Little Tiger

Back at the estate

I took Momiji back to his house, making sure he entered it quietly so his father didn't find out about his escape. I didn't want him to get in trouble because of me. 

I reluctantly made my way back to the main estate. I wanted to take a bath. I passed Hatsuharu's house. I could see him sitting at the kitchen table with his parents. He somehow managed to see me in the darkness and waved at me like an old man; polite but lacking in enthusiasm. He would get lost at school tomorrow, I just knew it. Hopefully he will be in the same class as Momiji. I offered him a small wave in return and trudged on. Rin was over at Kagura's house. They were in her bedroom, braiding each other's hair. Kagura liked to do hair and she enjoyed doing Rin's hair because it was so long. It's a shame that her mother kept Kagura's hair short. Hiro will be starting kindergarten tomorrow. I wondered how he felt about that. I remember being very nervous about starting school. I've had the same feelings towards school since I was five years old; some things never change, huh? 

The main estate was eerily quiet. It's never exactly loud, per se, but it's also never silent. Akito was in a mood, I could feel it. It was the sort of intuition I could feel because of the curse. Any time Akito is experiencing some intense emotion, the Zodiacs feel something tugging at their hearts; they pound uncontrollably, fill us with a sense of anxiety, and we struggle to breathe for a moment. It urges us to comfort our god because she is the sole reason for our being. While the urge is incredibly powerful, I can still manage to escape it. 

I crept past her bedroom, holding my breath so that I wouldn't make even the slightest of noises. The floor creaked in front of her door, I made sure to tiptoe around it. I spend the majority of my time in the main estate hiding from Akito; I know exactly how to get past her door without making a peep. But I heard something just as I passed. There was whispering inside of her room. It was Kureno's voice. It was incoherent and in a rather dull tone, but I knew he was comforting her. I was just glad I didn't have to do it. I made it safely to my room and slid my door shut quietly. I pressed my back against it and closed my eyes. My feet hurt and my cheeks and nose were cold. I could hear a kettle of tea boiling in the kitchen. That was for Akito. She's fifteen years old and she lives like she's fifty. I stood up straight and walked into my room, unzipping my coat and tossing it on my bed. I noticed something sitting beside the spot where I just laid my jacket. To my utter horror...it was the robe. I picked it up and stared at it in disbelief. When had Shigure shoved this dirty old rag in my room? 

I threw it back on my bed and ran to the phone in the hallway then stopped dead in my tracks just as I reached it. I looked to my right, watching Akito's closed door and listening closely. My shoulders shrugged. It didn't matter whether she was listening or not, we weren't allowed to use the phone past seven---we weren't really allowed to use it at all but it was best to be done during the day. I retreated into my room, closing the door again. I took my clothes off and put on my robe, which was in perfect condition: no frayed belt, no worn-in fabric, and only worn by me. But, as if seeing it for the first time, I noticed that it was white. White was such a boring color. I was not the type of person who needed such a pretentious color for a simple robe. Black and blue would add more personality---not to mention the pattern on the robe was just as insane as the black, gold, and orange streaks in my hair (I don't understand why all of us Zodiacs' hair has to match our animals).  

To my disappointment, I changed into Shigure's robe. The scent of his soap was still fresh on it; too bad my soap would just stink it up. The robe was short on me as well, but I suppose it is more acceptable for a girl to wear a shorter robe. 

I pulled my towel from the hook and walked across the hallway to the bathroom. The bathroom was next to Ayame's room. He was always in the bathroom; staring at himself in the mirror or taking long baths. He had the advantage of having the bathroom first because it was closest to him. Hatori and Shigure did their fair share of using the bathroom as well. Now Kureno and I would be the only ones using it. I had the advantage of being closer to the bathroom now. I reminded myself that this was a good thing and I almost believed it.