Word Count : 2919
The bell rings, signalling the end of class. Everyone was dying to get out of class but the teacher stopped us. "I almost forgot. For those of you who haven't yet, make sure you turn in your career plan forms this week."
"Okay." The class replied.
"Parent-teacher conferences are right after summer break. Don't forget to let your parents or guardians know what's up." I wonder what I'm going to do. I doubt Akito would go especially now. Akito will just want me to stay at the estate. Akito has plans to keep all the zodiac members in the estate after high school ends for us.
"Kyon-Kyon. Know what you'll do after graduation yet? Open a cat shop?" His friends teased.
"Shut it. None of your business!" Kyo yells at them. Uotani makes her way over to Kyo's spot and kicks his desk, hitting him in the process.
"Lunch time! I'm hungry, dammit!" She shouts.
"U-Uotani-sama, why'd you kick Kyon-Kyon's desk?"
"I'm freaking hangry! I woke up late and didn't eat breakfast!" She yells at them.
"Hey, you should be grateful you were born a woman, Gangster girl!. You'd be dead in a heartbeat if you were a guy!" Kyo yells at her grabbing her by the collar.
"I did that because I know you won't hurt girls, dumbass!"
"Please stop fighting." I say.
"Um... Let's... eat lunch." Tohru suggests.
---
Hanajima, Uotani, Kyo, Yuki, Tohru and I had all gathered on the side of the building to eat lunch in the grass. Our lunches were laid out as we enjoyed the wonderful weather.
"It's been so long since we've all eaten together." Tohru points out.
"It has." Hanajima agrees.
"Eating with this group makes it hard to enjoy it." Kyo says.
"Tohru-kun, have you already submitted your career form?"
"Yes."
"I haven't yet. I don't know what to do."
"Same here."
"Me either. It's too early to decide. Do you really plan to do what you wrote on the form, Tohru?" Uotani asks.
"Yes, I want to start working, so I can support myself." Tohru smiles.
"Yes, working sounds good."
"You know, Tohru, you could just get married." Uotani suggests.
"Huh?"
"Oh, dear. Perhaps I should go to college to get a better job to support you, then." Hanajima sighs.
"She's not marrying you. Anyway, I was thinking more like the prince for instance. And since Ami doesn't have a plan she can marry Carrots."
"Huh?!" The boys gasp.
"What're you actin' so surprised for?! It better not be because you don't think those two are good enough, dammit!" Uotani glares.
"Th-That's not it at all... "
"Oh, let's see which one of us wins, then." Hanajima said.
"We didn't even say anything! Stop picking fights!" Kyo yells at them.
"U-Um, if I do get married, I'm sure it's still far in the future."
"It's too early to decide who we will marry in the future. Plus I might not be able to get married. I have a very overprotective family." I say, thinking back I'm pretty sure AKito would never want me to leave her side, meaning the chances of me getting married are almost zero.
"That kind of sucks, well maybe I'll surprise you all and get married first."
"Nobody'll want you." Kyo comments, and she hits him in the head.
"Marriage aside, I did meet a guy at work that I'm kind of into." Uotani mentions.
"Wh-What?!" Tohru gasps
"Well this is news."
"What's he like?" I asked.
"Hmm... He's kinda like you, Tohru." She answers.
"Huh? He's like... me?"
"I'd love to meet him." Hanajima smiles. It was sad thinking about graduating and the future. Once we do finish high school we're going to be stuck inside the main estate for the rest of our lives. Never leaving Akito's side.
---
Finally the weekend had arrived and Kyo's master had invited the two of us to join him for lunch. We were walking along the roads and I was looking at the mirrors in the streets.
"Ami, over here. Don't space out and fall behind." Kyo calls out.
"Okay!" I smile while jogging a little to catch up with Kyo. "It was nice of Master-san to invite us over. It would be awful if I got lost."
"Don't expect too much. We're just talking over lunch. It might be pretty boring."
"It couldn't possibly be boring. I'm just happy to be invited and we get to have a meal with the three of us."
"You're easy to please." Kyo laughs a little. "Watch where you're going. You'll trip if you don't."
---
We eventually get to the house and make our way inside. It was a nice house with a similar design and look to Shigure's.
"Master!" Kyo calls out, into the house. There was no one who answered.
"Thank you for having us!"
"I brought her!" He calls out again but still no answer. It was silent. That's when I started to smell something off.
"Umm... Kyo do you smell something strange like... smoke." I say.
"Crap!" Kyo shouts, and runs off into the hallway, I quickly follow behind him and end up tripping on my own feet. I fall to the ground after Kyo stops and looks in what I assumed was the kitchen. "Master!" There in the kitchen was Master standing over an oven with a pan filled with dark smoke, as well as the rest of the kitchen.. "What are you burning this time?!"
"Eh?" Master looks up from the book he was holding in his hands. He explains, rather calmly, about this situation.
"The pot! The fish is burning, too!" Kyo points out, yelling.
"I thought I'd try my hand at cooking for this special occasion."
"Is... everything alright?" I ask, getting up off the floor as Kyo clears away the smoke coming off the pan.
"Sorry about that. I was immersed in my book. It's Shigure's latest." Master explains.
"Burn that to ashes." Kyo suggests. Finally the fire was put out and we gathered in the main room.
"Sorry, it's been so long, and the first thing you see of me is that mess."
"No, don't worry about it. I just didn't realise that you could not cook. Though I notice you cut your hair." When I had first met Kazuma he had long hair in a ponytail but now it was completely gone.
"Yep, I chopped it off."
"Chopped it off..."
"Now what shall we do? It's almost lunch time."
"If you don't mind. I can cook." I suggested.
"What?! Why're you gonna cook when you're the guest?"
"I'll leave it to you." Master agrees.
"Don't ask her to!" Kyo shouts at him. I make my way to the kitchen and open the fridge. There was nothing in it except for a small packet of mustard. I looked around and there was almost nothing.
He lives like Shigure but cleaner.
Kyo and Mater make their way in from behind.
"It's basically empty."
"I don't usually cook." He explains. That's when my eyes land on a curry package.
"I think I could put some curry together." I tell them.
"Ah, curry sounds good. I'll help-" Master offers.
"Sheesh! Stop it already. I'll help. You can watch from the hallway." Kyo says, cutting him off. He proceeds to push Master out of the room.
"You're going to help me? Thank you very much. Master. Kyo's a great cook, so don't worry. The rice porridge he made for me once was delicious." I tell him, thinking back to when I was sick.
"Kyo made it... for you?"
"Yes!"
"I see!"
"Master! Just leave! Go read your book!" Kyo orders.
"If you say so."
"C'mon let's get started already." Kyo sighs.
"Right!" I agree, I take the ribbons out of my hair and reattach it into a ponytail.
"You're gonna be able to put your hair back if you untie it all?"
"It's easy."I smile.
---
"What? You're going out?" I was in the middle of chopping onions while Kyo peeled potatoes when Master told us he was heading out of the house.
"Sorry. I unexpectedly need to meet with someone. I'll return as quickly as possible."
"Master, did something happen?"
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Wait here and be a good kid." he says walking off.
"What the heck?" Kyo yells and goes after him. I stick my head through the doorway and watch them.
"Remember you often would be close to tears when I'd leave?" Master smiles.
"That was when I was a kid! Don't drag up the past!"
"Such friendly bickering... " I mumble.
"A doting parent for a doting child." A voice says out of nowhere. I jump back in surprise, I look to see a guy wearing a gi standing next to me. I hadn't even noticed someone had gotten near me.
"Who are you?!"
"Please to meet you. I'm Kunimitsu Tomoda. You can say that I'm Kazuma-san's disciple and personal assistant. I have lots of stories about Kyo as a child. For instance, he once cried because he was afraid of that stain." He says, pointing to two small stains on the wall that look like a pair of eyes that don't blink and just stare at you.
"Kunimitsu! Don't blab about useless crap! Get out! Shoo!" Kyo shouts.
"Oh fine. The third wheel is leaving now." He teases and heads out.
"Huh?!"
"Sheesh, what's with the two of them?" Kyo says, referring to Master and Kunimitsu.
"So even you got scared and cried when you were little."
"Of course I did."
"It does look scary, like a face. Oh, should I not have said anything? Are you still scared of it?" I wonder.
"Yeah, right!" He argues.
"Of course not." I laugh. I place my hand on the wall next to the stain. I felt Kyo place his hand on top of mine. I look up into his eyes. He wasn't too close because then he would have transformed. It was a nice silence before he hit me in the face. I yelp as his hand makes contact with my face.
"C'mon enough slacking. Let's get started."
"That was a pretty funny sound I just made." I point out.
"Right? Wanna hear it again?" He says, offering to hit me again.
"No, don't be ridiculous." I smile and we head back into the kitchen to make lunch.
---
Kyo and I were sitting in the main room chatting while we were waiting for Master to come back. We had finally finished cooking but we decided to wait.
"I told you. I don't like the ocean or pools. Can you even swim?"
"I can handle it! I just need to learn how to breathe while swimming. Because normally I just float around." I explained.
"Huh? How can you swim without breathing?" He looks at me confused.
"I just swim really fast to get to my destination and then breathe."
"Idiot. You'll just get swept up by the ocean waves." The door opens and Master walks inside the house.
"Master! What took you so long?"
"Welcome back!"
"Thanks."
"Was it a big hassle? "
"Yes, I suppose. I had to listen to some tiresome complaints. That about sums it up." Master says, patting Kyo on the head.
"What?"
"That aside, is the curry ready?"
"It's been ready."
"Shall we eat lunch then?"
---
I ended up having a good time with Kyo and Master. I had gotten home and was walking around on the first floor when I saw Yuki and Tohru coming home.
"Welcome back."
"Thanks."
"Well, good night." Yuki says and heads upstairs.
"Yes, good night."
"Sleep well."
"Tohru, are you going to bed soon?" I wonder.
"Yeah, I was just about to head upstairs."
"Alright then, sweet dreams." I tell her and head into the kitchen. Kyo was in the middle of making something to eat. I enter the kitchen and look over to what he was making.
"Kyo, what are you doing?"
"I got hungry, so I thought I'd make somen."
"Would you like me to make it? I need to prepare tomorrow's breakfast anyway." I offer.
"Well, you can make some dipping sauce. We're out." He says pointing to the empty bottle of dipping sauce.
"Oh, what were you going to eat with it, then?"
"Soy sauce, or something."
"Does it taste good that way?" I questioned.
"Of course not."
---
After we were done making it, we laid the plates out for ourselves on the table and sat down.
"I wonder if Shigure is sleeping?" I say looking at the door to his room.
"Who knows? I don't get his sleeping schedule."
"I had a lot of fun today at Master's house."
"Did you?"
"Yes! Speaking of which, I thought it was a shame that he cut his hair." I mentioned.
"You think so? It's not like he's a woman."
"Why do you think he cut it?"
"He's just a doting parent!" Kyo shouts and I smile. "What are you smiling for?"
"Nothing! By the way, Kyo-kun, do you plan to take over Master's dojo in the future?"
"Might not be possible. I'm possessed by the cat. So even if Master says it's okay, the Sohma family can deny me if they don't consent. If I mess up, I'll..." Kyo looked panicked for a short moment. "No, don't worry about that. It doesn't matter. Anyway, as the cat people ask me what my plans are for the future and stuff... It's like... do I even get to be part of society? Will I actually get to live a normal life and be equal to normal people? I'm at a loss just thinking about that stuff." I frowned at what he was saying. "What's with that face? I figure out of all people, you'd be the one to understand how it feels."
"I would?"
"Graduating high school and getting a job to be independent, those were things you probably had planned for before moving in with Shigure. But now you might be stuck at the estate living there when you want. You have the choice because you are free now."
"That's not true. I made a promise to my mother and because of that I need to stay at the estate." I told him. I wasn't ready to reveal everything yet but I could say this much.
"But she's not around anymore, don't you want to do your own thing?"
"I made this promise because she's not around anymore. And I want to do my best in keeping it... enough about me. What I wanted to say was that Master is waiting for you, and if something is wrong..." I take my hands and hold onto his wrist where his bracelet is, and I fidget with the beads. "I'm sure you're silently bottling it up is painful and even more wrong-" Kyo shakes his hand out of my grasp.
"Hey, you'll break it." He says before taking my hand in his.
"Okay, okay. I've got it. I understand." Just then the door leading to Shigure's room slams open.
"Perhaps I can offer some advice?" Shigure says, scaring Kyo. In a panic Kyo had jumped across the room into the corner.
"Shigure, you were awake?"
"I just woke up. Don't worry Ami. Kyo-kun, what are you doing in the corner?" Kyo seemed annoyed by the question. "You see, Ami, if you are worrying when you think about it, like a hard decision, it's best not to think about it."
"Huh?"
"Let's see, think of it this way. You're surrounded by a huge mountain of laundry that you can't move an inch. You have no washing machines so you have to wash it all by hand. You'd be overwhelmed, right? You'd wonder if you really can finish washing them, if you can get them all clean, you're capable of getting satisfying results. The more you think about it, the more anxious you get. But time continues to tick by, Now what do you do? For now you should wash what's at your feet, don't you think? It's important to think about what's ahead, but it's also important to think of what you can do now, in the present. If you continue washing one by one by one, before you know it... the sunlight will start peeking through again. The worry will still rise up in you sometimes, but in those times, take a little break. Read a book, watch some TV, or eat somen with your friends." He gets up and stretches. Before quickly sitting back down staring at the somen. "Whoa! Amazing! Was that a great talk or what? Aw, shucks, how considerate. You invite me to join your somen meal as thanks."
"Bastard, you just wanted to eat our somen!"
"If Shigure is joining us, why don't I go get Tohru and Yuki?" I suggested.
"Don't get that rat!"
"Why not, the more the merrier." I head upstairs to get Yuki and Tohru. It didn't take much convincing to get them to come join the rest of us downstairs. I set out the extra plates for everyone and we all sit around the table eating.
"Oh dear! Kyo-chan, there's a legend that says you'll turn into a perv if you eat pink soman." Shigure teases and Kyo takes a bite of his somen with some pink in it.
"Is not!"
"Perv! Perv!" Shigure chants.
"Shut up!"
"Disgusting." Yuki comments.
"There's no legend, damn rat! I'll kill you!"
A night full of worries... is best spent in a warm place.