[IC] Fruits Basket 2.0

[Noxxis]

"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.

[sweetserenity]

"AAAIIKKOOO!"

Kazuo's frustrated voice boomed throughout the house. He was in his room looking at his bag which had 'I <3 Aiko' written on it with marker. Rubbing it with his finger did nothing. He groaned and facepalmed himself as Aiko poked her head into the room. "...yeesss?"

Glaring at her, Kazuo removed his hand from his face. "I can't believe you did this." He was visibly frustrated. Most would be intimidated, but Aiko just kept her dorky grin plastered across her face.

"Don't worry, it will wash right out," Aiko chirped, stepping so her whole body was in view. She held a purple duffel bag stuffed with her belongings, both necessary and miscellaneous. When it came to 'packing lightly', Aiko was prone to.. well, not 'packing lightly'. Her body slightly leaned to one side because of the weight of the thing.

Kazuo noticed this and raised an eyebrow, picking up his own bag which was much smaller and lighter than hers. It was amusing to see her struggle to hold her bag. "Need me to carry that for you?" He inquired.

Aiko eyes widened and she rapidly shook her head. "No! I got this. Come on, we're going to be late." By the time she spoke the last word, she had already turned and started marching down the hallway. Kazuo followed her.

"We already are late, genius," he muttered, kicking aside a small stuffed animal Etsu must have accidentally misplaced.

Pretending she didn't hear that, Aiko skipped to the front door and strolled out to where Kai and Mai were standing. Suddenly, she halted. She narrowed her eyes at Kai and slowly walked over in front of him, going up on her tip toes so they were eye to eye. She silently lingered like that before speaking, "...Kaiga."

Aiko had never been a big fan of him, and everybody knew it. Once when some of the zodiacs visited a festival, she 'accidentally' spilt her shaved ice on his shirt. That wasn't even a prank; that was just straight up mean. But that was a year ago. Since then, she has been able to mostly avoid him. Kazuo walked past the three of them, heading down the trail. "Stop acting so childish, Aiko. Now c'mon guys, we have a freaking house waiting for us," he stated.

Rolling her eyes and smirking, Aiko finally got off her tip toes. She decided to direct her attention to someone else.

"Hi, Mai!" She exclaimed happily, turning to the youngest of the group and giving her a wave and a smile. Unlike her older brother, Mai had Aiko's affection. She had bought the sweet girl some shaved ice at the festival. Aiko wasn't entirely sure how the girl felt about her since she wasn't fond of her brother, but it didn't bother her much. Currently, Aiko was making a conscious effort to remain upright despite the overbearing weight of the bag.

[Noxxis]

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?"

[sweetserenity]

Aiko and Mai were chatting about their hopes for the new house. They knew the basics of what to expect- four bedrooms, three bathrooms, etc- but were discussing things such as neighbors and nearby shops to visit. The house wasn't far from the Sohma residence, only a 10 minute walk to the bus station then a 15 or so minute ride to the neighborhood. Just talking about it with Mai made Aiko a million times more excited to get there.

She was in the middle of talking about a forest that's supposedly not far from the house when she felt someone take her bag from her. A thief? Aiko started to whip around, her fist clenched and ready to attack. It wasn't until he spoke and her eyes landed on him when she realized it was just Kai. She may not have been fond of him, but she didn't dislike him enough to punch him. Thus she stopped moving at the last second, catching herself and letting him take her bag from her. She stayed still, her fist halfway towards him and her mouth partially open, for a moment before dropping her arm back at her side and closing her mouth. That was nice of him to do, but she felt... babied. She would have been fine carrying that bag for the next mile, with the exception of.. well... the struggle. And the pain. She smirked as Mai called him proper.

Kazuo was oblivious to all of this as he continued walking a fair distance in front of the group, leading the way. "Yes," he replied to Kai, glancing behind his shoulder to look at him. He often called people younger than him 'kid', regardless of who it was or how close the age difference was. "Only a few more minutes of walking before we load a bus and cruise the rest of the way there."

Aiko rubbed her sore shoulder as she laughed at Kazuo's comment. "So this is like a field trip?"

The eldest of the group smirked at this, looking straight ahead again. "Think what you want," he replied, sliding one of his hands into the pocket of his jeans as the other held his bag. Without looking behind him, he asked, "So, Kai and Mai. What are you kids looking forward to the most?"

[Noxxis]

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.

[sweetserenity]

Aiko clenched her fists when Kai replied he looked forward to the freedom. Had Kazuo asked her that question, too, that also would have been her answer. He didn't need to ask her, though, because he already knew what it was. She was the one who suggested a small handful of people, with herself included, move out to a small house. It took a bit of convincing to get everyone on board, but once she was able to explain to them the benefits of everyone having more space they agreed. As she clenched her fists, it wasn't in an aggravated way. Rather, it was in an I know exactly what you mean sort of way.

She forgot all bout that when they arrived at the bus station. Less than a half hour until they would arrive at their new house, the energetic girl happily thought. Aiko stood by Kazuo and looked down at his bag which still read 'I <3 Aiko'. Looking back up at him, she quietly asked, "What are you looking forward to the most?"

He looked down at her and shrugged. "Being able to blast music without getting yelled at by half of the world's population." He was about to add on to that when the bus pulled up. Aiko was eagerly the first one to hop on, paying the fare for herself and everybody else since she was the only one not carrying something. She took a seat in the middle, waiting for her friends plus Kai to get on. As she waited, she gazed out of the window. It was about mid-August, so there wasn't much time left until the world would start turning beautiful different shades of red, orange, and yellow. She touched the glass as if that would help her memorize what this lovely greenness looked like. It was comforting to know that whatever happened, the seasons would always change and bring new beauties with them.

[Noxxis]

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.

[sweetserenity]

Aiko turned back to look inside the bus as everyone else got on, removing her hand from the window which now had faint fingerprints on it. She didn't know what to do with herself. She was a fidgeter, always having to move. The anticipation of arriving at the new house didn't help her nerves. She tapped her toes back and forth like a metronome.

When the bus stopped, she jumped up and clasped her hands together. "Finally!" Mai exited first with Aiko right behind her. They stood on the sidewalk as they waited for the boys to get off. It was a nice suburban area, Aiko noticed. Cherry blossom trees lined the sidewalk and there was the occasional biker passing by. Relatively quiet with the exception of the sounds of birds chirping in a nearby tree. Aiko turned to look at them, but they started flying away before she could get a good look.

Kazuo switched his bag from one hand to the other. Noticing this, Aiko felt guilty about letting Kai carry her bag, especially since he was still carrying his own as well. As they all started walking in the direction of the house- with Kazuo leading the way, of course- Aiko silently snatched her bag back from Kai. She held it behind her back with both hands. Better than only using one, but stil slightly heavy. She may as well be at the gym working out right now.

Kazuo looked behind him and gestured for Aiko to come walk besidd him. She raised an eyebrow because that was something he didn't normally do. Nonetheless, she took a few quick steps to catch up to him. "Check it out, Aiko, there it is," he said, pointing. Aiko looked over to where his finger was directing her.

"Wooahh," Aiko said, in awe. Kazuo looked down at her and smirked, but then his eyes found the bag she was holding again.

"You took it back?" He inquired. Aiko nodded. Kazuo's smirk grew wider as he said, ""I think you're warming up to the guy. Are you?"

Aiko narrowed her eyes and removed one hand from her bag to playfully shove his shoulder. "Of course not."

He merely rolled his eyes and grinned in response. His usual serious attitude came back as he fished around in his pocket for the keys to the house. "Let's see... ah, there it is!" he muttered to himself, pulling out a small silver key and offering it to Mai. "Would you like to do the honors?"

[Noxxis]

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?"

[sweetserenity]

Aiko looked over at Kai. Kazuo was already heading into the house behind Mai. Smirking a bit, Aiko replied, "Right you are, Kaiga. I'll be just fine bringing this to my room. Or I at least hope I will. If not... well... whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? And rice balls sound good. Might need to go out and buy ingredients, though. I don't know what's in the fridge. Perhaps an ostrich, for all I know." With that, she turned and went up into the house. It was no surprise that Kai had offered to carry her bag to her room for her. Once again, he was being Mister Perfect.

The young lady frowned to herself. If she had to pinpoint a reason she wasn't fond of him, that would definitely be it. He was Kai; a talented piano player, fighter, conversationalist, student, etc. Meanwhile... she was just Aiko; a troublemaker and a quitter. Within the zodiac, everybody loved Kai. If they had to hang out with him for a day, they'd be estatic. But if anybody had to hang out with Aiko for a day, they would dread it. They would constantly check on themselves or around themselves to make sure she hasn't set up any sort of prank, despite how much she assured them she wouldn't.

Okay, so there was one time she said she wouldn't prank someone but she did anyway, so their worry was understandable. But whatever. Live and learn, right?

"Aiko, come check this out!"

Kazuo's voice snapped Aiko out of her train and thought and back into reality. Her eyes widened as she realized she had just been mindlessly staring at a wall. "Coming...!" she said, frantically running a hand through her hair and rushing over to the room where Kazuo's voice came from. When she arrived, he was standing in the middle of the empty space. It was a decently sized room with grey walls and plenty of outlets.

Kazuo smiled at her and pointed up at a corner where a spiderweb was in the process of being made. A large brown spider was skillfully weaving an intricate design. It's movements were gracefull and precise. While Kazuo was in awe, Aiko gasped and immediately backed out of the room, standing in the doorway. "Get that thing out of here! You know how I feel about spiders, especially when they're inside my house!" She exclaimed. Aiko wasn't frightened of much, but spiders were definitely somewhere on the list of things she was scared of. Just the way it had so many legs and could sometimes kill small birds (or in some cases, people) freaked her out. She would much rather hold a worm than an arachnid.

"You're such a baby, I thought for sure you were over that fear by now," Kazuo shot back sternly, crossing his arms. Aiko just stuck his tongue out at him, flipped off the spider, then marched off to go find her room.

[Noxxis]

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.

[sweetserenity]

Aiko was walking past the kitchen as Kai mentioned shopping or take out. Hearing that, she turned to look at him and said, "Better go shopping. We'd have to go sometime today, anyway, so we don't remain so reliant on take out." She started walking again, but then paused so she could add, "Oh, and I'd like to tag along to get familiar with the neighborhood. Just give me one second as I put my bag in my room, 'kay?" With that, she winked and gave him finger guns with one hand, the other still holding the heavy bag. She also waved towards Mai before trudging up the stairs and locating her room.

Finally, a room of her own. She dropped her bag on the floor as soon as she entered and sighed, relieved to be free of that weight. Even though it was currently empty, she admired her room. It had a window which had a nice view of the front yard and the street. The walls were a dull lavender, which Aiko found soothing. She couldn't wait until the furniture arrived so she could make the room look even prettier.

Not wanting to waste Kai's time, she opened her bag and dug around a bit before grabbing her purse and running back down the wooden stairs. She couldn't wait to explore the neighborhood, even if it was with Mister Perfect. Her plans were interrupted when Kazuo, who was walking up the stairs with his bag in his hand, and held out a hand to halt Aiko as she approached him. "What is it?" She inquired somewhat rudely, annoyed by how he stopped her when she was obviously in a rush.

He chuckled, asking, "Where are you going in such a rush, kid? A festival? A meeting? A date?" There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

"Yeah, a date with destiny," Aiko shot back, pushing past his hand and parading down the last few steps. Kazuo could be heard laughing at her cheesy response as he went up the rest of the stairs. Rolling her eyes, Aiko put her little crossbody purse around herself and began looking around for Kai.

[Noxxis]

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.

[sweetserenity]

Aiko soon spotted Kai and his sister waiting outside and dashed out of the front door to join them. Noticing Kai staring at the sky, she, too, decided to look up. The sky really was pretty today. She wanted to jump up and take a bite out of those marshmallow-looking clouds. But this daytime sky wasn't as pretty as the night sky, in her opinion. She adored stars and would often sneak out at night to get a better view of them back at the Sohma residence. Aiko slowly looked back down at Kai and Mai, refocusing her attention on them rather than the sky. "There you are! You guys weren't trying to hide from me, were you?" she teased. They started walking to the sidewalk and towards downtown.

She twiddled her thumbs as they walked, a little bounce in her step. It was clear she was happy to be out of the house and exploring. This was a new chapter in the story of her life, one that she hoped would be very positive. Here, nobody (except for the siblings and Kazuo) had to know she's a high school drop out. Of all things she's ever done, that was the worst (in other people's opinion). What they never seemed to understand, no matter how much she tried to explain it to them, was that she and school simply didn't mix. It was like trying to combine water and vegetable oil; it would never work.

To Aiko, school was a place of constraint. The moment she walked through it's gates, she was expected to keep her mouth shut and give every class her full attention. That was day, after day, after day. It mentally exhausted her. If she ever snuck out or was caught daydreaming, she could get in serious trouble. At the end of the day, she was nothing more than a butterfly that had it's wings clipped off as long as she was in school.

A passing biker ringed their bell twice. Aiko gave them a polite smile before looking over at Kai and Mai. "So, what do you two think about the new place now that we've started settling in?" she asked, adopting a normal walk now that they've started approaching one of the busiest areas of the neighborhood. It was certainly less busy than any city Aiko's ever visited, which pleased her. This was the perfect medium.

[Noxxis]

[center] Kai followed after Aiko, turning his head back to look at Mai for a moment before continuing down to the sidewalk. As they walked together, Kai stayed silent. He enjoyed feeling the sun on his skin, the breeze through his hair as they walked. It was good they weren't too far from the nearest grocery store, but also good they were far enough away for a short walk in the sun.

When Aiko asked them what they thought of the new place, Kai looked at Mai expecting her to answer first. But she seemed busy humming to herself as she walked, which made Kai smile. "It seems peaceful, which is a nice change after living on the estate," Kai said in a soft tone, still loud enough that Aiko and Mai could both hear him."Im really looking forward to getting into my writing again. I could never get enough quiet time in the main house to actually do much writing,"

"Well I think it's perfect! And we finally get our own rooms which is even more perfect! As much as I loved sharing a room with Sachi, it's nice to have my own space," Mai said as she fell into step next to Kai, a small smile on her face.

"Try sharing a room with Hideshi," Kai said with a small laugh. Back at the Sohma house, Kai had shared a room with another member of the Zodiac, Hideshi. His parents had also rejected him when he turned out to be the boar. Kai liked him well enough, he just was known for making a mess out of well... Everything. Kai liked things neat, so their living situation wasn't the most peaceful. Kai was happy to finally have his own room, all to himself.

Mai laughed next to him,"Oh right, I guess that is a good reason to be happy about having your own room,"

[sweetserenity]

Aiko laughed and nodded. And in that moment, another reason why Mister Perfect really was perfect dawned upon her. He had such a good relationship with his sister. They had always been close. He was essentially her guardian, yet in times like this they acted like best friends. A pang of envy and sorrow struck Aiko. She didn't have anybody like that, related or not. Sure, she was pretty close with Mai and Kazuo, but not as close as Mai and Kai were. Nobody else knew all about Aiko's past except for, well, Aiko. She had nobody to open up to, and that was her own damn fault.

She crossed her arms. It was unhealthy to keep comparing herself to Kai like this. "Yep, having our own rooms will be awesome! I'll no longer have to sleep in a room that's drowning in stuffed animals," Aiko said, keeping a smile on her face so the others couldn't suspect what really was on her mind. Back at the Sohma residence, she shared a room with Etsu, the rabbit of the zodiac. She refocused her attention on Mister Perfect. Surely he had some flaws?

Was he blunt? ...not really.
Was he aggressive? ...definitely not.
Was he immature? ...no.

Aiko uncrossed her arms. He really was Mister Perfect. One would think that that would make her like him, so why was it having the opposite effect? Because I'm an asshole, that's why. Now that they were living in an emptier house, it would be both harder and easier to avoid him like she always did back at the Sohma estate. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to try to get closer to Kazuo? Since Mai and Kai already had each other? Oh, but Kazuo's always so serious...

They were nearing downtown and she could see what looked like a grocery store in the near distance. It wasn't until now when she realized how hungry she was. As everybody knows, it's unwise to go shopping on an empty stomach. Aiko mentally frowned at herself for making such a mistake. She knew she had a snack or two back in her bag that she could have eaten. Across the street from the grocery store was an antique store which looked interesting. Other places around the grocery store included a hair salon, a drugstore, a thrift store, and a clothing store. There were also multiple restaurants, half of which appeared to be fast food. They walked past a cute café which intrigued Aiko.

[Noxxis]

Kai saw the grocery store in the distance, a smile pulling at his cheeks as he heard Aiko talk about her old room being covered in stuffed animals. Kai had always been one of the few in the Sohma house that had been charged with taking care of Etsu. He babysat her a lot, making sure she didn't wander off and get herself into trouble. But keeping an eye on her over the years had proved difficult, as she was sort of a handful.

As they reached the grocery store, Kai looked at all the other stores and such that were nearby. There was a Cafe, some restaurants, Kai could probably find a part time job around here if he wanted to. He knew that) that if he wanted any spare money, he would need to work. Making a mental note to come back and apply for these places, Kai looked at Aiko and clocked his head to the side a little.

He hadn't exactly sent a lot of time around her, but he wondered if she was normally this quiet. He was so used to spending time with Mai, he was used to incessant talking. He didn't mind it at all honestly, not many things really bothered him. But Aiko was much quieter than his little sister, and he didn't know if that was normal or not.

Walking up next to Aiko so they walked next to each other, Kai smiled down at her"So, what all do you think we should get? Besides the generic rice, leeks, miso...can you think of anything else you might like?" He asked her sincerely, still smiling as the walked into the store. Mai followed them, back to humming to herself. Kai turned to look at her for a second before turning his attention back to Aiko.

He didn't have to ask Mai what she liked, he already knew. But Aiko, maybe now that they lived together he could finally get to know her better. Maybe they could be friends. Kai didn't like feign like people didn't like him, mostly because he couldn't understand why. He tried to be as genuinely nice to everyone that he could. Maybe Aiko had a problem with him being nice?

[sweetserenity]

Aiko looked up at Kai and shrugged as they entered the store. "Some ramen, spices, eggs, milk, bread, salmon, fruit, and yogurt, perhaps? Ooh, some candy, too." She smirked a bit then looked ahead. It wasn't a huge store, but it certainly had everything they were needing. She picked up a basket to put their groceries in.

When it came to grocery shopping, she wasn't very experienced. She was prone to being a slowpoke, thus she was rarely sent to do the shopping, especially when everyone else was starving and waiting on her. Even now she made a conscious decision to not run to every little thing that caught her eye and stuff it in the basket.

"I wonder what Kazuo's up to right now," Aiko wondered aloud as they walked into the heart of the store. They passed some prepackaged daifuku which she, of course, tossed into the basket. That was one of her favorite foods. Let's see... only a million more groceries left to go.

In her peripheral, she noticed some candy with a cute packaging. She turned to it and picked it up. The packaging was red with a couple of cartoon bears hugging on it. Aiko chuckled and held it up for Mai and Kai to see. "Check it out, you guys are on this packaging!"

[Noxxis]

As Kai walked further into the store, he grabbed a basket and started following after Aiko. Figuring they were planning to get a lot while they were there, it would be wise to have two baskets. Kai heard Aiko mention Kazuo but did not comment on what he thought the older boy might be up to.

When Mai saw the packaging on the candy, she smiled wide and turned to Kai,"Aw look Pup! Can we get it please?"She asked him.

Kai smiled at her,"Sure thing," He said sweetly. He continued to walk down the aisle, grabbing both white and brown rice, and several different types of ramen. He thought about all the ways he could cook various dishes and the things he would need to do so. He heard Mai in the next aisle, humming as she walked down the aisle.

"Mai do you want shrimp flavored ramen?" He asked her loud enough for her to hear him. After hearing an "uh-huh" amist the humming, Kai grabbed some of that and out it into the basket as well.