Japan

Kira looked through her closet, trying to pick something that wasn’t to over the top. She didn’t want to annoy her fellow members … if they decided to show up that was. She went with a pink skirt and a pastel blue sweater. It was a little warm for sweaters, but it was thin enough she knew she wouldn’t get to hot. I really hope they show up today … Why wouldn’t they? Well … most of them are older, so they might have work today. But she didn’t let herself get to down with a possibility. They would show, she knew they would. “Now for shoes … I think these ones would go with it!” Kira grabbed her favorite pair of lacey white kitten heels and a thigh-length pair of pastel pink socks.

“Kira-chan! Love, it’s time for breakfast!” Her mother called out sweetly to her. It was rather early for her to get ready, but she couldn’t handle the excitement.

“I’m coming mom!” Kira gently put her hair into a neat side ponytail before walking out to the dining room. A wonderful breakfast awaited her at the table. “Thank you so much!” It didn’t take too long before Kira cleaned her plate and began to help her mother with the dishes.

“Aren’t you excited dear? You’re going to the festival today! Has anyone responded to you yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure they will all show up! It’s not that often that we get to have fun!”

“If they don’t show, I’ll go give them an earful. Who wouldn’t accept such a simple request from such an adorable little lamb?” Kira blushed at her mother’s words. “Don’t worry dear, I won’t embarrass you. Just make sure you are careful around some of them. I don’t need my little lamb getting in trouble with the head of the family. I’ve seen what he can do and I don’t know what I would do if he did something terrible to you.”

Kira sat in silence. After what happened to Hitomi-san, Kira vowed to never fall in love. It would put too much trouble on her family and on her heart. Plus, her future doesn’t have room for love. After she finished cleaning up, Kira grabbed her light brown sheep bag and kissed her mother goodbye.

“Tell father I love him when he gets home! I love you too!” Kira left her house and began the tense walk through the estate. Everyone on the ‘inside’ had to stop her and say hello, which she didn’t mind, but she didn’t really want anything to get back to the head. Today wasn’t really a secret, but she didn’t want him to know. What would he think if he found out? The thought made her shudder. Kira walked on with determination and finally got out of the gates of the inner estate.

---

Kira stood expectantly in front of the school gates, peering out over the crowd to spot any of her family. Since she has been busy with school, the last time she saw any of the other zodiac was the New Year’s Banquet. She saw a couple of girls from her old school and chatted, still staying vigilant for her family. She had only a few days left before she began her new adventure at a co-ed school near her house. She was confident she wouldn’t have an issue with the males in the school. And in a month or two, it would be her birthday and not to long after that, she would be a high school student! Maybe her parent’s would let her get a job … That would be exciting!

Her friends wished her luck, and she bid them farewell as she continued her wait.

"An invitation to the Cultural Festival..? But I thought you were al-" Izumi waved an errant hand in front of her face as if to dismiss the notion. The dojo was in full swing with students and one her junior instructors was reading a letter that had recently arrived, explaining why Izumi couldnt lead the class for the day. "Which is why you're here on your day off! With a grin, the girl thumbed her nose and left her junior to the class, heading to the back to change.

Before graduating, Izumi had been captain of the Aikido club at the school and it wouldn't be surprising for that to come up while at the festival... That being said, she wasn't exactly headed there looking for trouble, only to see some of her juniors and enjoy their company. Before taking leave of the dojo, she swapped out her gi for a sensible blouse and dressy black slacks. Slightly pointed black shoes with a slight heel would prove effective enough in any incident without hindering her mobility. With a twirl, the young lady admired the way the elegance the blouse lent her, and started towards the Cultural Festival.

A grumbling stomach signaled she was nearing the school, the smell of festival treats permeating the air as Izumi got nearer. "So wonderful...!" The food was excuse enough to come to the festival, let alone the inviation she'd recieved... However, the last time she'd come, some of her Juniors in the Aikido club had tried to tackle her in their excitement. Needless to say, that wouldn't have ended well and Izumi was forced to take some less than practical measures...

Izumi's face grew hot at the thought of last year's festival where she had been forced to climb a tree in a dress due to some boys chasing her. The crowd sure had a lot to say about her choice of underwear..! Calm! I am calm... Everything will be fine this time..!

The School's gates came into view, and the flustered visitor began to scan the crowd for potential problems. Her eyes lingered on... "Oh..." With a grin and a wave, Izumu called out to the Blonde Middle Schooler, "Hey! Kira-kun!" Before she deftly began weaving her way towards Kira, a fellow member of the Sohma family

By four in the morning, Hugo Sohma's kitchen was sizzling with the smells and sounds of a balanced breakfast. He placed his meal on the table, perfectly placed and arranged for one. Steamed rice. Grilled salmon. Pickled vegetables. Miso soup. All in tiny bowls and plates and steaming. He looked up from his meal to the blank wall opposite him and clapped his hands together.

"I gratefully receive," he announced.

... From myself, went unspoken.

After scoffing down his lonesome meal, he rushed to make himself presentable for work that day. As he opened the fridge to retrieve his lunch on the way out, he noticed a plate of animal shaped pastries - taiyaki, but none were shaped like fish. There was a big mouse, a cow... some more discernible shapes... Huh, wonder what he made those for again. He slammed the fridge without even glancing at Kira's note stuck to it and ran out the apartment...

"Ehhh?! I took the day off?!"

Hugo stood in the kitchens of Uptown Eden, his face slack with disbelief at his coworkers. "What could be important enough for me to do something like that?!" He whipped out his phone to scroll through notes, settling on one: Highschool Festival. DO NOT trade family for work again - do you want the gossip?

"La vache," he muttered under his breath, throwing a glance to his watch. Around six... He nodded his head firmly and rolled up his sleeves, shooting his coworkers a firm smile. "I have the time to help with prep. Let's have a successful day, everybody!"

Forty-five minutes later, and Hugo's bike was hurtling off the premises so fast he was generating dust clouds. He nearly zoomed past his apartment block when he remembered and skidded to a halt, sprinted up the stairs (a chant of, "Merde, merde, merde, merde..." going up with him), and rushed back with a plate of personalized cold Taiyaki and different clothes. A corner away from the highschool gates, and his warpath came to an end. He dismounted his bike, smoothed over his hair, and took a deep breath to calm himself. Then he walked his bike and taiyaki around the corner with his usual calm, confident smile as people parted for him. Huh, only Izumi was here now. If the other Sohmas didn't show... there was really no point in taking off work to turn up himself.

"Good morning!" he called to them, "Kira-chan, Izumi-kun. It's been too long." He held out two pastries for them, fluffy and heavy with sweet red beans. One in the shape of a cute mouse, and the other a sheep with flowers etched into its wool. "I brought you something. Just in case you'd forgotten that you missed me," he shot them a wink, "Thought your taste buds might remember better~"

---

A girl looked down at the scene from within the highschool, her arms folded and face inexpressive. So, the Sohmas were gathering here. She glanced up and her vision readjusted to focus on her refection, not the sights past the window. She instinctively tugged her hair down to try to hide her face more.

"Katou-san!"

Rikona nearly jolted at the shrill cry and turned to see three of her female classmates rushing her. She considered taking up a defensive stance, but just stood still and watched blankly as they swarmed her, eyes wide with both fear of her, and something else.

"K-Katou-san, you're Yui-chan's understudy, right?!" Rikona nodded, and suddenly, she was seized. "Good! You're needed backstage, immediately! Yui-chan can't come in today! You - You do know her part, right?" Rikona shook her head. "O- Ok, well, all the princess really does is sleep through half of it - here, read it along the way!"

Rikona was dragged limply by three girls in elaborate costume and stage make-up, a script shoved into her face. Ah, good, she really didn't have to say anything. That's a relief. Probably the reason she was the understudy for this character. By the time she was squeezed into a frilly pink dress and was refusing to move her hair for her make up team, she read the last page.

The Prince embraces the Princess.

CRASH.

"Eeeeek!!"

"The - The understudy is escaping!"

"G-Get her!"

"CATCH THAT PRINCESS!"

Eireen liked being on the Newspaper club since it allowed her to take pictures. But she didn't always like the big events she had to go to, especially since she always stood out with her red hair. By this point though, she'd come to be use it by now. It was her school's big school festival. Thankfully as the photographer of her school, she didn't have to interact as much as her fellow newspaper members who were the ones who did the interviews. When she first entered high school, she decided to go with the Newspaper club over the Yearbook due to it being smaller of the two clubs. Eireen still preferred smaller groups to big ones due to her introverted nature.

Today Eireen could already tell though there would be more people to this festival. That did not put her in a great mood, but she 'grinned and bared it', as her father would say. At the moment she was having a break with the rest of her Newspaper group before the Festival really got underway.

"Isn't this exciting! I always loved this festival!" exclaimed the club president, 3rd year Miroki Kentai.

"We're right here Miroki-sempai, there's no need to shout." said 2nd year member Tadaka Jiro.

He was the most practical member of the group and Eireen got along best with him the most and they were good friends.

"There are so many people. I hope I do well here." added 1st year, and new member, Kaito Uzuma.

"You'll do fine, Kaito. Just still with me okay?" Miroki suggested.

"Will you be okay with this crowd, Rini?" Tadaka asked her.

"Yeah I will be," Eireen said.

She looked around and just happened to see someone she didn't expect to be here. Kira Sohma. The junior high student just happened to be someone she tutored. She liked the young lady and her natural blonde hair made her stand out easily. She only just started tutoring her so she didn't know her too well. And she was currently with two people she didn't recognize, but they obviously knew her. Not wanting to keep on staring, she turned and looked elsewhere.

"Okay you guys, let's get to work. Takada and Eireen, you two know what to do. Kaito, just follow my lead." Miroki said, before heading off, Kaito following her wake.

"You heard the boss." Tadaka said.

Eireen nodded and followed her friend as she started taking pictures.

Another sunrise, another start to a new day. Hitomi wiped the sweat of her brow and took a deep breath. Nothing felt better than a early morning run. She had to keep in shape for the softball team anyways. Despite her income from the main estate, Hitomi's college was paid for entirely through sports scholarships. Which made her insanely proud of herself. The head was never happy about her active participation in sports, he felt as though it took away their time together. But she always assures him that he will always be her number one. Hitomi was just happy he didn't make her quit. She watched the sunrise for a few more moments before turning around and making her way back to the estate. The horse wanted to run full speed, but with the danger of running into someone, especially a male, she kept it at a light jog. All of her energy could be expended at practice later that day. Plus, she had something very special to attend today.

The way home was etched into her memory from the possible thousands of times she ran this course. Not only in the mornings, but whenever she felt upset and needed to clear her head. Which was a lot more than she wished. "Oh well, I guess it comes with being cursed ..." After about thirty minutes of jogging, she finally made it back to the Sohma estate. The front gates stood tall and intimidating. She was granted entry with ease and within five minutes of walking, she was to the inner gate. Her house wasn't too far from the gates, making it a lot easier to get in and out.

"Good morning, Hitomi-san. Will you be seeing the head this morning?" One of the family maids stopped her at her door.

"Of course ma'am. I haven't missed a day yet, have I?" The woman smiled and left. Hitomi entered her house and went straight to the bath. After all, she was a sweaty mess. The steaming water felt amazing on her skin, especially on a chilly morning like today. Within a few minutes, she was out and dressed. Since today was special, she had decided on a mid-thigh length black skirt and a navy blue tube top, along with black sneakers and thigh-high navy blue socks. As she waited for her hair to dry, Hitomi cooked a large breakfast full of protein. Twenty minutes later, she was full and ready for the day ahead of her. An invitation hung on the fridge and a sweet smell filled the area around it. Today was the local high school's cultural festival, which Kira Sohma had seemingly invited all the Zodiac to. It had been a while since Hitomi had seen any of them, since quite a few live on the outside.

But first things first, she had to go and see him. The thought made her feel excited and sad at the same time. Part of her loved seeing the Head of the family ... but the other half dreaded it. The horrible things he could say. But who loved her more than he did? Hitomi left her house and within seconds, was in front of the Head's door. It slid open with ease.

"It's about time you show up." His voice was icy and impatient. "And looking like that. How disgusting."

---

Hitomi sped walked her way towards the school, hoping she wasn't terribly late. It took a while, but she finally arrived and spotted Kira's blonde little head in no time. Along with her was the Rat, Izumi, and the Dragon, Hugo. She was surprised that she was the third one to arrive. Was no one else planning to show?

"Kira-chan! Izumi-chan! Hugo-nii!" Hitomi jogged to the others, joining right as Hugo was dispersing some adorable looking snacks. "Long time no see guys!"

"Hey! Kira-kun!" A voice reached out to Kira's ears and when she looked, she saw Izumi Sohma weaving her way through the crowd towards her.

"Izumi-nee!" Kira waved back gently. Once Izumi made her way to Kira, she grabbed both the Rat's hands and smiled up at her. "I'm so happy you could make it today Izumi-san. I was worried no one would come. But even if you are the only one, I will be very happy." Kira was thoroughly convinced at the bottom of her heart that no one would come. But she understood. People had lives, jobs, and school, things much more important that the request of a middle school student.

"Good morning!" Another voice approached the two girls. "Kira-chan, Izumi-kun. It's been too long." Hugo Sohma was walking towards them with treats in tow.

"Hugo-nii! It really has been to long." He held out one of the most amazing and beautiful pastries she had ever seen. It was a adorable sheep-shaped taiyaki. Kira took the treat and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you very much!" It was almost to amazing to eat, but her spot for sweets couldn't resist. Her heart felt warm and light, as though she was going to cry. Only two Sohma so far, but that felt like enough for her. She was grateful beyond words that they actually cared. They were a family, but they all had their own logic and reasons to avoid each other. It was a whole new feeling to be surrounded by each other while not in the presence of the Head. "You look beautiful today, Izumi-nee. Much like every day."

"Kira-chan! Izumi-chan! Hugo-nii!" Kira looked up in surprise. Hitomi Sohma was jogging towards them. Another Zodiac had arrived! The young girl couldn't help as a few tears fell.

"Hitomi-nee! It's lovely to see you!" Kira wondered if anyone else was going to show. Should they wait? Maybe it would be good to talk for a bit before entering the festival just in case anyone else decided to show up. "What has everyone been doing since our last encounter? I believe the last time I get to have the honor of seeing you was at the New Years Banquet."

Kira caught a glimpse of a red-headed beauty through the crowd. It was definitely her tutor, Eireen. The high school girl was one of a kind and absolutely beautiful to Kira. She would have to find her and introduce her to everyone.