Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Truth Is A Whisper ❯ When Two Worlds Collide ( Chapter 3 )

Truth Is A Whisper

Chapter 3: When Two Worlds Collide

Desperado, why don’t you

Come to your senses,

Come down from your fences

Open the gate.

It may be raining,

But there’s a rainbow above you.

You better let somebody love you

Before it’s too late.

-Desperado

The Eagles

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own Fruits Basket nor it’s concept or characters. See chapter 1 for full disclaimer.

The song ‘Truth Is A Whisper’ and it’s lyrics are property of The Goo Goo Dolls. The song ‘Desperado’ and it’s lyrics are property of The Eagles.

Arrivals and Car Trips

As the small airplane landed, I woke in less than a happy mood. I had slept most of the trip, the cat in me content, but the jet lag alone was enough to throw me off. My biggest peeve however, was the fact that I had left America in the afternoon only to arrive in the afternoon, it left me extremely groggy, let alone pissed. As we gathered our things and headed off the plane, Seya didn’t seem any worse for wear. I assumed that was attributed to the fact that she had taken this trip so many times before, but then again, I couldn’t see the woman getting jet lag. Ever.

We stepped out of the docking tunnel into a completely different world. I had been used to cities; bustling with excitement and tons of people, but the fact that everyone around me looked exactly alike and that they were speaking a different language added some odd tint to my vision. It was like looking at a picture you’ve seen a million times, but with an odd hue to it. It far from confused me, on the contrary, it almost comforted me.

As weaved her way through the crowded throng of people, I tried to follow her in the same manner until we were headed down the escalators to the 1st floor. Even though I was so tired and rather dazed, it didn’t take my mind but less than a second to switch itself over to the language and overall feeling of being in Japan. I had long since learned Japanese from Seya, something that had aided me in staying out of trouble when I was younger. I could speak it rather fluently and almost with Seya’s exact accent, but I still hadn’t gotten used to so many people speaking it so fast yet, and it was giving me a headache.

As arrived at baggage claim and waited for our baggage to appear, I let myself listen to the different conversations of the people around me. It was the same as being in America, although, more people were speaking on cell phones. Businessmen chatted and sealed deals while mothers tried to keep their children close. I too tried to keep closer to Seya, attempting to keep my distance from any males around me. Yet, I found it much easier than it had been in America. Everyone seemed to have their own personal space, and it wasn’t very often that anyone would attempt to invade anyone else’s.

"Hey, are you going to grab your bag or not?" I heard Seya say, not even registering that she had switched over to Japanese.

"Oh, hai." I said back, rather dazed as I got a hold of my large suit case next to me, since Seya had already pulled it off the trolley for me. I had packed pretty lightly, so I had about 3 bags to myself; my large suit case, a back pack, and a smaller duffel. I had always been a light packer, and then there was the fact that I really didn’t have that much to my name. I thanked myself for the light baggage as my head threatened to pound from all the noise and language acquisition.

Seya lead me in and out of the rowdy people until we came to the entrance of the large airport. It was located in a slightly rural area, yet I could see the buildings of a city close by, their sides glinting in the noon day sun. We weren’t standing for long as Seya quickly found our ride. Sometimes I swore the woman had radar, or something.

Our "ride" was a large black car, a person who I suspected was the driver, holding a delicate sign that said "Sohma Seya". At least, that’s what I’m pretty sure it said, since it was in kanji, and I could barely read kanji. Apparently someone had been informed that Seya could understand Japanese, or else I highly doubted that anyone would have a sign for an American in Japanese.

As we brought our bags to the car, Seya spoke quickly and politely with the driver. They exchanged some words and she motioned me forward. I was really getting tired of her treating me as if I was some charge she was dealing with, we had long since decided that that wasn’t the way I was going to be treated as long as I lived with her. Yet, I obeyed anyway, too exhausted and grumpy to complain. As I took my bags to the back of the car, the driver politely bowed to me and greeted me, his tone extra sweet and definitely practiced. I couldn’t help but glare at him as I left my bags and got into the back seat of the car with Seya, realizing that I had translated his words flawlessly, something that was beginning to unnerve me.

I sat with a thud into the soft leather of the seat, relaxing my legs and sinking into the seat. I was definitely not having a good time.

"You could at least look a little more alive, what will the family say when we meet them?"

Seya was being sarcastic, I could hear it in her voice. I held back a snarl as I stared her down, not in the mood for any bantering she was trying to force on to me.

"I’ll act as I feel, unlike some people. How long is this going to take us? My jet lag is killing me."

Seya humphed and looked at her watch, which she had already re-set.

"Probably twenty minutes, we aren’t that far from the estate."

"Great." I huffed, that wasn’t even long enough for a decent nap.

As I quieted the driver re-entered the car and turned it on, apologizing for his delay. Seya just smiled back at him and dismissed his apology. I almost had the urge to yell at him, but decided against it. Sleep was definitely a number one priority to picking a fight.

The House That God Built

Kyo put his left hand over his eye and stared up at the noon day sun as it began it’s journey to setting; the trees in the foreground highlighted in fiery hues of the afternoon. He had to admit, even if the house was really far in the back of the estate, the surrounding area wasn’t bad to look at. On one side lay a small wooded area, a tiny forest within the compound which he remembered from his childhood, and even more importantly, where it lead. To the left side of the house was the fencing that kept the rest of the world out of the privacy of the Sohma family behind lay large rice fields that both belonged to the family members and some affiliated company. Besides the fact that he was on Sohma property again, Kyo thought that maybe he could stand this after all. Shishou’s house was less than a five minute walk from here, and he had just returned from a quick meeting with him before he’d gone to the house. Being so close to Kazuma he began thinking of whether he should just move back in with him. Then again, he knew Tohru was having a hard time with all of this, even if she didn’t show it. And from what he had seen, Shishou’s house was rather full, what with some of his live-in students. Maybe he could hold out.

From the outside the Jingsen house looked rather plain. Though it was much larger than Shigure’s house, it didn’t look it. Most of the rooms were in the back and almost all of them had balcony’s that overlooked some part of the surrounding area, as he could recall. It wasn’t until he stepped into the house that he realized what it really held.

As he left his shoes in the genken and entered the large tatami main hallway, he looked into the room to his left. There he saw Yuki and Momiji organizing boxes in what was a living room, the room in complete disarray. Even though it was cluttered with boxes and bags he could still see all of the articulate designs and decorations on the walls, something he hadn’t seen since he’d been near Akito’s house. The décor gave him shivers, reminding him of things he rather liked to forget.

"Hallo Kyo-kun!" Momiji said, turning and finally realizing he was there. He watched as the sixteen year old bunny came up and greeted him, his welcome more sedated than Kyo had once remembered him to be. The years had done well to Momiji, and he hadn’t changed much from the child-like boy Kyo had known when Tohru’d first arrived. He’d grown in height of course, and he was quickly becoming the heart breaker some knew he’d be, but all Kyo saw was that annoying smile and dorky hyper spirit. He’d come to respect Momiji since he’d been close to him, but the boy still annoyed him to no end. At least he’d grown too much to be able to jump on people. That was a habit Kyo was glad to have seen him lose, he was getting too big to hold back anymore.

"This place is freakin’ huge." Kyo answered back, kind of in awe of the house.

"Yes, well, we could use some help with these boxes, they won’t move themselves."

Kyo almost glared at Yuki, but let the rat’s sour mood dispel on him, they were all a little stressed, being so close to the main house and all.

"I’ll get my things as soon as I found out how this is all going to go. Where are Shigure and Hatori?"

Yuki sighed as he stood up straight, his back kind of sore from leaning over boxes all afternoon. He had his sleeves rolled up for the work and he rubbed his forearms and stretched out his shoulders as he spoke, trying to get the knots out.

"They’re in the room across the hallway."

"They fixed it up pretty nice, they’re being rather careful with the set up, apparently, someone’s coming to visit."

Both Yuki and Kyo froze as Momiji spoke, the rabbit quickly going back to his work attempting to sort the room out.

"Who, Momiji?" Yuki asked, his eyes wide, but his tone controlled.

"Um, I dunno." The rabbit said truthfully. "No one told me anything, but they got Tohru’s help in decorating, so it must be someone special. Aha!"

Momiji never looked up from his task, so he didn’t see the worried looks Yuki and Kyo were giving each other.

It can’t be Akito, can it? Kyo thought. He could see in Yuki’s eyes that he was thinking the same thing too, but neither of them spoke a word.

Kyo pulled his hair back out of his eyes as he sighed, trying to calm down. It was all going to be fine, it was; he hoped.

"I’m going to go see what they’re doing." Kyo mumbled, turning and leaving the room. It didn’t take him more than a few seconds to find the room the two had been talking about, it was but a few feet down the hall, the tatami door wide open.

As he stood in the doorway he saw Tohru talking to Hatori and Shigure, helping to organize the look of the room. It was a pretty large sized room, probably dinning by the looks of the table in the center and the fact that Kyo could see the entrance to what was probably the kitchen off in the right corner.

Tohru looked up and smiled as he entered, placing a small vase of flowers at the center of the table; Kyo was still trying to digest everything.

"How was Kazuma-san?" Tohru asked with a smile, inviting Kyo to take a seat across from her, since they’d just finished.

Kyo gave Hatori and Shigure a glance before sitting down on the floor, folding his legs beneath him. He had begun to get a bit tense and he tried to relax, but it was difficult.

"Fine." He said, "He’s really full with students, it’ll be a miracle if he gets any time to himself." He said truthfully, his tone somewhat tired.

Tohru smiled again, she knew this meant Kyo wouldn’t be leaving, and she was obviously happy with his decision. Since Kyo’d let that morning, he knew the thoughts had even heavy on her mind, even if she didn’t’ show it. Tohru was far too noble, she never showed her pains.

"I’m sure he’ll find plenty of time to spend relaxing even with…" Shigure’s words were cut short as the door bell sounded prompting all of them to look in that direction.

It didn’t take Shigure more than a few milliseconds to react, making haste out the door.

"I’ll get it!!" His tone was extremely giddy as he scrambled out the door, Hatori eyeing him as he almost tripped over the entrance.

Tohru was slightly curious and Kyo looked as if he’d seen a ghost run by. It didn’t take Hatori more than a second to notice the boy’s discomfort and sighed, sitting down at an empty side of the table.

"Tohru-kun, I think that maybe Yuki-kun and Momiji might need some help with those boxes."

Tohru took the bait immediately, looking startled that she hadn’t remembered the fact in the first place.

"Oh, Right!" She said, standing from the table. Kyo gave Hatori a look, but was only greeted by the doctor’s stoic glance, giving Kyo no more information than he already knew about who was at the door.

"Why don’t you go help her Kyo, there are a lot of boxes and all of you still need to pick out your rooms in the house…"

Kyo mumbled, but didn’t protest as he stood and followed Tohru out the door.

AS they left the room and went down the hall, Kyo could barely make our Shigure’s figure at the door, since the hallway was slightly offset to the front door.

He tried to forget about the dog, but found that he couldn’t. Curiosity was going to kill more than just this cat if he didn’t find out who the hell had come to the house.

They found the door to the room closed and when Tohru slid it open Momiji almost fell on top of her. Years of practice had trained both Momiji and Tohru to be quick in avoiding such acts of klutzyness, so Momiji fell flat on the floor, the rabbit not really looking too hurt.

Kyo glanced at him as he stepped over his body into the room, leaving Tohru to help him up, Yuki glancing over to see what all the commotion had been about.

"Spying doesn’t suit you rabbit." Kyo said as he looked over the piles of boxes; the two of them hadn’t gotten much accomplished.

"Aww, come on Kyo-chan, you know you’re curious too!" Momiji whined as Tohru helped him from the floor. Tohru took one more look out the door before closing it, condemning them all to the boxes and their burning curiosity.

"I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough who’s here. Shigure can’t keep gossip to save his life."

Kyo huffed at Yuki’s words, trying to look incredulous to the situation., even though the words were slightly directed at him as well as Momiji.

"Until then, don’t you think we should try organizing this?" Tohru asked, referring to the still chaotic piles of boxes.

Yuki blushed slightly; he’d been at it in that room for almost the whole day and it was almost afternoon.

"There are a lot of boxes, we’ve barely been able to crack the surface, it seems."

And Yuki was right. Moving was turning out to be harder than anyone had dreamed, and the room was the proof. One side seemed to have boxes to the ceiling, names and contents blurring on the brown paper sides. Moving one box was almost impossible, the others would most likely just fall with them.

"Well" Tohru said, finding an apron near the door; her face turning determined. "We’ll just have to start at the top and work our way down."

Others

They had barely begun to organize piles when Shigure opened the door twenty minutes later, a wide smile across his face. As they all looked up he beckoned them from the room, everyone dropping what had been in their hands, dust everywhere.

"There are some people here I’d like you all to meet." He said in his giddy tone, peeking his head through the door before dodging back out.

"Oh." He said, returning for a second. "You might what to brush up a bit."

As Shigure tromped off everyone was rather quiet, even Momiji seemed a bit stunned.

"I wonder who’s arrived?" Tohru said, completely un-phased by any of the tense emotions as she stood and took off her apron, brushing off her shirt and skirt. No one answered her question, but they all followed suit, brushing the dust of their clothing as if it was the most natural thing.

Yet, Kyo felt his heart beating faster than he liked, his earlier curiosity turning into apprehension and worry. If Momiji or Yuki felt the same they were hiding it well, Momiji under a happy smile as he followed closely behind Tohru; Yuki behind his noble silence.

They all followed her out the door and down the hall, reaching the room in a silent parade. When Tohru opened the door and let them in Kyo almost choked on his tongue.

Two women looked up from the opposite side of the table from where the four of them stood, both looking less surprised than surprised to seem them.

"Kyo-san, Yuki-san, Momiji-san, Tohru-chan, I’d like you all to meet Seya-san and Terri-san."

Kyo didn’t understand what was going on, but looked over the two women anyway.

The older woman seemed to be in her 30’s and clearly Japanese, her black hair was held up in a low pony tail and her clothing was simple jeans and a sweater. As he glanced her over he could feel the noble air about her, and felt that she reminded him of Shigure: secretive.

The girl sitting next to her how ever, was another story. Unlike the older woman, she was less than Japanese in origin, and it made Kyo wonder why the two were together.

Her dark brown hair fell to her shoulders in styled layers, natural orange highlights hinted in the light. She dressed more like her ages, which Kyo believed to be the same as him, 17. He could see her cargo pants beneath the table, her collared shirt simple, yet rebellious at the same time. Kyo couldn’t see her left hand, but her right had a leather bracelet and a few others on it.

At first, the girl seemed just as composed as her companion, but when Kyo met her black/brown eyes he felt a spark of ferocity go through him. It was at that moment that he knew he disliked her greatly. He couldn’t help but notice arrogance in every movement she made, no matter how small. Even her blinking eyes made him angry; it seemed petty, but he knew there was a reason for it.

"Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you both!"

Tohru was the first to greet the two, followed closely by Momiji and Yuki, who both also politely bowed. Kyo mumbled some form of a greeting and bowed too, though not as low.

If Shigure or Hatori noticed, they didn’t say anything, Shigure especially seemed to be caught up in some secret amusement.

"Well," The dog started, settling into his seat. "now that we’re all introduced I hope it means we’ll all start off on the right foot."

Kyo’s eyes went large for a moment and the truth hit him. The house, the space, Shigure’s smug look, Hatori’s silence; it was all coming together. He tried desperately to hold his emotions in around the two new comers, tightening his hands into hard fists; it helped, but barely.

"Start on the right foot?" Tohru asked; Kyo knew she wasn’t dumb enough not to realize it, but she had asked anyway.

Shigure just smiled, almost bouncing where he sat.

"Seya-san and Terri-san are foreign exchange, they’ll be staying with us in this house for the school year. Isn’t it wonderful?"

Welcome Home...Sort Of

We’d arrive at the estate promptly, having somehow found the right house in the maze that was the family’s grounds. I’d been prepared for the grandeur since Seya’d told me about it, but nothing could compare to physically seeing it for myself.

The traditional Japanese houses seemed to go on forever, and the one we were trying to located seemed to be on the edge of everything. It was a pretty large house and I could see the beginnings of what looked to be rice fields behind it.

Seya seemed to be enjoying the reunion she was having with certain landmarks and pointed out more than one home she remembered from her childhood. I rolled my eyes more than once as I tried to ignore her sudden burst of energy; glad one of us was having some semblance of fun.

When we finally reached the house I was relieved that she stopped.

A few seconds after Seya rang the door bell we were greeted by a man, clad in a traditional kimono, surprisingly, the first I’d seen since arriving in Japan. His hair was cut the nape of his neck and his eyes reminded me of something that I couldn’t quite place. When Seya introduced us to him he smiled kindly back, introducing himself as Sohma Shigure, the resident head of the house. We both bowed and I tried not to glare at the man. He seemed to be about Seya’s age, maybe younger, and was quite peppy. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel a hidden something behind his careless brown/black eyes. When he smiled at me I felt as if he was measuring me up, judging me without words, as I was getting used to feeling from people in this country.

Our bags were left by the driver of the car to be carried in as we were taken to a large sized room down the entrance hall. On the way I almost forgot to part with my shoes in the genken, but a quiet nudge from Seya reminded me, and I slipped out of them onto the hard wood floor. As we entered the room, another man sat at a low Japanese table; still about the same age as Seya and this Shigure. Shigure introduced him as Sohma Hatori and the man greeted us, saying that he was the family doctor as well as another resident of the house. As Seya and I sat down we were treated to tea and I couldn’t help but glance at this doctor. His manner was definitely professional, and he exemplified an air much more mature than I’d expected from someone his age, seeing how peppy his companion was. Yet, his quiet, monotone voice told me that he was very good at what he did, and I didn’t doubt it. His black hair was cut shorter than Shigure’s and part of his bangs hung over his left eye, blocking it mostly from my view. Once, I thought I had seen his left eye, but the light was rather dim, and I didn’t know if I’d imagined it’s glassy hue or not.

As we sat, Seya politely sipped her tea and entertained Shigure’s questions about the trip and trivial things about America. I was less than interested in conversations or tea, and opted to just sit and take in my surroundings.

It was definitely a change from America. I wasn’t ignorant about current Japanese culture, and it seemed rather odd to me that we just happened to have found one of the few places that were still steeped in so much tradition and culture. The entire estate was like one big time travel trip, the only thing reminding me that this was the 22nd century being the telephone lines and some of the newer houses, such as the one we were occupying. By looking at the room around me I knew that the entire house would be the same; tatami, i.e. low tables. My legs ached in protest and I found myself already wishing I had a chair to sit in.

As my eyes wandered the room I noticed the doctor, what was his name….Hatori. Or, since we were being so formal and traditional, Hatori-san, as would be proper in this situation. He was rather silent, but nodded or answered questions in small monotone examples. During each pause when he seemed to be listening, I could tell he was inspecting me, just as Shigure had done more openly before. I threw him a glare once for good measure, not really giving a shit about good manners and yada yada yada. I thought I saw a smirk on his face, but I couldn’t really tell, he was so blank most of the time.

Twenty minutes or so passed and Shigure announced that there were a few people we should meet before we got ourselves settled into the house. Seya seemed curious, and as Shigure excused himself from the room she asked Hatori who he meant. I realized the point of such a huge house when the doctor told us about the four others who were living there. They were all High School students, and he was more than willing to tell me that they went to the same school the foreign exchange program had enrolled me in; Kaibara High School. I tried not to roll my eyes as I sarcastically cheered to myself; already they were trying to get me to make friends; fun.

It didn’t take long before Shigure returned, followed not far behind by four people that looked my age. There were three boys and one girl, all looking like model Japanese young adults, and I tried not to sigh.

Shigure introduced us to them as they entered, introducing them back as Kyo-san; an orange haired, athletic looking boy, Yuki-san, who’s bluish black hair and quiet manner caused tension within me, Momiji-san, a blonde haired boy who looked to be half of something other than Japanese, and Tohru-chan, a slightly shorter girl who automatically came off to me as one word: push over. As they all bowed and greeted Seya and I, I couldn’t help but notice the looks of confusion on most of their faces. I was hard for me to imagine that they’d never heard of foreign exchange before, but by the looks on their faces they didn’t seem to have been expecting us; unlike Shigure and Hatori. As I looked over the four, I caught a tiny glance from the orange haired boy and the hair bristled on the back of my neck. It was the same sensation I got when I knew I was going to fight with someone. I didn’t even know the boy, but something about him put me on edge. I knew that the Japanese had naturally black hair, so maybe it was his obviously fake hair color, or perhaps it was the glare he was shooting my way, but I had gotten plenty of those from others and it had never bothered me before.

I tried to ignore his stares as the brown haired girl greeted us in very polite Japanese, her tone just as bubbly as she looked. Seya bowed her head respectfully and I followed, but not as low. I knew I was going to quickly get tired of this whole "manners" thing and tried not to tire myself out with simple introductions.

Shigure smiled at the girl’s words.

"Well, now that we’re introduced, I hope it means we’ll all start off on the right foot."

His tone sounded almost mocking to me, but I was too busy watching the looks evolve on the four people in front of me.

Both the orange haired boy, Kyo, and Yuki, the quiet one, looked as if Shigure had just told them their mothers had been geese; while Momiji, I think that’s what his name was, and Tohru just looked pleasantly surprised.

"Start on the right foot?" Tohru asked, her eyes innocent, telling me that I had been right in thinking that none of them had known about this before hand. The whole situation striked me as odd, but I didn’t protest, it didn’t concern me.

"Seya-san and Terri-san are foreign exchange. They’ll be staying with us in this house for the school year. Isn’t it wonderful?"

Shigure’s words were happy as he spoke them, but the others looked more shocked then I’d expected anyone to feel about foreign exchange. I thought someone was going to faint.

War Of The Room

I walked down the hallways of the house kind of aggravated, if not still from the trip, then from the odd welcoming that had just gone on downstairs. To be honest, I didn’t know what I had expected, but that certainly wasn’t it.

After the room had gone silent, Shigure had told Seya and I that we had the run of the house, we cold pick any of the nine or ten bed rooms that we wanted, located all over the house. So there I was, on the second floor of the house trying to find a room that was the farthest away from everyone else that I could get. Seya had always liked to be where all the action was, so I knew before she told me that she was going to pick a room on the first floor. I just nodded to her before heading for the second floor, hoping that I hadn’t gotten there too late.

The halls were quiet as I silently walked down the west wing, not really having so much trouble in finding a room as in picking one. The house was shaped like a two story "Y". The base held all the normal rooms, like the entrance hall, kitchen, living room, two offices, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The two arms of the Y had two bathrooms and three bed rooms each, the ones on the top floor having balcony’s to themselves. I had seen some Zen gardens from the outside of the house and assumed that the first floor bed rooms had those instead of balconies. I had always liked to be higher than most, cat instincts or not, and I didn’t think anyone was going to be in the west wing anytime soon, seeing as I’d seen most of the others go eastward.

I had gone down the end of the hallway and was heading back when I heard soft footsteps heading towards me. I looked up from examining the rooms to see the orange haired boy, Kyo, come around the corner from the stairs; his eyes looking just as surprised as mine to see anyone down in that wing. I looked him over as he walked down the hall closer to me.

He was about my height, if not a bit taller, his orange hair cut short with bangs that hung somewhat razor like over his eyes. He wore a dark pair of baggy jeans, a dark blue T-shirt hugging his chest. I could see the muscles slightly behind the cloth, telling me that he was athletic, just as I’d assumed earlier.

I couldn’t help but feel the hair bristle on neck again, my heart beating a bit faster. I didn’t know what it was about that guy, but something made me not only wary of him, but almost anxious around him. Both emotions combined to make me feel rather uncomfortable and I couldn’t help but feel it turning into anger and frustration. I tried to hold back a fighting stance as we both stopped at the entrance to the same room, our eyes meeting in challenge, one to the other.

"What are you doing down in this wing?" He said, my brain taking a moment to process his words into English. I glared back at him, not feeling threatened at all by the force in his voice, nor the way he held his arms to his waist.

"Picking out my room." I said, back, my Japanese mirroring his flawlessly. Actually speaking had turned out a lot easier than I had expected, and I was taken a bit back with my tonation. I could see a look of slight disgust appear on his face as he looked between me and the room, his manner definitely not patient nor polite, as I thought all Japanese were. I could see him trying to hold back his words and harsh manner, but I knew he would be more than willing to let it slide with me, especially when I knew he felt the same tension for me that I did for him. As long as we both understood each other…

"Damn it." He said under his breath, his words somewhat quiet. "Stupid Americans, I can’t even get a decent room with any of you around."

His words had turned from quiet to harsh in a matter of syllables, and it wasn’t so much his insult at my country that got me started, but the tonation he’d taken with it. My blood boiled underneath my skin.

"What do you mean by stupid?!" I threw back; my aggravation at his words getting the better of me. I decided that I didn’t need to be anymore polite or forthcoming with manners than he did with me, so the words that followed were kind of hasty and rude.

"I got here first you idiotic…orange headed freak! It’s not my fault you’re too slow."

The come-back was juvenile, but it did the job. It caused him to completely fume, losing any sense of the composure he had sustained before. Had he been able to, I swear I would have seen smoke coming from his ears.

"My name, stupid yank, is Kyo. You could at least remember a name when it’s told to you!"

It was war. The pure idiocy, not to mention the insult, set me off as well, my anger boiling so badly that I thought I was going to punch out a wall.

"Why you ignorant, stupid…"

"You trying to start something?" He stopped me, before I could finish my sentence. I could see his eyes scratching for a fight. My own eyes thew daggers back.

"YEAH! LET’S START SOMETHING!"

When Good Dogs Go…Well He Was Never Really Good

Crashing and banging sounds could be heard above the yelling of voices from the second floor of the house. Shigure looked up at the ceiling from his desk, the floor rattling with every swipe the two took at each other. He smiled wryly and continued with his work, the office he’d taken up residence in not far enough away, it seemed, from the west wing; where he knew they would both had been headed. Shigure suppressed a laugh as he heard a wall break, or maybe a window; who knew. The point was, that it wasn’t his house anymore, and that Akito would have to deal with the bill now.

He tried not to burst out laughing as Hatori came in, a look of indiscretion on his face. Shigure tried to put an innocent look on his face but failed, laughing outright at the seriousness of Hari’s face.

"What!" He said mid giggle. "I (giggle) didn’t tell him (snicker) to go that way!" He said, trying to defend himself.

Hatori just rolled his eyes, his professionalism holding back the slight smile he had as well. He had sensed the American girl’s temperament when he’d first laid eyes on her. Something told him that she would automatically have something in common with Kyo, and this only confirmed it. But he didn’t let Shigure know that.

"You knew they were both headed in the same direction, you could have stopped them. You just enjoy seeing others squirm" He said monotone, his voice drove and somewhat accusing.

"Color me guilty Hari." Shigure said, his laughter subsiding. "Where would the fun have been in just letting him wander?"

Hatori leaned lightly against the door frame, Shigure had noticed the girl’s personality too. It was nice to know he was at least on the same page as the dog.

"Akito’s going to have a fit about the repair bill."

Shigure shrugged his shoulders as Hari turned to leave the room, the air of his friend leaking out with him. He could hear that the west wing was silent now, only the lone, stomping foot steps of someone headed to the east wing held any proof that someone had won the contest of nerves, instead of the both of them killing each other. Shigure shrugged.

Probably Kyo. He knew those stomps anywhere, and he hardly guessed Kyo would say no to a girl, even one who obviously tested him so. He’d have to remember to taunt the cat about it later.

Shigure re arranged his legs and settled in for a good day of doing absolutely nothing, what else was a novelist to do?

Memories On the Setting Sun

I fumed as I slammed/slide the broken door shut to my room, its paper-thinness cut through and torn where the damned bastard had knocked a hole in it. I stared angrily at the hole, my growing agitation highlighted by the state of my new room.

"Stupid jerk." I seethed in English, my eyes searching the room for any other damage. I had won the room in somewhat of a stalemate, both of us realizing that it was useless to get into a major fight over something so trivial as a room. Kyo backed down, but not before he punched out my door and part of a wall in the process. Ok, so maybe the wall was actually my fault, but he was getting on my last nerve, and I hadn’t fought with anyone in so long. Fortunately, we never actually touched each other, so the door had really been the only casualty, as for the hallway….lets just say that this Akito person would have to have a new window and part of the wall re-installed.

Stupid Japanese. I though to myself, crossing the room to stand in the center. They can’t even make walls strong enough to support a small fight.

I surveyed my empty room as I allowed my anger to deaden, my eyes taking in all of the traditional colors and closets lining the drab room. It was a huge change from my colorful room back home, my walls, though simple, covered in posters, my closet decorated with figures and a katana displayed on my wall. My sword plead me guilty to secretly enjoying all the Japanese culture and history that Seya had slowly been seeping into my head since I had moved in with her. I had always been fascinated by it for some reason, yet, it had yet to hit me that I was actually in Japan, and my current emotional status was not really allowing me to enjoy anything. It seemed that every Japanese thing I saw caused a small stone to fall on my liking of them, and I resisted the urge to punch out the paper, closet doors when I passed them. I made my way to the back of the room where a balcony stood, the doors open, clean air wafting over my face. I smiled lightly as I walked onto it, country smells greeting me and calming some of my nerves. The scenery before me was beautiful. The house seemed to be located in what was the back of the Sohma estate, and my room faced the open space beyond. Only one small house, probably for storage, stood before me and the open rice fields behind it, the country yielding far from my sight.

I leaned against the railing and looked down to two stories to the ground, a glint entering my eye. I turned then and jumped up to catch the rain gutter, pulling myself onto the roof in one quick motion. I crouched on the edge of the upward slanting roof, the ceramic tiles glinting dark blue before me. The roof was traditional, the tiles old and rough. I sighed, realizing that it would be the perfect place to watch the estate and to calm myself down when things got too complicated, and I knew they would.

I stood up, my legs cramping as I made my way over the roof’s hump to look down the other side. Here the entire estate was visible to me. The dozens of houses stared back at me like curious spectators, their gazes old and wise. They were probably wondering just as much as I what a cat like me was doing in their domain. In truth, I really didn’t want to stay. I wanted to run away from that house so badly that I could feel it vibrating in my bones. It reminded me of time when I had felt similarly, except I had acted on my emotions back then.

I had run away from my mother’s house when I was 12, lived wild in the woods for almost 5 months. Looking back, I really couldn’t remember much of my experiences. All I ever remembered was the anger, the hatred I felt seep into my heart. I guessed it was those five months that caused me to change so much, to harden, become the feral animal I returned like. Yet, maybe I had always been that way, after all, I was a cat. Either way, I had returned by force to my mother, having been found by the police when they’d inspected the abandoned cabin I’d been living in. From there my mother had promptly handed me over to Seya, a woman she had found while I was gone; how I didn’t know until later. Seya patiently worked with me until I calmed, and my slowly, my human manners returned. But I would never be the same, I would always keep that anger, that feral attitude with me. I’d learned pain in those woods, learned what it was like to hurt, both physically and mentally.

I had been such a quiet child before then. I had my temper tantrums just like any other child, but nothing that involved physical violence, I had loathed it back then. But after I returned to civilization I couldn’t help but fight with everyone, both verbally and physically. I was kicked out of at least three schools for getting into fights and injuring other students; one girl ended up in the hospital for a week with a concussion and some broken bones.

Everything had just gotten out of control, I couldn’t handle what I was feeling inside, and physical violence had become my outlet. Eventually Seya stopped trying. She sent me to one more school, where I just happened to witness a martial arts demonstration. I couldn’t forget about it after that, just watching the movements, the power behind all the formations; it made me yearn for something more. Conveniently, Seya happened to be a martial arts master. She didn’t think I had been interested in the art until I came to her and asked to be trained. She was more than happy to oblige.

My eyes stared with an emptiness at the scenery before me, the property of the Sohma estate reminding me of the house I had lived in with Seya before all of this. I watched the breeze float through the trees as the faint sounds of the estate closing down for the night came to my keen ears. Family members were all returning to their homes as I sat and brooded, almost child like. Really, it wasn’t like me to be so self conscious nor interested in reliving my past experiences, but that place, the smells, the sounds; it all just came flooding back like some key that unlocked all the doors within me.

And that damned Kyo. I thought to myself, not being able to help the frustration I felt at my mention of that name.

What a bastard, I can’t believe I have to live in the same house with someone so…so…infuriating..

I still didn’t understand what it was about him that made me so angry; it almost reminded me of those first girls I had fought with. The dumbest things about them; their hair color, eye color, fake dress style, it all just hit something bitter in me. I sat down in frustration and pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Was it really my fault that I had turned out the way I had? I had been changed so much since I was little, nothing but the pure events of my life could ever account for that.

"Sohma." I said to myself, the name reminding me of where I was, serving to snap me back into real life. The setting sun had become black night as I noticed the chill that had settled around me. I had lost my night day dreaming.

Can they really do anything for me? I asked in my head as I turned the opposite way, staring out into the rice fields beyond, my mind wondering.

"What could they possibly know of what I have, what…I become?" I said out loud, still not completely convinced.

I shook my head once as I began to watch the stars brighten in the sky, the night settling around me. I needed to stop, all of this thinking was getting me into a serious tizzy. I shook my head, my hair flying into my eyes. Standing up I stretched, my manner cat-like, as it had always been and probably would stay. I took one last look at the settling estate before I took a small leap down onto my balcony, the floor creaking slightly as I landed. It was a lost cause, thinking of things that would never make any sense nor quell any worries I was having. As I stepped into the warmth of the room I noticed my bags in the center, a small tray of food placed on top of my duffel. Seya. She had obviously brought them up, or at least had someone do it for her, even remembering that I hadn’t eaten since we’d left the airport. I let the distraction of a nice snack and the promise of a warm bed sideline the emotions and thoughts in my head. There would be plenty of time to dwell later. Author’s Note:

Sorry about this one’s length, though it is nice to have something long to read after such a long break, right? Thanks for those of you reading this, I really appreciate it.

We’ve finally gotten into the meat and potatoes of this fic, so things should be moving a bit faster now. I’m guesstimating about 4 or 5 days for Chapter 4, so be looking for that.

Thanks again, and as always, I love reviews of all kinds. ^_^

Next:

Chapter 4: Heaven’s Not Enough

-Sara