I'll hold another banquet. I'll hold banquet after banquet, forever unchanging.

Hundreds of years ago, a lonely god befriended thirteen animals, and, desiring never to again be lonely, bound them to himself with a promise.

The promise behind those words bound the Sohma clan, eternal and unchanging. Banquet after banquet after banquet, generation after generation, tied together by spirits of long before. Seasons passed, years changed, but the bond never broke.

In time, a single outsider entering the lives of the Sohma clan would bring about its end through their endless love, their compassion for those around them and the hope they brought; one of a life where they could be loved by others for who they were, the good and the bad.

Their influence brought an end to the banquet, and brought happiness to both the spirits of the past and the people of the present. Out of their love for the Cat, they set even them free, no longer doomed to be alone.

This story is one of a single outsider entering the lives of the Sohma clan, the story of their love for the Cat, and the changes they brought about.

This is not the story of Tohru Honda.

It was the fourth year of the Taisho era, and a new day was dawning.

A fresh wind blew through Tokyo Bay, bringing in the smell of the sea as the sun rose to the east, marking the beginning of a new day. Porters yelling to each other to unload crates of all and sundry could be heard, the sounds of birds flying in from the coast crying over the noise of the sea, and the roar of the country's metropolis's populace could be heard. The sounds of hawkers selling cheap trinkets, children playing in the streets, the occasional car driving past; all of this was the sound of the city.

Tokyo was a place unlike almost anywhere else in the country. It was a city of opportunity, a beacon to those seeking their fortunes.

A young man dropped his bag, setting foot on the sidewalk as he left the port. His garb was that of a country boy - the modern fashions of the West had not reached his home yet- with a plain blue kimono, overlaid over worn black trousers, long white socks over wooden sandals and his messy brown hair hidden under a white skullcap with a black brim. His hands were callused from hard work, either from metalwork or woodwork. His frame was light, but strong; work at the smithy he had since abandoned had built up his otherwise light frame. His eyes were brown, and wide; the kind that exuded innocence, or so went those who believed in such superstitions.

"It looks like it'll be pretty hot, for the middle of September," Haruka commented, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. A small smile grew across his face, before he gazed back towards the sea. His home on Shikoku was a long way away from here.

"Gramps, you mind looking after everyone at home for me? I promise I'll bring you money soon," he said to nobody in particular.

A brief pang of homesickness fell over him, and then vanished. He'd left home for a reason after all; money was hard to come by anywhere but the city.

"I'll write you as soon as I find somewhere to stay, Gramps," he promised under his breath. "And I find somewhere to work."

The young man sighed. A car whipped past, an important-looking man in a hat and glasses riding past with rolled up paper in the seat next to him. He checked the letter he was holding in his hand.

"Omori ward, huh, Juzo? Denenchofu…." he uttered, enunciating the name of his destination while looking around, before taking in the buildings and people around.

Certainly, this wasn't anything like home; the buildings were bigger, the people were dressed in clothes Haruka was pretty sure he couldn't afford working for a whole year, and he was pretty sure he could get lost here, if he wasn't careful.

Haruka suppressed a groan. This was going to be a while.

"….okay," he uttered, putting a smile back on his face. "Better get moving. Can't make Juzo worry, huh?"

….

The sun was high in the sky by the time Haruka arrived at his destination, leaving the train station as the train pulled away. He paid it a glance as it rumbled away; these things were new-fangled technology, stuff that hadn't quite made it back to his home in the country yet.

"Tokyo is really something, huh?" Haruka said to himself. "The air feels nice."

"Oh! Excuse me! Ugh…I packed far too much…."

Haruka looked behind him to see an older woman, dragging a heavy bag down from the station, trying to get some help lifting it. Judging from her attire, the young man judged she must have been from the countryside, like him. He rushed over, checking around.

"Excuse me, you need help with that?"

The older woman glanced at him, sighing in relief as she relinquished the bag's handle. "Oh, thank you, young man. I'd have thought your city folk lost all your manners. It's good to see some of you still have them."

"Actually, I just came over myself," he explained, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "Whereabouts are you from, if I may ask?"

"Esashi, in Hokkaido, if you've ever heard of it. Yourself?"

"Iwagi. I'm from Shikoku myself. I'm new to Tokyo. Just arrived today, actually. I hope your journey was easier than mine, miss."

"My, with such manners too," the older woman remarked, smiling. "Keep them, young man. Kindness is a lost art nowadays, you would not believe the rudeness of some people. Travelling is difficult, but I had to see my granddaughter. She lives here in the capital, you see. She works for Arisa Sohma, if you've ever heard of her."

"Ah, I see, I see," Haruka replied, nodding. His eye was on something else, however.

Specifically, the man who had suddenly pulled up next to them, with a hand in the older woman's pocket.

The city's ways were new to Haruka, but thieves were definitely nothing new to him.

"Excuse me, sir," he uttered loudly, catching the man's attention. "Is that-"

Without letting Haruka finish, the man fled, a pouch of money in his hands. The older woman gasped, staring at the pickpocket.

"That's….that's my money!"

Haruka glanced at her briefly. "Don't worry. I'll get it. Stay here, watch my bag!"

Dropping his belongings and her bag, the young man gave chase to the pickpocket, sprinting after him. The pickpocket had had a few seconds head start on Haruka, but Haruka was quick, and he was fresh.

"Come back!" he ordered, to no avail. The pickpocket paid him no heed, and instead ducked onto a side street, just as a pair of businessmen walked past, blocking Haruka's view.

"Excuse me!" he yelped, ducking to the side of the pair, ignoring their surprised shouts as he tried to keep an eye on the pickpocket. On the side street, a crowd was downwind of the two, Haruka realizing what was about to happen.

'He's going to try to lose me in there. Can't let that happen-'

As soon as he'd finished that thought, however, a piece of wood smacked into the pickpocket's head from an alleyway from his right, Haruka having not seen it. The pickpocket dropped like a stone and slipped into unconsciousness, the pouch plummeting to the sidewalk. Haruka stopped almost dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Lookin' for this?"

And with that, his alarm disappeared, to be replaced with a smile of relief. The piece of wood clattered the ground, its purpose served, as its wielder stepped out from the alleyway, a young man roughly Haruka's age. He knelt close to the ground, picking up the pouch, weighing it lightly on his palm.

He wore a white tank top, a lightly muscled frame from working construction, black trousers and strong boots. He was about Haruka's height, but his auburn hair was messy, a white hachimaki keeping his hair swept back and sweat off his brow.

This was Juzo Adachi, former inhabitant of Iwagi and current day laborer and doer of odd jobs.

"Juzo," Haruka replied with a smile. "You were here?"

Juzo laughed. "Course I'd be. You told me you were comin', weren't you?"

…..

"Nice of the old lady to treat us to yakiniku," Juzo remarked, patting his belly. He and Haruka were walking up a hill in the area, and they were well-fed and properly compensated for their good deeds.

Haruka rolled his eyes. "We didn't have to take that, you know."

"If an old lady wants to give us food, are you going to turn it out? Come on, live a little, Haru. We're in the big city now."

"You're just saying that because the yakiniku was good," Haruka retorted, shaking his head. "What were you doing there, anyway?"

"What do you mean? I was waiting for you."

"Come on. There's no way you knew I was coming. The ferry was early. I wasn't supposed to be here for a while."

"I might've just….hung around, waiting for you to get here," Juzo conceded, shrugging. "The boss isn't lookin' for me, anyway. Construction's done for now."

He pointed at Haruka's bag. "Come on. Let me take that. You must be tired, luggin' that thing across all of Tokyo."

Haruka shook his head. "No way. Let me."

"Come on, Haru. It's just a bag. Then again, someone as scrawny as you needs the exercise. When you got muscles like mine, well…"

The young man replied by lightly punching Juzo on the arm. "Hey, who was the one who kept begging me to bring the cart when we needed to bring the rice to Grandpa Urokodaki's place? And who, exactly, was the one who carried all five of those things?"

"Just don't talk like that in front of the girls," Juzo responded. "There's a really cute girl who does errands at one of the shrines nearby. Think I got a shot with her."

"Sure, as long as you don't tell anyone about what happened back home with the Kamados," Haruka offered, extending his hand for a shake. Juzo nodded, grinning.

"Done deal. Now come on. Let's go get you set up; my landlord said he had a spare room for you . And I will be takin' that bag."

"Okay, okay," Haruka conceded, handing the bag over to Juzo. He slung Haruka's bag over his shoulder, leading the way down the street. Haruka followed close behind.

"So, I heard your gramps' place folded," Juzo said, a light frown on his face as he walked. "Sorry about that, by the way. Must've been pretty hard on the old man."

"Yeah, he took it pretty hard, even if he doesn't want to say it," Haruka answered, frowning. "Mom and dad offered to put him up but, well, you know him."
"You couldn't take care of him if he was dyin' in bed," Juzo remarked. "Don't worry, I ain't forgotten home just yet. Man's built like a bull and got the temper of one, too. Explains why you sent me a letter."

Haruka nodded. "I was wondering if you could hook me up with some work too, Juzo. I've got to make sure my family's well taken care of and well, there's not much money back home."

"Ah, if you'd asked a few months ago, Haru," Juzo answered with a sigh.

"Why?"

Juzo looked around, as if scanning for tails, anyone following them. Haruka lifted an eyebrow.

"You're not caught up in something bad, are you?" he inquired worriedly. Juzo snorted.

"Please, I wouldn't get caught if I was," he haughtily remarked. "No, no. Just….our last employers didn't want us talking about it."

"That sounds pretty bad."

"Trust me, it was pretty routine. Just….well, these rich guys are pretty eccentric. Weird people," Juzo explained. "You ever heard of the Sohma clan?"

Haruka shook his head. "No. Are they some old samurai clan?"

"Not as far as I figure. They're pretty big up here in the capital, though. First place I worked up here in the city was under Arisa Sohma. Worked as a porter carrying in fabrics and dyes for a few weeks before my boss picked me up. They made really nice kimonos," Juzo answered. "There's a bunch of other Sohma businesses here, too. Whoever they are, they've got fingers in every pie."

Haruka nodded in response. "Huh. Explains why I never heard of them before."

"They love their secrecy. The boss just showed up a few months ago with marchin' orders and told us to get to work, renovatin' their houses and a few other places they had," Juzo explained. "Don't know much about 'em myself. They were pretty loaded though. Paid us a ton of money just to get their stuff done quick and quiet. That kinda money buys anyone's silence. Should've seen the look on everyone's faces when they told us how much they were payin'."

"You're talking to me. You think they'll come after me?"

"Only if you're ratting me out, Haru."

Haruka just grinned at that.

Juzo continued. "Well, we finished work a few weeks ago. Paid us pretty handsomely. Pretty weird family, though."

"Weird?"

"I dunno. They gave a weird vibe," Juzo explained, shaking his head. "Like….I can't explain it too well. They're a quiet family, but the kinda quiet family with a ton of secrets. Not gonna ask questions though. They paid us, job's done, I'm out. Besides, if they do turn out to be a bunch of onmyoji I don't wanna get eaten by demons or something like that."

Haruka snorted. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Sohmas won't have demons eat you if you're talking to me about your last job."

"Hey, you didn't see their clan head, Korenosuke. That guy made my boss piss himself, and I'm pretty sure my boss is a gokudo."

"Seriously?"

"If you saw him, you'd get it."

"Korenosuke Sohma or your boss?"

"Both."

The pair passed over the crest of a hill, overlooking a vast, walled compound. Within the compound, a labyrinthine set of smaller compounds and houses sprawled over a vast set of land, forest and greenery interposed between them all. Each house alone looked opulent, but the grand totality of it resembled something out of the dreams of the most eager fortune-seekers. Juzo pointed towards it.

"There. That's the place we worked on," he explained. Haruka stared at him wide-eyed, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets.

"That's the Sohma estate?"

"Told you were they were rich."

"That's half the city, surely! That's bigger than our whole village!"

"Very rich, like I said. Pretty sure they could buy our village with the change in their pockets."

Haruka continued staring as they walked, barely missing walking into a tree as Juzo yanked him aside.

"Man, you're that impressed, huh, Haru?" he commented bemusedly.

"I've just….never seen something so grand," Haruka uttered in a low voice. "…what kind of family even needs that much space?"

"Arisa made this?"

"Yes, sir. She had it delivered. It was a present, for your birthday," the servant said, keeping his head bowed and averting his master's gaze.

Looking towards the outside world, a tall, slender man stood in a plain white kimono with a plain black obi, examining the blue kimono sitting on a wooden model before him, the pink patterns overlaid across the fabric resembling chrysanthemums.

He was, at a glance, somewhere in his early forties, through only the faint wrinkles on his brow betrayed his true age. His black hair was carefully groomed into a slipknot, resembling the samurai of old, and his cold, grey eyes bore deeper into others than any drill could even through the thin-rimmed glasses he wore. Set in gold, the glasses were bespoke, made for him by the family's doctors; anything else would have been unsatisfactory for the head of the ancient Sohma clan.

Korenosuke Sohma, God of the Zodiac, patriarch of the Sohma clan, was pleased.

"Hm. Tell her that she has my gratitude," the clan head uttered. "Arisa….hm. I must admit, I was reluctant to have you do something so lowly as textile work, but….this is quite exquisite."

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"Hirofumi," Korenosuke started. "Where is he? I told him to meet me here early."

"Haven't seen him all morning. The others said he didn't come home last night."

"Sleeping around," Korenosuke muttered, shaking his head. "Typical. What about Wakana?"

"On her way. She had some business to handle in the city."

"Goro?"

"He's finishing his meal now, sir. He's walking down here as we speak."

Korenosuke lowered his head, nodding slowly.

As far as he knew, all of the other animals were where he expected them to be. All of them bar two.

The first, Takaaki Sohma, was the Monkey. He was older than the rest of the cursed Sohmas, a wily, crafty man who had wormed his way out of the estate successfully with a mentality better befitting a hustler than a member of the esteemed Sohma clan. Korenosuke had tried to hunt him down but to no avail; he was as slippery as he was crafty. Korenosuke wasn't too worried about him, anyway; Takaaki talked a big game, but he was no threat to the secrecy and the reputation of the Sohma clan.

The other was more of his concern. The Cat.

"And where is she?" Korenosuke asked, with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"We've sent some people to handle her, sir," the servant replied.

"And the room?"

"Readied, sir. The renovations on there finished last, so-"

"Reneging on the promise so early, Korenosuke?"

The patriarch suppressed a small smile. He turned to face a man his age, with a more youthful face, clad in a dark green kimono, a scroll of paper in his hands. His hair was dark brown, tied in a small ponytail, and his face had slender features, with dark brown eyes, a mischievous gleam to them. His voice was low and smooth.

"….Goro," Korenosuke uttered, bemused. "Glad you could join me."

He nodded towards the servant. "Leave us."

Goro waited until they were out of earshot, then continued speaking.

"You entrusted her to me for a reason, Korenosuke," Goro replied, eyes on the paper. "It looks terrible for a prospective member of the Diet to have their family locked up on their property like a dog in a kennel."

"She's the Cat, Goro. You know why she has to be. I don't know what you were hoping to achieve with that promise. It's going to end the same way it always has."

Goro shrugged at that. "You know, you might as well lock Hirofumi up if we're locking up embarrassments to the family."

"That's different and you know it," Korenosuke retorted, closing his eyes and turning away. "As much as I hate Hirofumi's…..dalliances….his connections are useful. His charms do have their usefulness."

"You know, our family isn't exactly cut out for being politicians, Korenosuke," Goro continued, rolling up the scroll and holding his hands behind him, pacing about the room. "The Imperial Diet….that's pretty ambitious. It's a step up from leading a clan of a hundred and fifty people."

"It's the natural step up," Korenosuke replied, a little too quickly. "Besides, with our wealth, our power, our connections….is it not natural for us to want to aspire to something greater than an eternal banquet?"

"Easy for you to say," Goro answered, no small hint of resentment in his voice. "You don't turn into a dog every time a woman gets too close."

Korenosuke sighed.

"…..it's the burden of our blood, Goro," he reminded his subordinate, his deep voice calm. "The eternal banquet. The bonds within our clan run deeper than anything anyone else could ever understand. Those are our chains to bear. Nothing can change that. Nothing will. You know that. But moreover, it is our responsibility to bear such things."

Goro exhaled deeply. He knew that even if he privately disagreed, he couldn't voice it. The Curse had made sure of that.

"As you insist," he answered. "….was that all, Korenosuke?"

"…that is all. Leave me. Wakana is coming and she and I have something private to discuss. I….trust you will lend my efforts your full support?"

Goro Sohma, Dog of the Zodiac, simply smiled.

"To the extent to which I am mentally capable."

….

Goro sighed, unrolling the scroll he'd been reading as he walked in, walking away from Korenosuke's room. It had a few haiku he'd been working on that he'd intended to publish in Hototogisu. By this point, he'd left the house. He hadn't seen Wakana walk in, but the Horse had a way of being stealthy when she wanted to be.

"Korenosuke," he uttered. "You're really making this a lot more difficult than it should be."

As Goro trudged down the path towards the entrance gate to the estate, however, he heard the sound of an approaching car to his side, slowing down across the gravel path. He looked up to see a head of red hair, the sun glinting off round-rimmed glasses, and handsome features on the face of a man not much younger than he, sitting in the driver's seat. A roguish grin crossed his face as his car braked to a stop next to him.

"Goro! Why the long face?" Hirofumi Sohma asked cheerily. "Korenosuke give you hell?"

"I wouldn't call it hell, Hiro. Hell would be less cold," he replied. "You're late. Where were you?"

"The Dutch ambassador's daughter wouldn't let me go. She insisted on breakfast."

"Leave it to you to figure out how to sleep with someone without transforming."

Hirofumi grinned. "Well, turning into a bird every time I wanted to show someone a good time would be rather inconvenient, don't you think?"

"Mhm."

"So, what did Korenosuke drag you all the way out of Shibuya for?" Hirofumi inquired, hand leaning out of the car. "Arisa will kill you if you're late for lunch. She's already sent me harshly worded letters about not missing today."

Goro simply tilted his head slightly, gazing towards the gate. Hirofumi understood immediately.

"…..ah," the socialite answered, his grin fading. "Shinobu. Korenosuke's still looking for her. I see that promise he made meant nothing."

"I know he had my place searched. He's been doing it for the last few months," Goro continued. "Thanks for taking her off my hands and keeping her at yours, Hiro. A week later and they would've caught her."

Hirofumi shrugged. "Anytime. You should thank me for Korenosuke getting tired of seeing random women walk out of my room in the morning and renting a room outside of the estate for me. Makes it a lot easier to get to the central city."

"You had your connections set her up yet?"

Hirofumi exhaled deeply. Goro frowned.

"Not good," the poet remarked. Hirofumi pursed his lips.

"Korenosuke's connections at the Home Ministry are pretty high-level, so I couldn't sneak her in through there," the socialite replied. "So….I had to go to someone else."

Goro groaned. He knew where this was going.

"Taka. You went to Taka. Korenosuke will skin both of us alive if he ever finds out we talked to him. How did you even find him?"

"I have my ways," Hirofumi explained, before reaching out to Goro, patting the side of his arm to reassure him. "If there's anyone who knows how to disappear and who's not going to rat us out to Korenosuke…."

"That's risky, Hiro," Goro chided him. "Taka's unpredictable. You know his game. He's in this to get back at Korenosuke. Not for her."

"You just don't like him because he's a hustler."

"You think I want to trust her to the care of a card sharp and a con man?"

Hirofumi simply gave Goro a disapproving look. Goro rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. Taka….you know why I don't like him, Hiro."

"He's our best option if we want to keep her safe," Hirofumi reminded him. "….he set her up with one of his contacts. She's safe there. I know you're only worried because you want to make sure she's safe but I swear to you, Goro, if there were anyone safer to keep her with, I'd keep her there."

Goro sighed, frowning. The Cat was his responsibility. He'd practically raised her, after all; though she was technically his niece, she was for all effects and purposes the daughter he didn't have. It didn't ring right with him to have to abandon her like this, let alone with Takaaki.

"….where he's keeping her?"

"He didn't tell me," Hirofumi replied. "Said it'd be safer if we didn't know. That way, Korenosuke won't know, either."

Goro felt another twinge of regret. This was sounding worse and worse by the minute.

"…so we can't check on her, we don't know where she is, and she's with one of his friends. Do you at least know who he is?"

Hirofumi nodded in reply. "He's a good man. I've met him before."

"….is he the one that got you out of that bind with the Americans?"
"Might've been. He's given me hell ever since for that."

Goro closed his eyes.

"You better hope she's safe. Or you're answering to me."

Hirofumi smiled.

"Spoken like a true father."

"God help the children of the Sohma Clan," Goro muttered, only half-jokingly.

"I see you're still into carvin'," Juzo idly noted, looking over the set of figurines he'd helped Haruka unload.

It was a set of thirteen. Twelve of them, Juzo recognised; these were the Juunishi, the animals of the calendar. Juzo smiled as he idly played with the Rabbit. The detailing on the figurines was amazing; Haruka had given them eyes, mouths, even small toes and claws where one might expect. A little color and these figurines would look perfect.

The two of them were standing in a small room, a small, raggedy futon rolled up in the corner near the window, a desk and a chair in the opposite corner, with a small, rickety cabinet to hold Haruka's clothes. A sliding wooden door led to the balcony on the opposite end from the door. The room was one of five such rooms in the building; the landlord's home was on the floor below. This place was in a quiet side of the neighbourhood, a while away from the train station.

"Mhm," Haruka nodded, smiling as he put the last of his clothes into the cabinet, briefly eying it when he thought it was about to collapse on itself. "Auntie Kocho asked me to carve her a few butterflies for her daughter's birthday before I left. She loved them. Helped pay for my ticket on the ferry."

"The calendar animals, huh? I still remember that whole tale about the race."
"I wanted some practice," Haruka answered. "You want me to make you some?"

"No thanks. I still have," Juzo replied, putting down the Rabbit, before picking up the thirteenth figure, examining it closely.

"…..a cat?" he inquired. It was a beautifully carved cat; Haruka had carved it in a curled-up shape, as if it were wrapped up around something, cosying up to it.

"Thirteenth animal of the Zodiac. The one who lost the race."

Juzo laughed. "I remember. You always felt bad for the Cat. Cried like a girl every time."
"You remember that still? That must've been years ago."

"We're like brothers, Haru. Course I remember. You cried so much when Auntie Kocho told us that story. You always said-"
"Yeah, I remember. The cat getting left behind like that never sat right with me."

Juzo lightly punched his friend in the arm. "You softie. And that's why you like cats now."

"Is it my fault the Cat got a raw deal? Come on."

"You boys making trouble up here?"

Outside the door, leaning on the walkway's railings facing the street, was a middle-aged man, hair shaved to the roots, tanned skin and with a muscled frame that could stop a bull. His arms were folded, and his stern, thuggish face was scrunched into a frown as he watched the two of them. His voice was gruff and gravelly, his tone harsh.

"He's not gonna make trouble for me, is he, Adachi?" the old man asked.

"I told you, Uncle Sousuke, he's a good guy," Juzo reassured him. "Never puts a toe out of line, will give you the shirt off his back. You have my word."

Sousuke grunted at that. Haruka waved at him, smiling.

"Hey, sir! You're the….landlord, right?"

Sousuke grunted again. Haruka's smile faltered slightly.

"….eh? What's wrong, sir?"

Juzo leaned in to whisper to his friend. "…Uncle Sousuke's not much of a fan of outsiders. Don't worry. He's good for it."

"Ah."

Juzo ambled up to the landlord, leaning in close. "He's good. I trust him with my life."

"…hmph," the old man grunted once more, before looking Haruka in the eye.

"Rent's due at the month. Don't be late with it or I'll evict you. No pets. Don't be too loud up here after dark. Don't smoke in here, either. I don't want tobacco stains or cigarette burns on my floors. Dry your laundry on your balcony; if I catch it on the walkway, it's gone. Am I clear?"

Haruka blinked, nodding slowly. He was hoping the sweat wasn't visible or the fear palpable in his voice. "Crystal."

Sousuke stared at him some more, before disappearing down the walkway towards the stairs to the ground floor, satisfied. Haruka let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"….he's scary," he uttered. Juzo snorted, amused.

"He's scary? That all you got?"
"He give you that treatment when you moved in?"

"He also warned me not to hit on the girl next door to yours. She moved in a week after I did."

Haruka's eyes widened. "Wait, there's a girl next door? Wait….you haven't-"

Juzo shook his head. "She's an artist, like you. Pretty sweet girl. Guy like me doesn't have a shot."

"You're selling yourself short, Juzo. Or….were you planning on setting her up with me?"

The rowdy boy smirked. "I'll never tell."

Haruka exhaled, before chuckling. "I appreciate the offer. But trust me. I'm not looking right now."

"You haven't even met her yet. She's cute."

"Juzo, come on. You keep trying to set me up. The last time that happened, you know what happened with the Kamados."

"Come on! This is different!"

"Is this yours, Adachi?"

A light, airy voice interrupted the pair's discussion. As the two young men turned around, a young woman, about their age, was standing in Haruka's doorway. She was of light build, and her clothes were fine, a Western-style blue dress, pleated fabric and white buttons, the sort he was confident that only the wealthy could afford. Paint stained the tips of her dainty fingers as she held up the Cat figurine, and her orange hair, reaching down to her shoulders, framed her circular face, with wide, reddish eyes. Her skin was fair, but not too soft; her hands were callused, perhaps from lifting easels and mixing paints. Around her right wrist, a set of beads, red and white were set in a bracelet; Haruka assumed they might have been prayer beads.

Most definitely, she was among the prettiest girls he'd ever met.

"Uh…" Haruka blinked, unable to form a coherent sentence."Well…"

Juzo simply gave him a smug smile. Haruka replied with a sharp elbow to the side, pushing him forward.

"Well, Satou, they're not," the young man explained, before stepping back and clapping Haruka on the shoulder, a little harder than he might have. "That beautiful cat figure was made by my friend here."

"Hello," Haruka waved at her, hoping even more than he had a moment before that his nervous sweating wasn't visible. "I…uh…I moved in. Today."

"It's a beautiful cat," the woman said, smiling at him. "…..I really like cats myself, even if I see far too much of them."

"Shinobu Satou, meet my friend," Juzo gestured to Haruka, still sputtering and struggling to say something.

"Oh! Uh…"

He cleared his throat, scrambling to say something.

"Uh…well, I…"

"You must be Haruka," Shinobu said, a pleasant smile on her face. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Adachi has told me so much about you. You two must be such good friends."
"Uh, well, Miss Satou, I think he's exaggerating! Besides, he's a good friend of mine so-"

"Don't worry about calling me Miss Satou," she reassured him. "Please, just Satou is fine. They call my mother Miss Satou."

"Okay! We can do just…S-Satou. Ehehe…" Haruka looked away, laughing nervously. "You uh….you paint? I see the paint on your fingers."

"Oh, this?" Shinobu pulled her hands up, before laughing cheerily. "What can I say? I love painting. The world could always use a little more color, after all. I can show them to you, if you'd like. It'd be rude of me to get my hands all over your work and not show you mine, no?"

Juzo glanced between the two, before ducking over to Shinobu, leaning in.

"Uh…well. My friend's just feelin' a little….warm. It's pretty hot for September, no? Give us a few moments, will you?" he implored. Shinobu looked back at Haruka, before nodding to Juzo.

"Of course," she replied, smiling. "Haruka, if you want to see them, I'll be next door."

With that, the young woman left the two alone. The moment Juzo heard the door shut on Shinobu's apartment, he rounded on Haruka.

"Haru, you're killin' me here!" Juzo complained. "Come on. A pretty girl shows up and suddenly a cat's got your tongue."
"I…I did not! It's just….she caught me by surprise. I didn't expect visitors a-and Sousuke-"
"Come on, Haru. I've seen you around girls. Any one of 'em pays you a moment of attention, and the Haru I know goes from Mister Dependable to puddle on the ground."

Haruka sighed, sitting back on the chair. "Sorry, Juzo. Come on. You saw her. She's loaded."

"The clothes? Yeah, no way she's not loaded," Juzo concurred. "No idea what a girl like her's doing here. This isn't exactly the Chrysanthemum Palace. You see the hair? Think maybe she's a foreign princess in hiding?"

"What would a foreign princess be doing hiding in some apartment next to a bunch of country kids like us?"

Juzo shrugged. "What, do you think whoever's huntin' her would look here? I'm pretty sure Uncle Sousuke's a gokudo. Or used to be, anyway. The tattoo on his back, dead giveaway. Surely you wouldn't put someone that important right above that."
"You're really surrounded by a lot of yakuza," Haruka remarked worriedly. "Are you sure you're not doing anything illegal?"

"Pretty sure. Unless buildin' houses and carryin' heavy objects is illegal."

Haruka looked away, considering Juzo's words. "Hm. Well, anyway, even if she doesn't turn out to be a foreign princess in hiding, what makes you think I have a shot?"
"Come on, even if you two just end up bein' friends, you two'll get along. She's a painter, you carve figurines. You tellin' me you're even a little bit interested?"

"I suppose I am," Haruka conceded. "Just….don't expect miracles. Besides, what I do is just a hobby. That's all. She….probably lives it."

Juzo lightly punched him on the arm. "That's the spirit. Now….I promised Uncle Sousuke I'd take a look at his stove. It's been playin' up. You two kids get along, yeah? I'll be up here when I'm done. Then we can go out, get something nice to eat, then maybe get you some supplies."

Haruka nodded. His companion flashed him one more cheeky grin, before bounding out of the door, heading down the stairs to the ground floor.

The moment he was out of earshot, Haruka groaned.

In the hours since he'd arrived in Tokyo, he'd stopped a pickpocket, had been all but convinced his best friend since childhood was involved with what were probably old criminals, and now he'd been dragged into what he was pretty sure was his friend trying to set him up with a girl.

Definitely not like the quiet days back home in Iwagi.

"What exactly have you gotten me into, Juzo?"

….

"All of this is yours?" Haruka inquired, staring around the room. Shinobu nodded, a proud smile on her face, as she gestured to the canvases resting on the wall.

"All my work," she replied, almost prancing across the room. "Took me months."

Shinobu's apartment, despite being the same size as the others', was a stark contrast to the neat, but spartan apartment next door. It was a colorful affair; an easel was set up in the corner, a half-finished painting mounted atop. The desk next to it carried a palette, a glass with murky, paint-filled water inside and a set of brushes, dappled with paint all over. Canvases were lined up against the wall, covered with cloth to protect them. Her futon looked far better quality than Haruka's own; the fabric was visibly softer and finer, and it looked less ragged. The furniture was well-made, too, the sort of thing you didn't buy in a shop but had custom made.

'Definitely wealthy,' Haruka thought to himself as he examined the covered paintings.

"You….sell these?" he inquired awkwardly.

"Uh-huh," Shinobu replied. "It's pretty difficult getting well-known in the art world. There's a gallery that'll take my work now, but….well, I kinda survive on my family's money."

"Huh, that's…." Haruka nodded. 'What I expected,', he wanted to say, but he felt doing so would be rude. "Sorry. Art's….not really that big back home. You know, my family was always more interested in me doing something important, something useful."

Shinobu's lips curled into a small frown. "Useful? Humans can't live without art and beauty! How can you say that?"

"Well, Adachi's told you where we're from, right? A small village doesn't really have that much use for an artist, so I….worked at my grandfather's smithy. I did a few pieces for some people, but never got as much practice as I'd like."

The young woman shook her head. "Well, surely we can change that. Why not become an artist here? I might be able to get the gallery to take your work! It'll take a while, but you'll get there, right?"

"I-It's just a hobby! Well, uh…I…I'm not really sure I can sell them. Besides, they're not that good-"
Shinobu frowned. "Why not? They're really pretty! Someone can tell you spent a lot of time on them, and they're really well-made. You've got a talent. You should show the world what you're made of!"

"Eh? But it's just figurines made of wood. I'm pretty sure they won't be-"

Suddenly, Haruka found that Shinobu was standing quite close, their faces barely an inch apart. Glaring at him with great intensity, she pointed at the young man with a sense of purpose.

"A life without color is death!" she declared proudly. "Someone like you with your talents shouldn't be slaving away on some construction site, but living their dreams! As they say, carpe diem, Haruka!"

The young man just stared at her, confused. "….eh?"

"It's something they say abroad. It basically means you have to seize the opportunity while you have it, Haruka," she explained, wagging her finger at him. "You know, you might not get the opportunity to otherwise!"

Haruka groaned. "You and Juzo both, huh? Yeah, I get it."

"See? Even Adachi thinks you should do it! Come on!"

The young man exhaled deeply. He couldn't really say no.

"Fine, fine. I'll think about it," he conceded, not putting any real stock behind it. "…can't promise anything, though."

Shinobu's face lit up with a grin as she stood back, seemingly satisfied.

"I knew I'd get to you!"

Haruka's eyes looked to the side, noticing a painting barely covered by the cloth that covered the rest of her work. Something about it caught his eye.

"Hey, can I see this?" he asked, beginning to kneel and pull the cloth off. Shinobu reached out to stop him, but he had already moved the cloth aside.

The cloth fell to the floor, revealing the painting behind.

It was a winding path, leading up a mountain, a sunset sky above. Along the path, twelve animals clambered to the top, a small rat at the top, and the horse at the bottom. A small cat could be seen in the bushes aside the path, eyes set on following the path, but not following them itself.

Haruka stared at it a few moments, before turning to Shinobu.

"This is…the story of the calendar animals, right?"

"Yes," she answered. The expression on her face was odd, Haruka noticed, and her eyes were focused on the cat. Her voice was lower than it had been before, less airy and cheerful.

"It's a good painting," he commented. "Are you okay? You uh…."

"…I've never been a fan of what happened to the cat, but I can never bring myself to include him with the others, no matter how many times I paint this."

"They really deserved better, huh?"

Shinobu's eyes were still on the painting. "….maybe they did. Thanks for that."

'Thanks?' Haruka didn't know what she'd meant by that.

The young artist strolled over to the painting, taking the cloth and placing it over the canvas once more.

"Much to be said for seizing the day," muttered Shinobu under her breath. Haruka wasn't sure what she'd meant by that, either.

Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes, before looking back at Haruka, the smile back on her face.

"Well. I'm heading to the gallery, in a bit," she said. "Do you want to come along, maybe take some of your figurines? I'm sure the owner wouldn't mind another young artist to promote, and there's some really nice sculptures I'm sure you haven't seen before. And of course, I'd like to have someone help me take some of my newer pieces there."

Haruka rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He wasn't sure he should be alone with Shinobu.

"You're kidding, right? We only just met, and uh, someone like you shouldn't be seen walking alone with me, right?"

Shinobu tilted her head, seemingly genuinely curious. "Huh? What do you mean by that, someone like me?"

"Don't….well…people will make weird assumptions and-"

Shinobu waved her hand dismissively. "Let them! The world is our oyster, Haruka. As long as we shine brightly, who cares?"

"Is that how you talk to everybody? And what does that even mean?"

"And besides, Adachi wouldn't want you to have only one friend here, right? Now come!"

As Shinobu walked across the room towards Haruka, however, her foot tread on a discarded cloth, used for cleaning, instead of the hard wooden floor. She slipped, tripping towards Haruka, her eyes flying open in alarm.

"Ah! Satou!" he yelped, reaching out for her.

"Wait!" Shinobu yelled. "Don't touch me!"

"Huh?" was the last thought that went through Haruka's head before Shinobu collided with him, his arms around her body, and the two of them vanished into a puff of orange smoke, crashing to the floor as the smoke engulfed them.

….

The next thing Haruka was aware of was the sound of Juzo sprinting up the walkway towards Shinobu's room at the end of the row of apartments, wearing an apron over his trousers and a worried expression on his face.

"I heard a crash up here!" he yelled, looking around to see what might have caused it, before crouching beside Haruka. "Are you okay, Haru?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, but Satou…" Haruka responded, looking around in panic trying to see where she might have fallen. Her clothes were on top of Haruka, but their occupant was no longer in them, and they were strewn across him haphazardly.

"I'm here."

Shinobu's voice emerged from Haruka's chest area.

Both Juzo and Haruka's glances were drawn swiftly to the small, orange cat currently perched on top of Haruka, head poking out from where Shinobu's head was a moment before.

"…..Satou?" Juzo and Haruka asked in unison. The cat –no, Shinobu seemed to exhale, exasperated.

"No use hiding it now, is there?" she uttered.

Haruka wordlessly glanced at Juzo for answers.

"Don't ask me," he replied, looking back at Shinobu. "….you're….a cat."

"You weren't supposed to see," she retorted.

"Why are you a cat?"

"It's a very long story, Adachi. Haruka….I'm sorry you found out like this."

This was, all in all, suddenly proving to be the longest day in Haruka's life.

A/N: You all must've heard that the prequel featuring Katsuya and Kyoko is coming out at some point this year. While my feelings on that whole thing are mixed and probably the subject of a long video essay nobody will watch, that got me thinking.

There's a hundred generations of Sohmas we never even hear about before Tohru rolls up. I felt like stretching my writing muscles. I really liked the aesthetic of the Taisho Era as seen in Demon Slayer, and I felt it was pretty approrpriate; it's the time when Japan, leaving the Meiji era with all of its chaotic but swift modernisation, was getting its sea legs as one of the most important nations in the world, where tradition from its past met the modern world. Sort of how like the Sohmas, rooted in ancient traditions like ceremonial dances, hurling your family members out of windows and locking them in cages, have a very messy collision with the modern day. Manifested in the form of everyone's favorite riceball.

So here we are, in a prequel nobody asked for, born of far too much watching Your Lie in April, Fruits Basket and maybe a little too many heist films. Hope this works.

You get one Internet point if you guess why this fic is titled the way it is without looking at the AO3 version. This version lacks the explanation because it wouldn't make any sense over here.

Anyway, enough chitchat. Leave a kudos in the box next to the door, leave a comment if you have anything particular you want to say and see you next time!