Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
AU to the furuba universe...well only a little I think. I wish I could say when the idea for this came to me. All I do know is that it's going to take me an eternity to write the whole piece. *sigh* This story focuses on an original character and is told from her point of view. Lemon/lime and warnings for violence will appear in other chapters.

Chapter 2 - Winter's End

Okay, now I said that hell didn't really arrive on the second day. Well it didn't arrive on day three, four or five either. Even day six was better than expected.

It was the day before school was supposed to start. I had awoken early to finish reading one of the books Yuki had left for me. I'd gotten through at least half and was supremely proud of myself for needing only a limited amount of help with the kanji.

Of course, it probably would've moved a whole lot faster if I'd just asked, instead of taking the time to look it up myself....

Tohru came down the stairs just as the clock struck eight. I offered her a happy "Ohayo!" as she made her way to the kitchen. It had almost become routine in the last three days. I'd sit and read and she'd get up to prepare breakfast. We'd chat happily back and forth, and sometimes I even joined her in the kitchen. I ended up putting my book down in favor of learning to prepare fish. Tohru was an excellent teacher.

We had rice, miso and fried fish for breakfast that morning, along with two guests. Just as I was getting the hang of frying the fish, a knock sounded at the front door. Tohru excused herself to answer as I watched over the cooking meal. When she returned, she wasn't alone. Hatori was with her, standing behind her. Beside her was a young man with blonde hair that looked a year or two younger than me.

"Ohayo!" The blonde bounced -- quite literally -- into the room. I was so surprised that I nearly dropped some of my milk into the fish pan.

"Ohayo," I replied, sitting the glass in my hand down as quickly as possible.

"Momiji desu," the young man introduced himself, holding out his hand. "Momiji Sohma. Hajimemashite."

"Ah, Momiji-san." I shook his hand without hesitation. The name was familiar only because I'd heard Tohru talking to him on the phone one day. She told me later that Momiji was one of my cousins and that he attended the same school she did. "Sierra desu. Hajimemashite."

"When he found out I was coming over to check on Yuki, he insisted on coming with me," Hatori spoke up from behind Tohru.

I blinked, confused. Yuki had been fine the night before. We'd gone walking so we could discuss one of the books. Had the night air made him sick? "Ano...is Yuki-kun ill?"

"Iie," Tohru answered. "He has a condition from his childhood that Hatori checks on once a month. It's nothing too serious."

"And with the change in season he can get sick very quickly," Hatori added with a nod.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast Hatori-san," Tohru asked. "It's almost done."

"Ne, ne, can we Hari?" Momiji practically bounced over to Hatori, looking up at him expectantly. "I want to talk to Sierra."

Hatori sighed and nodded. Momiji squealed happily. I'd never heard such a sound in my life. But then, I was happy that I was going to get to talk to another of my cousins.

Kyo had been nearly non-existent from the day I arrived. I'd pick a small fight with him once in a while, usually over waking Yuki in the mornings. He still wasn't sure how I got away without being punched or kicked -- quite honestly I don't know either -- but we rarely talked outside of that. He was impressed, however, that I knew a bit of martial arts.

Well St. Hells wasn't exactly a playground...but they did offer self-defense classes....

And while I always had wonderful conversations with Tohru, it was Yuki I found myself taking to immediately. He either couldn't or wouldn't answer some of my questions regarding the family, but he had been the most helpful so far (besides Tohru). He really was the big brother I'd always wanted.

Even my uncle side-stepped most of my questions, telling me that I'd learn all I needed to know in good time. Our day at the school was less than thrilling after that, but it was still nice to spend time with him. He usually kept himself in his study to work and rarely got out. He was pretty funny if you watched him...not to mention the biggest flirt I'd ever seen. I'd never rolled my eyes so much...I was afraid they'd roll back into my head and stay there!

My nose sniffed the air as I turned around and I noticed that the fish was nearly OVER done. I quickly grabbed a dishtowel and took the pan off the burner. I then quickly turned the burner off and sighed in relief. At about the same time the rice cooker beeped, its cycle completed.

"I believe breakfast IS ready," I said to Tohru as she came over to inspect the fish.

"AH!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together over her chest. "It looks wonderful. Here, I'll show you how to...OH, Hatori? Yuki should be in his room if he hasn't already come downstairs," she said. But it was quite unnecessary. When we looked up, Hatori had already left the kitchen.

And we were alone with Momiji.

Like everyone else I'd met so far, Momiji was full of questions about America. He was half German, and more than willing to share what he knew about his native cultures. We talked well into breakfast and shortly thereafter.

Most surprising was that Momiji was actually a year OLDER than me. Can you believe it? Well, all right, it's not that unbelievable I suppose. It's just that he dresses...well, young.

I wondered, for the longest time, what it would be like to raid his closet.

Unfortunately I didn't get to ask him the questions I'd been posing to my uncle, Tohru and Yuki. Hatori seemed a bit eager to get out of the house. I think it had something to do with the jokes my uncle was incessantly throwing around. It's nothing new really. I'd learned to live with it within the first three days. But I doubt Hatori appreciates the childish antics of my uncle sometimes.

I don't blame him in the least.

The last remark about wanting to steal Tohru and keep her chained to his examination table was kind of creepy. Actually it was down right disgusting. I joined in the thorough beating Yuki and Kyo proceeded to give him.

"AH! Sei-chan?"

"Hai?" I turned from my fallen uncle to look at Momiji. He smiled widely and bounced over to me. Why did he bounce so much? You'd think he was a rabbit or something.

"Haru and I will be going to the park later," he told me, his face mere inches from mine. He had to lean over a bit as I was a tad shorter. "You should join us!"

"School starts tomorrow, Momiji," Shigure informed him, his expression serious even through the black and blue bruises forming on his cheeks. The red splotch just below his left eye was my doing. "Sei-chan has to be ready--"

"Actually I've finished most of the homework, thanks to Yuki-kun," I replied, blushing slightly.

"Finished?" Hatori and Shigure asked in unison.

"H-hai." I nodded. They had both looked astonished and I wasn't sure if this was something I needed to be embarrassed or insulted about. "I only have a few more exercises to complete and I should be able to get them done today, even with a bit of interruption."

"Bring your homework with you," Momiji said, his smile growing. "I have a little left, and I bet Haru hasn't even started his. We can work on it together!"

"Well, if you're doing homework, I'd like to come along too," Yuki added, sitting back down onto the couch next to me. "I have a few assignments I haven't completed yet."

"YAY! Yuki, too!" Momiji sang happily.

"AH, I have a few things to finish as well," Tohru added.

"Oy! If they're all going, I'm going too," Kyo said, sitting on the floor in front of the TV with his arms crossed over his chest. He glared at Yuki and Yuki stared back. I really needed to find out what was up with these two. Their bickering went far beyond that of mere rivals sometimes.

"Two o'clock," Momiji said, jumping with joy. "We'll meet at the park at two o'clock."

"Okay," I replied for the group.

"How did she finish all that homework in five days?" Shigure muttered to himself.

Hatori smiled to himself, following a now singing Momiji to the front door. "At least her grades won't be as atrocious as yours were."

Shigure glanced at him, somewhat hurt. "My grades were good enough to get me into college."

Hatori nodded, small smile spreading itself across his face. It looked a little...odd. Who knew he'd be so handsome when he smiled? "Yeah, then I stopped letting you copy MY homework."

Shigure pouted. "That was so mean of you, Ha-san."

"Shigure-san, you--!" Tohru began but she was cut off by Kyo's loud shout.

"You mean you copied Hatori's homework in high school?" Kyo asked, surprised.

"That's pathetic," Yuki chimed in sadly.

The smile faded and Hatori shook his head. "Let's go Momiji. We need to get back before Akito decides to call my cell phone again."

I went numb for a moment at the mention of Akito's name. The one name I knew from my father...besides my uncle of course. I suddenly had the urge to ask all those questions that no one would answer. Before I could really think about what I was doing, I stood from the couch and opened my mouth to speak.

"Ano...?"

Hatori stopped in the doorway, turning to look at me. "Nan desu ka?"

I opened my mouth again, but no sound came out. I wanted to know what Akito was like: what he looked like, what he acted like, what he did that was so important to the family as a whole. But something in Hatori's look stopped me. It wasn't evil...or even mean. More like...a plea.

I smiled, shaking my head. "It's nothing. You need to get back. I shouldn't keep you."

Our eyes locked for a second, then he nodded. Turning again he left the house, Momiji waving and yelling to him from the car. When I moved to sit down, there were four pairs of eyes looking at me. They were curious, no doubt, about what I wanted to ask Hatori.

Suddenly embarrassed, not to mention uncomfortable, I excused myself to go upstairs.

We arrived at the park with five minutes to spare.

The place looked like a garden from a museum back home. It was truly beautiful with lush green bushes and trees. Colorful flowers speckled the ground. There was a round pavilion off to one side and what looked to be a creek behind it. The playground was on the other side of the creek, along with another round pavilion. A nicely painted white bridge joined the two sides of the creek together.

Momiji spotted us from the top of a sliding board. He waved, screaming at us to come over. The others started over and I watched him go down the slide before following. He ran around and did it again...and again before he reached the bridge. He was truly energetic. How did he do it?

As I followed Kyo across the bridge I spotted a second person sitting on one end of the see-saw. He -- yes I'm pretty sure it was a young man -- was dressed in a long white coat and black leather pants. Amazingly, his hair matched his outfit. His back was to us, his head bowed, and his focus obviously somewhere else. If he knew we were there, he made not a sound or a move. When we reached the pavilion he looked up.

"Yuki. Kyo. Tohru." He fell silent when his eyes fell upon me.

"Momiji invited us to the park," Tohru spoke up. "I hope we're not intruding."

"Iie," the young man answered. He held up a book for us to see. It was a copy of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew". "I was just doing a little reading." He nodded to me. "Is this her?"

Yuki nodded in return, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Sierra-san, this is Sohma Hatsuharu. He's also your cousin."

"Hajimemashite," I said, bowing quickly.

"You don't look American," Hatsuharu replied. It wasn't the most polite thing to say, really, but he could've said something much worse.

"What kind of greeting is that," Kyo said, both surprised and angered.

"Daijobu, Kyo-kun," I assured him with a small smile. "Arisa kind of said the same thing to me the other day. I don't find it offensive."

"The Yankee did," he asked, turning to look at me.

I blinked in confusion. "Yankee?"

"A yankee is a member of a gang, Sierra-san," Yuki informed me.

"Oh." I remembered Uo telling me about being in a gang, but I had no idea what Yankee meant. As an American, Yankee meant something totally different.

"What did you think is meant," Kyo asked impatiently.

"In America, a Yankee is someone who fought for the northern army during the American Civil War," I explained with a look of confused terror on my face. The word, as I had always heard it used, was never in a good context.

It was Kyo's turn to mutter "oh" as he considered my definition. He looked at me somewhat apologetically. "I didn't know that."

Yuki shook his head. "Baka neko. If you'd pay more attention in world history, you'd known that."

"And how the hell was I supposed to make the connection, kuso nezumi!"

"Ano..." I said, raising my hands in hopes that both boys would stop arguing. It really wasn't something to fight about. I wouldn't have expected Kyo to know, just as I hadn't known what it meant to the Japanese.

"Sei-chan! Come try out the sliding board! WHEEEE!"

I smiled as everyone looked at Momiji. He was coming down the slide backwards. I had to stifle a giggle. Running over to the pavilion, I sat my bookbag down on a table and ran over to join my blond-haired cousin.

On my second time going down the slide I noticed that the others had congregated at the table where I had left my bag. They were sitting, chatting to themselves as they pulled books from bags and opened their notebooks. Yuki's piles was noticeably the shortest, while Hatsuharu's was most definitely the largest.

"Ne, Momiji-kun?"

He slid his way down the slide to where I was sitting on the bottom. I felt his feet touch my back as he halted. "Hai?"

"Is Hatsuharu really as dense as he looks?"

I hear Momiji contemplate my question then answer happily, "Nope. Not really. Although he does get lost easily enough. But...."

I stood from the slide, turning to look at Momiji. "But?"

He continued to smile, jumping from the slide to stand in front of me. "You don't want to see him angry."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Why," I asked as we started towards the pavilion to join the others. "Does he turn into the Incredible Hulk or something?"

Momiji shook his head, still smiling. "Nope. Something much worse."

I paused in mid-step. Something much worse? What was that supposed to mean? Oh well, I placed it aside, tossing it at the top of my "questions still to be answered" pile of thoughts. Momiji had already reached the pavilion and I rushed to join him.

It took little for us to complete our homework. Momiji had been correct in thinking that Hatsuharu had not started any of his. Still, he finished in record time, copying most of Momiji's answers into his own notebook. Yuki helped me to finish a few math problems, and I helped Kyo and Tohru with a bit of English. All around, it was a productive afternoon.

I left the table to settle myself in one of the swings. For some reason it always seemed to calm me. They were my favorite at a park after all...save for roller coasters at larger parks. I sat down with a sigh and pushed myself back and forth, idly watching my friends and relatives in the pavilion.

For a moment it seemed like I was watching a movie play before my eyes. I saw my friends laughing and goofing off, just having a good time. Kyo had said something to which Yuki promptly smacked him upside the head. A small fight ensued.

I was the outsider looking in...almost literally.

Through all the commotion, it became apparent that both Kyo and Yuki held strong feelings for Tohru. I'm not sure why I hadn't noticed before. Perhaps that was my answer to the question I'd asked Tohru that night on our way home from the mall. Of course, she wouldn't know it. She seemed a bit dense when it came to that stuff. But it suddenly made logical sense in my mind.

Momiji didn't mind cuddling up to Tohru though.

"They certainly are a group, aren't they?"

I blinked, surprised to find Hatsuharu sitting on the swing next to me. He had addressed me, but his eyes were watching Tohru and the others. A small smile played on his lips. He seemed happy and content to just sit and watch the others have fun.

"H-hai," I replied, still shocked by his sudden presence. Where had he been before that anyway? Had he been sitting there the whole time?

"I wonder which one of them will tell her first," he commented with a sigh.

"Tell her?" It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, tell her." I smiled, pushing my swing just a bit higher to get my feet off the ground. Shouldn't be too difficult when you're as short as I am. "Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

He smiled, nodding his head in agreement. "So you've been in Japan for nearly a week. What do you think so far? Is it very different from home?"

I sighed, thinking. "It's very different from home in many ways, but in some ways it feels like I've always been here. I miss my mom and dad, but I like staying with Shigure-otooji." A big smile crossed my face. "I'm really looking forward to school starting tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it won't be anything like St. Hell's--"

He chuckled, swinging in time with me. "St. Hell's?"

I laughed with him. The more I said it, the funnier that nickname got. "St. Helena's. My old school back home. Place was like a prison, I tell you." I shook my head. "There can't possibly be anything like it."

The smile fell away from Hatsuharu's face. "Oh I'm sure there is. Very sure. Positive even."

I stopped swinging to look at him. He was frowning very deeply now and there was something...sad...in his voice. Like there really WAS something worse than St. Helena's and that he'd experienced it for himself.

"Hatsuharu-san?"

He shook his head, a smile immediately appearing. "We should join the others and get ready to head home. Shigure-sensei will expect you back before dinner." He stood from his swing and offered me a hand of assistance. I didn't really need it, but I accepted anyway. His grip was firm and my legs ached when I stood. I'd been sitting for too long.

"Irasshai, Sierra-san," he told me before we rejoined the others. "Welcome to a new kind of hell. And please, call me Haru."

As I went to bed that night, the only thing I could remember were Haru's words to me. Why would he say such a thing to me? If he knew anything about St. Helena's School for Gifted Children, he certainly wouldn't say such...trash. There was no way that this year could be worse than last. Absolutely none.

Boy was I ever wrong.

Well it wasn't necessarily the school part that was hell. My first day went swimmingly by all accounts. I was up at the crack of dawn practically. For once I beat Kyo down the stairs, and took a small stroll around the grounds to work off some pent up energy.

Breakfast was quite noisy this morning as we all reminded each other what it was we needed to take with us to school today. I was especially excited because I'd have my first ever Japanese Literature class. Oh, and there was Chemistry, Japanese Composition, Spatial Mathematics and Japanese History, followed by lunch and a few courses I wasn't sure about. But they sounded interesting enough.

As we readied to leave, Shigure pulled me aside with a small smile and wished me luck. I assured him that everything would be fine, but he shook his head, still smiling. I didn't realize then that the smile had been forced.

"I'll see you after school," he whispered to me as the others joined me in the foyer. Was he hinting at something? I couldn't tell and before I could ask Tohru handed me a specially prepared lunch. I accepted it with a smile.

I waved to my uncle with the others, walking once again beside Tohru as Yuki and Kyo followed behind us. Tohru was very excited about today. She was starting her last year and she was only a year away from keeping her promise to her mother. It was also amazing that Kyo and Yuki barely even bickered on the way to school. Apparently this was a special day for them as well.

Uo and Hanajima were waiting by the front gate when we arrived. Uo looked the same in her school uniform, but it was like a total make over for Hanajima. I think it was the blue. Yes, definitely the blue. It looked good on her regardless.

We traded warm welcomes and happy hellos, everyone chattering about what they had done over the last few days. Uo made some comment to Kyo about growing over the break and ruffled his hair in a cute manner. Kyo looked about ready to shout something at her when he just suddenly stopped moving. Completely frozen in place with eyes wide, his attention was clearly elsewhere. Then as suddenly as he was frozen he was unfrozen. Mumbling an excuse and an apology, he dashed towards the school without another word.

"What was THAT all about," I asked, totally confused.

"I have a few things to attend to as well. Please excuse me," Yuki said, his own eyes slowly widening. He gave a curt bow before hurrying off in the same direction as Kyo.

I was totally at a loss. Was it something I said? Did I have food stuck between my teeth? What could possibly frighten both Yuki AND Kyo?

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

"Uh-oh," Uo muttered, adding a few curses under her breath.

"They're back," Hanajima commented with a straight, non-emotional face.

Tohru tried to smile but faltered. "Perhaps we should get to class," she suggested.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on," I pleaded in a most childish way. I was too frustrated to do anything else. This was downright eerie.

"Just who do you think you are, little missie? And WHAT do you think you're doing with Prince Yuki?!" a very female -- and very LOUD -- voice asked.

Uo, Hanajima and Tohru were all looking over my shoulder. Turning around, I came face to face with a group of five girls. They looked to be upperclassmen, but I couldn't be sure. They were dressed in uniform and they looked relatively angry, especially the girl in the very front. She was their leader, I supposed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Prince Yuki Fan Club!

"WELL?!" It was said in stereo which made the situation even creepier.

"My NAME is Sierra Sohma," I told them politely. "I'm staying with my uncle, who also happens to be Yuki's current guardian. THAT is why we walked to school together this morning."

They all seemed genuinely surprised, as if they had expected a different answer. I have no idea what it could've been. They traded a few glances, an assortment of mumbled comments, then turned back to me and my friends. I half expected them to get all riled up again. Their leader looked skeptical when she asked, "So, you're his cousin?"

"One of many," I replied as calmly as before.

There was a moment of pause before the sound barrier was broken. They all started talking at once, asking questions that I had no answers to. It was so loud that I nearly cringed under the pressure.

"What did he do over the winter break?"

"Has he ever mentioned my name?"

"Did he get any new CDs we should know about?"

"Has he grown any taller?"

"Do you know if he has a new favorite color?"

The list just went on. I was grateful to Tohru who stepped in with a smile.

"Ano...we should be getting to class, Sierra-san."

The group seemed to fall silent, looking at once from me to Tohru. The older girl only smiled. They, on the other hand, were less than thrilled by her presence. As if the very sight of her offended them. To be honest I was starting to get offended by them.

It was Uo who stepped in next. Cracking her knuckles menacingly, she glared at the fan club and stepped forward. With frightened eyes, the entire group stepped back.

Hanajima placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "You should not be late for your first day of school."

I offered her a small smile. "Hai. We should be going. Ne, Tohru-san?"

"Hai," she answered with an ever brighter smile.

"We'll see you around," Uo said to the fan club girls, waving her hand as she turned and walked away. She placed a protective arm around Tohru's shoulders after that.

Their murmurs carried on the breeze as we headed for the school. I chose to ignore them although one of the comments almost made me laugh. Apparently one of the girls thought I was cute. They seemed like a nice enough bunch of rabid girls...as long as you were on their good side. And if I ever got on their bad side, I knew that Uo and Hanajima would be there to help.

And thus began my first day at Kaiwaia High School.

The first bells rang as we entered the school. Hanajima and Uo excused themselves to find their classroom. Apparently they weren't in the same class as Tohru this year. Instead of being sad, Tohru smiled happily, waving as they walked away.

We walked together through the midsection of the school, stopping by the principal's office to see if there was anything else I needed to complete before classes started. The secretary assured me that all was in order. She handed me another copy of my class schedule and told us to hurry to homeroom.

"I think I can find my way from here, Tohru-san. Arigato."

She gave me a hug before we parted, wishing me good luck with my lessons and promised to find me at lunch since we had it during the same period. She waved goodbye then, walking down the hallway and up a flight of stairs. I watched her leave with both sadness and regret. She'd come to mean so much to me over a short time, like an older sister. I was going to miss not having her around during the day.

DING! DING! DONG!

And if I didn't hurry, I was going to be late for class.

The curriculum at Kaiwaia High isn't strict by Japanese standards, but I had a slightly more difficult time with a few classes. I think it was my lack of knowledge when it comes to kanji. Even still, the teachers were patient while my fellow classmates were more than helpful. As expected, my favorite class was Japanese Literature and I was actually able to help a few of my classmates when English rolled around.

I wasn't able to meet with Tohru and the others for lunch, although Yuki made a short appearance in my classroom. He stopped by to see how things were going. Oh it was practically a riot! My entire class (or what was left in there for lunch) stopped and stared when he entered. He wasn't there but for a few moments, but after he left I was bombarded with a large dose of questions similar to the ones I'd been asked earlier that morning.

Tohru's lunchbox was absolutely delicious. And I got to trade treats with two of my classmates, Sakura and Chidori. They offered me a seat by them when class started and we'd bonded almost instantly. They'd been best friends since elementary school and could've passed for twin sisters if you weren't looking hard enough to notice their unique differences. I was honored to quickly become a member of their group...so to speak.

And they helped me fend off the Prince Yuki Fan club wannabes, so they couldn't be all bad, ne?

Classes that afternoon seemed to drag on forever. My mathematics class turned out to be more difficult that I anticipated. Half of the equations and only a quarter of the answers made any sense to me. This would be the subject I'd need help on the most. Sakura offered me her notes but I refused. I appreciated the offer of help, but I'm stubborn like a mule sometimes and I wanted to figure it out on my own. How else was I going to learn?

My chemistry class seemed to go much better, and my Japanese grammar class was almost too easy (although the teacher assured us it would only get more difficult from here). History nearly put me to sleep. The teacher just lectured on forever and my notebook looked like a doodle pad as the bell sounded. Last period was a free study class in which I poured what was left of my overworked brain into doing my math homework.

When the final bell rang, I was surprised to see Momiji and Haru already waiting for me in the hallway. Momiji bounced -- he does it even at school -- over to me and was suddenly full of questions. How was my first day? Did I make any friends? How was my lunch? Was I picked on by anyone in particular?

Actually the last question was posed by Haru. He remained standing against the wall as Momiji approached me. Perhaps I should've thought it was a normal question, but I found it a bit odd. Not in context, but in the evil, angry way he asked.

"I had a wonderful first day," I assured them both, my eyes carefully surveying Hatsuharu before settling back on Momiji. We started walking down the hallway. "Some of my classes are going to be challenging, but I have friends who will help, ne Momiji-kun?"

"Hai!" His response was so loud it echoed off the walls. A few students even stopped to see what the noise was. There was even an extra bounce in his step. I couldn't help but giggle.

Haru said nothing, following behind us quietly.

Tohru and Kyo were waiting for us by the shoe lockers. This was something I found most intriguing about school in Japan. They have lockers just for your shoes, and there are special shoes that you wear while inside the school. I always thought lockers were used for books and such. I haven't kept my books in my desk since elementary school.

I'd even get to help clean the classroom. Well, I never was much on cleaning, but it seemed like fun and I could use a dose of responsibility once in a while.

Tohru asked me the same questions as Momiji. I replied with the same answers, a wide happy smile on my face. I was slightly disappointed when I didn't see Yuki coming, but remembered that he had a student council meeting after school.

We made our way outside, chatting merrily (at least Tohru, Momiji and I were chatting...Kyo and Haru kept staring at each other like they were going to start a fight). Yet it was Kyo who alerted us to the first sign of trouble.

Big trouble.

There was a car parked in front of the school gates. A man sat inside the car on the driver's side. Another was perched on the hood on the same side. He was dressed in a casual suit and comfortable shoes. A cigarette dangled from his lips.

"What are THEY doing here?" Haru asked, the anger in his voice changing only slightly at the word "they".

It seemed strange, but suddenly my cousins were surrounding Tohru and I, as if forming an impenetrable barrier. My view was mostly blocked thanks in part to Kyo's shoulder. I jumped a little, leaning left and right to get another look at the car. Upon closer inspection, I recognized the vehicle and the man inside. It took me another second to recognize my uncle in the suit.

"Hatori-san? Shigure-san? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Tohru's voice was filled with dread.

"We can walk home just fine," Kyo said cautiously.

I looked over Kyo's shoulder to see my uncle sigh while putting out his cigarette. "We're here to pick up Sei-chan," he said without enthusiasm. In fact, he sounded downright nervous. Running a hand through his hair proved this. "Akito has...requested her presence."

"Now?!" It was said with such force by all three of my cousins that Shigure nearly flinched.

"Yes, now." It was Hatori who spoke. He, too, was smoking, tossing his outed butt out the window. His voice was laced with fatigue and frustration. "As in, as soon as we can get her to him, now."

I stepped forward. It had to be important if the head of the family wanted to see me. My father said I'd have to meet with him eventually. Now was as good a time as any, I supposed.

Kyo's outstretched arm halted me. I looked at him curiously. "Nan desu ka, Kyo-kun?"

Before he could answer Shigure said, "She'll be fine, Kyo-kun. Ha-san and I will see to it."

Kyo's arm lowered slowly. He appeared unconvinced by my uncle's words. Even Momiji, bright and cheery Momiji, looked very worried. What I couldn't understand at the time was why.

Why were they so concerned over my meeting with Akito?

"You'll understand once you've met him," my father had told me when I'd pushed for more information about Akito. "He's a very powerful, very SPECIAL, person. Do not take him lightly. He's a force to be reckoned with. Treat him with respect and he'll do the same."

"Daijobu, Kyo-kun." I placed a hand on his arm. I felt the muscles jerk involuntarily at my touch. "I'll be okay."

"How can you--?" He stopped himself by biting his lower lip. Apparently I had faith in something he couldn't understand. Actually I didn't have much faith in my uncle's words either, but I wasn't going to leave him behind angry. I would be fine. I believed I would be fine. There was nothing to indicate otherwise.

He nodded finally, moving away so I could walk past. I could tell that he was not much reassured, but then Tohru placed a hand on his arm and he seemed to relax. His arguments disappeared and he said nothing more.

"I'm going to tell Yuki," Haru said, turning to walk back into the school.

I watched him go before starting anew my walk to the car. When I looked back, I couldn't help but frown. My courage points dropped rapidly. Kyo's expression had changed from anger to sadness. Momiji's eyes and Tohru's expression echoed his feelings. My attention was drawn back to the car as I felt Shigure's hand on my shoulder.

"They have every right to be concerned," he said with another forced smile. The same one I'd seen that morning. "Shall we be off?"

I climbed into the back seat of Hatori's car with a brief nod of acknowledgement from the driver himself. As we pulled away from the curb, I gave my friends a wave through the rear window.

Only Tohru waved back.

When they were out of sight, my nerves began to take over. I was so nervous that my hands started shaking. I kept them clasped in my lap, my eyes diverted to an invisible spot on the window beside me.

It was time.

And I was more frightened than I'd imagined.

I was finally going to meet the person everyone seemed to dread so much. Even my own father. Maybe even get answers to the questions that no one else will answer.

Akito.

Kami help me.

~TO BE CONTINUED~