"Fukui-San. Fukui-San." I awoke to the sounds of light breathing. Her words were gurgled and muddled, but I thought she was saying my name. Worry laced her voice. I could feel her breath against my exposed flesh. It was...warm.
POOF! And suddenly, I was sitting in the girls' bathroom sink, soaked and nude. Her eyes definitely widen for a split second before she fumbled for my clothes and thrusted them out at me. I accepted them gratefully.
Once I was dressed, and had climbed out of the sink, she guided my arm to under the hand dryers. She did it so gently it was like she was afraid if she went to hard I'd break into a million pieces. I sat under the blasting hot air as my hair dried, my eyes cast down.
"Fukui-San..."
"Sohma. Not Fukui. Sohma. Call me Sohma." I corrected her defeatedly. She had the right to know the truth, and the whole truth. "That's my real name."
"Sohma-san...Your..." she started breathlessly. I could feel my face grow warm with stress and anticipation. I knew this was coming. I thought I was ready. She probably had a million questions. "Your...hair...is green?"
I blinked slowly. Out of all the questions in the world, she asked about my hair? What, was she crooked in the head or something? I sighed with quiet relief. "Yeah, but it's dark enough where I can pass it as black." She nodded solemnly. That seemed to be everything she wanted to know, because after that she kept real quiet. I decided I should just tell her anyway.
"The Sohma family has a curse that touches 14 people every generation. The twelve animals of the zodiac and...two others. Whenever those people's bodies are put under stress, or for whatever reason, when hugged by the opposite gender, we transform into our animal. I'm the dragon, so I turn into," My face grew hot. "a 'baby dragon.'"
I kept my eyes fixed on the ground. I knew what came next.
I breathed deeply again, and slowly extended my hand. She sat perfectly still, as though she was prepared for this too. My forefinger and thumb brushed her forehead. I pressed gently. I had to wipe her memory.
I couldn't go ask the head right now. She could go tell her friends if I didn't do it right away.
There was a flash of white light. Done. She would have no memory whatsoeverwhat our conversation. But she didn't fall unconscious. She just sat there.
"What was that light, Fuku-I mean, Sohma-San?" She asked. What? Why hadn't it worked? I couldn't just let her go out with these memories, or I'd...I'd have to leave the school. I didn't want it to come to that. I needed time.
GRUMBLE! She grabbed her stomach and started laughing. "I guess I'm more hungry then I thought!" Her face was red, but she was trying to cover her embarrassment with laughter.
"Go ahead, you can eat," I said sort of absentmindedly. She unzippered her lunch box. Here? Well, it bought me time. Hopefully enough time.
GRUMBLE! I guess I was hungry as well. She started laughing again. It was...a nice sound. She saw I didn't have a lunch with me, so she pushed over half of hers.
"No-I couldn't-really-"
She wouldn't let me refuse. She threatened to shove it down my throat. But I found a way to make it work towards my advantage. "Well, to thank you, would you come over to my house after school?" If anyone would know what to do, it would be Minoru. Her eyes got huge. She nodded vigorously. I half smiled which made her look straight down at her food, her face nearly glowing scarlet.
"Oh!" She gasped softly. "But your friends they said they wanted to meet you after school..."
"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with them later." I didn't think her face would get any more red, but as she nodded it looked like she was going to explode.
"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously. She quickly waved her hands in front of her face.
"O-Of course! I'm fine! I'm always fine!" Whatever you say. Girls were so weird.