The bell chimed signalling the end of class, Katsumi stretched her arms abover her head, letting out a bored yawn. Today's school day had been dedicated to final exams, and much to her dismay Katsumi had finished her exams hours ago. She fidgeted aimlessly, becoming agitated as her unreleased energy seemed to pile.
"That's it. Times up. No complaining. Pass your tests to the front." Mayuko-Sensei informed the class, though Katsumi was sure that most students were willing to comply. She bounced from her seat, her bunny ears springing from her head. Katsumi approached Tohru at the same time Yuki had, she jumped onto his shoulders.
"Miss Honda. How'd it go?" Yuki asked their friend, smiling down at her.
"You know what? I think I did much better than I expected to. I filled in a lot more of the blanks than usual." Tohru exclaimed determinedly, pumping both her fist in excitement.
"Oh yeah? I'm real proud of ya, Tohru." Uo-Chan chanted, coming over and placing her hand on Tohru's head.
"Thanks!" Tohru cheered, grinning at her friends.
"I knew it was within your power to pass this exam." Hana-Chan encouraged, patting Tohru's shoulder.
"Katsumi tutored me, so she's the one who should get the credit. The way you explained things was so clear. Seriously, I couldn't have done it without you." Tohru told her, bowing at Katsumi. Katsumi giggled from her comfortable spot perched on Yuki's shoulders, she sent her friend a radiant smile.
"No thanks necessary, after all I'm just glad I got to spend so much time with you!" Katsumi said cheerily, tilting her head as she gave Tohru a warm smile.
Yuki noticed the shocked expressions that passed around the three girls, and found himself jealous. He wanted to see the smile that Katsumi had given to Tohru, in his head he could picture a warm, welcoming smile. He could tell by just the sound of her voice.
"Hey, Hanajima. You're lucky you've got that brainwave stuff. Bet you ace every test, don't you? How'd you feel about the midterms?" Yusuke asked, grinning at the dark haired girl. Hana-Chan stared back at their classmate, her expression blank.
"Oh, those? Let's see. I went to special tutoring for them. After the test, the school called my house. Yes, I recall my mother weeping." Hana-Chan said with a straight-face, Katsumi twisted around on Yuki's shoulder wanting to see their friends reactions.
"But, uh, what about your wave powers?" Hiroshi asked, sweatdropping.
"The logical conclusion is that I'm an idiot. So much so, that my powers can't make up for it." The dark-haired girl concluded, without so much as an expression.
"Eh, I wouldn't worry to much about that. At least you can be sure you'll never be the dumbest person in the room." Uo-Chan said loudly, drawing the attention of a certain red-headed boy in the corner. Until then, Katsumi had been sure Kyo was lost in his own world.
"What's that? For your sake, I hope you're not talking about me." The cat said, Katsumi narrowed her eyes at him. She had lost any joy in the conversation, as soon as she noticed that her ill-tempered cousin had been wearing his shoes improperly. It was obvious he slipped his shoes on quickly, not paying any care in slipping on his heel. No. He walked on them, crushing down the back of his shoe. Her bunny ear twitched, as her gaze zeroed in on him.
"I never took review less- Uh, Katsumi?" Kyo paused mid sentence, she leap off Yuki's shoulders not uttering even a single word. Katsumi grabbed him by the ankle, knocking her cousin off his feet.
"Fix your heels, it's bad manors to wear your shoes like this..." She scolded, tucking his heels into his shoes, like a mother would a child. Katsumi stood up smiling, feeling an immense amount of relief lift from her chest. She turned on her heels, and found that her entire group of friends had been staring at her in shock.
"What?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side.
"Woah, Sohma-Chan! You've got to have super strength to have flipped Kyon-Kyon like that!" Hiroshi exclaimed, Katsumi scratched the back of her head, confused.
"Pardon?" She reiterated, not sure of what her friend had meant.
"Kyon-Kyon is like twice your size Sohma-Chan, and you just flipped him like he was nothing!" Yusuke explained, gesturing to Kyo who was still lying on the floor in shock. Katsumi tutted, shaking her head in disgust.
"Honestly Kyo, get off the floor. It's so dirty," she chided. Kyo leaped from the floor, glaring at her with fiery temper.
"Who do you think you are, my mother?" He sneered, raising a fist at her.
"I might as well be, what were you- raised in a barn?" Katsumi snarled back, glaring at him.
"Honda, come here a second." Mayuko-Sensei called, drawing the two bickering Sohma's attention away from their fight.
"'Kay!" Tohru said, running out the door. The friends watched, as the teacher and student had a short conversation, before Tohru's eyes widened, and she bowed frantically. She ran back inside, with the same smile as before.
"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked, staring worriedly at their friends.
"Oh. Uh. No, it's nothing really. I've just got to work harder! Swab, swab, that's my job!" Tohru chuckled, grinning adorably.
"But you already work so hard," Katsumi murmured. Grabbing Tohru, and tucking her into a hug.
"I'm okay," her friend assured her, returning her hug.
~ 🌸 ~ 🐇 ~ 🌼 ~ 🐀 ~
Katsumi rested her head comfortably in Yuki's lap as she laid sprawled on out the floor, she let out a soft sigh, as flipped to the next page of her book. Yuki ran his fingers through her hair absentmindedly, as he made idle chat with Shigure. She closed her eyes for a moment, savouring the tender feeling that he supplied her with. The Shoji doors abruptly fly open, startling her.
"Guten abend!" A familiar cheery voice shouted, she sat up, nearly knocking heads with Yuki. (Good evening.)
"Hi, I'm home." Tohru announced, peeking from behind her twin brother.
"Ah, there you are." Shigure declared, looking up from his news paper.
"Welcome home," Yuki greets.
"I've never seen Shii-Chan's house before! This is so exciting!" Momiji exclaimed, glancing excitedly around their home.
"Hallo bruder! Willkommen in meinem zuhause!" Katsumi chirped, getting to her feet so she could gleefully embrace her twin. (Hello brother! Welcome to my home!)
"Meine kleine schwester! Es ist sehr schon hier!" Her twin brother informs her, welcoming her embrace. (My little sister! It is beautiful here!) Kyo walks around the corner, a towel still wrapped around his shoulders.
"Uh! What is that noisy brat doing here?" He remarked, stepping back in surprise.
"Ha! Did your bath make you grumpy, kitty?" Momiji chuckled, grinning up at the annoyed cat. Katsumi sighed, as Kyo immediately began beating on her elder brother.
"You're going to have to tone down the hyper, you got that?" He growled, as Momiji cried.
"Somebody help! Kyo's picking on me again!" Katsumi blinked, before looking down at Yuki.
"I'm going to take a bath..." She declared, excusing herself from the room.
~ 🌻 ~ 🍙 ~
(Nighttime wear)
Katsumi rubbed a towel through her hair, as she emerged into the living room. She took a seat next to Tohru, gratefully accepting the cup of tea her friend slid over to her.
"So, Momiji, did you tell them why you're staying over tonight?" Shigure questioned her brother, still holding the newspaper in his hands.
"Mh-Mh. Not yet! Question for Tohru! What day is it tomorrow?" Her brother inquired, holding a finger in the air.
"Lemme think. The fourteenth?" Tohru hummed, tapping her chin.
"Garbage collection day..." Katsumi mutter, taking a bite into the sweet pastry that had been sitting in front of her, tempting her. Her brother shot her an amused smile, also earning a chuckle from Shigure.
"Bingo! That means it's White Day! As my gift to you, I'm taking you to a hot spring so you can relax! Surprise!" Momiji clapped, while Tohru beside her, freaked out. "I call this 'Heart of a Traveller: Me and Tohru's Steamy Hot Spring Adventure!'"
"Careful meine bruder, you're starting to sound like a pervertieren like Shigure." Katsumi muttered, resting hand against her cheek.
"That is hurtful Sumi, even though you said it in German- I have a feeling I know what you said..." Shigure pouted at her, she puffed her cheeks out at him.
"That's right meine cousin, I did indeed call you a pervert." She agreed with a nod, shooting him a playful grin.
"Which inn are you going to?" Yuki asked, stealing the attention away from their playful banter.
"Well, there is the one run by the Sohma's, so..." Momiji told him, the smile never once leaving his face.
"Yeah. Makes sense." Katsumi agreed, the ruffling the towel that was still draped over her head.
"Um, a hot spring is so expensive. And i'd be going without mom. What would she have to say about this?" Tohru fretted, finally speaking up from her stunned silence.
"Woah, it's not that big a deal. It's a little hot water. He isn't suggesting you take a trip to Paris or something." Shigure pointed out, trying to ease the girls worries.
"He's right! And I'm sure your mutti would be happy if you had a good vacation. Unless for some reason you don't want to go with me." Momiji ended, sounding slightly deflated.
"No, I do. I'm excited!" Tohru announces with a smile, Momiji bounced up excitedly.
"Katsumi, Yuki, and Kyo will come too! It'll be great!" Her brother enthused, tapping her head.
"You don't get to decide whether I'm going or not, ya brat." Kyo hissed, glaring at her brother.
"Aw, come on, why are you being such a stubborn kitten, Kyo?" Momiji whined, shaking the orange-headed boy.
"What about you, Yuki? You're gonna go, right?" Her brother asked, forgetting his plea to Kyo.
"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Yuki smiled, Katsumi felt her heart flutter. She loved how the room always seem to light up when he smiled, she rested her head against her hand. Smiling warmly across the table at Yuki, his smile made her heart melt.
"And meine schwester? You will come, no doubt?" Katsumi blinked multiple times, coming out of a daze. What had she been thinking? And about Yuki, no less? Katsumi felt heat rising to her cheeks, as she looked awkwardly away from Yuki's questioning gaze.
"Hallo, erde an, Katsumi!" Momiji shouted, waving a hand in front of her face. (Earth too.)
"Pardon me, what was that Momo?" Katsumi asked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.
"I asked if you were also coming to the hot springs?" Her brother questioned, shaking her head as if he was shaking some sense back into her.
"Oh, well yes! Of course!" She grinned, reaching up to steady her head.
"See! Yuki, and Sumi know what's up!" Her brother cheered, sending a sneaky look to Kyo.
"That makes me wanna go even less!" Kyo shouted, as her brother leaned against him. Shigure gasps, drawing the attention towards him.
"Oh, that's right. Sorry to change the subject, but I hear you're a month behind paying your school trip deposit, Tohru." Tohru gasps, looking tortured by the thought.
"It's alright. I had a quick phone call with your grandfather last night. Apparently your homeroom teacher contacted him about it. Grandpa said he'd be happy to pay the balance for you." Shigure explained, lowering his newpaper.
"Oh, no. Please tell me he's not gonna do that. Last month I had to-- Well, a lot happened. But I can just pay for it with the job earnings from this month, so it's fine. I've already told our teacher, too. Sorry about this. I didn't mean to get you involved." Tohru apologized, bowing to their elder cousin.
"But I don't understand. You work all the time, Tohru, so why was last month any--?" All four of us grunt, making a sudden realization.
She spent all her money on Valentines chocolates!
"I'd be happy to lend you the money, Tohru. I know you will likely see it as a burden on me, but I'd like to assure you that I will not see it that way. You can pay me back as soon as you feel you are financially stable. I am not short on money, whatsoever, I have more than enough to keep me living on my own for years. So, please, let me help you? I really wanna help!" Katsumi begged, feeling a heaviness in her heart for her friends struggles.
"Oh, I couldn't do that Katsumi! I'd be asking too much!" Tohru declined, waving her hands frantically at her.
"Oh, please. I'd love to be able to just pay the whole darn thing for you, wipe away the whole worry of debt itself. I know you won't let me do that, so, please allow me just to do this tiny favour for you? You've done so much for me, I'd love to be able to pay you back somehow." She chirped, taking Tohru's hands into hers. She smiled warmly, tilting her head to the side as she met her friends eyes. "You do so much for us, allow me to help you somehow."
"When you put it like that, well the only thing I can say is okay." Tohru agreed with an awkward smile, and blush on her cheeks.
"You idio-" Kyo shouts, but stops mid-sentence reining in his rage.
"Ah! What?" Tohru shrieks, leaning into Katsumi.
"The bath... Your turn... Go now..." Kyo grounded out, pointing a trembling figure towards the bathroom.
"Huh? Sure. Okay. I-I think I'll go and get cleaned up!" She stuttered, dashing out of the room in a hurry.
"Who's a good boy? Managing to control your anger for once. We shouldn't be surprised. That's our Tohru." Shigure teased the ill-tempered cat with a lazy grin, Katsumi shook her head.
"Of course she bought chocolate supplies with her own money. How could we not caught on earlier." Katsumi agreed, letting out a distressed sigh.
"Yes, but what's more surprising is the fact she's allowing Katsumi to pay this months deposit. Are you sure you'll have enough money?" Shigure asked, glancing towards the bunny.
"Oh yes, I have thousands of dollars of untouched money." Shigure sweatdrops, leaning forward on the table to look at her.
"And how is that?" Her elder cousin questioned, his eyes wide.
"Well, papa has been sending me money every month since mutti left us. Since I was living with Akito, and had no time for myself, so I've never spent much of it. Only on clothes, and books." Katsumi explained with a shrug, not really caring for this conversation.
"That's not the problem here! She shouldn't have felt obligated to give us chocolates. All it did was make life that much worse for her! She should've used it on clothes, or shoes, or her trip deposit! What an idiot! She's going to end up drowning in debt one day! At this rate, she'll miss out on all the good stuff in life!" Kyo shouted, slamming his fist down on the table.
"Hey, you know what? We had some free time in class yesterday." Momiji said, grinning up at Kyo. Katsumi crawled around the table, and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe a crumb from his face.
"Huh?" The hot-headed cat grumbled, looking down at her and her brother in confusion.
"Ja, so we ended up reading a book together. It was called... Let me think... Oh, funny stories. We read a bunch of it. One of the chapters in the middle was called 'The Most Idiotic Traveller in the World.'" Katsumi snapped her fingers, nodding along with her brother.
"Oh, yes. I know this story, Akito read it to me once." She exclaimed, instantly catching on to what her brother was trying to explain. "As you can guess, the main character is someone on a journey, and she keeps getting tricked by people she comes across."
"Mhm. That's why the author calls her an idiot." Momiji nods in agreement, folding his hands into his lap.
"I can't afford medicine," Katsumi quoted.
"The villagers all scam something from her."
"I need money for seeds." She added once again.
"They swindle her out of money, and clothes- anything she has to give."
"But the traveller is dumb, she doesn't understand what's really happening." Katsumi sighed, resting her head on her brothers shoulder.
"So when the villagers lie and tell her she's saving them, she starts weeping. And she always tells them--"
"I wish you peace and happiness." Katsumi said softly, glancing at Yuki with a smile.
"Before she waves goodbye. Eventually she gives away all her clothes."
"And embarrassed to be seen, she decides to travel through the woods alone. There she meets many demons of the forest." She murmurs, as the memory of Akito's sharp words flittered through her head. She flinches, all but feeling the tightness of his trip around her arms.
"They want nothing more than to gobble her up, so each one decides to deceive her with clever words, and trickery."
"As always, the traveller is duped. She gives away her leg, and then her arm." Yuki notices the farway look in Katsumi eyes, as her and Momiji tell the story of the traveller. He was sure she was having flashbacks, if Aktio had been the one to tell her this story. He grabs her arm, tugging her into his lap. She looks up at him startled, her brown eyes wide with confusion.
"Before long, there nothing left of her expect for her head on the ground. Her eyes are the last to go, given to the final demon. As the monster of the woods chomps on her eyes, it was one last thing to say."
"Thank you. Here is a gift in return for you generosity." Katsumi spoke, staring softly up at Yuki. He reached down, brushing a stray piece of hair from her eyes.
"But that, too, is a lie. The so called gift is just a piece of paper with the word 'idiot' written on it." Momiji said softly, a look of sadness on his face.
"Still, the blind traveller weeps. 'Thank you so much,' she says. 'This is the first gift I've ever received. I'm so very happy. And I'm forever grateful to you. I can never repay you for your generosity.' Tears pour from her empty eye sockets, wetting the earth beneath her." Katsumi murmurs, her eyes closed as tears trickle down her cheeks. "And with that, the traveller passes away, dying in a pool of her joyful tears." She finished the story, drying her cheeks with her sleeves. Everyone sat silent for a moment, reflecting on the story the twin rabbits had just told.
"Everyone else in my class laughed at this. They thought it was dumb. But I didn't. I just closed my eyes instead. I thought about a traveller who- even though she was swindled out of everything but her head, still cried, and was grateful. And what I decided was... This girl was a lovely person. Truly." Momiji explained, clutching his hands to his heart.
"It's a waste of time to think about what you might lose in life. And so the traveller paid no mind to such things. People might think that makes her an idiot, but I don't agree. She was just trying to be kind. Even if other people think it was okay to trick her, I don't believe they're right. When Akito read me this story, and ridiculed her, all I can remember thinking is- 'I want this girl to be happy for real.' So Yuki, Kyo, what do you think about this character?" Katsumi asked, reaching her hand out to take Yuki's into hers.
"Was she an idiot? What does your heart tell you?" Momiji asked, looking between him, and his sister with a smile.