Summery: A seventeen year-old girl gets caught up in the Sohma life. Used to her way of treatment, she slowly comes to realize what she's missing. HatsuharuXOC.
Warning: May be a little OOC at times. Taken a year after the events in the series -- I've only seen the TV episodes, so my info's based on that. This is focused more on Hatsuharu, OC, and Momiji -- not Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki. So if you only like stories with them as the main characters, please don't continue.
Disclaimer: Don't own FB or any characters other than Rayne. I do own my own ideas and plot, though. Please review if you like or don't like!
Well, I'm sure you've heard about the Sohma family, along with Tohru and their curse with the Zodiac. Well, I met them in Germany, and if I had known what I was getting into, I sure as hell wouldn't have climbed up there to meet Haru. As it is, I did, and my life took a bizarre twist soon afterward. But, anyway, I guess I should tell the rest of you, huh?
"I'm not getting anywhere, am I?" Rayne sighed, looking around the streets in the drizzle.
Pushing her brown-blond hair out of her eyes, she glanced toward one of the smaller German cathedrals.
"Am I seeing things?" she wondered, and looked at the gargoyles again. Blinking, she realized that she wasn't seeing things – there really was some guy sitting on one of the statues! Curious, Rayne entered the church, and made her way to one of the bell towers.
"Hello?" she called, cautiously putting a foot on the wet roof. A moment later, her foot slipped, and she went sliding toward the edge of the roof.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and caught her wrist. The teenager pulled Rayne back up, and she settled herself next to him.
"Thanks," she said, blinking her blue-gray eyes rapidly, "I probably would've broken something if you hadn't had caught me."
"What the hell were you doing, anyway?" he asked, not even looking at her. Rayne flushed, and began to stammer.
"Well, I…I saw you up here, and…well, I…I got curious."
"I don't see why."
"Well, it's not like I see guys sitting on cathedral roofs all the time," she defended herself. To her surprise, he grinned. He turned his head, and she stared into his gray eyes.
"You're quite a piece of work," he told her, "And you got some nerve, climbing up here."
"Thanks?" she blinked again.
"I'm Hatsuharu," he said, sticking his hand out, "Hatsuharu Sohma."
"Oh, nice to meet you," Rayne nodded, shaking his hand, "I'm – " She was cut off by her watch alarm, which went off.
"Gotta go?"
"Yeah," Rayne sighed, and shakily stood up. Shifting her feet, she slid off the roof.
"The hell!" Haru exclaimed, and looked over the side, "You okay?"
"Yeah," Rayne grinned, looking up at him from the ground, "I'm lucky that way. Nice meeting you!"
Hatsuharu shook his head as she ran off, then went to find the rest of his family.
"I'm taking off, Mom!" Rayne yelled, stepping out of her hotel room.
Not receiving a reply, the seventeen year-old shrugged. Slipping on her black jacket, she ran off into the street.
Walking in the rain, Rayne was surprised to see Hatsuharu also wandering around. Running up to him, she grinned.
"Hey, Hatsuharu! I didn't expect to see you again."
"Hello," he bowed slightly, and continued walking beside her. "What's your name, anyway?" he asked suddenly, "You never told me."
"Oh!" Rayne blinked, "I'm Rayne Helton. I'm visiting here with my mom and younger brother."
"Really?" Hatsuharu asked, "I'm here with some cousins on vacation."
"That sounds like fun," Rayne remarked.
"You don't know my family," he remarked dryly, then groaned as a blond figure approached them. Since the streets were practically empty due to the rain, it was easy to spot him.
"Who's that?" Rayne asked.
"My cousin Momiji," he told her, as the sixteen year-old flung himself at them.
"Haru!" he yelled, "Shigure's been looking for you! Who's this – is she a girlfriend, Haru?"
"Shut up!" he shouted, turning red. "I just met her! This is Rayne Helton," he finished, calming down. Momiji, fully expecting 'Black Haru', blinked in surprise when his cousin relaxed.
"I'm Momiji Sohma," he introduced himself proudly.
"Nice to meet you," Rayne grinned, bowing awkwardly back. Pausing, she turned to Haru. "You know, he reminds me of a rabbit – all hyper and bouncy."
Both boys tensed, but Rayne didn't say anything else.
"Hey, Rayne, wanna come meet some more of our cousins?" Momiji asked suddenly. Haru glared at him, but Rayne didn't notice.
"Sure, if that's all right," she nodded, and glanced at Hatsuharu, who shrugged.
"Great!" Momiji cried, and grabbed her hand, "Let's go!"
"Oof!" Rayne gasped, as Momiji tugged her along. Haru followed, shaking his head.
"Well, well, who's this?" Shigure asked, as the family knelt around the table.
"This is Rayne Helton," Momiji told them, and tugged the girl over to the table.
"I'm hope I'm not intruding," Rayne stammered, growing nervous with everyone looking at her.
"No, not at all," Shigure shook his head, "My name is Shigure Sohma. These are Kyo, Yuki, Ayame, and Tohru Honda."
"Pleased to meet you!" Tohru exclaimed, bobbing her head.
"Where did Momiji meet you?" Yuki asked Rayne, as she sat down. Glancing around, she quickly shifted her legs so they knelt underneath her.
Noticing this, Shigure waved his hand. "Never mind that. Sit however you're accustomed to."
"No, I'd like to learn more about the Japanese culture," Rayne replied.
"And to answer your question, Yuki, I met her earlier today," Hatsuharu told them, reaching over for the food, "Momiji just popped up."
"So, Yuki, are you and Ayame brothers?" Rayne asked. At Yuki's odd look, she cringed. "Oh, I'm sorry – it's just that you two look so much alike."
"No, no, it's quiet all right," Ayame said in his usual melodramatic manner, "Yes, I am Yuki's older brother by ten years."
Yuki merely stared with a blank look at the wall.
"So, what are you doing here in Germany?" Momiji asked. Haru was silently eating, Kyo and Yuki were in a staring mach with Tohru trying to calm them down, and Ayame had disappeared.
"On a trip with my mom and brother," Rayne said, then suddenly shrieked.
"What is it?" Haru demanded, as Shigure spilled his food into his lap in surprise.
"A s-s-snake," Rayne stammered, as a certain gray reptile with yellow eyes slithered out of her shirt.
"Damn bastard!" Kyo yelled, as Haru lunged at its head. Unfortunately, Ayame dodged Haru's fist, and slid back into her shirt. Haru ended up landing on top of Rayne before Momiji or Shigure could catch him, and –
POOF!
"Damn!" Kyo swore, as Rayne lay on the floor, knocked out by hitting her head on the table – with Haru the Cow standing over her.
"C'mere, Ayame," Yuki grabbed his brother, and calmly began throttling him.
"Give him to me!" Tohru snatched Ayame from his brother's death-grip, and promptly lost him to Shigure.
"You've caused a lot of trouble, Aya," Shigure said sternly.
"I was cold!" Ayame protested.
"See you later, brother," Yuki said grimly, and flung the snake out the window.
"Oh good, you're okay!" Momiji grinned as Rayne opened her eyes. She stiffly sat up.
"Ow…is Haru okay?" she asked, looking around, "I heard a sort of explosion, and then smoke…there wasn't a fire or something, was there?"
"No…just some…some…"
"Flour Tohru left on the table flew up," Haru, who had popped back a few moments ago, cut off Shigure's stammering. "That's all. You hit your head, though."
"Oh, it was nothing," Rayne laughed weakly, "I've done worse, trust me."
"I could have sworn I saw a cow right after you had fallen," Yuki mentioned thoughtfully, trying to determine whether their guest had seen anything. The trick worked.
"A cow?" Rayne gave him an odd look, "No offense, but Yuki – are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," he nodded, smiling, "And none taken."
"Damn rat," Kyo muttered, "Could've blown our – "
"Stupid cat," Yuki interrupted.
"Wanna take this outside?" Kyo demanded. Haru took Rayne outside, diminished the noise a bit.
"Want me to walk you back to your lodgings?" he asked quietly.
"No thanks," Rayne shook her head, "I should probably be going. I think we're going to the festival tomorrow, though, if you want to try to catch us there."
"Maybe," he blinked noncommittally as Rayne took off. What none of them realized was that even though the Sohmas didn't know English, and Rayne didn't know Japanese, they understood each other perfectly.
"Where have you been?" her mother demanded, greeting Rayne inside.
"Out," Rayne replied shortly.
"Don't take that tone with me miss," her mother glared at her, "I'm in a bad mood too, but I'm not taking it out on you!"
"What do you call this?" Rayne shot back, stalking to her own room. Before she slammed out, she yelled, "And I wasn't in a bad mood until I came back here!"
"She seemed like a nice girl," Shigure commented, "That was a close call though, Haru."
"Blame that damn snake," he retorted, gritting his teeth. Ayame had slunk back just after Rayne left.
"I was cold – I couldn't help it!" he protested, looking for Tohru for support, "Besides, at least I wasn't the one who transformed in front of her!"
"It was an accident," Haru glared at him.
"Just be happy she didn't see you, or else we'd have to have Hatori come," Shigure said calmly.
"You're going out like that?" her mother asked in disgust the next morning.
"Oh, yes, I forgot how slutty I look," Rayne said sarcastically, wearing boots, a short denim skirt, and a pale-green shirt.
"Change."
"No."
"Then go out looking like a tramp," her mother retorted, "Just stay away from me."
"I'd do that no matter what I was wearing," Rayne muttered.
"This is gonna be so fun!" Momiji cried, as the Sohmas wandered the streets. He snuck a look at Kyo. "I'll do my best to find some leeks for you, Kyo."
Kyo frowned, and smacked Momiji on the head.
"Waaa! Tohru, Kyo's picking on me!" he wailed.
"I swear, every word that comes out of your damn mouth…" Kyo muttered.
"Hey, there's Rayne!" Tohru said, waving. The girl strode up to them, her attitude from the morning gone.
"Hello," she smiled, and bowed stiffly.
"How've you been?" Haru asked her. She shrugged.
"I'm going to buy some souvenirs," Tohru said, walking off with Kyo and Yuki, "I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"
"All right," Shigure nodded, "Just be careful not to get lost and stay together!"
"I believe I shall go and examine the fabrics that this country has to offer," Ayame announced, "Perhaps I shall find something that I can use in my shop."
"I'll go with you, Aya," Shigure grinned, and turned to the remaining two Sohmas. "You two stay together, all right? Aya and I will meet you here in a few hours. Ta-ta!" he called, and the two adults disappeared into the crowd.
"Do they do that much?" Rayne asked.
"Do what?" Haru blinked in confusion.
"Split up like that," she said.
"Oh, that? Yeah, we tend to do that," Haru nodded, "Is there anything in particular you wanted to check out?"
"Not really," Rayne shook her head, "I just wanted to hang out with you guys, that's all."
"Well, I want to see something!" Momiji told them, and grabbed their hands, "Let's go-go-go!"
"Got a lot of energy, doesn't he?" Rayne laughed, and Haru sighed in surrender.
"I should probably go find my mom and see if she needs me to do anything," Rayne groaned an hour later.
"Where do you want to meet us back?" Haru asked.
"How about where we're supposed to meet Shigure and Ayame?" she suggested, then frowned, "But if I don't come back within thirty minutes, you should probably assume that I had to leave."
"Well, goodbye for now, then," Haru said, taking her hand.
"I'm glad I got to meet you guys," Rayne nodded, "Who knows? Maybe we'll see each other some other time, right?"
"Maybe!" Momiji chirped, as she turned to leave, "Bye, Rayne!" As she strode off, he turned to Haru. "She was nice, wasn't she?"
"Yeah."
"I have a feeling we'll see her again, don't worry," Momiji told him. Haru merely snorted, and turned away.
Well, that was my first meeting with the Sohmas – imagine, Haru turned into a cow and I didn't even notice! Oh well. I was right about my mother, and I ended up leaving Germany that night.