Chapter 5:

"Saturday finally!" Natsuki sighed relaxing back and smiled as Kami walked in. "You ready Suk?"

"Almost." Natsuki smiled eating. She finished her food and put the dishes away. "Okay I'm ready now. Let's go."

"Go where?" A voice asked walking up behind Kami. A shiver ran down her back. She turned to see a man who was three inches taller than her. He had long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The head of the family.

"Yukio." Kami said hiding the fear in her voice. "Good morning."

"Morning." Natsuki said stiffly.

"Good morning... where are you going now?" He said with a small smirk.

"A school project, we have to go work on it with our partners from class. I thought it would be better to go to their house instead of ours."

"Your such a smart girl Kami." Yukio smiled calmly. "Just be careful... You don't want to transform. You especially Kami. You've already been held back four years."

"We're fine Yukio." Kami smiled slightly. "We've already done this early in the week."

"Oh." He blinked. "Well as long as Natsuki is there to keep you calm and Kami is there to keep you from getting embarrassed." He nodded. "Just be careful. I won't be there to keep you safe."

"We'll be fine." Natsuki nodded. "Come on Kam or we'll be late." She grabbed Kami's arm.

"Goodbye Yukio." Kami nodded being pulled out. Once they left the house she transformed into a fox. "Sorry Natsuki." She sighed being picked up. "He just made me nervous."

"Yeah I know." Natsuki sighed. "Hey look there's Mi. You might want to relax. We're almost at the gate."

"Right. You can put me down." Kami sighed and a moment later she was human again.

"Hey!" Miyako waved seeing them.

"Good morning." Kami smiled. "Ready to go?" She shrugged off all her uneasy feelings related to Yukio.

"Ready." Miyako smiled as they walked out.

Kami smiled as Tohru answered the door. "Good morning Tohru."

"Hi." She smiled. "Come on it. Yuki and Kyo are just finishing breakfast."

"Alright. Is Shigure here?" Natsuki frowned.

"No he had an errand to run. But he'll be back soon probably." Tohru said leading them into the living room. "Yuki, Kyo they're here."

"Hello." Yuki smiled, while Kyo grumbled.

"Hey Carrot head. Nice seeing you as well." Natsuki said plopping down in a seat. "So what's the plan?"

"Suk be nice." Kami sighed. "Do we have a plan?"

"Just finishing the project." Yuki said but paused seeing Miyako. "Miyako?"

"Oh... Hi... I just tagged along. Is that okay?" Miyako shifted a bit.

"Don't worry Yuki." Kami smiled. "She's with us. If she finds out it won't hurt."

"Find out what?" Miyako blinked curious.

"Nothing!" Kyo growled at her. She flinched.

"HEY! Don't yell at my cousin!" Natsuki yelled jumping up.

"You didn't tell her?" Yuki asked.

"No. We promised we wouldn't tell so we won't." Kami said calmly.

Miyako frowned. "What secret?"

Yuki paused looking at her and sighed. "We are cursed as well. Only with the zodiac."

"Oh..." Miyako blinked. "So is it similar to ours Kami?"

"Not really... They transform when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex. We transform when we experience our emotion strongly." She turned to the guys and Tohru. "We might as well warn you of our curse and how it works."

"Kami..." Miyako whispered worriedly. "You shouldn't..."

"It's fine Miyako." Kami smiled gently. "None of us are going to tell him."

"Him?" Tohru asked.

All three girls went quiet for a moment. "Our head of the family." Kami said after a moment. "He's overprotective of us and our secret."

Kyo and Yuki paused thinking of Akito. "We understand... You don't have to tell us." Yuki said calmly.

"No... It's fine. He won't find out." Kami smiled gently at her cousins. "Now for our curse. Our curse is when we feel a certain emotion too strongly. Each of us have a different emotion, and a different animal we transform into. The legend of our curse starts long ago... A man and his wife lived in a small house alone on a hill. One day when they were sitting calmly in their house a lion came to the door. It was all alone and tired. They took it in and took care of it. Soon it was much better and it stayed with them. The couple, for a while after, kept taking care of different animals that experienced different emotions. Then one day the couple died and the animals that lived there didn't know what to do. They agreed that they wanted to be with the couple for forever or at least one of the couple. So they made a pact using the blood of each of them and the man from the couple. Once the curse was set they all died and since then every other generation has been cursed by their lingering spirits. Only now the animals and the emotions have been mixed throughout. Sometimes it's an angry lion, sometimes a exited lion, sometimes an embarrassed lion. And we are all in the same family trying to hide the fact we are different."

"Every other generation?" Yuki asked.

"The next generation only comes once the last generation has all died out... It's sad but there are never multiples of animals or emotions."

"Oh..." Yuki blinked watching shocked.

"So you decided to tell these guys about the curse why?" Shouta asked standing in the door way suddenly.

"SHOUTA!" Kami gasped shocked. "What are you doing here?!"

"I followed you guys curiously. Hey!" He smiled waving and grinning like an idiot.

"YOUWHAT!" Natsuki glared jumping up and punching him in the face.

"HEY!" He frowned falling back and rubbing his face. "It's not my fault I was bored and you guys looked like you were planing something. I was interested..."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Natsuki glared.

"Don't be like that!" He whined.

Kami sighed and got up. "Shouta, Natsuki..." She suddenly slipped crashing into Yuki. There was a suddenly puff of smoke. Laying on a pile of clothes was a rat and a red fox.

"Uh.. Kami..." Miyako blinked. "Rat? Huh?"

"Yuki!" Tohru flushed looking at him. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine." Yuki the rat sighed. "Kami are you okay?" He asked looking at the fox who was almost hyperventilating.

"I'm sorry Yuki! I didn't mean to revile your secret!"

"It's fine." He said calmly. He watched as she suddenly changed back, fully clothed. "Uh..."

"What?" Kami blinked confused. "Yuki?"He paused and then rushed out of the room. "Is it something I said?!" Kami tensed.

"No... It uh..." Tohru flushed. "He's probably going to turn back soon..."

"So?" Natsuki blinked. "I know it's a bit strange, but aren't you use to it?"

"It's not that." Tohru flushed looking at Kyo. "When they transform..." She looked at Yuki's clothes still on the floor.

Kami caught on and blushed. "OH!"

"What?" Natsuki frowned.

"They don't transform clothing." Kami blushed.

"They..." Natsuki's face lit up and she transformed into a lion.

"Hey I thought she was a cat?!" Kyo frowned.

Natsuki growled at him and suddenly and turned back. "I'm not a cat! I'm a proud lion! It's not my fault the lion genes are not as strong anymore."

Shouta laughed. "Depending on how embarrassed she is Natsuki turns into a lion or a cat." He smiled. "I've got the same thing as well. It depends on our animal genes on if we have the dependents or not. Only a few of us do."

"Shut up Shouta!" Natsuki growled.

"Alright." He smiled. "Just trying to clear things up since we're being all in the open."

Kami sighed sitting. "Sorry Mi, if I'd know it would be this chaotic I would have advised you stay home."

"It's fine." Miyako smiled. "It's not too bad."

Kami smiled. "Alright." She said as Yuki walked out. "Let's get the project done you guys. Shouta keep Miyako company while we work please." Kami said getting up. She smiled. "Come on."