Rooster, Isamu: 32; Dragon, Ryu: 31; Dog, Masa: 31; Snake, Kisho: 31; Monkey, Keiji: 26; Horse, Seiko: 24; God, Haruko: 19; Boar, Takai: 16; Cat, Natsu: 15; Rat, Miki: 15; Cow, Tani: 14; Bunny, Akina: 14; Sheep, Satu: 8; Tiger, Kiyoshi: 8
Chapter 8: To Be Free
The bell gave a sharp ring that echoed through the vacant hallways. Soon every classroom door opened and people filed out. That day was the first day of the second semester. Many of the teenagers chatted away like they had not seen each other in ages while others just walked by themselves. One of the people walking by themselves had hair of beautiful silvery-gray that flowed in waves to the middle of their back. Her purple eyes with hints of gray looked ahead of her, concentrating on where she was going. Miki Sohma was a first year in High School, an all girl high school. Her gray skirt brushed her thighs as she walked, her book bag in her hands. She loved high school, but she was tired of seeing girls all around her. She wanted to go, she wanted to be free of the same sex schools. She wanted to be around boys and girls... As she stepped outside, she saw Takai waiting for her. She smiled and walked towards him.
"You know, just because your school is across from mine doesn't mean you have to wait for me," she said, her voice soft and playful. Takai ran his hand through his spiked brown hair and smiled.
"So? I don't like walking home by myself." said Takai, smiling still. Miki laughed and slapped him on the shoulder and started her walk back to the Sohma house, the boar Takai taking his place at her side.
It was quiet in the sitting room of the Sohma house were several of the zodiac were working on their homework, trying to get it right. Miki sat by herself on one side of the table while Akina and Tani sat across from her. Tani's hands kept running through her white and black locks in frustration, her gray eyes focused on her paper. She sometimes would get a calm down from Akina, as well as a pat on the back. Miki glanced up from her homework from time to time to see what was making Tani so frustrated. At last, Tani slammed her hands on the desk.
"This damned problem!" she cried, her hands in fists. Akina looked at her friend a little frightened and Miki set her pencil down.
"Tani, do you want me to help you with your homework? I remember doing this last year, you have the same teacher as I did... Now, let me help..." Miki began but she wasn't able to finish her sentence.
"Leave me alone you stupid rat! Just because you are special doesn't mean you can help me. Just screw off you hussy," Tani snapped, grabbing her pencil and began to erase her marks on the paper in front of her. Miki just stayed quiet. Hussy? Did she just get called a hussy? What was worse was that she was yelled at one of her friends... her cousin... She just sat there, her eyes seemed to be glazed over. How could they say something so mean? Did they really not like her? Miki slowly got up from the table, ideas and thoughts buzzing through her head, and left the room quietly. Akina looked over at Tani and hit her gently.
"That wasn't nice Tani! Why did you do that to poor Miki? Is it a cow thing?" she asked, a finger to her lips as she though upon her last question. Tani slowly sat her pencil down and shook her head.
"No... it isn't a cow thing... I'm just pmsing... that's really all... Sorry about that Akina," said Tani, giving a little smile to her friend. Akina smiled but it slowly slipped away.
"Maybe you should tell that to the one you yelled at," Akina said softly, looking down the path that Miki had taken when she left the room.
Miki walked down the hallway of one of the houses quickly, so many thoughts winding through her head. How dare she, Miki thought, How could she say such things? Tani... my friend... How could she be so cruel... Does she really hate me that much? Do they all hate me that much? Miki slowed her pace as she contemplated on her last thought. Did they really hate her that much. She scratched her head but stopped in her tracks. She looked around. Whispers... she heard them.
"Hello?" she called out. She looked around at her surroundings. Nothing was different... There were no doors or anything at that part of the house. Maybe she was just hearing things. She began to walk again but slowly. She could hear them... all around her. She could feel coldness on her skin and she twirled around. Nothing, but they were all around her, whispers. Stupid rat... do you really think they like you? That voice... Seiko? Miki turned around. No one... She really thinks we like her... she is just so dumb... Akina... no... that can't be... She is an outcast... I should be in the family, at least some people like me, not like that stupid rat... no... the stupid rat is suppose to have everything... Natsu... The whispers kept entering her mind and she fell to her knee's, her chest heaving up and down heavily. She gasped for breath as she heard the words of her peers and family... her loved ones... She leans over, her hand on her chest as she gasps for air. Her eyes start to go dizzy...
Natsu slowly made his way down one of his favorite halls of the Sohma house. No one usually went down them, and if they did, it was just to go see Ryu. As he was about to turn to go down another hallway he stopped. He saw a figure on their knee's hunched over, locks of silvery-gray trembling over their body. Miki... He sneered. Stupid rat... As he began to walk again his ear's twitched as he heard gasps. He looked at her again and noticed her body shaking and watched as she leaned against the wall for support, her hand on her chest. He kicked himself on the inside as he walked towards her.
"Get up," he said as he stood in front of the helpless rat. Nothing, she just stared down. "I said get up rat," He heard small gasps and he knelt down. He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to make her look at him. "Damnit, won't you," he began but stopped once she looked up at him. Her eyes seemed distant and helpless, her face was red from gasping and her skin... his hand fell to a part of her bare skin on her arm.... it was ice cold. "Mi..." he began, but she fell into him, her head landing on his chest. Natsu froze still. What... what was going on? Was she playing with him? It wasn't cool to play like that. Deep down... he felt that she really needed his help and he spoke softly, "Miki?" Her name... he rarely said her name... if ever... "Wake up, wake up damnit!" he shouted down at the girl against his body. Nothing. He picked her up and ran back down the way he came, heading towards Ryu. He felt the cold body against him and it sent a shiver down his spine.
Natsu skidded to a stop in Ryu's office and he looked around. No where to be seen.
"Ryu?!" shouted Natsu, looking around. "Ryu, get your ass in here now!" he cried, grinding his teeth together. The doctor slowly made his way from another room, his hand upon his head.
"What is it..." he said, looking at Natsu. He saw the figure of Miki in his arms and rushed over to him. "What happened?" he asked, taking Miki from the frightened cat.
"I don't know... I was walking in the hallway and saw her. I was going to tease her but she passed out. Her skin is cold and her eyes were glazed over when I found her. She wasn't breathing well either," explained Natsu, a little shaken up. Ryu set her down gently and pulled a blanket over her.
"It seems she suffered a small panic attack. You can go now Natsu, that is all that I need," Ryu explained, heading off to get some medicine to treat Miki with. Natsu just stared down at his enemy. He hated her... he knew that, but he didn't want her to die or anything like that... Natsu turned and slowly made his way out of the room and headed on down the hallway.
Blackness... blackness was all around her. Miki looked around.
"Hello?" she called, her voice echoing in the nothingness. "Hello?"
"Miki..." said a voice and she turned. It was Seiko. She smiled and ran towards him.
"Seiko!" she cried, trying to hug him. As she touched him she found herself hugging the neck of a horse. She blinked. Why... why did he transform under her touch. She backed away and out of the corner of her eye noticed Akina. She ran towards her, her arms stretched out. She hugged onto her but found herself with a bunny in her arms. Miki looked down at the bunny in her arms. Why... Akina was a girl... and girls didn't transform under a girls touch... why... One by one she saw each member of the zodiac and one by one under her touch they transformed into their true forms. Miki's eyes began to fill up with tears... Why... why must they change? Didn't they know that she needed them? All of them to continue to be happy?
"Miki..." said a deep voice. Miki turned and noticed Haruko standing before her.
"Haruko..." she said softly, walking towards him. She slowly took her hand and touched his face... He stayed the same. She slowly let out a sigh of relief. The moment didn't last for long as a hand squeezed her wrist. Her knee's began to bend under the pain. She looked up at Haruko and noticed him forcing her down.
"Haruko, why?" she whimpered, falling to her knee's.
"Do you really think people like you? You are the rat... you are just like the cat... just as alone and shunned like the cat... Even though you might be special... you are still shunned..." Haruko growled and his hands found her neck and he began to put pressure on her neck. Miki gasped and tried to let out a scream as she felt herself be pushed back onto her back. She opened her mouth to try to scream once again...
Miki shot up from her laying position and looked around. Sweat poured from her forehead and she looked around. Where was she? It took her a minute to realize that she was in Ryu's house. She slowly lets go of the blanket clutched to her chest and runs a hand through her hair. Why... why must she have a dream as haunting as that... Those things the leader of the family.. Haruko... said... How... how could she continue to live in a house when she has a dream like that? She must go... she must leave the house for her own good... She slowly gets up and sneaks out the back way of Ryu's house. She quickly makes her way to her room, trying to make no one see her. She slips into her room and grabs a suitcase from her closet. She quietly makes her way over to her dresser and pulls out clothes that she would want to wear. She shoved them one by one into her suitcase. She grabbed her bookbag and school clothes and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal. She quietly slips out of her room and makes her way to the Sohma entrance. She stands there, looking back upon the house. The wind gently plays with the strands of her hair as she takes a look at the Sohma house one more time. She backs slowly from the house and turns around and runs from the house. Her eyes fill with tears as she runs from the house, sorrow inside her heart. I'm sorry mother... father... I just can't live here anymore... Please remember me...
"Miki, how are you feeling?" called Ryu, figuring that the rat would be awake by the time he go back. As he turned on the light he found that the bed she was on now was empty. He sighed softly to himself, having a bad feeling that she had run off. Whatever she had dreamed of must have spooked her good. He slowly made his way out of his room and headed towards Miki's parent's part of the Sohma estate.
"She's gone?" cried Ai, falling onto the couch. Her cries were muffled by her hands and Jiro slowly sat by his wife. Ryu nodded slowly, watching the greeving couple trying to work it out in their head. Jiro slowly wrapped his arm around Ai's shoulders and sighed softly.
"Maybe... maybe it is better this way..." he said softly. Ai looked at her husband and hit his arm.
"What do you mean better this way? What is better than having our baby girl here?!" cried Ai, staring at her husband.
"We don't have a cursed child anymore..." he said bluntly, his arm disappearing from his wife's shoulder.
"Stop being a bastard! That was our little girl and you are happy she's gone!" shouted Ai.
"Shut up! You don't understand! I can't hold my baby girl! I've never been able to hold you, don't you think that is hard on me aside from you yelling your damn mouth at me woman?" shouted Jiro, his hand raising up. Before he could follow through with his attended actions, Ryu grabbed Jiro's hand. Ai fell back down to the couch, more tears coming from her eyes.
"That is enough Jiro..." said Ryu calmly but stern. "You shouldn't be fighting... Now calm down... I must go tell Haruko about this and see what shall be done about it..." Jiro slowly untensed and sat next to his wife, taking her into his arms and rocking her back and forth.
"So the little rat has decided to leave the burrow... Thank you Ryu, you may be dismissed..." said Haruko as the dragon made his leave. The room was dark and big, the only light that was admitted was through the windowpanes. A figure slowly slipped from the shadows.
"So... Miki flew the coop huh? Where do you think she scurried too?"
"Where else Masa?" asked Haruko. "Where else does all the little rats go when they leave the nest?"
A.N: Mwahaha, one more down! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I did! I have more time to write now that we are done with Macbeth so updates should come faster! There might be a couple spelling errors.. I'm still a little tired from yesterday... I gave blood... I will never do that again... stupid people... Anyway! The next chapter is entitled Taste Of The Past. See you soon! :)
