Notes:
I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira and the Yankees. :)
~Tali
Chapter 9 - Cursed
Haru slipped into Michiko's dark apartment on silent feet and ignored the wash of unease that hit him as soon as he closed the door. He knew he wasn't doing anything wrong, but for some reason he still felt uncomfortable. After brushing it aside he moved to the kitchen and pulled a small pad of paper and pen out of his pocket. Her "secret" stash of extra caffeinated tea was sitting out on the counter and that confirmed how tired she must be. He checked the cabinets and made a short list of essentials that his girl usually kept on hand as he thought about what had happened earlier with relief.
He and Kyou had gone to see the Yankees that morning to help look for the gang. It had been so strange the way they had dropped to the ground and curled up the moment they found them and the fight started. And the apologies they kept muttering were just over the top. He had never seen Yankees act that way, not that he was an expert on gang behavior, but he couldn't imagine any of the ones he'd met doing that. Even his friends had been puzzled by their odd behavior. Kyou had just been pissed because he'd been looking for a good fight to relieve his worry over Michiko, though he wouldn't admit it. They had helped with the confessions and both of them had spoken with the police when they dropped the Yankees off. The guys hadn't wanted to go into the station and Haru didn't blame them. They were, after all, Yankees. Haru decided the gang's strange behavior must be the result of some kind of spell and, considering what had happened the night before, he would bet money on Kishi being behind it.
He was at home sitting in the dark on the porch and enjoying a beer. He didn't drink at home too often but he had wanted to sit in the quiet and think for a bit. The darkest part of the porch was next to Hatori's house, so when Kishi came running out of the trees and up Hatori's steps he had been curious why. He hadn't realized they'd spent enough time together that she would know where he lived and be comfortable coming over in the middle of the night. She knocked on the door and when Hatori answered she tugged him outside and around to the same side of the house that Haru was across from. At first, Haru thought they were going to start necking or something and he was going to have to move or be scarred for life but then she had started talking and captured the entirety of his attention.
"Hatori, if anyone asks, I was with you all evening this evening." she had said breathlessly.
"Why?" the doctor had asked with a quick glance around. Haru had stiffened, thinking he might have been seen but Hatori returned his attention to Kishi immediately.
"I just was."
"If I'm going to lie for you I'm going to need to know why." he replied reasonably.
"Please?"
"No."
"I'm trying to help Michiko. Please."
"Did you do something illegal?"
"Not exactly."
"Then what?"
"Won't you just trust me?"
Hatori gripped her shoulders firmly, "If you can't tell me why I'm lying, then I'm not going to do it."
"Can you keep a secret?"
He rested a hand on her forehead for a moment then checked her pulse, "Your temperature seems to be fine, though your pulse is elevated. As my patient I cannot repeat anything you tell me."
"There are things about me you don't know and I'm not quite ready to tell you. I'm not like other people and I used that to do something to the Yankees that attacked Michiko."
"Are they dead?" he asked very calmly.
"No! Nothing like that. Just . . . know that they've been taken care of. They won't be bothering anyone again."
"How can you be sure?"
She smiled, "I did my research."
Hatori considered her for several moments before nodding, "We stayed in and watched movies. I had to see Akito for about an hour, but you cooked us dinner while you waited. Momiji was with Kisa and Hiro so he didn't see you, but I'm sure Haru saw you cooking from his kitchen."
Hatori had seen him after all. Haru sighed as he realized if the doctor had seen him he had seen his beer and he would be getting another talk about drinking while he was underage.
Kishi spoke, "Are you sure we should tell him?"
"If it involves Michiko, he'll want to help. I'll speak with him in the morning." Hatori replied quietly. "Why don't we go inside and watch that movie?"
Kishi tiptoed to kiss his cheek and let herself in. Hatori looked at Haru with a raised brow and the teen nodded and poured the rest of his beer into the bushes. Once that was done, Hatori went inside and he let out a sigh of relief as the lecture was put off for the night. He was curious why Hatori didn't tell Kishi he had been sitting right there but decided his reasons were his own.
After Haru had finished at the station he returned to the warehouse district and hadn't been able to avoid the quick twist of jealousy when Kai said he's spoken with Michiko earlier. She had told him she would contact him when she had some free time but somehow she'd been able to find time to talk with Kai. After he had explained the condition she had been in Haru had felt better about the situation, but missed her company and hoped she would call him soon. When Kai mentioned she told him she was out of everything, Haru decided to do a little shopping for her so she wouldn't starve while her boss was working her to half to death.
Once the list was finished Haru slipped back out the door and headed to the store. Luckily it was right down the street so he didn't have to worry about getting lost. Once done, he slipped back into the apartment and put everything away before sticking a note to Michiko on the tea canister.
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"Michiko-san?"
Michiko glanced up from where she was putting her key in the lock and smiled at the girl that lived next door. "It's Akira, isn't it?"
She ducked her head a little, "Yes. I just wanted to ask if you were all right?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" the older girl replied.
"Hatsuharu has been tense lately and I thought it might be because something happened between you."
"No. Just some things going on and I've been working a lot of overtime for the last week."
The girl nodded, "I'm glad nothing's wrong."
"Thank you for worrying. If you see him today would you tell him I said hello?"
"Of course. I better get going or I'm going to be late." the girl replied before heading for the staircase.
Michiko shook her head as she let herself in and checked the wards. She knew the Yankees were in jail but it was habit. When they flared red she tensed and dropped into a crouch. Someone had been inside her apartment since she left. She cautiously flicked a few lamps on and didn't see anyone in the living room or dining area. Silent feet took her to the kitchen and no one was there either. She almost missed the note stuck to the tea but her tired brain registered it at the last instant and she walked over to it curiously.
M,
Heard you were hungry so picked up a few things for you. Hope you finish that project soon so I don't have to miss you for much longer. Take care of yourself.
Always,
H
She smiled softly at the note and pulled it carefully off the tea canister to take to her room and stick to the lampshade next to her bed so she'd see it when she woke up. How did I get so lucky? Was everything that happened just to get me here? If so, I think I can live with it. She sighed happily as she went back to the kitchen and fixed herself some dinner. A quick glance at the clock told her it was nearly eight o'clock in the morning. Her internal clock was so confused that she wasn't sure if it would ever go back to normal. She should have realized how late it was when she saw Akira headed out to school. While she cooked she thought about Haru's gift, still tucked away in a drawer in her bedroom, and she thought she might work on it while she ate. It was harder than she thought to charm a cell phone to run without a battery.
----------
Haru hurried up the staircase. He wanted to surprise Michiko by taking her out to breakfast since this was her first day off in two weeks. He hadn't seen her since the first day of classes at Kaibara; the same day he found out she could do magic and change her appearance. According to the text she sent him around two that morning, right as his phone died, some high level magical guy had been speaking backwards for the last three weeks and it had taken her team two to find the spell and create a counter for it. He shook his head. Having a girlfriend that could do actual magic was kind of odd. He wondered if the Zodiac curse was some kind of spell and that if he told her about it she would be able to remove it. He wasn't quite ready for that step but it was something that kept circling his mind.
He knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. The door opened and he smiled at her as she welcomed him inside. "Good morning. I thought we could go out to breakfast since this is your first day off and I know you don't have any food left in the kitchen."
Her face broke into a wide smile and she hugged him impulsively. "That's so sweet of you Haru-kun!" she said in a rush before there was a poof and a cloud of smoke.
She looked around, realizing that he was no longer in her arms and there was an ox standing in her living room. "I didn't know you were an animagus? Have you been keeping secrets from me?" she asked teasingly. She frowned, "I'm sorry. You didn't have to transform to get away from me. I was just so happy that I forgot the no hugging rule. Please don't be angry."
The ox cocked its head at her, "I have no idea what an animagus is but that's not why I transformed. I'll transform back in a couple of minutes."
"Well if you're not an animagus, then why do you look like an ox?" she asked.
There was a poof and when the smoke cleared she was looking at a naked Haru. She yelped as she spun around. "Did you know you weren't going to have any clothes on? You could have warned me!"
She listened as he put his clothes back on, "Are you decent?" she asked after a couple moments.
"Yes." he replied tensely. She turned around and saw he had his pants and shirt on, but the shirt wasn't buttoned yet. She took a moment to appreciate the view before looking into his face. He was smiling at her, "Enjoying yourself?"
"Rather." She stepped over to him and kissed the corner of his mouth. "I really am sorry. I was so pleased with the idea of going to breakfast with you that I forgot the no hugging rule. I'm guessing that's why you have it?"
He nodded but did not speak. Haru was at a loss. He didn't want to bring Akito into his relationship but if he told her he would have to tell him too. And who knew what he'd do then. Michiko correctly interpreted the look on his face and reached up to cup his cheek, "I won't ask, you don't need to explain, and I certainly won't tell."
He nodded appreciatively, "That works well for me."
"So, is the offer for breakfast still open?" she asked.
He smiled, "Yeah. I know you haven't been to the store in weeks and what I picked up has to be gone by now. I thought I'd keep you company for grocery shopping too if you want."
"That sounds wonderful. And then we can have a movie day after shopping?"
"Sure. You owe me at least two movie nights anyway." he replied seriously. "Are you ready to go?"
She smiled and grabbed her purse, "I am now. Let's go."
He tugged her out the door and down to the nearest pastry shop. He had discovered she had a real sweet tooth in the morning and felt like indulging her. The smile he got when they walked into the shop told him it was the right choice.
"So, what have you been up to while I've been at work?" Michiko asked once they had sat down with their breakfast.
He shrugged, "Nothing much. I kept an eye on Kisa a couple of times, picked a fight with Kyou, hung out with Yuki and Momiji. The usual."
"How have classes been?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Boring as usual."
"Is there anyway you can get moved to a higher grade or more advanced classes?" she asked curiously.
"Maybe, but why bother?" he asked.
"So you can finish early and move on to college or whatever your next step is? What do you want to do after high school?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'm not sure I want to spend more time in school and nothing I've learned about or done has caught my interest enough want to do it for the rest of my life."
"Well, you've got plenty of time to decide." she replied.
"How did you get into spell research, anyway? Did you wake up one morning and decide it sounded like fun?" he asked curiously.
"Not exactly. I always did really well on the research assignments for class and one of my teachers did freelance research. She let me help her a few times and I really enjoyed it. She introduced me to a man she worked with often and he hired me right out of school."
"Hmmm. It would be nice to be done with school sooner rather than later." he mused. "Maybe I will look into it. Of course, then I'd have to pay attention to the teacher instead of daydream about you."
Michiko smiled at him, "I'm sure you'd be able to manage both if you really wanted to."
"Something interesting did happen about a week ago." he murmured.
"What?"
"I was sitting on the porch and your boss visited Hatori. She was in need of an alibi."
Michiko's brows shot up, "Really? This was right before you caught the Yankees?"
He nodded. "That evening she was at Hatori's watching movies and cooked dinner while he treated Akito. I saw her from my kitchen window."
"Dazed, confused, sticky sweet smell, pale but no red in their cheeks, apologizing, dropping into the fetal position . . . ." Her eyes unfocused as she considered several possibilities and Haru watched her quietly until her eyes returned to him, "I might know what happened. I'll have to ask her about it."
"What do you think she did?"
"It's either a potion or a very powerful memory modification. Possibly both, but that might be overkill." She cleared the trash from the table. "Ready to go shopping?" she asked.
He nodded and followed her out the door. "Are we going to spar today?"
She considered the question for a moment before sadly shaking her head, "I'm too tired to do very well."
"That's all right. I'll let Yuki and Kyou know you're not up to it yet and we'll get together when you're less tired." he replied as they stepped into the store.
Once the shopping was done he helped her put everything away and make tea. They had movies to catch up on and he had brought along several new ones for her to watch. He didn't intend to leave until late Sunday at the earliest. He had missed her terribly. They snuggled together as the movie played.
"Mi-chan?" Haru murmured quietly. She had fallen asleep shortly after the movie began and started talking.
"Hmm?" she muttered before snapping awake and looking around in confusion. "Haru-kun?"
"You fell asleep. Who were you talking to?" he asked as he ran a hand down her back.
She frowned, "I keep having a dream about some red-haired woman. She said she's my sister, but I don't have one."
"What does she want?"
"To find me."
"Why?"
Michiko shrugged, "No idea. I'll have to ask next time. It's getting kind of annoying really."
"Maybe you should tell her where you are, then she'll go away." he responded.
"No, I don't like the idea of telling someone I don't know where I live." she replied.
"Then tell her to go away." he said with a smile.
"I might just." she said as she returned his grin. "So what's the plan?"
"Easy. I'm staying here until Sunday night. We'll cook, watch movies, and hang out. Maybe even neck a bit." he said with a sly smile.
"What will Hatori think?" she murmured.
He shrugged, "I want to be here, not there. I hate going to the compound. It's not a happy place and I don't like being there."
She nodded and smiled up at him, "Then you should definitely stay here."
"So, about that necking?" he murmured as he pulled her carefully into his lap. She allowed him to manhandle her with a bright giggle before she brought her lips down to his.
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"Have you been practicing?" Michiko asked Hatori as they settled themselves on the floor to begin another lesson.
"When I have time."
"Are you able to sense energy fields?"
"I was able to sense Shigure's after I knocked him out."
"You knocked him out?"
"He wouldn't be quiet so I could concentrate."
She smiled a little, "I can see where that would make it difficult. Can you sense mine?"
He closed his eyes and reached slowly towards her face. When his hands were centimeters away from her cheeks he slowly started moving them away. "There's the edge of the physical." He moved them again, "Here's emotional."
She reached up and moved his hands inward, "That's emotional. Where you were is mental."
He opened his eyes and studied her for a moment before closing them again and shifting his hands back and forth between the three points as he tried to pinpoint the emotional range. "Why is the emotional layer so hard to find?"
She quirked a brow, which he didn't see, and spoke lightly, "Perhaps you are out of touch with your emotions so it makes it difficult for you to see them in others."
His eyes snapped open and he removed his hands. "Why would you say something like that?"
"Because usually the emotional layer is very easy to find. People are emotional creatures and they put off powerful feelings. Except for you. You are very calm and logical. Perhaps that is what interferes with your seeing my field."
"Or perhaps I am merely distracted by Akito's latest illness and my inability to cure it."
"What are his symptoms?"
"Ear infection, inflammation of his hands, nausea, fatigue." he listed.
She looked down at her hands for a long moment before looking at him steadily, "Has he had these symptoms before?"
Hatori nodded, "He had similar complaints in early March."
Her gaze hardened, "How's Kyou?"
"Fine. Why do you ask?"
"The others? Haru? Yuki? Momiji?"
"Fine."
She studied him closely before moving her hands over his energy fields slowly. "You distracted him, didn't you? Turned his attention towards yourself?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You've not been feeling well?" She reached out and gently pushed his sleeve up to expose a painful looking rash, "How long have you had this rash? Is it itching, burning, or both?"
He stilled completely as he looked at her, "Why do you ask?"
"A skin rash like this is a sign that someone or thing is making you very angry or frustrated. If Akito hurt Kyou and wants to do it again maybe you distracted him and you're tired of being in the same situation?"
"What makes you think Akito did anything to Kyou?"
"His symptoms occurred at the same time Kyou was injured and are indicative of doing some form of harm to someone."
"How so?"
"Ear infections can be manifestations of allowing your anger to unbalance you. Inflammation in the hands is a sign of handling things you should not in a way that's not good for anyone. Nausea and fatigue are signs of being tired of a situation and wanting to be rid of it. Maybe he's tired of treating his family this way but is afraid they will reject him even if he tries to change."
Hatori studied her for several moments before turning his attention to his hands, "Shall we continue or would you like to discuss your symptoms?"
She smiled a little, "I only said something because I care. Hint taken, but I'll tell you the same thing I told Haru and Yuki. If I get wind of any more underage children being hurt, we will have a problem and you won't like how it's resolved."
"I'll tell you the same thing I'm sure they told you. Our family business is private." he responded.
"Not when it hurts those unable to defend themselves. You of all people should understand where I'm coming from."
"I understand, but we take care of our own."
"Hence your energy lessons."
"Correct."
"So long as we know where we stand." They held each other's gaze for a long moment before she smiled and held up her hands. "Find my fields."
He put his hands on either side of hers and they began again. "Symptoms haven't been in any of the books you've given me."
"They're going home with you this afternoon. You have to see before you can diagnose."
"Very well."
The continued the lesson and spoke easily as they went. When it was done Hatori deliberated for a long moment before pushing his sleeve up and exposing his rash. "Can you heal this?"
"Of course. It will keep coming back, but I can relieve the symptoms for a while." she replied as she rested a hand on his forearm.
"When will I learn how to do that?"
She shrugged, "Whenever you're ready it will happen. This is a bit different from what you're learning right now. Anyone can do this and help people. Not everyone is able to harness it enough to actually knit tissues and repair damage. I see potential in you, which is why I agreed to teach you."
"I thought it was because I was Haru's physician."
"That's part of it, but only a small part. Potential is most important, otherwise we're wasting our time."
"How old were you when you learned you could heal with energy?"
"Ten." came the quiet reply.
"I don't understand."
"What do you mean?"
"You said the Yankee taught you how to put in stitches and it took you a lot longer than that to learn you could heal with energy."
"It only took a few tries for me to figure out how to learn to put in stitches but years before I figured out energy healing and I had to be very motivated for it to work. I already knew how to use energy when I met Kai but I couldn't use it in front of him. I was afraid he'd turn me out if he saw what I could do. My father was very angry when he saw me after I did it the first time."
"I see. What about your grandfather? Haru mentioned he taught you martial arts. Why didn't he do anything to help you?"
"I don't think he ever knew how bad it was. My father was careful and made it clear things would be a lot worse if I told anyone."
He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm glad you're doing so well. Most people in your situation would have a very hard time being touched."
"I still do sometimes. I can't stand strangers touching me unless we're sparring and I sometimes I react badly when people sneak up on me."
"That is understandable."
"It's been six years since anything has happened and it was only bad for a couple. I like your family. It's like I've known all of you forever and I'm comfortable."
"I think it's the same for them as well. I've noticed since you arrived Haru is much happier, as is Kyou."
She smiled brightly, "I'm happier, too."
"I should get back to the main house."
Michiko went to the table and picked up a large stack of books. "Here's your homework."
"All of these?" he asked.
"They have a lot of the same information but each has a few extra bits since they're from different writers and everyone thinks about energy healing differently."
"When's our next lesson?"
"Whenever you have time. Keep practicing on your own. If you get stuck let me know."
He nodded. "Thank you."
"Anything for the Sohma family." she replied as she ushered him out the door. Once he was gone she leaned against the door for a moment and just breathed. Sometimes it was so hard to keep up the cheerful façade in front of people. Especially when she spoke of her past. It's over and done with and you don't need to think on it any more. If something happens to them you'll take care of it and she won't be involved. You're past all that.
----------
The next day Michiko was at work and caught Kishi's eye. The older woman nodded slowly and they headed into her office. Once they were seated Kishi looked over at Michiko and smiled. "What can I do for you, Michiko-chan?"
"I was wondering where you got the potion without it being traced?" she asked without preamble.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, all innocence.
"They smelled sweet and were acting very strange. The only thing I can think of is that you used a highly regulated potion to make their minds more susceptible to your memory charm."
"I'm certain I don't know what you're talking about."
"You also needed an alibi."
"Not following you."
Michiko gave her an exasperated look, "Kishi-sama, you know very well and I know there is no way anyone could possibly hear inside this room with all the spells you know."
Kishi considered for a moment before nodding once. "Don't worry about how I got it just that it worked."
"Are you certain they won't trace it back to you?"
"Of course. They won't even be looking for it since you didn't report what happened to the authorities. Or at least the authorities that would be watching for something like this. Why is that, by the way?"
Michiko shrugged, "To what end? They were Muggle Yankees and belong in a Muggle jail. That's all that would have happened even if I report it."
"True." Kishi allowed.
Michiko hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Caring enough to do something about it."
Kishi smiled at her, "What are friends for?"
"I'm still learning." she replied quietly as she stood.
Kishi stood as well and walked over to give the girl a quick hug. "You're doing fine."
"Because of all of you."
"So long as you're doing well, who cares why?"
"I suppose." Michiko replied before returning to her desk and her latest project.
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"Hello, Kat. What are you doing out so late by yourself?" Michiko said when she spotted the girl. She had gone looking for her when the matching necklace she wore had warmed up to let her know she needed her. The girl looked down but didn't reply.
"Would it be okay if we talked using a special method, Kat? I'm very worried about you being out alone so late and would like to know what happened."
Kat looked up at her nervously before nodding slowly.
"Okay. I need you to keep eye contact with me, all right? See what you want me to know in your mind's eye and I'll see it to. Do you understand?"
She maintained eye contact and Michiko took that to mean yes. She silently incanted the spell to allow them to access each other's minds and focused on a whiteboard with the message, "Are you okay, Kat?"
The girl's eyes narrowed as she concentrated on her own message, "I got lost. I went for a walk after school and I don't know how to get back."
"I'll walk you back to the school and then home." Michiko wrote before breaking the connection and holding her hand out to the girl. Once she had it they started walking towards the school.
"Here we are. Now you lead the way home and I'll keep you company."
Kat led her down the street and they walked to the outskirts of town. They finally stopped in front of a set of gates at the edge of the same woods Shigure's house was built against. Kat looked expectantly up at her and it took Michiko a few moments to realize she wanted to say something. She initiated the connection and saw Kat's message.
"Thank you."
"Any time, sweetie. You better get in there so your mother knows you're all right. I'll see you later." She broke the connection and smiled at the girl.
Kat hugged her before walking through the gates. Michiko watched from outside the gates until she turned a corner and was out of sight. She walked a little ways away before Apparating home. She had a project to work on.
----------
Once she got home, Michiko made a pot of tea and pulled over a stack of books. I know I've seen something about a curse and the Zodiac. I wonder if that's what's going on with the Sohma family? What book was it in? She looked through all of the likely books she had on hand before Apparating to the archives to keep looking.
It took a week of solid searching in the dustiest archives before Michiko hit the jackpot. She had been cross-referencing everything she could find about hugging, animals of the zodiac, and transformation. Finally she found it in an obscure book – the Jyuunishi curse. It told the story of the animals in the Chinese zodiac and about how the rat played a trick on the cat and took advantage of the ox.
The spirit of each zodiac symbol possessed a member of the cursed family for a total of fourteen possessed individuals if you include the god-spirit which was not always present. If they were hugged by a person of the opposite sex that was not cursed they would transform into their animal spirit – except for the god-spirit. The book told about how the family had a longstanding tradition of shunning the cat and then locking him or her into a room once they had come of age, mostly because the cat was not exactly human. It had another form that was kept at bay by Juzu beads. Oh, Kyou. No wonder you're so lonely and so angry all the time. Who wouldn't be with a life like that? Well, don't worry. I won't let them put you in a box.
The book said only true love and acceptance would break the curse and when one who was never loved is loved, that ancient promise nears the end. Michiko took a moment to wonder what the promise was before continuing. It also alluded to the fact that the curse could not be broken unless all fourteen spirits were present. Well, that certainly makes it difficult to break. Especially if all of the god-spirits have been so hard on the others. True love is hard enough to find without heaping physical, mental, and emotional abuse into the mix. Especially in the cat's case. She had seen how all of the Sohmas treated Kyou with a casual disregard that was not at all conducive to creating any type of healthy relationship. And locking him in a room alone when he comes of age? Not helping. Her head snapped up. Or trying to lock him up early and make sure he can't run away. she thought as she remembered the day she had gotten him out of the little house and healed his ankle. Bastards. You'll pay for that I promise.
That left only two options. One, the family head had no idea that the curse could be broken or what it takes to do so. Or two, he knew and worked specifically to prevent it. From what Michiko had overheard of Akito, especially his visit to the school at the beginning of the month and the symptoms she and Hatori had discussed, she would put her money on knowing and not wanting it broken. What a sad way to live your life, spending all of your time trying to ruin other people's lives so they stay close to you.
She tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the open book and considered what she had discovered and what she could do to help. She was especially worried about Kyou since his destiny appeared to be alone in a small room. Perhaps if I made a charm that Kyou could use to call me if he needed me? I wouldn't be able to tell him that it was magic, but perhaps if I presented it as a gift and made it a bit sentimental? He's not really much for sentiment, but if I can think of the right way to present it, perhaps it will work?
She put away all of the other books and took the one with the information on the curse with her. She Apparated as close to home as she dared and hurried inside. Three days later she had finished the charm for a necklace for Kyou and finally finished Haru's gift as well, which she had been working on for over a month now.