Chapter Six
Kohana awoke the next morning to the sound of a deep, yet womanly, laugh coming from somewhere outside her room. She yawned squeakily and stretched her slender arms out over her head, curling up her toes and hearing the satisfying crack of her bones, signaling she was all stretched out and ready to roll out of her bed to start the day. Slowly opening her violet eyes and getting adjusted to the brightness of the room, she almost forgot where she was for a brief moment. This room wasn't hers, yet it held her belongings. It was colder than her room and make her feel a bit chilly. It was also larger than her room, even with all the extra furniture, two more windows, and a double doorway which she assumed was a closet.
As she stepped onto the icy cold floorboards, her knee-length night shirt wrinkly falling into place, the memories of the previous day came flooding back into her mind.
Kin had rushed her into the bathroom as quickly as he could, hearing someone approaching up the staircase. He carefully fixed up her cut as best he could, having so many younger siblings he was use to such things and first-aid became second nature to him. His words still echoed through her mind before she was taken away by Hatori and Kana, "I won't let him have you, 'Hana. He has no right to do this to you; I'll take care of you, no matter what." She smiled as the words crossed her mind. Though she may be forced to live with her uncle and his male lover in the Sohma prison called a home, though she may be forced to be closer to Joey, the new Head, she was also closer to Kin, as he lived just down the path from her Uncle Ayame's home on the Sohma estate.
She'd gone to the main house for a dinner party in celebration of the new Head the night before. Joey, of course, sat at the head of the table, and, much to her dismay, Kohana was seated at his very corner, not that she expected anything less from Joey. The entire night, Kohana was not allowed to wander three feet from him; she avoided eye contact with a single person the entire evening, all except for one. She had spotted Kin at a table with his siblings, playing with some cards after the dishes had been cleared, all the men off in a group talking about god knows what, and the women in the opposite corner doing just about the same, though the laughter depicted from the two groups was drastically different.
Joey had retired to his room, not being much of a socially active child. He had given Kohana strict orders to report to him once the "fun" started to die down. She'd noted that her parents were there, they'd waved to her upon entering the home, but stayed clear just to be safe, they knew the Head wouldn't have been too far behind if their daughter was there. She stood and contemplated approaching them in her bit of free time before she had to see Joey, but changed her mind subconsciously once she'd spotted Kin. Stealthily creeping away from her group of female cousins, she snuck over to Kin's table and ducked into the group of ebony and blonde-haired children, obviously belonging to Momiji and his wife. Though she stuck out like a sore thumb due to her reddish hair, she was nearly impossible to pick out from afar as the children completely surrounded the table in a crowd.
Kin smiled warmly once he took sight of Kohana opposite him, receiving a weary smile in return. He watched her carefully as her eyes darted to the hall to the back porch, then back to him, then to the hall again. He excused himself from his siblings and carefully slipped into the shadows of the hall, Kohana soon following behind. Hand in hand, the two disappeared into the darkness of the hall and to the very end where they knew anyone would look for them last, except maybe Joey.
Kohana sighed happily as she dressed in the new clothes that sat in the chair at her desk, folded neatly. "Uncle Ayame must have made them…" she pondered, "It sure is nice though, nothing like what he gave daddy for mommy's birthday presents a couple times. Those looked like they wouldn't really cover much at all. Come to think of it, I never did see mommy wear them, only what they looked like in the shop when daddy picked it up."
She brushed through her long auburn hair and looked into the beautifully carved mirror which stood on her dresser. Placing down the brush, she leaned in a bit closer and ran a finger down the cut on her cheek where she and Joey had made contact only the day before. A chill shot up her spine at the memory and she quickly shook it off as soon as it came, stepping back and straightening out her violet long sleeve shirt which seemed to fit her perfectly, the hem ending just below the wrists so it could cover part of her hands from the crisp winter air. "It matches my eyes…" she smiled cheerfully. Glancing down to her black skirt, she felt awkward as it came about six inches above the knee, but adored it nevertheless. It was crimped so the inner folds matched the violet color of her shirt, very crafty for her Uncle. Sighing, she picked up the black vest which was the last piece to her outfit and slipped it on, noticing how the shirt was a bit longer so it could hang out of the hem to separate the black of the vest and that of the skirt. She smiled and traced her finger along the intricate design stitched into the cloth with a perfectly colored violet thread, taking the form of some sort of flower.
--------------------------------------------
She sat in the main house, in Joey's room, Akito's former room. She waited patiently, her eyes glued to the floor and her hands folded pleasantly in her lap as she recalled the events of the previous evening. She and Kin had been in the opposite side of the house from where she was now, hiding out in an old room where white dusty sheets covered the extra furniture of the house, a makeshift storage room no doubt. They sat beneath the window, huddled together for warmth as the brisk air crept in through the cracks of the window. A smile played across her lips, the memory of Kin's warm lips against her cold ones, instantly heating her small form in his protective embrace. She felt safe there, from the world, from their family, from Joey…
The young couple stayed in their little sanctuary for as long as they possibly could, which, unfortunately for them, was not long. Soon enough, they heard footsteps in the hall and the sound of doors being opened and closed harshly, in search of young Kohana. She ran from the room silently and slipped passed the man causing the racket while he peered carefully into one of the dark rooms, joining up with her group once more, or what was left of them as most of the families had already ventured home, receiving curious glances and a few questions at where she had gone to. Haru stepped out of the hall Kohana had just escaped from, Kin at his tail. He approached her after doing a double take and whisked her off towards the other end of the house, to Joey's room.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a door slide open and swiftly back closed as if someone were just trying to get a quick glimpse into the room. Kohana lifted her eyes from the floor and saw Joey standing in front of the door beside his desk, a grin stuck on his lips.
"My, don't we look lovely this morning." He pointed out, noticing her new clothing.
"Uncle Ayame made them for me." She stated, "The clothes, that is."
"He did, did he? Does he not also make revealing clothing for women?" he questioned, "I believe he does, in that little shop of his. I'm not sure that is a suitable role model for you, dear 'Hana. Not at all. Two gay lovers as parents? The brother of your father being a homosexual running a women clothing shop for men to shop from at any time? I don't believe to perverted men make suitable parents, especially not for raising what is mine…" he spoke darkly, striding over to her and lifting her to her feet.
"T-that is not true, Joey! Ayame is my uncle! He would make a suitable father if he had chosen to take a wife! He would have been like my father!" she exclaimed protectively.
"He would, would he? I suppose dear Uncle Yuki didn't do that bad a job with you." He agreed half-heartedly, lifting his hand to her chin and moving her head to one side gently, examining her face and grinning, "Not a bad job at all…"
She smiled brightly and threw her arms around him, hugging him to her tightly with joy, having heard the Head praise her father, this Head liked him and he appreciated him in some form, unlike the last, Akito. Joey grinned at her gesture, knowing he had pleased her somehow. Of course, being who he was, the son of Shigure and Matsu, probably the most perverted couple on the face of the earth, a whole bunch of their genes had been passed on to their first born, the new Head. He leaned down and pressed his head into her neck, inhaling her fresh scent as if it were a drug of some sorts. He ran his hand up her arm smoothly, lightly tugging on her sleeve to move the collar of her shirt away and pressing his lips onto her soft skin, causing her to shudder and grip onto the back of his shoulders for support as he dug up feelings, emotions, senses she had yet to learn of.
Her uncharacteristic reaction caused his grin to widen, urging him on. He continued to work his lips over her neck as his hand snaked its way up the back of her shirt, resting his fist in the small of her back. She could feel herself melting into him, though she had no idea why any of these strange emotions were suddenly bubbling up inside of her small form. Knowing he had read one too many of his father's novels in secret in the privacy of his room, he knew exactly what he was doing to the poor girl, he knew exactly where it was all heading, and he knew exactly what he wanted.
------------------------------------------
Author's Note: Okay, well, this chapter was…confusing...a bit. All of her memories kinda flew into her mind throughout the day, hence the title! XD But, yeah…don't get too scared over the ending, no matter how much of a cliffhanger it is! giggles evilly I will promptly start working on the upcoming chapter, but, yeah, I'm not the kind of writer who plans things out in ahead…so…I tend to altar the story, drastically, as I go along, never quite sticking to the original basic plotline I described in the summary…But…don't hate me! TT Review!
