The Art of Teaching

Chapter 9

How was this happening? This was absolutely impossible! People didn't just turn into animals! And yet, here the situation presented itself to Kumiko like a thespian presents themselves to their adoring audience.

"Y-your delusional!" the black dog shouted suddenly. "Your fever must be making you hallucinate!" It was Shigure's voice speaking to her. Great, now they could talk.

The girl thought for a moment. Being delusional from fever would make sense, but she knew it had to be much higher then it was. And why would she be sane one minute and see things the next? No, the explanation didn't make enough sense for Kumiko.

"I am not hallucinating!" she shot at the dog with Shigure's voice defiantly. "I saw Shigure change into a dog! And—And those are Yuki and Kyo's clothes!" she exclaimed pointing at the clothing the cat and rat were still standing on.

"Nice try Shigure," the rat said sarcastically in Yuki's usual soft, understated tone.

"You see?! This is what happens when you invite women to stay here, idiot!" the cat yelled angrily with Kyo's voice.

"Don't fight—" Tohru tried. She looked as if she was going to have a heart-attack.

"You stay out of this!" the cat spat at her.

"She's right," the canine said. "It won't solve anything."

"Will one of you explain to me what in the world just happened?!" Kumiko demanded, bringing the focus back to the matter at hand. The animals and Tohru looked at her, apparently unsure of how to explain this highly unusual situation. The dog sighed,

"Well, I guess I'll be the one to let the cat out of the bag—so to speak." The cat hissed. The dog approached the young woman and sat in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. "I assume you know about the legend of the Chinese zodiac and how it came to be." She nodded. "For generations, the Sohma family has been living under a curse. Whenever our bodies are stressed or if we are hugged by members of the opposite sex, well, we transform into the twelve animals of the zodiac, with the addition of the cat."

Kumiko stared at him for a moment then turned her gaze to the others. Their eyes were full of earnest. Either she really had gone crazy or they were telling the truth.

"Then, Shigure, you're the dog, Yuki, you're the rat, and Kyo, you're the cat?" she said. Yuki and Shigure nodded in turn; Kyo just sat there looking angry. The college student gathered enough strength to get to her feet. "You knew about this too, Tohru?" The younger girl nodded honestly. "So, uh…Is this permanent? Did I change you into animals for good?" she questioned, feeling guilty.

"Oh, no, don't worry. We change back after a while but we're uh…indecent?" The euphemism didn't escape Kumiko. She bolted into her new room, slapping a hand over Tohru's eyes as she went, and, dragging the girl inside behind her, slammed the door shut.

Pop!

A pause.

Pop! Pop!

The raven-haired young woman breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned up against the door.

"That was a close one," she said.

"Oh, yes, um thank you," Tohru replied, bowing gratefully. Kumiko stood up straight and smiled.

"No problem. Us girls have got to stick together, right?"

"Right!" the younger of the two replied enthusiastically. There was a knock on the door.

"Girls, you can come out now. It's all clear," Shigure assured them. Kumiko opened the door cautiously out of instinct, then stepped out when she saw that it was true. "I think you and I should talk about this alone and let the kids get back to their homework," he suggested.

"Uh, okay," she agreed hesitantly, following him into the dining room. They sat across from each other as Shigure began to speak.

"Obviously, Kumiko, you've learned quite a big secret," he began.

"Oh don't worry! I won't tell a soul!" she informed him quickly. He grinned.

"I didn't think that you would, being someone who values her own secrets. No, what I was going to say was that this is, of course, a serious matter. I'll have to inform the head of the family of what happened tonight. If Akito doesn't approve of you having knowledge of the curse, then certain steps will have to be taken to make sure our secret doesn't get out," he explained.

She thought about this, not liking the sound of it. Suddenly her eyes widened in fear.

"You're going to have me assassinated, aren't you?!" she asked frantically. Shigure was taken aback by this statement.

"No, it's nothing like that!" he said quickly. "You see, when it is decided that a person is unfit to know about the curse, that person's memories are erased."

"Erased?" she repeated, feeling worried.

"It's like hypnosis, really," he clarified.

She looked at her hands, brows knit together in deep thought. The idea of someone in her head, fooling around with her memories, taking away a piece of her life that she could never get back; she hated it. Then again, this was a huge secret. If Kumiko's memories had to be erased for the sake of making this family feel safe and secure again, she would do it.

"I don't like it," she told him firmly, not looking up at him. He raised his eyebrows at the rather rebellious statement. "But, if that's what has to happen, then I guess I'll just have to accept it, won't I?" Her dark eyes lifted to his face, filled with resolve.

The dog smiled at her. "You are a brave woman, Kumiko." She didn't know how to take the compliment.

"Thank you," she muttered quietly.

"You should go get some rest." She nodded and got to her feet. "Oh," he said as she slid the door open, "and don't worry yourself over it. Què será, será!" The pianist smiled at him.

"Right. Good night." With that she went upstairs and got ready for bed. Tohru was already asleep by the time Kumiko slid under her blankets. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes to sleep.

A few moments later she opened them and rolled onto her side. Two minutes later she twisted to her other side. Then rolled back to the other, and then tossed to the other, then turned back to the first again. Over and over and over again for hours this pattern repeated itself. Finally, she flopped down on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. The Sandman, it seemed, was having a laugh at her expense.

Her mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about the Sohma family's curse and, despite what Shigure said, she found herself very anxious about losing her memories. She didn't notice when her thoughts became cloudy and she began to drift off to sleep.

Kumiko woke up late the next morning and immediately got ready for the day and went downstairs. Once again, Tohru, Yuki and Kyo were already gone. Shigure was watching the news in the living room. He smiled at her when she came in.

"Good morning!" he chimed. "Hatori is coming to pick us up soon."

"Us?" she inquired, joining him at the table.

"Yes, I'm going to meet with Akito today," the man said simply. Her gaze fell a little. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, not allowing her to dwell on it.

"Oh, yeah. I slept fine," she lied.

"Do you want any breakfast?"

"No, I'm not hungry," she replied. This was true; her stomach was in far too many knots for her to feel hungry. A car horn sounded, signaling Hatori's arrival. After grabbing her papers and slipping on her shoes, she and Shigure headed out to the car.

As soon as Kumiko saw Hatori's face, her mind was assailed with more questions. Was Hatori cursed too? Which animal did he turn into? Would any of this matter by the time she got home tonight? She sighed sadly. No, it probably wouldn't. She slid into the back seat while Shigure took the passenger seat.

"Hello, Ha'ri!" the dog greeted his cousin happily.

"Good morning, Hatori," Kumiko said, trying to act like her usual self.

"Good morning," he answered politely.

The rest of the drive was silent and awkward. Kumiko found that the possession of the knowledge of the curse made her feel very self-conscious in the presence of a man who may be under the same curse and who didn't know that she had found out about the Sohma family secret. Having to stop at her soon-to-be former dorm only made the miserable ride that much longer.

She was relieved to get out of the car when they arrived at her school. As soon as she thanked Hatori for the ride, she took off running to her first class. The young doctor watched her suspiciously. He let go of an exasperated sigh.

"She found out, didn't she?" he asked Shigure as they watched her jog across the campus.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" the novelist questioned innocently.

"She made practically no attempt at conversation, she couldn't wait to get out of the car, and…she didn't ask me how I was doing," he explained, pulling out of the parking lot.

"As we all know, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigy…" Kumiko's professor, Professor Fujitaka, drawled.

It wasn't that Kumiko had anything against the professor, she actually liked him, but today nothing could possibly keep her interest. Not only was she anxious about the fate of her memories, which rested in the hands of someone she had never even met, she was lethargic from her lack of sleep—two things that did absolutely nothing for her concentration.

Què será, será, my left foot! she thought irritably.

"Are we awake, Miss Hishida?" Professor Fujitaka inquired casually. The sound of her name being called brought Kumiko's attention immediately back to her teacher. Her face was flushed with embarrassment .

"Yes Professor," she answered bashfully. The middle-aged man nodded and went back to his lecture.

When Kumiko's classes were finally over, she walked out to the parking lot her Hatori had dropped her off. Two honks caught her attention and she looked to her left to see Shigure leaning out the window and waving at her. The dog spun around to face her as she slid into the backseat.

"Guess what, Kumiko?" he asked. Hatori began the drive to her old dorm.

"What?" she asked hesitantly.

"Good news! Akito has decided to trust you with our family secret!" he exclaimed excitedly. Relief flooded Kumiko's being. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. Her face lit up.

"Really? I get to keep my memories and everything? That's awesome!" she cried when Shigure nodded.

"Akito said that as long as you didn't do anything to expose us, it was alright for you to know about us." Kumiko took a big breath and flopped back against the seat with a smile. "You'll probably meet the others soon. I wonder how fast news will travel this time? When Tohru found out— Wah!" Shigure yelped as Hatori stomped on the break. Judging by the satisfied look on his face, it was on purpose. The girl loosened up her seat-belt enough to look out the window. They had stopped in front of the dorm.

"We're here," the doctor stated, stepping out of the car. They went inside, using the key that was still in Kumiko's possession, and began to gather the rest of her belongings. They stacked her books and trinkets in a corner. Her dishes would have to be sent back to her parents' house for safe keeping. Kumiko was about to go upstairs to pack the rest of her clothes when Shigure asked,

"Kumiko, where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall to the right," she replied. He darted down the hall and out of sight. "Okay, back to business."

"Actually, I need to speak with you Miss Hishida," Hatori said suddenly. He'd hardly said a word all day. She looked at him curiously. "It's about the curse." He approached her slowly. "You seem to be rather nonchalant about the whole thing. I'm surprised you've taken it so well." He was standing relatively close to her now.

"Actually, I was pretty freaked out before Shigure told me the news," she corrected him. His eyes narrowed just slightly.

"What were you afraid of?"

"You know," she glanced around conspiratorially, "about losing my memories." He stiffened.

"Is that why you're so happy?" he inquired, feeling leery.

"Oh no, of course not! Well, in a way, I guess it is." Now Hatori was confused.

"I don't understand," he stated truthfully. She looked up at him with her emerald green eyes and smiled.

"I'm happy because I get to keep the memories I have of the people that I've grown to care for, like Yuki and Tohru and Kyo," she explained.

His face lightened for a moment. "I see…" Then, the seriousness returned to his features. "This curse is a heavy burden, Miss Hishida. Just…" he trailed off and took a step closer, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

Kumiko was shocked at his gesture. Her heart-rate kicked up a little and a blush crept over her cheeks. "I promise," she answered after regaining some of her composure. He nodded and stepped away. "Hey, Hatori?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," she said with a soft smile. The corners of his mouth turned upwards faintly.

"Your welcome."

As they began to gather her possessions again, the pianist felt a question bubble to the surface of her mind. She didn't want to pry, but she couldn't resist the need to satisfy her own curiosity.

"Hatori?"

"What?" he replied.

"You're cursed too, huh?"

The man sighed.

"Yes."

A/N: My gracious it's been a long time! I meant to have this up a long time ago, but you know, life gets in the way. If any of you are wondering; yes, my house still has waay too many people in it. Anyway, I made this one longer than usual, because I just think it's something I need to work on.

Thank you so so much to all of you who favorited me and my story! And to all those who reviewed! It makes my so happy. XDDD R&R please! I love you all. 3