DDL: Oh my, its been so long since I've updated I feel so bad. I'm sorry to all the fans of this story for making you wait. Truly I am. I want to thank all of you who reviewed and those who put this on there favorite stories and alert list. Also to those who sent me e-mails asking me questions. I will answer them in the next chapter.
Kyo: You're just lazy.
DDL: Shut up Kyo!
Haru: Please enjoy this chapter.
A girl several inches shorter than Tohru with short curly pale caramel hair spun with the dancing snow and star light night. She stuck her tongue out trying to catch a few flakes, but stopped when she heard a grunt and a boy call her name. She ran over to the boy dragging luggage out of the air port. "Sky! Sky, guess what! It snows in Japan too. I would have never guessed it."
"Madison, why don't you help me with the luggage?" Sky answered staring at her annoyed. He flicked his deep dark chocolate hair out of his eyes and stood to his full 6'1" height.
"Big brother, do you think I'll get to meet this Tohru person? How long will it take to get to the Sohma's house?" she tried to change the subject.
"Faster if you carry some of the luggage." He handed her two bags of her luggage. Madison gave out a whiny sound, but she didn't give Sky back the luggage. She knew how unyielding he was.
- Next Day at School -
"They wouldn't..." Julia started.
"Could they really..." Tohru added.
"Is it possible..." Haru questioned.
"I thought..." Kyo whispered.
"Could it be our..." Marcus wondered.
"Why would someone..." Yuki blurted.
"..." Reina stared at the one of the new school clubs names. "..."
- School Roof -
Laharl sat by the little tower on the top of the school fearing that he'll be found. He heard the roof door open and girls calling his name. He was no longer able to stay calm and transformed into his zodiac form.
"Did you guys hear that poof sound?" one of the girls said looking around.
Another girl freaked out. "What if there was an explosion?"
"Calm down." Another said. "Let's move out. If it's true then he'll be below."
The girls left. Laharl counted about four of them. He sighed in relief, crutching down. "It'll all go away. It'll all go away." he told himself over and over.
- Shigure's House after School around the Table -
"I thought the Prince Yuki club was the stupidest club ever made, but this new one." Julia took a bite of a rice ball.
"It was bound to happen, but I didn't expect it this way." Marcus tried to get comfortable sitting on the floor.
"I'm home." Laharl said walking into the living quarters. Everyone but Reina started laughing. Julia stood up and bowed before Laharl.
"All hail King Laharl. Without him we'd be lost." Her mocking tone angered Laharl. Tohru stood up to end what was going on when Reina stood up and walked over to her brother.
"You missed class." Laharl blinked at her for several seconds. He was about to make a run for it when she grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the room. Everyone stopped laughing as they turned pale.
"Do...you think she'll kill him for missing class?" Yuki asked.
The Western Zodiac nodded. Tohru went into a panic.
"Shouldn't we go help him?" She took off towards the door when Julia stopped her.
"We were kidding, I think, calm down."
- Walking Down the Path to the Lake -
Reina had let go of his ear hoping he'd learned his lesson. "No more skipping."
"I know, I know." he rubbed his ear. She stopped walking to give her brother a hug. "Reina..." he said a little stunned.
"Old names hurt." Laharl nodded in agreement as he thought about the past and what King used to mean. At his old school people saw a King as a cold and heartless person. They protected only their family and were ready to kill anyone for the littlest of things. When they started calling him King Laharl he missed so much school that they had to hold him back two grades. The only reason he even went back to school was because of what his sister had told him. The words rang out in his mind. "Those people are not our friends because of this fact. We need not worry about anything they do, say, or think. We know the truth and our friends know the truth. That's all that matters. Besides, if you keep failing you'll just have to put up with them longer."
"You're too smart sometimes for your own good." Laharl gently pushed his sister away and gave her a noogie.
Reina pulled away and rubbed her head. "If I were truly smart I'd run far away where no one could find me and live my life in freedom...but I don't want to leave you guys."
- Hours Later Back at Shigure's House -
"Tohru, don't worry okay. They'll be back soon. It's snowing and they left without coats." Julia calmly retorted.
"What if they freeze to death?" Tohru panicked.
Kyo and Yuki jumped up. "I'll go look for them." They said in unison and quickly turned to glare at each other.
Marcus stood up. "Yuki and I will go look instead."
Kyo turned to glare at Marcus as his words rang through his head. "If I catch you near Reina again I'll ripe your head off."
"I have a better idea." Julia shouted breaking the tension in the room. "It would seem that the snow has turned into a blizzard so we'll all go out and search. They have been gone for a while I'm worried as much as you guys. Move out!" They all nodded jumping up to go on a search.
Kyo waited for everyone to leave first. He had a vague idea where to look, but knew Marcus would be watching his every step if he went out first. Kyo hoped that his delay to go outside would be enough to fool Marcus into thinking he was now disinterested.
- In the Forest -
Laharl who was sitting in the snow leaned against a tree with his sister wrapped in his arms at an attempt to keep her warm. "I'm such a fool. Don't die Reina. Please..." His thoughts whirled in his head as he started becoming numb. "If I hadn't skipped school...if I hadn't tripped...if my leg wasn't broken right now...you'd never be out here, right now. I should have noticed sooner that your illness had gotten worse." Swallowed in his grief he pulled Reina closer to him and for the first time in his life tears trickled down his face.
"Laharl!" Laharl's head shot up at the sound of his name. A figure in the distant seemed to be moving closer until finally he recognized him as Kyo. He was out of breath when he stopped in front of them.
"Kyo, where are the others?" There was no way that Kyo could take Reina back unless, but that was foolish to think of.
"They're searching the town."
Laharl set all his doubts aside "Kyo, you're the cat of the zodiac, right?" Kyo nodded trying to figure out the situation. "I want you to leave me here and take Reina back to the house. She's fading and fast." Kyo's eyes widen at this statement.
"What about yourself? Why didn't you just carry her back? Have you forgotten Reina a girl?"
Laharl tried to stay calm. "My legs broken you fool!" he pauses closing his eyes "I'm not really sure what will happen, but I know you won't change into a cat. Even if you turn into some hideous monster you'll still be able to carry her back. Your choice has Reina's life on the line. Hurry."
Kyo took off his coat and put it over Laharl's shoulders. Kyo held out his arms and Laharl gently placed Reina in them. Kyo pulled her into his chest and like always there was a poof noise, but this time followed by Kyo's screams of pain.
- Somewhere in the Outskirts of Town -
Marcus turned his head towards the forest as he heard cries of pain that sounded like Kyo. Curious about what had happened Marcus ran into the woods searching for Kyo. When he reached the area he was sure the sound came from all he found was a half buried Laharl. He seemed to have passed out, but Marcus quickly shook him awake.
"Where's Reina?" Marcus said over and over and over until Laharl spat in his face.
"Calm down. Kyo took her back to the house already. She's ill and unconscious." Marcus wiped the spit off his face turning to walk back to the house. After only taking three steps Laharl threw a snowball at him. "Are you just going to leave me here?" Marcus nodded, Laharl threw another snowball. "Dammit, Marcus, carry me home!"
"Can't you get up off your lazy ass and walk home? Or are you just looking for an excuse to ride me?" Marcus said, smiling at his underlying suggestion.
"I broke my leg!! Once I get on your back, I'm going to kick your ass so hard you won't be able to walk right for a week!" Laharl growled out, snow melting from the heat from his face. Marcus smirked.
"Ooh, King, don't fuck me too hard. I still have to go to school."
"Damn it…" Must stop talking, I'm digging my grave deeper…
Marcus stood in the cold trying to find a good reason to take him back to the house. Eventually he decided that if he didn't Reina would kill him later.
- Shigure's House -
Reina lay on Kyo's bed under his covers to hide her naked body. Kyo checked her temperature every so often as he cleaned blood off the floor. When he was done he went to check up on Reina. He laid his forehead against hers to check this time. Thoughts of earlier came rushing into his mind.
When he had hugged Reina she had turned into an adorable kitty with green fur that he had enjoyed holding in his arms. He himself though went through much pain. His eyes became totally red with no pupils, his orange hair became lighter as it grew to his knees, and wings the most palest orange shot out of his back covered in blood. Laharl had said it was like they switched curses for a while. Kyo's back was still bleeding but his hair and eyes had gone back to normal when he had let go of Reina.
He lifted his head from her own and decided she was getting warmer. He laid his head down near her feet and slowly drifted off to sleep.
There was loud banging downstairs that instantly woke Reina. Her eyes shot open and she sat up so fast that cover over her almost fell off but luckily she caught it and used her arms to hold it up. She glanced at her feet and saw Kyo sleeping, shirtless, and bleeding from the back badly. Dizzy, confused, and embarrassed she lay back down and passed out.
Arguing could be heard downstairs. Not so soon afterwards the door to Kyo's room busted open and Laharl, on a pair of crutches, slammed it shut behind him. Whatever had happened downstairs seemed to be wearing off as he looked at Kyo and Reina. To himself he whispered "I'm going to have to call in Sky for help..."
DDL: -still chasing Kyo-
Julia: Well, new characters, strange events, illness, and what may be romance seems to come from this chapter.
Haru: I had one line..-sad-
Laharl: I'm not gay!
Marcus: Surrreee...
Reina: Tune in for the next chapter of crazness...