Still red in the face, Yuki helped Kyo to his knees. “Kyo?” he questioned, not even hearing or noticing Haru.
Kyo gave a confident smile, though he was now blushing; he’d just fully realized what he’d said.
“Don’t worry about it, Yuki.” Kyo said.
“What do you mean, don’t worry about it?” Yuki asked, hands on his hips. “Do you like me or not?”
Kyo glanced down, the tips of his ears red; he mumbled something.
“What?”
“Yes, okay! Happy?” Kyo said, surprised at how nervous he felt; scared even.
Yuki smiled, “of course, stupid!”
Kyo was about to yell at Yuki for calling him stupid, when he got what Yuki had said.
“You are?” Kyo tilted his head to the side.
“Yes, don’t you remember I said I liked you?” Yuki smiled.
Kyo blinked, “I didn’t know you meant it in that way.”
“Well, I did.” Yuki said, in a firm voice.
Haru cleared his voice, very loudly, “now before you all start to neck, can we pleeeeeese go look for Momiji?” Haru had tears in his eyes and he looked absolutely pathetic.
He looked so sad, that even Kyo felt sorry for him.
Both Yuki and Kyo blushed, “R-right.” Yuki stuttered.
---
“Here, Kisa, drink this.” Momo gave Kisa a glass of water, and the teary eyed girl took big grateful gulps of water.
“Thank you, Momo.” Kisa whispered.
“Now, Kisa… do you want to talk about… what’s bothering you?” Momo cautiously asked.
Kisa glanced up at Momo, “y-yeah, you know Momiji, right?”
Momo nodded; of course, he was one of her cousins, though it didn’t seem that way.
“He’s been missing for three days.” Kisa said, her voice small and sad. “We’re so worried about him.”
“Oh no,” Momo said, her eyes wide. “That’s terrible. I don’t know Momiji that well; we’ve only ever said hi to each other, but I can tell that he’s a really nice person.”
Kisa nodded, “he really is.”
Suddenly, Momo jumped up, “excuse me for a sec, I have to feed my new rabbit….”
Warning bells went off in Kisa’s mind.
‘New rabbit….?’
Kisa watched with wide eyes as Momo put some feed in a cage… ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!’
“M-Momo, how long have you had this rabbit?” Kisa asked.
“About three days, why do you ask?”
Kisa shook her head, “oh, no reason.”
It was true; Momiji Sohma was living in a cage in Momo’s room. The reason he didn’t change to his human form was because of the small space he was confined in.
‘Momiji, hang in there, we’ll get you out somehow.’ Kisa thought.
---
“What’s going on, Kisa?” Hatori asked. He and the other Zodiac, plus Tohru had been asked to gather.
Kisa wringed her hands, a nervous look on her face, “I’ve found Momiji.”
Someone in the room gasped; everyone turned to see Haru, his eyes wide and shining. “You have?” Haru exclaimed.
Kisa nodded, “this isn’t good news,” she mumbled.
“How could this not be good news? This is great. We’ve been so worried about Momiji.” Yuki said.
“Okay, it’s like this. Momiji ran into a girl, changing into his rabbit form. Girl, confused, took Momiji home and has been keeping him in a cage…. Momiji can’t change back, and I have no way of taking him back… to the girl, it would be like I was stealing him.”
Kisa took a deep breath after saying all that.
“This is bad.” Shigure said, serious for once.
“Really bad,” Ayame agreed, serious as well.
“It’s even worse,” Kisa sighed.
“How?” Kyo asked.
“The girl is Momo Sohma.” Kisa said, wincing when multiple gasps filled the room.
“No, maybe this is good,” Hatori suddenly said.
Everyone looked at the dragon, “how could this be good?” Hiro asked.
“Yes how?” Ritsu shyly asked, somehow believing this whole thing was his fault.
Hatori stood up, walking across the room, “Momiji has been off lately. I know he’s trying to hide it, but I see.”
“He wants his sister…”
Kyo got a wicked grin on his face.
Hatori rolled his eyes, “not like that, Neanderthal.”
“Momiji misses Momo, even though he’s never really been able to get to know her… I know this goes against Akito… but I’m in charge of the Sohma’s health, and this depression of Momiji’s is not healthy.”
“I think it’s time for the Zodiac to visit Momo, and save Momiji.” Hatori looked at everyone. “Does everyone agree that we will tell Momo our secret and not breathe a word of this to anyone?”
One by one, the rat nodded, cat nodded, boar nodded, sheep/ram? nodded, tiger nodded, dog nodded, snake nodded, cow nodded, and the monkey nodded. Everyone agreed.
Everyone wanted the rabbit’s happiness. They’d go against Akito for someone they loved so much.
---
Hearing a knock on her door, Momo ran to it, pulling it open. Her eyes went wide, super wide. The thirteen year old stepped aside, letting everyone in. All the cousins who have been avoiding her all her life… well Momiji was still missing. They were all here, plus Tohru. Momo didn’t know her well, but she knew she hung out with Yuki and Kyo a lot.
“W-what’s going on?” Momo asked, shyly leading everyone to her living room.
“Momo,” Hatori said.
“Y-yes?” Momo stuttered.
“You know of Momiji, do you not?” Hatori asked.
“Yes,” Momo said, nodding.
“Tohru, if you will.” Hatori motioned to Tohru.
The girl nodded, walking over to Haru. They’d planned on turning one of them, as to prove to Momo that they were different. Then they’d ask for Momiji back, and then… the truth would come out.
They picked Haru to change because he was the biggest animal out of the bunch.
Leaning forward, Tohru hugged Haru.
Poof!
Momo stared, wide eyed; there was a cow in her house. Eyes rolling into the back of her head, she fainted into the arms of Shigure.
Poof!
Shigure nosed the small girl, “she going to be okay?” the dog asked.
Hatori bent down next to the girl, checking her vitals, “she’s fine, just shocked.” He said, “That’s to be expected.”
“Well, actually this is good; we can go get Momiji…” Cow-Haru said.
Kisa ran to Momo’s room, calling behind her, “he’s going to need you, Hatori. Three days stuck in a cage, eating pellets will have him very malnourished.”
---
“Momo,” Momiji said, worried. Momiji was back to himself, very weak, but okay.
He was in Momo’s living room, looking down at his passed out sister.
“Mm,” Momo mumbled, eyes slowly starting to flutter open. She pushed herself up. Seeing Momiji, she blinked, “weren’t you missing?” she asked.
Momiji grinned. His sister was talking to him! “Not exactly,” Momiji said.
Momo’s eyes went wide, when she remembered the cow… “He turned into a cow!”
“Bark!” Shigure barked, still not transformed. That was because Tohru was hugging him around the neck. They were waiting for Momo to wake up.
Tohru let go of Shigure, and in matter of seconds… Poof!
Tohru screamed, turning away from a naked Shigure. Momo stared at Shigure with wide eyes, then she blushed, looking away.
“What’s going on?” Momo asked. She felt like she’d just landed in a fantasy novel.
A/N Please review! Mm, nakey Shigure.
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