Kishi (Nico) Sohma's Story

The wind was blowing through the trees, as the moon was shining down upon the house. All the Sohma's where gathered in the same area, for the first time in a year. Yami was at the Head of the table, watching the others talk softly to one another. He could see some who were to afraid to be even near him,so they were trying to distract themselves by playing with their food. Another group would talk among themselves quietly. The others didn't mind all that much of his presence and eat their food. There was a knock at the door, which surprised everyone even Yami. He had told all the servants to not enter the room, no matter what. He cased his eyes coldly on the maid who walked in, looking as pale and horrified as humanly possible.

"Didn't I tell everyone in the house, not to enter? Why are you here"? Yami said this in such a way the maid stopped half way, to afraid to come any closer. This annoyed Yami, for he couldn't stand seeing her just stand there. He raised his hand and beckoned her to him. She walked quietly,passing the other family members,who seemed to not even know of her existence. As she stood beside him, she had her head down, not daring to look up at him, without permission.

"Tell me what you want. It better be a good reason as well, or you know what will happen". At the thought the maid shivered noticeably at Yami. She stumbled on her words making them unclear and inaudible. Yami became annoyed and started tapping on his glass loudly.

"Are you some kind of mute child? What is it! Tell me, before I cut off your tongue"! She jumped back and this time looked up at him.

She looked around once than moved toward his ear,softly whispering to him. Yami nodded slowly and shooed her away. She ran at the signal, leaving the room immediately without even looking back. Yami sighed softly and stood up from the table. This had caused everyone to turn and face him in curiosity.

"This event is dismissed. You all may leave". He said this in a flat tone and walked out the room without a single good-bye.

Keiko & Ichirou Sohma

Keiko was still attempting to warm up after the walk here. The snow had freshly fallen and the wind was softly blowing, but just enough to sting your fingers if you left them uncovered for too long. She didn’t even live that far from the estate. Thankfully Ichirou offered to give her a ride to school.

Seeing everyone was nice, even the ones she barely knew. They had a bond, something she could never get enough of. It was special and one of the things she could say that she held dear to her. Keiko was well aware of where the others stood on the bond, thanks to Ichirou and Xian, two of the only Zodiac that ever talked to her. But they were her best friends at the same time, so she didn’t mind.

Then there was a knock at the door, which surprised everyone even Yami. The terrified maid soon made her way to Yami’s side, and soon after, she was dismissed. "This event is dismissed. You all may leave.” He said this in a flat tone and walked out the room without a single good-bye. Ichirou was one of the first out the door, leaving Keiko to hope he remembered his offer. Keiko herself got up slowly, hoping to catch up with Yami. She had been hoping to visit, and she had no time to stay sadly, due to school. He was further ahead than she thought he would be but catching up was easy.

“Yami,” she said quietly as she walked a few paces behind him. “It was nice to see you again. I was hoping I could stop by again today, but after school. It has been some time since I’ve seen you and I feel sorry for it.” Keiko tried not to say too much, knowing how delicate Yami could be. Giving him a headache would make her feel terrible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Ichirou walked quickly walked out to his car, where a familiar face awaited. “Is it getting cold in here Kishi,” he said, quickly jumping into the car. He rubbed his hands together as he started the car. “It is so damn cold out, I hate it. Can’t wait till it’s warm out.” Ichirou looked at his friend before pushing him lightly. “Come on, lighten up. Keiko’s school isn’t that far away so you won’t have to breathe the same air as her for long. Then we can go do whatever you want. That is, until I have to work, then you can come help me.” Ichirou squirmed out of his coat and threw it into the back of the car.

Ryuu
Ryuu watched as the terrified maid left the room. What was that all about? he thought, not even bothering to hide his confusion. He looked back at Yami, who suddenly told them they were all dismissed. We weren't even here very long.... he thought bitterly. He, for one, was hoping to get to know some of the others which he had yet a chance to do, and he didn't want to go back outside. It was cold outside, and sadly for him that wasn't a good thing. He had to bundle up stupidly to get here in the first place. Good thing the car should still be warm, he thought, finally feeling a bit better.
Getting up from his seat, Ryuu moved toward the door and put on his jacket. It was really an overly sized thing, but he liked the pattern on it so he didn't mind to much. "Goodbye!" he called to anyone in the room, flashing a smile before heading outside to get to his car. Once in the car, he started it up and waited for it to reach a decent temperature before he took off the coat and drove around. He wasn't working today, so he wasn't sure what he'd do.
----
Kishi
Kishi looked at Ichirou with a blank expression, getting in the car after him. He was happy to have a ride, but not so happy that that ride was going to be shared with a certain rat. Clenching his jaw, Kishi tried to contain all the outbursts that he knew would come if he let them. . “Come on, lighten up. Keiko’s school isn't that far away so you won't have to breathe the same air as her for long. Then we can go do whatever you want. That is, until I have to work, then you can come help me.” Kishi sighed and nodded some of the tension leaving his body. HE could ignore her for the short ride to school, right? "Okay, okay," Kishi mumbled, folding his arms across his chest. He may have been 20, but that didn't stop him from acting like a child a lot. He tried his best to not be bothered by Keiko, but it seemed whenever she was around it made him want to beat her at anything she did, which didn't really help his calmness level. "Just hurry up so we can get this over with."

Keiko & Ichirou Sohma

Yami stopped in his tracks, which had caused Keiko to bump into him. He seemed to have felt nothing, as he turned to face her unaffected. He gazed at her with expressionless eyes, "I'm very busy Keiko. I have no time for you at the moment.” He turned around starting at his normal pace, leaving Keiko behind. But Keiko stood there, silent, hoping he would just maybe change his mind. He glanced at her slightly, "You may come after school Keiko.” He said this in a exhausted tone. Keiko held in her voice, bowing slightly.

“Thank you,” she said as he entered a separate room. Then without hesitation, she darted out the door, pulling her jacket on as she made her way to the idle car. Once her hand touched the door handle, she froze as a somewhat overwhelming sense of hate overcame her. The cold reminded her that she had to get to school, and a shout from inside the car.

“Keiko, get in here or you’ll freeze to death,” Ichirou said, resisting the urge to honk once or twice. Keiko practically jumped into the car rubbing together her hands to warm them up. “And I don’t think you of all people want to be late to school.”

“Of course not,” she said through clenched teeth. Just ignore him … be mature …, she thought. “Thank you very much for the ride Ichirou. It was very kind of you to offer me one.” Most anyone would be horribly surprised to see Keiko so tense, except for him, of course. He had never seen her relaxed. But who could relax with such a … pest around. Thank goodness it was rare when she had to see him. In her mind, even thinking his name was forbidden. “It was a beautiful morning until recently,” she whispered to herself.

Everyone ate their food and chatted amongst themselves; everyone was weary of the head; everyone was behaving in the typical fashion. Ateryu sighed and scanned the room through her fringe over and over again, looking for something interesting to make note of. The only thing that was out of place was a maid coming into the room. Yami seemed pissed at that; Ateryu smirked at the poor girl shaking before looking over everyone else. The younger zodiac would start school soon, and they were dressed in their school uniforms. Ateryu had refused to go to a school and was dressed in a plan black T-shirt and baggy black pants. It was cold but she hadn't remembered to bring a jacket. Oh well.

Without any explanation (as per usual everyone was left in the dark) Yami dismissed them and left, with Keiko following close behind. Damn suck up rat She scoffed and scolded herself. Maybe she was simply asking permission for something? Like a school trip or something. Ateryu shook her head and glanced at Nani. She would probably follow the rooster out of the room but for now she leaned back in her chair and continued to watch everyone.

Kishi
Kishi watched as Keiko approached the car, expression going blank when he saw hers turn to one of hate at the sight of him. He turned away from her best he could, barely paying attention to her as he clenched his hands into fists in his lap. Calm, he thought to himself, trying to relax. It was just a ride to school.
“Thank you very much for the ride Ichirou. It was very kind of you to offer me one,” he heard her say, making him wince slightly. She was always so nice to everyone, and for some reason that just made him angrier. Looking at the window, he tried to distract himself with anything outside. Kishi had always felt some sort of hatred for Keiko, but maybe hatred wasn't the right word. Just every time she came around he felt the need to yell at her or have a melt down.
He then heard her whisper, and he snapped. "No one asked your opinion," he growled in her general direction, hands clenching tighter if that was even possible at this point. "Hurry up, Ichirou," he said, rather harshly, to his friend in the drivers seat. This is going to be a long ride...
Ryuu
Ryuu was driving down the street, not really planning on going anywhere. He usually would go for a walk, but it was far to cold so that was out of the question. He then spotted a small place that looked like a coffee shop (it did say coffee on the sign) and parked close by. He didn't really want nor like coffee, but usually if a place had coffee is had sweets, and he was in the mood for a muffin or something similar. "Too bad I don't work today," he thought out loud. Usually he'd be at work, but he had today off so he was left with nothing to do.

Keiko & Ichirou Sohma

"No one asked your opinion," Kishi growled in Keiko’s general direction, hands clenching tighter if that was even possible at this point. "Hurry up, Ichirou," he said, rather harshly, to his friend in the driver’s seat.

Ichirou sighed heavily as he pulled off. He loved the both of them, so when they fought like this which just happened to be whenever they were within several yards of each other, it was hard to say anything at all. “How about a new rule? No talking in my car unless it’s me.”

“Yes, of course. My apologies Ichirou, I just wasn’t aware that speaking my mind was off limits.” With that, Ichirou began to speed slightly. He would rather them not tear each other apart.

“Keiko, I love you, but zip it.”

“Sure thing,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning as far from Kishi’s seat as possible. The long silence fell upon them, leaving Ichirou to sigh once again.
“First and foremost,” Ichirou started. “Kishi, start thinking of what you want to do today. In the meantime, Keiko, I don’t have to work my second job tonight, so I was thinking if you didn’t have too much homework, we could eat dinner together. You can come to Kishi,” Ichirou added on, shoving Kishi slightly with his elbow. He knew it was almost pointless to ask, but that’s how he was. Always trying to bring people together.

Kishi
Kishi didn't bother replying to Ichirou's no talking rule. He wasn't supposed to talk, after all. Kishi watched objects pass by outside, trying his best to ignore Keiko. Every time she talked he had an urge to tape her mouth shut and lock her in the trunk. He probably would, if he had tape and Ichirou wasn't driving. Sighing, he let the silence fall around them, comfortable since it was something he was used to. Then Ichirou spoke again.
“Kishi, start thinking of what you want to do today. In the meantime, Keiko, I don’t have to work my second job tonight, so I was thinking if you didn’t have too much homework, we could eat dinner together. You can come to Kishi,” Ichirou told them, making Kishi finally turn to look at both of the cars other passengers. He wasn't sure about what he wasn't to do today, but he was positive he wouldn't be able to have dinner with the rat. HE still technically wasn't supposed to talk, so he just stared at Ichirou with a 'you're kidding right?' expression. While he tried to figure out if Ichirou was crazy or not, he began to think about what he did want to do that day. He was really hungry, so eating would be nice. And then he really didn't know what else. LAtely, Kishi had been spending more and more time by himself doing nothing.
Kishi thought about all this in a matter of seconds, and came out of his thoughts realizing Ichirou was nudging him, looking hopeful. "I'll go, but this won't end well," Kishi said, voice a mix of bored and defeated. He then turned, looking back out the window. Were they at the school yet? It was taking way too long.

It had been a cold walk to the main Sohma estate. Though Nani could drive she decided to walk with Yoshino to the family meeting.

The meal had been the same as always. Nani was absolutely terrified of Yami, of his every movement and word. She occasionally grabbed for her younger sisters hand under the table and glanced at Ateryu from time to time to keep her calm. Yet there was something soothing about being among the other Zodiacs, it felt safe and 'normal' to be around those you did not have to hide from.

Nani managed to stay calm throughout the meeting, after all she had people who she loved to keep her mind balanced. However, she became incredibly uneasy when Yami made an example out of one of the maids. It was not in her personality to be nervous of frightened in fact she was rather blunt but it was just a control Yami had over her ever since that day.
After the charade of bullying the maid all the zodiacs were dismissed and Nani was the first out of the door to the street. Though she did wait for the others just outside the main gate.
' He is such a bastard...' she muttered before exhaling out a long breath.



It was the same as every morning, apart from the fresh snow that lay on the ground. Kenji could smell burnt toast as he looked out of his window at the large Sohma estate.
A wet nose nudged his hand, Simone the family dog was ready to be let out back. He pushed open his bedroom door and the fawn coloured dog scampered into the sitting room to play with Kenji's uncle.

Kenji grabbed a towel, took a shower and began to put on his school uniform. It was the same average morning he had every day.

' Kenji I'm making toast do you want any?' his uncle yelled from the kitchen.

Rather than reply Kenji walked from his own room to the Kitchen and took an apply from the fridge and indicated that he would rather have that. His uncle tried to make small talk, it was often awkward between the two, having no real family connection they both often sat in silence.

' The Sohma family gathered again today... A whole bunch of them. They are such a funny family, don't you think?'

' I have to go to school Uncle, I will see you afterwards'. Kenji hated talking about the Sohma family, they were the talk of the school and now a topic with breakfast.

With that Kenji left the house passing the Sohma estate as he went, he saw a few people leaving. Whatever they had been up to was over.

Tatsuko stared at her plate, moving food around as the other Sohma’s chatted animatedly amongst themselves. She wasn’t in a particular mood to ‘talk’ with her fellow kin, so she opted for keeping to herself. She could feel Yami’s eyes glancing at everyone, watching them, following their every move. She felt a slight chill roll down her spine as she tried to ignore the feeling and poked at the food placed in front of her. Her head snapped up at the sound of Yami’s voice when a maid sauntered into the eating area. Her frightful stare said it all as she mumbled and stumbled over her words. Yami ordered her out of the area and the woman left bumbling about, not before whispering something into his ear. Tatsuko sighed as she pushed the plate in front of her.

”This event is dismissed. You all may leave,” were the magical words to escape Yami’s mouth as everyone jumped and left the room. She stayed, sitting at the table before watching the events unfold between Yami and Keiko. She knew that Keiko was attached to the head of the family. Why was a question she wanted to know. He was…cruel. She shook the thought from her head before she pushed herself out of the chair. She didn’t want to be in the house any longer and she forced her legs to walk towards the entrance. With a final glance, Tatsuko made her way towards her own home on the estate.

---

The sun was out, shining brightly as Tatsuko blocked the sun from her eyes. She was a part-time librarian and she was on her way to work. It required little to no physical contact, something she was grateful for, and she enjoyed it. It gave her time to reflect on what happened the previous day, or if something needed to be done soon. She watched the cars pass by and took a closer look at one in particular. It was Ichirou’s car. She recognized it and it brought a small smile to her lips as she noticed two passengers. Both had snow-white hair so she assumed one of the inhabitants was Keiko. He cared so much for the girl, it almost caused a tinge of pain to cross into her heart and the unrequited feelings he shared with her.

She knew the feeling all too well. Although she never really spoke to him, Kishi had nonetheless captured her interest. She kept this crush to herself, not letting the others know, especially Yami. They would ridicule her for having even the slightest sentiment for the cat. She sighed and groaned to herself. Love sucked.

Keiko &Ichirou Sohma

Kishi just stared at Ichirou with a 'you're kidding right?' expression. Ichirou only laughed.

“Well, I have a few things to do after school, but I do happen to be ahead in all the classwork and homework. So I am sure I will be able to make it,” Keiko said with a smile.

"I'll go, but this won't end well," Kishi said, voice a mix of bored and defeated. He then turned, looking back out the window.

Before she knew it, they were in front of the school where some of Keiko’s closer friends awaited. “Thanks again for the ride Ichirou.” Keiko reached around the driver’s seat, hugging Ichirou tightly before carefully getting out.

“Bye Keiko! Have an amazing day at school! I love you,” Ichirou tried before Keiko shut the door. “Ready Kishi? The worst part of your day is over, that is, unless you make dinner a horrible explosion. So what do you want to do first?” Ichirou pulled off quickly, almost racing down the road. He loved going fast, but only when Keiko wasn’t in the car. She always turned into an old lady when he didn’t drive perfectly. Ichirou was careful until they were out of the school zone though. “This morning sucked ass, so well do whatever the hell ya want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keiko walked easily over to the three who waited at the gate for her. Misa, Shou and Kari both excitedly jumped over to her. “It’s freezing out here Keiko! Why did you take so long,” Misa started, grabbing Keiko’s hand and dragging her into the school. “Have I told you yet how hot your cousin is?”

“You’ve actually told me … ninety times, was it Kari?” The two girls smiled at each other, laughing.

“More like a thousand! Every morning it is the same. ‘Oh Keiko! I want to marry your cousin so we can have gorgeous babies together!’,” Kari replied.

“I don’t sound like that,” Misa playfully snapped. “Besides! Shou wants him!” The three laughed hysterically as Keiko only smiled. “Now hurry up! We can’t be late to class!” There was still plenty of time, so while the other three ran up to class, Keiko walked, making it with plenty of time to spare. Keiko was hoping that her cousins would make it in time, not knowing if they got rides or not. It was really cold out. Yimme had a moped, so as long as she bundled up, she might be okay. But Yoshino … maybe she should have had Ichirou wait and offer her a ride too … Her thoughts were interrupted when she entered the room, kids asking her questions or just flat out greeting her, leaving her no room to barely breathe until the teacher came in, telling everyone to get in their seats.

Kishi
Kishi sunk lower into his seat as they pulled up by the school. He doubted anyone there would know him, but he still didn't want to be noticed. If a family member was there, he didn't want to see them. Kishi couldn't help from rolling his eyes at Keiko's thank you and Ichirou's lame goodbye. Once Keiko left, Kishi sat up a bit more and finally turned away from the window, looking less distressed. “Ready Kishi? The worst part of your day is over, that is, unless you make dinner a horrible explosion. So what do you want to do first?” "Oh, come on, I'm not that bad.... Okay, usually. And I don't know. Food sounds good, I haven't eaten today. Is there a sushi place around here somewhere?" he asked. He didn't really get out much, or at least eat out much, so he had no idea what was around.
Kishi had to hold back a snicker when Ichirou pulled away from the school. He drove a lot different when Keiko wasn't in the car. Kishi liked it when he drived fast anyways, but that may because it reminded him Keiko wasn't there. “This morning sucked ass, so well do whatever the hell ya want.” At this, Kishi finally laughed. "Yes, yes it did. But sushi is fine. There's nothing else I can think of to do..." he trailed off, sighing. Kishi wasn't really good with the whole "hanging out" thing, and he wasn't really sure what to suggest to do. "We can do whatever," he finally concluded.
Ryuu
Ryuu was hanging out in the coffee shop, nibbling at a muffin. He kept getting strange looks from the people inside, mostly because he wasn't leaving, just pacing around. He didn't want to go outside because of the temperature. He'd have to wear the stupid coat. But, he didn't want to spend his whole life in a coffee shop. "Maybe I should just go home," he thought out loud, too loud actually, since he got a few glares from people peacefully drinking tea and coffee. Ryuu rolled his eyes before sticking his tongue out at all of them.

Ichirou Sohma

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad.... Okay, usually. And I don't know. Food sounds good, I haven't eaten today. Is there a sushi place around here somewhere?" he asked.

“This morning sucked ass, so well do whatever the hell ya want.”

At this, Kishi finally laughed. "Yes, yes it did. But sushi is fine. There's nothing else I can think of to do..." he trailed off, sighing.

“I got a place in mind. It’s sushi is a-m-a-zing! I’m sure of that as much as I’m sure of my name being Ichirou Suoh Sohma!” Ichirou pressed down a little more on the accelerator, whipping around a few corners and earning a fair share of honks. Once he finally went over what he said in his head, pulling up to the sushi joint at the same time, he spoke. “I didn’t sound gay saying that … did I?” With a sigh, Ichirou turned off the car and pulled on his coat. “I’ve never been here during the winter, so I’m praying they have heat or I might die.”

---

The sushi shop was small and quaint, quiet too. It was very nice, but not expensive nice. It always had a calming atmosphere and everyone was nice. It seemed perfect for Kishi. Ichirou was more of a rough and tough bar guy, but he tried his hardest to stay away from them. Getting arrested was bad on his reputation. Unless of course you were a girl, then it was flat out 10,000 points. “Maybe I should take you to a bar someday,” Ichirou thought out loud.

“Welcome to Sariya’s Sushi! Please take a seat anywhere and I will be back to see to your orders!” An older man said with an inviting smile.

“Thanks old man, will do,” Ichirou said, already heading towards a table.

Kishi
Kishi watched wide eyed as Ichirou rushed to the sushi place. They must have REALLY good sushi, he thought, laughing a bit to himself. When they got there and went inside, Kishi could already tell he liked the place. Maybe it was because it was quiet, maybe because they had sushi. Who knew?

“Maybe I should take you to a bar someday,” Ichirou thought out loud, earning a laughable look from Kishi. Him? At a bar? Ichirou was insane. Kishi was lucky if he didn't freak out in a place that was calm. There was no doubt in his mind that if he went to some bar, he'd get in a fight. Or multiple, actually. Shaking his head, Kishi redirected his thoughts to a man yelling about seats and orders. Slowly, Kishi processed the information and realized he said to take a seat, mostly because he noticed Ichirou going to a table while Kishi still stood there awkwardly.

"Oh," he mumbled, before following Ichirou and taking a seat. He wasn't sure what kind of sushi he wanted to eat, so he figured he'd tell the waiter to surprise him. Sushi's sushi, so it all must be good, right? Looking around the place, Kishi decided it was nice enough, but not the type of nice that made you feel like you had to be perfect or you'd be kicked out.

Ichirou Sohma

It wasn’t long before the waiter came back, asking what they would like. “Eh … I’ll have a coffee and whatever Kishi eats. It’s too early for me to make too many decisions.”

“Coffee with sushi, sir.”

Ichirou got very serious. “Ojii-san, I’m like a pregnant woman. I eat whatever I want, even if it sounds disgusting.” He shifted his gaze to Kishi. “Isn’t that right, Kishi?” Ichirou loved how he didn’t even crack a smile. Being an actor would be too easy. “Oh! Kishi! I forgot! Star-gazing tonight, got it? It’s gonna be cold, so make sure to bring a big coat. Keiko and I always go star gazing after we eat dinner together.” Ichirou wasn’t planning on asking. Kishi needed out more. Maybe he would even ask some of the other members to come too. The ones that would be okay with Kishi anyways, Keiko was enough annoyance for the kid.

Ichirou Sohma

"Uh, okay. I guess," Kishi mumbled. Looking over, he realized the waiter was still there and looking at them both. Kishi gritted his teeth, clenching a fist. "What?!" he yelled at the waiter.

“Food time Ojii-san,” Ichirou shouted happily, patting Kishi on the head and the waiter on the shoulder. “These pregnant women get cranky without our food.” The waiter bowed quickly, making his way off to the kitchen. “Say, Kishi,” Ichirou started again, “no yelling at old men, you got that? I will treat you like a bad little kitty. Spray you with some water or somethin’.” He smiled at the Cat and chuckled. “Do you want to go to a gym after this? You can wail on me! I know you want to, cause everyone does. But I might be able to beat you up … just maybe. I mean, you are a scrawny little guy.” Ichirou punched his chest as he flexed. “And I work out every day.” The waiter returned with a plate of random sushi, along with two extras for them. “Thanks Ojii-san.”

Kishi
Kishi watched as the waiter left, trying to ignore the fact Ichirou was calling them pregnant women. “...no yelling at old men, you got that? I will treat you like a bad little kitty. Spray you with some water or somethin’.” Kishi glared at Ichirou for calling him a little kitty, but didn't say anything. As lame as it was, he really didn't want to be sprayed with water. "Okay," Kishi mumbled, thinking the conversation was over when Ichirou started speaking again. He was asking about going to the gym. "I mean, you are a scrawny little guy.”
Kishi's anger flared up again. Is he trying to piss me off on purpose? he thought, clenching his hands into fists again as he forced himself to stay seated, even though he wanted to flip the table. "You're on," was all Kishi said before the waiter returned with sushi. Kishi licked his lips, looking at the sushi. Without bothering to ask what it was, he began to eat while Ichirou said his thanks. "Arigato," Kishi mumbled around a mouth full.

Ichirou Sohma

"You're on," was all Kishi said.

“Good! This is going to be fun,” Ichirou retorted. Silence then fell upon them as they ate, but to Ichirou it wasn’t one of those awkward ones. It was a nice one. Of course there was the chitter chatter of others around them, but it wasn’t horribly loud. Something about the low hum of voices calmed him. “I have a question,” Ichirou stopped momentarily. “Don’t you like being outside? I mean, not locked up all the time? I don’t really understand why Yami didn’t confine you after you graduated.” Ichirou’s voice was hushed to the point where only the two of them could hear. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re not … but why so tense around everyone. People that don’t know about us aren’t going to look at you different, they don’t know you. I think you should get out more, make friends. Ya know, other than me,” Ichirou said with a smile.

It seemed as if Ichirou had no perception of what was okay to say around some and what wasn’t. If Kishi was getting upset at all, it was completely impossible for Ichirou to know. “Maybe Yami doesn’t want to confine you … maybe someone else has caught his eye, maybe he wants someone else to be locked away forever.”

---

Keiko Sohma

Keiko noticed Yoshino walk in, but Yimme never appeared. She was at the meeting today … she might have been skipping. The late bell rang, all calm, when a very tired looking Yimme appeared. Keiko wanted to say something, I’m glad you didn’t skip, or Happy you’re here, … but something about talking to the other Sohma, besides Ichirou, just made her choke up. Then a thud came from somewhere in the back of the room. Everyone but Keiko looked back, considering the fact that she was taught to never take her eyes off the teacher if another student was disrupting. “I'm OK guys, just a little trip,” Kenjiko Hima said. It was her job to know everyone in her class and the other class reps. His voice was easy to identify.

“You Young man are a trouble maker, sit back down before you embarrass yourself further,” the teacher barked at him. It didn’t take long for the teacher to begin lecturing, and Keiko was trying hard to keep focused. There were just too many things buzzing around in her little head.

“Psst, Keiko,” Shou said. He sat directly beside her, so it was hard to ignore. “Keiko,” he whispered a little louder. She simple shook her head.

“Mister Shou, you really should be paying attention. If you have a question, ask me. Don’t bother the other students.” Mrs. Takahira shook her head and went on talking.

“Keiko,” Shou tried again. “Keiko!” Finally, she gave in and looked at him. “I love you.” Keiko’s eyes opened wide into a ‘seriously’ stare. With nothing to say, she looked back at the teacher. Something was telling her that was going to be a very long class.

Ichirou Sohma

"If your whole 'family' has this bitterly outlook on you, and it's what you grew up with and are used to, you kind of just feel that way all the time. Like you should be alone," he said before popping the last piece of sushi into his mouth.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, that’s obviously how it works. People act the way they do because the way they grew up. I used to be a total brat ‘cause I got whatever I wanted. I’m even sure that if Keiko hadn’t had everyone constantly telling her what a ‘horrible’ and ‘disgusting’ person you were, the two of you might have actually been friends. But I guess the ‘rents and the rest of the Sohma messed us all up. Sucks,” Ichirou said on a rather cheerful tone as he waved over the waiter. “Here you go, Ojii-san. Keep the change.” Ichirou handed the man a $20 bill, already knowing about how much it had cost. “Now Kishi! To the gym!” Ichirou got up quickly, practically dragging the younger man out of his seat and out the door.

After the car was started and warm, Ichirou let out a sigh. “I cannot wait till it is summer!!”

Kishi
Kishi nodded as Ichirou talked, agreeing with most everything he was saying. But not the Keiko part. Though the idea of being her friend and NOT hating each other was nice, he couldn't imagine her around him and not giving him dirty looks. It was, again, something he was just used to as normal. Even though he was talking about being screwed up, Ichirou seemed to be very cheerful about the topic. Though, he was about almost anything if in the right mood.

Ichirou paid the bill, and yelled something about going to the gym before dragging Kishi away. Kishi swatted at his hand, not very happy about being dragged. "Ichirou," he whined, but went silent after he let go and warmed up the car. Kishi opened the door and got in, waiting for it to heat up so he wouldn't be so cold.

"I agree, summer needs to hurry it's lazy ass up," Kishi stated, a mock serious expression on his face. "But seriously, why is it so cold?!"