Word Count : 2846
Tohru and I were at Master's because Rin had been staying there since being released from the hospital. Rin was sitting in front of us in a chair. Her hair was much shorter than it was before and currently it barely passed her chin. Tohru and I were on the ground in front of her. Tohru was lightly crying as Rin and I stayed silent. We sat like that for a couple of minutes with Haru and Yuki in the room next to us. Haru was staring at Rin as if he was trying to tell her something.
"Stop crying!" Rin shouted, finally snapping and jumping out of her chair.
"Okay!"
"I'm sick of listening to you blubbering like a baby!" Rin yelled. AS Rin was yelling at Tohru for crying, Master walked in with a tray of food for everyone.
"It's rare for you to raise your voice like that, Isuzu." He commented.
"Master-san!" Tohru gasped. The last time she would have seen him would have been when he came over and removed Kyo's bracelet.
"It's been a while, Tohru." He smiled
"Thanks for having us." She said. "Oh! You cut your hair."
"Yes, a little while ago." His attention went back to Rin after greeting Tohru. "Are you excited that your friends are visiting?" The three of us were silent.
"F-Friend..." Tohru stuttered. The two of us smiled and Rin grabbed our heads trying to crush it.
"They get along so well."
"I think we should separate them!" Yuki shouted. Eventually we all got settled in and as the boys talked the three of us walked along the bath's outside looking at a small pond.
---
Once we got back from visiting Rin we ate dinner and Tohru and I started working on the dishes. Kyo was in the kitchen as well looking for something in the fridge.
"I kind of think that Master-san's just going to let Isuzu move in with him." Kyo commented, pouring himself a glass of water.
"Don't worry Kyo, you're still going to be his favourite." Tohru said.
"He practically lives for you." I added and he spat out his water, choking.
"I'm not worried about it so quit saying weird stuff!" He shouted, he lowered his voice before continuing to talk. "Anyway, I figure it's a good thing. With a full house he'll get less lonely down the line." It was quiet knowing what he meant when he would be locked up.
*yuki walks in*
"Honda-san?" Yuki walked in getting Tohru's attention.
"Er, yes?"
"The anniversary of your mom's death is coming up, right? Can I come with you to the cemetery?" Yuki asked.
"Yes, of course!" Tohru agreed quickly.
"Me too?" I asked.
"I'm going on Saturday morning with Uo-chan and Hana-chan so I would love for you both to join us." Tohru explained.
"I'll most likely stop by my mom's grave as well." I said.
"I just noticed you never seem to go on the anniversary of her death." Yuki pointed out.
"It's normally hard for me to do much on New Year's eve. Also, it's often cold and the flowers I bring wouldn't last long. So I try to go when the weather gets nicer." I replied.
"I... can't go with you." Kyo said.
"That's okay." and with that Kyo left the room.
---
Tohru and I had finished school and entered the dojo. WE decided we would go see Rin since Tohru didn't have to work today. We came across her and Shigure talking.
"Rin, you know what?" Shigure said. "The zodiac curse will break on its own, eventually. You don't have to work yourself to death over it. Those ties from ages past are already fraying. We'll be free eventually. We're the generation invited to the final banquet."
"S-Stop toying with me!" Rin yelled at Shigure as he sat on the stairs to one of the buildings.
"When... is eventually?" Tohru asked. They both look at the two of us. "Are talking about it breaking in a matter of years, or in decades."
"That's not good enough." I said. It slipped out before I could even think. "It has to be... it has to break by next spring, or Kyo will..." That's when what shigure had said sunk in. "Shigure, did you know all along it would break?" I asked.
"Nah, of course not. You must have figured it out before I did. But I did sense that we might be nearing the end. From what I hear, this is the first time the whole zodiac has been alive at the same time. So the attendants were thrilled about it, saying it was amazing. But I had a different theory. What if we're all gathering because it's the final banquet. And then, what do you know? Kureno's and Ami's curse broke without them even trying." He explained.
How did Shigure find out about that?
"Huh?" Rin looked confused and looked over at me for confirmation. "Wh-What does..."
"Shall I spell it out for you?" Shigure asked. "Simply put, Kureno and Ami aren't one of us anymore. He said so himself. He also thinks the end is near. Tiny changes and catalysts build up over time, and the whole thing comes tumbling down. Of course, as things stand, Kyo-kun will be locked up." Shgirue and I locked eyes. "Yes, we know. All of us know exactly what will happen to him in the very near future. But we won't do or say anything. You should know that." I looked at the ground curling my fist and tightening them.
"Why not?"
"Why not?" Shigure repeated. He got up from where he was sitting and walked over and stopped when he was standing in front of me. "Because that's the cat's role. We members of the zodiac are monsters. But when we look at him, we can think, "Thank god, I'm not him."" I looked up at him and I started to cry. "The Cat is a gift to us, an outcast creature for us to exclude. And Kyo knows that, so do you-" He was cut off at Tohru holding him back with her arms sticking out.
"Shigure-san!" She yelled.
"Mad at me?" He asked. She removed her hands and shook her head. "But that will end too, eventually. It's not that I believe Kureno's story without question, but it matches with what my gut tells me. You said eventually wasn't good enough. Do you want to save Kyo? Do you love-" I didn't want to hear anymore so I ran away. I ran as fast as I could until I was out of breath. I had somehow managed to make it pretty far and I was now walking along the streets. I stopped to catch my breath.
---
What is it that's most important to you?
---
Rin had asked that question when Tohru and I visited her at the hospital.
That question... I should have said mom or even akito without hesitating, but I didn't. What came to mind instead was...Why? I promised mom that I would take care of AKito for her. I promised her. I made a promise to myself to put Akito first.
I felt my eyes tear up again.
And yet...
"Ami?" I looked behind me and there he was. Kyo was standing a few steps away from me. "Why are you crying?" He asked
"I...I don't know what I am supposed to do." I confessed.
"At times like these, you don't have to do anything right away." He said.
"Huh?"
"It's fine to wait until you need to do something before you act. Or something. Until then, well..." He walked over and tapped my head. "It's okay to cry." I went red and I let myself cry.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I want to stay like this for just a little longer. Because eventually I will have to do something. But I think I know what I might have to let go of when the time comes.
---
I had made my way to Master's and found him in one of the rooms. "I hope I'm not intruding." I said.
"Hello. Come in." He greeted me. "Have you come to see Isuzu?"
"I was on my way to meet Tohru, we were going to visit her mother and I would stop by mine as well..." I trailed off.
"Please, make yourself at home." He said, I bowed and walked out. I made my way to the room Rin was staying in.
---
"So, why have you come today?" She asked. She was standing by the exit to the garden and I was sitting on the floor.
"Well last time I came to see you I ended up running away. And that was rather rude of me to do so I wanted to apologise. Even if it's been a few days." I explained.
"Out of all the things you could apologise for..." She mumbled.
"Huh?"
"You had a clue about the curse and how to break it, since yours is broken. But you stayed silent." She said.
"I'm sorry about that as well." I apologised.
"It's too late for that now." She said. "But out of everyone, why Kyo? Of all people... He's the Cat, you know. Do you pity him?" She questioned.
"Could the feeling I feel really be pity?" I asked myself out loud. My arms and hands were shaking and I stood up from the ground. "When I say I want to free everyone from this curse. For them to make their own choices in the future. To have this weight on their shoulders like me... I am starting to realise that those are just excuses! Part of it may be true which is why I think I believed that till now. But I'm hiding my true feelings and I'm deceiving you and Tohru...I'm being a coward. I...I just want Kyo! I don't want the curse, the Sohma's, or anyone else to take him away from me! Because Kyo's what's most precious to me! I don't want him to be looked up forever!" I said, I was crying by the time I was done crying. I heard the door open behind me and I got slapped. I fell to the floor seeing Kagura standing above me.
"Why are you telling her that?!" She asked, shouting. "You need to tell that to him!"
---
I was standing on the roof of the house where we would hang the laundry and I was dealing with the sheets but it was a little harder because the wind was blowing. I was lost in thought when I saw Kyo standing in the doorway.
"Ah!" I gasped. I had not seen him appear on the roof so his presence had scared me.
"Huh?" He seemed confused by my reaction.
"I didn't realise you were home." I explained.
"Yeah, you came home early, too."
"Yeah, I heard it was supposed to rain this evening. I wanted to make sure the sheets were dry before it rained, but it looks like I was worried for nothing." I told him. He did acknowledge what I said and stayed silent.
"Hey. What did your mom look like?" He finally asked. I was frozen at the questions. "You talk about her all the time but I've never seen a picture of her."
"R-R-Really?" I stuttered. "I would have thought I showed you a picture of her. We don't really look alike and all... Mom said I looked like her dad a bit. He died when she was younger."
"I see." He sighed. "That probably made her happy." I moved myself out of sight and placed myself behind the sheets hiding from his sight.
"Honestly, I'm trying to avoid the question. I'm scared of what you will think if you saw a picture of her. It hurt when I found out I looked like her dad. He was nice and I felt terrible that she was reminded of him every time she saw me. It made it worse because she looks so much like her sibling and she would be reminded of that every time she looked in a mirror. I did my best so she didn't notice it all the time. I removed a large portion of the mirrors in the house. When she asked about it would lie and just say that there were too many of them."
She got to be more feminian and even if she didn't show it I know it hurt her having to think she was getting a happy life while Akito was suffering.
"I'm sure your mom realised what you were doing. But it still helped her. I'm sure it did." Kyo said. His arms wrapped around me through the sheets making sure to keep us separated and not activate the curse.
"I hope that's true."
"It is. Believe it."
"I'm sorry for suddenly making this conversation sad and acting pathetic-" I said.
"It's fine. Say whatever you need to say. It's fine. I won't be disappointed in you." I hugged him tighter through the sheets, until it was too much and we were soon surrounded by orange smoke as he transformed.
---
When Kyo finally returned to being human the two of us made our way inside. I led him to my room and pulled out a small handful of photos
"I hope you can understand why I never showed you or anyone a picture on purpose." I said handing him the photo. "These are my parents." He looked at it silently.
---
"You need to tell that to him!"
---
"Ky-"
"Your mom looks a lot like Akito." His voice sounded shaky and in a second the picture in his hands fell to the floor. His whole body was shaking.
"Kyo?" I asked, trying to get his attention. He looked so scared. "Is something the matter, Kyo?!" I stopped the other photos that I was holding. "Kyo! Kyo!" No matter how much I called out to him, he wouldn't answer.
---
The little orange haired boy sat on the roof of an apartment building all alone staring at the sky.
"What's a little kid doing here all alone?" Kyo's younger self looked up at the woman walking over. She had long dark hair but what freaked him out is how similar the woman looked compared to the head of the family. Kyo quickly got up and backed up away from the woman.
"Don't come near me!" He shouted. She stopped walking towards him not wanting to scare him.
"Alright." The woman sat down where she had stopped walking. "I like your hair. It's a nice shade of orange. Is it natural?"
"What do you want with me? Get lost!" Kyo shouted.
"I'm keeping you company. Not to mention I live in this building so really if anyone should get lost it's you." She
"I don't want your company!" Kyo yelled again.
"Hey kid, what's your name?" The woman asked.
"I'm not telling you." He grumbled.
"Well mine is Asami Sohma." Asami said, introducing herself. Kyo's eyes go wide at the reveal of her last name.
"Y-You're a Sohma?"
"Yup. So are you going to tell me your name?" She asked again.
"No."
"Alright. How about a different question?" She suggested. "What's the spirit of the Cat doing all the way over here?"
"Huh?"
"Hair like yours isn't very common. Plus your reaction when you saw me and I gave you my name kind of gave it away."
"Oh."
"You know, my daughter is the spirit of the Dove." Asami said. What the woman had said got his attention and he was now paying more attention to what she was saying. "She's around your age as well. Maybe the two of you can be friends." She thought about it for a moment. "Oh hold on a moment." Asami got up from where she was sitting and walked over to the edge of the roof. She raised her arm and pointed down at the ground. "There she is." Kyo walked over to the fence of the roof and looked down to see an old woman walking with a young girl with pearly white hair. "Her name is Ami." the woman started walking away. "Get home safe."
"Huh?" Kyo looked at the woman walking away. "Where are you going?" He asked.
"I have to be at the apartment when she gets to the door." She explained. "Don't be afraid to come visit us and make sure to get home safe."
---
Tohru, Kyo and I sat around the table eating. It had started to rain and it was getting worse. Tohru had started clearing the table when Kyo got up.
"Thanks for dinner." He said.
"You're welcome."
"I'm going out for a bit." Hw walked out of the room and I could hear him heading to the front door. I got up from the table and went after him.
"Kyo!" He stopped at the door waiting for me to speak. "Please, there's something I want to tell you." He looked at me and the look in his eyes was old and empty.