Summer heat made itself known in the strong beams of sunlight that bathed the world below in an almost blinding radiance, cicadas creating an noisy cacophony that made the air hum. Standing resolutely with her eyes turned down, the sun baking the back of her neck and head, Moku Sohma stared at the toes of her sneakers as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. She focused on breathing in the baking air through her nose, the heat on her skin, the song of the cicadas, and tried to ignore the hand on her upper arm that held her in place.

The hand tightened momentarily, as if the owner sensed The thoughts of the teenager, a fluttering sort of sigh escaping turned down lips. Moku’s own mouth frowned, her eyebrows drawing together as she tried not to look at her mother. She didn’t want to see the guilt and sorrow that would surely be in the woman‘s eyes...

“...Are they going to be much longer?” Her mother asked in a soft voice, turning to look over her daughter‘s head.

“Not much longer now. She told me noon. Patience.”” A soft voice replied and Moku couldn’t help the involuntary tightness that gripped her shoulders at her father’s tone. He only spoke softly when he was really angry. And at that moment, she couldn’t tell if he was angry at her or someone else.

“I hope that she comes before Akito finds out.” Her mother fretted, her father hushing her sharply before she could say more.

Before she could stop it, a brief grimace flickered across Moku’s face at the mention of that name, sudden goosebumps breaking out across her arms despite the scorching heat. Yes, she wanted to be as far from here when Akito found out that her parents were sending her off to live with her distant cousin for a while. Her parents had chosen the time for her escape very carefully. Akito was probably still in the process of dishing out punishments...



Fingers tapping impatiently on the steering wheel, Nami Sohma carefully maneuvered through the traffic, squinting through her sunglasses as she checked her blind spot over her shoulder. Flipping on her turn signal, she carefully eased over into the next lane. It wasn’t that there were any particularly bad drivers on the road, she was just feeling agitated, and nervous. Part of that had to do with where she was going and who she was picking up.

“ if you keep tapping like that, you’re going to drive me crazy.”

Nami glanced briefly at the passenger in the car, frowning a little, but stopped tapping her fingers at once. “ it would probably do you some good.” She teased, deciding to use humor rather than snark.

At first glance, an outsider probably wouldn’t be able to guess that the two passengers were related, cousins as a matter of fact. The woman was in her mid-20s, tall and lean, with shoulder length auburn hair and heterochromatic eyes, the left chocolate brown while the right was a pale blue. Her companion, on the other hand, was 16, and was average in height, slender in build, and appeared rather dainty despite being male. Light grey hair that looked almost silver in the sunlight, matching grey eyes, and a beautiful face made him rather striking in appearance.

“You think so? I didn’t expect you to say such a thing. Although, I’m sure that would help you out in the long run, wouldn’t it.”

Nami rolled her eyes in response. “Careful Yuki, i’m tempted to start tapping my fingers again.”

The two shared a brief laugh before once again lapsing into silence, each returning to their own worries. And although he tried to stop it, Yuki found both of his hands had curled up into fists tight enough to make his knuckles turn white by the time Nami polled to a stop in front of the entrance to the Sohma estate. He glanced out of the windshield towards the three people waiting for them, briefly lingering on the woman with her dark brown hair pulled into a bun, the man with his black hair cut severely short, and the teenager in the middle of both of them, the latter’s Orange red hair spilling down around her face as she kept her head bent low. Her unusual hair color was enough to mark her for what she was: a member of the zodiac, just like he was, just like Nami. For a moment, the girl lifted her head and Yuki stared into startlingly green eyes before she lowered her gaze once more.

Yuki slid out of the car after a moment, stepping up behind Nami, instantly hot in his fitted button up shirt and khaki pants. She started to say something, but he watched as the father waved his hands in dismissal. The small flinch that went through the other teenager didn’t go unnoticed and he frowned.

“ there’s no time. Thank you. Please just take her and go.” The man said quickly, provoking a soft sigh from Nami that neither parent probably heard.

“ goodbye sweetie. I’ll miss you.” The woman with the bun whispered fervently to her daughter, giving her a tight hug that the girl did not return. “... I love you.”

For a moment, the girl stood resolutely frozen, eyes still on her sneakers. Then she quickly used one hand to squeeze one of her mother‘s arms before breaking away from the hold and sliding into the backseat of the car. Once there, she turned her face away from her parents, her hands going into her lap where they folded together.

“ i’ll keep you updated on her progress.” Nami reassured softly, picking up one of the suitcases resting on the sidewalk. Yuki retrieved the second suitcase and together they placed both into the trunk of the car before returning to their seats, Nami starting the car and making a careful U-turn, driving back to her own home.

Unseen by either of them, a single tear managed to roll down Moku’s cheek before she furiously wiped it away.

Mayumi
_______________

A small sigh escaped pale lips as Mayumi stood outside her house located on the large Sohma estate. She felt nervous, yet excited at the same time, as she would be permanently moving out of the Sohma property later on that same day. Mayumi longed for the chance to go to an actual public school, with actual people not directly involved or related with the Sohma's and their secret.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the next, Mayumi tucked a lock of her pale blonde hair behind her ear, biting her bottom lip in thought. To leave the Sohma estate was a big move, because not only had she lived there her entire life, members of the Zodiac rarely lived outside Sohma property. To get permission to do so was usually under strict circumstances, as Akito was not one to let anyone in the family out from under his control.

Akito, the leader of the Sohma's and the one that suffered the brunt of their family curse. Every member of the Sohma family knew the price that he would eventually have to pay, the short amount of time that he was given. Mayumi guessed that was why, or one of the reasons, that Akito was so controlling of the family. But still, Mayumi was scared of the young man.

Her past had been riddled with hardship thanks to him.

°~°~°~°~°~°

Hours later, Mayumi found herself outside of Nami's small house, the handle of her large suitcase gripped tightly in her hand as it rested on the wheels she was immensely grateful for. She heaved a soft sigh, steeling herself for the new adventure she was about to embark on. Walking up to the door, Mayumi slid it open quietly and peaked inside. "Hello?" she called quietly, hoping that someone, anyone, was home.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Kyo
_______________

"But that's not fair! I don't want to go stay in that stupid house with that stupid rat!" Kyo yelled, hands balled into fists and an angry look on his face as he stood outside the dojo that his master ran. His master, a member of the Sohma family but not one cursed with the Zodiac, was a kind man that had been like a father to Kyo for many years ever since he was a child, ever since his mother...

No, he wouldn't think about that. Kyo grit his teeth, frustration all over his face.

"It'll be good for you, Kyo" His master said with a small smile. Kyo just groaned, tilting his head back to look at the sky with furrowed eyebrows.

"What good is it going to do to force me to live with someone I hate?" He asked curiously, placing his hands on his hips.

His master just stood there with the exact same look on his face. "You can't keep living in the forest and training constantly. You need to learn how to live around people,"

Kyo sighed, frowning, "I'm no good with people, they don't like me," He mumbled softly.

His master smiled again, "Which is why this will be good for you, Kyo,"

°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°

Two hours later, Kyo walked up to the house that would become his home for the next while, a angry look on his face. He saw Mayumi standing just inside the open door, suitcase in hand.

"What? So you're living here too?" He asked her curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Mayumi turned to look at the familiar voice, a surprised look on her face. She hadn't seen Kyo in at least six months. "Yes, I take it you'll be here as well? That should be interesting considering you and Yuki can't be in the same room without fighting,"

"Hey it ain't my decision. I don't even wanna be here," He said and stormed into the house, making a lot of noise as he slammed his way through the house. "Just keep that damn rat away from me,"

The rest of the drive home had been rather uneventful. Both Nami and then Yuki had attempted to engage Moku in a conversation, the first attempting to gauge the girl‘s current state of mind. But she had nearly mumbled one word answers, Avoiding looking at either of them by staring at her hands, and they quickly gave up, giving one another a worried look before lapsing into silence. The only other conversation that had occurred before they returned home had been win Nami called a local restaurant and placed an order for them to pick up in time for dinner. Yuki had frowned a little at this, but he wasn’t going to volunteer to make dinner. Neither of them were very good cooks...

Before dinner, Nami had suggested that she show Moku where she would be staying, just in case the girl decided to take some time to be alone in her room for a little while before they ate. And the young woman was just in the middle of explaining about this when a voice had drifted up the stairs.

“This is going to be your room. We opened up the windows to let it air out a bit, so it shouldn’t be too stuffy. And over here is the...” Nami’s words slowed away into silence as a soft hello drifted up to them, head turning towards the front entrance. But before she could answer, a second voice joined the first.

Yuki scowled. “Looks like that stupid cat decided to show up. I sure hope he’s not breaking anything.” He sighed, shaking his head as he started down the stairs.

With a brief glare in the direction the banging was coming from, Yuki managed to clear his expression into one of politeness by the time he made it to the bottom of the stairs, looking towards the figure that stood there with a suitcase by her side. He blinked once, had Nami forgotten to tell him that someone else would be moving in, but otherwise showed no other outward expression of his surprise. “Mayumi. It’s been a while.” He said, offering the girl a small smile.

Behind him, Nami hesitated on the stairs, waiting for Yuki to move out of the way before stepping to the floor and walking over to the blonde haired teenager. She gave the girl a quick tight hug. “ i’m glad you made it safely. Did Kyo come with you?”

Quietly as she could, Moku trailed down the stairs after the others, casting a quick look towards the front door before sneaking behind Yuki and across the living room. She could feel a pair of eyes on her back, but made a concerted effort to ignore them as she padded softly into the kitchen. Glancing briefly towards the paper bags sitting on the counter that smelled strongly of rice and vegetables, she instead investigated one of the nearby cupboards, in search of a glass. She was still on the verge of tears and she didn’t want to start crying in front of the others just yet. She barely knew them... So, She wanted to get a drink of water. Water always seem to help her hold back the tears. It may have been the effort required to focus on drinking instead of choking, but whatever the case, it always helped.

After searching through plates, bowls, and a myriad of spices, Moku finally located what she was looking for and picked up the cup from one of the shelves. She hoped Nami wouldn’t be too upset with her for going through the kitchen cupboards uninvited. She worried quietly to herself as she moved over to the sink, running the water until it was cold and filling up her glass. Turning her back to the sink, she rested there, concentrating on taking a long gulp of water.

Mayumi
______________

Returning the hug fiercely, Mayumi smiled at Nami and Yuki in turn before her eyes flicked to Moku, who was clearly not trying to draw any attention to herself. Mayumi decided not to push the girl into a conversation, and instead turned to look at Nami with a small smile on her face. "It's lovely to see you both, Kyo went that way," she said and pointed down the hall to where the back entrance to the house was, that led out into the yard. Mayumi assumed he was probably trying to find some way onto the roof, as Kyo had been known to prefer high places.

Turning to look at Yuki, Mayumi smiled warmly and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "I'm guessing he's not too thrilled to be living here, but really I think it might be good for both of you. You're always so violent with each other, I'd like to see a day when you guys can get along," she said honestly, shrugging a shoulder and then flicking her eyes back to Nami.

"So, where do I put my things?

××××××××××××××××××××××××

Kyo
_____________

It didn't take Kyo long to find the roof, and he plopped down on the shingles with an irritated sigh, resting his head on his hands as he lay on the hard roof. He didn't mind the uncomfortable surface, as he had always preferred to be up in high locations far away from people. He'd wondered if it was a cat thing, seeing as he was the cat of the zodiac he did possess some similarities with the creatures. But, Kyo had also always preferred to be alone, and that might have had nothing to do with being the cat.

Though, there was one exception to that rule. Kyo longed for nothing more than to be accepted as a member of the Zodiac and of the family, and to be treated as such. Being the cat, Kyo was not allowed to attend the New Year's celebrations with the rest of the family, and he was shunned for his position as the cat of the zodiac. It had been that way his entire life, and he hated it. He just wanted to be accepted, to not have people fear him for his curse, which was so much worse for him than for the others in quite a few ways.

Pulling his right wrist out from behind his head, Kyo stared at the black and white beaded bracelet he constantly wore there... A reminder of how he'd never be normal, or accepted. But, he'd always though that maybe, maybe if he could bear Yuki in a fair fight....maybe he could become accepted.

"You just watch yourself you stupid rat, one day I'm gonna beat you and become a true member of this family," Kyo mumbled under his breath, furrow img his eyebrows in determination as he looked up at the clouds.

Nami’s gaze flickered towards the back of the house, as if trying to catch a hint of sound that would clue her in on what Kyo was doing outside. She sighed. “Probably trying to find some way up on the roof again.” She said in a resigned sort of voice, unknowingly echoing Mayumi’s own conclusion. Before she could say much more on the matter, The girl had turned to Yuki, talking about how Kyo was probably upset by the idea of living under the same roof as him. The woman quite abruptly stiffened with a sense of dread, an expression of a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar mixing with a chagrined resignation on her face. Slowly, she looked at Yuki.

A look of pure horror crossed Yuki’s own face, mouth falling open slightly, just as Mayumi turned her attention back to Nami. As soon as it did, the look morphed into one of anger, a glare turned directly on Nami. She winced slightly, but otherwise tried not to show outwardly any other reaction, not with Mayumi looking at her. ’Not how I wanted to tell him... but the cat‘s out of the bag now. Literally. She thought, a little despairingly. Outloud, she said, “ i’m putting you in the room right next to Moku, If that’s all right. Second door in at the top of the stairs on the right.”

“ i’ll take your things to your room. You should go help Nami get dinner ready.” Yuki offered, his voice soft. Only those who knew him really well would be able to hear the dangerous under tone to his voice.

Nami sure could.

The gray haired teenager simply gave her a furious look over Mayumi’s head before stepping forward and picking up the suitcase, turning stiffly and heading back up the stairs, anger quivering in his stomach. How dare she. He fumed silently as he stalked down the hallway, throwing open the door to the second bedroom. “That stupid cat!” He hissed under his breath, setting the suitcase down on top of the small set of drawers against one wall. “He’s going to ruin everything for me.”

Back downstairs, Nami Felt as if she had just dodged a bullet. She sucked in a deep breath, held it for a second, and then let it out in a great rush. Nothing said that there weren’t more bullets for her later. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Shaking her head a little, she instead turned a smile on Mayumi, starting off in the direction of the kitchen. “It’s really not that much work. I got takeout for us.“ She admitted, instinctively glancing towards Moku as she brushed aside the fabric hanging in the top of the doorway to the kitchen and stepped in.

Moku glanced up from where she had been staring at the half filled cup in her hands, her expression a little wary. She blinked as she looked from Nami to Mayumi, But chose not to say anything.

“Mayumi was just going to help me set out dinner.” Nami said cheerfully, going over to the cupboard and pulling out some plates and bowls. ”I hope you guys are hungry. I kind of overdid it with how much I got.”

At last, Moku seemed to stir. It probably had something to do with the fact that her stomach was rumbling, but she couldn’t just stand idle while there was work to be done. “...What can I do to help?” She asked in a soft, tentative voice.

Nami beamed at her. “Well, why don’t you go and let Kyo know that we are having dinner and then you can fill a pitcher with some water. Kyo should be up on the roof and you’ll find some pitchers in the top cupboard over the sink.”

After a quick glance at the cupboard over her head, Moku gave an understanding nod of her head before she set her glass down on the counter and headed towards the back door. Her stomach twisted slightly. She couldn’t remember ever personally meeting the person cursed with the spirit of the cat before. But she had definitely heard about him enough. Nervously biting at the inside of her cheek, the girl stepped outside and glanced up towards the roof. She thought she spotted the edge of a knee...

“...Kyo? Dinners ready if your hungry.” She called, Wincing slightly at the sound of her own raised voice. It had been so long since she had spoken above a whisper it felt like.

Mayumi

Mayumi watched Yuki walk off, a sad look on her face briefly ad she realized that Yuki hadn't yet been told that Kyo would also be living with them. She sighed softly, following Nami into the small kitchen and a look of surprise crossing her face when she saw Moku there as well. Sure, she'd been told that Moku would be staying with them. But Mayumi hadn't seen Moku in quite a while, so her sudden appearance in the kitchen took Mayumi by surprise.

"I can always chip in and do some of the cooking," Mayumi said with a shake of her head. She'd been a pretty decent cook ever since she was a child, preferring to grow her own vegetables and such rather than purchase them. She'd had a garden back home, something she'd been sad to leave in her hasty move.

Walking to the cupboard, Mayumi grabbed out enough forks and napkins for them all and walked out to the low wooden table. She quickly set the table in silence, wondering if Yuki would be okay. Currently both boys were obviously furious about the living situation, and Mayumi wondered if that would ever change.

××××××××××××

Kyo

The new voice announcing dinner had taken Kyo out of his thoughts, and he sat up quickly and looked over the edge of the roof. Kyo was surprised to see Moku standing out in the small yard, not having seen her in quite some time thanks to Kyo being in the mountains training. He'd done a sort of disappearing act on everyone, determined to become as strong as Yuki so that he could take his place in the Zodiac family.

It was what Kyo wanted more than anything.

Frowning slightly, Kyo brushed a hand over his orange hair as he sat there with one knee bent and the other leg extended. "I don't want to be anywhere near that damn rat. So when he leaves, I'll eat," Kyo said simply in an irritated voice and then sighed, looking up at the sky.

"What did I do to deserve this," Kyo asked mostly to himself, not talking to anyone in particular. The way he figured, fat had a funny way of doing things. Kyo just wondered why he was being punished so terribly, forced to live with the one person he hated above all else. That damn rat, Kyo couldn't even stand the sight of him.

Looking a little thoughtful at the unexpected offer of cooking Mayumi suggested, Nami paused for a moment, a big bowl partially filled with rice. She glanced over towards the teenager consideringly before suddenly breaking into another huge smile. “ you know, I might just take you up on that offer. I can’t do much more than cook rice. And I burn that half the time. And Yuki is terrible in the kitchen. Don’t ever ask him to cook.” She admitted with a small shudder, As if recalling a terrible memory.

Filling up the rest of the bowl, Nami collected the stack of plates in her other hand and went into the next room to help set the table, Silently joyous at having so many places to set.

Outside, Moku was biting at her lower lip, a Little torn. On one hand, she could understand Kyo’s irritation, she wasn’t the happiest about being forced to live here either, but on the other hand, she didn’t have a problem with Yuki, so she didn’t understand his aversion to the other teenager. The stubborn polite part of her personality wanted to force him inside to eat the dinner that Nami had purchased, but the rash and soft hearted part of her personality wanted to give him space and time to cool off.

In the end, she had darted back inside the house, pausing before entering the kitchen to make sure that it was empty before hurrying over and collecting a bowl. As fast as she could, she scooped out a generous helping of rice, vegetables, and a little bit of the chicken into it before quietly hurrying up the stairs to her bedroom. Taking a moment to peek inside to make sure that no one else was there, she then padded over to The still open window, setting the bowl down and levering herself up onto the sill. Balancing with her toes curled over the edge, one hand braced against the side of the house, Moku scooped up the bowl and stretched out her arm to maneuver it up towards the roof. The bottom tapped against the shingles before she pushed it with a soft scrape onto the roof. Satisfied, she dropped back down into her room.

And froze as she looked up to see Yuki staring at her from the doorway.



Some of his anger had finally simmered away as Yuki had stood in the middle of Mayumi’s room, eyes closed, taking several deep breath’s through his nose. His eyes finally opened again, still somewhat resentful, but he pushed back the emotions and collected himself, preparing to head back downstairs.

That was when he had heard the sound from The room next-door. Moku’s new room. Somewhat concerned, he hurried out into the hallway and to the next doorway, taking a step just inside and pausing as he noticed a pair of feet clad in white socks balanced on the windowsill. All at once, he felt himself stiffening in horror, instantly worried that the girl had snuck back up here and was preparing to jump from the window.

But before he could do much more then take another step into the room, Moku had turned and dropped back to the bedroom floor, silent as a cat, and had straightened up, meeting his gaze and instantly freezing, her eyes wide with surprise. They stared at each other for several seconds before he finally blinked.

“Moku, what are you doing up here?” Yuki asked gently, still worried about why she had been on the windowsill.

Moku shuffled her feet for a moment, debating quietly with her self, before she gave her head a small shake. “Nothing.” She murmured quietly. “ I thought about getting the house slippers I packed for myself when I noticed the window was still open. I don’t like bugs. And sometimes you have to chase them out if you want them to go away.” Turning back to the window, she carefully shut it, making her excuse more solid with the action.

Yuki wasn’t sure he believed her, But he wasn’t going to fight her on the matter. Shaking his head and suppressing a small sigh, he forced himself to smile politely. “ well, I’m glad you were able to get the bug out then. Shall we go down to dinner?” He said, waving his hand for her to go first.

Blinking her bright green eyes once, Moku then gave her head a quick nod before trailing out of the room, Yuki following after her. Together, they walked into the dining room.

“Smells good.” Yuki noted, Settling onto one of the cushions around the table.

Moku merely replied with a neutral hum before she continued on into the kitchen, finally collecting a pitcher and filling it with some ice and water, collecting a couple of cups on her way back to the table. After grabbing another couple of glasses, she then settled down on one of the other cushions, unconsciously putting some distance between her and Yuki. He noticed it, but chose not to comment.

“Shall we start? I don’t think that stupid cat is going to be coming. Not while I’m here.” He stated flatly. “ we wouldn’t want the food to get cold waiting for that impossibility.”