Notes:
I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira and the Yankees. :) Borrowed a scene from the anime.
~Tali
Chapter 15 – Kat?
Haru dialed Michiko's number and paced impatiently across Shigure's porch waiting for her to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Mi-chan? Kisa ran away. Can you help us look for her?" he asked.
"Of course. Where are you?"
"Shigure's."
"I'll be there in two minutes." she clicked off and yanked on her shoes on the way out the door. She Apparated to the clearing outside Shigure's and saw Haru waiting for her. "Sohma Kisa, right?" she asked as rain started pouring down on them.
He nodded and she pulled out her wand. "Track Sohma Kisa." A small light shot out of the tip of her wand and she grabbed his hand and ran after it. They followed it across town to the park, where it stopped over a hedge. Haru knelt beside a small tiger that was hiding underneath the bushes and spoke quietly until she came out and climbed onto his lap. He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her.
"She's a member of the zodiac too?" Michiko asked in surprise.
He nodded as he stood up and pulled the coat back so Michiko could see her face. "Kisa, this is Michiko. Michiko, this is Kisa."
Michiko stared at her for a moment thinking her eyes looked very familiar before she slowly reached out to scratch Kisa gently behind the ear. She allowed it for a moment before putting her head down and curling into the coat. Michiko put a warming charm on her as she covered her back up.
"What did you do?" Haru asked curiously.
"Warmed her up so she wouldn't catch a cold. Where should we go?"
"Shigure's house." he replied and they started walking slowly through the downpour.
A little while later they spotted Yuki and Tohru sheltering under an awning. "What are you two doing out in the rain?" Yuki asked as he walked over to the couple.
Haru pulled the coat back, "We were looking for someone."
"What a cute kitten!" Tohru exclaimed happily.
"That is Sohma Kisa." Haru explained. Yuki looked at him sharply and he shrugged. "I was going to tell you."
"A member of the zodiac. Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Tohru." she said as she reached out to pet Kisa. The startled tiger bit down on Tohru's fingers and she yelped in surprise.
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"Apologize to her. Kisa!" Yuki said from his place at the table to the tiger that was hiding against the wall.
"It's all right." Tohru said as Haru bandaged her hand.
"She can't apologize to you." Shigure chimed in from the doorway.
"She doesn't speak. She hasn't said a word since not long after she started middle school. From what Hatori says, the problem is all in her mind. For some reason she's locked away all of her words. A while after she stopped talking, she stopped going to school, and then today she ran away from home. That's why we went looking for her. By the time we found her she already transformed." Haru explained.
Michiko looked over at the tiger thoughtfully. She knew another girl that didn't speak, and she hadn't seen her in the schoolyard for quite some time now.
"Maybe she ran into a boy?" Tohru offered.
"No, she's under too much stress." Haru replied as he finished bandaging Tohru's hand and started towel drying his hair.
"But, I don't understand. What happened? Why would she act this way all of a sudden?" Yuki asked, confusion written clearly across his features.
"She was picked on." Haru replied before Kisa jumped over and bit into his upper arm. He frowned down at her, "That hurts. What is it? Are you angry now? You think I should just mind my own business, is that it? You made this my business. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? Or your mother? She's still out there looking for you, you know."
Kisa released his arm and ran away. Tohru waffled between patching Haru up and following Kisa for several moments before Shigure spoke up.
"I'm sure it will be fine. Tohru, calm down."
Michiko rested a hand on the bite to heal it so Tohru ran out the door to find Kisa.
Haru glared at Shigure, "You could be worried a little bit."
"You didn't go Black just now did you?" Shigure asked with a nervous chuckle.
"No. It just hurts and I'm annoyed. There's just no getting through to that Kisa." he replied as Michiko finished healing him. They headed out into the rain to renew the search for Kisa. They wouldn't be able to use magic this time as the sparkle of the spell would definitely raise questions if someone found her before they did.
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A few hours later found Haru, Michiko, and Shigure sitting around the table drinking tea and talking quietly. Shigure had called them when Tohru, Yuki, and Kisa had gotten back and by the time they arrived at the house they had already gone upstairs and she was asleep. Not wanting to wake her, they stayed downstairs to speak with Shigure for a while.
"So, Blossom, how long have you known about our little secret?" Shigure asked.
"Not very long."
"How did you find out? I'm pretty sure Haru wouldn't have actually told you."
"Technically, he still hasn't told me anything. I hugged him the other day and he turned into an ox." That was not a lie. She had hugged him the other day and he had turned into an ox.
"Weren't you surprised?"
"Very, but I've seen some pretty strange things so when he seemed upset about it I told him he didn't have to explain and I wouldn't tell anyone."
"You just accepted it? I wonder what your secrets are."
"None you need to worry about."
"Flower, I want to know all your secrets."
"That won't be necessary. You only need know that I won't pass anything I know about your family to anyone."
"Oh, blossom, you break my heart."
"It will survive."
"What's Kisa doing here?" Kyou asked as he walked into the room.
"Her mother reached a breaking point today and so they are going to take some time apart." Haru said before he looked over at Michiko, "We should head home. It's getting late."
"Does this mean if we need to find you, you'll be at Michiko's house tonight?" Shigure asked.
Kyou glared daggers at Haru when he nodded. Michiko frowned lightly at Kyou before they made their goodbyes and headed to the clearing to Apparate home.
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"Ha'ri, what do you know about Michiko?" Shigure asked seriously when the doctor entered his study.
Hatori had just been up to check on Kisa and was a bit surprised by the subject change. "Enough. Why do you ask?"
"She knows about the curse." Shigure replied softly.
Hatori pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you certain?"
"She and Haru brought Kisa back while she was in her tiger form." he replied seriously.
"Did you ask how long she's known?" the doctor asked slowly.
"They made it sound like she just found out, but she didn't seem at all unsettled. She's either known about it longer than that or for some reason it didn't surprise her at all. I watched her move around the boys and she was very good at not coming into contact with them except from the side or behind. It seemed like she had a lot of practice."
Hatori rubbed his head for a moment before replying, "I have noticed that before. I suspect she has secrets of her own. Some of the books in her apartment are very unusual. I'll see what I can find out. I'm sure that if she knows about Haru's secret he knows about hers."
Shigure nodded in agreement before redirecting the conversation. "The strangest thing happened today. Kisa bit Haru and instead of bandaging him up Michiko touched it and it went away. I'm certain I saw a bite mark on his arm but when she moved her hand it wasn't there anymore."
Hatori shook his head, "Of course it wasn't. She would have healed it for him." Shigure gave him a blank look and Hatori realized the inu had no idea what he was talking about. "She's an energy healer."
"A what?" he asked.
"She can heal you without stitches and medication. She's been teaching me." he explained.
Shigure's eyes got very wide before his look turned sly, "You've been seeing a high school girl on the side."
The doctor gave him a disgusted look. "If you're going to continue that nonsense I'm leaving."
"No, don't go. You hardly ever visit me any more."
"Then don't insinuate there is anything between Michiko and I other than friendship."
Shigure studied him closely for a long moment before a different kind of smile moved across his face. It wasn't one that Hatori had seen before and he was a little concerned about what it meant. He lifted a brow in irritation.
"You like her." the mutt said.
Hatori stood up with a shake of his head, "I'm leaving, dog."
"No, no, no. I mean you like her like family."
"I don't like my family." he responded impatiently.
"So you love her like your family."
"Is there a point to this?"
"Yes. Your relationship with Haru's blossom. What exactly is it?"
"Teacher and student. Perhaps colleagues."
Shigure grinned at him, "I don't believe you."
"I don't really care." Hatori retorted.
"Of course you do. How angry did you get when I suggested you were seeing her? I don't believe I've seen you have such a strong reaction for a long time. Now I'm just trying to understand since it isn't her obvious charms."
"Keep you eyes off her 'obvious charms' or you will be sorry." the doctor replied in a dangerously low voice.
"You sound like her father." the inu replied with a smirk.
Hatori opened his mouth to reply before deciding there was no reason to discuss this further with the inu. "You are talking nonsense. I'm leaving. Good night, Shigure. Behave yourself."
Shigure watched him leave thoughtfully. He briefly considered telling Ayame, but he decided it would be better to know how protective Hatori was of the girl before pressing his luck. For all he knew, he'd tell Haru some horrible lie and the teen would murder him.
Hatori fumed silently as he drove home. He couldn't believe the dog had said those things about Michiko. Then he realized he was rather angrier than he should be about Shigure's nonsense and stopped to consider why. He and Michiko had been spending a lot of time together and he considered her as much a friend as he did anyone he worked with. There wasn't anything to what Shigure was saying except the inu's usual gibberish – damn hentai. So why are you swearing at him?
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A few days later Momiji, Haru, Yuki, and Tohru were sitting in a secluded spot during their lunch break and discussing Kisa's situation.
"It's not like Kisa can stay at Shigure's house forever, can she? I wonder what she's going to do? I mean, after this?" Momiji said quietly.
"I bet she's wondering the same thing herself right now, and I'm going to guess she's even more worried about it than we are. Not that she'd ever let you know about it and that's kinda what got her into this mess." Haru replied with a sigh.
"So, what about her mother?" Yuki asked.
"Well, her mother is doing a little better I think. I got a phone call from her yesterday and she wanted to know how Kisa was and if she was eating enough and doing all right." Tohru told them with a smile.
"That's good right? Because her mom is thinking about her at least. Otherwise she wouldn't have bothered to call you." Momiji added.
"That still leaves one question. Why do you think her classmates were picking on her?" Yuki asked.
"Who can say?" Haru answered.
Momiji looked over at them, "I think I know why. I heard some of the adults talking about it at the house. I'm not sure how they found out because Kisa wouldn't tell them either. They said when it started it was cuz of how she looked. You know her hair and her eyes. She looked different from everyone so they made fun of her."
"I guess that's just another part of the zodiac curse for those of us with different colored hair. I used to get made fun of a lot." Haru said as he tugged on a lock of his hair.
"Yes, but when the other kids tried to pick on you, you would go Black and chase them around the school yard." Yuki replied with a half smile.
"It's better than Kyou. He would actually beat them half to death." Haru argued.
Momiji interrupted, "Well, supposedly, Kisa tried to stand up for herself too. She said she couldn't help what color her hair was, but when the other kids saw they couldn't get to her they all started to ignore her. After that, any time Kisa would try to say anything they would stop ignoring her just long enough to laugh at her. They started making fun of everything she said. I guess I never had anything like that happen to me in my class so I can only imagine what it must have been like for her. I imagine how I would feel if I got laughed at every time I tried to say something. How I would feel if no one ever listened to me. And well, when I do, it makes me very sad."
Haru stood up as the bell rung. "Yuki, I'm going to go to Shigure's with you after school. I have to deliver something."
"What is it?" Yuki asked.
"A letter from Kisa's homeroom teacher just came. We'll probably want to gag when we read it." Haru said as he held it up and walked away with Momiji hot on his heels.
"You know, growing up we're told we have to be strong. We're told that in this world it's the survival of the fittest, but I don't think that's right. We're people, we're not animals. Shouldn't it be okay to feel weak sometimes even for a member of the zodiac? Aren't we people?" Yuki asked in a voice raw with pain.
"You are." Tohru said as she placed a gentle hand on his back.
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Haru was squatted down next to where Kisa was sitting on Shigure's porch nervously playing with her bracelet, which looked suspiciously like a necklace wrapped several times around her wrist. Yuki leaned against the rail to listen as Haru plucked the letter out of her hands and began to read, voice heavy with sarcasm at his interjections. Had Yuki not been watching he would have thought Haru had gone Black.
"Dear Kisa, I hope this letter finds you well and I hope you are thinking about coming back to school – because that's going to be so much fun for her. We all miss you very much and I know your classmates are anxiously awaiting your return – of course they are, they must be bored with no one to harass. The rest of your teachers and myself are here to help you in any way that we can and to welcome you back into the group with open arms – if that was the case how did we end up here? If you are not comfortable speaking with us, I'm certain your friend Michiko" Haru stumbled for a moment over the name before continuing, "would be happy to help you in any way she can. More than anything Kisa it is my hope that you will soon learn to feel good about yourself – no thanks to your help or guidance. I believe you will come to find you do have many good qualities – of course she does. Our Kisa is perfect. That is my wish for you. There's no way for a person who dislikes themselves to be liked by others, is there?" He paused for a moment, "Huh, it really does make you want to gag."
Yuki glared at the letter, "I hope you will learn to feel good about yourself. What is that supposed to mean? How are you supposed to find these good qualities I wonder, if the reason you don't feel good about yourself is because all you can find are qualities you don't like? I don't think you can. Not like that, that's not how it works. I think what it takes is for someone else to say I like you. That's the only way you can truly begin to like yourself. When someone else accepts you that's when you begin to see yourself through their eyes and you begin to realize that there may actually be many qualities to like about yourself." He paused and turned towards Kisa, "Kisa, we love you. We love you very much. That's really all we can do. But maybe if you know we see all of these good qualities in you maybe that will help you to see them in yourself."
"Mm-hmm." Kisa said after a long pause.
Haru pulled her into a tight hug. "It's beautiful. It's been so long since we heard your voice."
"Kat?" came a worried voice from the edge of the woods as Haru released Kisa. "There you are. I was worried about you."
They watched in surprise as Kisa ran over to Michiko, who knelt down and hugged her tightly. When she released her she said something quietly and at Kisa's nod they looked at each other intently for several moments without saying anything before Michiko grinned and hugged her again. She stood and they walked over to the others.
"When did you meet Kisa?" Yuki asked curiously.
"The same day Kyou and I sparred for the first time." she replied. "I didn't know her name so I've been calling her Kat because of her hair and eyes. I didn't realize she was the one we were looking for the other day. I just thought I missed her so I was seeing her in others."
"Why were you looking at each other so closely just now?" he questioned.
"I haven't seen her since last month. I've been worried about her and had to see for myself that she was okay." she replied evasively.
"How did you two meet?" Haru asked.
Michiko frowned at him, "I was walking by the school and there was a group of kids hassling her. I intervened on her behalf and sat with her for a while."
Kisa gave a small giggle. "She called them brats and scared them away."
Michiko's head whipped around at the sound of the girl's voice and she pulled her into an enthusiastic hug. "You have a beautiful voice, Kat. I'm so happy you finally let me hear it."
Kisa smiled happily and returned the hug. When Michiko released her she smiled again, "If it's okay with your mom, do you want to come over some time? We could watch movies. Just us girls or with the boys or whatever."
"I'd like that." Kisa replied with a gentle smile.
"Your voice is beautiful." Michiko said again as she pulled her into a four way huddle with the boys. Yuki blushed a little but Haru just grinned at them.
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"Why are we here watching movies instead of at home?" Hiro groused to Kisa as they settled on the couch in Michiko's apartment.
Kisa looked over at Hiro with a soft smile, "Because she's my friend and I think you'd like her if you got to know her better."
Hiro gave her a look that made it clear he was withholding judgment. "Why would I want to get to know her better?"
"She was nice to me." Kisa said quietly. "Please give her a chance, Hiro."
The boy studied her for a long moment before finally nodding. "All right."
Michiko and Haru came into the living room bearing snacks and drinks for them all. They set them out on the coffee table before curling into the couch together.
"Ready?" Michiko asked brightly.
Hiro glared at her, "Why are you sitting so close to him? Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Haru glanced over at the boy, "Yes, and you should try to be polite when you're speaking with her."
Michiko just watched him with an amused expression, "It's fine, Haru-kun. He's angry and needs an outlet. Until he finds one he's going to be snappy. Maybe he should speak with Tohru, she's much better at helping people with their problems than we are."
Haru shrugged, "In that case, let's start the movie so he's too distracted to be rude." He heard the soft sound of annoyance Hiro made and turned to grin at him before starting the movie.
Michiko alternated between watching the movie and the kids from the corner of her eye. She thought it was terribly sweet how Hiro fidgeted until Kisa reached over to take his hand. When she rested her cheek against his shoulder, he looked like he had died and gone to heaven. He's not so bad. A bit of an abrasive personality, but that's not so bad. And he clearly loves Kisa dearly.
When Kisa's glass was empty, Hiro snatched it from the table before Michiko could pick it up and followed her into the kitchen. She pulled the bottle of soda out of the refrigerator without comment and handed it to him so he could fill the glass. When he was done he gave it back without looking at her and returned to the living room. Michiko managed to smother her snickers until she caught Haru's eye then she had to turn away or laugh. Hiro glanced between them darkly but smiled when Kisa softly thanked him.
When the movie was over Hiro stood and looked at his watch pointedly. "We should get home."
"We'll walk you." Haru said with a smile as he reached for Kisa and Michiko's hands.
"Thank you for having us over. It's nice to get to know the girl that made you smile so easily." Kisa said to Haru as they walked down the street together. He released her hand to pull her against his side for a half hug.
"I'm glad she has a chance to get to know you, too." he replied before letting her go and taking her hand again.
"Are you sure you should be dating a Yankee?" Hiro asked.
The three looked at him in surprise. Kisa asked "What are you talking about, Hiro?"
"Her hair has purple stripes, she's wearing a long skirt, and she looks like trouble."
Michiko grinned at him, "If you think I'm a Yankee, why are you speaking so disrespectfully? You should be worried I'll wipe the floor with you, little one. Besides, Haru looks like a troublemaker so we make a good match."
Kisa smiled at the couple, "I think you do make a good match. We won't say anything."
Haru glanced down at her, "Don't lie or get yourself in trouble to protect me."
Kisa shrugged, "You're just friends. You sat in the chair across from her the whole time."
Hiro looked ready to disagree but must have realized that if it came up and his story was different she would be in trouble. Haru pulled her to a stop and knelt in front of her.
"Don't lie to protect me. It would kill me if you got hurt because of me. Tell the truth if he asks and don't worry. I can take care of myself."
"But what if he hurts you?" she asked quietly.
"Michiko will heal me." he replied immediately.
"What if he hurts you as bad as Hatori?"
"She'll still be able to heal me. Don't worry."
"How is she going to heal you any better than Hatori can?" Hiro demanded.
Michiko looked down at him and winked, "Magic."
He scoffed at her but she just smiled easily, though if you looked below the surface you could see her tension. Haru saw and understood it. He stood and spoke against her ear, "We'll protect them. We always do."
They finally got to the gates of the main house and Haru stopped. "This is as far as I go. I need to walk Michiko back to her house."
Kisa hugged them both and Hiro grudgingly bowed to Michiko. "You didn't have to lie to me, you know."
"Ask me again sometime and I'll tell you the truth." she replied with a grin as she returned the bow.
The two kids watched the older teens walk away before heading home. They were halfway there when Hatori spoke from the shadows, "Where's Haru?"
"Walking Michiko home." Kisa replied with a smile.
"Did he say when he'd be back?"
They shook their heads. "I'm sorry, Hatori. I didn't think to ask."
He smiled slightly at the girl, "It's all right, Kisa. Go home now so your mother doesn't worry."
She nodded and held Hiro's hand as they headed across the grounds. Hatori lit a cigarette as he wondered what he was going to do. Akito had started asking questions he would rather not answer. Haru's parents had just gotten home and he was certain they weren't going to approve. He sighed and sent Haru a text letting him know he needed to make an appearance at home. One thing that had drastically improved after the teen started dating Michiko was his keeping his phone charged. He hadn't had to swap out batteries so he could keep track of him for quite a while now. His phone buzzed with Haru's reply and he walked over to Haru's house to let his parents know he would be home in about half an hour.