Katsumi clamoured out of bed, ignoring the strain on her aching muscles. She stood in front of the mirror, running her brush through her knotted hair. She paused setting her brush down as she stared at herself in the mirror, her fingers grazed the bruising that discoloured her cheeks. Every time Katsumi closed her eyes, she could see Akito raise his mighty fist for another strike. She flinched, clenching her tiny hands into fists ignoring the fear that clawed at her stomach. She shook her head, no, she wouldn't let Akito win. Katsumi would be the one who came out on top, she wouldn't let him hold her down any longer. She applied makeup to hide her bruising, and practised a plausible lie over and over in her head for the cut that held three stitches along her cheek. Dressed in her school uniform, and as confident as she could be, Katsumi padded softly down the steps. Everyone was gathered in the living room, likely not expecting the girl to emerge from her room. She silently walks into the kitchen, and begins to make herself a cup of tea.
"Good morning Sumi-Chan, are you coming to school with us today?" Tohru chirps, making Katsumi turn around and give her friend a pleasant smile. Yuki looks up from wiping the table at the mention of her name, her heart skips a beat. The two had decided to keep their relationship private, it was safer for everyone that way. She sent him a sweet smile, wanting nothing more than to reach out and caress his face.
"Good morning Tohru, yes I'm bored sitting at home." She replied as she seated herself at the table, taking a sip of her green tea.
"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to return to school Katsumi? You've still got all those stitches in your face. Though I have to admit you did a splendid job on your make up this morning." Her elder cousin remarked, taking a minute to admire her handy work. She grinned at him, striking a pose as he applauded her.
"Yes, I'm quite alright. A little sore, but Hari wrote me a note excusing me from gym classes on account of my broken ribs. There's no need to worry, I'm fine now." Katsumi said with a nod, cupping the warm tea between her hands.
"If you say so," Shigure said, not wanting to argue with the girl.
"Shigure, is there anything you need me to do around here on May first? I'd like to go out for a few hours in the afternoon." Tohru asked, drawing the three Sohma's attentions towards her.
"Oh! Take all the time you want! I'll be out on an errand most of the day myself. What's the story? Hanging out with friends?" Her elder cousin asked, glancing up the girl.
"Yes. It's been a year since my mom passed. We're visiting her grave." Tohru explained, with such a warm, happy smile on her face it nearly broke the act Katsumi had been putting on.
"Good girl. First anniversary, huh?" It was Shigure, who had broken the shocked silence first.
"That's right, but we're not doing anything too special for it."
"I'm sorry. I can't go." Katsumi felt bad, that is was only their elder cousin who had been speaking. But as she suspected, the three teenagers brains were whirling with guilt, and shock.
"Uh, no. Please don't worry!" Their friend frets, holding her hands up in surprise.
"Hey Tohru, if it's alright- I'd really love to come and meet your mom, she raised such a wonderful daughter....I'd like to pay my respects." Katsumi finally said, making her friends eyes widen in shock.
"Yes, would it be okay if I joined you too?" Yuki said also, sharing a gentle look between her and their friend.
"You two want too?" Tohru asked, a heartwarming gaze upon her face.
"Yes, we'd love too. If you wouldn't mind our company." Katsumi agreed, coming over and putting a hand on Yuki's head.
"Thank you very much. Mom will be so happy!" Their friend exclaimed, giving the couple a closed eye'd smile.
"And Kyo? Surely you've got nothing better to do. You should tag along with them." The cat remained silent, glaring down at the ground until it was time for the four to make their way to school.
- - -
Katsumi ducked into the nearest empty classroom, sliding down the wall as she breathed through the aching pain that throbbed against her ribs. She clenched her fist, panting as the pain made her body break out in a feverish sweat. Katsumi pressed a hand to her forehead, gritting her teeth through the pain. The classroom door slid open, then closed.
"Occupied," she panted hoping the student would take the hint and leave. She didn't bother looking up to see who had come, she was in too much pain to care.
"I knew you weren't ready to come back to school," the familiar comforting voice of the boy she loved scolded her. She looked up, meeting the concerned eyes of Yuki.
"I can't stand it," she whimpered.
"Can't stand what?" Yuki asked, sitting down on the floor next to her and tugged her gently into his arms.
"Staying home," she admitted, "it just tortures me more."
"I'm guessing you mean Akito, don't you?" He asked, brushing her sweaty bangs away from her face.
"Yes, I do. Every time I close my eyes, and can see his vicious eyes, and twisted grin. I couldn't stand it, I'd rather be in pain and distracted by school- then stay at home, and see his face every time I close my eyes. At least when I'm at school I can be with you." Katsumi declared, reaching up to press a hand to his cheek. Yuki smiled down at her, leaning into her touch and closing his eyes.
"Alright, I understand. But please don't push yourself so hard, I can't bare to see you hurt again." He whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.
"Yuki?" Katsumi called, looking up at him with concern wavering in her eyes.
"Is what we're doing bad? Should we tell the adults?" They both fell silent, both knowing the answer as well as the next- but if they wanted to be together, without the pain, without the suffering... Then this was what they had to do, this was what as best for them.
"I just feel bad keep it from mein bruder, I'm finally happy and I can't express the reason for my joy with him. I feel like I'm failing him as a sister." She finally said, staring down at their intertwined fingers.
"You can tell Momiji, Katsumi. I think there are a few people we can trust with this secret, and it would be those of us who attend our school." Katsumi perks up, her bunny ears popping from excitement.
"We can!" She chirps, her eyes wide. Yuki found himself chuckling at her excitement, a smile fighting its way onto his face.
"Yeah, I think we can trust them." He agrees, poking her nose.
"Haru, Momo, Kyon-Kyon, and Tohru?!" He nods, but Katsumi suddenly fell silent, a strange look crossing her face.
"What? What is that look for?" Yuki questioned, making her tilt her head to the side.
"Well, I was just thinking. We admitted our feelings to each other, but... What are we?" She asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Well... We're..." Yuki suddenly laughed, realizing how the two had become item without the verbal agreement.
The two fall silent staring at each other for a moment, before bursting into a fit of giggles.
"Katsumi?" Yuki finally says, gathering his breath.
"Yes?" She whispers, leaning her head into his shoulder with a soft smile toying on her lips.
"I love you with all my heart, will you please go out with me?" He questions, resting his head on top of hers.
"I love you endlessly, Yuki. I will." She agreed, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder.
- - -
"Are you done after we take these bags out?" Momiji asked, as the two twins follow Tohru through the empty building. Katsumi had decided to accompany her brother, and Tohru to her papa's building in order to tell them the news about her and Yuki.
"Almost, I've still gotta empty the trash in the breakroom." Tohru replied, setting the two large trash bags into her cart.
"I can do that." Momiji cheered, dashing off into the other room.
"Oh, that's okay!" The two wouldn't allow her to do anything, on account her of her still very recent injuries- but she still enjoyed her time away from the house.
"Its fine, I'm having fun!" Her brother objects, emptying the garbages from the bin.
"I really appreciate you two helping me out like this," Tohru announces suddenly.
"Oh well, you two won't let me help! But I'm really glad I could come, I enjoy this time away from the house!" Katsumi said, sheepishly waving her off.
"I told you not to worry about it! Is Yuki walking you two home today?" Momiji asked, glancing between the two girls.
"Yep!" Tohru agreed with a nod. Katsumi grinned shyly, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Uhm, can I tell you guys something?" She murmured quietly, clasping her hands together.
"Of course you can!" Tohru replied, a determined gaze in her large brown eyes.
"And I need you to promise to keep it a secret..." Katsumi added, suddenly feeling the anxiety strap around her chest.
"Of course we will," her brother reassured, taking her hand into his.
"Yuki, and I... We're dating..." She whispered, squeezing her brothers hand.
"Hooray! I'm so glucklich for you Sumi!" Momiji shouted, wrapping her into his arms. (Happy)
"Oh, I always thought you two would make a wonderful couple!" Tohru squealed, joining in on the twins hug.
"We're also going to tell Haru, Kyo, Hana-Chan, and Uo-Chan. But we're keeping it a secret from the adults, we can't trust them not to tell Akito. Yuki wasn't too pleased about telling Kyo, but he knows that Kyon-Kyon is like a big brother to me so... He agreed." She said with a chuckle, feeling a warmth spread through her heart. Katsumi and her brother tucked the new trash bags into the bin, while Tohru brought the full bags to her cart.
"By the way, I know one of your parents came from Germany- but was it your mom, or your dad?" Tohru asked, making Katsumi go rigid.
"Our mutti!" Her brother chirped, his whole demeanour changing.
"And, um, that means..." Tohru asked, her eyes going wide.
"'Mutti' means 'mama.'" Katsumi said, giving her brother a light bop on the head.
"Got it, so your mom is German." She repeats, making the twins nod.
"I've got a picture of her here. Ta-dah!" Momiji cheers, pulling a picture of their mother out from his pocket. Katsumi whirls around, turning her back to the picture.
"Wow! She's so gorgeous!" Tohru gasps, making a happy giggle escape Momiji.
"She met papa-- Oh he's a Sohma, of course. Anyway, they met when they were in college. Then they got married, I don't know how he managed to attract such a beautiful person. Katsumi looks just like mutti--"
"I don't," she disagrees flatly.
"Oh, but you do!" Tohru agrees.
"I don't..." She mutters, crossing her arms. The three round the corner, going to empty the cart when a painfully familiar voice calls her brothers name.
"Oh, Momiji. That is you, isn't it? What are you doing here of all places? And so late in the evening?" Her brother let out a cheerful chuckle, wrapping an arm around her rigid body.
"My friend works here, so I came to keep her company. No one likes to clean alone, right?" Momiji responds with a bright smile, Katsumi felt her mothers eyes land on her.
"And who is this?" Mutti questions, bending down to smile at her.
"This is my twin sister Katsumi!" Momiji cheers, his grip tightening on her.
"Well hello there Katsumi, I didn't know Momiji had a twin sister. It's very nice to meet you, I'm a Sohma also." Their mother stuck her hand out, she took it timidly, giving it a light shake. Katsumi's gaze lands on the girl behind them, she knew instantly that the twins had a younger sister. One she had never heard about, and one that she would never know. "This is my daughter Momo, she's very shy. Now, remember children, this isn't a playground." Their mother chides, giving them a friendly smile.
"You're right. We're so sorry." Momiji says, as the two bow politely.
"Think of your poor mutti. She'll be so worried if you're not home for dinner."
"Oh, it's okay! I'm leaving now!"
"Straight home, don't take any detours."
"I won't!"
"We should get going to engel, papa must be waiting." Katsumi watched as her mother, and her sister leave her sight. Feeling that same hollow feeling return to chest, she brought her hand to her heart feeling her knees give to the pressure of her weight. Momo the name that had been bestowed to the sister she never knew about, the same name she had nicknamed her brother long before their sister had ever existed. She didn't feel hatred towards her new family member, but rather... Curiosity, what was it like to have mutti love you? She wanted to know, perhaps what she was feeling was jealousy.
"Ungluck!" Momiji sighed, kneeling down to hug her. "What a pain. Today is not my lucky day. I'll have to apologize to papa later."
"Momiji, Katusmi..." Their friend called, making the twin look up.
"Our mutti... Doesn't know us. She forgot. She had her memorised erased." Katsumi whispered, lifting her head to look up at her brother.
"She obviously knows what my name is, but thinks I belong to a different branch of the Sohma family." Momiji added, helping her to her feet. "Children possessed by a zodiac spirit are born two months before full term. And that's only the beginning of their problems."
"Just think: You meet someone you love, get married, and then you find out you're going to have a child together. You want everything to be perfect." Katsumi says, leaning her head onto her brothers shoulder as the two gaze out the window.
"But then, when you hold your newborn in your arms, it turns into a strange tiny animal. Imagine how devastated that must be for a mother. To cradle your baby, and have it turn into something inhuman." Her brother continued, squeezing her hand into his.
"The mothers usually react one of two ways. They're either extremely overprotective of their kids, or they end up rejecting them completely. Mutti... Fell into the second category. She rejected us, body and soul. She wouldn't even look at us. When she wasn't sleeping or hiding, she was always on edge. Sometimes screaming hysterically--"
"Thinking about it now, I think it emotionally broke something in her. Like Kana."
"You really want to sit there and ask me such a question? Then I'll tell you. I regret that I ever gave birth to such cursed creatures."
Katsumi's hand shook as she remembered the hatred that burned in her mothers eyes as she spoke those words Hatori. Why, mama, why couldn't you try to love us? She thought, touching her head.
"And that was it. We were erased from Mama's memories. It wasn't long before she starting getting better. After two months went by, she was even smiling again. Mostly... I just hope that I was able to save Mama."
"Katsumi my darling, mutti is sorry, mutti loves you very much."
You lied, you lied that day didn't you mama? Katsumi slid down the window, her head between her hands.
"Anyway, I'm never going to be like her. I've decided to live my life keeping every one of my memories close to my heart. Even sad ones. Or memories that only ever seem to hurt me. Of times I sometimes wish I could forget. I've promised myself I won't let them go, no matter what. Because if I can stand up and face those memories, if I can learn to accept them, then I believe one day I can become a person who isn't beaten down by the things that hurt me in the past. I want to believe I'll be stronger. I want to believe there isn't a single memory that it's okay to forget. And that why, in truth... I never wanted Mama to forget anything. I wanted her to try to get better. To not give up, and love us. Which... Is just me being selfish, I know. So that's a secret." Katsumi stared at her brother, her eyes shining wide with tears. She never knew he thought this way, she had always thought he had accepted their mother forgetting them.
"You're so strong Momo," she whispered. Everything he said- she was the exact opposite, she wanted to forget everything some of her memories. She wanted to forget Akito...
~ 🌼 ~ 🐀 ~ 🌸 ~ 🐇 ~
After everyone had gone to bed, Katsumi and Yuki had snuck downstairs to share tea together on the deck. Together they sat snuggled under a blanket, sipping tea and staring up at the stars.
"So, did you get to tell Momiji and Tohru?" He asked, glancing down at the girl snuggled in his arms.
"Mhm, I did." Katsumi said softly, gazing up into his eyes.
"How did they react?" Yuki questioned, feeling hesitant on hearing about how her elder twin brother would react to their romance.
"They were both very happy," she replied calmly, sipping her tea. Katsumi lowered her cup, noting his relieved silence. "Oh come on, you can't tell me you feared Momiji's reaction?!" She gaped, setting her tea down so she could get a better look at him.
"Well..." He admitted sheepishly, she let out a giggle.
"Momo? Really? My brother couldn't threaten a fly." Katsumi teased, leaning back into his arms as she continued to laugh. She fell silent, suddenly staring into space getting lost in thought. Yuki leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, noticing the sad look creep into her eyes.
"Sumi, what's the matter?" He asked, pushing the stray hair away from here eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair, alleviating any sort of stress that built tension in her shoulders. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.
"I saw my Mutti today, and found out that I have a little sister. At first I was overwhelmed, and consumed by a tidal wave of despair. I was jealous that my parents had another child, one they could give all their love to without consequence. But- as I lay here, in your arms, feeling calm, and feeling loved. I think... I think... I'm happy for mutti, and papa, and my new little sister Momo. I thought once I came home, I would collapse in your arms and cry- but I'm... Happy. I'm grateful I can be here wrapped up in your arms, without having to experience pain first. Today I learnt how Momiji truly felt about our childhood situation, and learnt something very valuable from him." Katsumi wasn't sure how she felt truly, everything seemed so foreign and frightening. She paused, suddenly falling silent as she stared up at the night sky above her.
"What did you learn?" Yuki asked, surprising her. Her eyes met his, and she found the warmest smile graced upon his lip. Yuki was smiling such a beautiful smile that it nearly took her breath away, it was a smile that was only meant for her eyes. Katsumi suddenly found herself falling even more in love with him, she reached up tracing the rare smile with the tip of her fingers.
"I learned that the past that holds me down now, will one day be the reason I am stronger in the future. I've just got to keep fighting, until I've clawed my way to the top." Her words were faint, just above a whisper. As of now, the idea of that still terrified her- but she knew she couldn't let Akito control her forever. If she wanted this curse to disappear, she'd have to face the monster in her closet. She needed to, because she wanted to live happily ever after with Yuki in the future. So for him, for her family, and most importantly for herself she needed to unravel the tangled yarn that Akito had made her become.