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 9: Taste of the Past

Thunder rolled softly across the sky near dusk. It threatened the world under it with rain that could stop and stop on a dime. Everyone was inside their houses... all but one. Feet struggled across the ground, leaves dancing around the pittering footsteps. Run, get away, screamed inside her. Go back, said her mind. Did she listen? No. She had to get away, the aura around the place was bad... she hated it. Where were her feet taking her? Was it some place safe? Was it dangerous? She didn't care... she just walked. A drop of rain settled on the bridge of her nose... then another, then another. Soon she was covered in rain. Miki walked faster and faster, her feet guiding her to her destination. She had been walking for an hour to an hour and a half, never slowing down and never stopping. A shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of her, her feet beginning to finally slow down. As she got closer, she could make out a house faintly. She went into a sprint, her body wanting to rest and be warm. The rain stung her cheeks as she ran. She tripped up the stairs and opened the doors and falling to the floor. Her chest heaved up and down, her eyes closed as she laid there. She was safe...

It took her a couple minutes to get herself together. She opened her eyes and slowly picked herself up. She slid the door shut and looked around. Her eyes had to adjust to the dimness of the room. The rain pattered softly on the roof. Her finger flipped up on a switch and the room became bright. She squinted at the harsh light. Why was there electricity? Then it hit her, she was still on Sohma property, so it was one of the many Sohma get away houses. By the looks of the dust and cobwebs, it probably hadn't been used in at least ten years, if not longer. Something inside of her stir, and she turned towards the stairs and began to climb. Step by step she got farther to the top, her heart sped faster and faster. What was it that she wanted to see so bad? What was making her heart race so much? Faster each step was taken until she was running the rest of the way and towards a door towards the end of the hallway. She stopped, her hand on the knob. What was in this room? What made her stir so much? There was only one way to find out... and that was turning the knob. As her hand turned, she heard a soft click and the door slid open. She flipped on the light and blinked. It was even dustier than downstairs, showing that the room had been forgotten a lot longer than its bottom part. The room was bare, but a bed with faded pink sheets laid in the corner of the room. Her heart skipped a beat. This room... She walked around it, her purple eyes scanning the room. Her feet took to a mind of their own again and began to walk to the bed. She knelt down and looked under the bed. Nothing was unusual... but... a floorboard seemed loose. She reached for it and pulled it up. Her hand reached in and her fingers felt something cooled. She grabbed it and put it on the bed. It was a small little tin with TIME CAPSULE on it. She sat on the bed, her fingers moving around the bottom of the lid. She bit her lip, and opened it.

Laying inside was a folded up piece of paper. She picked it up and saw pictures under it. She set the note to the side and picked up the pictures. Her chest felt warm as she stared at a trio looking happy. One had gray hair and purple eyes like her was on one side of a girl... and on the other side was a person with orange hair and red eyes. She gasped... they were members of the zodiac... The Rat and the Cat... There was a girl in the middle of them with a silly expression on her face. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and her sea green eyes were full of happiness. Who was she? She flipped through more pictures to see several more of the past zodiac. Many of the pictures were of the zodiac themselves, but the girl seemed to appear in many of the pictures as well. Who was she? She grabbed the letter from her side and opened it. Her eyes began to read over what was written...

Hello there, my name is Tohru Honda and this is my Time Capsule. If you do not know, I am the girl with the sea green eyes and the goofy expressions on my face. I grew up with my mother for the most part, my father had died when I was quite young. My mother died a lot later and I had to live in a tent for two weeks my freshman year. This is when my life changed for the best. I met a wonderful family... the Sohmas. They entrusted me with their greatest secret and I have told no one... and you shall not know about it either. If you do not know who are in the pictures, I shall name them for you. The one with the gray hair is Yuki, the one with orange is Kyo, the one with blonde and is male is Momiji, the one with dark brown and gray/green eyes is Hatori, the one with black hair is Shigure, the one with silver hair is Ayame, the one with brown hair and is female is Kagura, the one with ginger colored hair is Kisa, the one with darker blonde hair and is little is Hero, the one with long ginger hair is Ritsu, and the one with black and white hair is Hatsuharu. I love each and everyone of these people so much... they have been so kind and I am so grateful for them. I feel really bad about having to leave them for college... for I do not know if I shall ever see them again.. it is heartbreaking but I must do this for mom. I hope you enjoy these pictures and please, take care of them or add to them. I must be going, Yuki and Kyo are taking me to the airport soon and I must finish packing.

Love, Tohru Honda.

The letter fell onto her lap. This Tohru Honda... she knew the Sohma's curse. Why... why did they let her get away with that? Why... Yet... all the zodiac members seem so happy in the pictures. Her fingers traced over the faces, her fingers especially lingering over the delicate features of Yuki, the rat. That was her... Her eyes began to fill with tears. She wished she had friends like that... who would care and lookout for her like that. She wish she had someone to share the secret with... someone who wouldn't turn her away like a monster... but treat her as a friend. She wanted her own Tohru Honda...

"What do you mean?" asked Masa, confused about Haruko's statement. Where else does all the little rats go when they leave the nest?

"Masa, don't be so thick, you know what I am talking about. Where did Kohaku go when he couldn't take the pressure? Where did Suzki go when the going got tough? Where did young Yuki take off to when he was ready to leave?" questioned the young God.

"That house in the forest, near the city." replied Masa. "But.. why?"

"You baka! It is where they are drawn to. Each representative of the zodiac animal is a different person, but their spirit is the same. The spirit of the dog belonged to Shigure, Mayina, Rei, and many more. One thing that they all have in common? They like the writing and are very close to the God. What do all the Rats have in common? They all flee from the nest and return to the place the first Rat ventured... They feel safe in that house... Are you really that stupid Masa?" spat Haruko, glaring at him. Masa seemed to cower a bit, but didn't let it show to much. "Also... they always end up living with the dog, please tell me you know what that means Masa,"

"When should I leave?" asked Masa.

"Now," With that, Masa quickly exited the room, leaving it dark once again. Haruko leaned up against the window, his forehead on the cool glass. Rain gently began to fall onto the window, making his vision shaky. The Rat was a girl.. the first time ever in the history of the Rat.. it was a girl... Haruko shut his eyes. Would the fate of the curse actually lay on her hands? He hated to think about it... He knew she was going to leave... but he really didn't want her gone. He wanted her... to hold her... to have her by his side. Why... why did she have to be the Rat?

Why was his doing this? Was he stupid? He hated her... and yet he was going to check up on her? She did scare him... but... did he really have to check up on her? She's fine... but... Damnit Natsu! Why do you have to be a worry wort at times? Especially against her? He thought, slapping the side of his head. He wanted to go back to his room, but his feet kept walking to the door of Ryu. His hand shakily knocked on the door, and it shot back down to his side. The door slowly opened, deep eyes meeting the red ones of the Cat.

"Yes Natsu?" asked Ryu, a tired look upon his face.

"How... is... Mi...Miki?" stuttered Natsu, his face going red. He hated to ask about his enemy like this... really hated it.

"She isn't here... she ran away. Can't blame her, it is just the nature of the Rat to run off. Masa is leaving soon to go live with her, if you'd care to know," said Ryu, his voice dull and tired. Why was the stupid cat bothering him about this? Natsu blinked. She ran away? Was she stupid? She could get touched by a male and turn into a freaking rat! Natsu shook his head and shrugged.

"If she gets turned into a rat, that is her problem... damn rat..." Natsu muttered, walking back the way he came. Ryu sighed, shutting the door. Natsu was a stupid boy...

Dust came off the wall onto her fingertips as she touched it. She walked slowly, her eyes full of wonder as she walked. She wanted to know more... more about her history and how other generations tried to break the curse. She never really thought about breaking the curse until she read that note. She opened a door and looked inside. As she turned on a light, she saw a girl outside the other door, putting clothes up on a hanger. Her brown hair danced in the wind as she worked. She saw the Cat watching her from the corner, his stare soft and sweet. It was Kyo... and that must be Tohru Honda. She looked pretty in the pictures, but she looked even prettier in front of her. The image slowly disappeared. Nothing was left in the room... and she knew it wasn't the one that was going to help her understand her past.

The next door opened slowly, and there was a flash. It took her a couple minutes to figure out what had happened but there was nobody in the room. She turned on the light and looked around. She sniffed a little and gave a sigh. That smell... it smelled... so sweet and welcoming. She ventured into the vacant room and looked around. There was a box in the corner. Why would anyone leave anything behind? She walked over to it, and opened it. There were so many little knick knacks in there, she was surprised. She found pictures of Yuki, the past rat, at school, with his friends, and especially with Ms Tohru Honda. She smiled as she looked at each one. He only seemed the happiest whenever Tohru was around. She set them to the side and saw something big and red. She grabbed it and her eyes went wide. She felt a jolt as she touched it. The Rat inside of her was jumping around, as if something important happened with this piece of evidence. She took a closer look. It was a red cap... Her stare became blank as she began to hear voices in her head. She heard crying of a girl... and then all of a sudden of a boy. The scene played in her head as she watched as the little boy led the girl home... He gave her the hat and ran off. The girl was sad that she wasn't able to thank him, but held onto the hat as an anchor. She blinked and the image was gone. She sat the hat down and stood up. This room was definitely getting to her head and she began to back up when she felt her back hit a warm body. She felt hands go over her eyes and she scream.

"Don't scream so loud!" came the suave voice behind her. She turned around, her eyes meeting the gray ones of an older man.

"Ma...Masa. What are you doing here?" she asked surprised. Why had he followed her?

"Well.. I was told to come live with you, order of Haruko." he said, a small smile on his face. Miki didn't know what to think about that, but she smiled. She felt that it was natural that she was to live with Masa. She embraced him happily. She wasn't going to be truly alone...

The sun shone bright as a girl walked down to the administration office. Her hair bounced as she walked, a smile on her face. She merrily walked over to one of the secretaries and took a seat in front of them.

"May I help you?" asked the lady behind the desk, setting the papers she had been working on aside.

"I would like transfer papers please," replied the girl, her thumbs twiddling as her foot pounced up and down.

"Where would you like to transfer too?" asked the secretary, thumbing through papers.

"A public co-ed school. I do not care which one, just a co-ed school."

"Name?" The girl straighted up, her smile growing a bit wider as she began to speak her name.

"Miki Sohma."

Jiro Sohma walked back and forth in the hallway. What was he doing here? He never ventured out to this part of the Sohma house, never in his life. Why was he there now? He wasn't to sure... or so he told himself. He knew why he was here... he didn't want to admit it though. His eyes were tired and bloodshot, his body was feeling weaker and weaker every day he thought of it. He must... he must finish it. He must find a cure to his suffering.

"Jiro..." came a wavering voice. The jittery man looked at the tired woman in front of his.

"Ai..." he whispered. Ai ran towards Jiro, her arms encircling his body and her face buried in his chest. Jiro could feel wet little spots on his chest. Jiro held her close, his hands running through her honey blonde hair. His fingers twisted and twirled as he shook.

"Are you..." she whispered, not daring to finish her sentence.

"..." Silence. She knew what that silence meant, she knew it.

"How can you do this?" she choked, her feelings tangling up inside her. Why... why must he do this? There was silence once again, but the sound of a door sliding open broke the silence.

"Jiro, Ai, what are you doing here?" asked the calm voice. Jiro looked up and met the curious eyes of Ryu Sohma.

"I want... I want to forget everything." he said softly, his grip on his wife tightening as her sobs became audible. "I can't go on anymore... my daughter... my own daughter I can't hug or she'll turn into a rat! A damn rat! My little girl... she's suppose to be daddy's little girl but she can't! I can't do anything for her... nothing at all... I want to forget I have a daughter... A father can't go on knowing that he can never hold his little baby girl... I've tried all these years... but I've failed... And if forgetting my daughter I must forget my wife... then... so be it..." he finished, gripping Ai tighter and burying his face into her hair. Ai pulled away and looked up at Jiro, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"If you must forget me... then I shall forget as well... I can not go on without you..." her thumbs stroked his cheeks as she stared up at him.

"Come in..." said Ryu, his door sliding farther open. Jiro leaned over and brushed his lips against Ai's gently... one last time, but the two entered the room together for the last time...

Soft hums came from a small kitchen in the middle of nowhere. Miki chopped up some onions happily, humming to herself without a care in the world. She was out of the Sohma house, she was transferring to a new school, and she was free... free as a bird. She poured the onions into the soup, smiling and swaying back and forth. She picked up the plates and turned around. She shook a bit, the silhouette of a man scaring her half to death.

"Masa, be more careful, I could have dropped these plates," she said as she walked closer to the table. A hand grabbed her arm, making her stop. She looked at him. "What?"

"Ryu informed me today... that both your mum and dad... they both have left the Sohma house and their memory has been..." he stopped as he heard a shattering noise. Miki had dropped the plates from her hands. Her parents... both of her parents... forgot. Miki knelt down to pick up the shattered plates, her finger slicing from one of the sharp edges. She flinched, her eyes looking at her finger. She watched the blood drip down her finger slowly. She was alone... she was truly alone.

A/N: Another chapter down! I don't know about you all.. but I cried making this chapter. I didn't want to write it, but it had to be done! I hope you enjoyed it :) I'm so happy on how many reviews I have gotten so far, you guys are the best, I love you all! I'm glad you like the little character index at the top, I find it easier to keep characters straight as well.. especially since mine has all made ups you have no clue who is who. The next chapter is called A New Beginning and lets just say that you get a couple more new characters and that... a certain duo end up going to the same school and they don't like it. See-ya in the next chapter!