A/N: This is before Tohru and it's a lot of dialogue, sorry about that! Please read and review! Thanks!

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"That's all for class today!" Kazuma announced after our first few lessons of martial arts. I smiled happily and wiped away the beads of sweat from my forehead when a shoulder bumped into me harshly and deliberately. It was the rat. I let a scowl appear on my face. I had almost forgotten that a few of the zodiac host was in the same martial arts class as I was, and my all-time rival was in it too. The rat looked at my face for a while, never saying anything and then, with a turn of his heel after grabbing his towel off the rack, he continued out of the dojo. Every single time, just a look at the princely rat, never fails to rub me the wrong way.

I headed into the shower room after that, hoping to wash away the rat's disgusting touch from my shoulder. Minutes later, after toweling myself off, I exited the room and immediately spotted the Ox Zodiac host waiting. I raised an eyebrow,

"Weren't you supposed to walk home with Kagura?"

"No," the Ox answered me. I looked at my cousin to figure out why he was doing this and why he wasn't accompanying his other cousin home, when everyone knew full well that the Ox had trouble - I gasped at the sudden thought,

"Don't tell me . . . that you expect me to take you all the way to the Sohma Estate? Look, I know I helped you a couple of times during school, but you have to learn to find your way back yourself."

"Don't you ever think that maybe I like being around you, cat?" His words left me confused and curiosity got the better of me,

"Since when? Nobody has ever liked me! Why should anyone even start now?"

"Not everyone hates the same thing. Look at Kazuma-shishou, if he hated you, why would he adopt you in the first place? Also, there are other people who likes the things that other people claim to hate. It's the same way with me in liking you, the cursed cat. I'm pretty sure that if you lose the tough guy - feel some sympathy for me - act, then many people will start to befriend you," Haru lectured me.

"It's not an act, stupid cow!" I shot back, walking away from my cousin and outside. I needed some air, the conversation was just as suffocating as it was annoying.

"If it's not an act, then why won't you let anyone close to you? Are you afraid that they'll abandon you like your parents did?" Haru landed on his behind, his jaw stinging from the hard impact of my fist. I breathed heavily, angry at the Ox.

"Shut up," I growled and picked up my bike from its place by the wall just outside of the dojo house. I heard the cow picking himself up and speaking, hints of smugness were laced in the words,

"Looks like I hit a nerve there, kitten. Am I correct? Are you afraid?"

I looked at the Ox square in the eye and scoffed, "If your parents were insulted, I'm pretty sure you'll punch the other guy out too." I kicked the stand before I pedaled away. The cow was at my side in an instant, it was hard to bike over gravel.

"Sorry, Kyou. I just got irritated knowing that you won't accept my friendship. I don't want you to walk alone in this cruel world."

I was so surprised by the Ox's words, that I failed to notice that there was a small pond in front of me. The tire hit the ledge of the pond and I was flung forward into the water. I was dripping wet and a lilypad was perched on top of my matted orange hair when I resurfaced. My cheeks were flushed pink in embarrassment. I moved to get out of the water, when a pain shot up my left arm.

"You're hurt, kitten," the cow said. I cradled my left elbow as I stepped out of the pond,

"Great deduction, stupid Ox."

"Let's get back to the house and patch you up and maybe we can get Hatori to come out here and see if you need any other treatment in case of a broken bone," the Ox began leading me back to the house and Kazuma just sighed at the sight,

"Looks like you forgot the elbowpads and helmet it seems, did you fall into the pond?"

"Isn't that obvious?" I grumbled. Kazuma reached forward and plucked the lilypad off my head,

"It's hard not to when you have this as evidence."

I pouted and sat on one of the stools available. Minutes later, Hatori arrived and inspected my elbow,

"It's not that terrible, only a sprain. I suggest that you take off two weeks of training in order to keep your elbow from being worse than it is."

"That's not possible! I have to train to be better than that damn rat!" I shouted. Both Kazuma and Hatori looked at me as if ready to scold me.

"I'll train harder for the both of us and surpass Yuki." I knew that Haru didn't mean any harm by those words, but I couldn't help but lash out at him,

"You'll be the one to surpass the stupid rat? No! No one will surpass him except for me!"

"Look, I want to defeat him as much as you do, so if I were to train twice as hard, then it'll be like hitting two birds with one stone." Haru reasoned with me. But as stubborn as I was . . .

"No way. There is no way that I'm going to let you take all the glory," I replied with my arms crossed about my chest and I flinched at the sudden pain running up my arm. I had forgotten about my sprained elbow.

"Just listen to the doctor and I'll train for the both of us," Haru stated, jabbing a thumb at himself.

I looked down at my injured arm and gave in, "You better defeat that rat good."

"No worries," Haru said, picking up my sprained arm and kissed my elbow, "Just get yourself better and I'll tell you all about his defeat."