Chapter 16: Shishou

Princess Sango

Sachiko stared at Kazuma for awhile until he broke her gaze, "Would you like to come inside?" She nodded and walked inside after him, but she didn't expect him to hug her, because they had only just met. Feeling that unfamiliar poof, she looked at her cat form. This was her first time she was transformed, because everyone she hung around with was Zodiac men and girls. Her silver paws were in the air and he smiled, "It's okay to be yourself, I bet Tohru's already told you that."

Sachiko just stared and he picked her up in the air, studying her, "You're eyes are just as unsure as the last cat, my own son." Sachiko's eyes must have widened, "I understand why Yuki brought you here, after all my own grandfather was the cat. After that I took care of Kyo, and then now you." Sachiko didn't know what to say, but obviously Kazuma did, "Like I told Kyo, I'm going to tell you, 'You're going to have to breathe from a higher place.'"

Kazuma placed her on his lap, gently stroking her silver fur, "It's okay to be a cat, no one except Akito will have a problem with that. Well, maybe the rat, but we all knew that cats and rats don't mix." Sachiko must have some cat instincts because she went after Kazuma's long ponytail. He laughed then, "You noticed, it's funny Yuki didn't yet. To me, my ponytail was a reminder of the last cat. I thought I had finally given hope to him, and I thought he wouldn't be locked away."

Sachiko stopped and finally spoke for the first time, "If a cat's life was bad from the start, why was there more cats born?"

Kazuma smiled, "Because then the zodiac isn't complete. I don't know if you know this, but your mother carries the zodiac curse in her own way, and so do I."

"How?" Sachiko asked quietly, as he continued stroking her back.

"I take care of the cats, the most shunned of the zodiac. As for your mother, on her back is a tattoo of every single zodiac sign, even yours. Akito ordered that as soon as you were born. You're mother didn't want to say anything, but the fact that the zodiacs souls are connected to her, she shares the same fate as anyone else in the zodiac, but Ayame still can't hug her," Kazuma explained, whispering it almost.

Sachiko nodded, "But why, she's connected to the curse too."

Kazuma smiled, she was opening up now. "She was connected but it was the human soul, and only a small piece of the zodiac soul that was connected."

Sachiko nodded, "So is Akito right, I will be locked away later on in life?"

Kazuma's eyes were dim then, "Hai, if the curse isn't broken by the time you're eighteen then yes you will have to. Don't do what Kyo did please."

Sachiko cringed, "The sight was horrible…"

Kissing the top of her head, he let her go and poof, she transformed into a human. Kazuma looked away as he heard her rummaging for her clothes. Smiling he opened his eyes when she said that she was done. "It's going to be harder now, since you're a girl. The last two cats were guys."

Sachiko only smiled as she pulled down her shirt to straighten it out. In a small whisper she told him something, "They're starting to tattoo the zodiacs. Since I was the new one, it began with me." Holding out her wrist, right under her bracelet, was the kanji for neko.

Kazuma ran his fingers over the tattoo, "Why, did they tell you Sachiko?"

Sachiko shook her head, "I wouldn't know. They say it's a way for them to tell us apart. From new and old I mean, but other than that, no reason I could think of."

Kazuma nodded, "Has the bracelet come off yet?"

Sachiko shook her head, "Mom refuses to let it off, and she says I'm not ready yet."

Kazuma shook his head, "That's foolishness; the other cat's form is part of you. No one could stop that from happening." Sachiko winced, and she wasn't sure why, it just felt natural. Placing her hand up to her cheek, she cupped it, "I'm not surprised that you winced, since every single zodiac holds the history of every zodiac that was them before your time. Kyo hated the form, and probably many others. Sachiko-chan, I know this is not my place, but I need to show you your original form."

Sachiko looked at him wide eyed, "Why? Why can't I just live like my mom wanted me to?"

Kazuma smiled, placing an assured hand on her shoulder, "If you did, then you would be weak when Akito shows it to you. You'll give Akito something to laugh about, if you're stronger, then you will be able to bow your head, but not in shame. Oh no, not in shame but you will be able to laugh afterwards, no hurt will come to anyone."

Sachiko tried to process this with her six year old mentality, "I don't exactly understand."

Kazuma smiled, "You only need to know, that I know what I'm talking about Sachiko-chan."

Sachiko laughed and shook her head, "Okay Kazuma-san, you can show me the form." Kazuma nodded and took her hand gently in his, and kissed her hand softly. Leading her outside to the back of the house, he looked around. "Here, outside?"

Kazuma nodded, "Hai, it's the best place I think. Anyway, Sachiko-chan, I need you to look at me. Don't feel ashamed about anything that you see okay? I don't care what you look like; I've already seen it before." Sachiko nodded softly, and she felt him pulling off the bracelet. When she felt air where the beads had once been, she fell to her knees, feeling the transformation.

She felt her bones start forming, and she smelled something that could only be coming from her. Snarling, Sachiko felt complete, looking up at Kazuma, he was smiling. "This feels unnatural." Her voice sounded distorted.

Kazuma smiled still, and leaned in, the smell didn't faze him, "You feel no shame. I'm glad, you're deeply loved Sachiko-chan. To be able to face me in this form; was something I knew that Kyo could not." Moving away, he pointed towards a lake, "But for you to move forward, you need to see what it looks like."

Sachiko inched closer towards the lake, and when she looked in the lake she saw her form, "This can't be me."

"It is Sachiko-chan, but you're three different forms are apart of you. I promise you, if I were Akito right now you'd be crying right this minute," came Kazuma's warm voice, "Would you like me to try it?"

Sachiko nodded, still looking at the water, "I need to be ready…"

Kazuma smiled, and changed his voice to Akito's, "That smell, like rotting flesh, and the skin, as if it's dripping. Look at that creature, so stupid and in that monstrous form."

Sachiko turned, the words did sting, but it didn't hurt as bad. Kazuma smiled and placed the bracelet back on her wrist. Her bones contracted and then she was naked and normal. She had no clothes, and Kazuma ran inside and came back out with an oversized shirt. Sachiko quickly pulled it on, because it was nearing evening and it got really cold by then.

When they got inside, she shivered and Kazuma sighed and went in search of a blanket. Wrapping that around her, she seemed eased, and sat on the floor, trying to get warm. Sachiko looked at Kazuma, and placed her hands up, in a gesture that she wanted to be hugged. Sure, she had only just transformed once, but Sachiko felt the need to be held, as if she was being comforted.

Kazuma smiled and hugged her, watching her struggle outside of her clothes, and he hugged her close to him. "Is this what you wanted? Maybe because you're a feline is the reason why you act the way you do, you just want to be held."

A nock came to the door and Kazuma still held me as he answered the door. Yuki stood there in the doorway, and when he saw Sachiko, his eyes went dull. Letting Sachiko go, he gestured to her to go change back. "I see you can't look at the cat in that form."

Yuki looked up at her, "Oh yes, that form is harder then her human form. When she was born, the urge to kill her was there. I couldn't handle that Shihan, really I couldn't. Even now it's that same urge I felt."

Kazuma sighed, "Yuki, please understand that she's going to need you too. Her original form was shown, she just saw her parents, please understand that she'll need you to hold her."

Yuki nodded and Sachiko came back out in an oversized shirt, her face was blushing. "I'm sorry, my clothes were shredded."

Yuki just smiled and they both bid Kazuma fair well for now making plans for the day after tomorrow. When they were in the car, Yuki finally said something, "Sachiko-chan, you're not going to school tomorrow. Too much has gone on today, and I want you to rest tomorrow, you have a lot to do."

Sachiko looked at her uncle, "You're the rat right?"

Yuki nodded, "Hai watashi wa nezumi."

"So do you really hate me, since the day I was born? Are you only around because of my dad?" Sachiko asked in a whisper.

Yuki shook his head, "I can't say I hate you, I hate the cat. Sachiko-chan when you're older, you'll know everything okay? Please just deal with what's on your plate now." Sachiko just nodded, watching the places fly by in color.

TBC…