Wah! I read this and my fingers start aching, wanting to correct it! Tell me how it is, please.
"Shishou! Have you seen my shoes?" I yelled from the doorway. He strode in from the kitchen, with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. I frowned as a dangerous smell wafted through the house. I ran to the kitchen to find a bubbling pot of- something- sitting on the stove. I shuddered as a thick bubble burst with a moist sucking sound.
I peered in and groaned as the miso I had just purchased just sat on top of the brown goo. I took it to the sink and tried to dump it out. It oozed with the viscosity of molasses. I turned the entire pot upside down and ran to the living room to search for my shoes.
I spotted the end of a heel under the table in the entrance room. I yanked my shoes out from under the leg of the table and tugged them on. The laces dangled uselessly and I sighed and reached down to tie them.
Kyo entered and huffed at me as I struggled with the shoes.
He shouted over his shoulder at Shishou, "Well, I'm not staying at Shigure's1 for tonight, so don't try to make me!"
I concentrated on the laces below me and fought back the sudden wave of nausea. I didn't want to go to Shigure's house. It was messy and he always had take-out.
I stood up and locked eyes with Kyo. He looked away first. I ran outside and found Shishou standing on the porch, looking out at something I knew I couldn't see. I sighed and stepped off the porch towards the road.
"Where are you going?" Shishou called after me. I waved my hand behind me and retorted, "I think the real question is: Where are you going?" I jogged down the road and left Shishou with my teasing words. My wings on my backpack dragged limply behind me.
There's only one reason he would make us go to Shigure's…He must be visiting Akito or Kyo's father…
I got to the zoo thirty minutes before I meant to. I paced for a moment before walking down the road to the fish market. The man at the counter greeted me again. I chatted with him for a moment before waving to an imaginary person down the road. I ran to greet her. I couldn't let everyone else know that I was so desperate for a friend that I would talk to a man that chopped and wrapped fish for a living.
I didn't know what to do. I was out of distractions with nothing left to think about but tonight. I kicked at a rock and sighed. I had been sighing a lot lately.
"You there!" Somebody called out to me.
I turned and saw the boy from last night jogging to meet me. He paused when he got nearer and saw my face. I knew it was because of my strange perfection.
He slowed to a walk and said in a much quieter voice, "Your eyes are yellow."
I nodded and looked up at him. His eyes were brown, but they were odd in way. I wanted him to step out of the sun so I could see better but he didn't get much closer.
"You don't have to talk to me if you find me frightening," I whispered.
He took a step back and stopped. He knew I could tell what he wanted to do; and he wanted to run. He stared into my eyes and I could see that he, like so many others, was entranced by my gaze; much like a cat and its prey. I lowered my face and walked off.
I had wanted to see his reaction the night before, but now, with a sudden family get together, I wanted nothing more than to leave and go find a quiet place to throw up.
I could hear the boy's breathing even from the distance I was at now. He was terrified. I shook my head when I thought about it. I heard feet pounding on the sidewalk. It was getting closer. I turned my head and set up in a defensive stance as I saw a large silhouette charge at me.
It was instinct. I back flipped out of the way, the wings on my backpack flapped with excitement. I instantly faced the attacker. I wasn't surprised when I saw the boy. However, the expression on his face knocked the wind out of me. It was determined yet so disappointed in himself that I wanted to comfort him. He looked like he was in extreme mental pain.
He panted from his short sprint, his hands on his knees and his face tilted sideways so he could see me better. "My name is pant, pant Taekij2. I'm a journalist in training. pant I figured you were a good story. I shouldn't be surprised about your eyes. I've seen worse."
I smiled slightly. At least, I allowed my mouth to curve upward, I'm not sure if it represented a smile or a grimace. "I'm Kurozake Sohma. Called Kuro." He cleared his throat.
"Well then, Kurozake Sohma Called Kuro, would you like some tea?" He got out a small pad of paper and a pen from his book bag.
I felt warm again. However, this warmth was almost suffocating. I swallowed a gulp of air and nodded. Tea would help.
I swallowed hard as the sugary stuff hit my taste buds. I nearly gagged. I set down the tea with as much dignity as I could muster while choking. Taekij rummaged through his book bag and I heard a loud click. He sat up quickly and smiled. I just stared.
"Well, I'm not so good at this recording thing so if I get a bit flustered, don't be surprised."
I tilted my head and waited for him to ask something. Maybe this would be a good outlet to my anger. I took note of his eyes. They were the most peculiar I had ever seen on a human.
He bit his lip and took a sip of tea. He was obviously used to the sweetness, as he did not even flinch when it made contact with his lips. He clicked his pen a few times before sighing. He reached in his bag and pulled out a larger notebook with a few loose pages.
I raised an eyebrow. He flipped through the crinkly pages before settling on a fresh sheet.
"So, where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked nervously. I blinked slowly before answering.
"At home." I said dryly. He scratched out the two words on his notebook.
"Is your home like a dojo, or what?"
I smiled tightly. "It's close enough."
He frowned. "Do you fight at home?"
I thought a bit. "No, not really. Just argue a lot."
He sighed. Apparently, this wasn't what he had planned.
"Who do you argue with? Family? Do you have family trouble?" Of course. I had a lot of family trouble.
"Well, yes. Doesn't everyone argue with each other? Perhaps a brother?" I thought about the fight yesterday. Kyo and I fought over such little things...
"Do you have a brother?" Taekij inquired.
I felt a lump in my throat. Kyo was my brother. He was a cousin/foster brother, but brother nonetheless. I choked on my words.
"Well, yes. Yes I do. We just aren't... We just aren't..."
I stood up suddenly. I felt my face burning. I had never revealed this much to anybody except Shishou. This was a perfect stranger.
"You aren't what, Kuro?" Taekij asked softly3.
I shook my head. "Just leave me alone!" I yelled, before running out the door.
I watched from the window as he stood up too and slowly put away his things. He was either very considerate or was at a loss for words.
I heard our waiter ask quietly, "Is she okay? Did you do something to her?"
"No. I just only met her yesterday. We were just talking about her family..." he trailed off, realizing that he had sworn not to tell anybody about the family issues we hadn't discussed yet.
Taekij was just a concerned blur in front of me. I made out that he was paying and decided to leave. I rubbed at my eyes and turned away.
I turned towards my home. "Kuro! Kurozake-san! Wait!" I paused for a moment before continuing the journey home. The pause was enough for Taekij to catch up to me. He jogged backwards and tried to talk to me.
"Kuro, I'm sorry. I never should have taken you to tea. I just thought that you might want to talk."
I stopped and looked him in the eyes. "What gave you that impression?" I asked. I was genuinely curious.
"Well, anybody so devoted to the martial arts would have a reason. Is it your eyes? Your hair? Your wings?"
I flinched at the last one. My wings folded in a slightly defensive position.
"It's just-just a backpack," I lied nervously. I could see the disbelief in his eyes. I hardened at his knowing expression.
"Why are you so nosy? You are constantly asking these questions that I clearly don't want to talk about! Just leave me alone!" My wings flapped with anger. They propelled me forward and I continued my walk.
I heard Taekij call out, "How are you sure you don't want to talk about it? Maybe you just don't know how!"
I shook my head and ran home. What did Taekij know about me? I flinched as I heard him rustle around in his bag. I heard a loud click.
"You're home. You were out long. Where were you?" Shishou asked as I walked onto the porch. I didn't answer. I knew my voice crack from my near crying if I did. I heard Shishou sigh. I never wanted to disappoint him, but somehow I always did.
I brushed by Kyo in the hall. He sputtered a bit.
"What the... I'm hungry...Whaa?" I could hear the distinct whistle of his anger level rising.
Flashback
"Your mother killed herself! That's what my mom said! My mom loves me! She would never kill herself to get away from me4!" a voice called.
"Too bad! She doesn't know what she's missing!" Kyo retorted.
I could see how much the boy's voice hurt Kyo. His eyes were liquid with unshed tears. I wanted to hurt the boy. Make him pay for Kyo's suffering.
"Stop it!" I screamed. "Leave him alone!"
I tried to run over to Kyo, and pull him away from the cruel boy. Several other children chased after me. They held me down. They knew I could hurt someone.
"LET GO!" I shrieked as the boy punched Kyo.
"You're hurting him! Stop it! Let go!"
I struggled against the big boys that held me. A hand slapped me across the face hard. I cried out in pain.
The children forced me to watch Kyo be hurt. He fought back as hard as he could, but it wasn't enough. I punched at the biggest boy. He staggered backwards and tripped over another kid. The crowd that contained me went into a state of confusion before suddenly realizing that I was escaping.
"Hold her down!" A girl cried.
I heard Kyo yelling. "Get off! Get off you cowards! Fight me one on one! Get off! Ow!"
I screamed and kicked but the mob was too big to fight off.
"Kyo!" I yelled. I needed him to know that I was trying to reach him. I was trying to help. I closed my eyes.
"Nii-san!" I screamed again.
I could hear someone grunt and a thud. I continued to kick and fight. I tried to wipe the blood off my face.
"Kyo! Kyo-kun!" I shrieked.
I could feel my eyes tightening. The wings on my backpack flapped hard, trying to break free from the cage of children that held me. I tried to will them to grow, to find my escape in the sky.
"Ow! Stop it! Stop!" I heard Kyo yell. "Kuro! Kuro? Are you okay? Kuro! Are you here? If you are, run!" I felt my energy draining. I tried to call back.
"Kyo! Kyo, I'm here! I'm here."
Kyo's voice faded; then stopped with a splash. I opened my eyes finally. The cool rain soaked the ground. I hadn't even noticed it earlier. It would have weakened Kyo.
"Kyo…" I called before losing consciousness.
I woke up with more bumps and bruises than I had ever had before. Those boys were huge. They weren't fifth graders; I knew that. I got to my feet and sank back down as a sharp pain shot up my leg.
I could see the limp form on the ground only yards away from me. I had only been yards away from protecting him. I tried to crawl to him but slipped in the mud. I screamed as my hurt leg bent at a bizarre angle. I tried to crawl again. I knew Hatori5 could help with it.
I reached out my arm and tried to find Kyo's hand. I barely grazed him before gasping in pain. He groaned slightly and shifted. He collapsed as had I done. I hoped he would turn around and see me and realize I had been there the entire time, fighting.
I tried to flap my wings. One felt buckled underneath me. I knew it was in a shape no bird had ever flown with successfully. I started to cry, but it wasn't from pain. It was from the fact that I could not fly, that I could not protect Kyo, that I could not tell Kyo about the curse I held.
Kyo shifted again, this time rolling over. He was stirring. I knew that when he finally awoke, I would probably be unconscious again.
I allowed my other form to shine shortly. It took no effort to unleash the monster inside of me. It had been waiting dormant for an opportunity to roam free. It was now or never.
I felt the form fade as I grew weaker. I could feel my features shifting back to normal. My face took the longest to regain its natural appearance. I could still feel the shifting when Kyo's eyes snapped open. Mine started to close. I watched the fear on his face as he saw the remnants of my astonishing true form slowly melt into my face.
"Kyo… I…I…" I tried. I tried to help. "Nii-san… I…"
Everything went black.
…My head hurts. Please review.
1 Shigure is possessed by the spirit of the dog. He was banished from the main house by Akito and lives out on his property with his cousin Yuki. Enigmatic, mischievous and a little perverted. A popular novelist.
2 Taekij- pronounced tech-uh-gee
3 Taekij is trying to be polite and helpful on this day. This is rare because he's kind of a jerk but he has serious family issues and so can relate to Kuro on a certain level.
4 Kyo's mother committed suicide. She couldn't stand to have a 'monster' for a son.
5 The spirit of the dragon possesses Hatori. The form manifests in a seahorse. During this time, in the flash back, he is studying to become a doctor. He later becomes the Sohma family doctor. The only thing he can't cure is his broken heart. He also has the ability to suppress memories. A useful trait that allows goof ups in keeping the family secret.