I pulled my heels on again and looked down at myself. I was wearing a hooded vest-cardigan-thing, a black camisole, a gray mesh tank top, and a black skirt. Today we had the day to explore the town. We had been here for about four days and we only had a week left here. Callie and I were going to just go hang out in town, it was about an hour walk away, but we figured that it would be worth it. She was talking with Hunter. I wanted the two of them to go out already, it was coming soon. He was going to have lunch with her today, which made an hour or so where I would be alone. I didn't mind, though. I really didn't. I liked the idea of exploring Japan on my own. Callie and I set out almost immediately, and we had a great walk to town. As normal Callie and I were just normal. I liked when we did this, I listened to her talk about a book that she was reading. It sounded really good, and I sort of wanted to read it too. When we got to town I followed Callie as she weaved her way through the street venders, she bought things every now and then, just little trinkets that I knew she would always remember. I smiled; she was having a good time, that's why we came here, so that she could have a good time. That's what I did, protected her happiness. If that was all I could do then I would be happy, as long as I could protect the smile that she had on her face. I didn't love her, if that's what you're thinking. Well, I loved her but not in a romantic way. She was like my little sister, and I protected her like an older brother. You see, my family is her foster care family and we are in the process of adopting her. She had been taken from her home when she was eight, we had gone to the same school and I knew her a little. Both her father and mother were abusive, and she didn't smile again until we were ten. No that's what I wanted, to protect the smile that her parents had taken from her. That's all that I wanted. I fended people off with my guitar on my back, unknowingly, and I didn't regret bringing it with me. At lunch Callie met with Hunter and I warned him that if he tried to pull anything he would have to deal with me first hand. I left the two to entertain each other, grabbing an apple for the road for myself. I found my way to a fountain in the middle of town.

"Sā, watashi wa koko de gitā o hajiku koto ga dekimasu ka*" I asked the wandering police officer. I really did want to play my guitar, and if I didn't get any money from it then it wouldn't be illegal, at least in America. The police officer said that I could and I thanked him before sitting down on the edge of the fountain and starting to play a song that I wrote. My father said that I needed to practice my Japanese, so to practice I wrote songs. I sung for about a half hour and attracted a small crowd of kids. They asked me to play more when I packed up, but I told them that I had to get going or else I would get in trouble with my teachers. I said good bye to all of them and they waved me off.

"And now she can sing in Japanese," a voice said behind me as I walked down the street. I turned to see the Hatsuharu guy from the hot springs. I wondered what he was doing, but I didn't ask.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No, it just proves how true you are to your culture. Ayame's going to come get you soon." With that he started to walk away.

I stood there for a few seconds slightly confused before what he said sunk in. "Excuse me? White hair is coming to get me? Why? What do I have to do with him?"

The boy turned back around to face me before he spoke up. "The same thing you have to do with me, Zodiac. Akito wants you back, and since we all listen to him then we'll bring you back. Sorry, Hannah-san."

I watched him leave, not sure exactly what he just told me. I knew this for sure; white hair was coming, and probably not alone to get me; like I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Ii walked off in the opposite direction of the white and black haired boy with a fast pace. My goal was to get as far away from that kid as I possibly could, then I would worry about what to do after that. When I finally stopped to see where I was the air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and I was slightly afraid of what would happen now. A man was passed out, drunk, on the side of the road. He was wearing slacks and a button up shirt and tie, the top buttons were undone, and his tie was loose, and he was just passed out. I didn't really pay attention to this; I had seen people passed out due to alcohol a few times before. I picked a direction and just started to walk, until I ended up by the passed out drunk four times and accepted that I was lost. With a sigh I gave up and called upon the rabbit demon. I soon found myself jumping along the roofs of the buildings without much of a sound before I found my way back to the center of the town. Unluckily I also found the strange man with black hair. I recognized him from the hot springs, but I didn't know his name. He was still wearing a kimono. I walked in the opposite direction of him, and I knew that he was following me. I didn't turn back to look until I was on the opposite side of a bridge from him. We stood on the opposite sides, neither of us really moving. He didn't say anything; he just smiled and watched me happily. He was still so care free. That fact irritated me. He was following me, being a creeper, and he was just smiling.

"Keep going," he encouraged me. "Don't stop on my account."

I felt myself soften a little bit. I was sick of this, running. All I wanted was answers. "Who are you? What's going on?" I looked down at my feet unhappily. The rushing stream filled the silence that was between us, making it something to focus on. "Why do you always follow me? I didn't do anything wrong."

"Why are you so rude and cruel to us?"

"Father told me to stay away from the Sohma's, if I were ever to run into them. He told me to be rude, to be as nasty as I could be. He told me to act as if they were hurting Callie. I'm doing what I was told." I didn't know that the man had crossed the bridge until his hand rested on my shoulder.

"Your father's name was Takyua, right?"

I looked up at him hesitantly, "you know my father?"

He smiled down at me with a warm smile. "I do know your father. Well, knew him. He disappeared about seventeen years ago. He was older than me, but I saw him around a lot. He was a nice guy, and he helped me a lot with school when I needed it. When he disappeared he went to America, and no one heard from him after that. That is, until about a week or so ago. That's when Akito got the list of students that would be staying at the hot springs, and when he saw your name he sent me and my friends to see if we could see you. When Ayame did see you he knew instantly that there was something about you, so a few days later we found ourselves wondering how we were going to get you to the main house. I left after that, I didn't want to get involved, and Hatori was preoccupied with work. That's why; in about a half hour, Ayame will come and get you, and bring you to the main house."

My look of hope and desperation changed into a look of horror and fear. "No, no, no, no. I can't go with you, I don't understand and I don't want to. I can't go!" I closed my eyes and used the powers of the rabbit demon to run away, and I knew that the man had gotten his answer. That was it. I didn't mind if whatever answer he got was what he was looking for or not, I just ran until I found Callie waiting outside a shop. I acted as if nothing had happened, and we continued our day for about a half hour. After that I left her and told her to go back to the hot springs.

"translation: sir, can I play music here? (translation by Google :3)

What will Callie think when she finds out what's going on? How's Ayame going to deal with getting Hannah to the main house? If you have an idea PM or review! Thank you to those who are reviewing, I really do appreciate it! :D