"Big Brother!" Kai turned to see her younger sister Mai running up to him, her bag slung over her shoulder as she neared him with giant smile on her face. Kai smiled softly, turning to face his sister as the sun shone down on his face.
"Mai, hey. Your bags all packed?" He asked her in a pleasant voice. Kai was pleased he had finally been given permission to live outside of the estate. He couldn't stand being surrounded by all his family, like a cage he couldn't break out of. So he'd petitioned to leave, with his sister and two others members of the Zodiac. Surprisingly, he'd been granted permission. Rather than worry about why, Kai took the liberty of leaving as soon as humanly possible, lest the leader of the family change his mind.

"Yes! I am so excited. We finally get to live in our own house with just us... And the others of course. Where are they anyways?" Mai asked him curiously, cocking her head to the side.
Kai shrugged one shoulder, still thinking to himself. "They should be here soon," he said and then looked up at the sky. He loved feeling the sun on his face, looking at the clouds as they rolled across the sky. He pictured what living without all the rules would be like, to be independent for once in his life. It was something he was vastly looking forward to, living with his own space away from all the knowing eyes.

It was well known that the members of the Zodiac were often looked at with sadness. Due to either being shunned by their parents, or shunned by society for bearing the curse. But outside the walls, no one knew he was cursed. He could be a normal person, who could make friends he wasn't related to. It was something that seemed unreal to him, despite the face that it was actually happening. He'd dreamed of it for years, and was beyond happy he was finally getting his wish.

"What do you think it will be like, living free of all the judging stares and knowing looks...to be actually be...free," Kai asked his sister, still looking up at the sky. He and his sister were extremely close, they talked about everything. But they had no choice to be close, they were all each other had really. When Kai was born, his mother had accepted him, he was sure with the hopes she would have a normal child to love soon after. But when Mai was born, their mother had rejected them both outright. She had her memory erased and left the estate. Their father soon after passed away and they were left to live in the Sohma house with the other members of the Zodiac for the rest of their lives, until now.

"I think it's going to be more wonderful than we can imagine. But also hard, we've never lived away from the whole family before. It will be a new experience," Mai said, looking at her taller brother and smiling brightly. Kai looked down at her and smiled back, his head cocking to the side slightly. Maybe she was right, maybe it would be exactly as wonderful as he'd hoped it would be. He owed it to himself, he thought, to look at the bright side and hope for the best. He would try to do that more often.

Kai blinked once as he noticed that Aiko was now standing directly in front of him. He knew that she wasn't the fondest of him, but he'd always found her secretly amusing. He envied her ability to just be so carefree. He'd never felt comfortable enough to really open himself up to anyone other than Mai. But before he had a chance to say anything, Aiko sped off and went to talk to his younger sister.

Kai was often overlooked because he was so quiet and reserved. Mai called him a "true gentleman" but really he was just very pensive. As he watched the two of them walk away, Kai followed, bag slung over his shoulder. He noticed that Aiko was struggling with her bag slightly. He wondered if grabbing it would be received as chivalrous as he intended it to be, or if it was more likely to get him smacked.

But as they continued along the path, Kai listened as Mai continued talking with Aiko, his eyes not leaving Aiko's bag ad she struggled with carrying it. Finally, he made up his mind, siding up next to her and gently taking a hold of the strap of her bag. "A lady should not have to struggle carrying a heavy bag," He said with a soft smile, hoping his instincts wouldn't get him hurt. "Here, let me help you,"

"Oh Kai, do you always have to act so proper, loosen up!" Mai scolded him with a laugh. Kai raised his eyebrows, a surprised look on his face while he carried both bags and continued to walk with the two ladies. A moment later he smiled gently, "Maybe you're right. Ill try to loosen up a bit. After all, we're all going to living together," He stated with a thoughtful look on his face.

Kai then turned his head to look at Kazuo as he walked ahead if the group, "You remember how to get there Kazuo?"

Kai smiled down at Aiko as they walked, turning his head to look at Kazuo as he answered the question. But then a moment later he was being called a kid. He hadn't thought of himself as a kid fir a very long time. Growing up the way he had, he'd had to mature very early so he could take care of Mai. It was one of the reasons they were so close, Kai had basically raised her.

As he glanced down the road ahead of them, Kai thought about Kazuo's question for a moment, "The freedom," He said in a soft voice, not sure if Kazuo could even hear him. He was speaking mostly to himself as he said this, deep in thought. He would be free to do as he wished, not required to make pleasantries when he didn't want to, able to just read and write as much as he wished.

"I can have my friends over! Oh, I could have a sleep over or maybe I could have a cook out. Hm," Mai said, a finger in her chin in thought.

"Mai, I don't know... If anyone gets hugged..." Kai said honestly.
"Oh it'll be fine, we will all just have to be super careful," Mai said and nodded her head.
"We have to appear normal right? Well normal people have friends over,"

Kai sighed quietly and looked out to the left at the bus stop they were approaching. He shifted the bags into one singular hand, slinging them back over his shoulder and shoving his how free hand unto the front pocket of his pants. He wondered what the house looked like, he hadn't actually been to see it. When Kazuo had gone to look at it, Kai had been in school. He hoped he got a room with a window facing this forest that was close by there house. It would be good to have calming scenery to look at while writing.

As they reached the bus stop, Kai looked down the street for a moment before turning back to look at the others. "It should be here in about five minutes," He said in a polite voice and took his hand out if his pocket to run it through his hair.

Mai bounced on the balls of her feet, "Oh yay! I can't wait to decorate my room, with the posters I packed,"
Kai chuckled and looked down at his younger sister. "I can help you, if you like," He said to her and lifted his hand to rest on her shoulder with a smile. He was very protective of Mai, he always had been. He was sure he always would be, no matter how old she got. Mai didn't remember much about their father or mother. After their parents were gone, Kai and Mai were raised by the parents of Sachi Sohma, the rat of the zodiac.

Mai smiled up at him, Joy on her face as they waited for the bus. She was so happy, and so grateful that she had her brother here with her. But she was also very excited to have her own space. She was growing up and she knew that with that a sense of independence she wasn't sure Kai would be totally acceptable of. She knew his intentions were good, he only wanted her safe. Her brother was her best friend, and she knew everything would be okay.

Kai moved his hand a moment later, dropping it down to rest at his side as the sun shone down on them.

Kai stepped onto the bus, his eyes finding Aiko in a few seconds flat as he moved to a seat close to her but not next to her. He figured she would want to sit by either Mai or Kazuo, rather than him so he tried to be polite about where he sat. He placed the two bags on his lap one in top of the other as he looked at Akio for a moment, before turning his attention to the window behind him.

As he stared out the window, Mai hopped into the bus and took the seat next to Aiko. She bounced in her seat a little as she let out a queak of excitement. "We are officially off Sohma property! Oh, it's so exciting," She said and Kai glanced at her, chuckling softly. He rested his arms on top of the bags in his lap, holding there so they wouldn't fall once the bus got moving again. Once Kazuo was on the bus, the driver pulled off ad continued his route.

"You leave Sohma property every day when you go to school Mai," Kai said with a soft chuckle and a smile.
"Yeah, but it's not the same," Mai said with a shake of her head. "Don't be such a buzzkill Pup," She said, using her childhood nickname for him. She'd called him that since she was three, the first time she had seen his zodiac form.

Kai shrugged and nodded, "You're right, sorry," he said and turned his attention back to the window. He gazed at the passing scenery, his mind turning to making lunch for everyone when they arrived at the house. It was well known that Kai was an exceptional cook, and he really enjoyed the activity, so he couldn't see why he wouldn't be the one to make lunch.

He was stuck between stewed leeks and rice balls when the bus stopped at their destination. Standing up, Kai gestured for the ladies to exit the bus first, "Ladies first," he said with a gentle smile as he held the bags in his hands in front of him.

Kai stepped off the bus, one bag in each hand as he stopped on the sidewalk with the others and looked at the street around them. It seemed peaceful enough, he should be able to get plenty of writing done here. Pleased with what he saw, Kai looked down at his younger sister who stood beside him. The look on her face was one of pure joy, and Kai felt himself smile as he realized how happy she must be. He was glad that she was so happy, she deserved it after everything she'd been through.

Looking up at the house, Kai's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what the inside would look like. He hoped the girls didn't try to decorate everything in pink and ribbons, as he was sure Mai would attempt to do so. He didn't know if he could stand living in a link palace for the next few years. But he was sure that he would handle it like he handled most things, with a bit tongue and silence. Kai wasn't one for confrontation. Sure, he would out up a good fight if challenged by another member of the Zodiac. He has years of martial arts training to prove it. But he preferred not to fight, not to argue. He was just too peaceful a person for all that.

"It's so pretty," Mai said in a soft voice, her hands clasped in front of her and a giant smile on her face.

Kai looked down at her and smiled happily, before turning his head to look at Kazuo. The older Sohma had the key held out in his hand, offering it to Mai so she could unlock the door and they could see their new house from the inside. Kai felt a sense of gratitude towards the other man, glad he offered Mai the key since he knew that would please her greatly.

Just as Kai pictured, Mai grabbed the key with a high pitched squeal as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Before he had a chance to say anything, he noticed that not only had Aiko taken back her bag, but he'd been too distracted to notice it was gone until now. As Kai looked at Aiko for a brief moment, Mai raced up the stairs and unlocked the door. "Come on guys! It's so pretty!" she yelled at them.

Kai shook his head, a smile still on his face as he moved to stand next to Aiko. "I can help you take your bag to your room if you like," He said and then shrugged one shoulder "But I also know you like to do those kind of things yourself. So how about I make us lunch instead? Is everyone okay with rice balls?"

Kai watched Aiko walk off, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he watched her run into the house. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kai started to head towards the house, entering through the front door moments later. He stood there for a moment, looking around before deciding to go check out his room. He walked down the hall, up the stairs, and then all the way down to the other side of the hall, opening the last door on the right. As he slid it open, he smiled softly.

His room was small, but he didn't need a large space. There was room for a bed, and a desk. The closet seemed big enough for his needs. Kai walked into the room, noting that the floor and walls were both a light shade of tan. He walked over to the window, looking out and seeing the edge of the trees not too far in the distance. Please with this, Kai set his bags down and walked back downstairs.

He walked into the kitchen, surprised that Mai was there and not in her room. "Mai!" He said in a surpassed tone. "I figured you'd be in your room,"

Mai turned to face him, a smile on her face. "I was checking the calender I made to see when the furniture was being delivered. I figured the calender would be best in here, for everyone to use!" Mai said happily, her hands clasped in front of her.

Kai smiled gently. "Well that's very nice of you. I'm sure the furniture will be here later today right?" he asked curiously, looking at the calender. It said that the furniture would be there later on that evening. He remembered when they had went shopping for the furniture, he hated shopping.

"Mhm!" Mai said and smiled up at him, her face lighting up as she smiled. Kai had always considered his younger sister to be the ray of sunshine in his life. She always made him feel better when she was around, because she was such a positive person. Kai wasn't the most positive person, he over analyzed things too much. Kai envied his sister, for the way she could just go through life so happy about well, being alive. Mai seemed to take joy in almost every single moment, and Kai envied that. Kai was quiet, awkward, and bad at expressing himself except for in his writing or when he played piano. Those were the only times all his walls came down.

He wished he could be more like Mai.

"Well, when it gets here don't stress yourself out trying to help okay? I don't want you to get hurt," Kai said, turning to face her and smiling warmly. He knew Mai would try to appear stronger than she was and help the furniture people when they delivered their furniture.

Mai frowned, "I'm going to be fine Kaiga, quit worrying,"

Kai laughed softly, smiling in return,"Okay, you're right. I guess I just worry, because that's my job,"

Mai shook her head, "Yes, but if you spend all your time worrying about me, you'll have no time to take care of yourself. Your happiness and safety is important to. So how about you be careful, okay?" she told him.

Kai laughed, "Okay," He said. Walking over to the fridge, Kai opened it and smiled when he saw it was empty,"Oh, guess we either need to go shopping or order take out," He said.

Kai was about to ask Mai what she wanted to do for lunch when Aiko appeared in the doorway, announcing that they should go shopping and that she wanted to come along. Before he could respond to her however, she sped off and left them in the kitchen. Smiling a little, Kai reached up a hand to scratch his head lightly, ,"She sure is in a hurry," Kai said with a slight chuckle in his voice. He turned to face his younger sister, dropping his hand back down to his side and smiling at her.

"Did you want to come with us? Or did you want to stay here and start unpacking?"He asked curiously, shoving his hand into his pocket as he looked down at her.

Mai looked up at him, but didn't say anything at first. He was sure she was giving it a moment of thought."I think I'll come along, knowing you, you'll buy nothing but healthy food and we can't have that can we?" Mai said in a sing-song voice as she walked out if the room and down the hall. Kai watched her go, deciding that since he had everything he needed, he would go wait out front for the two ladies to finish getting ready to go.

Kai walked out if the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door. He stood on the front porch, gazing up at the sky as he waited. The sky was the prettiest shade of blue, and Kai all of a sudden wished he could paint. He'd never really tried, but that was because he thought he lacked the artistic ability. Maybe he would try, now that he lived away from Sohma property he might try something new. He had always had an interest in painting, ever since he was a child. Today, the sky was such a rich blue, the clouds like puffy marshmallows all stuck together in the sky. He wished he had a can cast so he could paint it, thought it would probably be terrible in comparison to the actual picture.

Mai stepped outside a second later,"Where's Aiko? I thought she'd be out here already,"
Kai turned to face her and shrugged,"Maybe she got caught up talking to Kazuo," He said simply, turning his attention back to look at the sky.