The Fox and The Rabbit

She made it almost two weeks before the gift forced her hand.

She grew close with Uotani and Honda, though Hanajima remained a little distant. Aimi couldn’t blame her; she knew Hana-chan just couldn’t figure her out. Still, the dark haired girl was polite and that was more than Aimi could ask for. She even adopted Tohru’s nicknames for her friends and insisted they call her by first name.

She grew quite close to Yuki-kun, much to the dismay of his fan club. He was a rather reserved boy and she could plainly see that he hid his inner suffering. So she was careful to keep their topics cheerful and simple, eager to keep smiles on all her friend’s faces. They often walked together and chatted in the halls, Aimi careful not to walk too close and accidentally trigger his curse. After the first few times, the girls from his fan club cornered her outside school between classes, pointing fingers in her face.

“Just who do you think you are, getting so close to Prince Sohma?” The ring leader exclaimed.

Aimi had witnessed these girls accosting Tohru-chan in much the same fashion, Honda cowering under their intense gazes until Uo-chan and Hana-chan came and scared them off. Aimi decided to take a different approach.

“Me? Oh, I’m just a simple girl. Does it bother you? Fear not, ladies, Yuki-kun and I are just friends. There is not, and will never be, anything romantic between us. He is a lovely boy, true, but I think of him more in a brotherly fashion. Honestly, he just isn’t my type.”

The girls appeared confused, then astounded. “Not your type?” The blonde girl spluttered, “How could you not find him the perfect specimen?”

Aimi shrugged. “I thought you’d be happy to hear that I’m not attracted to him. That leaves him open for you to pursue, yes?”

“W…we don’t pursue him! We just..umm…”

“Oh, what silky locks you have!” Aimi exclaimed. She’d learned at a young age when to change the subject in discussions that could lead to arguments. Flattering girls was always a good way to take their mind off of a boy. “What shampoo do you use? So pretty.” She gingerly reached up and caressed the girl’s ponytail. The blonde’s cheek flushed in embarrassment, then she twiddled her thumbs.

“Really, you think it’s pretty?”

“Of course! Don’t you agree?” Aimi smiled at her friends in turn and they quickly nodded their heads, eager to please their leader. The four of them chatted about hair and nails for a while, growing more and more relaxed with each other, until the bell rang. Then Aimi waved goodbye to them and moved away. Only to have her path blocked by Hanajima. Startled, she quickly slapped a smile on her face.

“Oh! Hana-chan. I didn’t see you there!”

“You handled that with a wisdom beyond your years. As long as you stay friendly with them now, you can remain close friends with Sohma. Ingenious, really,” she said dryly, her eyes boring into Aimi’s.

“Oh, no! I just don’t want them to hate me. Maybe I can eventually get them to lay off Tohru-chan too, you know?”

“So you’re a people pleaser? You say whatever it takes to be liked?”

Hanajima had her there. It was something Aimi hadn’t really thought about before but she didn’t hesitate to voice the truth. “Yes, I guess I am. I just want everyone to get along.”

“And you want everyone to like you?”

Aimi began to feel a pain in her chest, the burning that meant her gift needed to be “let out”. She glanced up at the sky, watching clouds pass lazily and for a moment, her smile disappeared and she let her walls down. “Being hated by people is very lonely. I’ve been lonely for so long. I just want…” her voice was small as she absently fingered the scar on the side of her neck, the one hidden behind her hair. Then she came back to herself, shaking her head and grinning at Hanajima.

“I just like to make new friends!” She said cheerfully. Then she hurried away before the girl could respond. Hanajima said nothing but watched her go with melancholy eyes.

The burning sensation grew stronger until Aimi was clutching her chest as she ran. Deciding to go to Kyo’s usual hiding spot, she moved faster, her feet pounding the steps as she headed for the roof. She thought someone called her name but she couldn’t concentrate. Flinging open the door, her books hit the concrete at her feet as she stumbled out into the sunshine.

Before the true pain could take over her body, Aimi took a deep breath and concentrated on releasing her gift and purging her body. Standing up straight with her feet slightly apart, she threw her hands out before her and opened her mind. Millions of voices assaulted her brain at once. Leaves on the nearby trees sang about the sun. A bird flew by and called a mental greeting to her. A beetle on the roof a foot away from her shoe grumbled to itself about being lost. A breeze laughed into her mind and beckoned her to dance.

Yes, let us dance.

Aimi released her gift and manipulated the air around her. She created a breeze of her own, then, the full power of her gift emerging after weeks of being cooped up inside her body, the breeze grew stronger until it was a forceful wind, whipping around her body in a cyclone. She played with it, spoke to it, used her hands and mind to will it to move higher. Then the power was released and she slumped to her knees, breathing heavily. And she felt…

Better. So much better. She always felt relieved after releasing the gift. Such powers were not meant to stay bottled inside her. They were meant to be set free upon nature as they were intended.

Aimi heard a sound behind her and as she rose, she turned. Her green eyes widened in horror when she realized that she wasn’t alone. Her little performance had an audience. Dread filled her being, making her knees weaken. It was all over now. She was finished. Once again, she had ruined her chances here. Tohru stared at her with nervous eyes.

“Aimi-chan, what was that? What are you?”