The air was... tense.

It was a common occurrence in the Sohma Estate, at least, for the few accursed children of the bloodline. So secretive in nature, shrouded from the outside and rightly so. Who could ever learn to adapt to this type of family, when even the members it held couldn't co-operate? These were the thoughts of a particular lad, doused in water from a bucket perched oh so expertly on a door-frame. Sliding doors were a blessing, but general household doors? Ripe for the picking. Lao had been welcomed with an ice cold downpour of water, and now, he sat upon his knees in a puddle of water, waiting for the one who made all their lives a misery. Auburn hair was flattered against his head from the moisture, droplets fell down from the strands. Ordinarily, one would just jaunt home and replace their grey sweat-suits for something a little more on the dry side... but then, that would mean he had to risk being late for their so called God.

Lao prayed that today, Masumi would see it a lesser insult for him to be soaked to the bone than late. A dark, almost animal like glare pointedly found its way beside him. Into the eyes of someone who really... didn't give a toss. Reptilian were the apathetic orbs that stared back, with the audacity for their owner to point to himself and tilt his brunette noggin in a silent question. Surely he wasn't being blamed for this! "Heavy showers at your house, Lao?" Silently versed, and likely, secretly rehearsed by the tanned trouble maker. Not a moment of mirth snuck by his lips, any and all amusement was tucked inside somewhere. "Pretty dry over at my place-- except for a shower this morning." Jin continued with the shrug of his shoulders, sassy was his middle name today, how would Masumi take to one soaking wet Zodia--

"Jin, ya lil SHIT! Dude, look at me here!" A disbelieving laugh bellowed from the doorway, their monkey had arrived-- equally soaked and in little more than shorts and an ochre hooded jumper. Mikio found humour in it atleast, slumping to the side of the room while he attempted to ring out the remains of his hoodie-dampness. "Ya tryin' ta get me inta trouble with Masumi. I'mma tell him ya did this. Shouldn't surprise him none." Mikio wiggled his eyebrows from his side of the room, while Jin merely shuffled around on his knees for a more comfortable position. There was a high chance of heavy showers around the estate. He'd left a few choice buckets for their Bunny-bun and Tiger-cat, two buckets at the one abode. The lengths he went to, making sure everyone got a shower in the morning. Oh, and one for their mutt, too. Such a kind soul.

"You've set me up. I'm the only one who didn't get a bucket-- how could you?" A hand braced to Jin's chest. A faux pained pose, but his face was neither here nor there in emotion. "I'll tell Masumi that you've framed me."

"Like Hell I have...! Ya a nuisance ta me. Oh, which of us is gon' tell Masumi that Yuko ain't comin'?"

...The room went rather silent there after. Only the sound of a door sliding, and a fortunately dry zodiac's appearance. A fair lad, as all the Zodiacs were cursed to be, with the same reddened hair as his sister, but eyes a much more harsh green. Fuyuki wore a kimono, a red one, a woven gift that he only sparingly wore. His cheeks had gained a reddened tint, along with a sore head-- He had been under the weather for a few days now, and news of a gathering had done a number on his mood. "I'll be the one to tell him." Despite his temporary sickness, the rooster seemed composed. Settled onto his kneeling position, the resounding question was asked.

"Why are you two soaked?"

Two fingers pointed to Jin-- and Jin's pointed to Miki.

"He's the one you want."

Sure Jin, sure.

"What do you think this stupid meeting's about?" The Tiger of the Zodiac mumbled, letting out an irritated sigh. Of course they were having a meeting now. Just as he was about to take a shower, his sister bounded in the bathroom as he was just pulling off his pants and reminded him. To his surprise, they had met Yasushi on the way with that perpetual anxious expression on his face. Yasushi walked between the two, twiddling with his fingers as a breeze blew through their hair. The Autumn weather was slowly closing on in them as Summer came to an end. "Maybe it's about New Years?" The Dog raised an eyebrow, nervously smiling. More than anything, Masumi Sohma put them on edge. Forget the potential disaster of a nuclear bomb, or global warming, or the end of the Earth. Masumi Sohma scared them more than anything that could ever harm them. If he told them to jump off to cliff, they would have no choice. Chiyo looked down at her shoes as she walked closer to the Main House. And Fuyuki or Shiori wouldn't hesitate to do so. She shut her eyes as dying leaves blew all around them, and the Main House came into view.

The three slid the door open.

Water hurdled down towards them with a mighty roar, and before Akemi could even think, he pushed Chiyo out of the way after the water drenched him, and he ended up double soaked than he should have been. Chiyo almost stumbled to the floor, and ended up crashing into Mikio, knocking the both of them down in the process. Yasushi sighed, unknowing of whether it was the Monkey or the Dragon, and so he just glared at both of them. "Really? At a time like this?" He sighed, and then turned to Akemi. "And you'd rather push her to the ground than save her from water?"

"I didn't know what it was! All I saw was a metal bucket! Plus, the idiot broke her fall!" He pointed out angrily, pointing down at Mikio and Chiyo. The Rabbit sighed, standing up and silently refusing to help Mikio up. With all the energy the other had, he could get up his damn self. And he could have been the one that started this possibly. Well, at least it broke some of the bad tension and replaced it with.. not-as-bad tension. She would rather them all be rowdy and cruel like this than fearfully silent under Masumi-sama's reign. Reminded that this was a meeting, and not just a lively gathering of cousins, she allowed a sour expression to cross her face for a split second before taking a seat next to Lao. Her high-strung cousin was referred to as "the nail biter" because he was nervous and on edge all the time. This must have been a big contribution to his stress, and the fact that he was soaked was the sprinkles on top of the death cake. She paled, tightening her messy bun. Jin is so cruel. She thought.

Akemi put a hand to his wet forehead, groaning. Great. Now he would sit through a meeting with a wet shirt and wet hair. It would be freezing. He didn't have time to run home and get a dry shirt and that was assuming that Mikio or god damn Jin didn't set up another booby trap. He would have been even more furious and chase Jin(he just settled on Jin being the culprit) around with a butcher knife like previous occasions, but he was too crushed. He hated that wet feeling. Maybe it was his feline-family Zodiac sign. Plus, he was used to being the victim of Jin's pranks. His cousin was merciless. He was so merciless that it wasn't even funny. It was just downright cruel. Because of Jin, he had the reflexes of a fucking ninja. He would probably be just like Lao, so anxious all the time, if he didn't have his pride.

Yasushi forgot about the offense quickly, the forgiving soul he was, and was more so concerned of a sick Fuyuki. He had heard that he had been walled up for a few days in bed. Fuyuki was one of the people Yasushi stayed up late worrying about for a myriad of reasons. Especially now. He smiled in uncertainty, sitting down next to his green-eyed, monotonous cousin. "I heard you were a bit sick. I hope you feel better soon." He wished for Fuyuki, and though Akemi had tried to convince him time and time again that it was useless to show him any kind of warmth, that he was too far gone, the Dog refused to ignore it. Even if it was just a little voice of concern, just a sentence or two, maybe it would help.

Akemi sat down as well, shivering from the cold as he paled. Giving Jin the silent treatment would do him no good, but he made sure to glare at the golden-eyed dragon at his misery.



Since Fuyuki had been resting(or had been beckoned to rest by the frantic maids of the house), Shiori had been more so by the God's side than usual. In his dim room, she watched as Masumi pulled on his kimono, brushing fingers through his strands of hair. The unpredictable air was an air she was used to. She never knew what Masumi would do next. There was an endless amount of occurrences, and the God had decided to go with the less painful one. He clicked his tongue, turning around as he tied the sash in a loose fashion. Shiori stared up at him, a stream of light shining on the floorboards between them. The God walked into the light, bending and cupping the Rat's face, his starry blue's locking on her violet orbs. "This must be done, Shiori." She had heard the news prior to the meeting, and even though not a trace of disdain was shown on her face, not one hint of anxiety, Masumi had still sensed her distress.

He sensed it and he shamelessly wallowed in it.

Smiling, he pulled the girl, her face buried in his abdomen in a rare act of comfort. "Of course you don't understand why. You possibly cannot grasp the reasoning for my decisions. They're far too complex, but I assure you it is all part of a grand plan." He gently pulled her from his embrace, his blue eyes glowing as light bounced off the two bodies. "No matter what, I am the only one you will ever need. No one loves you and Fuyuki as much as me. Your grandfather, your brother.. they're nothing compared to me. Attending school is simply a small sacrifice in my honor. It won't last as painfully long as you imagine, sweet Shiori."

He leaned back up to his regular height, putting the tip of his finger between his teeth. Shiori watched as the God's lips curved in delight at her misery below him. "Speak. It is okay to speak to me."

A short gap was filled with silence for awhile until Shiori's soft lips parted and her quiet voice stabbed the air like a pin.

"We'll all disappear, won't we?"

Masumi chuckled. Once again, it was all unpredictable to her. She wasn't particularly afraid of her own existence ending in such a manner. Masumi was right. His importance highly exceeded her own brother and grandfather. His words repeated in her head when she first arrived at the Main House. Your mother and father disappeared because it was their destiny, and it is your destiny to always be with me. No, she wasn't afraid of death itself. The possibility of leaving Masumi's side made her sick though. On some occasions, it even scared her so much that she turned into the Rat, a brief reminder of the power Masumi had over his rodent and bird.

"You and Fuyuki are so cute. You're both my little dolls. So cold, so hollow." Masumi smiled, ushering her towards the door. "Just venture to where I tell you to. No further than the school. That way, nothing will happen to either of you, and the whole Zodiac for that matter."

Sliding the door open, he gently nudged the Rat out and into the meeting room. She stepped inside, her petite form settling to sit on Fuyuki's other side. Her fears had gotten the best of her. If she sat in the back, that wouldn't be close to Masumi. The God entered the room gracefully, perching himself comfortably at the front. He stared at his animals, immediately noticing the pariah missing.

"Where is Yuko?" He demanded, ignoring the wet children in front of him for the time being.

Jin, Lao, Mikio, Yun, Fuyuki

Down like spuds! There went the simian and his rodent buddy, both watched through many sympathetic eyes. Likely not sympathy for the monkey, though.

"Yes, really. At a time like this." Jin supplied the cometary with naught but a glance. A smile never cracked his lips, nor a chuckle or smirk, but everyone knew if he was pulling pranks, Jin was in perfect health. "Why is Miki the idiot? He didn't push her to the ground, he caught her. More than I can say for you, stripes." Why did Akemi always get the worst side of Jin? The reptilian child had already stood up onto his feet, to replace himself by Akemi's side. Very close. Closer still when the boy leaned against him, and did his best imitation of a feline's purring-rub. "I like it when you look at me that way.~" Come close, Akemi. Allow Jin to hold you exceedingly near to him. "Here, since I'm such a great guy, you are permitted to share my body warmth. I'm a reptile. Body heat isn't something I give up easy. But. For you."

"I'm gonna take that as a confession...! He probably devised it so he could cosey up with Akemi!" The brunette monkey made a terribly injustice-based face at Chiyo. He was soaked too! Why was he getting blamed for this? He only stole things. He didn't have time or energy to waste on finding all those buckets. He got himself back into a kneeling position, but his huffy mood was still very tangible. Why was she sitting next to THAT loser instead of him? Fine. Someone wasn't getting her belongings back when he next took them. At least Lao had the decency to offer Chiyo a slight smile, boyish and masculine, but a little more than on edge. Whatever was going on, it couldn't be good. "You're looking well, Chiyo." As well as anyone in her position could look. The air was thick, and full of conflicting emotions, but Lao tried conversation as a way to soothe his own frazzled nerves. The moment they got out of the main house, the happier he suspected they'd all be. "It's getting a little cold, huh?"

Too bad he didn't have anything interesting to say.

'Such a loud family.' Fen's thoughts were elsewhere. What was this all about? Normally, he'd have the low-down, but he'd been practically boarded into his little room, which would have, on the average day, saw him performing something of a great escape-- but lately, his illness was leaving him feathered and winged. Embarrassing to say the least-- he hated avians. Despised them. The cousin he recognised as their canine spoke to him, something that never ceased to both bother and intrigue him. Rarely did Yasushi say anything Fuyuki deemed important, but, alas, he continued to speak to him? "I will." It was all he was going to say on the matter. He would get better. He had to, to save his own pride and will to be useful to God once more. His voice was hoarse and his colour pallid, but Fuyuki was sure he'd seen worse.
Speak of the devil.

"What's up?"

A few eyes, Mikio and Fuyuki, saw the voice that had announced such a casual greeting. It was Jin, defiant and headstrong as always. There was no malice in Dragons words but... there was no respect, either. Jin refused to make eye contact with Masumi, or his pet Rat. He flicked a few strands of his fringe to the side, slumped across the floor in the most casual arrangement. Fuyuki burst out into a fit of coughing then and there, but Jin continued at his expense. That bird was in no position to speak, not with that voice. "Yuko and Yun aren't coming. Yuko called you some colourful choice words, and Yun's 'run away' again." Aka, she'd taken offence to something someone had said, and decided to 'run' away to Miharu's for a few hours until said someone decided they were sorry enough to look for her. It never really worked, but alas, children.

"That's alright though. I'll pass the memo onto her."

Could Masumi feel their conflicting aura's? Mikio and Lao's dread, Fuyuki's annoyance, and Jin's blatant disobedience. It wasn't just Masumi who got this side of him-- his own Father had to put up with the glimmering example that was Jin 24/7. Their household was loud, and at times, viscous. "Why are we all here? Are we planning New Years? Who's dancing this time?" Better yet, who was going to bother to show up at the event? New Years was, obviously, a big deal. It wouldn't surprise to find out such events would take months of pre-planning. Surely, it would have been enjoyable, but... Jin felt it celebrated all the wrong things. What was a year of the animal to one person, could very well be a reminder to their cursed Sohma of a bitter existence and past. Particularly with their parents.

". . ."

Now was her chance. The door all but nudged open, painstakingly slowly, by the pale muzzle of something small and four-legged. A white, black horned creature blurred by, rather pointedly, towards Chiyo-- only to be stopped by the annoyed palm of their horse. "Yun, stop gunning for her." A little woolly assassin was what bleated and butted into the equine's hand. It angrily jumped backwards and trotted off-- making it a point to avoid their dog, because she hated canine's so-- to plop down at the side-lines. Looks like Yun had come back from her running away, a rather eventful one, but the looks of it.

Baa!

He had no idea why he got the worst side of Jin. Akemi had his speculations, such as the tiger could possibly be Jin's favorite animal, but that was highly unlikely. Maybe it was because he was the only one with a fucking backbone and wasn't afraid to fight back and yell at him. Lao certainly didn't, and Yasushi could have hadn't he been so worried about hurting someone's feelings. Plus, the Dog had a high tolerance for evil dragons. "Shut the hell up! God, you--" He paled in annoyance as the dragon went on, cuddling up close to him. It was no use, as usual. Akemi sighed heavily, reminded that it was Jin and his cousin could never be god damn deterred. He would have had more fight in him, but he was absolutely freezing and Masumi had appeared before he even had the chance to yell at him again. Meanwhile, Chiyo stared at Lao, finally noticing his wet shirt as well. She sighed, slapping a palm to her forehead. Though she didn't receive Jin's mischief as bad as Akemi usually did, she couldn't help but wished that she had been drenched in water too, just to empathize with her poor cousin. Well, it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. That was for sure.

The Rabbit smiled and was about to open her mouth, but the God entered the room, flanked by a small girl with violet eyes. She sighed, turning to the front attentively. And then.. And then of course Jin was raising his chances of a death wish. Akemi paled again, clasping a hand over Jin's mouth. His expression said it all. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! Forget that his shirt and head was drenched to the bone. Jin was reeling in a more destructive fate for all of them. Masumi only stared at all of his animals with a cold expression, waiting for the little sheep to arrive. Believe it or not, he had a knack for memorizing all of his creatures, and meetings like this were rather normal. He had found that punishing the dragon was rather useless, and so he instead punished the tiger, the dog, or the horse for any mishaps.

Chiyo raised an eyebrow at the small lamb, glad Lao had saved her from being killed by Yun's horns. She didn't really have any reservations with her little cousin. Actually, she found her quite adorable(as did everyone else), and made it a point to smile and ruffle her hair when she could. She never really understood Yun, but figured it was just a sheep thing. Turning back to pay attention to Masumi, she gulped, trying to avoid his gaze at the same time. The God watched all of the Zodiac before clearing his throat and shaking his head. His lips curved into a grin. "To answer your last question, Jin, Chiyo will be dancing this year, but that isn't why I have called this little gathering." Oh yeah, Chiyo thought, it was the Year of the Rabbit. "I want to inform you all that you will be expected to attend a co-ed school in a week."

Akemi's eyes widened, and so did Chiyo's and Yasushi's. School? A co-ed school? The question all posed on their minds. Why? As if reading their confusion, Masumi raised a hand and shook his head. "Don't ask why. The answer will maybe be revealed soon. I just hope all of you are prepared for this sudden change. You've already been all enrolled, and your school uniforms will arrive in a matter of days." He looked over at the sheep, his top eyelids lowering. "Oh. And you. Get out of my sight. What a foolish, irresponsible display you make of yourself, Yun." He scolded cruelly, and then stood, turning from the Zodiac. "Dismissed." He simply commanded, sliding the door open and leaving the room.

Baa!

Fine with her. The little lamb turned tail, quite literally, and trotted along to the sliding doors-- and to her credit, barged right through the paper. She had no hands, but she had very dependable horns, much to the silent amusement of Miki and Jin. However, it was a sigh that fled their horses mouth, and the dark eyes that followed to the floor were heavy, already worn from the day. At least they got off being soaked. "School, huh? I wonder why he wants us there. That's a huge risk to take-- maybe he's just thinking of more ways to make us miserable. At least it gets us out of here for a while. I think we should make it a habit to stick together even if it's just at lunch and break."

"I got out of bed this morning, and meticulously placed buckets of water above selected door-ways, for him to saunter in, tell me I'm going to school, and saunter out?... I'm going back to bed." What a waste of mischief it was. Something like that had to be fixed, and thus, the dragon turned to his favourite kitty, bland. Monotonous. "So. While I decide what colour of contacts I'm getting for school. I just remembered, Akemi. I'm staying over at your house. Right now, in fact." Jin had spoken, and what Jin wanted, Jin got, don'cha know. The room was slowly emptying, anyway. Fen had left, silently and without a word, grudging this choice from their God, no doubt. He was sure this illness would need a long, slow recovery, suddenly. How could their God do this to them-- no. How could he do this to him? He'd been nothing but loyal. That was his purpose, so why this act of dis-abandonment?

"Eh, sounds fun. Sounds like an excuse to get out and see the city." Steal things from the city, most likely. No one would immediately point the finger at him for blame, he had a new lease on life, or so it felt! A part of him considered just... never coming back. That would have been great.. "Maybe we'll be in the same class, Chiyo~! You gotta stop goin' in moods with me, or I won't let you copy my homework." Oh. Wow. Much threat. It would have been more of a deal if he'd considered not stealing pencils from her, but alas. The small lad leapt up onto his feet and saw himself out without another word, a cheeky wave sent Akemi's way. "Have fun with your sleep-over with Jin!" Kid was getting ganged on today.

"Oh, he will." Apparently, Akemi wasn't going to get a word in, either. Not with Jin sidling up to him as usual. "I'm gonna push girls into you so you 'poof.'" Jin talk for transform, and a silent promise that Akemi's life was going to get just that little tougher. "Let's see how your kitty-reflexes serve you, eh whiskers?" Oh yes, school was going to be a riot for one of the zodiacs. "Oh, also. Like, I caught this cute Pokemon yesterday-- I named her after you, cause she reminded me so much of you. She's a Munna." Possibly the most feminine pokemon Jin could have ran into-- and he loved it. Not that his face belied his enjoyment, he always looked serious, no matter what the endeavour of mischief he was creating. "But in all seriousness, can I crash at yours? With Mewlyn?" His little cat that he doted over constantly. "Me and dad had an argument over her. She was sailing down the curtain claws first, but she's a cat. She does that. You know, right? You're BASICALLY a cat after all. So. You know. Let us stay until that blows over, yeah?" Jin never had a very good relation with his father. He was... a strict one. Occasionally, a violent one too, when pushed over the edge. That, being Jin's speciality, it was no wonder they rarely got through a day without incident.