Chapter one: It's not your fault…

I've always hated Yuki. I keep telling everyone that it's not at all possible for me to like him: he's the rat! The entire reason any of was cursed in the first place, the reason I'm an outsider! And he's always so aloof, like he doesn't have a care in the world: it pisses me off!

"Kyo-kun!"

It's Tohru…I wonder what she wants now…she sounds worried, so I open the door.

"What?" I snap, which causes her to become flustered

"Ah, I'm sorry: is this a bad time? I-I mean, I c-could just ask Shigure-s-"

"Forget it: what do you want?" I reply, making sure not to let my anger slip out again. She twists her fingers nervously.

"Um, this may seem like a stupid question to ask you, b-but" she sighs "have you seen Yuki-kun?"

I'm slightly surprised, but I grunt.

"Why the hell should I know where that damn rat goes?"

"Ah, I'm sorry! I'll go ask someone else: sorry!"

I sigh, but shut the door in her face. I don't feel in the mood for her hypersensitivity today. IT's been raining for days, and I've been too exhausted to even go to school. But, for some unknown reason, I feel fear creeping into my mind. So, Yuki is missing? What the hell is that all about? I mean, sure, he'd gone out plenty of times for extended periods of time, but…this time something must've happened, because Tohru has never worried about it before…

I let my eyes shift toward the window, and I see someone emerging from the woods. It's not Yuki, unless he had some strange notion to wear a hat and…mask?

Without thinking, I fling open the window to get a better look, but the rain still obscures my vision. Once again, without thinking, I jump onto the windowsill and down towards the ground. I have to use all my strength just to catch up with the guy. When I do, I grab his shoulder, and he turns around. It was definitely not Yuki: this guy's eyes were black, and filled with a strange anger.

"Get your hands off me!" he growled in a muffled voice, and I recognize it, but can't put a face to it. "Or I'll hurt you like I did him!"

This guy scares me, and he's holding out a knife, so I back up. He runs off, his feet splashing loudly in the puddles that covered most of the lawn. Shaking, I run a hand through my wet hair and turn to walk back into the house. But…something held me back. Who is this other guy the eerily familiar man was talking about? Something in my mind tells me to check it out…Mustering the last of my energy; I walk off towards the woods. I look around me, searching for something, I don't know…

When I'm near to what I know is Yuki's "secret base", I finally spot something: Or rather, someone, lying face down on the ground. I ran over when I notice something that makes my heart nearly stop beating: a mop of grey hair.