitment to the fantasy goes. I could hear her heart beat, faster than normal. Was that just the rush from her artistic side or my effect? I licked my lips, pretending they were dry. Umi nibbled on her lip in response.

Fuck Clef! There was nothing he could do now to make this day like the others. This day came alive.

Thank you Umi...

I'll meet you on the other side soon.

cheesy grin So! Whadya think? Reviews please and please be patient with the snail at the keyboard a.k.a. ME