(A/N) Here is the next chapter as promised! The next one might take a while as I have hardly anything written for it. The rest after that should be smooth sailing as this little story draws to a close.

Thanks again for reading!

It was my birthday, and I felt rather unenthused. Nothing much ever happened for my birthdays. Misaki would get me a present or so, and I might meet up with Kagura at her house and have a somewhat awkward party as she constantly tried to drag Kyou in.

I wasn't really feeling that this year, I wanted to get out of Sohma house, and get breath of fresh air, far from the stench of the curse.

I remembered something, or someone rather. Tamaki-kun, I wanted to see him. I really did enjoy the first time we really hung out. I didn't feel on the edge of a panic attack the whole time (minus the part where we saw Ayame.) He had given me his number after all…where on earth did I put it…

I pulled the carefully folded piece of paper out of my jacket pocket, unfolding it in my hands and reading again what I had written there. "Kyouhara Tamaki's number…" I held it tightly in my hand and left my room to go down stairs calling to Misaki. "Momm…Where's that cell phone you bought me?"

She was reading a book in the living room as usual. "Hmm? What was that?"

"Cell phone, didn't you buy me a cell phone for my birthday?"

She looked a little shocked. "Yes but, how did you-"

"Mom, I can read you better than anyone. Can I see it please? I actually need to use it."

Her face lit up, I knew what she was thinking. "Have a call to make?"
I scoffed impatiently. "Yes mom, quickly before I lose my nerve."

She grinned, standing up and walking to the kitchen where she had hidden my present. The box was carefully wrapped in silver paper with a silver bow. I smiled despite myself.

"Here you go, Kane-chan." She smiled.

I took the package in my hands. "Thanks…mom."

"Now, c'mon open it! You already know what it is!"

I nodded, removing the wrapping carefully to reveal the box itself. The device depicted a fancy enough looking phone, but I had no idea if it was any good or not.

"It's the newest model, the very best for my little girl." She said, partly joking.

I let out a laugh. "Okay sure. Can you help me set it up? I've never even touched one of these things."

She gave a sigh. "I don't know if that means I succeeded or failed as a mother."

I laughed a little more. "It doesn't matter now. What matters is that you tried."

After a good 30 minutes of pouring over the near-useless instruction manual, we finally got the phone to bleep on, and I even entered contacts for my mother and Kagura's home and cell numbers.

"Now, do you still have his number?"

"How do you know it's a he?"

She shrugged. "Call it a mother's intuition."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I have Kyouhara-kun's number right here." I took the paper out and dialled in the number. My thumb hovered hesitantly over the call button.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked with a too-bright smile.

"I'm going to my room."

She put a hand over her mouth and giggled like a school girl. "Oooooh! Kane's got a boyfriend."

"See? This is exactly why I'm leaving!"

Misaki continued to tease me until she was out of earshot.

When I got to my room, I pulled the phone up and looked at the screen again. I swear it was mocking me, with its stupid blinky screen. I sighed, taking a deep breath and hitting SEND.

It rang three times before he picked up.

"Hello? Tamaki speaking!" I could hear his damn smile over the phone.

"Ah, Kyouhara-kun? It's Kanae from school."

"Ah! Kanae-san! Good to hear from you! What is the occasion?" It was so weird how his voice was corrupted by the crappy phone speaker. It took me a moment to even recognise the voice as his.

"My birthday, actually."

"Oh! Well, if I had known, I would have called you!"

"No you wouldn't have. I just got this phone today." My tone was deadpan, while I cracked a small smile.

He laughed. "You're right of course. But it's the thought that counts."

"Well, on that note." Was I asking him out? Was that what this was? "I don't really have anything else planned so…" How am I supposed to do this? Just go right out and say it? Is that strange?

"So, what?" He encouraged.

"Do you…I…"

"…Yes?"

"DoyouwanttogetMonjawithme!?" I blurted. Instantly feeling embarrassed.

He laughed again. "Sure, that sounds great, do you have somewhere in mind?"

"Yes…yes I do." I told him the address and we arranged a time to meet that afternoon. It was so easy that it almost didn't seem real. I sighed as I looked in the mirror. Was I supposed to dress up? At the very least I should comb my hair, maybe put it up. Wear something clean and wash my face.

Just I was about to leave, the doorbell ring. I didn't even know we had a doorbell. It was though an actual bell that had to be rung with the small hammer that hung from a chain. "Happy birthday Kana-chan!" I saw the present before I actually saw her, I peaked around the rather large package. "Kagura?"

"Yes it's me, silly!" She was radiant and smiling. Obviously excited about what she got me.

"I was about to go out, can it wait?"

"Yes your boring can wait I think!" She said indignantly.

"It's...it's not an errand…" I shook my head. "I'm meeting someone, and I don't want to miss my train."

"Meeting someone…?" She was utterly confused. "Who?"

"A boy from school…" She suddenly rushed forward, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me inside.

"If you're meeting a boy then you definitely need my gift!"

"Wh-wha?"

Misaki hardly looked up from her book when we stormed past.

"Hi Misaki-obasan."

"Hello—Kagura-chan."

She dragged me up to my room, slamming the door a little too hard, and then turned to look at me, shoving the package in my hands.

"Were you seriously going to meet a boy in that?"

"What?" I pulled at the plain grey sweater I was wearing. "It's comfy."

"Yeah but it's not sexy."

"Sexy? Kagura, it's not a date. I don't need a makeover or anything!"

"See, that's where you're wrong! Open your present!"

I grumbled, peeling open the wrapping. "Whatever, we can take too long, because I'm supposed to meet him in an hour." It was a plain garment box, I opened the box and saw a mess of pale-blue fabric. "A…dress?" I said as I pulled it out, holding it up to the light. It was about shin-length, made from a light, gauzy material. It had half-length sleeves that were wide and draped a bit.

"Do you still have that Parasol that I got you last year? It should match it perfectly. And the shoes I got you the year before."

"How long have you been planning this?" I questioned.

She just smiled, shoving me towards my changing screen that I had for…some reason. "Just hurry up and change! You said that you didn't want to be late!"

I complied. I slipped easily into the dress, it was very soft and comfortable. I placed my discarded garments in my closet and dug into the back where the parasol and shoes hid. I put the shoes on and unfurled the parasol.
"C'mon! Lemme see it!"

Kagura gave an over-exaggerated gasp when I emerged.

"Uwaa!" She exclaimed.

"Kagura…" I groaned. I probably looked ridiculous.

"You look so cute Kana-chan! I know that your date will love it!"

"It's not a-" I gave up. Walking over to my bed and grabbing my purse. "I'm going now but…" I paused, looking over at her. "Thanks…Kagura."

We met in front of the restaurant. I was afraid that I had over-dressed, but he was dressed in his usual rich-kid style. A damn sweater-fest and dark blue button down. Oddly enough we kinda matched. In more ways than one.

"After you…" He said whilst opening the door for me. I nodded in thanks.

He was very extremely polite. The two of us sat down, and made our orders. Luckily we caught the shop at a one of its less busy times. However much I loved Monja, a crowded atmosphere would be enough to ruin it for me.

"What's wrong with you." I asked abruptly.

"I—I'm sorry?"

"There has to be something wrong with you. Seriously you're freaking me out, were you grown in a lab or something?"

"Actually yes. It's quite common these days, In-vitro fertilization."
I scowled. "This is ridiculous. You're a test-tube baby too? "

"Yup." He gave a cheeky grin, leaning his face forward on his hands. "I fail to see how that's relevant to anything." He raised an eyebrow.
"It just sounds…rich."

"Honestly, what is it with you and rich people? Aren't you rich?"

I sipped some of my drink. "My family is, that doesn't mean I am. We get enough to get by."

"Doesn't your dad work in the company?"

"Probably, I have no idea. I've never even met my father."

"Did he leave or something?"

"No, he's a Sohma, he's around. He never cared about me though. My birth-mom just seduced him to try and get power, but she lost out."

"That…must be rough."

"I don't see my birth-mom either."

"Huh, the Sohma family sure is interesting, though I've never really bothered to ask before." He smiled sheepishly. "What's it like for the others, if you don't mind my asking."

I shrugged. "I imagine that Yuki would say the same thing about his father."

"Jeez! Is that just a thing with Sohma men?"

"…N-no…I mean the exact same thing. Because we have the same father."

"Wh-? Oh."

An amused grin appeared on my face. "Is it really that shocking? I mean, there's a reason I didn't tell you at school."

"I still think it was rude to lie to me."

"I didn't lie to you."

"Yeah you did. You said that you were first-cousins, you made that distinction from the others like Kyou and Hatsuharu. I supposed you're also related like they are."

"No, we're also first-cousins. Our mothers were sisters and we have the same father."

"So…does that make you siblings or…?"

"I honestly don't know. Haru likes to call us 'Three-quarter siblings'."

He laughed. Leaning back in his chair. "Yeah I guess that makes sense."

I smiled. "The thing is…we were mostly kept separate. The main house didn't like to advertise the rampant infidelity amongst the family."

"I can understand that."

"So, is that all you want to know? Because talking about my family makes me depressed."

"If you want, I can tell you about my family?" He laughed.

"How about you tell me about yourself. You never answered my question."

"Oh, that." He grinned sheepishly. "Well, it may have something to do with the fact that I was introduced to the world of parasitic relationships at the ripe-old age of 13."

"Oh."

He grinned. "It's okay, I wouldn't be telling you if I weren't okay with discussing it."

"What, was it older girl who just wanted you because of your money?"

"Bingo!" He kept smiling, resting his arms on the table. "And it didn't help that I was one of those early bloomers."

"Ah."

"Yeah, I've basically been this handsome ever since I hit puberty." He have a cheeky grin that faded astonishingly fast. I was expecting darkness, but I didn't feel it. There was only…remorse.

"Tamaki-kun." I began. "Do you want to go somewhere else now? I'm finished eating."

"Sure thing."

We stood up, and he insisted on paying for the both of us, on the grounds that it was my birthday. It still felt like he was treating a date. But I didn't mind.

Autumn still hadn't quite ended, but the winter was fast-approaching and everyone could feel it. I instantly regretted dressing so lightly.

"You cold?" He asked.
"A bit, it's my own fault for letting Kagura talk me into this ridiculous get up."

"I wouldn't say it's ridiculous just, impractical."

"Thanks." I said with a small glare as I shivered in the breeze.

"C'mon, let's go inside. Somewhere a little quieter, as I believe you would prefer."

"Thanks…"

He ushered me inside a small little tea shop. It was traditional-style with low-tables and sitting mats. Something that was so familiar to me that I didn't mind at all. I was trained so that I could kneel for hours and hours upon end without a single complaint.

"Tamaki-kun," I began after we sat down after ordering. He sat up straight, looking attentive, waiting to answer. "You really confuse me."

"Happy to oblige." He said with his light touch of humour.

I gave a small exasperated sigh. "See? That's what I mean! You're so goddamn cheery, and yet you don't piss me off."

"You sound pissed off."

"I'm pissed off because I'm confused. And I don't like being confused."
"Duly noted."

I sighed again. "So, you had a crappy ex-girlfriend then. That should make you like…coarse, or bitter!"

He laughed. "Should it now?"

"…yes."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you." He kept smiling.

I was trying to think of a way to ask him without mentioning my ability. I had no idea how he would react, was I…scared? Scared that he would reject me?

I screwed up my mouth. "But really…I want to know, exactly what happened."

The waitress came with our tea. Tamaki had ordered some sophisticated blend, while I got just plain, black tea.

He took a sip before speaking. "I really don't mind, but I do find it interesting that you're so curious. It seems to me that you take great pain to remain mysterious and impassive." He said.

"Well, I have some things that I can tell you in return, if it comes to that." I said probably a bit too seriously.

He burst out laughing again. "Wow, sorry, I guess you're the serious type then." He covered his mouth. "I'm sorry, forgive me. I don't mean to be rude." He paused, his laughter dying suddenly. "First off, it wasn't just one crappy ex-girlfriend, it was several." His normally warm brown eyes cloud over, and his aura grew dull. "It was enough at least, to make me give up and "romance" completely."

I tilted my head to the side. "I'm still confused."

He gave a short chuckle. "I'm sure you are." He turned his gaze to me. "So, as a reassurance, I don't think of this as a "date". It's your birthday, I suppose you wanted something different?"

"Yeah…" I didn't want him to stop, I wanted to keep hearing about his past. The mystery felt far vaster than what he was letting on. "I spend so much time at Sohma house…and, all of my friends are Sohmas, so I suppose I just sorta acted on impulse."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it's good to be impulsive."

I laughed. "Yeah, especially with the kind of upbringing I had."

He nodded, still smiling. "So, what was it you were going to tell me in return?"

"Not so fast, that was hardly enough."

He chuckled. "Okay, well what else did you wanna know?"

I paused. "Well, I mean, was it just that the girls were mean to you or…"

"They…they mostly just played me for my position I think. I was far too naïve to know any better. Especially since my father was always hanging around lots of women, I had no one to tell me what I was supposed to do. I kept being told "be a gentleman" or "be a man" but I was thirteen, I was a kid, and those woman…just expected me to be a man." He sighed. "Is that…to your satisfaction?"

It took me a while to respond, then I nodded. "Y-yeah." I honestly didn't expect that much detail. Though I was grateful, that meant I wouldn't be able to hold back too much.

"Okay! Now it's your turn!" He grinned.

What am I going to tell him? He knows about Yuki, maybe about Haru? I can't tell him about the curse. What about my empathy? Would he even believe that?

"Um…" I began. "Well, I did tell you about my family, I suppose I can tell you about…" I looked him straight in the eyes. "Just promise you won't laugh or anything, I'm gonna try to explain this as best I can."

He nodded. "I promise."

"Well, for starters, the Sohma family is, very ridged in its tradition. Hierarchy and birth right play a large part as well as…um…talent." I looked down, concentrating. "It's all dreadfully complicated, but the gist I'm trying to get to is that I'm not…like other people."

"Well of course you aren't!" He said brightly.

"Please, Tamaki, I'm being serious." I sighed. "I mean, as weird as it may sound, I'm an Empath."

He paused, pondering. "Is it anything like that Hanajima girl? With her waves?"

I scowled. "Geez, I almost forgot about her, but…I suppose." I turned away. "Just, come on, this is a really big deal for me. I've never really had to explain it to anyone outside the Sohma family."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." He smiled. "Go on."

I sighed. "To put it simply, basically I can sense other people's emotions just like anyone else can hear or smell. It is just that, a sixth sense."

"Oh…" he gave a pondering look. "So…that explains why you have trouble with crowds…"

I nodded. "It's like everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs all at once. I can get myself to ignore it sometimes, but at other times…"

"…it just becomes too much?"

"…yeah." I said softly.

"I see…" His face brightened. "I'm glad that you were able to trust me, Kanae-san."

I wasn't able to suppress the blush this time. He was just so damn charming.

"You're…welcome?"

I really like it, just being with him. It is a little sick, but he kinda reminds me of White Haru, just, with how he makes me feel relaxed. That is something that i've never been able to have without a price. So perhaps, my dues would have to be payed soon enough.l