𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙚 -𝘼𝙣 𝙄𝙨𝙚𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘-

The Original

"Maybe I had bad breath. Or maybe, he's playing me." I mutter angrily walking home. At least it's stopped raining. "Dangnabbit. How'd you do it Kana?"

I stop for a moment, seeing the most peculiar cat about to cross the road. "Stupid cat, you're gonna get hit." I say.

It begins to cross the road, right as the light turns green. And a large truck begins plowing that way. "I don't think this is going to turn out good." And then, just as I speak, the cat manages to trip over it's own legs, and the truck is coming quicker and quicker.

Just like with the whole Ren and Akito thing, my body moves at it's own will. I'm sprinting as fast as I can across the road. I reach down, and grab the cat by the fur on it's next. Which hurts my right arm a lot, because this cat is heavy. I make it to the other side of the road, but I can't seem to break, and smack my arm on a pole, dropping the cat. 

"Ow, that hurt. Dang stupid cat. Can't you look both ways before crossing the road, like a human." I groan, looking over at the cat.

"Hn. You're, you're not a cat." No wonder it was so peculiar looking, it's a tiger cub. I just saved a tiger. 

"What do I do? Do I call an animal shelter. Do I.... YOU'RE THE ZODIAC TIGER, AREN'T YOU!" I screech. But that can't be right. Kisa Sohma is the zodiac tiger, and she's not even born. Not even Hiro is born. 

"And how do you know that?" She growls.

"Most definitely the Zodiac tiger. Uh, what are you doing so far from home?" I ask her. 

"Are you a Sohma?" She asks.

"No, I'm uh, Tanaka Hashi. I'm..."

"You're the friend of Akito?"

"Yes, I am." This is so weird, I feel like I've gone insane. Maybe I just hit my head. And I'm hallucinating.

"Do you know how to get home then, I'm lost." She tells me. 

"Uh, you know, I needed to go there anyway. So I'll take you there!" I lie. Maybe I will go walk my butt over to Hatori's house and chew him out for just leaving me there. 

"So what's your name?" I ask, as I pick her up and begin heading back to the Sohma Estate.

"Hana Sohma." She tells me.

"Okay, Hana, uh, what were you doing out here, so far from the Estate." 

"My Mom started screaming at me, so I ran away, and I became so confused, I transformed." It still feels weird that I'm talking to a tiger.

"Sorry to hear that, Hana." I gulp. My arm is beginning to throb now. And holding this heavy tiger isn't helping it. 

"I'm sorry if you hurt yourself." She apologizes. 

The whole walk to the Main House, she stays transformed. Which makes me wonder if Hana is actually a boy. But I don't say anything to her about it.

I knock on the door, and am surprised to see that Keruno answers it. "Tanaka you're... Hana Sohma what the heck are you doing transformed?"

"I'll explain it later. Just let us it." I snap.

"I was just about to come looking for you. Since it's been some time since you left for Hatori's house. And you had left your backpack here." He tells me, as I enter the room.

"I did, didn't I?"

"So what happened exactly?" He asks as I put her down on the floor. 

"I was heading home, because I forgot about my backpack. And I saw her crossing the road. And she nearly got hit by a car if I hadn't saved her. Also, I think I might have done something to my arm when I smacked into a pole. Because it's throbbing." I groan.

"I'll call Dr. Sohma to come check on your arm. Sakura-san, please get a change of clothes for Hana." Keruno says to one of the servants. "And then get an ice pack for Tanaka."

"Dr. Sohma, so Hatori's Dad?" I ask. 

"Yes. That's right. Uh, was everything fine with Hatori?" Kureno asks, walking over to the phone.

"Huh? Oh yes, everything was fine. I returned his jacket to him." I lie. 

"Oh, okay. I can't believe you forgot about your backpack though."

"Keruno, is that Tanaka's voice I hear?" Akito walks in the room.

"Yes, now, I'm calling Doctor Sohma, so please be quiet." 

                                                                                         -------------------

"Well, it's nothing serious. You just hurt it smacking it into a post. Just keep some ice on it, and in a day or two, the throbbing will go away." He tells me.

"Thank you, Doctor Sohma." I say. I can't believe he's Hatori's Dad. They look nothing alike. And act nothing a like. He must have gotten everything from his Mom.

"Now Akito, I hope you've been taking your medication as instructed." He says turning his attention to Akito who's been standing watchfully over me.

"I have. I have. You people have so little of faith in me." Akito groans.

"Tanaka, if you could come here, Hana has something to say to you." Keruno steps into the room.

"Oh, right." I say, standing up.

"Remember, ice." Doctor Sohma says to me, as I leave the room.

"I will." I close the door behind me.

"What did you want to tell Tanaka, Hana?" Keruno says to a now, human, Hana. She looks so much like Kisa. Same hair color and eyes, and appearance. Like a twin. I wonder if they are cousins or sisters.

"I'm sorry for walking into the road like I did. And I'm sorry I hurt your arm." She looks down at the floor.

"Well I'm just glad I could have been there to save you." I shrug. "And it's not like I fractured my arm or anything. I just slammed it against a pole... soo..."

"It's amazing that you act like such a hero, but really, you're a fox." Keruno chuckles.

"We still going at that Kureno?" I smirk.

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"Oh my goodness." I say in the dead of night. "I just saved Hana's life. Hana was the Zodiac form before Kisa. She must have died, by getting hit by that truck in the manga. But I was there this time. And I was only there, at the right time in the right place, because Hatori didn't kiss me. If he had, I might have not been there, and she might have died. And... then I'd have to wait longer for the banquet to end." 

In retrospect, Hatori not kissing me, saved a life. I honestly have to thank him for that. Even if it hurts that he didn't kiss me. It would have hurt even more, if Hana had died. 

"Hatori, you are a blessing." I whisper.

I just did exactly what I said I was going to do. Stop the pain and hurt. End the curse. Once Hiro is born, then, then, the rest is history. Kureno's curse will, hopefully still, be broken first. And then Momoji's follows and so on and so on. 

Who would have known, that by not getting kissed, a life would be saved.