Chapter Eight: Return of Seitarou

On Monday morning Tsukasa hurried to the gates of Suichi Nakamura determined more than ever to talk to Stephanie. He knew his cousin showing up out of the blue like this was going to cause quite a stir considering all he knew so far about her last encounter with him. However when he arrived he couldn't find her or any of the Sohmas for that matter, so he headed to class where they were immersed in conversations with their friends. As he began to walk over, with Reiji eyeing his heavy breathing with suspicious curiosity the teacher came into the room and told everyone to take their seats so he resigned himself to his first attempt at telling anyone as defeat and slumped into his seat as the teacher began the lesson for the day.

It seemed like thousands of hours had gone by as they sat in their first two classes and Tsukasa wondered if he would ever get the chance to say anything. Finally just as the bell was to ring for lunch break, a messenger came into the room asking for Sakura and Stephanie to depart for the school store to help Mr. Yamada with a pressing matter. So they left and once more he sighed heavily for his next opportunity had passed him as well as the bell rang. But as he stood he straightened his back and knew that after he dropped his books off at his locker that his third attempt would not be thwarted. So with renewed confidence he walked out of the room and headed for his locker.

(Next Scene)

Meanwhile at the school bookstore, Stephanie and Sakura discovered that Mr. Yamada's so called pressing matter, turned out to be nothing more then he needed someone at the store before he arrived since he wasn't going to be there, and he wanted to be there in person to see that the door was opened properly.

"He is getting a bit strange isn't he?" Sakura commented as they both walked into the store after he had departed, "I mean worried about us opening the store when we have done it many times?" she added as she moved to the back of the counter.

Stephanie smiled as she chuckled along.

"Well this store is important to him. Besides he is an old man and rather set in his ways."

"He is a dear too" Sakura replied leaning on the counter a bit.

"Mhm."

"Okay" Sakura said with a nod, "I'm going to take these to the back" she picked up a couple of small boxes, "So we can get started and welcome the lunch crew."

"All right" Stephanie nodded back as she moved over behind the counter and began to set up the display.

She ducked behind the counter as she had often done so many times before, and then squatted down to examine the shelf more closely as a pair of white shoes trod into the room. He smiled slightly, his icy blue eyes glinting behind his glasses as he cleared his throat.

"Nice to see that some things never change" he replied peering down at her from over the counter.

Stephanie's eyes became wide all at once. She knew the voice. It was the same voice she had heard for a whole week. The same cold, drawing yet cynical voice with a touch of fear factor to it. The same voice she heard when she had nightmares for a week after the encounter. She caught her breath and closed her eyes briefly wondering if she was dreaming now, but as she looked up and saw the same smug grin she had to endure that terrifying week her mouth became instantly dry and she could do nothing but stare back at him in silence.

Sakura came out of the back room and almost dropped the small box she was carrying when she saw him.

"You?" she frowned unable to fathom the shock of seeing him once more, "What are you doing here?" she crossed her arms furiously.

"Well I must say this is a nice welcoming" he said back sarcastically, "Exactly what I would suspect from a Sohma" he added as Sakura helped Stephanie to her feet, "But not what I would expect from you" he added to the other girl who was still saying nothing, "After that whole week of you talking back to me I thought I would at least get a harsh comment or two."

"Harsh comment?" Sakura replied practically seething as Stephanie turned her eyes from him, "You got a lot of nerve coming into here."

"Last I checked it was still a free country. And this school doesn't exactly belong to you Sohmas now does it?"

"It doesn't matter" Sakura said trying to control the anger in her voice, "You're not welcome in this room. Get out" she ordered.

"And does Miss Kamiya share your sentiments?" he replied, "Does she too want me to leave?" he added staring at herdirectly.

"You know she does" Sakura retorted, "She can't even look at you. Get out" she reiterated.

"I was asking her" he replied eying Sakura with a dangerous look in his eye, "Not you Sohma."

From behind him another pair of white shoes appeared and Tsukasa clenched his fist as he slowly approached him.

"You heard the lady" he spoke up making Seitarou turn his head slightly and the two girls stare at him in confusion, "I believe she told you to leave."

"Tsukasa" Seitarou grinned pulling away from the counter to face, "Fancy running into you here of all places."

"This isn't the time for pleasantries. Nor do I want them" Tsukasa said seriously, "Leave now."

"And what do you have to do with any of this?" Seitarou grinned smugly, "Are you acquainted with them?"

"As a matter of fact I am" Tsukasa nodded, "And I don't like what you're doing."

"What am I doing?" Seitarou shrugged feigning ignorance.

"Don't give me that crap. You know I know you better than that. Either leave or I will show you the door myself" he moved in closer standing just a few feet above Seitarou since he was taller.

"Let me get this straight" Seitarou replied, "You're taking their side? When we're family. Now that's not very right of you cousin."

"Get out" Tsukasa said through gritted teeth, "I mean it. Now" he ordered.

"All right" Seitarou nodded slowly moving past him, "I know when I am beaten. Perhaps I will converse with Miss Kamiya another time."

"Not while I'm around," Tsukasa added under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" Seitarou asked.

"Just get out," Tsukasa said seriously.

"Hmm. Interesting" Seitarou smiled menacingly, "It appears I have to be going Miss Kamiya. We'll catch up later. Perhaps so will we?" he added to Tsukasa before leaving the room with another smug grin.

Tsukasa slammed the door shut and then took a deep breath as Stephanie ran over to him in concern since he was breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?"

"I" he said through gulps of air, "Uh. It took everything in me to not hit him just now."

"Well sit down" Stephanie pulled him over to a chair, "Sakura would you get him something to drink?" she turned towards the stunned girl.

"Uh. Sure" Sakura nodded slowly eyeing Tsukasa's behavior curiously because not unlike Reiji, she had chosen to be careful around him despite all the good things she had heard from her brother, "Here" she replied as she handed the plastic cup to Stephanie and she in turn handed it to Tsukasa.

"Thanks" he nodded as he took a big gulp of the water, "I kind of needed that. I'm so sorry" he lowered his head.

"What for?" Stephanie asked confused.

"I knew he was back."

"You did?"

"Yea. He called me on Saturday night and told me in a rushed sort of way. I've been trying to tell you all morning, and I had intended to get here to the school store before he did, but I was too late."

"It's okay" Stephanie said back a little pale, "But we have to tell Kaye and the others about this."

"Yea" he agreed as he stood up.

"And the sooner the better" Sakura added, "But he's coming too?" she indicated Tsukasa so he took a step back.

"Of course" Stephanie frowned slightly at Sakura as he took a step forward once more, "He can be trusted with this stuff Sakura. He knows Seitarou better than anyone. He could probably figure out what Seitarou is going to do next."

"Oh" Sakura nodded, "Can you?" she asked him making him jump slightly.

"Um" he said caught a bit off guard, "I think so. I mean I do know him. Reading him is not like reading an open book but I have a very good idea how his mind works."

"Okay then" Sakura nodded again, "Let's go to the courtyard. That's where they will be" she took off out the door as Stephanie put the closed sign onto the door briefly.

(Next Scene)

Katsuya paced back and forth as Sakura and Stephanie told him, Reiji, Akito, and Kanako about their latest encounter with Seitarou Nakagami. Tsukasa was silent until Katsuya sat down again.

"But if you knew that he was here" Reiji replied looking straight at Tsukasa, "How come you didn't tell us sooner?"

"I tried" Tsukasa said back, "That was what I was trying to do this morning."

"Lay off Reiji" Kaye replied, "I'm sure he did try to the best of his ability and he did rescue the girls from him during this encounter."

"But the real question is now" Kanako spoke up, "What has he come back for? What does he want now?"

They all stared at Tsukasa who shook his head as he stood up with a sigh.

"You say that the last time he was able to retrieve the information he came all the way for?" he asked leaning his palm against a tree.

"That's right" Kaye nodded.

"Well I doubt that Ushida sent him down here for another menial task" Tsukasa said facing them, "The odds are in my own personal opinion that he has two motives for being down here. One which is painfully obvious, he has come back for his claim on Stephanie."

"His what?" Katsuya replied a bit enraged, "What do you mean? The last time he did that just to get information out of us. He used her to get to us."

"Is that what you think?" Tsukasa asked looking at him directly in the eye.

"Well, yea."

"I'm sorry to tell you that is not the case" Tsukasa shook his head with another sigh, "Otherwise he wouldn't have been harassing her this afternoon."

"You think he's come back for her?" Akito replied leaning forward, the book in his lap sliding slightly.

"Well I think that's one of the reasons, probably the main one," he added as he noticed Stephanie shiver a little and Sakura rubbed her back gently.

"What makes you think that?" Reiji said, "I mean how do you know?"

"I just know. Seitarou like I said is not an easy person to read this is true. But when you have known him as long as I have, then you get to see how he really thinks. I have known Seitarou for practically all my life, but really known him for about ten years now, five of which I am sorry to say have been the worst of my life."

"Did he do something to you too?" Kanako asked interested.

"Oh. Did he do something? I think that would be an understatement. Let's just say he did a lot of somethings. Some things I can never get back."

"What do you mean?" Kaye asked now interested.

"Your Miss Kamiya isn't the first girl he has ever had an eye for. In fact you can say just like most of my family he's quite the coinsure of women. He loves them, adores, them. But he abuses them."

"Abuses them how?" Sakura asked.

"Anyway you can think of. I didn't know about that, not right away anyway. About five years ago he turned up on my grandfather's door looking for a place to stay. Apparently he had some problems with his mother, and my mother was never one to turn someone out, especially if it's family" Kaye and Sakura looked at each other as he continued, "For the next three years I lived with him and at first I'm sure it was just like it was forall of you. He was the picture of perfection. He had lots of friends, admirers. Everybody liked him. He was very popular. It always struck me as funny that he wanted to go to school like a normal kid, since he already graduated."

"So he is a genius?" Kaye replied, "He wasn't lying about that?"

"Oh most of the time he isn't lying. That's just how it works. He tells the absolute truth except for maybe a few details, so you really have no choice but to have faith in him and believe what he's saying. That's how he lures people into his web of deceit."

"Like a spider" Stephanie filled in.

"Yea. Or a Nakagami. That's the way they operate. Anyway. His third year with us was where things started to go awry, or really I started to notice qualities about him that made me quite uncomfortable. Mostly it has to do with a friend of mine. Growing up I had two best friends. One was Dave and the other was Molly. Molly and I had known each other longer and had played together since we were practically three years old."

"Sounds familiar" Reiji replied somberly.

"Yea. Anyhow. When we all were in middle school, Seitarou became another member of our group, we hung out together. Seitarou had also moved out and was living alone and it was during that time that I started to develop more than friend feelings for Molly. I think you get the picture."

"Sure" Kaye and Reiji nodded as the girls watched them in amusement.

"However it wasn't to be, because Seitarou also had an eye for her."

"Why do I not like where this is going?" Sakura spoke up.

"Huh" Tsukasa shook his head, "Believe me, I don't like telling it. Needless to say he won her over with his charm, and during all that, stories and lies began to develop around me. Seitarou's an awful like a salesman. You believe what he says but not based on actions but based on his pretty words. He told a lot of lies about me, nothing I really want to get into right now, but basically I lost a lot of friends. And I lost Molly."

"What happened?"

"He uh, um" Tsukasa tried to get the words out but everyone around knew where he was going with this and closed their eyes briefly, "I didn't see her after that. Not ever again. They say she moved away but I know the truth. I found out from Dave and the other friends I had left. Seitarou disappeared around that time. I think he came back to Japan. I knew what he had done and I will never forgive him for it."

"I don't blame you" Reiji nodded.

"So if" Kaye said slowly, "If Seitarou had, I don't even want to think about it" he stopped as Stephanie placed her hand into his.

"Yea" Tsukasa nodded after, "It's probably best not to. Knowing my cousin he had every intention on doing it too."

"Maybe more than that" Stephanie added.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing" she shook her head.

"Anyway" Kanako interrupted them, "You said two reasons. What would be the other one?"

"Oh well, more than likely he's been summoned down here to bring the Big plan into motion."

"Big plan?" Kaye replied, "What big plan? What is it?"

"All I know is that it has something to do with you Sohmas and the Zodiac curse. It's probably why he wanted that information from you. I don't know much of anything else, because like I said before I am the black sheep of the family. I prefer to stay out of it."

"Can you find out?" Reiji asked.

"Well it might be tricky but my grandfather might have more of an inkling about it and if not him then Seitarou himself."

"He would never just outright and tell you though?" Akito said astonished.

"No, but I know when he tips his hand and remember I also know how he thinks, so I can figure things out basically from that."

"Well then" Reiji nodded, "Let's see how this plays out" he added as they all agreed.

(Next Scene)

Leaving the school grounds that day was a bit slower than normal for Tsukasa but he pondered his earlier conversation with the others and was surprised to see as he neared the park that Seitarou was waiting for him.

"Seitarou" he replied, "What do you want?"

"You and I need to talk" Seitarou said simply, "It's very important."

"I don't think so" Tsukasa replied angrily as he tried to move past him.

"Come on Tsukasa it's me."

"And because it's you, I don't think so. I don't want anything to do with you or the Nakagami's."

"Come on Tsukasa" Seitarou replied placing his arm around his shoulder as they walked, "I have never known you to be this cold towards me. We're family after all."

"Hmph" Tsukasa snorted.

"Now come on. Hear me out. It will only take a moment."

"Fine" Tsukasa crossed his arms, "What?"

"Have I got good news for you" Seitarou grinned menacingly.

"Oh no" Tsukasa thought, "Now what?"

(Till Next Time)

Authors Note: Hey guys! I am finally back after a two week cold. It's good to be back but I am not sure if I will be writing that much this week but here's the next chapter anyway! Hope you enjoyed it and I will see you all later!

Next Chapter: Why Do You Protect Me?

After a brief encounter with Seitarou, and because of the way the foretelling dreams are turning out, Tsukasa takes it upon himself a task that is not unlike his dream counterpart. Find out what happens next time and learn more about what's going on in the dreams at the next Sohma Story time!