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.
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