Seven reviews for chapter seven! Oh boy, that makes me so happy!

I like Paramore. And Yellowcard.

This chapter is quite angsty. Maybe I should change the genre?

Nah. I'm good.

And news in case you didn't know: I finished this story on June 20th! It is 18 chapters, or 17 chapters and an epilogue. I guess I better get started with posting this! But the way I have it set up in my binder… I finish posting The Sohma Game before I finish posting this! That's strange! I might even have The Big Yellow Bus done by then!

But you should stick around for the next 10 chapters!

Secret Eight

Secret Number Eight: I'm not surprised easily.

But I was right then.

"Yu… Yuki?" I asked quietly, looking at the rodent in my hands,

"Maybe I should have told you earlier… or not at all…" the rat sighed. Its voice was Yuki's!

"How did you—?"

I shrieked as the door was flung open and this orange-haired kid burst in. I recalled seeing him at school before. I thought he might have been in the remedial algebra class that took place before my honors class…

Hold up! Back to the main problem!

"What the hell happened?" the kid yelled, pointing a finger at the rat. "What did you do now, idiot?"

"Well, obviously, I hugged her," Yuki responded like it was… well… obvious. "And you shut up, because you made that mistake with Tohru."

"WHO ARE YOU?" the kid yelled as if he only then realized that I was standing there, ignoring Yuki's last comment.

"I… I'm…" I fell to my knees, into Yuki's pile of clothes. I dropped him out of my hands and buried my face in his shirt, which was lying on the floor. "I'm sorry!" I cried, and started bawling my eyes out.

"Look what you did now, ass," Yuki said above me to the other kid, and the orange top's eyes softened on me.

I had no idea what was going on. I had no idea what to do.

And I felt like everything was all my fault.

After all… when was it not?

"Hey, stop cryin'!" the kid crouched down next to me and Yuki scampered up his back onto his shoulder. "Come on, kid! Knock it off! It ain't your fault he transformed, if that's what'chur cryin' about! It's that damn Yuki's fault!"

I looked up through my hands and hair. This kid probably thought he had made me cry and felt guilty.

Too bad, because it was my fault and I knew it.

"I'll get Shigure…" the kid gave up, standing again.

"No you won't, Kyo," Yuki replied.

Kyo. That was his name.

"Well why not?"

"Because Shigure will tell Akito."

"And?"

"And… Eri…"

"It's your fault, ya know. If Eri or whatever her name is is in danger or somethin', it's all your fault. You know no one's supposed to know about us."

"I know."

What the hell were they talking about? Why was I in danger? Who the hell was Akito?

I was about to ask, but before I could open my mouth, I began crying again, and Yuki ran out of the room momentarily. When he returned, he was a human again.

"Could somebody—hic—please—hic—tell me what just happened?" I coughed as Kyo and Yuki sat down in front of me. Yuki wasn't wearing the clothes I had in my hands (he had changed when he had ran out of the room) so I just pushed them away and stared at the two guys.

"There's no real easy way to explain…" Yuki started.

"Wouldn't have had to if Yuki woulda just kept his hands to himself…"

Slap!

"…but we're cursed. Our whole family is, I mean," Yuki said after smacking Kyo on the head.

"Cursed?" I repeated. Curses were bad, deadly even…

"Whenever we're hugged by someone of the opposite sex outside of the others cursed…" Yuki said.

"…we transform into the twelve zodiac animals… and cat," Kyo mumbled.

"That's… that's…" I tried to palliate the situation, but what was I supposed to say to that? How was it possible? "…you looked really cute as a rat!" I said to Yuki, shutting my eyes in stupidity.

Kyo rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, giving up on me.

"Where is he…?" I asked, opening my eyes, but Yuki put his finger over my lips.

"I'll worry about that later," he said, pressing his face against mine and whispering in my ear. My cheek felt wet, suddenly, and I knew it wasn't from my own tears.

"You… you can't hug a girl?" I asked, trying to get clarification. This whole thing seemed like a dream.

"No," Yuki replied, wiping his face as he moved away with a slight smile. "Makes being a teenager kind of hard."

"And how come I'm not supposed to know?"

"Because… the head of the family doesn't want anyone to know. He says… He told me people would be sickened… they'd think I was a freak…"

"I thought you were adorable!" I exclaimed before I realized what I was saying. I hid my face behind my hands. "I don't suppose you like being called cute and adorable…"

"I don't mind," he said, moving my hands away from my face and lacing my fingers through his, "…when you say it."

He stared into my stupid boring gray eyes and I stared back into his amazing violet ones for what seemed like an eternity until he nuzzled my cheek with his nose, his lips barely touching mine. "Eri Rena… can I trust you to keep my secret?"

"Yes," I whispered, liking the feeling of his words against my lips.

I closed my eyes and felt him kiss me, and I kissed back, immediately feeling my insides melt and my body plunge into a pool of ice water.

Wow… that was a little fluffy and mushy for my liking.

But most of the chapters aren't like that. I mean, the story's about DANCING, right? So there has to be more dancing in it… VERY SOON!

Thank you for your time : )