.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
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.
Tetsuo Sohma watched as his Granddaughter rushed around the house, grabbing everything she needed before heading out for the day. He could tell she was in a bit of daze, muttering to herself, changed her uniform twice, even managed to slightly burn the eggs for breakfast.
"Oh, Gimli, sorry baby, no time for cuddles. I'll make it up to you later." Marley apologized to the large orange and white cat that was rubbing and weaving himself through her legs and meowing in protest.
The Sohma Elder figured she was still working stuff out, not operating on much sleep; she'd been relatively quiet for the last few days. He had asked a few times if she was alright, and Marley insisted she was fine, saying so with a smile, but he could see in her eyes she was unsure.
Hopefully, Marley would talk with him about it when she was ready, she just needed time.
Marley checked herself in the hallway mirror, putting her hair up into a messy half-bun and twirling in the mirror before letting out a little sigh.
"Have a good day, Dadaji. I'm off. Left some ladoos on the counter for you." She skipped over and laid a quick kiss to his cheek, and he mumbled a soft 'come home safe' before she smiled at him as she disappeared down the hall. How long had Tetsuo gone without the hellos and goodbyes of a family? How long had he been alone in this house and thought that he was fine? Eating single meals alone, the only people drifting through the house now and then was a maid or an assistant who needed his signature.
Tetsuo looked to the bookcase were a family photo of Marley, her parents, Hatori, Isuzu and Tetsuo rested in a black photo frame. Marley was sitting up in a hospital bed with Isuzu, who was trying to hide her face. A birthday cake with a single candle rested on the table with 'Happy Birthday Yuuto' in bark blue icing. Hatori was standing on one side and Yuuto, and Chandra were sitting at the end of the bed. Tetsuo was standing next to the bed on Marley's side, and one could see Marley's hand wrapped around his forearm, making sure he stayed in the photo, a gentle smile on her face as she was leaning back against the many pillows.
His life had changed so much in the past years. Tetsuo had gone from a lonely existence in his large house to being reunited with his son, and his family in the blink of an eye. Then Yuuto and his wife passed away in an accident, and now he was looking after their treasured daughter.
If only I could go back in time….
Then maybe things could have gone differently. Perhaps if he had welcomed Chandra into the Sohma family when they first met, then Marley could have grown up in the Estate, and the Chandra and Yuuto would have never been on that train.
All the things he could never change. All the things he would do differently.
Tetsuo's house had gone from just a roof over his head filled with hurtful memories to a home with warm light and laughter. The house always seemed to be full of people who were happy to be there, making new memories and eating meals together.
Marley had seemed to just slip into the Sohma family so easily, give or take the slight few who were still against her being his ward. The ones who didn't like Marley could barely say anything because not only was she Tetsuo's grand-daughter, but she was also highly adored by the head of the family, Akito. No one could understand who the two became so close, not even Tetsuo. Hatori thought that maybe Marley was softening Akito's heart.
Not enough if the recent incident with Isuzu was anything to go off of.
Though Tetsuo was still highly cautious of that relationship, always having a maid notify him when Marley entered and left the main house where Akito lived. He knew of the 'God's' cruelty to the zodiac members, and due to family politics, Tetsuo could do nothing but hope Marley did not get caught up in the dark side of the Sohma family curse.
Tetsuo let out a heavy sigh and slipped in hand into his yukata by his chest, where a secret pocket hid. Pulling out an old photo that had frayed edges and had faded do to time.
A light summer breeze blew through the house, the music of the wind chimes breaking the silence.
"Well, you'll help keep an eye on her, won't you?" Tetsuo smiled sadly at the photo, his beautiful wife smiling back at him as she wore a purple morning glory yukata, joyfully holding the hand of a young Yuuto who was giving a cheesy smile to the camera.
I'm doing what I can.
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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
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Marley felt a breeze and looked up to the blue sky, a few fluffy clouds moved overhead, blocking the sun momentarily. Marley's mind was still swimming in questions, wondering what else she didn't know. All things she would she could ask her late father figure.
What had his life been like growing up?
Did Mama know?
Is that why he barely talked about his mother?
"Yuuto's mother was a Zodiac member. She was -"
A gentle pull on her skirt brought Marley out of her head, and she looked down to see large innocent gold eyes looking up at her with worry.
"Marley-Onee-Chan?"
"Ah, sorry, zoned out a bit. Have everything? Tights, shoes, hairpins, leotard? Water bottle?" Marley handed Kisa her yellow bag, doing some final checks outside her house before they left and headed to school.
Kisa ran back into her home and grabbed her water bottle, blushing as she put it in the bag.
"Okay and I'll meet you at the crossroads by the playground with the red slide right after school," Marley told her as they started walking down the stone path, passing by various people, wishing Marley and Kisa a good morning while the two girls did the same.
"Do you think…I'll do okay?" Her small voice barely carrying over the sound of cars driving past.
"It's your first class, just be yourself and stand up straight." Marley teased, lightly patting Kisa on the head.
"Do you think I'll make friends?" She asked, clearly nervous as she stared down at the pavement as she fidgeted with the edge of her school skirt.
"You'll be meeting girls who share your interests, so I think you'll make a few." Marley encouraged, catching a small hopeful smile on the sweet girl's face.
"Marley-Onee-Chan... can I ask a favour?" She asked as she came to a stop at the fork in the road where the two would go their separate ways.
"Of course, Honey-Bee. What do you need?" Marley asked as she leaned down to hear what the young girl wanted.
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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
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I absentmindedly jotted down notes from history, my messy writing getting worse as the hour dragged on. My notes turned to doodles, abstract geometric shapes mixed with flowers. I was interrupted when I felt a small tug on my hair and looked over my shoulder to see orange-eyes boring into mine.
"You good?" He asked, slightly leaning forward in his seat and eyeing me, a questioning look on his face as he raised an eyebrow. Everyone else was already moving about the class, getting ready for lunch.
"Oh, yeah, just… trying to fix my notes..." It seemed to be enough as Kyo leaned back and got out his lunch. I closed my notebook and put it away as Uo stretched her arms to the ceiling, complaining that she was starving.
I wasn't feeling all that hungry, but dinner was a long way away, so I pulled out my silver tiered lunch box. I opened up the bottom one first and snacked on a coconut ladoo that I had made late last night, savouring the subtle sweetness of the coconut.
Uo turned around in her desk and grabbed one while Hana and Tohru walked over. The blonde took a bite and let out a moan of approval, chewing as she let mumbled thanks for the sweet.
"You didn't pack a lunch today, Uo?" I asked as she enjoyed the small sweet treat, popping the rest of the white dessert into her mouth.
"Nope worked late and slept through my alarm." She explained as I opened up the rest of my lunch.
"I've got lots, we can share." I offered, but as she reached for the ladoo again and I grabbed the tin full of dessert, holding it above me.
"You need to eat more than sweets!" I teased as she tried to reach above me to grab another.
"Boo! Fine." Uotani pouted as she used a pair of chopsticks for some crispy cauliflower and garlic naan. I let out a sigh and brought the tin of sweets back down to the desk and noticed that a few were missing. My eyes peeked behind over my shoulder and spotted Kyo snacking on a white ladoo as he read his comic book.
Did he grab one when I wasn't looking?
"Marley-Chan! That smells delicious! Is that coconut?" Tohru gushed, looking into the tin as Uo continued to dig through my lunch, grabbing whatever.
"Here, would you like some?" I asked as I held up the container, Hana helped herself, thanking me in the process.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly-" I was already placing one of the coconut ladoos in Tohru's bento, ignoring her protests.
"Don't worry; I've got lots at home. Plus, Kyo already stole some." I laughed, gesturing to behind me.
"Wha- I did not!" He denied as he held the half bitten sweet in his hand and started teeter-tottering the back of her chair with his foot while I laughed at his denial.
Lunch carried on, and Uo and Kyo got into some sort of friendly argument as Hana went off to buy something at the school store. Leaving Tohru and I a moment to talk.
"Oh, Tohru, do you work today?" I asked, remembering Kisa's request.
"No, I have today off, why?" Tohru asked, taking her attention away from the ruckus that Kyo and Uo were causing as they hurled insults back at each other.
"Kisa has her first official ballet lesson today; we were hoping that you could come," I explained her Tohru's face lit up as she started gushing about cute Kisa must be as a ballerina.
"Is it on Sohma property?"Kyo asked as he finally took a break from his 'battle' with Uo.
"No, but it's close by. Why?" I asked as I stared up at him.
"Just surprised, Kisa's mom is okay with that." Kyo shrugged and leaned on a desk behind Tohru and stared at me, looking skeptical.
Well…. It did take A LOT of convincing…
"I promised I would supervise, and it made her feel a lot better, plus Kisa threw in a few puppy dog looks. How could she resist?" I joked as I looked up at him from my desk, and he rolled his eyes.
"It'll be great for Kisa; she'll be able to learn ballet with other kids her age, she'll probably make new friends!" I started to go off into my own little dreamland of Kisa in a tutu with her hair up in a bun and performing at her first recital, taking group photos with other dancers as everyone celebrated their hard work.
"Sooooo, would you like to come?" I asked Tohru, hoping she could join because that would honestly make Kisa so happy.
"I- it would be an honour! I would love to! Is it really okay for me to go?" Tohru started fretting, and I couldn't help but giggle and grab her hands to keep her from flailing while telling her that it was more than okay for her to join.
"Maybe after, you two would like to come over for dinner?" Tohru offered.
"Kisa would love that." Dadaji had a dinner meeting, meaning I didn't have to cook tonight, so this worked out quite nicely.
… Maybe it would be okay to ask Shigure a few things while I'm there…
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Simple piano notes filled the studio as a primp, older women walked along the floor, calling out simple moves. Girls around Kisa's age were all lined up along the ballet bar, their legs parallel with their feet turned out in third position, trying to stand tall with their chins slightly lifted up.
"Demi-plie, arm to first, then arm to second. Balance for a beat. Lift your hips! Now down, tendu to second. Then lower again and repeat. Into fifth and repeat." The instructor called out as she walked the line, fixing some of the girls' postures.
"Soooo cute." Marley squealed under her breath, feeling nostalgic as she watched the lesson.
"Soft hands. No lobster claws, girls!" The instructor lectured as she walked along the dance bar, correcting a few of the girls. Kisa peeked over at her big sister figures, who gave her a thumbs up and smiles. There were about 12 girls in the class that were around Kisa's age while Tohru and Marley, along with few parents, sat on a bench.
"You've been teaching Kisa-San ballet? That's amazing Marley-Chan, she looks beautiful out there." Tohru whispered softly into Marley's ear as she kept her eyes on the class.
"Only helping her find the basics. She's got a lot of natural talent." She insisted. Marley was happy to teach Kisa what she knew but also worried that she possibly passed on some not so great habits. Marley was guilty of 'lobster claw' hands now and then.
"How long have you been dancing?" Tohru asked, genuinely curious.
"Ballet? Well, I guess since maybe a little younger then Kisa, but I don't really practice it anymore. Now I've kind of drifted off into other styles." Marley admitted, a little embarrassed at saying it out loud.
"Do you not like it anymore?" She asked, and the dancer took some time to answer, locking eyes with Kisa and reminding her to roll her shoulders back.
"I used to love it, but I don't know, I don't want to do it professionally or anything... it took up a lot of time, and I can't imagine being that committed to it anymore. It felt like a huge part of my life, but I kind of stepped away from it," She admitted. It had gotten to the point where Marley was only able to do homework on the bus rides to and from the studio, tiger balm always on hand to help aching muscles.
But watching Kisa do her lesson kind of put Marley in the mood to do a few drop-ins.
"How often did you do ballet?" Tohru asked.
"Um….. Normally 4 times a week and class could be three to four hours. And I was sore like all the time." Tohru's jaw slightly dropped, and then they heard the teacher call out an exercise and watched as the students' practices their arabesques.
"I would love to see you and Kisa perform together," Tohru said a dreamy look on her face as she pictured both Marley and Kisa in beautiful white tutus, and their hair was done in perfect buns as they danced across the stage. Marley couldn't help but giggle at the dreamy look in Tohru's eyes as she drifted off into her fantasies.
"Maybe one day you could come by the main house, I normally just run exercises with her, but we do little routines now and then for fun. We could even teach you a few moves." Marley told her while lightly hitting her shoulder with her own and Tohru started fretting, waving her hands around.
"No! I'm so clumsy I could nev-"
"YOU TWO! Hush!" The teacher of the class scolded, and the two teenagers immediately apologized and lowered their heads in shame.
They kept quiet for the rest of the lesson out of embarrassment of being caught.
By the end, Marley was practically vibrating with happiness and wrapped her arms around Kisa when she finished the class and walked over to the girls.
"I'm so proud! You looked so good out there!" Marley complimented her, and Tohru quickly followed with her own rush of compliments, and by the time we were done, the poor Tiger was a puddle of mush, covering her blushing face.
"It won't be long till we buy you pointe shoes. Oh, Tohru invited us over for dinner." Marley revealed, watching Kisa's face light up in excitement.
"Um… would… would it be okay if we watched a movie... and slept over?" Kisa asked as she looked up at her older sister figures with her large hopeful eyes.
Marley looked over at Tohru, and she seemed perfectly fine with it, mentioning that Shigure should be fine with it.
"It is a school night… but I'll ask your mom, okay?" The white-blonde pulled out her cell phone.
Tohru watched with Kisa as Marley walked away and talked on the phone for a bit, pacing and then she turned with a smile and gave the girls a thumbs up.
"I need to run home and grab some stuff, do you need me to grab anything Kisa?" The white-blonde asked as she went over a list in her head over what she needed to grab.
"…. Did you pack for a sleepover already?" Marley asked as she raised her eyebrow at the young Tiger. Kisa blushed and looked at her shoes while slowly nodding her head. Marley only let out a bright laugh before laying a quick kiss to the top Kisa's head.
"Sneaky…..Alright, I'll see you two in a bit, maybe we can do some DIY masks." Marley suggested as she walked over and placed the phone back in her school bag and waved goodbye to the girls as they split ways at the crossroads.
As Marley walked alone, she caught sight of a young boy walking a gold and white Shiba Inu. They came to the crosswalk and waited for the light to turn. The dog wagged their tail as they looked up at her.
"May I say hello?" Marley asked the boy who gave her a smile along with a small 'yes.'
Marley smiled and knelt down to give the cute dog her full attention.
"You are so cute, yes you are, such a good dog. Are you having a nice walk?" Marley cooed as she let the dog sniff her before she softly petted the top of their head, using her long nails to give the cute pup a message.
"Do you have a dog?" The young boy with a red baseball cap asked.
"Huh? Oh... No... But I always wanted one." Marley admitted, a somewhat melancholy look in her eyes as she thought back to when she was about the young boy's age.
"Mama, please? I'll walk them and feed them and bath them." A young Marley followed her mother around the apartment, trying to debate her way into a dog.
"I'm sorry, beta, but we can't." Her mother stated, not giving in as she shook her head at her daughter.
"Awww Why not?" Marley whined, she thought about some of the girls in dance had dogs, and they were showing off pictures of their puppies, and Marley couldn't, but imagine how great it would be to have a canine companion.
Marley looked back and forth between her parents and her father let out a sigh.
"I'm allergic to dogs, I'm sorry." Yuuto apologized, ruffling the girl's hair.
"Please!? Maybe we can get a hypoallergenic dog, that should be fine, right? Please, please, please, plea-" Marley tugged on his sleeve, hoping her large doe eyes could work their magic.
"NO!" Yuuto yelled, and both Marley and her mother slightly jumped.
"I... I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap." Yuuto apologized, pinching the bridge of his nose before sending a look to his wife and walking off, the slamming of a door vibrated through the apartment.
"Beta, I'm sorry, but we can't get a dog." Chandra patted Marley's head, laying a kiss to the top.
"...but why." Marley sniffled, not over not getting a dog, but at being snapped at.
"I promise... one day, you'll understand." Marley's Mother hugged her close and rubbed her back while her little mind raced with what the problem was. Why couldn't she have a dog?'
After that, she never asked again, afraid of making her father upset again.
"Maybe one day I'll get one, but they won't be as cute as yours." Marley waved goodbye to the boy and his dog, turning down the familiar road home. The young woman looked to the sky at the passing white clouds.
Were you... ever going to tell me?
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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
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Hiro took a deep breath before knocking on the familiar door, hoping that this would be the day.
"Oh, Hiro, hello, come on in." A woman with short black hair welcomed him and ushered him into the house. She walked to the sink to get back to the dishes while making small talk with the young boy.
"Oba-San, where's Kisa?" The young Zodiac member asked as his brown eyes gazed around the room, trying to seem nonchalant.
"Oh... I'm sorry. Kisa is staying over at Shigure-San's house tonight... Marley-San said they were going to watch an anime with Tohru-San." Kisa's mother apologized as she put away the dishes.
The mother laughed as she joked about how much Kisa seemed to really love Tohru, and Hiro gritted his teeth, a dark, uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest.
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.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
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"R-rats! I didn't know the enemy would be this strong.." A small child with boxing gloves on the screen gasped to his discount-Pikachu friend.
"Moge-"
"Are you intimidated by my mighty power, Ari?" A tall grown man with dark boxing gloves taunted the main protagonist.
The group sat around the living room table as they watched the cartoon, all of their faces coated in an orange-yellow mask.
"That being said, when I go back home, the old ball and chain will be waiting for me!" The man complained to the air, letting out an aggravated cry.
"AAAAAH! What an immature opponent... Taking his domestic stress out on me..."
Marley tried to hide a laugh behind her hand, but it came out anyway. There was something cringey yet hilarious to her about the dialogue of the kids' show. Yuki gave her a look, wondering how she could laugh at something like this as he went for another sip of tea.
"Let's Go Mogeta! Triple turbo charge swat!"
Kisa and Tohru were watching it intently, so at least they seemed to be enjoying it. Marley could name a few cartoons she would rather watch, but at least she was watching this with friends, and that's all that really mattered.
"I guess even bad guys have their problems... but maybe his wife has her reasons too... It's a complicated issue." Tohru pointed out while Kisa nodded in agreement, her large eyes watching the cartoon with intrigue.
"I do like the lipstick... I feel like Hana would look really good in it." Marley pointed out the villain's dark purple lipstick as she played with her end of one of her dutch braids.
"Hana-Chan would look great in it!" Tohru agreed full-heartedly.
"Morning-" Shigure yawned as he emerged from his home office and bedroom.
"Good morning!" Tohru returned the greeting.
Marley checked her phone to see the time, and it was already past 6 in the evening.
"Shigure... it's nighttime already. Maybe you should try sleeping like a normal person." Yuki pointed out as he judged the adult of the house.
"I became an author so I could sleep anytime I wanted! Now...why do I have a group of aliens in my house?" Shigure teased as he covered the lower half of his mouth, but they could hear him laughing.
Yuki had utterly forgotten about the bright yellow face mask he was wearing and groaned at being caught. Marley had made some sort of skin-care mask for the girls and then convinced him that it would be fun for everyone to be wearing one. It was hard to say no to those eyes. He was just thankful the Cat hadn't seen him in the mask.
"Kisa, you make such a cute little alien." Shigure cooed as he patted her head affectionately.
"We have some leftover, would you like a mask? It's turmeric with honey and milk. It's great for your skin. Feels so nice and soft after." Marley asked, and Shigure said he would be delighted, and Marley got up to grab the bowl from the fridge.
"So? What are you guys watching?" Shigure asked as he glanced at the T.V.
"An anime... it's supposed to be good. It's popular at school too, so I borrowed it..." Kisa softly explained.
"We saw the movie before it was so good," Tohru mentioned as she thought back on the Valentine double date she got to go on.
"And how is school going?" The older Zodiac member asked.
"Good. I'm trying hard. And I had my first day at ballet today, and everyone was really nice...And I'm going to try hard... because my Mom... And all of you... Are there for me." Kisa smiled softly into her lap as she spoke, Marley and Tohru's eyes glued to her small form, gleaming with adoration.
"I love you!" Both Marley and Tohru tackled Kisa and showered her with love while the boys watched small smiles on their faces, and Shigure mentioned about an 'eruption of hearts' he swore he could see.
"You guys should probably wash off. And Shigure, I'll put it on for you." Marley sat herself down in front of Shigure, and he let the girl rub his face with a warm towel and then use a paintbrush on his skin, painting on the orange-yellow mixture with care.
Shigure watched Marley's face with interest, trying to ignore the bright face mask she wore; he could tell something was off in her eyes. She would look at him, open her mouth to say something and then just continue with her task, softly stroking the mask on his cheeks and then gently holding his hair back so she could paint his forehead.
Tohru returned from upstairs with a clean face, Kisa following close behind, and they went into the kitchen to get started on dinner.
"You know... Mama and Bapu kept strange hours. Due to work. I'd be getting home for dinner, and Mama would be making her 'morning' coffee." Marley joked as she dipped the brush in the bowl again and then applied more of the mask to his face.
"She worked in show business, right?" Shigure asked as he watched her intently, and her soft amethyst eyes fill with warmth and love as she thought of her late parents.
"Yep! Mama was a dancer while Bapu made sure no one caused trouble." Marley giggled as she couldn't imagine her step-father actually hurting anyone, he just looked intimidating because of his size, but to Marley, he was about as mean as a goldfish.
The girl opened her mouth to ask something but seemed to doubt herself as she shook her head.
"I need to go wash this off. But keep it on for another 20 minutes." Marley ordered while she picked up the now empty bowl and disappeared. Shigure hummed to a tune as he felt the mixture on his face start to harden.
"I wonder what Marley wanted to ask?" Shigure thought to himself and was interrupted as the door slid open, and a boy with bright orange hair entered the house.
"Oh! The hot-blooded kid is home." Shigure greeted him, and Kyo raised an eyebrow at the Dog.
"Shigure? What the hell is on your face?" The boy as he kicked off his shoes and adjusted his bag.
"Marley-Chan lovingly painted my face. She says it's going to make me more handsome than before." Shigure boasted, and Kyo only looked around to see if he could see the girl in question.
"Marley's here?"
"She and Kisa-San are sleeping over!" Tohru piped up from the kitchen while Kisa peeked out behind her, helping with dinner where she could.
"Where is she?" Kyo asked.
"Just upstairs in the bathroom, don't go peeping Kyo." Shigure teased, and Kyo had to stop himself from throttling the adult, hissing that he wasn't a perv before letting out a sigh before he looked down the small house guest.
"You really spendin' the night, munchkin?" He asked, and Kisa looked down and stared fidgeting, trying to make the words leave her mouth.
"Why don't you try being a little nicer?" Yuki asked as he glared at Kyo while sipping a cup of tea, his face now clean and almost sparkling from the face mask.
"WHAT?! Up yours! I can act however the hell I want!" Kyo snapped, shaking his fist at the grey-haired boy before calming himself down.
"Not my problem if she's afraid of me…." He pointed out as he crossed his arms.
"Aww, I don't think she's afraid of you. Kisa's just a little shy." Marley popped out of from behind a corner and hugged Kisa close before giving her a few tickles, making the young girl softly giggle.
"Don't pop out of nowhere like that!" Kyo scolded as he grabbed one Marley's braid and tugged it softly.
"Ooops, sorry." She laughed as she smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes and dropped her hair, shaking his head.
"What're you smiling about? Cut it out. Your gonna give me a heart attack." He muttered, his ears slightly going red.
"Ah youth…I'm envious…" Shigure let out a dreamy sigh.
"What the hell are you-" Kyo started, but the adult of the house wasn't finished.
"But maybe try to keep the flirting in the house to a minimum. Everything in moderation..." He lectured, fanning himself with a blue paper fan.
"I-I- I ain't flirtin'!" Kyo denied as his entire face flushed red, and he waved his fist at Shigure, who merely gave him a 'tut, tut.'
Kisa and Marley giggled over the Cat and Dog 'fighting' before the two decided to help Tohru with dinner, and soon everyone came together for a warm meal.
But Kyo couldn't help but glance at Marley now and then, noticing that she was slightly on the quieter side as she silently enjoyed her meal and rarely gave input for conversation.
As Kyo was about to ask something, he noticed Shigure staring at him and decided he would wait till they were alone asking the amethyst-eyed girl what was on her mind.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
The sound of crickets seemed to taunt her, keeping her up. Or maybe it was all the unanswered questions she had that didn't let her sleep. Unfortunately, there were very few left in this world she could even ask.
Where you ever going to tell me...
Marley tossed and turned, careful not to wake the other two in the large bed. She checked the time on the clock for what had to be the 100th time and softly groaned with how late it had gotten, it was the middle of the night, and she couldn't sleep.
Gently, she got out of bed, careful not to disturb Kisa or Tohru as they peacefully slept. Marley slipped on her glasses and tip-toed out of Tohru's bedroom, moving slowly down the hallway and down the stairs, so she didn't wake anyone else in the house.
Her fuzzy socks nearly slipped on the last step, and she let out a soft yelp, but she steadied herself on the wall and continued on, thankful she hadn't fallen.
Rummaging through the cupboards, she found the glasses and went to the fridge to grab the milk carton, hoping it might help her sleep. Marley did not notice a pair of grey eyes watching her from the living room table.
"A little mouse in the kitchen?"
Marley nearly dropped the milk carton in her hands, swiftly turning around and seeing the Dog of the Zodiac giving her a cheeky smile as he looked at her over his reading glasses, a thick book in his hands.
"Shigure, you're still up." Marley let out a sigh as she tried to calm her nerves.
"The curse of the creative, I feel myself come alive with shining of the moon." He dramatically declared.
"Come sit with an old man." He gestured her over with his hand.
"I hardly would classify you as old. Would you like anything from the kitchen?" Marley asked, and he shook his head as he set down his book.
"I'm set, thank you." He said as he pointed out his pot of tea.
Marley filled her glass and joined Shigure in the living room, a night breeze blowing through an open porch door, the night sounds of insects chirping filling the room.
"I didn't know you wore glasses." Shigure pointed out, and Marley subconsciously reached up and adjusted them.
"I normally wear contacts." She revealed, feeling self-conscience in front of him. There was something about Shigure that made her squeamish, but she waved it off as Shigure was a friend of Hatori's and had given her no reason to feel uneasy.
Though she had asked Akito about Shigure, her already stand-offish friend immediately shut down, not before calling the Dog a bastard and snapping the chopsticks she had been using.
Shigure remains an enigma to her, but after seeing him in pictures with her father in her younger days, she had become a bit more intrigued.
"You look very cute in them." He gave her a flirtatious smile and winked at her making her laugh awkwardly while thanking him for the compliment.
Silence passed between the two as Shigure returned to his reading and Marley occasionally sipped on her milk, her eyes darting back and forth between the Dog and a small crack in the table.
"Something on your mind? You're making me blush with all longing looks." Shigure teased with a slight smirk on his lips.
"Ah, sorry I didn't— I was just curious about what you reading." She insisted leaving Shigure slightly disappointed that he couldn't make the girl blush with his comment, it turns out she wasn't as easy to frazzle as he hoped.
"I'm only teasing. 'The Mist' by Stephen King." Shigure knew that wasn't what the girl wanted to ask and was avoiding something, but he would play along, maybe he would learn something.
" Oh! I've read a bit of Stephen King's stuff, but a lot of it's a bit too scary for me. Are you reading the Japanese translation?" She asked as she leaned forward, and he handed her the small novella.
"No, reading it in its original English," Shigure revealed and was surprised how Marley's eyes lit up with admiration.
"That's amazing, I didn't know you knew English!" Marley said in awe.
"Well, you must be able to read in a few different languages." He jokingly waved off the compliment, but in reality, he was enjoying the praise.
" Yes, but I know how difficult it is, at least for me, it still takes me time to translate in my head even now." Marley confided and thought on her most recent book that she read outside of school.
"I recently read the Japanese translation for 'The Shining', and it took me forever, plus I had to keep putting it down because I would get scared. Bapu really liked Stephen King's books."Marley wouldn't mention that she was reading it during the March hot springs trip and threw it at Kyo's face because he startled her.
" I know, Yuuto-San's the one who actually got me into Stephen King. He lent me 'Shawshank Redemption,' and I was hooked." He revealed.
"Really?" Marley wanted to know more, hungry for anything when it came to information about her Bapu's life growing up in the Sohma Estate. It had recently become more apparent to her why her father figure was so close to the older Zodiac crew.
" You're father is to blame for my literature addiction. He was always putting books in me and Hatori's hands as kids. ." He reminisced about the kind man, but he knew Yuuto had different intentions behind feeding him all the books, but Shigure hardly blamed him for it.
" I could never read as much as he did, I had trouble staying still for too long, but I was able to catch up on a lot of reading in the hospital." Marley had tried to take advantage of being stuck in a bed for months, but even then, she didn't read that many books.
"I know. Yuuto-San would come by and keep borrowing books for you." He revealed and watched as Marley's brow lifted in surprise before thanking him profusely for letting her borrow all those books.
"Come on, I hardly ever get to show off my collection. Ignore the mess, please." Shigure mentioned as he rose up and led Marley into his office and bedroom.
Everywhere she looked, there were books. Towers of books on the table and all shelves seemed to be double stacked. The only other things in the room were a cluttered desk and an unmade futon. Marley walked up to a tall rack, and her fingers brushed against the various book spines.
A few particular books caught her eye, and she smiled as she read the titles, Shigure owned both the English and Japanese versions.
" Bapu liked the more thriller, mystery stuff while I liked the fantasy genre, but he would read Lord of the Rings with me." Marley mentioned softly as she pulled out the English version of'The Fellowship of the Ring,' flipping through it.
"With you?"
" I was struggling with English in school, and he figured reading aloud would help…. And Mama would normally sit and listen. We tried to get her to read, but she insisted she liked listening to us read it.." Marley's gentle smile appeared as she slid the book back into place, tears building up when she thought that it would never happen again.
" Sounds like you had a picturesque little family." An ugly feeling in Shigure's chest grew. He wished he could stop it, be a better man, but all he felt was envy to the girl in front of him. Everything seemed to come so naturally to her. Marley had been given a kind upbringing, no curses, only true parental love.
"Wait till you meet them, Shi-Kun! You're gonna love them, Chandra's gonna give you a run for your money come game night, and her little girl... My god is she inquisitive, always wanting to learn, she'll pick up the language, no problem. And her eyes are like the purple hydrangea's my Okaa-san use to garden." Yuuto gleefully told him about his new family, love for them practically pouring from his very aura.
Not only had she taken away the person who Shigure once looked up to, but Marley had also stolen the attention of the one he loved most in this world.
" I was very lucky to have had them... I just wish..." Marley fidgeted with her locket.
The girl often thought about her parents, how could she not. But the last few days the white-blonde was going through her mementoes of them as if she was watching a movie, looking for clues that maybe she didn't see before. How much they hadn't shared with her, or perhaps they were waiting till she was older. Would they have told her at all?
Marley really didn't know how to bring this up and had been trying to ask all evening. But now she was too caught up in her head, and she was just trying to keep herself from crying.
The Dog of the Zodiac looked up and was surprised to see his fellow Zodiac member standing in the doorway, watching the girl with intense eyes and then he moved his glare to Shigure.
"What did you do, Shigure?" Kyo's voice cut through, and Marley immediately spun around to see him.
"Ah, Kyo! You're up late. We were just talking. Some late-night gossip," Shigure teased as he waved his hand at the orange-haired teen.
"About what?" Kyo asked suspicious of the night meeting in Shigure's study.
"It's a secret." Kyo doesn't like the look in Shigure's eyes and grabs Marley's bicep, pulling the girl out of the room and dragging her off while Shigure watched, a small smirk on his face.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
"What are ya even doing up?" Kyo asked, not liking the feeling of seeing her being with Shigure alone, made his skin crawl.
"I couldn't sleep." She shrugged and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, but he caught her slightly red eyes in the light of the hallway. Kyo groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling Marley down the hall and then out to the porch.
" If your not gonna sleep, then you might as well spill," Kyo said. Marley asked if they could go up on the roof, which Kyo had no complaints as he led the way up the ladder and went to his usual spot, the girl following close behind, but stepping carefully as her socks had no grips on the tile roofing.
" So, what were ya talking to that bastard for? And what the HELL were you doing in his office?"
Marley couldn't hold back her laugh at how blatant Kyo was in his use of language.
" He was just showing me his book collection... there was something I wanted to ask him something... But I ended up chickening out..." Marley let out a heavy sigh.
"What did you want to ask?"
Kyo watched as Marley played with her hair, taking it out of the braids and letting it flow around her.
" I don't know if it would be insensitive or not..."
"Look, I know the old man told you something the other night, otherwise he wouldn't have kicked us out. And you've looked out of it since. It's obviously bothering you, might as well talk about it rather than keep it in."
Kyo thought back on the night in the woods, where they said they would share their problems. He now worried that they were just words, and maybe Marley didn't feel comfortable sharing with him.
"I-...He told me about his late wife...she was a Zodiac member." The words spilled from her lips with ease.
Little did Marley know that Kyo felt a weight leave his shoulders, relieved that she was sharing with him something that she had been scared to talk to Shigure about.
"Yeah, she was the dog, right?" He asked as he made himself comfortable.
"Ah, yes, how did you know?"
Kyo shrugged, and that made Marley realize just how out of the loop she was, even if she was a Sohma in name and considered herself close with the members of the Zodiac, she was still an 'outsider.'
"So, you really had no idea about it?" Kyo asked, watching her with his intense orange eyes.
Marley nodded before taking in a deep breath and let out a massive sigh.
".. when I was around 11 or 12... I really wanted a dog. I begged and bargained, but they said no. It was the only time I had ever seen Bapu snap. I wondered why he seemed to be so against having a dog... I thought maybe he had been bitten and was afraid." Marley told him as she leaned back and laid beside him, watching the stars.
" Now that I know... that his mother was Dog of the Zoidac.. maybe dogs reminded him of his mother...I wonder if Mama knew..."
I can't imagine... not even being able to hug your mother... because of a curse... how would you even try to explain that to a child... Every time Bapu hugged his mother, she turned into a dog.
"Bapu, the more I think about it. He hardly ever spoke of his mother, other than she died when he was young and that she was kind and beautiful..." Marley looked up to the stars, trying to enjoy the clear night sky, but her mind was just so crowded. What else was she blind too?
" I remember.. Mama used to make fun of him because… he used to be really awkward when it came to hugging. Like he would just hover his arms, not really embracing, and Mama and I used to tease him so much, and he just laughed and said that his parents weren't really affectionate people, so he always felt strange when hugging."
Bapu had probably wanted to hug his mother so much, and she had probably wished for nothing more in the world than to hold him, to hold her own child in her arms. But they couldn't.
"He eventually got the hang of it and gave some of the best hugs ever. Mama was a good teacher." She reminisced, a sad smile gracing her face.
Marley always felt protected in the arms of her parents. As she spoke, Kyo watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to recreate the feeling of being held. Marley felt her throat choking up as her eyes burned.
"God, I'm sorry you probably don't need to hear any of this. I really need to think before I open my mouth, huh.." The girl apologized as she looked at Kyo, wishing she had kept her mouth shut about how wonderful it felt to be embraced.
"I just wish... I knew more... then maybe... Just maybe." Marley reached out to the stars, like the Sohma's; she could see them in plain sight few, but no matter how much she reached out, she couldn't get a grasp on what the curse was. Every time she learned more about the Sohma family, she felt like she took a few steps back instead of forward.
A hand enclosed around hers, Kyo's rough calloused took her hand and held it in front of him, looking at her long fingers and noting that today her nails were a minty green colour.
"It's not like it's your fault were cursed. Shouldn't let it get it to you so much." Kyo tried to convince her not to worry about them, but how could she not. She was an affectionate person, and there were many times she wanted to hold the members of the Zodiacs in her arms and offer comfort, but she had to find other ways to show she cared.
But to Marley, there really was nothing like being held safely in the arms of someone who loved you. Though she wouldn't deny that the way Kyo was holding her hand, rubbing it softly with his thumb felt pretty special too, a soft look in his eyes as he looked at their hands that made Marley's mind go a little fuzzy.
To love someone so much, to be by their side even if you couldn't hold them. Tetsuo Sohma was not the most affectionate man to begin with, but Marley was so curious about his marriage with a Zodiac member.
His eyes really lit up when speaking of his late wife, she was the love of his life, and he didn't care that she was cursed. He still wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
"They must have really loved each other to get married, even though they couldn't hold one another. You could see it in Dadaji's eyes when he talked about her. " Marley sighed, wishing she had gotten to know her step-grandmother, curious to who she was.
" I think you'd have to be some sort of crazy to marry someone who's cursed," Kyo answered, and he wished he hadn't said anything as Marley slipped her hand from his and brought it to her chest and staying silent for a moment as she continued to look up at the sky.
Kyo looked over at her as she took in the night sky, her skin glowing in the moonlight, her hand subconsciously holding onto the locket resting in the middle of the chest.
" They at least had some sort of happiness together... right?" Marley asked though he wasn't sure if the question was for him or the stars.
"I guess... it's pretty rare for Zodiac members to marry...Tch, I know I'm never getting married." That much Kyo was sure of, making a point of using the word 'never.' He had only ever heard of it happening to a few Zodiac members across the time. His Shishou's grandfather, who had been the Cat before Kyo, had gotten married, but he knew next to nothing about the past Cat's wife or what kind of person she was.
"Why not?"
"What would be the point?" He said with snark, glaring at the night sky as if the stars were to blame for him being cursed.
He could feel Marley's eye's on him and avoided looking at her, not wanting to see any pity in her large amethyst eyes. Marley felt that she had brought up a sensitive subject and tried to switch it.
" Oh, Kisa looked like she had a lot of fun today!" Marley remembered that she hadn't told Kyo how it had gone.
"Yeah?"
" It was wonderful! Kisa looked great, and the teacher's nice, oh and she looked so cute when she chasséd across the floor and let out a sigh of relief after like she wasn't breathing. She must have been so nervous, but she was excited about her next class." Marley gushed as she looked on the bright side of things happening around her and all the good things to come.
"You.. really care about her, don't you?" Kyo asked.
"I do. Kisa's kind of like… what I imagine having a little sister would be like." Marley admitted she had never really like the idea of siblings when she was younger, but now Marley wished she had at least one.
Marley rambled on about ballet and mentioned a few famous ballet pieces, and while Kyo couldn't understand a word she was saying but she seemed so happy and excited for Kisa and was telling him about when she first started dance.
Kyo would mention how many hours he spent on his martial arts, and the two started talking about injuries. Marley then told him that she got a bit too cocky about pirouettes and once when she wasn't paying attention, she nearly spun off a stage. The first time Kyo attempted a high kick, his other foot slipped out from underneath him, and he went falling back.
Marley's lids began to feel heavy, and she let a yawn escape.
"… I should try and get some sleep." Marley leaned forward and made her way to her feet.
"I'll come too.." The two walked across the roof and down the ladder, Kyo went first, making sure the ladder was steady as Marley stepped down.
"Thank You, Kyo" Before the two parted ways in the hallway, the white-blonde turned to Kyo and lightly grabbed his hand.
"For what?" He asked, thankful for the dark hallway as it hid his blush.
"For listening." She simply put as she smiled over at him.
"Tch, Whatever, go back to bed already." Kyo used his free hand to rub the back of his neck.
"Goodnight, Kyo." Marley slightly rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb before lightly slipping way and disappearing into Tohru's room.
The teenager stood in the hallway alone for a moment, putting a hand over his rapidly beating heart.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
.
The final bell rang, and students began gathering their things, getting ready to go home to their after-school activities.
"Yuki-Kun, do you have student council again today?" Tohru asked the popular boy who nodded and smiled back at her, making the rest of the girls in the class jealous.
"Yeah, good luck at work, Honda-San." Yuki wished as he headed out the classroom door.
"Well, I'm off," Tohru said as she zipped up her bag and waved to her friends.
"See you, tomorrow.," Hana said softly
"Have a good day at work." Marley smiled at Tohru as she hurried out the door.
"You sound like a wife seeing off their husband." Uo laughed while lounging back in her seat.
"I think it's cute." Hana complimented, and Marley said an unsure 'thank you,' positive that the girls were harmlessly poking fun at her.
"Ya, I can just see it, Marley-Chan, in an apron, working away on a bento box, and then giving it to me before I leave for work," Uo stated, and Marley just laughed while Kyo told them all to shut up with their weird fantasies.
"Ahh... I wish summer vacation was here already." Uo groaned.
"I know... then we could have a little more fun with Tohru-Kun..." Hana sighed
"How about you, Marley? Wanna go bowling?" Uo asked the white-blonde, who shook her head regrettably.
"Sorry, I have dance, but maybe next time?"
"Boo! Fine. What about you jerks. Let's go bowling, yeah?" Uo asked Kyo and his friends.
"Why don't you try askin' a little more nicely?!" Kyo yelled, and Marley couldn't help but giggle at his abrasiveness with Uotani, and the irony of the comment coming from him.
" Anyway, I got somethin' to do today!" Kyo yelled, and before Uotani could call him more names; his friend piped up.
"I'll go! I'll go bowling with you!" The boy called out as he practically raised his hand.
"Alright! Follow us!" Uo pumped her fist, and before Marley knew it, they had all left and Marley was still packing up her things.
"I've never actually been bowling before. Maybe next time, it would be fun to go all together." Marley offered, smiling over at her orange-haired friend who didn't look interested in the slightest.
"Sounds like a nightmare." Before Marley could respond to that, her phone vibrated harshly, and she checked the message.
" Oh… I guess I could have gone with them after all." Marley sighed, her shoulders slightly sagging as she looked over the message.
"What's up?" Kyo asked he threw his bag over his shoulder.
"The Ballet studio has a leak, so they're closing till….. Further notice?" That was never good news, and Marley only hoped it was dealt with quickly. She had really been looking forward to ballet, in the mood for it since watching Kisa, so she was slightly dejected and wondered where she could go instead.
"Well, let's go then," Kyo said, opening the classroom door and waiting for Marley to follow.
"Where are we going?" She asked as she slid on her backpack and tilted her head, wondering what Kyo had in mind.
"The Dojo."
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
.
A brunette was walking along the sidewalk and checked her watch.
"Oh... I got here a little early... I'll just take my time in the changing room..."
From the sky, a brown boot fell and landing in the ground in front of Tohru.
"A shoe fell from somewhere?!" Tohru gasped as she knelt down to inspect the shoe, wondering where it came from.
"Hey. That. Pick it up." A young voice called from above.
Tohru looked up and there sitting up on a postal box was a cute young boy with sandy brown hair and large, intelligent eyes in an army green outfit.
"Pick it up!" He ordered in a snippy tone.
"Su-sure. Here you go!" Tohru picked up the boot and handed it to the boy.
"What? You actually picked it up? Idiot." The young boy snatched the boot from her hand so quickly that it made Tohru slightly jump.
"Huh...?"
"Can't think for yourself? Don't you have any self-respect? If I told you to spin around, would you do it? If I told you to jump off a bridge, would you jump?" His words came out so quickly that she had no idea how to respond, wondering what she could have possibly done to upset the child.
"No..." Poor Tohru had no idea what was going on as she felt her head spin.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
"Nee-Chan?" The boy called out, surprised to see the brown-skinned beauty on the floor of the dojo as she tied on her ballet shoes.
"Hiro! What's up?" She greeted, smiling up at him from the floor.
" What are you doing here?" He asked, annoyed with how the day had gone, and Marley sensed that something was perhaps up but decided to just observe and wait to see if he shared with her or not.
"There's a leak at the dance studio, so Kyo said I could use the dojo till the regular training started." She explained as she slipped on her satin pink pointe shoes, securing it tightly with elastic and ribbon.
"What about the dance studio on the estate?" Hiro asked as he walked closer to her.
"Someone's using it for their wedding dance rehearsals." She explained, rising up from the floor and doing a few simple steps in her pointe shoes.
"Where's the Cat?" He asked, looking around but didn't see any sign of Kyo's bright orange hair.
"Still getting changed, I guess?" Marley suggested as she got up on her tiptoes and testing how the shoes felt. The girl looked around and then pouted, which caused Hiro to ask what was wrong.
"I wish there was a dance bar..." she softly pouted. The large room could make for a dance studio in many ways, it had smooth flooring and a wall covered in mirrors, but it was a dojo and not a dance studio. She had ended up using the wall to get her through her essential warm-up.
"Sucks for you." Hiro teased, crossing his arms and raising his brows.
"Can you spot me?" She asked, looking at Hiro with her large eyes and sweet smile, hoping he would help her out quickly.
"Please?"
"Fine. What do you need.."
Marley had Hiro stand in front of her, and she held onto his shoulder with one hand and using her other hand to bring her right leg and brought it up into hyperextension, essentially a standing split while on pointe.
The young Zodiac member was used to Marley's abilities at this point and used his free hands to play on his phone while Marley used him for balance.
"So, what are you gonna do today?"
"Was just going to work on some basics and try and do an old routine." She shared with him as she switched legs.
"What the-" Kyo's voice broke through as he froze as he was Marley in her black, mock-neck leotard that was tight against her curves as she effortlessly balanced on her tip-toes, or at least it looked effortless to him. He was brought out of his trance when Hiro snickered a bit.
"Hiro! How many times do I gotta tell you? No shoes in the dojo!" Kyo shouted as he marched into the room, donning a black karate uniform.
"...what's the difference? Nobody 's here yet, and she's wearing shoes." Hiro argued, shrugging his shoulders, which made Marley have to try and keep her balance on her tiptoes as Hiro moved.
"That don't make a difference! Hers aren't outdoor shoes! It's about manners! "Kyo hissed, and his attitude just made Hiro chuckle, enjoying messing with the Cat of the Zodiac.
Hiro stepped away, and Marley teetered a bit, nearly losing her balance till Kyo quickly stepped in, grabbing her wrist and steading her.
"What, you would do anything in the name of 'manners'? If someone told you it was proper decorum to die, would you do it? How about murder?" Hiro mocked, and Marley could feel Kyo about to pop off beside her.
"You should remove your shoes Hiro, we are guests here." Marley fidgeted with the collar on Hiro's green shirt, laying it down properly, and the boy sighed and, without any real complaints, started to remove his boots.
"You hair-splitting little shit... you're too big for your britches, brat..." Kyo was practically twitching with rage at the boy's flippant attitude.
"Oh? And how mature is it to get so worked up over a brat?" Hiro decided to irritate Kyo even more, and Marley giggled over the fact that Hiro had just called himself a brat, but Kyo didn't find anything funny about the situation.
"What?!"
"You two..." Marley tried to mediate but was interrupted by the door dramatically sliding open, and the three turned to see a surprise guest, huffing and puffing as they leaned over.
"Hiro-san...pocket book...give it..." The brunette panted as she tried to catch her breath.
"Tohru?" Marley called out, honestly wondering if was really seeing her friend and classmate at the Sohma Dojo of all places.
Wasn't she supposed to be at her part-time job?
"What're you doin' here?" Kyo asked, just as surprised as Marley, while Hiro wore an irritated look on his face.
"Ahh... Kyo-Kun- so this...is your master's dojo, huh?" She huffed as she continued to try and catch her breath, slowing walking into the dojo.
"You followed me all the way here? How'd you know?" Hiro asked in an unfriendly tone, glaring at Tohru.
"Hiro, did you do somethin'?!" Kyo yelled, turning around and glaring down at the boy.
"Excuse me? Am I under suspicion here? And if it's a false charge, how are you going to make it up to me?" Hiro smirked up at Kyo until he threw his hands up and shrugged.
"All I did was take her pocketbook." The young boy said flippantly, showing off what he had taken.
"Hiro!" Marley gasped, she knew Hiro could be difficult sometimes, but this was something else.
"THEN YOU DID DO SOMETHING. GIVE IT BACK TO HER RIGHT NOW." Kyo demanded, steam practically coming out of his ears.
"... The stupid girl asked me to take it!" He lied, but as he looked up at Marley's face, he saw the disappointed and confused look in her eyes he took a step back and looked at the ground, feeling the shame swirling in his chest.
"Watch your mouth brat before I rearrange your face." Kyo threatened, holding up his fist and Marley was sure he was joking.
"Go ahead, if you'd like to be held accountable for child abuse." Hiro spat back, knowing that Kyo wouldn't do anything.
"YOU-"
And Marley let out a small sigh and pulled Kyo away, stepping in between the two as the tension seemed to rise and rise.
"Hiro... you need to apologize." Marley tried to reason, but she could tell that Hiro was gearing up to say something sarcastic before a small soft voice broke over the dojo and his eyes widened.
"Hiro-Chan..."
The group turned to see Kisa hesitantly walking into the dojo, her hands placed in front of her chest.
"Hiro-Chan, did you take... something from Tohru-Onee-Chan?" The sweet girl asked, her wide amber eyes locking onto Hiro.
"Honey-Bee?" Marley questioned, wondering if the dojo was always this busy.
"Ah, Kisa-San! But what are you doing here?" Tohru greeted the young girl.
Momiji then popped his blonde head in and stuck out his tongue while winking at Hiro, revealing he was the culprit.
"I see... so the Rabbit is behind this." Hiro sighed, annoyed how this day was going. Everything was going wrong, and he wasn't sure what his next move was going to be as he knew no one was going to side with him.
"Hiro-Chan... you have to give it back... it isn't right for you to cause problems... For Tohru-Onee-Chan." Kisa softly called out as she stepped closer. It had been so long since the two had spoken, but hearing that name come out of Kisa's mouth made Hiro's skin prickle.
Marley watched the two with interest, they had been so close up until a few months ago, and then they suddenly stopped hanging out, not long after Kisa's accident actually. No matter how much Marley tried to ask the two what was wrong, they were shut like steel cages when it came down to the subject.
At least they're kind of talking... right?
"Hiro-Chan?" Kisa called out to him, and Marley watched as Hiro's shoulders tensed, and his jaw seemed to be clenched.
"... This is dumb.." She heard him utter before he brought his face up and gave Tohru a harsh glare.
"It's not like I need this junk!" And Hiro threw the green pocketbook into Tohru's chest, making a 'whap' sound as it hit her, and everyone in the room let out a gasp at the action while Kyo yelled out the young Zodiac's name.
"U-uum. It's okay now..." Tohru uttered, just happy to have her pocketbook back, not wanting to cause any trouble.
"No, it's not okay, Tohru." Marley sighed as she walked away from Hiro, looking at him before shaking her head and stood with the brunette. Marley was unhappy with how Hiro was treating Tohru, who had done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. She was disappointed and confused.
Marley was about to ask Hiro what was going on, but Kisa beat her to it as she approached the boy and held onto his arm.
"What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?" Kisa asked she knew Hiro to be a kind friend who she cared for deeply and couldn't understand where this 'Hiro' had come from.
"I don't want you to do things... that make people sad," Kisa admitted, and Hiro could feel how disappointed the girl he cared for most in this was with him. Marley, being upset with him was one thing but Kisa… Hiro never wanted Kisa to look at him with those eyes.
He wanted to help her and be the one she depended on, but he couldn't find the words. And while he was trying to figure out how to help, someone had stepped in and said the right thing, and now Kisa was utterly enamoured with that someone else who wasn't Hiro. He hated it. He hated her.
"Why... Is it always her? All you do these days is talk about that stupid woman! You took that video straight to her… the one I lent to you! I… wanted to watch it with you…" Hiro snapped, glaring at the floorboards as he clenched his fists.
Kisa then questioned the attitude he had when he lent it to her, acting as if he didn't want to watch it, and it only left the poor middle schooler confused.
"Did I have to spell it out for you!? You should have figured it out!" He yelled at her, blowing up on the innocent Kisa, and everyone felt the need to call the boy out.
"Hiro, you aren't being fair." Marley tried to scold.
"Yeah, Kisa can't read minds," Momiji added as he hung off of Marley's arm.
"Shut up, Bunny!"
" I know I couldn't do anything to help you before… you were going through an awful time, and I couldn't do anything… but it's always 'Tohru-Onee-Chan, Tohru-Onee-Chan' all the time…" Hiro spat his words, frustrated with himself and directing it at Tohru.
Marley watched the two youngest Zodiacs fondly, realizing what Hiro was feeling was not so different from how she had felt when Tohru was able to help Kisa when the gentle young girl had run away and locked away her words.
Hiro was jealous.
"I mean… I... I really worry about you too Kisa, I worry a lot.." Hiro confessed softly under his breath but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
"What the hell is going on here?" Kyo sighed, annoyed with the dramatics already.
"That's because you're dense, Kyo." Momiji teased.
"What was that?" Kyo hissed at the giggling Momiji.
"Hiro was jealous of Tohru. He may be tall, but he's only in 6th grade. Hiro's tactless." Momiji explained to the still confused teenager while Marley made some sniffling noises.
"I'm so relieved. At least now, maybe they can go back to being friends." Marley rubbed her eyes to try and get rid of the tears that had built up.
"And WHY are you crying?!" Kyo yelled, giving Marley his full attention and trying to figure out what had her so upset.
"I am just happy for them." Marley fanned her face, hoping it would help.
"... You really are a crybaby..." Kyo shook his head, exhausted, and he hadn't even started training.
"I can't help it. Hiro really missed Kisa but was being so stubborn." Marley wiped away her small tears with a handkerchief Momiji handed to her.
"Shut it!" Hiro snapped as he glared at her and Marley just smiled at the young zodiac, unbothered.
"Aww, don't worry, Hiro. Kisa missed you too." Marley smiled at the two, making them both blush and turn away from each other.
" .. So I guess I was his rival?" Tohru tried to put the pieces together.
"You're in a tough spot, huh Tohru." Momiji pointed out, and the two let out a small synchronized sigh.
"Sort of a bad introduction, I guess... but I promise Hiro isn't that bad, he's actually very sweet." Marley defended Hiro's character, hoping he had a chance to make a better impression soon.
"Are talking about the same brat here?" Kyo asked.
Marley heard Kisa softly asking Hiro to apologize to Tohru.
"That's right, Hiro; Tohru's late to work because of you." Momiji pointed a finger at Hiro, and the young boy just looked off to the side, embarrassed about the actions that led him to this point and too prideful to apologize.
"N-never mind that! An apology isn't good enough!" Tohru stuttered, but with a determined look on her face, her eyes locked onto Hiro.
"Huh?" Marley, Momiji and Kyo all dropped their jaws, astounded of the words that left the always agreeable Tohru's mouth.
"Hiro-San needs to be punished." She announced, which only left the rest of the group even more confused.
"Excuse me? What do you mean to do?" Hiro challenged as he rested his hands on his hips. The group watched as Tohru went into deep thought, all curious as to what she was going to say next.
"Your punishment is…. A hug!" and before Hiro could avoid it, Tohru had practically leaped forward and wrapped the boy up in an embrace and instantaneously, there was a 'pop' sound and a flurry of light green smoke.
"I'm stealing that! Watch out Kyo, next time you do something and try to apologize, I'm hugging you." Marley giggled as she grabbed Kyo's sleeve and tugged it playfully, figuring he was the last person who wanted to be hugged.
"That's stupid, how is that a punishment?" Kyo asked while looking away from Marley, a small blush on his cheeks.
"Tohru must have been curious about which animal he is," Momiji said through a light giggle.
Marley watched as the smoke cleared, and there in Tohru's hand was a small, shaking lamb.
"It's nice to meet you… Hiro-San!" Tohru happily smiled at the boy who looked like he wanted to run away and never return. Marley was relieved how everything turned out, and Kisa looked happy as well. Hopefully, it would be somewhat smooth sailing for those two from now on.
Momiji escorted Tohru to work while Kisa and Hiro disappeared off somewhere, maybe to make up for the lost time, and soon it was just Marley and Kyo in the dojo.
"I'm exhausted.." Kyo complained and rolled his shoulders back, stretching them out.
"At least it was all settled easily enough." Marley quipped, smiling over at him and then something clicked as she took a good look at him in his black gear.
"Kyo! You look so handsome!" Marley complimented honestly.
"WHAT!?" He yelled, jumping slightly, and the girl could have sworn she saw little orange cat ears pop out of his head.
"In your karate outfit, you look so cool." Marley gushed, walking around him and blatantly checking him out.
"…. It's uniform…dammit."
"Ah, sorry, but you look great in it! Like an action movie star!" She just kept laying on the compliments, and the teenager couldn't take any more.
Kyo stomps away, and he yelled at her about doing whatever she needed to do before they had to kick her out in an hour, slamming a door shut behind him.
Marley shrugged and returned to her phone, picking a song and playing a track from the ballet, 'Giselle' on the speaker the dojo provided, testing herself on how well she could remember the choreography that had once been drilled into her.
Her mind wandered to Kyo, standing tall in his karate uniform.
He really did look handsome... Kyo must work out a lot.
And as Marley checked her position in the mirror, she noticed a small blush on her cheeks and quickly tired to fan her face to try and get rid of it.
"I haven't even started, and I'm all flushed, must be the heat." She excused the blush and tried to calm herself down, ignoring the fast pace of her heart.
I'm just excited that Kisa and Hiro finally made up, and hopefully, Hiro can learn to get along with Tohru.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
Hiro had chosen to spend the following afternoon at Shigure's house with Kisa. It had driven Kyo up a wall, so much so that he finally stormed out of the house and his feet automatically took him to the Sohma Estate, expertly climbing the tree to the top of the large fence and dropping down to the other side.
Kyo walked up to the large house, and he heard loud up-beat music as he walked through the garden and up to the porch.
Slipping his sneakers off on the porch, he walked into the living room and quickly found where the music was coming from.
There, in the kitchen, was Marley mopping the floor while dancing to the upbeat music. Kyo crossed his arms and watched with a smirk on his face as this wasn't the way she was dancing yesterday in the dojo…No, this was… just silly looking. But she looked like she was enjoying herself. Kyo spotted the large orange and white cat sitting on the window sill, Marley seemed to be serenading him.
Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy
But here's my number, so call me maybe
It's hard to look right at you baby
But here's my number, so call me maybe
Gimli caught sight of Kyo and immediately arched his back and hissed at him before running off. This made Marley turn around, and she let out a gasp when she saw Kyo. She dropped the mop and brought her hands to her heart, her face going red.
"Kyo! Hey…. How long have you been standing there?" She asked as she picked up the mop from the floor.
"Long enough. Nice moves." He smirked, feeling somewhat proud of catching the girl off guard and seeing her face go so red was definitely a sight he was going to log away in his brain.
Marley laughed it off and offered him so tea while asking what he was doing over, putting away the mop and wiping her hands on her black leggings.
"Hiro and Kisa are over watching some video together." He said as he watched her move around the kitchen.
"Aww, well, that's nice," Marley said, thinking that things must be going well.
"Hiro's ordering Tohru around." Kyo scoffed as he crossed his arms.
"… well, that's less nice." Marley sighed, wishing Hiro wasn't too rude to Tohru.
"How can you stand that brat?" Kyo groaned as he sat at the table as Marley was in the kitchen, serving up two cups of iced chai.
"Hiro?" She asked as she joined him, placing a cup in front of him while sitting down and making herself comfortable, taking her hair out of the top bun and letting her long hair fall to the floor.
"Yeah, he's a pain in the ass." He explained, swirling his cup before taking a sip, his craving relieved for the sweet yet spiced taste of the chai.
"He's really not that bad." Marley defended, she did know that Hiro could be difficult but beneath that sarcastic and somewhat witty exterior was a sweetheart, if you squinted.
Kyo didn't seem to believe it and rolled his eyes, and he just couldn't see why the two were so close, and then a past conversation popped into his head.
It was when the three of them had been making sweets; it was the first time he had seen Marley interacting with Hiro.
"You mentioned that you wouldn't be here or something without him? What was that about?" Kyo asked, genuinely trying to see what Marley or Kisa saw in the bratty boy.
"So I was about to be… deported back to the states and I was being-"
"Stubborn." An old gruff voice chimed in, and the two teens turned to see the old Sohma going to sit on the porch, loosening his dark blue tie.
"Welcome home, Dadaji." Marley greeted and offered to get him a cup of tea, but he just shook his head, lighting up a cigarette, making sure it wasn't blowing into the house. Marley would have said something, but he figured he must have had a tough day and held back from scolding him for smoking.
"You were being deported? When?" Kyo asked, surprised by the information.
"Last summer. After my parents died, I had no official living relatives that the government knew off, so I was going to be sent back to the States to be put into foster care." Marley explained quickly, not wanting to get into too many details.
"What does Hiro have to do with anything?" Kyo asked as he raised a brow at the girl.
"Well, I didn't want to just ask Dadaji to go to all the trouble…"
"So the 'brat' recorded her crying about wanting to be a Sohma and brought it to me. And Marley became an official Sohma member." Tetsuo nodded proudly before disappearing into the house, complaining about the uncomfortable 'monkey suit.'
Kyo was reminded that Japan had only been her home for a short time. It wasn't that long ago that they were living in two separate countries, their lives completely different. Marley had been living her life in America alongside her parents, living a relatively normal life. And now?
" Do you… like it here?" Kyo asked
"What do you mean?"
"Like, do you miss home or whatever."
"I-… Sometimes I guess. There are times I miss even living in India. But it was never about the place… I miss them more than anything."
Marley missed playing cards with Bapu at their kitchen table, him telling her about a new book while Marley joked about 'when would the movie come out?' Marley missed watching Hindi films with Mama in bed while she brushed her hair with care.
"I love my life here, I do. I love Dadaji, and everyone and I feel so lucky to have them. I just wish Mama and Bapu could be here too." Marley slightly fidgeted with her locket before dropping it.
" This is home, here with you and Dadaji and everyone... even though I still have a lot to learn about everyone... Being here makes me happy." A gentle smile on her face that made Kyo's heart jump.
Kyo thought that if Hiro wasn't such a brat, he would tell him, 'thanks for looking out for Marley'. But Hiro always managed to hit all the wrong buttons when it came to the temperamental teen, and Kyo imagined the two would never be able to have a proper conversation.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
.
Hatori was working away in his home office, organizing his files till he was interrupted by a knock at the porch door, Shigure's head peeking in as he waved a bottle of sake.
"A little peace offering?" Shigure smiled innocently at the family doctor.
"…fine… " Hatori let out a sigh as he put down the papers and went to grab some cups.
"Hiro and Kisa were spending some time at my house. Seems they made up." Shigure mentioned as he poured out the clear liquid.
Shigure and Hatori had known that Hiro had revealed how he felt about Kisa to Akito, had Hiro asked them they would have stopped the boy, but what's done is done.
"I guess Hiro had no idea how Akito would react after being told that. Maybe he was more afraid of not saying anything. It took two weeks for Kisa to heal from the injuries Akito dealt her." Hatori explained before he took a long sip from his cup.
"Akito gave her a good beating, huh." Shigure lit up a cigarette before tossing Hatori the packet and lighter.
"So Hiro avoids Kisa and then she gets bullied at school…Marley was trying to help, but they couldn't tell her about what Akito had done…" The Dog of the Zodiac put together the pieces with ease.
"If it meant being the cause of someone dear to him getting hurt, Hiro would rather become a coward. I'm sure Hiro is angry at himself, but he doesn't know what to do about it...because he can't blame Akito." Hatori lit up his own cigarette, taking a long drag.
"So he takes it on Tohru-Kun? The irrationality of youth... I suppose." Shigure sighed as he shook his head.
"That's almost rich coming from you; You went out of your way to make things difficult for Marley out of jealousy. Childish." Hatori scolded, throwing the lighter back at Shigure, who caught it in one hand.
"I'm just a kid at heart. Obnoxiously so… " Shigure hoped to steer the conversation away from his weak moment, his little scheme hadn't worked, he'd only managed to make Akito more furious at him.
"Who will it be first? Will Honda-Kun eventually bear the brunt of Akito's anger? Or Marley… What a mess." Hatori thought out loud as he stared out over the garden outside his office.
"It's a good question. I would hate for a repeat of what happened to Rin. But she's getting out of the hospital soon, right?" Hatori nodded, blowing out smoke into the breeze.
"Haa-Kun and Marley-Chan must be a little relieved." Shigure offered, off the top of his mind, those two were closest to the Horse of the Zodiac.
"The nurses finally let Marley sleepover for a few nights; those two are a stubborn tag team, but Marley kept Rin from trying to escape the hospital at least," Hatori revealed, his mind flashing to when he dropped in for a visit. The two were watching some sort of scary movie. The two nearly jumped out of their skin when he walked into the room.
Marley had even thrown an empty pudding cup at him and then spent the rest of the visit laughing while trying to apologize.
Shigure rested his head on his hand, looking out the window into the garden.
"I don't know why... but all of us… suck at the important stuff… Being in love, taking care of another. Is it supposed to be this difficult?"
"Make you think… where's Yuuto-Nii when you really need him. What would he say?" Shigure mused.
"He'd tell us both to quit smoking for one," Hatori suggested, putting out the end of if his cigarette in the small white ashtray.
"Tell me... has Marley learned anything new recently?" Shigure asked, a playful look in his eyes. Hatori honestly wasn't sure if he should share, but his senses were dulled a bit by the long day and alcohol.
" We were looking through photos with Ayame, and she came across one of Tetsuo's wife holding me as a baby." Something clicked in Shigure's head, and he let out a giant 'oh.'
" Hmm, I wondered why she kept staring at me the other day." Shigure chuckled.
"She's kind of fun.."
" Shigure, I swear I will take a needle from my drawer and-"
"Woah, I'm just joking... I should have said... That I'm interested in what'll happen next is all. Don't worry, I'll just watch. Besides, I feel like I won't have to do much anyway." Shigure promised as he waved his hands at miffed Doctor.
Maybe a nudge here and there
Shigure thought back to the night of Kyo's transformation when the white-blonde came storming into his house, drenched from the rain. All because she had been worried... she had a fierceness that even made him back down.
"Why are you smiling while you say that?" Hatori asked as he raised an eyebrow. The air between them still felt tense, and Hatori wasn't afraid to back-hand him again if he caused problems, a childhood friend and zodiac member or not, Marley had been through enough.
"Yuuto said that she was inquisitive.. You can see it in her eyes, but she seems unsure. But if you say she's stubborn, then I feel like something's bound to happen." Shigure mused before downing his glass of sake, a smooth burn making its way down his throat.
It's kind of exciting.
Hatori let out a massive sigh and started topping up his wine, praying for some deity out there to give him the strength to deal with his cousins while also make sure Marley stayed out of trouble.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.
.
Marley let out a small sneeze before apologizing and turning back around to enjoy some T.V with Kyo while sipping on the iced chai. It was calm till a new guest came stomping in, ripping his shoes off at the porch and throwing them down.
"What happened to you?" Marley asked as she noticed Hiro's drooping shoulders and the boy's pinched brow.
Hiro just trudged into the kitchen without saying anything, and Kyo noticed the worried look in Marley's eyes as she watched the young boy. Her purple amethyst eyes met his orange pair, and she gave him an apologetic look before getting up and disappearing after Hiro.
Tetsuo finally came out of his office and took a seat where Marley was sitting, changing the channel to the news as he reached for a sweet. Kyo leaned around the elder sightly so he could watch Marley and Hiro and listen in on their conversation, just in case Hiro was a brat or something.
"When Kisa was struggling… I wanted to help… I did it!" Hiro basically stomped his foot on the kitchen floor.
Kyo could barely make out Marley as she took Hiro's small hand and led him to the chairs in the kitchen, Hiro's legs slightly dangling as he sat down, and Marley took a seat across from him...
"You know... I was jealous when Tohru helped Kisa..." Marley admitted as she scratched the back of her neck, and Hiro's eyes nearly came out of his head as she looked at her.
"What?! Why?" He snapped, he really couldn't understand why.
"Well… I wanted to help Kisa and was trying really hard to be there for her. But it wasn't what Kisa needed at that moment. Tohru was what Kisa needed and… I was so disappointed with myself for not being good enough, and I wished that I was more like Tohru, and I was mad that where I failed, Tohru had succeeded." It was an ugly feeling that Marley was uncomfortable with, but these were human feelings, and everyone got them, Hiro just needed to learn not to lash out because of them.
"I was mad at myself for not being more like Tohru," Marley revealed, looking to the side as she exposed an embarrassing secret.
" No! I would hate that!" Hiro snapped as he grabbed her hand and Marley tried not to laugh at the angry look on his cute face, and he blushed and brought his hands back to his lap.
"But I can only be me, and Tohru can only be Tohru. Plus, what really mattered was that Kisa got help." Marley reminded Hiro, but he just glared down at the kitchen tiles as Marley noticed his small hand fists shaking.
"Hiro. I know you love Kisa." Marley took Hiro's hands in hers, trying to offer some comfort.
"Tohru loves her too. And Kisa deserves all the love in the world. Kisa needs you too, Hiro. You're going to have to learn to get along with Tohru. And who knows? Maybe you two can become friends." Marley gave his hands a small squeeze along with a smile.
"… fine… but I'm not gonna kiss her ass or anything…" Hiro jumped off the chair and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Marley laughed at Hiro's expression and had to stop herself from hugging him, instead kissing the top of his head, which made him blush wildly.
"I've got to get going, but there's some ladoo on the living room table if you want some," Marley told the young boy as she grabbed her duffle from the tatami mat in the living room.
"Dance?" Kyo asked as he looked up at her.
"Yep. The ballet studio still has a leak, but I'm heading for a hip-hop drop in at the other studio." Marley explained as she put her up in a high pony-tail.
"I've gotta head out.." Kyo jumped up and went to put on his shoes.
"Oh? So soon? " Marley asked as she tilted her head slightly.
"He wants to walk you to dance." Tetsuo teased as he smirked up at the boy.
"Shut it, Old man!" Kyo snapped, which led to the Cat of the Zodiac getting hit square in the face with a coconut ladoo, curtesy of the Sohma Elder. Both Hiro and Marley let out a small laugh, well Marley tried to hide a small laugh while Hiro freely snickered.
The white-blonde dancer saw the look of death Kyo sent Hiro and decided to get Kyo out of the house before anything else could happen. Marley grabbed his hand, and they made their way through the garden, and she only let go so they could make their up and over the Sohma Estate wall.
As Kyo waited for her to make the final step down, she thought that there was still something bothering Marley. She wanted to make it so Kyo wouldn't have to sneak over the wall into the 'Inside' of the Estate. To walk through the front gates and be a true part of the family.
And there was only one person who could truly make that happen.
.
.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Notes:
Coconut Ladoo (laddu)- ball-shaped Indian sweet.
tendu- stretching your leg and foot out from one position to another, while keeping it on the floor
third position - feet remain pointing outwards, but one is placed in front of the other, the front foot's heel touches the back foot's instep
fifth position - standing with the feet turned out so the front foot's heel touches the back foot's toe
arabesque- dancer stands on one leg–the supporting leg–with the other leg–the working leg–turned out and extended behind the body, with both legs held straight
Beta- a term of affection from an older person to a younger person, normally used by parents and grandparents to their children.
Also popped Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe' in there because... why not
Hello!
My goodness, what has the world come to! I hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe, sane and healthy.
My apologies, I did not have a computer for a while so that meant no writing was getting done. This chapter was a little long but I think I was subconsciously trying to make up for the chapter delay. Also, there are LOTS of Kyo moments in here, I was feeling down due to the state of the world and decided that everyone could use it lol
I did break down and commissioned an artist to bring Marley to life so please check out my Tumblr, .com, to check her out. Maybe next I'll get someone to draw both Marley and Kyo.. TOGETHER lol
Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. Don't forget to review, favorite, and/or send me a P.M if you enjoyed.
Thank you so much for the reviews!
To littlecosma001 - Thank you so much and I'm happy you enjoyed the first chapter. Marley just has a gentle soul so it makes animals and some people feel very comfortable with her. I think Yuki is still keeping so many things locked away but I would like him to try and reach out, but I'm happy that Yuki and Marley are able to be friends. Marley's maternal family side might one day make an appearance but I think that's far in the future. Marley's gonna have a lot of family drama in the future, let's just say that lol don't want to give too much away since I'm still trying to map stuff out :p Kyo is so dense but Marley's hardly any better when it comes to matters of her own heart.
To xxjaelee - Wow I'm honoured that you binged read it all in one go :) Marley has had so much happen in her life in recent times and I think she's just trying to get a handle on things but she will have to learn more. She's not a suspicious person and wants to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, my bad for not conveying that properly and I will try to do better. I know it can be frustrating as a reader to know everything that's going and someone remains oblivious lol but I'm trying to give Marley room to learn and grow as a character. Marley still has so much to uncover about the Sohma family and we are just getting started in 'Stir It Up'. Thanks for the review.
To VampireSiren - I'm so happy you enjoyed! Marley turns into a child when she sees cute animals I swear, AND making Yuki touch a cat lol Poor Hiro wants to do the right thing but has no idea what or how to do it and the curse really messes all of them up, obviously. Marley's mom really had an interesting life and I'm looking forward to more of it coming to light. Oh man, I know but the die-hard Kyoru shippers are one day gonna come for me but dammit I love 'MarKy' XD
