I can't think of a spiffy author's note so I'm not going to. This chapter is short. Sorry. Poop.

Secret Ten

Secret Number Ten: Sometimes I care too mush.

Mostly it was about school or my brother, because there was really nothing else to care about.

But now…

On Saturday night I had slept on the couch in the living room, and I spent most of Sunday by myself on that same couch. I was just trying to let everything soak in: disobeying my mom, Yuki's curse, my decision to stop dancing, and dreaded Wednesday, when our group presentations would take place in gym.

It was Sunday night and it was really clear outside, so Yuki and I were laying on the rooftop, staring up at the stars. It was decided that I would return home after school tomorrow, and that I would borrow one of Tohru's uniforms to do so. Thankfully, we hadn't been assigned any homework over the weekend so I didn't have to worry about anything…

except for the dance.

"I like to come up here sometimes," Yuki said quietly, holding my hand. "To think, you know?"

I nodded, but I was sure that no matter how hard I tried, I would never understand.

"So…" he sighed, turning onto his side to face me more. "What do you want to talk about?"

I sighed also. "Do you care… if I ask you something?"

"I don't mind."

"Did… Did your mother really abandon you, like Tohru said?"

Yuki nodded.

"I'm s—"

Yuki put his finger over my lips. "Please. I don't want you to apologize anymore."

I nodded.

"My mother… she wasn't ready for children when she gave birth to my brother, and she still wasn't ready, ten years later, when she had me."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes. Ayame. He's the same age as Shigure. Anyway, she was too preoccupied to us, me especially. She gave me away… to Akito, the head of our zodiac family, when I was very little. He's only a few years older than us, and… I didn't get along with him well… so I moved in with Shigure before high school."

I felt like there was more he wasn't telling me, but I didn't want to pry. After all, it wasn't any of my business.

"I've always blamed my mother… but sometimes I think I understand how she feels. To have your first son change into an animal whenever you hugged him… and then, ten years later, to have the same thing happen… how horrible she must have felt. Sometimes I blame myself."

"Your brother is in the zodiac too?"

Yuki smirked. "He's the snake."

Ugh. Don't snakes eat rats?

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question," Yuki decided, and I sighed.

"Go ahead."

"Did you mean it when you said you would never dance again?"

Sigh.

"Yes," I said.

"Why?"

"Because… I miss my dad."

Silence.

"He signed me up for the dancing lessons when I was little. Before he left my mom, they got into a big argument, over me. My dad wanted to take me with him, but my mom wouldn't let him, so he ran away. He never came back, and he said he wasn't going to. Now everytime I dance my mom gets upset and yells. She yells all the time now. But I've kept dancing because… I thought that if I was good enough… my dad would come home. I guess I was just being selfish."

"What about Wednesday? Are you going to dance on Wednesday?"

I sighed, getting sick of the tears that seemed to be constantly falling down my face.

"I don't know, Yuki. I honestly don't know."

That was boring.

You can tell me it was.