Setting
Default Location for Furuba!! Gen X
Minimap
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Japan is a part of 
Furuba!! Gen X.
12 Characters Here
Rin Sohma [14] "You didn't know that?"
Saku Lian Iwasa [12] "... No sweets for you, all mine."
Aki Sohma [10] "Do you need something? If not, please leave me alone." Minor WIP
Hiroki Sohma [9]
Aurionzi Sohma [8] "What a beautiful painting ... Oh? You don't see it? It's in the sky. And in the trees. It's in ... Nature."
Riye Sohma [6] WIP
Kaori Sohma [4] "I prefer the term Sheep, not Goat."
Gisella Allegretti [3] "We're like the sun and the moon. Totally different, yet we can't live without each other"
Alanavee Sohma [2] "Don't fight the love you feel, deep inside!" {WIP}
Satogi Sohma [2] "I don't think we've met. Hopefully we never will."
Start Character Here »
"Is that him?" Rin perked up at the sound of some girls talking behind him. "Yeah! He goes to school with my sister!" Rin glanced behind her and, no wonder, they were speaking about her. She sighed but wore a handsome smile on her face. The Rat was far used to being mistook for the male gender. It just sucked a little. The guys who knew she was female would tease her about her flat chest. Her friends would defend her. One of her favorite comebacks was, "Rin is more of a ladies man than you will ever be and more of a woman than you'll ever get!" It made her laugh. It was a sad truth that the girl had a larger female fan-base than practically any man at the college. But Rin found it interesting. She kind of liked the attention either way.
But there was the part of her that loved to be a girl and squeal whenever a cute guy talked to her.
She remembered in high school when they had to change for P.E. and the girls freaked out when Rin wouldn't leave the room. Yes, Rin wore the male uniform, but that's because she preferred it. Once they realized that Rin in fact was a girl, they seemed to fawn over her no less than when Rin Sohma was a Prince.
A small park caught Rin's eye, only a few kids dashed around it. It was right next to the Estate so she had no doubt some of them were Sohma children. She ran over with a smile that could light up any dark heart. "Hey guys! What are you all up too?"
"Rin!" The Rat recognized the younger girl as the daughter of her neighbor. "Rin come play with us! We're playing freeze tag!" Rin nodded happily. She loved kids. This was the perfect time to let of some of her energy. "Rin is it guys! Go!" The kids screamed in excitement and dispersed. They dashed everywhere, trying to avoid Rin's deadly freeze touch. It was hard for Rin to even catch them, they kept ducking into holes Rin was for to big for now. But she had an huge amount of fun either way.
"What a pretty picture ... Look for yourself! It's right over there. Oh? You don't see it? Why, it's all around us! You just have to open your eyes!"
"Do you really think it looks nice on me? Really, truly, and honestly?"
The girl who spoke spun in a circle, the light yellow sundress billowing out at the skirt as it caught air, and she turned a look down to the young seamstress who knelt beside the circular pedestal that she stood on. Her bright blue eyes were wide and innocent, almost nervous in expression, and she bit down on a rosy red lip.
Speaking through several pins, the words of the seamstress came out muffled and incomprehensible.
"I'm sorry, but what?" the young woman asked, tilting her head a bit.
Stifling a sigh, Aurionzi reached up and plucked the pins from between her lips.
"I said that you look fine, dear," she told her, placing the pins back between her lips.
The endless chatter of the bubbly little blonde woman droned out into a mindless drawl of babbling nonsense. It was a swishing in her ears at this point, and she inwardly thanked herself for having the ability to drown out blonde babble.
Pinning a spot once more, she pushed herself up, placing the remainder of her pins in her thimble.
"Alright, you're done. I just need to make a few adjustments and then I'll call you. It should be done by tomorrow evening, so if I haven't contacted you by then, go ahead and call me to check up on it," she said as she brushed off the cloth of her pants. The girl continued her babbling, even as she disappeared behind the changing screen to shed the dress.
After receiving the dress back from her, Aura quickly hung it up on the rack of clothes that were to be fitted still, placing a small slip of paper in the top of the dress with her notes for what needed to be revised on the item. The letters were her small, neat little handwriting, and she stepped back to evaluate the other items on it.
Two more sundresses, a pixie skirt, a tuxedo, a wedding dress, a poodle skirt, and a sweater.
Sighing, she crossed her arms and raised her eyes to the ceiling once before spinning on her heel and heading to the front of the small house that she and her brother shared due to their status as students at the university.
Plucking up the phone as it let out yet another shrill ring, and she propped it between her ear and her shoulder as she approached the front of the house.
"Aurionzi Sohma."
"Aurionzi! Oh thank goodness you picked up!"
"Miss Shuz? What seems to be the problem?" Twirling a lock of hair, she leaned against the door frame of the sliding door that led to the front porch, one arm crossed over her abdomen and clutching her side, the other lifting so that she could grab the phone.
"Well you see, Yuri seems to have ripped her favorite formal dress, and we have a wedding to attend tomorrow afternoon. If I swung it by quickly and you looked it over, do you think you might able to work your magic and stitch it up right quick?"
Switching the phone to her other ear, Aura strode down the porch and into the grass, approaching the small pond that was in their front yard.
"As you know, it really depends on what the tear is like and how severe it is. If I have the correct material to patch a hole, it will be no problem. But if it's just a tear, than we won't need to worry. I'm more concerned about if the original stitching was damaged in any severe way."
Grabbing a small box, she sprinkled a bit of fish food into the pond, watching as the bright orange fish skittered through the food, snatching it up as they did so.
"Oh, thank you so much dear! I'll be by later tonight - say, just shortly after dinner?"
There was a crash in the background, followed by the wail of a child and the shrieking of another that they, 'Didn't do anything'.
The voice in her ear faded a bit and she heard the other woman call out a desperate plea for quiet before her voice was back and right in her ear once more.
"Yes, that works just fine, ma'am," Aura responded, replacing the box of fish food in it's small alcove by the pond.
"Wonderful! I'll see you then! Tah-tah lovely!"
The line went dead and Aura lowered the phone, rolling her head in an attempt to crackle her neck. She didn't have class until the late afternoon - thank God for that - so she might as well begin some new paintings.
It didn't take her long to fetch her easel, paints, paintbrushes, and palette. Along with those, she retrieved a stool and, crossing to her car, she settled everything into the back seat.
Granted, it was a bit early to be leaving to go and paint - it wasn't even lunch time yet - but she figured that once she got a head-start on this new work of art, she could take a break, grab a bite to eat while in town, and then return home to finish it.
The drive was short, seeing as her destination was a nearby park that was rarely inhabited by other people - the perfect setting for an artist, writer, reader, or just anyone who wanted to enjoy the quiet of nature. Climbing from her small car, she snatched her supplies from the back, locked the doors behind her, and set out to find the perfect setting.
She quickly found a spot by the small lake that was in the center of the park. The sound of the nearby water-wheel turning was the only sound at the moment, and was a lulling rush in her ears, instantly soothing her. Settling in on the stool, with the morning light spilling just right across the easel, she set to work on a new painting.
"Maybe I can go to the pool once my arms have completely healed," she pondered, continuing her search for dinner. Her mother had let her cook practically ever night for the last month. It's good for you, she would say, It'll take your mind off things. The Goat had managed to avoid pretty much everyone but her parents since the incident. She couldn't come to face anyone. Not with her arms like that. She was lucky she wasn't sent to some sort of hospital for the mentally ill for such a freak out.
Vrrt! Vrrt! Kaori hurriedly dug through her bag for her cell phone, knowing it could only be her mother.
"Hello?"
"Kaori! Oh, I got so worried when you didn't come home. Where are you, dear?"
"Sorry mom," Kaori laughed lightly at her mothers panicked state. "I needed to buy some things for dinner."
"Oh ... that's okay little lamb. Just remember that your father and I have to leave tonight for the business trip. Your sister should be home for you if you need anything during the night, alright?"
"Mom, I know I've had you scared a lot. But I'm fine, don't worry. I don't need her help for anything. I can take care of myself." Kaori said her goodbye and hung up, shoving her phone deep into her bag. She hoped she didn't come across as rude to her mother ... But it was true. Kaori had been left alone a lot. She was used to it.
Besides, she didn't want to burden her older sister. Her sister should be out having fun with her friends. Not stuck at home babysitting. Kaori decided to shoot her sister a text telling her that no matter what mom had said, she would be fine home alone. Once again shoving her phone into her bag, Kaori continued around the store, keeping to herself. She was here for dinner and that was it. I want to make chicken noodle soup with the left over chicken ... do we have noodles? Kaori wondered to the isle she knew held the different array of noodles, looking for any that would go good in her soup.
Everyday was pleasant for Saku, but that day was especially delicious. Thinking back he always received the most cakes after a basketball match, even if it was not an official one wherein it was forbidden for him to go all out. Oblivious as of why he just happily thank the girls who gave him sweets as presents and ate it up right on the spot. Saku was simply not someone quick-witted in regards everything surround himself; which ended up earning no hate from the guys due to his popularity. "Ahh, I can hear many girls cry." Was the comment of one of his team-mates who refused to tell Saku the details and left him in his obliviousness, well perhaps it was better that way.
After taking a quick shower he went off with his things to go home. Due to the practice match he did not attend any classes today and felt strangely energetic, even with that tired indifferent expression on his face he always wore. Thus he decided to take the longer route home to stop by at the pet shop he regularly went to. Even if the owner at first was angry that Saku came countless of times without ever buying anything, he gradually tolerate his presence in his store with the condition that he had to buy animal food sometimes. And Saku did, of course, to feed some strays with it.
On the way there he suddenly heard children's scream and laughter and decided to go for a look, he didn't have anything better to do anyways and he loved to see kids playing around, it kind of was a soothing picture. Going through the bushes he eventually found himself in a small park he never been before. Kind of fun to know that there were places around the neighborhood he had yet to be.
"Rin is it guys! Go!"
Looking for the source of the voice, he saw a couple of kids dispersing and running away from the tall girl with short hair. It took him no more than a few seconds to recognize the girl as Rin Sohma, who is kind of labelled as the prince of the college. His friends often spoke about her, her lacking feminity and fooling all the girls or something like that, nothing that Saku ever truly understood. In his eyes, Rin was obviously a girl regardless from which angle one may look at her.
Saku never spoke directly with her, but he surely looked forward to it in the future seeing how much fun she had playing with children. It was just fun to watch her. Thus Saku sat down on a nearby bench and watched the scene while eating up the cakes he had saved for later. "Emm... can I...?" A voice catched him in his surprise as a little girl crawled up beside him. Following her gaze, it was obvious what she wanted. If anyone else would've wanted some of his food, he would never give it to them, but if it's a kid... Saku smiled softly to her and gave her some of the cake which she quickly took and ate happily. "Delicious?" She only nodded as an answer and Saku was so overwhelmed by her cuteness he just had to pat her head, so gently that the little girl didn't mind.
"Do you not mind getting caught?" He asked after she ate up the cake. By her expression, Saku assumed that she had forgotten about it and he could only laugh. "Let's go there." He took her by her hand and went off with her behind the bushes. "Shht!", was the little girl's command as he placed her on his lap. And Saku stayed quiet with amusement clearly displayed on his face.
"Your sister will be lonely, go home for today."
His mother had such a tender voice; so gentle and soothing, yet it displayed her age and the sickness she fought against through all the years. The burden she carried for keeping both of her cursed children safe even after her husband's death. Ikaru was sitting next to her hospital bed wherein she laid and held her tightly, as if he was afraid if he let go of her frail hand, something bad happens. The doctorās words were clear enough; it was an illness can never be healed and forced her to suffer all day, not being able to move from the spot without someone's help. Yet she still succeeded to smile, the most beautiful smile any women can display.
Ikaru put away the book he was reading and caressed his mother's hand in a loving manner. "You're awake?" He figured with a smile. She only gazed straight into his eyes and answered: "Don't mind me, little one, I am doing good..." Of course it was a lie, both of them knew that. Yet her saying that assured Ikaru in a way, gave him hope for the future. From the past until now, she always knew how to cheer up Ikaru, even if she wasn't completely aware what things Ikaru did behind her back, she still supported him nevertheless. "But don't tell me it is instant noodles you eat everyday?"
Right on the spot. Like always. Ikaru grinned; he truly was 'the little one' around her mother and will always be. "I'll be sure to have a balanced meal." His mother had to laugh at that, but ended up coughing instead. Worriedly, he sat her up and called the sister for help. It was a sight he had to watch almost everyday know, yes, by day her illness seemed to get worse and worse. Of course it was nothing he had his sister worried about, but he knew he had soon to tell her sister about the seriousness of the situation. Although he assumed it as possible that his sister was already aware.
In the afternoon, Ikaru went to the convenience store. He was hungry and decided to buy something instant, knowing his cooking skills was way worse than miserable. "Ikaru, how's it going?" The owner winked at him as he entered, and Ikaru merely laughed. "Good evening owner! Like always. Everything good with your little girls new school?" Ikaru indeed was quite known around the neighbourhood, seeing he was forced to earn money for his family way before he reached the qualification to be able to do so, even his maturity that time lacked. He was still a teenage brat who went around searching for any work available. Very different from the now where his income is somewhat stable working for a children's magazine and occasionally teaching primary up to high school students with their studies.
As he went for the shelf with the instant noodles, he caught a glimpse of a little girl studying the noodles in thought. At first he did not recognize her but as he went closer he knew: "Kaori! What a coincidence! You're shopping for dinner?" Ikaru greeted her with a gentle smile. "How are you?" He was somewhat aware of Kaori's situation, even though he was still unaware of the split personality she developed. He wanted to do something for her, but he knew that it was difficult to do anything without her wanting the help and being open about it. Careless busybudying would eventually cause a greater conflict and Ikaru definitely wasn't trying to make things go even worse. "Is it only you and your sister again today?"
"Hide and seek freeze tag?" Rin gasped and grabbed her heart, pretending to faint. "Brutal guys! Brutal!" She dusted off her pants and looked around. The Rat sniffed the air around her, rubbing her tummy and licking her lips when she was sure some of the hiding children would be looking. "I smell little toes and fingers!" Rin dashed towards one of the hiding spots and gently tapped the two hiding boys on the head. "Freeze!"
The two groaned playfully, pausing as they were, yelling for their peers to save them. Rin heard giggling inside a small tunnel next to her. So she threw herself inside only catching one of the kids hiding inside.
"Run Haru," one of the girls yelled as she dragged her friend behind her. Rin emerged from the tunnel, scooping up the girl next to her as she ran past.
"Three more!" It took a minute, but Rin had caught the two who had escaped the tunnel. Only little Mei was missing now. "Mei! I can sme-e-e-e-e-ell you!" Rin checked all the hiding places she could think of, until she spotted Mei's dress peaking out from the bushes. The Rat smiled, shushing the others. "Oh dang! Where did Mei go?" Rin popped up next to Mei who screamed with excitement, causing Rin to laugh.
Until she noticed the purple-haired man next to her. It was instinct for Rin to rip her from her spot, place Mei behind herself and look at the assumed pervert in pure hate.
"If you even poked her, I will kill you without hesitation." Rin lunged forward, wrapping her fist in his shirt. "If you have some weird fixation, I suggest you change it. The world doesn't need weirdo's like you roaming around!" Rin felt a slight tug on her pants, making her look to see what was wrong.
"He's a nice man, big brother! Just like you!" Rin looked at Mei with hesitation.
"He didn't touch you or hurt you?" Mei shook her head, smiling up at her 'big brother'. Rin sighed and let the man go, ushering the kids back towards the park. When she looked back, a weird feeling over came her. "Wait," she said, striding back over to him. "Do I ... I do! You are on the college basketball team!" Rin laughed but paused, immediately going back to glaring. "Are you a pervert?"
"Kaori! What a coincidence! You're shopping for dinner?" Ikaru, her cousin, greeted her with a gentle smile. "How are you?"
It took her no time to recognize the Ox. All the Zodiac had very unique and warming smells, something Kaori had found comforting no matter who it was. She pulled her hand to her side, smiling at the Ox. "I'm very well, thank you."
"Is it only you and your sister again today?"
Kaori nodded. "Yes sir. Just the two of us." The girl grabbed a bag of egg noodles, then holding out her basket to show Ikaru the contents. "I'm making chicken noodle soup for dinner." Kaori continued to smile at her cousin, though feeling slightly nervous. It had seemed like a while since she last remembered seeing any of the Zodiac besides her sister.
Kaori paused in thought, grabbing another package of noodles and tossing it into her hand basket. There was quite a bit of chicken left over since Kaori's sister had gone out last night and her parents had a formal dinner to attend too. And she assumed she had better use all the chicken so it didn't go to waste. Kaori snapped out of her daze when her bag began to vibrate once more. She set down her basket, dug through her bag and pulled out her phone. "Hello?"
"Kaori, it's me. I wanted to let you know that someone came by and dropped of your books for you. You seemed to have left them at school. Your father and I are leaving now because our later flight got canceled."
"Alright, be safe. I love you." Kaori pulled the phone from her ear and hung up, catching a glimpse of a text she had received.
Nice hands!
She snapped her phone shut, face same as before, and shoved it into her bag. Kaori picked up her basket, looking up at the man in front of her. "If you would like, you and Miss Rin can come for dinner. I know having your mom in the hospital is hard. So maybe some soup will help." Kaori skimmed over the contents of her basket, making sure she had everything. The Goat adjusted her sleeves as well as her loose jacket, something the teachers hadn't appreciated. Kaori didn't want to risk anything being said or ... gawked at, so a loose fitting jacket over her uniform was the was to go.
She was often told not to read while walking but, Aki wasn't the type to listen to other people's advice in the past and she figured, 'Why start now?'. Aki loved to read, almost as much as she loved to act. It was easy to leave behind the miserably dull everyday life that only seemed to drag on and drag on with no end in sight. She had also found that people were less likely to bother her when her nose was buried in a book.
School hadn't been out for long at this point and while Aki was usually heading back to her loathed home at the Sohma estate, today's destination was a bit different. Today she was heading to a convenience store that was just a few blocks further than her home was to pick up a nice bottle of scotch and maybe even a carton of cigarettes from the one she referred to as 'Aniki'. He was of course not actually her older brother but, that was the name she had called him by for a couple of years now. He was a high school graduate working at a convenience store and attending college classes online, the type of person who doesn't really seem like they have their life quite in order. But that suited Aki just fine, she wasn't sure why he was willing to potentially lose his job selling alcohol and cigarettes to a minor but, she didn't really care either way. He was someone she felt a bit comfortable talking to, and she got the impression that he felt the same way towards her.
She moved at a slow pace down the sidewalk, her attention almost wholly upon the book in her hands, only designating a small portion of her focus to not getting lost or walking into a sign or something of the like. As was common for the young woman, her countenance was blank and distant as she read. Along her way to the convenience store she passed a small park, the sounds of the playing children within it however did not reach her ears, she was far too engrossed in her book to notice such a thing. As the children ran about recklessly one who wasn't watching where she was going ran straight into Aki. Aki barely moved at the impact but physics dictated that the same force was pushed back upon the small girl which easily sent her sprawling on to the ground.
It certainly wasn't enough to actually hurt the girl seriously but the shock combined with the pain of falling on her bottom so roughly easily sent her into tears. At the feeling of something bumping into her Aki was finally broken away from her bookborn reverie, her face however was still blank as she looked down at the crying girl as she spoke flatly, "You should watch where you're going." The girl only continued to cry at this before pointing up at Aki and shouting hysterically, "Y-You pushed me! You big meanie head!" At this point the sedated expression and mindset that books always put her in began to fade, slowly being replaced by a sensation of annoyance and frustration. Not only was this girl not apologizing for having run into her, now she was accusing Aki of pushing her. An aggravated sigh passed through her lips as her gaze slowly began to resemble a glare. "Look, you're the one who ran into me. I didn't-"
Before she could finish her statement she was promptly interrupted by a piercing wail from the little girl as she began to call out for a 'big brother'. It was at this point that Aki finally looked up and around at her surroundings, there was a small gathering of silent children who were simply watching the event unfold before them, but more importantly than that, in the distance Aki could spot two other individuals who she, unfortunately, immediately recognized. A feeling of regret washed over her, perhaps it -was- best not read and walk after all...
Gisella hummed absentmindedly to herself as she walked down the sidewalk swinging her bag against her leg. Lost in her thoughts, the young girl didn't even notice as she narrowly missed running into poles or nearly getting her head taken off by low hanging branches on the trees lining the concrete. What occupied the girl's head so much that she didn't even notice how close she was to killing herself? Simple. Gisella was thinking about the new keychain she had her eyes on at the local souvenir shop. The only problem? This certain keychain was one where you inserted an image, and well, Gisella didn't have the slightest clue what to put in it.
A scream tore Gisella out of her daze. Jumping nearly a foot in the air, the girl found herself sprawled face-down on the ground before she even knew what was happing. Lifting her head from the cement, Gisella looked up to see a park across the street. Realizing the scream had come from one of the little kids running around playing tag, Gisella sighed in relief.
Standing up, Gisella brushed herself off before turning to look once again in the direction of the children. A giggle burst from the girl's throat as she watched the little kids running around chasing each other. 'They're so cute!' Gisella thought with a fond smile as she considered getting closer to watch.
The voice of another person caused Gisella to jump once more. Turning to see the new arrival, Gisella stared as the boy started talking to the children. No. Scratch that. Upon closer inspection, Gisella realized it wasn't a male, but in fact a girl with short hair.
Shrinking back a bit at the arrival of the older girl, Gisella picked up her bag that was still on the ground and continued her walk.
Fishing her cellphone out of the bag, Gisella turned it on and checked the time. Sighing, Gisella picked up the pace so she wouldn't be late. Again. What was Gisella yet again close to being late for? Well thank you for asking. Gisella worked a shift at the local souvenir shop 'Tourists Welcome' (Yes, stupid name) every Monday-Wednesday after school. It was Gisella's home away from home, and sometimes when her dad got into one of his rage fests, Gisella would go work a shift at the shop. The owner Noboru Koyanagi was sadly probably her best friend at the moment. And the best part? Half off all the merchandise!
Gisella was about a block away from the store when she started think about what image she should put in the keychain again. Reaching up, Gisella rolled the locket that hung on a chain around her neck between her fingers. Thinking of the picture that lay inside, Gisella thought of possibly taking a family picture with her father. Sighing a little, Gisella realized that her father would have to be sober for that. And that was a rare sight these days. Quickly texting her dad that she'd be home after work (not that he cared), Gisella stepped into the small shop and braved a smile for the people inside.
Difficult.
It was far too difficult for someone to continue on sleeping while there were a series of consecutive squealing which probably belonged to a couple of children in the background. However, that did not apply to Hiroki, who was an extremely heavy sleeper and is currently in deep sleep.
Even if a family of birds were already pecking Hiroki to get out and climb down from the branch of tree he was sleeping on, it still wasn't enough for him to wake up. Well, he shifted in his sleep and mumbled, "Five more minutes....." once in a while, but that was that. Nevertheless, the family of birds continued on pecking the invader of their tree. Unless Hiroki moves away from their territory, they can never feed their hatchlings which were currently crying out in hunger. After a while, Hiroki finally jolted awake, when the bird landed a huge peck on his forehead.
"Owww..." The monkey groaned in pain while rubbing his head. As he opened his eyes, he saw two blue birds which were staring creepily at him. As a result, Hiroki screamed in surprise. He also almost fell down from the branch he was sleeping at, but luckily, he gripped at the branch with a hand and had his feet balanced on the trunk in the last minute. With a sigh of relief, Hiroki released his grip from the branch and landed on the ground with ease.
Grabbing his backpack which he had hidden behind a bush, Hiroki dug for his phone inside his backpack and realized that it was already time for him to go to work. After burying his phone inside his backpack and slinging it around his back, Hiroki proceeded to walk towards the exit of the park he's currently on.
As he did, he came across a woman, who at closer inspection was his sister. Hiroki ran towards her with a smile as he waved his hand back and forth while calling out to her cheerfully, "Riooooo~~!! Whacha doin?", he asked. Once he saw her painting, Hiroki was absolutely amazed and awestruck. Somehow, after seeing her work, Hiroki felt proud even if he wasn't the artist. Who knew that his adorable little sister would grew up into such a fine and talented young lady? He gave his sister a thumbs up as tears of joy ran down through his face.
However, his emotional moment was quickly put to an end when he heard a wailing sound, which quickly sparked his curiosity. "I'll be right back, sis!" He said and took off, running to the source of the wailing sound. At first, he saw a couple of children, a purple-haired man, and his cousin, Rin. "Oh! It's Rin! What happened? I just heard someone cry--" Hiroki stopped as soon as Aki came to view. Oh, so it's Rin and Aki!
Wait...Rin and Aki?! As soon as this thought sunk down inside Hiroki's brain, he quickly ran back to his sister while screaming, "There's trouble, sis!! Trooooubleeeee!!!!!"
Yup, that's definitely trouble.
It was quite entertaining watching the little girl trying to continue eating without causing any noise -which obviously didn't went really well- and eventually dirtied her pretty dress. It was that time where the college prince's voice sounded clearly and made the little girl giggle. Saku however, had only eyes small cake crumbs falling down, one after one... such a waste. Quickly he caught every one of them and collected them... as Rin Sohma suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made the little girl scream out of excitement. His position that time? He was hugging the little girl on his lap while trying to clean up her mouth. A sight that surely made Rin's behaviour justified.
As he took the little girl away from him, he could only show a disappointed look while still eating the cake leftovers like nothing much happened. Innocently without much expression he gazed right into the eyes of the angry woman while reflexively raised both of his hands. Oh, How nice. To be defended by the little girl made Saku really happy even if it's not really reflected on his face. As she sweetly smiled at him, he just had to pat the little girl's head again after Rin eventually let go of him. Such a good girl.
Then he blinked, placing his attention back to Rin. She knew him? "It's a pleasure to know that the college prince knows me." He said without any other meaning behind his words he had spoken. He truly was surprised to be known by her. By her question, he titled his head, wondered what to answer to it. Was he? He never thought about it before. "Am I a pervert?" He asked himself clearly serious and not joking around. "I think I am." He eventually told her with confidence. There were several people asking him whether he was a pervert because he had the instinct to just pat or hug cute people and even things. Saku was telling himself that it was just them asking for it being so cute, but well. He guessed in the eyes of others he was a so called pervert, not like he really understood that word though.
He took some cake again, the only piece that was left, from one of his fan girl's gift boxes and ate it calmly and failed to see the seriousness of the situation. Well, like always. "Here." Thus he crouched down, gave the little girl some share of the cake which she took with glee and offered Rin a gentle smile like nothing happened and attempted to say something-- But then he heard steps coming closer and turned to see, out of mere curiosity. Another woman came -judging from her visual she was probably a high school student- again, with short hair. He wondered, was short hair to be popular among the girl's lately? Not long afterward a guy ran towards them from far and screamed something to Rin, and eventually screamed like something bad was going on. Trouble? What trouble? He looked back and forth, from the high school girl to Rin, to the random screaming guy - all seem to know each other.
Kind of interesting.
With a sigh, the Rat ushered the kids back to the park, telling them to go ahead and play. Rin returned to the bushes to see Mei enjoying some cake obviously given to her by Saku. Rin couldn't help but smile. She could see that something was about to be said, but the crying of one of the girls had big brother Rin dashing over to see what was the matter. She was only half way there when a voice cut across her attention, one she knew.
"Oh! It's Rin! What happened? I just heard someone cry--" With the Monkey's pause, Rin stood in confusion. He had begun to back pedal towards a girl who was painting, yelling something about trouble. Rin rolled her eyes and continued to jog to the aid of the young girl who sat on her bottom, wailing furiously. The Rat was so caught up in the young girl, she didn't notice who was next to her.
"You're fine, look! No bumps or bruises," Rin said, tickling the girl, turning her cry into laughter. Rin scooped up the girl, sitting her on her hip as she would a baby. "Now you should say sorry, you probably weren't paying attention." When the young girl refused to apologize, Rin's only option was to set her down and apologize herself. The young girl ran off to her friends, acting as though nothing had happened.
"I'm sorry about that. But kids will be--" It was at that moment, Rin met the eyes of the person before her. It was none other than Aki, the Cat of the Zodiac. She took a step back, feeling like she was much to close to the Cat. It was almost natural for the Rat to glare at her 'enemy'. Rin wore a smirk, scoffing as she crossed her arms. "What? Now you go after little kids to let your hatred go? That's sad really. If you have a problem you should confront the person, not take it out on others."
Rin was most likely in no place to open her mouth, but something about the Cat left a bad taste in her mouth. Aki was the only person Rin knew of that could make her this way. Around Aki, she would act and speak without thinking. In Rin's eyes, Aki had no right or reason to hate her. The way Rin acted towards the Cat was simply defense. What was she supposed to do? Smile and take the abuse she did nothing to earn?
No, Rin would stand her ground and defend herself to the end. All Rin really could do was be thankful no one but the smelly Cat saw her this way.
5 days.
It had been five long days since he had any restful sleep. Or for that matter, sleep at all. Work had been a pain for the past few days and the rings around his eyes showed it. Not that he wasn't used to it at all, This had been an on going thing for a while now, only very rarely getting the sleep he needed or just being knocked out cold from something. Either way, it didn't help that he had been lying in bed for the entire night with no luck.
Light streamed in from the blinds, letting him know that daylight had started, making him sigh and sit up and over the side of his bed. The dragon shook his head, feeling like he had just been transported to another world. He looked up at his dresser as one of his cats lay there watching him. "I'm Okay Merda. I just need to get out for a bit." he said as he started getting dressed and petting said cat. Three other felines slept in different areas around his room, sleeping the morning away as he left the room and soon left the house.
As soon as he even walked out from his door, the searing pain of bright light on his eyes made him reel back and cover his eyes as he started walking down to the local park. "Yep! I'm a vampire today..." he muttered to himself as he used his arm to cover his eyes and continued walking. As he looked as the ground, trying to keep himself from being blinded any further, he noticed small creatures, purple rats and ran along side him, making him shiver a bit. He had become used to this. Knowing that they were not real, but his lack of sleep often caused the appearance of these creatures and the bags under his eyes often confirmed it.
Riye soon arrived at the park, though it was somewhat unusual to see him here in the middle of the day as his poi spinning was better seen at night. However, he felt the need to at least leave the house for once during the day on his day off. He plopped himself on a near by bench, watching some of the children play and letting himself relax a bit. Seeing the familiar faces of him family gave him some comfort as he started to space out a bit and stare off into the distance.
So, I'm going to go ahead and throw some of the actual manga into this since this certain event has yet to happen in this RP or in the other Fruits Basket RP that I'm in with Nasia.
"All beauty is within the eye of the beholder."
"All beauty is within the eye of the beholder."
It hadn't been long since Aura had dropped down into her spot, readied her pants, and begun to her art, that she began to hear the close cries of small children. The squeals were not alarming, for the warmth held within them was one that betrayed the inner joy of the person whose lips they escaped from.
Laughter. Joy. Emotions. These were things that only the most expert and advanced of artists could achieve showing in their art. Whether it be in paints, sculpting, or some other form of art, it took quite a bit of skill to show any type of emotion, no matter what it was. In fact, some artists could only achieve such skill if they experienced the emotions themselves - as they were working.
That is not the case with all artists, however. Those who held true passion for their form of expression could truly encompass any type of art that they wished to show - whether it be emotions or life, which was another key and difficult component to add to any work.
"Riooooo~~!! Whacha doin?"
Aura would have jumped, seeing as she was lost so deeply in thought that she hadn't heard her monkey - and she used that poth rhetorically and literally - of a brother arrived, but she wasn't one to be easily startled. Surprisingly, seeing as her animal counterpart spooked fairly easily. Stilling her hand mid-air, she glanced over her shoulder at Hiroki, before turning back to her easily and setting her hand into movement once more.
"Hello, Hiroki," she said, her voice betraying her slight-distraction.
It wasn't that she didn't want to speak to her brother - in fact, she adored the man that stood beside her. She had for years, and had always admired him for his care-free persona and the way that he held himself. He was the epitome of free - something that she, as a horse, had always longed to be.
"What brings you-"
"I'll be right back, sis!" He barged into the middle of her question. Not that she was really surprised - he wasn't one for sitting still for very long, let alone long enough to listen to someone speaking to him. Within an instant he was gone, leaving her alone once again with her though.
Not that she was left alone for very long, or long enough to regain whatever thought-process she had lost when her brother had arrived. For, only a minute later, he was back, his voice shrieking and his arms flailing about, as if there were some sort of mass-fire occurring and the only way to gain attention for it was to cause a debacle.
"There's trouble, sis!! Trooooubleeeee!!!!!"
Stifling a sigh, Aura rose, setting her pants on her stool and laying the easel on its' back, so as to avoid anyone knocking it over and ruining her nearly-completed painting. A small towel dotted with dry paint was drawn from her back pocket, and she easily wiped her hands on it. Without realizing, she had gotten a smear of purple across her cheek. Not that she would have really cared if she had known, to be honest.
Easily pulling the ponytail form her hair, the long, raven-colored mass fell to her waist in a thick, straight waterfall.
"There's no reason to shout and scream, Hiroki. I'm sure the trouble isn't as bad as you think," she said soothingly, obviously attempting to reassure him.
Crossing the small distance between the pond and the area where the squeals of the children could still be heard, yet there weren't as many and it was further apart in shouts, she paused beside a tree on the edge of the play area. Benches were scattered throughout it, a place where parents could relax while keeping an eye on their children. A small fountain stood at the beginning of the park, and the playground itself of large and castle-like.
Her eyes immediately fell on the people who were far too large to be considered children.
One was a tall, purple-haired man whom she recognized from seeing on the college campus. She faintly remembered a name that began with the letter 'S' - Sayu or Saka or something along those lines. Despite the fact that she inwardly knew that he was handsome - she had heard many of the females on campus gushing about it, and knew that he received a mass of gifts from said girls on almost a daily basis - she felt no initial attraction towards him, which also helped to explain why she couldn't even remember his name. He had made no lasting impression on her, and ran with an entirely different crowd. While he gravitated towards the jocks of the basketball team, she tended to stick with her small amount of friends in the Arts programs.
The next person she noticed was the 'prince' of the college, Rin. The Rat to the Sohma family, the woman had no inkling for the fact that it could be considered odd by some people to dress as a man when you were, indeed, a female. She obviously hadn't a care for it, and undoubtedly thought that a person who be recognized for who they were, not what gender they had been given by whatever force lay out there.
Immediately after her was Aki, or the Cat. Notorious for being a bit of, well, a bitch, Aki wasn't well-liked by anyone - Sohma or otherwise. Personally, Aura didn't really care about the legend of their family. She didn't judge any one of the Zodiac members for the animal that they were given, but instead judged them upon who they made themselves out to be. While Aki obviously acted the way she did because she was a leper in the family, that was no excuse for her to treat innocent bystanders with malevolence.
The final person in the mix was Riye, the lawyer and dragon of the family. She used dragon loosely, seeing as he was instead a dragon of water - that is, a seahorse. He could be intimidating to anyone who looked at him, what with his dashing good looks and his holier-than-thou attitude, but to her, he was simply another family member. That, and he and Hiroki were very close, so he was around their house almost constantly. She also assisted him quite a bit in his little 'fantasies', often designing and creating his outfits for his cosplaying adventures. They had become closer over the years, and due to Aura's lack of friends, she considered him to be one of her better ones.
Tucking the towel into her back pocket, she approached the crowd, immediately heading in the direction of the Cat and the Rat, the two in question already showing the beginnings of a battle that would undoubtedly play out badly in the end.
"I don't believe that this is the place for you two to come to quarrel at. Nor is it really the time, and you both know that." She spoke quietly as she approached, and yet her voice carried through the wind, easily reaching the ears of the two intended parties.
Patting the head of a small child who stood off to the side, his eyes wide and staring, she reached the two young women and pushed herself between them.
"I don't know how this argument started, or even if it has really begun, but either way I'm not going to allow it to continue or grow. If you have a problem with each other, take it back to the Sohma estate and run it out. The affairs of the Sohmas belongs behind closed doors, not in the middle of the public, where all eyes can see," she said, her intense eyes looking between the two, both hands held up to spread them apart from each other.
"Now, I would like to return to my painting - preferably in peace. If you two wouldn't mind, either continue about your day or go somewhere that no one can see you and fight it out. Physically or verbally, it doesn't matter to me, because that's your choice. But no one cares to see a fight - especially these children. Isn't that right, Rin?" she asked, tilting her head so that her face was a bit more towards the Rat, her eyebrow slightly quirked.
Straightening once more, she stepped back, swiping the back of one hand across her cheek and further smearing the purple paint that was slowly drying there.
"Now, if you don't mind, I'll be returning to the pond - in quiet," she added, her voice holding a bit of a threat that showed that if it was anything other than quiet, she wouldn't be very happy.
Turning around with her eyes closed, she inhaled deeply and stepped away.
And directly into the little boy who's head she had patted, who obviously had gotten closer to the trio of young women as she spoke.
Immediately her eyes flashed open, a large smoke engulfing the two of them. Before she had fulling registered what had occurred, her clothes were gone and her body was reshaping itself within the smoke, changing her until the only thing that remained was a rather large horse - something very difficult to miss in the middle of a park that lay in the middle of the suburbs of a city.
Stumbling on all fours, she snorted, air puffing out from her nostrils. Having rarely been changed over the years due to her being slightly-alienated from society, she wasn't quite used to supporting the weight of a four- to five-hundred pound body. She stumbled once more, dropping to her knees, and a soft sound escaped her snout. Her eyes blinked and looked back and forth wildly.
In an instant she was back up, her clothes abandoned as she darted from the park and back towards the pond. A whiny escaped her lips, and she stopped only once she had reached her paints. Glancing briefly down at them, she shook her large head and took off, once again stopping, but only as soon as she was hidden within a mass of trees.
Dropping to her knees once more, she lowered her head and snorted.
Son of a bitch ...
It didn't take long for 'big brother' to show up, Rin was quick to rush to the crying girl's side to comfort her and pick her up off the ground. A small sigh escaped Aki's lips in relief that the high-pitched and annoying wailing of the little girl was gone. She was however quite surprised as Rin prompted the girl to apologize, which she of course refused to do. The kind treatment from the rat was rather unexpected but short lived as Rin finally looked up to see who it was she was actually speaking to. Aki merely raised a brow at Rin as she recoiled away still looking irritated as she crossed her arms, book still held in hand.
"Tch, one second you're about to apologize for the brat and now you're making wild accusations, sure changed your tune awful quick. You could at least -try- to hide your bias." She stole a glance around the park as she shook her head, things were getting a little out of hand, apparently the park contained some kind of Sohma magnet. Regardless, this whole ordeal had put a lot of attention on to Aki, which was something she rather disliked. She wanted to leave, but she wouldn't feel right doing so before getting in her last word to Rin. "Why would I waste my time going after some random children? That girl simply wasn't looking where she was going and ran into me, end of story. If you really feel compelled to try and paint me as some monster who attacks kids than I think -you're- the one whose got a problem, not me."
She exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to hold back her emotions for the time being and ease some of her discomfort at being the center of attention. With her piece said she adjusted her bag and dropped her book inside it, looking about ready to leave before yet another Sohma decided to make her presence known. It was the ever so elegant horse who began to spout some nonsense about time and place and peace and quiet. Aki couldn't help but feel irritated at how full of herself she seemed, Aki would've been gone already if she hadn't interrupted, and what's more if she wanted peace and quiet she should've kept her nose out of something that was none of her business to begin with.
Aki had half a mind to say something back to her but her desire to just leave combined with what happened next rendered that rather pointless. In a puff of smoke the horse turned into well... A horse. Aki couldn't help but laugh and shake her head at that, served her right. But, this was quite the perfect opportunity. Taking advantage of this rather sudden distraction Aki slipped away from the group and walked hastily down the sidewalk away from the park. She wasn't in the mood to read anymore and didn't want to end up bumping into any more snot-nosed kids so she left her book tucked away in her bag and continued on her way to her original destination, the convenience store.
"Let's go dancing! We can dance outside and in the rain! Oh, the rain! I love the rain! The rain smells good! Oh, so do flowers! Flowers are pretty! Flowers grow under the sun! And the sun is bright! And-No, I'm not talking too much, you big meanie!"
"Alana, I'm sure there's nothing for you to be worried about. Kaori's been doing a lot better - her doctor even said so himself."
Alana nibbled on her thumbnail, staring out the window of the classroom. She had offered to stay a little late after school to help their librarian organize the books in library, seeing as she really had nothing better to do and she enjoyed helping others, and in the process of her offer, had been joined by one of her best friends, Tamaki. The striking young man was basically Alana in male form, seeing as he matched her feature-by-feature, was strikingly handsome, and just as equally popular as she. They had been friends since they were five, having happened upon each other at the park. Tamaki had been there with his family and had seen her crying and, being the kind boy that he was, offered to help her find her parents. Her little sister had been two at the time and Alana had been told to play only where she could see her parents, but had somehow found herself unable to find her mother and father. He had immediately told his parents, the police were called, and they had luckily found her family.
The two had been inseparable since. Many of their classmates had some dream of them becoming a couple - they had even come up with a list of pet-names for their pairing - but they both knew that wouldn't happen. They were more so siblings than a couple, and due to the curse, she could never be with him anyway.
Shaking her head, Alana stifled a sigh. "I don't know. She just won't talk to me, Tamaki. I don't know what to do anymore. You know me - I'm as happy as any person could ever be! But my sister isn't, and that really bothers me. I don't know how to help her."
Brushing his blonde hair back from his face, he plucked up a stack of books and slid them onto a shelf. Watching him, Alana crossed her arms, propping them on her knees and looking over at him.
"I don't really know what to say, Princess," he said, using the nickname that the school had long-ago given her. "The only advice I can think of giving you is for you to let her know that you're there for her no matter what, and that if she ever needs anything, she just needs to say the word."
Sighing, she leaned back, her hands bracing behind her to support her weight. She stared at the ceiling, her blue eyes contemplative.
"I just wish that she'd talk to me," she muttered.
~'.'~'.'~'.'~Small Time Skip~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~
"Are you sure you don't need me to walk you home? You and I both know that that fan club of yours can get a bit out of hand at times."
Adjusting the weight of her bag in her hands, she beamed up at Tamaki. "Of course I'm sure! I'm perfectly capable of walking a few blocks. I just need to stop by the tarot shop and the market, and then I'll be home."
Tamaki shifted nervously, his eyes looking up and down the street before fixating on hers again. "Are you positive?"
Smiling at him once more, Alana laughed. "Of course! I'll text you when I get home so that you know I made it alright, okay?"
He seemed about to argue with her some more, but after a moment of thought, he let out a breath of surrender. "Alright, but if I don't hear for you within an hour and a half, I'm coming over to check on you."
Nodding, Alan went on her toes, pecking a friendly kiss on his cheek. With that, she spun away, her skirt twirling in the wind that the movement picked up, and her hair flying over her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tamo!" she called cheerily over her shoulder at him.
She had only just turned the corner by the school when the sound of the popular teen band, [url]Babymetal[/url], rang in the quiet afternoon air. Their song Megitsune was by far her favorite, and it resonated around her as she dug through her bag's pockets until she found her phone.
Flipping it open, a picture of her sister popped it, along with the little image of an envelope which told her that Kaori had sent her a message. Opening it, she quickly scanned the words on the screen.
Hey. No matter what mom says, I'll be fine home alone.
Rolling her eyes, she quickly sent a message back to the younger girl.
You know as well as I do that I don't really listen to mother all too much when it involves you. I'm staying home because I want to. I already planned to have a movie night with you and Tamaki, so there will be no arguing on the matter. Maybe you can invite one of your friends!
Quickly sending the message, she returned the phone to her bag and continued down the street.
She was only a few blocks from the tarot shop when she stopped, the sounds of shouting emerging from a nearby park. Her interest piqued, she approached the park and peaked inside.
Children were scattered, as per the norm for a park, of course, and the other inhabitants were none other than her lovely family and a man who couldn't be but a few years her elder. Directly beside Aki and Rin were a scatter of clothes, which were right next to what could only be described as hoof prints, and if she had to make an assumption based on the fact that the prints were hooves and the clothes feminine, it would be that the owner of both had been none other than her beloved cousin, Aurionzi. It was obvious what had happened, and the arguing that had apparently just dissolved still hung in the air as unresolved tension.
I suppose it's time for me to work my magic.
Breaking into a large smile, Alanavee danced into the park, crying, "Cousins!" as she did so. Her voice carried through the air, holding a lovely, mesmerizing musical lilt to it. She danced over to Rin and threw her arms around the elder girl, bursting into laughter. "You'll never guess what happened today! At lunch, some of the boys in my fan club gave me the prettiest painting! I'd show you it, but I left it in my locker. I thought it was much more suited for school than for my house, don't you agree?" she asked.
Suddenly dropping her arms, she twirled over to Aki, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward to peak up at the girl. "Oh! Aki! Did you see the painting they gave me? I'm sure you did! You were right there when they gave it to me. I know! Why don't I ask them to paint you one? I'm sure they'd love to!" she beamed, obviously proud of her outrageous idea.
Her face suddenly lit up and she spun, twirling over to the man that she hadn't recognized. His purple hair shone brightly in the sunlight, and she caught the small hint of lavender wafting off of him. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Gee, mister! You sure are tall! And you smell awesome!" she giggled, sticking her tongue out a bit at him. "I really like the color purple, so your hair is just a cool! Is it naturally like that? Man, if I had that hair color I'd probably never stop looking in a mirror! It'd make me super unique and then maybe I'd be as good-looking as you are!"
Dancing away from him, she twirled over to Riye, dropping onto his lap and completely oblivious to the sort-of nap he had been taking. "Rei-senpai! Guess what I did today! Tamaki and I stayed after school to help the librarian sort the books! It was so much fun! Oh! Hey! Have you asked Aura out yet? It's about time you make a move!" she teased.
Jumping up from him, she twirled to Rin once more, obviously having far too much energy for her own good. "Rin! Have you seen KAY-ORRR-EEE? I've been trying to find out why she won't hang out with me, but she won't tell! Am I annoying? Is that it?" Tears appeared in Alana's bright blue eyes, her lower lip immediately beginning to tremble at the thought.
"Is that it? I'm I too annoying for my baby sister to like me? If I am, tell me the truth! I'm a meanie too, aren't I?" she sniffled, the beginnings of a full-on sob-fest threatening.
āReally?ā
The maroon-haired boy replied and started reverting from being anxious into his cheerful olā self. Really, it was obvious on how relieved Hiroki was just from being comforted by Rio, specifically by her soothing voice. It was one of the things that Hiroki wished heād get to hear more often, but unfortunately, all he gets is a stern, scolding tone which intensifies whenever he does something wrong. Itās such a shame, really. If only Rio didnāt look intimidating from a strangerās view as well as have a sharp tongue, she would definitely have a lot of friends.
However, Rio never really looked intimidating in Hirokiās view. If she was, why would she even bother marching off to the park at Hirokiās call? Why would she even bother consoling the monkey? Simple, itās because she isnāt intimidating, sheās extremely kind! At the thought of this, Hiroki cracked up a smile and followed his sister closely from behind, skipping cheerfully as he did so. He noticed the birds which attacked him from earlier were now eating worms with their offspring. As Hiroki watched them, he realized the reason of the birdsā assault. Quickly, Hiroki stopped walking and bowed his head, silently apologizing to the flock of bluebirds.
Once he was done, Hiroki quickly ran and noticed that Rio had seem to went of without him and after a few seconds, Hiroki was able to catch up with her. āGeez, you sure walk fast, sis!ā Hiroki whined, scratching the back of his head. Did she even notice that he was gone when they were walking? Perhaps not. That was when Hiroki began to notice the people and the dreadful atmosphere around the park which was caused by Rin and Aki who seemed to have started to have an argument. However, instead of breaking those two off, Hiroki gleefully approached someone else. It was none other than his cousin and close friend, Riye.
āRiri!!ā, the monkey ran towards the dragonās direction and sat beside him. āWhat brings you here?ā Hiroki asked, turning his head towards the said man only to receive disappointment when he saw Riye dozing off. As a result, the exasperated monkey dug for a permanent marker in his bag and began scribbling on his cousinās face. He childishly filled Riyeās face with notable doodles of mustaches, snots, whiskers, and a drawing of a creepy set eyes on his eyelids.
Hiroki grinned mischievously when he finished, but his attention was quickly snatched by Rio who was currently breaking up the fight between Rin and Aki. Leaving the dragon behind, Hiroki walked towards their direction, however he picked up the pace when he saw that a little boy behind Rio was about to bump against her.
Anxiously, Hiroki shouted, āRioo! Look out!ā but, by the time he finished his words, a large amount of smoke were already scattered throughout the area. At this time, Hiroki heard a laugh which clearly hinted an insult as its message. This clearly aggravated the monkey and even if he did not know where it came from, that tone was clearly a dead giveaway. It was Aki. "Oi!", Hiroki called out to the cat as he marched towards her direction. It was evident on how offended Hiroki was for his sister. Even if she is younger than him, she needs to get a piece of his mind. However, Hiroki halted his steps when he heard his sister who was currently a horse, galloping away to the park.
"Tch." Hiroki grunted under his breath. After picking up Rio's clothes in which she left behind, Hiroki gave a dreadful glare at Aki before running after his sister.
I'll let her off this time.
That was when Aura appeared in front of the two girls, saying that if they really wanted to fight, it could go down somewhere else. But Rin didn't want to fight, she wanted to be out of the crowd that was slowly forming. It was getting dangerous, anyone of them could transform ...
As if on cue, Aura backed up into a smaller boy only to disappear in a poof of smoke. Rin remembered quickly what animal she was, yanking the boy out of harms way. The Rat heard a chuckle escape the Cat, but when she turned, Aki had already parted. A snarl ripped from Rin's throat. "Yeah! Walk away! That's all you ever do when someone needs your help!" Rin scanned the park, looking for anything she could use to distract the kids. That's when she spotted Riye.
"Cousins!" The random shout jolted Rin from her angered state, only to have a pair of arms be thrown around her. From Rin's peripheral, she could identify the blonde girl to be Alanavee. "You'll never guess what happened today! At lunch, some of the boys in my fan club gave me the prettiest painting! I'd show you it, but I left it in my locker. I thought it was much more suited for school than for my house, don't you agree?" she asked.
"Yes, now they will see how much you treasure it instead of having to wonder what you did with it." Lana danced her way from cousin to cousin before twirling back to Rin.
"Rin! Have you seen KAY-ORRR-EEE? I've been trying to find out why she won't hang out with me, but she won't tell! Am I annoying? Is that it?" Tears appeared in Alana's bright blue eyes, her lower lip immediately beginning to tremble at the thought. "Is that it? I'm I too annoying for my baby sister to like me? If I am, tell me the truth! I'm a meanie too, aren't I?" she sniffled, the beginnings of a full-on sob-fest threatening. Rin's breath caught in her throat, she had prayed for a distraction, but she didn't know this is what the messenger would send.
"No no no! You aren't annoying or mean. Maybe she is just scared to talk to you? Or can't find the words to say?" Rin hugged her younger cousin and smiled her normal, bright smile. "But you are such an awesome sister that she will come around eventually, all you have to do is continue to be there for her." Rin had never known what actually happened to Kaori, just that she stopped going to school for a while and wouldn't talk to anyone. Back on track, Rin gave Alana a squeeze then grabbed Riye's hand, pulling him in front of the kids. "Alright guys listen up! This is my cousin Riye and he's gonna show you a trick, okay? He's a magician!" The children cheered and watched the tall man with excitement in their eyes. Rin herself leaned in close to her cousin, whispering to where he was the only one that would hear.
"You know what you need to do .... just in case someone actually remembers something."
"Get out of my way!Don't you know not to walk in someone else's path?"
The angry voice that now rang through the streets a block or two from the park where most of the Zodiac were now located belonged to a certain individual, named Satogi Sohma. Known also as the Tiger of the Zodiac, Satogi was currently dressed in the new highschool uniform he had picked up from the school that very same afternoon just as class was getting out. He had decided to head back to his home in the Sohma Estate when a particular creature had decided to block his path.
"I said, get the hell out of my way, slow poke!" His hazel eyes stared down at the small turtle that had just caused Satogi to stub his toe and trip while on his way home. Leaning down so close to the turtle that he could breath on its shell, he was furious that the small animal had dared cause him to trip. "Answer me, or I swear I'll punt you all the way to Hikido!" Just as Satogi was about to snap, the store owner of the petstore next to Satogi came out to reclaim his escaped turtle. He gaze Satogi a strange look then hurried inside before Satogi could say anything.
Standing up straight again, Satogi huffed out a sound of contempt and kept walking down the sidewalk. "Not even worth my time." Now being a tad late in getting home, Satogi decided to take a shortcut. Running straight at the edge of a fire-escape in the alley up ahead, Satogi jumped and clenched his hands around the railing of the first level of the escape, pulling himself up so he could grab the floor of the next level and jump up to grab the top railing once of the second story. Continuing up the fire-escape this way, he reached the roof of the three story building. He was not even winded from the extertion, having practiced Freerunning for a couple years and was now conditioned to such acts of movement.
Satogi would not stop there, winding his way from rooftop to rooftop with running-start jumps until he was near the Sohma estate. This is when he heard the scuffle in the park. Peeking his midnight-black haired head over the edge of the buildings lip, he peeked over at the park to see what was going on. It seemed to be a gathering of Sohma. Ironically most of them were other Zodiacs. Just his luck,having to interact with the family already and he had not even eaten lunch yet.
Sighing, Satogi decided he did not want to get involved with any of his cousins right now. Retreating to the opposite corner of the building, Satogi jumped off the side onto an out-jutting signpost and its thin pole. He balanced there for a moment then let himself drop from that and caught the pole with his hands. Letting gravity do most of the work, he lets go of the pole and drops down onto a dumpster in the alleyway and rolls off of it, landing on his feet smoothly to keep walking out of the alley and around his fellow Zodiac. Luckily he did have business on this street.
The small shop known as "Tourists Welcome" was his destination, and it was not that hard to find. He had only been in the shop a few times, but today was a special visit. He had come to collect a package that he had ordered through the store, one that contained a certain trinket that he had been waiting to arrive for a week or two now. The object in question was a baseball that was old and worn. It was one that a friend he had made while in Tokyo was sending him in a small box. He desperately wanted this peace of his past to add to his growing collection of mementos.
When Satogi entered the store, his hazel eyes scanned the room. It seemed as if the owner was in back somewhere for the moment as he saw no one inside. Going to the counter Satogi dinged the small bell there to signal to anyone running the shop at the time that he needed assistance. After a minute, no one appeared to help him. Sighing, Satogi leaned against the counter and lazily prompted his face in his palm. It was going to be a slow day, it seemed. At least that was what he thought until a girl came into the store.
Looking over at the entrance, Satogi froze in place. He recognized the girl, he had seen her the few times he had been up at the high school to set up his classes. Her name was....Gisella? Yes, that was right, Gisella Allegreti. Most people do not catch Satogi's interest but she was...different. How so he could not explain but he had heard a few rumors about her father, and where she had come from. Swallowing suddenly, he came out of his stuppor and frowned in her direction in an almost defensive way. "What are you doing here?" The question was not accusitory, but his tone was far from friendly. One might say he was scared of Gisella, if they were not scared of Satogi himself.
"What are you doing here?"
The cold voice caused Gisella to stop dead in her tracks.
She hadn't expected to be questioned as soon as she walked through the door. And standing in the middle of the open doorway, Gisella looked over at the person who'd spoken.
She remembered seeing him walking around the high school once, he'd been setting up his classes or something of the sort. Though she hadn't caught the boy's name, she'd heard that he belonged to the infamous Sohma family. Gisella had only been in Japan for about a year, and she'd already learned about the large family of cousins from whispered gossip and the few that attended her school.
Gisella had always been slightly envious of them, what was it like to have such a large family?
The shop door slamming into her back brought Gisella back into reality.
Stumbling forward, Gisella could feel her face turning scarlet as she rubbed her now sore spine.
"I- I w- work here..." Gisella managed to stutter out as she stared down at her shoes, not able to make eye-contact with the person standing before her.
An awkward silence filled the air, and Gisella's face just turned even redder (if that was possible).
Just as Gisella was about to open her mouth to question why the Sohma was here, a shuffling noise from the back of the store could be heard. Looking up, Gisella noticed her boss's head poke out from the doorway leading to the back.
"Oh my! A customer!" Scurrying out into the front of the shop, the frail old man looked at the two with wide brown eyes. "Have you been standing there long, young man?"
Not giving the boy a chance to answer, Gisella's boss quickly turned his attention to her.
"And you, Gisella! Why didn't you help this nice young man out?"
"S- sorry, Mr. Koyanagi! I- I'll get on it right away!"
Flushing dark red, Gisella hurried into the back room. Pulling on her work apron, she could hear Mr. Koyanagi asking the boy in the front what he needed. Pulling her messy auburn hair up into a ponytail, Gisella walked over to the stacks of packages that people would come to pick up.
Already figuring out that the Sohma was most likely here to pick up a package, the young girl searched through the pile of S's until she found one addressed to a Satogi Sohma.
Gisella stared at the packaged in her hands. "Satogi, Hm?"
Smiling a bit, Gisella decided to save poor Satogi from having to talk to the old man any further and walked back into the front.
When Koyanagi saw Gisella he grinned. "Great timing! Could you go into the back and find a package for Mr. So-"
Mr. Koyanagi's voice was cut off as Gisella handed Satogi the fairly small package, blushing furiously as their hands slightly touched.
Scowling, her boss walked off into the back muttering something along the lines of, "Sometimes I swear you're a freakin' mind reader..."
Covering her mouth to hold in her laughter, Gisella squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to contain her giggles.
Looking up at the boy in front of her once more, Gisella timidly held out a hand.
"Ah! Silly me... Where have my manners gone? My name's Gisella, but I'm sure you already knew that," She said, motioning to her name tag.
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